The Fallen One

Being the chosen one is harder than it looks, but here I am—Talisma Jones, half-fae, half-human, full-time chaos magnet.

I’ve been labeled guardian of the guardians. Sounds fancy, but all it’s gotten me is months of training with four larger-than-life guardians while we wait for another reaper to pop up and yell, “surprise!” There are still three reapers on the loose, and it’s my job to trap them, all while somehow not losing my mind—or my life—in the process. But…details.

The guardians are a walking soap opera. I have an air guardian hesitant to go into battle now that he’s no longer ageless, a fire guardian who can’t decide if he despises me or wants to set my world on fire in a very different way, a water guardian who can’t remember who he is, and an earth guardian avoiding us all. They’re sworn to protect me, but their loyalty is starting to blur into something more…complicated.

And me? Oh, I’ve just discovered I’m part succubus with a penchant for draining life forces. Fun times. It’s a darker side to me—a hunger I can’t control, a part of my heritage I didn’t ask for. Turns out, everyone I care about might be on the menu. Thank the gods I have a friend in Katy Reed, the elemental prophecy who’s been helping me stay sane. She and her quad squad help me and my guardians on the regular, and this time we need them more than ever.

Now I’ve made a deal with Hades—yes, that Hades—to track a reaper in the under realm. Not exactly the ideal vacation spot. The guardians and I are barely holding it together, but as we uncover their tragic pasts, it’s clear this isn’t just about stopping the reapers. It’s about them learning who they are without their powers, deciding who I really am, and whether I can trust them to bring me back if I embrace the darkness to save everyone else.

After all, the fate of all realms is at stake. No big deal, right?