Undead

  August appears torn as he tears his eyes off Ava. “I’ll go, but only if you promise me you’ll save her.”

  I loathe making those sorts of promises, but needing him to collect my cyborg for me, I nod. “All right, I promise.”

  I just hope that after I’m done saving Ava, her lack of emotion will help her put a stop to August’s developing obsession with her. Because I can’t have my superheroes falling in love and wanting to back out of the mission.

  Casting one last longing look at Ava, August begrudgingly strides for the door. But he pauses before he exits the room. “The demon said something strange to me about killing Ava so he could win something going on between you and him.” He glances at me. “What did he mean by that?”

  I fight the urge to swallow hard. “I have no idea.”

  The truth is, I know exactly what the demon was referring to. The battle that’s been going on between him and I since the day he failed at collecting my curse. I’m not about to admit this aloud, though, or else August might start asking too many questions. And then my whole mission might end up under examination.

  He eyes me over with a drop of skepticism before shoving the door open and walking out of the room.

  I blow out a stressed breath then redirect my attention back to Ava. I make a mental note, though, to figure out what the demon is up to, since if it stops collecting curses then my future superheroes will never get created. And that means the team I planned to create will be no more. I need my entire team.

  The world’s fate depends on it.

  Author’s Note

  Dear Reader,

  I hope you enjoyed Undead (Cursed Superheroes, #3). Just a little info about the series. The Cursed Superheroes Series follows five girls as they learn how to be superheroes who kick butt. Each novella is told from different character’s POVs, and there will multiple novellas for each character.

  Hope you enjoy this fun superhero world and thanks for reading!

  Best,

  Jessica Sorensen

  About the Author

  About the Author

  Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

  Also by Jessica Sorensen

  Other books by Jessica Sorensen:

  Bad Boy Rebels:

  Discovering Zhara: Kissing Benton

  Discovering Zhara: Meeting The Bad Boy Rebels

  Discovering Zhara: Going Undercover (coming soon)

  Discovering Zhara: Bad Girl Training

  Discovering Alexis: A Wildly Crazy Day

  Discovering Zhara: Sweet Lies & Kisses (coming soon)

  Discovering Alexis (Titled to be decided) (coming soon)

  Shadow Cove Series:

  What Lies in the Darkness

  What Lies in the Dark (coming soon)

  Mystic Willow Bay Witches Series:

  The Secret Life of a Witch

  Broken Magic

  Stolen Kisses

  One Wild, Crazy, Zombie Night

  Untitled (coming soon)

  Cursed Superheroes:

  Cursed

  Maddening

  Undead

  Untitled (coming soon)

  Standalones:

  The Forgotten Girl

  The Illusion of Annabella

  Confessions of a Kleptomaniac

  Rules of a Rebel and a Shy Girl

  Broken City Series:

  Nameless

  Forsaken

  Oblivion

  Forbidden (coming soon)

  Guardian Academy Series:

  Entranced

  Entangled

  Enchanted

  Entice (coming soon)

  Sunnyvale Series:

  The Year I Became Isabella Anders

  The Year of Falling in Love

  The Year of Second Chances

  Unraveling You Series:

  Unraveling You

  Raveling You

  Awakening You

  Inspiring You

  The Coincidence Series:

  The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

  The Redemption of Callie and Kayden

  The Destiny of Violet and Luke

  The Probability of Violet and Luke

  The Certainty of Violet and Luke

  The Resolution of Callie and Kayden

  Seth & Greyson

  The Secret Series:

  The Prelude of Ella and Micha

  The Secret of Ella and Micha

  The Forever of Ella and Micha

  The Temptation of Lila and Ethan

  The Ever After of Ella and Micha

  Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always

  Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always

  The Shattered Promises Series:

  Shattered Promises

  Fractured Souls

  Unbroken

  Broken Visions

  Scattered Ashes

  Breaking Nova Series:

  Breaking Nova

  Saving Quinton

  Delilah: The Making of Red

  Nova and Quinton: No Regrets

  Tristan: Finding Hope

  Wreck Me

  Ruin Me

  The Fallen Star Series:

  The Fallen Star

  The Underworld

  The Vision

  The Promise

  The Fallen Souls Series (spin-off from The Fallen Star):

  The Lost Soul

  The Evanescence

  The Darkness Falls Series:

  Darkness Falls

  Darkness Breaks

  Darkness Fades

  The Death Collectors Series (NA and YA):

  Ember X and Ember

  Cinder X and Cinder

  Spark X and Spark

  Unbeautiful Series:

  Unbeautiful

  Untamed

  A look into my Guardian Academy Series

  If you’re enjoying the Cursed Superheroes Series, you might like my Guardian Academy Series. Here’s a little Teaser from Entranced (Guardian Academy, #1).

  Entranced

  Jessica Sorensen

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright © 2015 by Jessica Sorensen

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

  No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the permission in writing from author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Any trademarks, service marks, product names or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.

  For information: jessicasorensen.com

  Entranced

  (Guardian Academy Series, #1)

  Jessica Sorensen

  Chapter 1

  I’m the only human in the club. Well, except for Jayse Hale, my cousin and best friend on the entire planet. Although, human might be a stretch, considering we have Keeper’s blood pumping through our veins. At least, I’m pretty sure I do.

  Technically, I haven’t gotten my Keeper’s mark yet, but Jayse has. The fiery ring of gold showed up on his shoulder almost a year ago when he turned sixteen. His parents, my Aunt Aislin and Uncle Laylen, were ecstatic he inherited inhuman strength. It comes in useful for endeavors like tonight, when almost every creature near us is inhumanly strong and can easily kill an average person.

  My parents, Alex and Gemma Avery, keep telling me it’s only a matter of time before my mark shows up. My mom, dad, and over half of my extended family bear the mark of a Keeper—warriors who protect the human race from all those scary things that go bump in the night. Things most people don’t beli
eve exist. Believe me; they do exist. But, thanks to us lovely Keepers who kick ass and risk our lives daily, most people get to live their lives without ever crossing paths with vampires, werewolves, fey, and all kinds of otherworldly creatures.

  Me, I get to stand in a room crammed with them.

  The Black Dungeon is one of the many clubs in the city exclusively for anyone and everything who like to dip their feet, fangs, third eyes, or etc. into the dark side. The dress code to get in requires dark clothing, which is why I’m rocking a tight black tank, black jeans, and a pair of lace-up, thigh-high boots that make my already long legs look even longer. On top of that, you have to possess the Mark of Immortality. Jayse and I aren’t immortal, but thanks to Blaire, Jayse’s younger sister who has badass Wicca skills, we have temporary marks on our forearms, an illusion created by a magic spell. My unearthly violet eyes also give me an edge, the strangely unique color inherited from my mom and my grandpa Lucas.

  “What are we looking for exactly?” Jayse asks me as we dance to the bass-driven song.

  Lights shimmer above us, and a faint mist floats around my feet as I skim the sea of faces near me. Most of them appear to be human, but if I look closely enough, I can spot glowing eyes, scaly skin, and claws for hands. “We’re looking for someone. I already told you that.”

  He leans in, coughing as the mist swirls up to our faces. “You keep saying someone, but clearly that someone is a something, so fess up.” He moves back, his bright blue eyes sparkling with amusement. Like me, he’s dressed from head to toe in black with studs on his belt and bands on his wrists, making him appear like an edgy, bad boy from the neck down, but his bright blue eyes and messy blond hair give him a pretty-boy look. “Alana Avery, what kind of trouble are you getting us into this time?”

  “If I tell you, then you have to promise not to give me a big lecture on making bad choices.” Even though I’m five-nine, I have to tip my chin to look up at him—he’s that tall. “I’ve heard it way too many times.”

  His lips quirk. “Well, if you didn’t make so many bad choices, I wouldn’t have to lecture you all the time.”

  “That or you could just accept that your awesome best friend sometimes does crazy stuff, but it almost always plays out in our favor.”

  “One day, it’s going to catch up with us.”

  “Maybe you should stop coming with me if you’re so worried.”

  “Imagine how much trouble you’d get into if I did,” he says with an arch of his brows.

  “I can take care of myself.” I squint against the lights vibrantly flashing with the beat of the song. “Everyone thinks that just because I don’t have my mark, I can’t protect myself. I know what I’m doing. I’m not weak.” Everyone forgets that I’ve been in this life since I was born.

  His expression softens. “No one said you are. We know you’re tough. We just care about you. Until you get the mark, so much bad stuff can still happen to you.”

  I tuck a strand of my long, brown hair behind my ear. “I know. I’m sorry for complaining. I just get so frustrated sometimes.”

  He shifts closer and whispers, “Is that why we’re here? So you can try to prove you can take care of yourself?”

  “It’s freakin’ scary how well you know me,” I say with a defeated sigh.

  “I’d be the biggest asshole if I didn’t. I mean, we’ve been best friends since we could walk. That’s a freakin’ long-ass time.”

  I nod in agreement.

  Our parents are best friends, and his mom is my dad’s sister, so we were kind of predestined to be best friends. It’s probably a good thing, too. While I like to do crazy, dangerous things, Jayse is more levelheaded and keeps an eye on me. He always seems to know when I’m up to something, like tonight.

  The main reason I came to the Black Dungeon is because I heard Anastasiya is supposed to be here. She has major status in the vampire world and is the cause behind a ton of human deaths. The Keepers have wanted to get their hands on her for a while, but she typically stays off the radar and has a ton of bodyguards surrounding her when she does make her presence known.

  “So, who are you trying to find?” Jayse asks, inching closer as sweaty bodies start to crowd us.

  I pull a guilty face, nudging someone when they bump into me. “Anastasiya.”

  His eyes widen. “Please tell me you’re joking. That you didn’t come here tonight to try and execute …” He casts a panicked glance around at the mob then leans in toward me. “We’ll never be able to kill her. She’s too powerful.”

  “Not if we can get her alone,” I hiss under my breath. “She’s only powerful because she has her precious bodyguards. Take them away, and she’s just a regular, old vampire.”

  “No vampire is just a regular, old vampire.” Frustration fills his voice. “And even if we could take her, her guards never leave her alone.”

  “That’s not completely true. I know for a fact that, sometime around midnight, she’ll be on the roof alone all by her little old self.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Um …” I chew on my lip guiltily. “I may have been tipped off by someone who can see into the future.”

  “You talked to Elliot?” His jaw ticks. “You know he’s not a reliable Foreseer. He probably lied to you to set you up.”

  “He wouldn’t do that to me, Jayse … I know everyone doesn’t like Elliot, but he’s not as bad as everyone thinks. He just messed up that one time and no one will forgive him.”

  “Messed up that one time. He tried to mess around with visions when he knew he wasn’t supposed to and almost set off an apocalypse. And the only reason that didn’t happen is because he was caught before he actually went through with it.”

  “That was a long time ago, back when he was still learning how to control his psychic abilities. Even you messed up a lot when you were training,” I say. “Jayse, I’m really sorry, but I need to do this. You don’t understand the pressure I’m under from my mom and dad. They keep saying shit like, ‘When is Alana’s mark going to show up?’ And, ‘If she doesn’t get one, we’re going to have to send her somewhere safe.’ It’s starting to worry me.”

  He gapes at me. “They’re talking about sending you away?”

  I nod. “For my senior year. They think I should go to some boarding school across the country.”

  “But you can’t move.” His lips pull to a sad smile. “My life would be way too dull without you.”

  “So you’ll help me with this, then? Let me prove I’m stronger than everyone thinks?” I clasp my hands in front of me. “Please say yes, Jayse.”

  He offers me an apologetic look. “I don’t want you to move away, but I can’t let you go through with this. It’s too risky. I’m sorry, but I’m texting for back up.” When I start to open my mouth, he talks over me. “I’m not arguing. I’m not going to let you risk your life.”

  “We take risks like all the time. This isn’t any different.”

  “Taking on”—he lowers his voice as he slips his hand into his pocket, retrieving his phone—“Anastasiya … You’ll get yourself killed.” He punches a few buttons on his phone. “We’ll find another way to keep you from moving, okay?”

  So much for proving I’m a badass. Texting for backup means a ton of Keepers are going to show up soon and take over the situation.

  “They’ll still let you help,” he tries to reassure me.

  I force a smile. “Yeah, maybe.”

  He’s wrong, though. Since my parents hold high status in the Keepers’ circle, everyone knows me, knows that I don’t have my mark yet, and that I’m not supposed to be working any jobs.

  He stuffs the phone into his back pocket of his pants. “They’re on their way. I have to stick around until they get here … Do you want to go home?”

  I shake my head as we start to dance again. “No, but are my parents included in the ‘they’?”

  He stares at something over my shoulder. “I don’t think so.”

&n
bsp; “I hope not or my ass is going to get grounded. Then I won’t get to see you before I move away.” I swallow the lump wedged in my throat.

  I know I’m acting like a baby, but the idea of moving away from my family, from Jayse, from the life I’ve always known is killing me. I thought tonight would at least give me a chance at being able to stay. Now that chance is rapidly slipping away from me.

  Tonight wasn’t supposed to go down like this. Usually, Jayse goes along with my plans, even if they’re dangerous. Lately, though, he’s acting more responsibly. I blame it on the mark. It changed him, made him like every other Keeper.

  The day he got his mark, I felt like I lost my best friend. Sure, I still love Jayse to death and I’d do anything for him, but I can feel a wall between us, dividing how we view situations.

  I miss my old best friend who said to hell with everything and held my hand as we jumped blindly into danger.

  If only the stupid mark would just appear! Then shit could go back to normal.

  As if reading my mind, the back of my neck begins to burn, like a tattoo needle buzzing away, inking my flesh. This has to be it—my mark appearing! Of course, I need to go check before I declare it since I’ve had more than a handful of false alarms.

  “I have to go to the bathroom!” I shout to Jayse over the music.

  He glances at the clock then shoots me a dubious look. “It’s almost midnight. Are you sure you’re not just trying to sneak off to the roof?”

  I press my hand to my chest, mocking offense. “You think I’d lie to my best friend?”