The Heir Series by Kayla Eshbaugh

Every touch from him makes me feel alive—he awoke something inside of me, and it sings. When Emma’s parents die right before her eyes in a horrific car accident, the pain and emptiness she experiences is suffocating. Emma doesn’t remember having any feelings or emotions before the accident. The constant misery of living with the emptiness seems too much for her to bear. When a boy moves in across the street during the summer before her junior year of high school, things seem different with him... moreEvery touch from him makes me feel alive—he awoke something inside of me, and it sings. When Emma’s parents die right before her eyes in a horrific car accident, the pain and emptiness she experiences is suffocating. Emma doesn’t remember having any feelings or emotions before the accident. The constant misery of living with the emptiness seems too much for her to bear. When a boy moves in across the street during the summer before her junior year of high school, things seem different with him. When she is around him, or when he simply touches her, Emma's pain is lifted. Her sorrow and misery are gone, and her soul seems to literally sing. Suddenly, living doesn't seem as difficult anymore—and, for the first time in as long as she can remember, she feels alive. As Emma learns the truth behind her parents’ deaths, she realizes that everything she has ever known about herself, the world, and even the universe has all been a lie. As secrets from her parents’ past come to hunt her down, and now that she actually wants to live, will Emma have the strength to do so? When you have lost your heart, sometimes, you find your soul. less

Sixteen years ago, I took a vow that changed everything.I was not created to follow my own path. I was bred, born, raised, and trained to be a guardian knight. This is a great honor and a privilege. On the one night when I let myself forget my purpose, it resulted in death, the death of my heirs. Guardian knights have one solemn purpose–to protect the Royal Heirs of Terra. One moment of selfish freedom was all it took to kill my best friend, his wife, and scar Emma forever... moreSixteen years ago, I took a vow that changed everything.I was not created to follow my own path. I was bred, born, raised, and trained to be a guardian knight. This is a great honor and a privilege. On the one night when I let myself forget my purpose, it resulted in death, the death of my heirs. Guardian knights have one solemn purpose–to protect the Royal Heirs of Terra. One moment of selfish freedom was all it took to kill my best friend, his wife, and scar Emma forever. I know that if I had been there—if I had been in that back seat with Emma, I could have saved them all. I vowed from that moment on that I would never let the ways of this strange realm corrupt my soul again.I am Rykerian Dallard, and I hail from the famed Dallard line of Torren knights. I will stop at nothing until I find those who murdered Emma's family.I will keep her safe.I cannot and I will not fail–not again. less