There is nothing worse than having a joyous bombshell dropped in my lap with the goal of knocking me down. And I hate to admit the truth, but it might be working. I can’t stand being here anymore, but any attempts to run are ruined as I’m forced further into the newly created mold that is Asheville High’s whore.

I had everything I ever wanted, until my life was flipped upside down. Now, I’m suddenly being forced to live in my parent’s hometown, with complete strangers. Like my heart isn’t broken enough. Could I fall any further? Yes. Yes, I could. Why might that be? The Allstars - Xavier Knight, Hunter Asheville, and Tobias Holmes - Asheville High’s prestigious star football players. They’re my worst nightmare. But damn...why do they have to be so mouth-wateringly hot? 

Welcome to Emerson Grove. With our fantastic university, suburban lifestyle, and the city nearby, you’re never going to want to leave. I almost believe their slogan, until my ride drives off, leaving me on the doorstep of a pretty house to reveal a blast from the past. Leaving one lion’s den, I’ve fallen straight into another. I didn’t agree to this part. I didn't agree to…them.

Rise. Shine. Sleep. Repeat. To the world. Break. Darken. Cry. Lost. Behind closed doors. Nothing is as it seems in the Asheville home or this hellhole town. Then he shows up. Pushing my buttons and demanding I take more from life, be more, be…me. But I have no idea who that is. How do I fight for my freedom when I’m their bargaining tool? What he doesn’t realize is how screwed up Knight’s Creek really is. For all I care, the whole town can burn to ash.

Emersyn Sharpe was nothing like I expected and everything I could have ever dreamed of. She stayed and she changed everything. She put the guys in their place. She had fire and spunk, a ferociousness I wished I possessed. Her darkness called to mine in a way that felt like home. But hiding secrets is hard work, and even the people who think they already know the worst can’t be fully trusted. No matter how desperately you want it.

I made my choice. I took the hard way out. Now all of our fates are riding on the dice I’m about to throw and luck never was on our side. I was whole once, with my boys in this slice of paradise we’d carved out for ourselves, but in the time that we were parted we grew up. Grew apart. And as much as I might have yearned to reclaim that girl with the sand between her toes and the sun on her cheeks, it’s time I admit that I spent too long in the shadows to ever truly be her again.

My entire life, I’ve wanted a family; wanted to know if I had one out there. I’ve craved answers and now that I’m getting them, I don’t know if I’m ready. I have a brother, a family. Sadly, the knowledge of that isn’t comforting, because I can’t trust them. The same distrust extends to the guys that are invading every aspect of my life. Suddenly, they’re everywhere, demanding the truth from my lips and tugging at a heart that’s been cold for far too long.

“To convince a man to marry you, you have to be what they envision. Pretty, quiet, caring, and barefoot in the kitchen.” My mother's expectations have never wavered. I’m determined to be more, even if it is within the confines of Featherstone Academy. I'm tired of being forced into a mold I don't fit in. I want to be me, however that looks. Finding myself, and understanding what matters is my number one focus, over everything else. Taking inspiration from my reading obsession, I know what I want my life to look like, but getting it is a completely different issue.

The trials will last 60 days. They can happen anytime, anyplace, and anyone or anything is fair game. I won’t see them coming. I’ll need to be ready at all times. Prepared to fight, to steal, to save, and to kill at Diesel St. Crow’s command. While I sit on standby, he’s ordered his sons to keep an eye on me, and they’ve become my own personal wardens. But as truths are dragged out of the shadows and new dangers emerge, I may be forced to accept that they are more than armed roadblocks in my path. They might also be my only hope of survival.

Today I start school at Pacific Prep. This is my new lease on life, and I won’t be wasting it. I need this, now, more than ever. I need the education, the promise of a future that I wouldn’t get anywhere else. These rich kids don’t like me, though. When Hawk Davenport decides he doesn’t want me here, his friends back him. Along with Hawk, Westley Warren, Cam Rutherford, and Mason Hayes rule this school...and nobody dares go against them.

My life as I know it will never be the same. I must overcome more obstacles than I care to imagine and learn to deal with the blood staining my soul. Trusting in those who offer me the world will prove difficult as I try to keep everyone safe. Luna is my rock and pillar of strength, even if she wants to force me to see the bigger picture.

Watching her walk away for a second time...nearly destroyed me. But it was nothing less than I deserved for the things I put her through. I should have let her go. I’d already caused Emmie enough pain to last a lifetime. But I’m a masochist. Her pain is my pain. And she’s mine. Whether she likes it or not. And the sooner she understands that she belongs by my side, the better. Nothing she can do will convince me that we’re not made for one another. We might be toxic. Combustible. A match made in hell. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. And together. We will reign.

Everything seems to stand in the way of my Aceholes and me, but we stand together. Through thick and thin, till death do us part. My egg donor is dead, and The Games have finally arrived. Stepping into Beechwood Hall, the challenges surprise even me. Featherstone seems to want our blood, or is Totem behind even this? We must find our way, as we move into the darkness. Will we survive the carnage, or will we be consumed by the depths of hell they’re willing to put us through?

Featherstone thought they broke me in The Pyramid, but it’ll take more than their half-assed attempts on my life to truly tear me down. As I uncover the secrets and lies that surround me, I'll learn who I can trust. So here I stand. With the loyalty and strength from the Aceholes, I’ll forge my own path. They’ll continue to claim me, crumbling my walls as they go, a clear f--k you to the consequences. Remembering there are good people in this messed up world is easy when Red is around. There are innocent people worth fighting for.

The Harlequin boys are more than just a memory now. More than a daydream of our youth and an idea to cling onto. They’re my greatest weakness and my biggest regret, but I’ve started to realize that coming back to Sunset Cove was always my fate. My heart beats to the turn of the tide here. My skin only warms beneath this sun. And my soul will only ever be home on these streets and with the men who grew out of my memories. But nothing is the same as I remember, and the time for childish games is coming to an end.