At Blackthorn Academy, humans are at the bottom of the food chain. They exist to serve, entertain, or die.  

Aria Vale was never supposed to end up here. But when a mysterious sponsor forces her enrollment, she quickly learns the truth—Blackthorn is a vampire stronghold, ruled by ancient laws and deadly desires.  

Only to meet Lorien Duskbane, the cold, untouchable vampire prince. He’s cursed, doomed to destroy anyone he thirsts for. Yet, when Aria walks into his world, his control begins to unravel. She shouldn’t tempt him—her blood, her body, everything about her is forbidden.  

But Aria isn't just a fragile human girl. A hidden power stirs in her blood, a secret that could shatter Blackthorn’s balance of power. And when another dark, ruthless vampire—Sebastian Voss—sets his sights on her, Aria is thrown into a battle between two predators who will risk everything to claim her.  

She is the key to their fate. The curse. The prophecy.  
And the one thing they can never have.  

Will she run? Or will she give in to the hunger?  

Marked by his midnight kiss


**Aria POV**
The courtyard is chaos.
Students flood the grounds like a broken dam, spilling from towers and stairwells, huddled in clusters, breath visible in the cold air.
Their whispers crackle like lightning, louder than the wind.
“She’s missing.”
“Eliza Vale. Gone overnight.”
“There was bl...

CH- 21