Page 1 of Marked (Wicked Heirs #1)

The scent of burning herbs stung my nose and mingled with the heady aroma of incense as I focused on the candle flame in front of me.

My classmates whispered around me, and I tried my best to push their voices into a soothing hum in the background.

I didn’t need to hear them taking bets on whether I could do this simple task.

Put out the candle.

Conjure a breeze. Snuff out the candle.

Everyone else had done it already. Why couldn’t I?

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and willed my magic to respond.

Please.

My magic had never been strong—but I had always been determined to make something happen. There was a reason I was at Messana Academy, I knew that for sure—but the actual reason had always eluded me.

I would inherit my mother’s power eventually, but that wouldn’t happen for a long time .

“Come on, Avi,” one of my classmates whispered, “you can do this.”

I shut my eyes tighter and willed my magic to come forward.

It seemed to take a lifetime, but I felt a gentle shift inside me, and then, as if responding to my plea, a breeze materialized and blew gently across the classroom. It ruffled my hair, and I opened my eyes just in time to see the candle flame dip and waver.

It didn’t go out, but it was something.

Minor triumphs like these were what kept me going. Sometimes they were all I had.

“Very nice, Avril,” praised our instructor, Ms. Elara. Her words warmed me, but I knew I was far from the most powerful witch in our class.

Judging from the familiar snickers that came in response to my efforts, I was very far from that title.

Still, I smiled and thanked her.

The bell rang to signal the end of class and I blew out my candle and tucked it away with the others. I ignored the snickers and whispers from the other young witches in the class. I’d ignored them for years. It wasn’t my fault that they’d inherited magic and I hadn’t.

Not yet, anyway.

I gathered my belongings and headed back to my dormitory, my success in class, however small, had lightened my mood considerably.

As I walked back through the campus, it was hard not to think about the prospect of applying to universities. It was my final year at Messana, and there was an entire world waiting for me outside the city limits.

A world that didn’t care how powerful my magic was.

At least, I hoped that’s what it would be like.

As I crossed through the gardens and turned onto the path that led me toward my dorm building, a sudden chill crept down my spine, like a serpent’s icy touch. I shivered, despite the warmth of the sunlight that streamed through the trees overhead. Something was amiss.

“Miss Velez,” a voice called out, echoing through the garden, “a word, please.”

I froze in place and turned slowly to face the person who had called out to me.

Messana Academy’s headmaster was a formidable Sage, and I wasn’t afraid to admit that I was a little afraid of him. His stern features were etched with an unspoken gravity and my heart beat strangely in my chest as I forced a smile onto my face.

“Headmaster,” I said.

With each step I took towards him, the air seemed to grow colder and the shadows in the corners of the garden stretched and warped unnaturally.

“Is something wrong, sir?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Your mother is here. She has requested your presence,” he replied, avoiding my gaze. Wordlessly, I nodded and followed him through the garden and out into the courtyard that led back to the main academy buildings.

There was definitely something wrong, and the eerie atmosphere clawed at my chest and left me breathless.

I followed him through the ancient stone buildings, past portraits of previous Sage Headmasters, and the blank spot on the wall where the portrait of a previous headmistress, accused of terrible crimes against her fellow magic wielders, had been removed.

The door to the headmaster’s office loomed before us, heavy and foreboding. But instead of entering the room ahead of me, the headmaster merely opened the door and gestured for me to enter alone.

“I— ”

As the door swung open, I glanced into the room and saw my mother seated on one of the chairs in front of the headmaster’s desk.

My heart sank.

Her face was a mask of stoicism, her dark eyes seemingly devoid of emotion.

“Mom?” I ventured cautiously, searching for any hint of warmth or reassurance. She stared back at me, her gaze cold and distant. “What’s going on? Why are you here?”

“Sit down, Avril,” she commanded, her voice sharp and dismissive. I hesitated, fear and confusion churning within me, but eventually obeyed.

As I entered the room, the headmaster closed the door behind me.

“What’s going on?”

“You’re leaving the academy, Avril,” she declared, cutting me off. Her tone left no room for argument and each word was like a dagger to my chest.

“Leaving?” I stammered, disbelief washing over me. “But why? I don’t understand. I still have a few months left in my term—”

“You’re twenty-one. You don’t need this place anymore,” she snapped, her patience worn thin. “We’re leaving immediately.”

My heart pounded with panic and helplessness, but I knew that arguing would be futile. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded in submission.

“Can’t I say goodbye—”

“Why would you want to do that? These girls will forget you in a week.”

Stunned into silence, I nodded dumbly as she stood and then scrambled to follow her.

As we exited the headmaster’s office, I couldn’t shake the sense of dread that had settled within me .

My mother said nothing to the headmaster as we passed him, and I wondered what kind of discussion they’d had about me—the last time I was called to see the headmaster, it was to address the fact that he was convinced that I needed more time at Messana Academy to develop my powers, but that issue had obviously been forgotten.

Maybe I was a lost cause.

Maybe my mother had finally grown tired of paying for a school that was doing nothing to help me advance toward being a Sage.

I should have known that it would never happen for me.

Another impossible goal.

As I trudged after my mother, it was almost impossible to push away the anxious thoughts that crept into my mind. She had said nothing more to me beyond our brief conversation in the headmaster’s office, and it had been months since I’d seen her.

“Mom, are you going to tell me what’s happening? Did I do something wrong? Am I expelled?”

My mother’s laugh was short and sharp. “What makes you think this has anything to do with you?” She shook her head and her long dark hair fluttered in the wind like a raven’s wing. “This academy has made you arrogant,” she muttered. “I should have seen it.”

Was she talking to me or to herself?

Regardless, her words stung and my throat was tight as I held the straps of my backpack in a white-knuckled grip and followed her with my eyes downcast. The dark gray pavement was all I could focus on. One foot in front of the other.

I paused at the school gates, wrought iron monstrosities affixed to ancient stone pillars topped with fearsome gargoyles that had always frightened me just a little.

Such a little bird. Scared of everything for no reason .

My mother strode purposefully ahead, leaving me to stumble in her wake. As we passed through the gates, my eyes fell upon a sleek, black luxury vehicle parked conspicuously nearby.

“Wait—” I stammered as a uniformed man exited the car and opened the back door for her. His expression was unreadable, and he didn’t make eye contact with my mother as she approached the car. “What’s happening? Why are we leaving like this?”

“Get in, Avril,” she ordered, her voice devoid of warmth as she slid into the back seat without hesitation.

The uniformed man stood silently, holding the door open for me. With a final, lingering look at my beloved academy, the only place that I’d dared to call home for the last five years, I followed my mother into the car. The door shut behind me with a soft thud, shutting out the world outside.

I turned to my mother, desperate for an explanation, but she was already immersed in her phone, typing out messages with an intensity that made it clear she wouldn’t be talking anytime soon. I slumped back against the leather seat and stared blankly out of the window as the car slid into motion.

We passed through the city of Messana, but it appeared alien and distant from inside the sleek black vehicle. The tinted glass and plush interior of the car muted the familiar sights and sounds of the bustling harbor city.

“Are we going home?” I finally ventured, breaking the silence that had settled in the car.

She didn’t look up from her phone. “No,” she said curtly.

“But—”

“We’re going to Withermarsh.”

My blood ran cold at her words.

“Wh— Why are we going there?”

Withermarsh was just outside of Messana city limits, an isolated estate shrouded in perpetual gloom and surrounded by rumors of dark magic. Withermarsh cast a foreboding shadow over the city, and it seemed as though people went out of their way not to mention it.

She finally looked up from her phone and her eyes held mine with an unsettling intensity. “Lucian is there.”

It was only at that moment that I noticed the large ring on her left hand. The dark stone glinted dully in the muted sunlight and I wondered how I hadn’t seen it before.

An engagement ring. But not like any I’d ever seen.

“Why—”

“We are going to Withermarsh because I am engaged to Lucian Romano,” my mother said briskly. “That is our home now.”

My breath caught in my throat, shock and disbelief threatening to choke me. “Lucian Romano?” I repeated, my voice barely a whisper. “But how? When did this happen?”

“Several months ago,” she replied, her eyes fixed on the passing scenery. “We’ve kept it secret until now.”

“Secret?” I echoed, struggling to process this sudden revelation. “Why would you keep such a thing from me?” My mind raced with questions, each more terrifying than the last. “What does this mean for us?”

“Lucian is a powerful man,” she snapped. “He can provide for us in ways I never could. It’s for the best, Avril.”

“But— is this really what’s best for us?” I cried, my fear giving way to anger. “How can you expect me to accept this without question?” The weight of my emotions threatened to crush me.

“Avril,” she sighed, “I have done what I believe is necessary to protect our family. You must trust me.”

“Trust you?” I spat, my heart breaking at her betrayal. “How can I trust you when you’ve kept such a secret from me? How can I trust that man when all I know of him is— ”

My mother leaned forward, her dark eyes held mine in an unflinching stare like a snake about to strike. “What do you know of him?”

Her tone was bitter, challenging, and I faltered.

“I—I’ve heard things,” I mumbled, the words barely escaping my dry lips.

“And what are these ‘things’?” she asked, her gaze still locked onto mine.

“They say... they say he’s ruthless,” I admitted. “That he’s... cruel. That he— That he’s a Necromi—”

“And you believe these rumors?” she questioned, tilting her head. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulder like a waterfall of inky silk, catching the dull sunlight that filtered through the tinted windows. “You’ve never even met him.”

I flinched at her words, stunned by the coldness of her tone. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to articulate my fears. “But Mom,” I protested weakly. “Doesn’t that… frighten you?”

“A Necromi,” she huffed. “You really are just a child, believing rumors like that.”

But despite her flippant words, the title hung heavy in the air between us, a dark shadow eclipsing everything else.

Lucian Romano wasn’t just any magic wielder—he was an infamous sorcerer known for his mercilessness and dark magic. And he was soon to be my step-father.

Her eyes narrowed at my reaction, but she didn’t seem surprised.

“This— This can’t be a good thing,” I exclaimed. “You can’t expect me to—”

“Enough!” she snapped, her patience exhausted. “This is not up for discussion, Avril. For once, you’ll have to accept that something isn’t about you . I won’t allow you to ruin this.”

Tears threatened to spill down my cheeks as the car continued its journey, and I did my best to blink them away. My mother let out a disgusted breath as I wiped my palm across my wet cheeks.

Was I truly being selfish?

Couldn’t she see the danger in this union?

The car ride continued in heavy silence. My mother’s anger radiated from her like a heated aura, and I sank further into my seat. I felt her gaze on me sometimes, disapproving and harsh, and I shrank away from it. It was a look that I knew too well, one that always reminded me of who she wanted me to be.

I glanced at her once more, the woman who had brought me into this life, yet seemed intent on tearing it all away. Her deep brown eyes were fixated on the passing scenery. Cold and unfeeling.

What was she thinking?

The city of Messana spread out below us, a glittering mosaic of shadow and light, as the car weaved through the labyrinthine road that led toward Withermarsh.

“Mom, please,” I ventured, “tell me there’s another way, that we don’t have to do this. Can’t I stay at the academy?”

She didn’t respond, her gaze fixed on the passing scenery. The silence between us was suffocating, a tangible barrier that only deepened my sense of isolation and despair.

I turned my attention to the window, seeking solace in the familiar sights of my beloved city, but found none. Instead, I felt an icy shiver crawl down my spine as my eyes locked onto the three men on motorcycles following our car.

“Who are they?” I choked out. “Why are they following us?”

“There’s no one following us,” she snapped, feigning ignorance as her eyes flickered briefly to the rear window.

“Those men on the motorcycles,” I insisted, my anxiety mounting. “They’ve been behind us for the past few blocks.”

“You’re imagining things, Avril,” she said dismissively. But her eyes betrayed her words, darting to the rear window once more before returning to the scenery again.

As the motorcycles flanked our car, their engines snarled like beasts from a nightmare. I was unable to rid myself of the sense that they were aware of our identity—and that they held a deep contempt for us. Me in particular.

No—that was impossible.

I couldn’t see their eyes, but I could feel anger radiating off them as they veered dangerously close to the car.

Before I could utter another word, one rider accelerated suddenly. The roar of his motorcycle echoed like thunder through the car. He looked back briefly, his face hidden behind a helmet, but I experienced a stab of chilling contempt that made my heart constrict with terror.

Dark magic.

I gasped as the rider swerved and cut us off abruptly, forcing our driver to swerve. The car skidded dangerously close to the edge of the cliff; the tires throwing up gravel and dust. As my heart pounded in my chest, I shot a panicked look at my mother.

She was pale but composed, her gaze icy as it rested on me. She couldn’t deny what was happening. Not now.

“Mom—” My voice trailed off into nothingness as the sound of revving engines filled the air again.

The motorcycles zoomed past us once more before disappearing down the winding road that led toward Withermarsh.

As silence settled over the car, my mother’s features relaxed into cold composure once more.

The gates of Withermarsh loomed before us, black iron twisting into cruel spikes that pierced the oppressive sky. As the car approached, the grandeur of the estate struck me—a sprawling manor nestled on the high cliffs that loomed over the city, shrouded in shadows. Its facade was constructed of ancient dark stones and weathered wood. The air was thick with the scent of decay, as though the very earth the malevolent presence of the manor had corrupted it and it permeated the car and made my skin feel clammy and cold.

“Is this where we’re going?” I asked as I stared at the imposing structure through the smoked glass window.

“Welcome home,” my mother replied, her tone devoid of warmth.

I shivered, unable to shake the sense that I was being swallowed whole by the darkness that enveloped the estate.

The car glided past the gates and followed the winding path towards the manor, leaving me to stare in mute horror as the twisted shapes of gnarled trees leered down at me from above.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked. “About Lucian?”

“Of course,” she snapped, her expression hardening, as though she had expected my resistance. “Don’t be a fool. One day, you’ll understand what it means to sacrifice everything.”

“But why?” I choked out, my eyes brimming with tears. “Why would you do this to us?”

“I did nothing to us ,” she sneered. “ We are not marrying Lucian— I am.”

As we drew closer to the estate, the sense of foreboding that had settled over me grew heavier and crushed the last remnants of hope that lingered in the corners of my heart.

The car pulled to a stop before the grand entrance, and I hesitated, my hand hovering over the door handle. My chest tightened with each shallow breath, and fear coiled inside me like a venomous serpent.

“Get out,” my mother snapped.

With trembling fingers, I turned the handle and pushed the door open. I stepped out onto the damn cobblestones and took a shuddering breath.

The air was heavy with the scent of old magic and rot. The oppressive atmosphere choked my lungs and left me gasping for breath.

As I stood there, dwarfed by the towering walls of Withermarsh, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of vulnerability, as though I had been stripped bare and left to face the cruel elements alone.

As I stepped out of the car, my eyes fell upon three black motorcycles parked in the garage next to other luxury vehicles. A shiver ran down my spine, as I recalled the bikers who had trailed us earlier.

I didn't mention them to my mother; something told me she already knew.

But who were the riders?

And why did they hate us so much? I’d felt it radiating off them… unmistakeable.

“Hurry up,” my mother called out as she strode toward the ornate double doors without a backward glance. “It’s time for you to meet your new family.”

I hesitated for a moment longer before forcing my legs to move, but each step felt like I was walking deeper into a nightmare from which there would be no escape.

Was this truly the path my life had taken? Instead of planning for college and working toward my dreams, everything I had hoped for was gone. Now, I didn’t know what to make of this new reality that I had been thrust into.