Chapter 1

Iwhirled in the dark, searching for Tello. Where was he? He’d been behind me just a few seconds ago. My breaths were so loud I couldn’t hear anything else. The night was an oppressive, dark shroud, and the trees around me were giants that served as hiding places for my enemies.

Jaz! Don’t, stop! Val urged, ahead of me as he ran. He was almost to the top of the hill, about fifty yards away.

But Tello, I hissed desperately. I don’t know where he is. He was right behind me.

Val halted, glancing back, and gesturing with one hand for me to hurry. Magistrate Magnus will keep him safe. C’mon, hurry!

I hesitated a moment but had to trust that they’d be all right. With one last glance back, I started climbing uphill again. My legs burned, but I had to keep going. We needed to get out of wildling territory.

A shape flew at me from behind a tree. I cried out in pain as a shoulder rammed into my side and thick arms enveloped me. We rolled down the rocky hill, grunting and struggling. When we finally came to a stop, my attacker was on top, pinning me down. I stared into luminous green eyes. Sharp canines gleamed as the savage leered at me with hatred.

Filthy city rat, he said in a barely intelligible voice.

I tried to reach for my weapon, but I couldn’t move.

He leaned closer. His fingers dug into my shoulders, claws prickling through the fabric of my uniform coat. Panic building in my chest, I pushed, but he was a wall of pure muscle. His chest was bare and his skin and taut sinew shone under the dim moonlight. I bucked. He pushed a leg between mine and jammed it against my crotch. I froze in shock at the brazen move.

The wildling angled his sharp teeth toward my throat. I growled, pushing, but it was useless. When his mouth touched my skin, he stopped and inhaled deeply. I shuddered as he went utterly still. I braced myself for death, but he pulled away.

His shifter eyes locked with mine. He appeared confused. His savage features softened slightly. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then his head and gaze snapped up.

Get your filthy paws off her, Val screamed as he barreled in our direction.

My attacker jumped off me with inhuman speed, and a split second later, Val’s sword slashed through the air right at the level where the wildling’s neck had been. Val ran after him toward the trees, shouting hoarsely, sword held high.

I rolled onto my side, wincing. Val, no!

Gratefully, he stopped and we watched the wildling disappear among the many tree trunks and bushes.

Clenching my teeth and holding my side, I rose to my feet.

Val faced me. Are you all—

Run! Magistrate Magnus ordered, appearing at a bend at the bottom of the hill. Run, you idiots!

We ran, and it wasn’t until we reached the top of the hill that I stopped to wonder where Tello was.

The wolf wildlings killed Tello, and now, all we could do was watch from the top of the ridge as they tore him to pieces.

Val had an arm around my waist, holding me back as I fought to get free and do some tearing of my own. I wanted to run back down there and kill them, rip them apart, and spread chunks of their flesh all over the forest for all the wild packs to find.

We’d lost so many of our peers this way that I couldn’t stand the thought of losing another—even if that was the nature of Lux Academy.

Settle down, Initiate Jazmin! Magistrate Magnus growled. He was standing a few paces away, his back to us, with the dark sky and large moon as his backdrop.

I kept struggling.

Please, Jaz, Val whispered in my ear. You’ll get us all killed. We’re outnumbered, and it’s a full moon.

I went limp, his words piercing through my anger and turning it to acceptance. Val released me and I dropped to my knees, a choking pressure in my throat.

Magistrate Magnus was standing at the edge of the ridge, looking at the valley below. He wore the hood of his black robe over his head, obscuring wrinkles too deep for his age and a beard that had gone white ahead of his light brown hair.

They desecrate him, he spat, in his grumbling voice. Anger trembled in his words and swept through us.

Val joined the Magistrate, his back straight as a rod. He would watch and learn firsthand about the wildling’s savagery. The lessons were almost over for us and—after Proventus, our graduation—this would become our lives. There was no running from it. Not that we wanted to. Skews, perverse supernaturals, infected the rest of the world, but they didn’t belong here, and we would fight to root the infection from our lands.

I stood on shaky legs and went to stand next to Val and the Magistrate. Tello wouldn’t get a chance to graduate because he’d been brave and had tried to fight. I couldn’t be a coward and also miss my chance. Few were chosen to fight the wild Skews, and those who hid from the truth were not among them.

As I joined them, Magistrate Magnus glanced at me sideways and gave me a slight nod. He would forgive my outburst, see that I’d gotten myself under control. The other Magistrates might not be so forgiving—discipline was paramount—but he was reasonable, more than most of them anyway.

I forced myself to watch, same as Val.

Our long coats flapped in the wind, and below, a trail of smoke snaked toward the sky. The wildlings had started a fire and had lain Tello next to it.

Under the glow of the moonlight and the flames, I could make out his outline. He had fought bravely, giving us three the chance to escape. Guilt washed over me again, the same way it had as we’d run up the mountain while he stood his ground and faced the Tetrad—three werewolves and their alpha. I would’ve gone back and fought beside him, but Magistrate Magnus didn’t allow it—not when we’d told him of the wildling that had attacked me.

The magistrate’s magic had disguised our path, and we’d managed to confuse the wildlings’ keen senses, but we’d lost Tello. I clenched my teeth to hold back a scream.

Damn wildlings and their barbaric ways!

Not many initiates get to witness this, Magistrate Magnus said. "I was twenty the first time I saw." His voice wavered.

I lowered my head, not daring to glance in his direction. I’d never heard him be anything but firm—even when he named the dead after our dawn cleansing sessions. I wondered who he’d lost the first time he saw that still made him falter now.

Howls rent the night.

My eyes snapped back to the dancing flames and Tello’s immobile shape on the dusty ground.

Three wolves had positioned themselves at Tello’s feet, facing their alpha who stood by Tello’s head. The leader’s tattooed arms stretched toward the heavens as he swayed from side to side. I knew from my studies that he was chanting in victory, but I couldn’t hear him from where we stood.

After a long moment lost in his ecstasy, the alpha dropped to his knees and opened Tello’s blood-soaked shirt, revealing his broad chest.

I fought the urge to turn away at the sight of his ruined torso. It looked as if the wolves had tried to disembowel him, but it was no surprise. Their savagery and violence knew no limits, and their thirst for blood was insatiable.

Just to prove my point, the alpha pressed his hands to Tello’s chest, then brought them up to his face. Swaying on his knees, he wiped the blood across his cheeks. The wolves howled again, stirred into a frenzy, waiting for the next step in their barbaric ritual.

Pulling a knife from the belt at his waist, the alpha presented it to his pack. They howled once more, lowering their heads, eyes flashing with the firelight. My fist closed around a handful of my coat. Next to me, Val shook on the spot.

When we left Lux City so late in the afternoon, we’d known the dangers, and yet, we’d been excited to accompany Magistrate Magnus, Tello more than Val or me. The Magistrate had met with someone, a woman who’d given him a sealed parcel. We didn’t know who she was or what was in the package, but it wasn’t our business to ask. We’d come on foot, an hour north of the Academy.

Maybe we’ll run into a Tetrad, and we’ll teach them a lesson, he’d said, always so ready to fight, so brave.

I wished we would’ve stayed in our dorm, talking, fooling around. Instead, now…

The alpha lifted the knife with both hands and held it over his head.

By the Light!

The blade came down.

I held my breath and imagined a thud, followed by a wet, squelching sound.

The alpha’s arms worked up and down, up and down. When he was done cutting, he dropped the knife to the ground and stuck his hand in the hole. It came away bloody. He ran his fingers over his face. Was he tasting the blood? I couldn’t tell from this distance, but whatever it was, it was horrid. Beasts!

We stood frozen, too shocked to turn away from the horror. My stomach clenched painfully, and my heart lodged in my throat. I could barely breathe.

After a long moment, Magistrate Magnus gave an audible inhale and said, We must go.

But… I protested. Maybe we could bury him when they leave.

You know well there’ll be nothing left to bury, he said, walking south in Lux City’s direction.

The earth must return to the earth.

It was the only way to give anyone proper rest, and now Tello wouldn’t even have that. Instead, he would be devoured, digested in the guts of those filthy beasts.

Magistrate Magnus stopped and extended a hand to indicate we should walk ahead of him. He wanted to keep an eye on us, probably expecting us to linger or attempt something even more stupid than that.

We must tread carefully, he said. My magic is exhausted.

Val and I exchanged a glance. Like me, he was probably wishing we were already able to cast magic, but that wouldn’t be possible until after Proventus, once the ink bracelets around our wrists—our codas—were complete.

Pulling up my sleeve, I examined mine under the moonlight that seeped through the trees.

We’ll get the last of our ink soon, Val said. Don’t worry.

There was only a half-inch gap left to fill and make one end of the tattoo connect with the other. Each different pattern in the bracelet represented a year at Lux, and once the bracelet was complete, we would no longer be initiates. We would be apprentices, assigned to one of the Magistrates.

I looked over at Magistrate Magnus hoping, as always, to be assigned to him—if I was even selected, and not dismissed back into the world.

We’ll make them pay for what they did, Val whispered. We got a good look at one of them. We’ll find their pack.

We will! I said, too loudly.

He put a finger to his lips and threw a quick glance over his shoulder. I nodded once, Tello’s jovial face flashing before my eyes, and the desire for revenge swelling in my chest like a disease.

A month from now was the Last Day of Indulgence, and he wouldn’t be with us to enjoy it. I held back my tears and made a silent pledge.

They’ll pay for what they did to you, Tello. I promise.

Chapter 2

Girls were jutting their hips and winking at me? At me?!

Really? What the hell?

I glanced away. They were wasting their time. Two-fold. I was not available. My Lux Academy uniform let them know that, and I was not a guy. They would be mighty disappointed when they took a closer look between my legs and didn’t find the bits they were hoping to arouse. Of course, my close-cropped hair, and hips and boobs hidden under my coat didn’t help them make a distinction, but still.

It had been two weeks since Tello’s death. He should be here with us, celebrating, but the space to my left was empty.

The air carried a sharp bite, typical for late April and northern Maine. Lux City lay in the Carrabassett Valley south of Flagstaff Lake. It was blessedly closed to outsiders, a place free of Skews and the depravity found in places as close as Augusta—not to mention Boston or New York. Our community had remained the same for hundreds of years since colonists settled in the area. Everyone who lived here was proud to be Luxian.

Uniformed Academy students went in and out of the shops and ran down the streets, whooping, enjoying their free day. The town square and surrounding streets were closed to traffic and alive with people in the mood for celebration. Spring was here in force. The sun was out. The Last Day of Indulgence had arrived, and it was a yearly affair.

They really like you. Back from the baker shop, Val elbowed me and handed me a pistachio pastry. Honey dripped from the thin pieces of pastry onto a paper napkin. Um, delicious!

Thanks, my favorite! I took a bite, then moaned from pleasure.

From across the cobble street, one of the girls blew me a kiss, then giggled along with her friend. They wore tight jeans, tall boots, and very tight tops and, despite the chilly temperature, it seemed they’d left their jackets at home. Their hair bounced in an impossible way. I had no idea how they managed that.

Why do they act like that? I turned away, blushing, and took another bite of my pastry.

Val turned with me. There was a twinkle in his eye, and I knew just what he had on his dirty mind.

I know it is the Last Day of Indulgence, Val, I said, but you can’t possibly be considering… I trailed off, looking over my shoulder at the two girls.

Their boobs were squeezed so tight together they looked like overripe, pale, giggly melons. Gah! Even the wildlings covered their… fruits better than that.

"I am considering it, Val said. But I think they won’t be happy if you don’t come with me." He pressed his too-red lips into a thin line, obviously trying to repress a smile.

I glanced over at the girls again to see if—with Val standing next to me—they’d finally realized I wasn’t a guy.

One of them stared directly at me and bit her lower lip.

Nope. No such luck.

I was tall and slender compared to them, but nothing like Val. He was half a foot taller than me, and all angles and broad chest. He had a wide jaw, thick eyebrows, and his steel blue eyes carried a menace that was strictly male. He was imposing in the Academy black uniform. We all looked damn good in them. The sharp cut of the coat accentuated our waists and broadened our shoulders. The malleable leather pants hugged our muscular thighs, and the sword and tall boots with its silver-plated accents simply made us look badass. The uniform had been the same for centuries. Some less-traditional magistrates wanted to exchange the swords for guns, but tradition was everything at the Academy. Besides, the wildlings didn’t use firearms, and proper magistrates liked a fair and balanced fight.

A woman pushing a cart full of fresh flowers approached. Wheels clanked against the cobblestones.

After she passes by, we can sneak away behind her cart, I suggested.

Except Val was already crossing the street, his polished boots tapping firmly, the tip of his sword peeking from under his long coat.

Such a hot guy going in the service, what a freakin’ shame! I could almost hear the girls complain. Val with his steely eyes and damn confidence.

They seemed to forget we were all orphans, lucky to have been accepted into the folds of the ancient institution and shaped into valuable members of society. Yep, the uniform had power.

Across the street, Val pointed at me, causing one of the girls to smile broadly. Shit! What was he telling them? I shoved the rest of the pastry into my mouth, dabbed at my honeyed lips with the napkin, and threw it into a trash can.

I wanted to go off on my own in search of more sweets. Val could indulge himself with those girls, but I wasn’t about to waste my last day flirting with a girl who thought I was a guy. If I was interested in that sort of indulgence, I would find a handsome, broad-chested, hard-muscled dude.

My gaze traveled lazily in Val’s direction.

To my dismay, he was coming back, a full smile displaying his perfect teeth. I looked left and right, searching for an escape. Any escape.

Jaz, he said in that tone I knew well—the overly sweet one he always used when he wanted something from me.

No! I shook my head and took a step back.

Please, Jaz. It may be my last chance to… you know. He put his hands