I've already lost too much. I'm not letting the darkness take one of my men. Second semester at Magic Guardian Academy doesn't leave much room for grief. The training is brutal, the dark mages are getting bolder, and the killers are still free. I'm expected to keep going. Get stronger. Stay in control. Some days, I can manage two out of three. Then there are my guardians. Three infuriating men whose touch I crave, whose safety matters far too much, and whose place in my life has stopped feeling temporary. I want more than stolen moments between threats. I want time to discover what we could be when surviving isn't the only thing on our minds. But one of them might be carrying the very darkness we're fighting. And I don't know how to hold him close without wondering what I'm letting in. I want to trust my men. I also know that wanting something badly enough doesn't make it safe. Especially when my own magic is becoming harder to control-and every threat against them gives me another reason to stop trying. Power could help me protect the people I have left. It could also make me someone they need protection from. I'm willing to fight for all three of them. But if I lose control, will they still recognize the woman they're fighting for? Arcane Studies continues the Magic Guardian Academy trilogy.