Blood (Volume 1 of The Dyre Chronicles)

Connor Brownell had big dreams. He was going to graduate, go to college, get his doctorate in engineering, then spend the rest of his days inventing and making the world a better place. Everything was going according to plan, until he learns of a family secret that forces him to put his goals aside.

Magic exists, and so do spirits, mystical beings who reside over a designated aspect of nature. Tensions are high between the different spirit factions, so the Animal spirits have enlisted humans, known as guardians, to protect them. The Brownell family has supplied guardians to the Dyre, the spirit of wolves, for thousands of years—and now that Grandpa Fenris is retiring, it’s up to Connor to take on the role.

By tradition, guardians work alone, as it’s imperative that those outside the chosen families are oblivious to the workings of the spirit world. Unfortunately, some people in Connor’s life are a little too curious for their own good, and some complications in the initiation ceremony give the Dyre a crazy, awful idea—multiple guardians for the same spirit. Connor was never one for working in groups, especially when it consisted of his hopelessly rebellious best friend, the school bullies, and some psycho who thinks she’s a cop.

As if things didn’t suck enough, a looming danger is waiting for the newly inducted guardians: a powerful old enemy of Grandpa Fenris, on a mission for revenge. The team is going to have to master their new abilities fast if they want to stand a chance against it, let alone come out of the conflict victorious. But before they can fight the real enemy, they have to stop fighting each other.