By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Michelle Hercules

I knew being the only Norm at Gifted Academy would be hard and dangerous, but I didn’t expect to be tossed out of a window. Also didn’t expect to be saved by one of the Magnificent Four.

Bryce brought me back from the brink of death, but he did more than heal my broken bones. He weakened my defenses and carved a place in my heart.

He’s not the only one vying for my attention. Rufio, Phoenix, and Morpheus have all changed their attitudes toward me, and recklessly, I want to know where it will lead.

But a complicated romance with four ruthless Idols should be the least of my worries. Powerful players are closing in, getting ready to either use or destroy me. I don’t know which one is worse.

So here’s where we are, Daisy was almost drown by Drusilla’s cohort Cherise while held by Drusilla’s powers. This results in a broken arm for Toby and Daisy being thrown out the window by a teacher. She is saved by Bryce as he discovers his healing powers. This will have more interesting consequences.

Bryce’s abduction and subsequent release opens up more questions because of the devices used to keep him captive.

Then there’s the new information he discovers about Daisy’s parentage. Bryce and Daisy sleep together in spite of or because of the circumstances. This causes some interesting reactions from the other guys.

After a run Daisy finds their treehouse and Rufio, this leads to some sizzle as Daisy can’t seem to deny him. But then she passes out with fever. While watching over her Bryce finds her father’s diary and when she wakes he tells her she should leave immediately.

This is a favorite scene.

“Great, you’re all here. It saves me the time of repeating the same story,” Bryce grumbles.

“You look positively wretched, Bryce.” Morpheus frowns. 

“While I was in Daisy’s room, I decided to do some investigation and found this.” Bryce picks up a leather notebook from the coffee table.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“A diary from Daisy’s father.” Bryce stares meaningfully at Morpheus.

“I take it that whatever you discovered didn’t comfort you,” Morpheus says.

My brother shakes his head and offers him the diary. “Read the last entries.”

I intercept the object before Morpheus can and, with eager fingers, flip to the last pages. I scan the text fast, and by the time I finish, my stomach feels as tight as a coiled spring. Son of a bitch. Daisy’s father must have been one of the Norm rebels my father used to talk about at the dinner table. 

I lift my head to meet Bryce’s eyes. “You think Daisy was sent here to kill us?”

Phoenix lets out a snort. “Come on, guys. Daisy is a fucking Norm. How could she kill us?”

“Her father discovered a weapon that can kill Idols. If this knowledge is widespread among the Norm population, how long until we have a fucking war on our hands?” Bryce replies.

“Even if they have a weapon, we have the power. We can obliterate them with a snap of our fingers,” Phoenix retorts.

“God, Phoenix, you’re dense,” Bryce snaps. “I was kidnapped by the Knights, and they were able to void my powers for hours. Combine that with a weapon that can kill us and the fact that there are way more Norms than Idols….” Bryce stops to laugh ruefully. “We’re fucked.”

“Can I have the diary now?” Morpheus extends his hand to me.

“Does the diary say what kind of weapon?” Phoenix asks.

“No.” Bryce shakes his head.

My nostrils flare when the realization hits me. I go to my room and retrieve the dagger I got from Daisy yesterday. When I return to the living room, I catch the end of Morpheus’s reply.

“… your mother must have known about Daisy’s past.”

I can’t offer a response to that. Mom is too smart, and her interest in Daisy is obvious. She doesn’t do anything without a purpose.

“So what? She hates Idols,” Bryce replies.

Phoenix’s eyebrows arch. “Why would she hate her own kind?”

“Because she fell in love with a Norm, and our father killed the son of a bitch.”

Bryce’s reply feels like a punch to my chest. “You’re joking,” I say.

“I wish I was. I heard from Mom’s own mouth.” Bryce’s gaze drops to the dagger in my hand. “What’s that?”

“This, I believe, is an Idol-killing weapon. Daisy had it on her yesterday.”

Bryce takes the object from my hand with care. He inspects the handle and the peculiar blade, his eyebrows scrunched together. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

“Where’s Daisy?” Morpheus asks suddenly.

Bryce lifts his gaze to Morpheus. “I told her to pack her shit and leave.”

“You sent her out while she was burning up with fever?” Morpheus’s voice rises until he’s almost shouting. “Are you fucking crazy?”

Bryce’s expression turns into a scowl. “Why are you giving me a hard time? You’ve always said from the beginning she was bad news. And then you had that vision of yours.”

“What vision?” I ask.

Bryce whirls around and walks toward the window. “Never mind.”

“That’s what’s eating you. You’re afraid of what I saw,” Morpheus replies.

“For fuck’s sake. What did you see?” Phoenix asks, clearly exasperated. I share his sentiment.

“Daisy and Bryce standing side by side, bound by the infinity band.”

My eyes widen of their own accord while a deep-rooted pain takes hold of my heart. The infinity band is the ultimate promise an Idol can make to a lover.

“Come on now. You guys must know that vision is bogus. Daisy is a Norm. Only Idols can be bound with an infinity band,” Phoenix contests.

“My visions have never been wrong before,” Morpheus replies through clenched teeth. “Also, may I remind you that if Daisy wanted to kill either Bryce or Rufio, she had ample time to do so.”

Morpheus looks meaningfully at me and my brother. I hear exactly what he’s not saying. Bryce and I slept with her; she could have easily plunged the dagger into our hearts while we were distracted.

“When did this happen?” Phoenix asks.

“Maybe half an hour ago.” Bryce runs his hand through his hair. He seems torn.

Phoenix pulls his phone from his pocket and places a call.

“Who are you calling?” I ask.

He holds a finger in front of his mouth and then speaks. “Joseph? Phoenix here. Can you tell me if Daisy Woods left the campus grounds?” A pause, and then he continues. “Are you sure?” Another pause. “Okay, thanks, man.”

He turns to us. “So yeah, Daisy hasn’t left campus.” 

My eyes immediately veer toward the window and the pouring rain that’s coming down so quickly it’s created a gray film, making visibility hard.

“She must have got caught in the rain,” I say.

Morpheus takes his uniform jacket off and grabs a hoodie that was draped over a tall chair.

“What are you doing?” Phoenix stares at our friend.

“What does it look like? I’m going after Daisy.” He doesn’t wait for our reply before he strides out.

Phoenix curses and rubs his chin. “Morpheus, wait up.” He runs to catch up with him.

Fuck. I want to look for her as well, but my ingrained hatred for her kind keeps me rooted to the floor.

“You’re not going after her?” Bryce asks without looking at me.

“No. I’m surprised you’re not out there. You saved her from certain death, after all.”

He turns to me, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t know what to think anymore, Rufio. What if we made a mistake by saving her? What if she played us all?” Bryce chokes up at the end.

Son of a bitch. The impossible has happened. My brother, the coldest motherfucker I’ve ever known, has fallen in love.

“What’s scaring you the most, brother? The possibility that Daisy is a two-faced bitch or that you’re fated to bond for all eternity with her?”
Hercules, Michelle. Ruthless Idols: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 2). Kindle Locations (1227-1280). Infinite Sky Publishing. Kindle Edition.

The circumstances surrounding their search become weird and they don’t find her, although I was sure Phoenix saw her. There’s a change in Daisy but nothing is really clear.

All the guys start getting closer to Daisy and an attack on her best friend Felicity leads to some very interesting revelations.

We also learn a lot more about Phoenix in this one and there’s also the friendship between Toby and Daisy’s sister Rosie.

Lots of action, suspense and surprises as Daisy navigates not only the Academy but also the relationships she’s formed with the guys.

I have already started reading the next book in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Michelle!

Michelle Hercules

USA Today bestselling author Michelle Hercules always knew creative arts were her calling but not in a million years did she think she would write a novel. With a background in fashion design she thought she would follow that path. But one day, out of the blue, she had an idea for a book. One page turned into ten pages, ten pages turned into a hundred, and before she knew, her first book, The Prophecy of Arcadia, was born. Michelle Hercules resides in The Netherlands with her husband and daughter.