• •
  At Noctis Academy, humans didn’t exist.

Or at least, they weren’t supposed to.

Only vampires, werewolves, fairies, and elves were accepted through the towering black gates that surrounded the academy. Every student belonged to one of the four powerful races, each with abilities humans could only dream of.

And then there was me.

A completely ordinary human.

Somehow, I’d managed to sneak my way inside.

If anyone found out the truth, I’d be expelled… if I was lucky.

If I wasn’t?

Well, I didn’t like thinking about that.

Luckily, I wasn’t completely alone.

Gisele, a vampire with silver eyes and a sharp tongue, had helped me get in. Illia, a cheerful fairy with shimmering wings she magically hid during class, was the only other person who knew my secret.

To everyone else, I was just another fairy.

Apparently, I was a pretty convincing liar.

There was one group everyone at the academy knew.

Six vampire boys who practically ruled the school.

Jungwon.

Jay.

Jake.

Sunghoon.

Sunoo.

And Ni-ki.

The halls seemed to go quieter whenever they walked by. They were rich, powerful, ridiculously attractive, and surrounded by admirers wherever they went.

But Ni-ki…

There was just something different about him.

He stood around 6’1”, carried himself with effortless confidence, and despite being over a hundred years old, looked no older than eighteen. Rumor had it he’d never truly bonded with anyone. Love didn’t come easily to him—in fact, it was almost impossible. No matter how many people confessed to him or tried to win his heart, no one ever had. He wasn’t interested in relationships and refused to fake feelings just for the sake of having someone. He kept everyone at arm’s length, and no one had ever managed to make him fall in love.

Some people called him cold.

Others called him dangerous.

I just couldn’t stop looking at him.

Which was probably a terrible idea.

Especially considering I was the one person at this academy who absolutely wasn’t supposed to be here.

—

Friday night.

The invitation had spread across campus in less than an hour.

The vampires were throwing another party.

“So,” Gisele grinned as we walked up the long driveway, “try not to expose yourself tonight.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” I muttered.

Illia laughed. “She says that now.”

The mansion came into view, glowing beneath the moonlight. Music pulsed through the walls so loudly I could feel the bass before we even reached the front door.

Inside was chaos.

Colored lights flashed across packed rooms while students laughed, danced, and shouted over the music. Red plastic cups were everywhere, conversations blended together, and every supernatural race in the academy seemed to have shown up.

The air smelled faintly of expensive perfume, sugary drinks, and something strangely metallic.

Vampires.

I tried not to think about it.

“Relax,” Gisele whispered, handing me a cup of soda. “Act natural.”

Easy for her to say.

One mistake…

One slip-up…

And everyone would know I was human.

I had barely taken two steps into the living room when my eyes drifted across the crowd.

There he was.

Ni-ki.

Leaning casually against the kitchen island with his friends around him, laughing at something Jay had said.

For a split second, his gaze lifted.*