I thought things would get easier after my first term. But then we received unwelcome visitors from another world…

Winter is no joke on the Isle. The entire academy goes underground to stave off torrential blizzards. Normally, I’d be game for a cozy time next to a crackling fire. But my second term at Vikingrune has propped up new and old rivalries. My enemies are closer than ever, and I can’t let my guard down.

Still, things start hot and heavy for me and my mates. Our close intimacy during the winter season is the calm before the storm. Once my cadet-year starts, we’re off to the races: More deception, more violence, more intrigue.

When I find out I won’t be staying underground for the whole season, I’m ecstatic… until I learn I’ll be going on my most dangerous mission yet with my chosen men. We’re the only ones who can stop all these evil tendrils from wrapping around our academy and plummeting us into ruin.

I’ll be headed back aboveground… and leaving the only world I’ve ever known!

(Blood of Ancients is book three in the “Vikingrune Academy” series. The dangers come faster than ever, and stakes are raised. This is a why choose, dark paranormal romance series for adults. Be sure to check the trigger warnings, please.)

I've been stolen from the academy I worked my entire life to get to…

Sometimes life is a real ass-kicker. I've been captured by the humans' most hated enemy, the elves. They've been gone from Midgard for centuries, and now they decide to come back? Rude.

But hey, at least my magic finally decided to show up. Turns out I'm a pretty damn good runeshaper, too. All those countless hours of training without having magic at my fingertips really paid off.

Before being abducted by the pointy-ears, I made some brutal discoveries at Vikingrune: The villains who destroyed my family name are closer than I thought; a vision showed me that maybe the elves aren't the Big Bads of humanity, and the call is coming from within the house.

I came to the academy to execute a murderous plan… but then life happened. I met friends, lovers, allies, rivals. Now, I'll do whatever I must to get back to them and warn them of the real threat against us all.

I've been accepted as the leader of the Merry Men. Now I have to take down all our enemies without losing myself to the darkness.

I fear I may be turning evil. I'm having dangerous thoughts. Too much time spent with the Merry Men, perhaps. Luckily, my mates are reunited, and they vow to help me.

With new money and new allies, the Merry Men are ready to evoke change across the land. But our adversaries are legion, and the fight will be brutal.

Templar Knights have arrived from the Crusade and feel entitled to own any land they wish. We won't make it easy for them. The mastermind behind the slaving operation is a stunning revelation that's hard to stomach. Closer to home, Maid Marian has reemerged. Her new position boils my blood.

Sheriff George is quiet, but I know he's plotting the demise of our rebellion. He's already wounded one of our own, and I won't let him get away with it. Then there's Sir Guy of Gisborne. I don't know what that cunning man is scheming, only that I don't trust him.

Our enemies are at the gates, and they're all somehow connected. To bring peace to Nottinghamshire and the Merry Men, we have to stop all of them.

So where do we start?

Runes, steel, secrets. Which one will kill me first?

I am a bog-blood. A half-bred outcast in a village of Viking descendants. Just about everyone here hates me. Luckily, I have a way out.

Every year, Vikingrune Academy selects a single initiate from each legacy village to attend its prestigious school. This year, I am determined to be my village's initiate. I yearn for the legendary longship to haul me away through the arcane mists, to a land where I will hone my fighting and runeshaping abilities. It's a great honor to join the academy, with the endgame of fighting in the war against humanity's greatest foe: the elves.

At least that's what the brochure promises. In truth? Vikingrune Academy is not what it seems. I have to bend my morals just to get there. I'm given just one semester to prove myself, or I'll be exiled forever. Sinfully wicked men try to break me down, relentless professors test my resolve, and dangerous trials push me to my limits.

But I belong here. I won't let anyone convince me otherwise. I've fought too damn hard.

I also share a secret no one knows—the true reason I've risked life and limb to attend: So I can discover who destroyed my family name… and kill them all.