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Blaire shifted with unease. Setting aside the strangeness, something didn’t make sense to her. “Wait… if these…”—she swallowed hard—“Vasirian… all share a mark with someone, but it doesn’t appear until they meet, then how do they know what their mark even is? How can they know it’s their… what’s the word you said? Cornea?”

“Korrena. You pronounce it core-en-ah,” the professor corrected flatly. “That, thankfully, is a simple question to answer.” She sat back in her chair. “Along with the appearance of the mark, you will feel a biological reaction.”

Blaire shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“Often, before there is even a sighting of the mark, the pair can feel one another. Something similar to a pins and needles sensation over the entire body. Warmth, and a bone-deep reaction to each other, are common. Some report being drawn to their scent, and others have a purely lust-driven response. It varies, but at a basic, primal level, if a mark presents itself, and the biological reaction happens, it is quite telling, and hard to deny.”

The professor sighed and pulled out a folder filled with papers, pushing it across the desk to Blaire. “I am sorry to have approached the facts in this way, but it is not information you speak of outside of these walls, and honestly, you wouldn’t have come if you knew.”

Blaire stared at the folder labeled Blackthorn Academy Rules & Regulations and Korrena Expectations.

“This sounds too unreal…”

Blaire shook her head quickly to wake herself from this bizarre dream, and then looked up from the folder to find the professor standing above her.

“I can assure you it is real. Very real, Miss Wilcox. You need to read this to understand what I have said to ensure your safety and that you and your pair have the best chance of success.” She crossed her arms. “It is imperative that you comply with everything within this text. While this is completely new to me, if you truly are my student’s Korrena, I will do everything within my power to help you be successful here, but you must meet me halfway.”

Blaire shook her head again. “I just… I can’t believe this. It sounds too unreal. I mean, this kind of thing only happens in books and movies.” She laughed. “The poor, pitiful human finds herself trapped in a magical world of creatures she must join, or what? What happens to me if I don’t stay?”

The professor frowned. “What happens to you if you go?” A dark implication lay under her soft tone.

Blaire didn’t want to think of the consequences of turning down the opportunity to get her university education at this beautiful school, complete with freedom from Caleb, but this sounded ridiculous. Supernatural creatures weren’t real. Destined pairs sounded silly. What did “destined pair” even mean? So what if she had some kind of mark? That didn’t mean she should be someone’s mate with no choice in the matter.

The professor leaned forward and used the tip of her index finger to tilt Blaire’s chin up in her direction, interrupting her spiraling thoughts. She held Blaire in place with an intense stare, her russet brown eyes edged with the smallest hint of glowing amber. It had to be a trick of the light.

“My dear Miss Wilcox, you would be wise to accept reality before it is too late.” The professor smiled at Blaire, allowing the hint of a sharp fang to appear.

The world faded to black.

6

LUKAS

She could hear voices.

Blaire’s head felt foggy, and she wanted to sleep. Her hair being moved from her shoulder tickled across the skin of her neck, forcing her to stir.

“Don’t touch her,” a deep voice said.

There was shuffling on the bed as Blaire’s hair fell back down, followed by a loud huff of air and a woman’s soft voice. “I just wanted to see if it’s there.”

“It’s not. The bond hasn’t been sealed, so just leave her alone.”

“Or maybe it’s a mistake.” Another man’s voice held a hypnotic quality to it.

“Dude, no. You know good and damn well the—”

“Shh!” the woman admonished. “She’s waking up!”

With a soft groan, Blaire slowly opened her eyes, trying to focus on the room around her. She tried to remember how she got here, and more importantly, where she was. Nothing came to mind as her vision came into focus. She gasped when her eyes met a pair of large, smoky blue eyes shadowed heavily in black makeup.

A petite girl with the wildest hair Blaire had ever seen sat uncomfortably close on the bed, leaning toward her. The girl’s black hair was shaved on the left side, with the back and right side cut short. The top of her hair was longer, spiked in a pixie style, and dyed a pretty, faded pink. It suited the pale girl’s style of goth and punk with a dash of bubble-gum princess.

Blaire closed her eyes as she tried to remember. The image of the professor’s fangs came into focus, and she sucked in a breath, her eyes flying open.

She jerked upright, forcing the girl to move out of the way. Blaire scrambled backward until her back met the wall, then she wrapped her arms around her shins, pulling her knees to her chest.

This couldn’t be happening, but denial hadn’t gotten her anywhere so far; she had to accept reality. The small room with two beds, two desks, and one door out was obviously a dorm room. The girl looked around her age. Maybe. Unless she was immortal.