Page 1 of Quiet Burn

Previously On Veiled Flame

Katarina Camponella, or Kat, to those who aren’t trying to sound like a Victorian governess, has spent most of her life being unwanted.

Shuffled from foster home to foster home, she learned early on that people don’t keep her around for long. No one ever told her why. She wasn’t a troublemaker, didn’t flunk out of school, and never stirred up drama. She did everything right. It didn’t matter. Every year, she was sent back, traded in like an outgrown pair of shoes.

Now, stuck in a dull suburban town with foster parents who care more about their star-athlete sons, Bryce and Blake, than the quiet, nerdy girl they took in, Kat is ready for her escape. College is supposed to be her way out. She has the grades. She’s done the work. But when the acceptance letters start rolling in for everyone else, she opens her application system to find—nothing. No rejections, no offers, not even a simple acknowledgment that she exists.

Then, out of nowhere, a mysterious letter appears on her doorstep, offering her a full-ride scholarship to a place calledDiscordia University. The name alone is suspicious, but what’s even stranger is the fact that Kat never applied. Even worse, the letter isn’t addressed to her. It’s for “Mssr. Kit Camponella.” Whoever Kit is, it isn’t her, but the offer is too good to ignore. They promise tuition, housing, meals, even spending money—all things she desperately needs. The only catch? No one has ever heard of Discordia University. It’s not in any college database. Google doesn’t recognize it. Her high school’s guidance counselor insists it doesn’t exist.

That should be a red flag. A big, flashing, neon-colored red flag.

But when the alternative is staying in this dead-end town with people who don’t care whether she’s there or not, Kat takes the risk. She signs the letter and waits to see what happens next.

She doesn’t have to wait long.

Discordia University isn’t just some ultra-exclusive school hidden from the public eye. It’s a demon academy in another realm, a place where power is everything, students are more predator than person, and survival is far from guaranteed. Kat, who has spent most of her life fading into the background, suddenly finds herself surrounded by creatures who could rip her to shreds if they ever suspected what she really was—a girl.

Because girls don’t belong at Discordia—it’s all boys school.

Now going by Kit, because apparently that’s what the school thinks her name is, she scrambles to figure out how she got accepted, who signed her up for this, and—most importantly—how the hell she’s supposed to stay alive. Blending in is her only option, but that becomes increasingly difficult when she catches the attention of Jasper Eversore, a demon prince with entirelytoo much arrogance, entirely too much suspicion, and entirely too much interest in her presence at Discordia.

Jasper is ruthless, powerful, and used to being the smartest person in any room. He knows something about Kit isn’t right, and rather than letting it go like a normal, decent person would, he pokes at her secrets until they bleed.

Unfortunately, he isn’t the only one monitoring her. His caliphate, an elite group of demon hybrids, has also noticed that Kit isn’t exactly fitting into the mold. Salem, the quiet protector who seems far too kind for a place like Discordia, watches her with concern. Oriel, the sharp-eyed thief, has a knowing look that makes her want to check whether she still has all her belongings. Slash, the deadly and predatory shark shifter, sizes her up like he’s waiting for her to make a wrong move. Zavida, the nervous but perceptive kitsune, seems to puzzle her out, while Anton, the silent and enigmatic observer, says nothing but sees everything.

None of them should care about her. None of them should be interested in her existence at all.

But they are, and that’s dangerous.

As if being under their constant scrutiny wasn’t bad enough, Kit soon learns that Discordia University has reinstated the Caliphate Games, a brutal, cutthroat competition that hasn’t been held in years. No one knows exactly what the Games will entail, but everyone understands one thing: they will be deadly. Jasper’s caliphate is preparing, whether they want to or not, and by some unfortunate twist of fate, Kit is now tangled up in their chaos.

The more time she spends at Discordia, the worse things get. Someone in the administration knows exactly what she is, and that makes her a target. A mysterious figure from her past seems to have orchestrated her arrival, but she has no idea why. The worst part, though, is what’s happening inside her own body. She’s changing. Something is waking up in her, something she can’t explain, and that she might not be as human as she’s always believed terrifies her.

With the Caliphate Games approaching, the school growing more dangerous by the day, and Jasper and his crew closing in on her secrets, Kit has to decide who she really is, what she’s willing to fight for, and whether she can survive long enough to uncover the truth.

But Discordia University isn’t a place where people walk away unscathed.

It’s the kind of place where secrets kill, and Kit has too many of them.

If she isn’t careful, she won’t just lose the game.

She’ll lose everything.

Splish Splash

Kit/Kat

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

I groan when the alarm goes off, my entire body aching as I shift slightly. The painkillers Dank gave me wore off while I was sleeping and they make me too loopy to take them during the daytime. Any other time, I would consider emailing someone to take the day off, but after the announcement yesterday…

Nope, I can’t be seen as weak.

Sighing, I look up at the ceiling, smiling when Dottie scurries up and peers down at me happily. “Hey girl…”

The kinkajou chitters softly, dancing a little on her hind legs. I don’t know why she’s so excited, but maybe she’s trying to help me stay positive. I pet her gently a few times, wincing at the pull on my healing scrapes, bruises, and injuries. It’s a miracle I wasn’t burned, so I guess I should be thanking someone—demon, deity, whatever—for that.

“Rise and shine, Kit Kat!” I blink as the oddly cheery voice of my roommate echoes in the dorm as he bustles in. He walks overto my closet, yanking a uniform set out and places it on the bed nearby. Salem also grabs my shower basket, making my chest fill with alarm until he sets it down next to my clothes. “You have thirty minutes to get decent for our bigTricliniumappearance. I won’t repeat Jasper’s words, but you’ll want to look sharp.”

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