Pandemonium

PANDEMONIUM KINGS OF GROVE ACADEMY BOOK 3 KATIE MAY EXPRESSO PUBLISHING, LLC Copyright © 2023 by Katie May All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Edited by Lindsey Loucks of Midnight Library Cover by Jodie-Leigh Plowman of JODIELOCKS Designs To the readers who find themselves getting hot and bothered by the villains like Klaus and Eric Northman and the Darkling and Draco Malfoy and Kylo Ren. Same, girl. Same. How about we just throw them all into a harem of sexy, psychotic serial killers? CONTENTS Foreword Introduction Previously on Kings of Grove Academy… Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Epilogue Afterword Acknowledgments About the Author Also by Katie May FOREWORD This is a dark contemporary reverse harem romance with strong language, sexual situations, and scenes of graphic violence. This particular book deals with issues readers might find triggering, such as self-harm, suicidal ideation, and sexual assault. I want you to read my book, but more than that, I want you to take care of yourself. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns! INTRODUCTION Pandemonium is the third book of a slow-burn, contemporary, academy romance. Despite the characters being in high school, I definitely do not consider this young adult. It contains strong language and sexual situations, as well as murder and violence. It’s a reverse harem romance, meaning that our main character, Ellie, won’t have to choose just one man to be with at the end of the series. If such material offends you, I recommend putting this book down. Our female lead, Ellie, also starts off as innocent and naive, though she does become stronger with each new book in the series. I love writing about character growth, and this series has it more than any other. Badasses aren’t born as badasses, and Ellie is no exception. I can promise that by the end of the series, you’ll grow to love her as a character. The men, on the other hand, are all hardened alphas and serial killers. However, there is no bullying whatsoever from the guys. They worship the ground Ellie walks on and will do anything for her. I hope you enjoy! PREVIOUSLY ON KINGS OF GROVE ACADEMY… Our female lead, Ellie, finally convinces her older brother, Fischer, to allow her to live in the dorms on campus. After their parents died a few years prior, he became extremely protective of her, but since he has become a state senator, he can’t be around as often as he would like. Ellie is close friends to the five kings of the school, but she always feels as if there’s a divide between them. She doesn’t know quite how to define their relationship, despite their closeness. The guys, however, are keeping secrets, all under the pretense of protecting Ellie. They’re serial killers who target members of the elite organization known as POP—The Paragons of Prosperity. POP is ruled by a masked man only known as The Divine One. Ellie’s guy friends are terrified of telling her the truth because they fear she’ll hate them once she discovers everything they have done and all of the people they have killed in her name. Their decision to keep POP a secret from her has caused a lot of tension and division within the group. Ellie gets chosen to compete in the Culling, a series of trials that will prove whether or not she’s fit to become a member of POP. She keeps her involvement in the Culling a secret from her guy friends because she’s not sure if she can trust them. More than that, she doesn’t want to put them in harm’s way. The first trial finds her abandoned in a corn field and forced to find her way home. During this task, she stumbles upon Zane’s bloody barn, where the guys dispose of their victims’ bodies through the meat grinders. The second trial has her trapped in a room with only an hour to escape. The third takes place during the Halloween carnival, where she’s kidnapped and comes face to face with one of her friends, Blair. The two girls are told to kill each other. Ellie refuses, but Blair attempts to kill Ellie. However, the gun they were given wasn’t loaded, and The Divine One kills Blair for being impure. At the end of the book, Landon confesses that the Culling isn’t designed to create new members of POP. It’s to find a worthy human sacrifice. Throughout book two, Ellie finds herself spiraling down a black hole of depression after she witnesses some members of POP sacrificing an innocent girl to their so-called goddess, Cassia. They believe Cassia will grant them wealth and power if they offer up pure sacrifices on a continual basis. After discovering her guy friends knew about POP this entire time, Ellie cuts them out of her life, though they do everything in their power to win back her trust and respect. The Divine One tells Ellie that as a test to prove herself to POP, she needs to give them a senator named Reece Whipers for reasons unknown. Slowly and surely, Ellie begins to forgive her guy friends under the condition that they don’t keep anymore secrets from her. Over Thanksgiving break, POP members and The Divine One are able to sneak onto Ellie’s property. Mania believes that some members of Fischer’s security team may be involved with the cult…and maybe even Fischer himself. Landon, Dominic, and Zane