Darkness and Deceit by Demi Warrik

Power always comes at a price—and I’m done paying it alone.
I thought surviving my first semester at Obsidian Academy would be the hard part.

But now, everything I thought I understood is falling apart.
An ancient threat is rising, unraveling the Balance and the whispers say it’s tied to someone like me. As one of the only known Duals—a rare kind of Protector who can summon both Predator and Prey Shadows—my magic is unpredictable, unstable, and dangerously coveted.
The Keepers are watching. The Rogues are hunting. And I’m caught in the middle of a war that no one fully understands.
Worse? I’m not sure I can trust anyone.
Not Simon, whose protective instincts may mask deeper secrets.
Not Kai, haunted and volatile, keeping truths behind locked eyes.
Not Vaughn, the arrogant menace who makes my pulse spike for all the wrong reasons.
And definitely not Augustus, the Keeper sent to observe me, who sees too much and says too little.
Secrets are unraveling. Lines are blurring. And I’m starting to wonder if I’m meant to protect the Balance… or destroy it.

Welcome back to Obsidian Academy—where magic is deadly, desire is dangerous, and deceit could cost you everything.