The rain had slowed to a ghostly drizzle by the time Selena reached the north gate. Her breath came in ragged gasps, heart pounding so violently she feared it would burst from her chest. The shadows seemed to close in, every flicker of light a threat. She ducked behind the rusted fence, her drenched clothes clinging to her like a second skin.
She couldn't shake Leo's face from her mind.
Alive. Here. A puppet master pulling strings in the dark.
How?
It defied logic. Two years ago, he'd vanished after the scandal. Rumors spread like wildfire. Some said he'd run off to Europe. Others claimed Damon's father had him killed. But no one, not even their own mother, had seen him since.
And now… he was the leader of the Thorns.
Selena squeezed her eyes shut. The world tilted around her.
She couldn't stay at Ravenshade. Not with Leo alive, not with Damon lurking in the shadows. But where could she go? Who could she trust?
A sharp rustle snapped her out of the spiral.
She spun around, blade in hand.
"Whoa, easy!" Jace Madden's voice called from the gloom.
Selena lowered her weapon.
Jace stepped out from behind a broken statue of Saint Nox, his soaked hoodie clinging to his frame. His hair plastered to his face, eyes wide with worry.
"I've been looking for you everywhere," he panted. "I saw the rooftop lights… then Damon. And Ava ran out crying like she'd seen a ghost. What the hell happened?"
Selena grabbed his wrist, pulling him into the shadows.
"Leo's alive."
Jace's face went white. "That's impossible."
"He's here. And he's behind the Thorns. Damon's working with him."
Jace's mouth opened, closed, then opened again. "Sel, you're—"
"I saw him, Jace!" Selena hissed. "On the rooftop. He was giving the orders. And Ava… she's done. But Damon's still out there, and Leo wants me dead."
Jace ran a hand through his wet hair, staring into the night.
"We have to go to the headmistress. Or the police."
"No," Selena said flatly. "Leo owns the Thorns. The headmistress turns a blind eye, and Damon's father runs half this town. No one's coming to save us."
Jace looked sick. "Then what? Hide? Run?"
Selena shook her head. "We end them."
Before Jace could protest, a phone buzzed between them.
Selena's screen glowed with a new text.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Room 312. Now. Or she dies.
A picture followed.
It was Claire — bound, gagged, and bloodied, slumped against a wall. A Thorn mask dangled beside her.
Jace swore. "They have Claire."
Selena's stomach turned.
"You in?" she asked, voice hard.
Jace didn't hesitate. "Always."
---
Room 312 was in the abandoned east dormitory, a building sealed off after a fire years ago. But its skeletal remains still stood, windows shattered, halls sagging with decay. The perfect place for monsters to play.
They moved fast, sticking to the shadows. Every footstep echoed.
"You sure about this?" Jace asked quietly.
Selena's grip tightened around the blade. "No."
The door to Room 312 hung ajar.
Inside, a single bulb flickered. Claire lay against the far wall, a crimson streak marking her temple. Her eyes fluttered open as Selena entered.
"Sel…" she croaked.
Selena rushed to her, cutting the ties around her wrists.
"I'm here. We're getting you out."
A voice clapped mockingly.
"Touching. Really."
Damon stepped from the shadows, a pistol in hand.
Selena's blood turned to ice.
"Don't move," Damon warned Jace, gesturing with the gun. "Or I swear to God, lover boy, you'll be painting these walls."
Jace froze.
Damon grinned. "You always had a flair for rebellion, Blackthorn. Shame Leo had to drag you into this mess."
Selena's heart pounded. "He used us. Both of us."
Damon snorted. "You think I didn't know? I've been waiting for a chance to slit his throat. You just gave it to me."
Selena blinked. "What?"
"Leo's been bleeding this school dry for months. Thought he could control me. But no one controls Damon Cross."
A second figure stepped into the light.
Leo.
Face bruised. Lip split.
"She's lying," Leo rasped. "He's working with my father."
Damon's grip tightened on the gun. "You shut your mouth."
Selena glanced between them.
This wasn't a trap. It was a coup.
Claire coughed. "They're going to kill each other."
Jace edged closer to Selena. "If we're making a move… it's now."
Selena nodded. On three.
One.
Two.
CRASH.
The window exploded inward as masked figures poured into the room. More Thorns. Weapons raised.
Leo cursed. Damon spun.
Chaos erupted.
Selena lunged, tackling Claire to the floor as gunfire tore through the air. Jace dove behind a desk.
Damon fired wildly, a masked figure crumpling to the ground.
Leo grabbed a pipe, swinging at another.
Selena pulled Claire toward the door. A Thorn blocked their path — Selena didn't hesitate. She drove her blade into his thigh. The figure screamed and went down.
"Go!" Selena shouted.
Claire staggered into the hall.
Jace followed, blood streaking his cheek.
Selena turned back in time to see Damon pin Leo against the wall, gun at his temple.
"This is for my brother," Damon snarled.
Selena's stomach dropped.
"Damon, wait—"
Too late.
The shot rang out.
Leo's body sagged to the floor.
Damon spun toward her, eyes wild. "You're next."
He raised the gun — and a black-clad figure tackled him from behind. The weapon clattered away.
Selena didn't wait. She grabbed Jace's hand and ran.
They burst into the night, rain washing away the blood.
The Academy's sirens wailed.
---
An hour later, they regrouped in the greenhouse behind the west chapel. The storm had finally died, leaving a misty calm.
Claire lay on a bench, her wound wrapped.
"Leo's dead," Jace said grimly.
Selena stared at the floor. She should've felt relief.
But instead… dread.
"It's not over," she whispered.
A phone buzzed.
Jace picked it up.
A video played.
Damon — bloodied, alive — standing in the headmistress's office.
"To the students of Ravenshade," his voice crackled. "Effective immediately, your new prefect is me. Anyone caught aiding Selena Blackthorn or her known associates will be expelled… or worse. Your choice."
Selena's heart pounded.
He wasn't hiding anymore.
Jace's hand trembled. "He took over."
Selena's jaw clenched.
"Then we burn it down."
Claire looked up, her voice hoarse. "There's one thing you don't know."
Selena turned to her.
"About Leo," Claire rasped. "Before he died… he told me something. About you. About your mother."
Selena's blood ran cold. "What?"
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
"She's alive. And she's the one who started the Thorns.