Hallow's Edge

I knew I would feel it when she arrived. Mom kept saying Raven was the one we’d been waiting for, the Warren heir, the girl I was born to protect. I tried not to believe it. We’ve had other girls placed with us before. Other maybes. Other almosts. Every time, I let myself hope, and every time, I was wrong. But the moment Raven crossed the town line, something inside me snapped into place. Guardian magic isn’t loud. It doesn’t spark or glow. It’s subtle, like a compass needle jerking north. A pull under the skin. A thread tightening.And when Raven stepped out of that car and looked at me… the thread didn’t just tighten. It locked. My ribs felt like they were trying to hold in a storm. She wasn’t just the Warren heir. She was my Beloved. The word hit me so hard I almost staggered. I wasn’t ready for it. I wasn’t supposed to feel it this early, not before she turned eighteen, not before her magic settled, not before I ended things with Lily.But none of that mattered. The bond didn’t ca

Dinner smells incredible, warm spices, fresh cornbread, something sweet cooling on the counter, but my stomach is too tight to enjoy any of it. I sit between Emily and Mrs. Connor, trying to look normal, trying to pretend I belong here.Ms. Carter left a few minutes ago after finishing the last of the paperwork. She hugged me before she left. She never hugs. Maybe she thinks this placement will stick. Maybe she hopes it will. I don’t let myself hope for things like that. Emily chatters nonstop about school tomorrow, teachers, hallways, the best vending machines, who to avoid, who to sit with. She’s bright and warm and impossible not to like.I nod along, but my mind keeps drifting.Noah sits across from me, barely touching his food. His phone lights up again and again, and every time it does, his jaw tightens. He glances at it, then away, then back again. He hasn’t said more than three words since we sat down.He was quiet earlier, but present. Now he feels miles away. Maybe this is i

I shut my bedroom door and press my back to it, breath coming fast. Seeing Noah in the hallway was… a lot. Being near him stirs something in me I can’t name. It’s like standing too close to a bonfire, my cheeks flush, my skin tingles, and the air still carries the ghost of rain and his cologne.I can’t stop picturing the way his shirt clung to his shoulder, damp from practice. I have to swallow hard just to steady myself.He’s attractive. Anyone with eyes would notice. But it’s not just that, and that’s what scares me. I can’t let myself fall. Not for him. Not for anyone.Rules exist for a reason. The state has its rules, and I have mine. Foster kids don’t get tangled up with their foster siblings. It’s messy. Complicated. Dangerous. Once, at Miss Sheila’s house, I let myself get too close to one of her sons. The next day, I was shoving my life into a bag, blamed for something I didn’t do. I learned fast: don’t trust it. Don’t trust them. Don’t trust yourself.And guys like Noah, foot

The second Lily storms out of the cafeteria, the whole room erupts into whispers. I can feel eyes on me from every direction, curious, smug, hungry for drama. I ignore all of them and sit back down across from Raven and Emily. Emily kicks me under the table. “You’re a disaster.”“Thanks,” I mutter.Raven is staring at her tray like it might swallow her whole. Her shoulders are tight, her hair falling forward like she’s trying to hide behind it. I hate that Lily’s meltdown touched her at all.I clear my throat. “So… uh… how’s your day going so far?”Raven blinks, surprised I’m talking to her. “Um… okay. I guess.”“What classes did you have this morning?”She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Math, Spanish, and Art.”“Nice,” I say, trying to sound normal. “What do you have this afternoon?”“Science and English.”“English?” I lean forward. “Let me see your schedule.”She hesitates, then hands it over. My chest warms a little at the trust, small, but real. I scan the page. “Yeah, we

Noah Connor dumping me was not part of the plan. I pace down the hallway toward the library, nails digging into my palms, fury simmering under my skin. He wasn’t supposed to end things. Not yet. Not until everything was in place. Not until my father said so. My father is going to lose his mind when he hears about this.Noah was supposed to stay close. Distracted. Blind. Too busy with football and his perfect little life to notice anything strange happening in Hallow’s Edge. Too wrapped around my finger to pay attention to the signs. Too focused on me to protect the Warren Heir when they finally arrived.Except now? Now he’s free. Alert. And worse, interested in someone else.Her. Raven. The new girl. The foster sister. The nobody. Except… she isn’t a nobody. I can feel it. There’s something off about her. Something that makes the air shift when she walks by. Something that makes Noah look at her like she hung the moon. He’s never looked at anyone like that. Not even me. And I hate her