## Chapter 1: Welcome to Hell
The iron gates of Blood Moon Academy loomed before me like the entrance to another world—which, I was beginning to realize, they probably were. The acceptance letter had been vague about what exactly I'd be studying here, mentioning only that I had "unique talents" that required "specialized education." Now, standing before the gothic spires that seemed to scrape the storm clouds overhead, I wondered if I'd made a terrible mistake.
Lightning forked across the sky, illuminating the gargoyles perched on every corner of the ancient stone buildings. Their eyes seemed to follow me as I dragged my suitcase up the cobblestone path.
"You must be the new girl."
I spun around to find a guy about my age leaning against a twisted oak tree. Even in the dim light, I could see he was gorgeous—all sharp cheekbones and mysterious dark eyes. His black hair caught the wind, and when he smiled, I caught a glimpse of fangs.
Fangs.
"I'm sorry, did you just—" I started, but he was already walking toward me with predatory grace.
"Kai Blackthorne," he said, extending a pale hand. "And you're Luna Pierce, the one everyone's been talking about."
"Everyone's been talking about me?" My voice came out smaller than I intended. "I just got here five minutes ago."
His laugh was like dark velvet. "Word travels fast when you're the first human to be accepted into Blood Moon in over a century."
Human. The word hit me like a slap. "What do you mean, human? What are you?"
Before he could answer, another voice cut through the night air.
"Kai, stop terrorizing the newcomer."
This voice was warm honey compared to Kai's dangerous silk. I turned to see another young man approaching—this one radiating an entirely different kind of supernatural energy. Where Kai was all sharp edges and shadows, this guy was golden light and easy smiles. His auburn hair seemed to glow even in the darkness, and his green eyes held an otherworldly warmth.
"Asher Solaris," he said, shooting Kai a warning look before turning to me with a gentle smile. "Solar fae, and apparently the welcoming committee since someone forgot his manners."
"I was being perfectly charming," Kai protested, but there was amusement in his voice.
"Right." Asher rolled his eyes. "Come on, Luna. Let me show you to the dormitories before the weather gets worse."
As we walked toward the main building, I couldn't help but notice how both guys seemed to unconsciously flank me, as if protecting me from some unseen threat. The thought should have been unsettling, but instead, I felt oddly safe between them.
"So," I said, trying to process everything, "vampires and fae are real."
"Among other things," Asher confirmed. "Though we prefer the terms 'blood fae' and 'solar fae.' More politically correct."
"Right, because that's what I should be worried about right now—political correctness."
Kai chuckled. "I like her already."
We reached the entrance to what looked like a medieval castle crossed with a university dormitory. Asher held the heavy wooden door open for me, and I stepped into a world that defied everything I thought I knew about reality.
The entrance hall was massive, with a ceiling that seemed to stretch up into darkness. Floating candles provided flickering light, and portraits on the walls actually moved—the subjects turning to watch us pass. Students lounged on ancient-looking furniture, and not one of them looked entirely human.
A girl with silver hair and scales along her cheekbones waved at Asher. Twin boys who appeared to be made of living shadow whispered to each other in a corner. A group near the fireplace had wings folded against their backs.
"Welcome to Blood Moon Academy," Asher said softly. "School for the supernaturally gifted."
"And what exactly am I supposed to be gifted at?" I asked, still staring at everything around me. "Because I'm pretty sure I'm just regular human Luna who's really good at math and makes killer chocolate chip cookies."
"That's what we're here to figure out," came a new voice.
I turned to see a third young man descending the grand staircase, and my breath caught in my throat. If Kai was dangerous beauty and Asher was warm light, this one was pure elemental power. Dark hair, storm-gray eyes, and an intensity that made the air around him practically crackle with energy. When he moved, I swear I could smell rain and ozone.
"Zephyr Stormwind," he said, extending a hand that sparked with actual electricity when I shook it. "Storm elemental. And you're either going to be the most powerful student this school has ever seen, or—"
"Or what?" I asked.
His gray eyes met mine, serious and unreadable. "Or you're going to die trying to find out what you are."
The casual way he said it made my blood run cold, but before I could respond, the lights in the hall suddenly flickered and died. In the darkness, I heard gasps and nervous laughter from the other students.
"That's not normal," Asher said quietly.
A low growl echoed through the hall, seeming to come from everywhere at once. The temperature dropped twenty degrees in seconds, and frost began spreading across the windows.
"Everyone stay calm," Zephyr called out, electricity dancing between his fingers to provide light.
But I wasn't looking at him anymore. I was staring at the main entrance, where the heavy doors were slowly swinging open despite the fact that no one was near them. A figure stood silhouetted in the doorway—tall, imposing, and radiating a cold that made my bones ache.
"Well," the figure said in a voice like breaking glaciers, "this is unexpected."
He stepped into the hall, and the floating candles reignited themselves, revealing features that belonged in ancient mythology. Platinum hair, ice-blue eyes, and skin so pale it was almost translucent. When he moved, frost spread from his footsteps across the stone floor.
"Frost giant," Kai muttered under his breath. "What's he doing here?"
The newcomer's gaze swept the room until it landed on me, and I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. His eyes widened slightly, the first crack in his otherwise perfectly controlled expression.
"You," he said, taking a step toward me. "You're why the barriers failed."
"I'm sorry, what?" I managed to squeak out.
"Magnus Frostborn," Asher said quietly beside me. "Ice elemental and generally bad news."
Magnus ignored him, his attention focused entirely on me. "What are you?"
"I'm Luna," I said stupidly. "Luna Pierce. I'm supposed to be a student here."
"No." He shook his head, ice crystals forming in his hair. "You're something else entirely. Something that shouldn't exist."
The way he said it wasn't threatening—it was awed, almost reverent. Like I was some kind of miracle instead of a girl from Portland who'd never done anything more supernatural than predict rain.
"The prophecy," Zephyr breathed, understanding dawning in his storm-gray eyes.
"What prophecy?" I demanded, looking between the four impossibly beautiful men who were all staring at me like I'd just sprouted wings.
Magnus stepped closer, and despite the cold radiating from him, I didn't back away. Something about him called to me, the same way something had called to me about this school, about this place I'd never heard of until two weeks ago.
"The prophecy of the Fifth Element," he said quietly. "The one who would either save our world or destroy it."
"I think there's been some mistake," I started to say, but the words died in my throat as power—real, undeniable power—began to stir in my chest. It felt like lightning and starlight, like the moment before a storm breaks and the calm after it passes.
The air around me began to shimmer.
All four men took a step back.
"Definitely not human," Kai whispered.
And as the power inside me unfurled like wings I'd never known I had, I began to understand that my real education was just beginning.