I remember the day I realized just how dangerously cruel Rhyland could be. It was in the middle of my junior year, and it had been snowing all day. The entire town was a giant snow globe of glittery frost and Wonderland magic. I’d always loved snow days and had been in an upbeat mood after I walked to school that evening with the snow crunching under my boots. I didn’t use my super speed, wanting to savor the crisp winter’s air and the snowflakes tumbling from the minty green sky. Unfortunately, my lollygagging resulted in me being late.

By the time I arrived at school, the hallways were empty, the students and teachers already tucked away in their classrooms.

Worried I’d get marked absent, I hauled ass to my locker to put my backpack away and gathered my books, pausing as voices hissed from around the corner of the hallway.

“It’s going to happen today whether you like it or not.” The growling voice belonged to a male, but I couldn’t place a face to it.

“It’s too soon,” someone replied. “It’s going to end in a disaster.”

No, not someone. Rhyland.

I grabbed my books, ready to get out of there before he came around the corner and spotted me alone.

“It’s not my call to make,” the growling voice snapped. “I just wanted to give you a heads-up so you’d be prepared to do what you’re supposed to. This needs to be done, Rhy. If it isn’t, then we’ll never know.”

“And what happens if she gets killed?” Rhyland bit out. “Then what will we do?”

My blood turned as cold as the icicles trimming the rain gutters outside of the school. Killed?

I started to turn to bolt, but then they materialized around the corner. Rhyland spotted me first and stopped dead in his tracks, anger flicking in his eyes.

He said killed. Who could get killed?

I should’ve ran. The day would’ve gone so much better if I had. But I panicked and froze.

The guy with Rhyland slowed to a stop, too. He was about twenty years old, too old to be a student at school and too young to be a teacher. He was wearing a jacket with a silver and purple crown emblem—the emperor emblem.

What was Rhyland doing with an emperor? Better yet, why was an emperor hanging out at the school?

The emperor’s expression was a mixture of uneasiness and curiosity as he assessed me with his head tilted to the side, strands of dark hair hanging in his red eyes. Red eyes meant power. A lot of fucking power.

“Raven?” red eyes asked curiously.

I shifted my weight, stepping back and keeping my lips sealed. First rule of surviving in the vampire world: never give a stranger your name. How he knew my name was a frightening mystery in itself.

He said killed.

A smile spread across the stranger’s face. “You’ve grown up since the last time I saw you.”

“I …” Confused, I looked to Rhyland. A stupid move, something I realize the moment I did it.

A predator smirk rose on Rhyland’s face. “What’s the matter? You look nervous.”

I wasn’t nervous. I was freaking out. I knew I couldn’t show it. Knew if I lost my composure, whatever was about to happen would be ten times worse.

The emperor held up his hand. “You don’t need to be afraid, sweetheart. I won’t bother you.”

A silent yet lingered at the end of his sentence.

I held my breath as he passed by, his shoulder grazing mine. When he was gone, I released it, only to realize Rhyland was still standing there, watching me like a vampire ready to bite. So yeah, basically watching me like his normal self.

“Did you hear what we were talking about?” His head was slanted to the side as he studied me.

I swiftly shook my head. “No.”

“Liar.” The words poured off his tongue like bitter, outdated blood.

“I’m not lying,” I lied.

He stepped toward me. “Then why are you shaking?”

I stepped back. “Because you’re here.”

“You’re afraid of me.” It wasn’t question.

“Do you blame me?” I dared another step back, my back slamming into an invisible wall, which had become a growing occurrence with him ever since the night he helped Nadine lock me up in the attic. I didn’t know how he was doing it, how he was getting a witch to put up so many charms for him, but I wished she’d stop.

“No, I don’t.” He wet his lips with his tongue, showing me his fangs were out.

I gulp, knowing if he wanted to, he could sink those fangs into my neck and drain me dry. I wasn’t strong enough to fight him off, and I was too slow to outrun him. I was always sort of good at hiding, but I’d have to get past the invisible wall to even attempt to hide.

“I didn’t hear anything important,” I tried again. Which was sort of true. I mean, I didn’t hear who could be killed. Just a she.

He deliberately eliminated the space between us in three measured strides. If he wanted to, he could’ve reached me in the throb of a pulse. But he was toying with me, dragging out the fear and letting it build.

When he reached me, he stroked my cheek with his fingertip.

I flinched. He flinched, too, but then a crooked and warped smile curled at his lips.

“You should be scared. This world is a scary place,” he whispered. Then he snagged hold of my arm and towed me to my locker. “Open it,” he demanded.

I shook my head.

He sighed. “Open. It. Now. Or. Else.” He didn’t embellish on the else; his firm tone was enough to frighten me into opening my locker.

Then he pushed me in, not roughly, but fear still webbed through me.

I opened my mouth to scream, when a wave of sleepiness overcame me.

Damn bastard put a sleepy spell on me.

My eyelids grew heavy.

I’m sorry. The words rang in my head from somewhere.

Sorry for what …? That was the last thought I had before darkness gulped me up.

When I woke up, I was squished inside my locker, my legs ached, and my brain felt foggy, remnants of the sleeping spell. How he was getting ahold of all this witch magic was beyond me. I wished I could find out and put a stop to it.

“Hello?” I called out.

No one answered.

I tried again. “I need help.”

Nothing but eerie silence.

I banged on the locker, threw my weight against it, yet the metal wouldn’t cave. I felt so weak. So stupid. So pathetic.

I don’t know how long I stayed trapped in my locker, but eventually, the door opened on its own. I stumbled out into the empty hallway, relieved to see the light of day glinting through the windows.

Then I saw a path of black slime paving the marble floor from the entrance doors, down the hallway, and stopping at my locker, and my relief went poof. Demon slime. How? Demons weren’t supposed to be able to get into the school.

My muscles stiffened as my gaze glided around the hallway, searching for signs of a demon.

Not a single monster was in sight.

Then my gaze land on my locker, where large, jagged teeth marks covered the exterior of the door.

A violent wave of fear rushed through me, and I ran out of the school.

Come to find out, a demon had attacked the school. No one seemed to know how it got through the charms, but luckily, no one was killed and the demon strangely disappeared.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that the demon had been after me. The trail of slime had stopped in front of my locker. The demon had smashed into it.

And I had a feeling Rhyland played a part in it. Mostly because of the conversation I overheard with the stranger. They sounded like they were up to something that would lead to someone getting hurt—the mysterious she.

I hated to think it, but I wondered if the she was me. Whether they were playing a practical joke or not, I still don’t know to this night. All I know is that Rhyland forced me in a locker on the same day a demon got into the school, and it would be strange if that was merely coincidental.

I decide then that Rhyland can be truly evil when he wants to be, and the more time I spent away from him, the better.