Orion slammed his coffee cup on the desk and the room fell quiet as he glared across the sea of faces before him. His eyes lingered on me for half a second and I lifted my chin.
You don't scare me.
Except crap, maybe you do.
Orion turned to the board, writing on it with his digital pen.
YOU ARE NOT UNIQUE.
I blew out a breath. Man did this guy know how to give a pep talk...
He snapped around to face us, seeming extra pissy today (which was saying something). “Every star sign in the Zodiac holds its own attributes. Good and bad. They can influence your nature. But they do not make you different or special. They make you Fae.” He tapped on the board and my Atlas flashed up with the first image in our lesson notes. The Zodiac appeared: a beautiful circle in which all of the star signs interconnected.
“All Fae are a part of this,” he continued, his tone suddenly softer. “And we all share two defining celestial beings in common.” He pointed at the centre of the Zodiac. “The sun and the moon. They bind us. And no Order, no eyeliner, or blue hair-” he gave me a pointed look as he stepped into the aisles and I pursed my lips. “Or beanie hat.” He took a swipe at Diego's hat but he grabbed hold of it, glaring up at Orion in a challenge.
The Professor smirked, “Makes you different,” he finished. He headed deeper into the classroom and I kept my eyes on the board as he continued.
“There are twelve signs, I expect even our royal Vega Heirs know what they are. So let's hear them.” He was suddenly behind us, a hand on each of our shoulders.
My skin tingled from the imprint of his palm and I refused to turn my head to look at him. “Go ahead, Miss Vega,” he commanded.
“Which one?” Tory and I said at the same time.
“Blue.” He tapped me on the shoulder. “Vega number two can come with me.” He nudged Tory and she rose to her feet with a frown, casting a look my way. I gave her a sympathetic glance as Orion led her to his desk and sat down in his chair. “Palm,” he ordered and she hesitantly placed her hand in his. He started doing a reading and I wondered if it was the same one he'd done on me the other night. “I don't hear Zodiac Signs filling my ears.”
I ground my teeth at his rude tone and the sound of giggles carrying from Kylie and her friends.
I called out the names to him in a flat tone. “Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn.”
“Good, five points to House Aer,” Orion said and I could have sworn my jaw nearly hit the table.
Maybe he’s covering his tracks. When they find my mutilated body Kylie will say, “He can’t have killed her Principle Nova, he gave her five house points just a few hours ago!”
Orion jotted down notes as he read Tory's palm and she squirmed uncomfortably under his touch. Her posture alone told me how much she hated him.
He finally released her hand and passed her a slip of paper. “These are your Element scores. The higher the number, the stronger your power. Your principal magic is fire.”
“Oh...right.” She nodded, moving to walk away but he caught her wrist and dragged her forwards.
A wave of horror crashed into my chest as he dug his fangs into her wrist.
She gritted her teeth, sagging forward as he drained her power and stopped her from using her magic to throw him off.
“Oh my God, sir!” Kylie gasped, but he ignored her, continuing to feed from my sister.
“Stop it!” I snapped at him, raising a hand in a wild act as I prepared to slam a blast of air into his face to push him off. Tory threw me a look, shaking her head in warning and I released a noise of distress.
When Orion finally released her, she staggered away from him with a dark expression. He rose to his feet, seeming in a better mood as he continued to chat about star signs.
As Tory walked back to her desk, my attention was snagged by a notification flashing up on her Atlas.
You’ve been mentioned in a FaeBook post, Tory!
My heart stammered as I clicked on my own Atlas, tapping on the app to find the post. Tory dropped into her seat at the same moment as I found it.
Kylie Major: Looks like Professor Orion is tapping in to someone else’s Source. #sharingiscaring #hairsgonnacare
Attached to the post was a picture of Orion feeding from Tory's wrist. My sister shot a vicious look at Kylie over her shoulder.
Comments popped up at the bottom of the post and I bit into my lip as I pointed out the top one to Tory.
Comments:
Caleb Altair: W.T.F???????????????????????????
Ranjeep Shan: @Calebaltair – this is not okay bro…
Tyler Corbin: Had a front row seat for it. #Orionwentdeep
Laughter started ringing out in the room and Orion halted mid-sentence as he spotted all of us staring at our Atlases.
He looked like he was about to murder every one of us when the door flew wide open and Caleb sprinted into the room, diving over Orion's desk. He slammed the Professor against the board and a collective inhale sounded around me. My heart took a freedive as Orion shoved him off with a blast of air and Caleb's head slammed into the desk, sending a crack up the middle of the wood.
Caleb snarled like a beast, slashing at Orion's face with a hand full of flames.
“Enough!” Orion bellowed before Caleb could land the strike. The Terra Heir paused and it felt like everyone in the class had turned to stone.
Tension rippled through the air as Caleb extinguished the flames in his palms, a low growl emitting from his throat. “She's my Source. Touch her again and you're dead. Professor or not.”
Orion snatched the front of his shirt, pulling him within an inch of his face. “Get out of my classroom.”
“Not until you swear it,” Caleb spat, wheeling a hand around to point at Tory. “She's mine. Keep your teeth out of her.”
“I don't belong to anyone!” Tory snapped and I nodded my agreement.
When Orion didn't respond, Caleb pushed the Professor off of him so hard his back smashed into the board.
Tense mutters broke out in the class and I realised I was clutching the edge of my desk, my knuckles turning white.
“Fine,” Orion said in a deadly tone. “But the other Vega Twin is mine.”
“Excuse me?” I gasped, but they continued to ignore us.
Caleb grumbled something, starting to stalk back and forth before him like a caged lion. “Deal,” he finally forced out then marched from the room, slamming the door behind him.
Orion straightened his shirt then turned back to the board. “Aries are ruled by Mars so they can be particularly impulsive and often aggressive when...” He went on and I turned to Tory in absolute shock as Orion continued as if nothing had just happened.
“Don't we get a say in this?” I hissed to my sister.
“Not unless we can fight them off,” Tory said, her brow creasing with rage.
“Which you won't be able to do unless you listen in class!” A book slammed into our desk and Tory and I sprang apart to avoid it hitting us. Orion glared at us, the clear perpetrator. “One more word out of either of you and you'll be in detention for the rest of the year.”
I pressed my lips together as fury bubbled and steamed inside me.
Is he serious right now?
He stared at us, waiting for either of us to talk back. We remained silent and he returned to teaching.
“When you're Awakened, you will always obtain the Elemental power linked to your star sign. For example, as a water sign, all Pisceans are gifted with the Elemental magic of water. Those who gain more than one Element are usually gifted this way because they are linked to more than one constellation.” Orion tapped the board and a chart appeared which showed every constellation in the sky. “As you can see, there are hundreds of combinations. The powers gifted to you by the stars are very elusive. Little is known about how or why some Fae are born with more than one Element. But we do know that genetics play
a roll and so does your Order.” He gave us a pointed look and I gave him a cold stare back.
You literally just claimed me as your blood bag, you jackass! How can you go on with life as if nothing just happened!?
He approached me with a smile that made my chest hollow out. “Can you name some of the constellations which aren't linked to a Zodiac sign, Miss Vega?”
Why was he always picking on us? There were nearly a hundred people in this class. And he knew for a fact that my sister and I had the least knowledge here out of everyone.
I thought back to my youth, lying under the stars beside Tory. Our foster mother at the time had laid with us, pointing out the few constellations she knew. She’d been a kind woman, but her husband had never wanted us there. In the end, she chose him and we were cast out. The story of my life.
One of the constellations had stuck in my mind from those long-ago days. “Um...” I cleared my throat. “The little bear?”
“Correct.” He pointed at Diego beside me. “Which is also known as?”
“The little dipper, sir,” he supplied.
“I bet Diego's got a Little Dipper,” Tyler Corbin snorted from the front row.
“Five points from Terra,” Orion snapped at him and Tyler huffed.
“And the Latin name?” Orion pointed at Sofia who turned pink-faced as she answered.
“Ursa Minor?” she squeaked.
“Ten points to House Ignis.” Orion strode away and Sofia beamed from ear to ear. I didn't know why she doubted herself so much, she knew more than Tory, Diego and I combined.
Orion started writing on the board again. “So if you are an Aquarius but are also linked to Ursa Minor which has the power of earth, you will possibly be gifted with two Elements.”
“Possibly, sir?” a girl with a long braid of raven hair asked from the second row.
“The stars can be unpredictable,” Orion explained. “Their nature must compliment ours for everything to align.” Orion folded his arms. “So, what does your Zodiac Sign mean for you personally? Does anyone know?”
A few hands rose and he picked out a boy in the row behind us. “It tells you your nature.”
“Inaccurate,” Orion said. “Try again.”
“It er...” the boy glanced around for help but no one had any to offer. He cleared his throat then shrugged.
“Anyone?” Orion asked in annoyance.
“It influences your nature, sir?” Sofia offered.
“Correct,” he said brightly, moving to lean back against his desk. He pointed at the dark haired beauty Jillian who was always in Kylie’s shadow. “Miss Minor, what are the other three things that influence a Fae's nature?”
She turned the colour of a beetroot, looking to Kylie who sighed dramatically.
“Order,” Kylie offered for her.
“And?” Orion pressed.
“Er...genetics?” she guessed.
“Correct. And?” he demanded.
She fell quiet and an answer sprang into my mind, hovering on the tip of my tongue.
“Anyone?” Orion asked, gazing over us all in clear disappointment.
Oh what the hell?
“Life experience, sir?” I'd been through enough in my life to know exactly how shaped I'd been by everything I'd endured. If he disagreed that experiences didn't affect the way we were, then I was ready to dispute it. My hair was one example.
To most, blue meant cold or sad, the sea, the sky. To me, it was something else. And that reason was why I wore it in my hair. As a constant reminder of that meaning. Don’t. Forget.
“Correct,” Orion said, seeming surprised. He strode down the aisle, halting in front of my desk and I raked my eyes up his athletic body to his penetrating eyes. “Also known as?”
“Nurture,” I said, my tongue parched.
“Good. See me after class.” He marched away, leaving me in the wake of that A-bomb with my heart rattling in my chest.
Tory gave me an alarmed look and an ice-cold creature slithered up my spine.
Crap.
Tory waited until every last person had filed out of the classroom before she left me alone with Orion.
“I'll wait outside,” she whispered and I gave her a smile that I hoped soothed her worries as she headed through the door. But it didn't do much to soothe mine.
Orion was gazing at something on his Atlas, resting back in his chair as the door swung closed behind my sister.
I stood awkwardly, adjusting my satchel over my shoulder as I waited for him to explain why he'd kept me back.
“How's the Coercion shield coming?” he asked, not looking up from his Atlas.
“Better. I've been practicing with friends.”
He nodded, seeming satisfied with that. “You should be spending every free moment on it.” He swung around in his chair, snaring me in his onyx gaze. “It's imperative that you can throw off basic Coercion. Do you understand how vulnerable you are while you're unable to?”
I nodded, thinking of all the embarrassing times I’d succumbed to it in the past couple of days. My insides crumbled into dust at the memories.
“Yes, sir.” I surveyed him closely, wondering why he would try to help me out with this if he was plotting to kill Tory and I.
Could be a cover...but for who? There was no one in this room but me.
“Good.” His hard mask broke into a soft smile and I was completely taken aback by it. “So, I wanted to be clear about what it means to be my Source.”
“I don't want to be your Source,” I said immediately, my skin itching at the mere idea of it.
“Until you manage to stop me, I'm afraid that's not your decision.” He gave me a bemused look and I scowled at him, tempted to shout, is it just my magic you want or is it my life too?
Orion stood, moving around his desk to stand before me. I swallowed against the lump in my throat, gazing up at him and refusing to let him see my fear.
“You will tell me if any other Vampire bites you. That is non-negotiable, Miss Vega. I will make it known to the Academy that you're mine and that should save us any more incidents like today. I am not likely to be challenged by anyone except Caleb, but now that has been settled we should have no more issues. However, if another Vampire happens to take a liking to you ...you will tell me.”
He didn't Coerce me and I had to wonder why. Maybe he wanted me to agree to this on my own terms. And an internal battle took hold of me as I thought about what he was demanding. At least this would stop other Vampires taking a bite out of me in the corridors. But that was about the only plus side I could see.
“How often do you expect to feed from me?” I folded my arms and his brows lifted.
“Once or twice a week.” He shrugged. “But if I become drained then it may be more.”
I nodded stiffly, knowing I didn't have a choice anyway. I'd take the small benefit of not being bitten by other Vampires and in the meantime I'd work my ass off to harness my magic.
I lifted my chin and the air became thick between us. “One day, Professor, I'm going to be strong enough to fight you off.”
He took a measured breath and I felt like he was sucking something vital out of my body that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get back.
“I know,” he said, his eyes glittering. “But until that day, you're mine, Blue.”
AVOIDING THE HEIRS for a whole day had put me in an amazing mood and even after I’d wrenched my ass out of bed at five thirty this morning to make sure I escaped any repeat attempts at whatever hellish wake-up call they’d planned for me, I still felt pretty damn good about it. Of course that was all going to end today because I had my first Earth Elemental lesson this morning and I would have to endure Seth and Caleb’s company throughout.
I hadn’t actually spoken to Caleb since he’d burst into our Cardinal Magic class yesterday, assaulted my teacher and effectively pissed all over me like he was a dog and I was his favourite lamppost. He’d been angry as all hell and I was more than a little nervous about how that
interaction would go when I was forced into his company again today.
I could only hope that being segregated into the freshman training with the Professor would afford me a little bit of safety from the Heirs, but I had resigned myself to the fact that I’d be getting bitten either way.
In the meantime I had an errand to run and avoiding The Orb during the breakfast rush meant that I was at least delaying the inevitable a little longer.
I’d woken up to my usual horoscope nonsense which involved something about invoking the ire of a Taurus and an Aquarius but I’d quickly dismissed that in favour of the much more exciting message beneath it. My online order had arrived which meant I was about to claim a little piece of myself back in the form of clothes. I was beyond sick of spending all of my free time in my uniform or sports kit and I was overdue some outfits which actually reflected who I was.
I made my way to the Pluto Offices where all of the admin clerks who organised the school worked. I guessed students’ post was delivered via unicorn farts or whatever their version of a postie was.
The racks and racks of shelves filled with letters and parcels towered to the roof in a room so tall that it must have spanned three floors. I craned my neck, wondering how the hell I was supposed to find my deliveries amongst all of it. There was no labelling system to speak of and the guy on the front desk had been less than helpful, only pointing me toward this room with a single finger and not even bothering to say hi.
“-if you really feel it’s necessary then fine. But I assure you I have it all in hand.”
I swivelled around at the sound of that voice, cursing my luck as I prepared myself for whatever I’d have to face now. The door swung open and Darius eyed me with a faint glimmer of surprise as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the call he was taking. I hadn’t seen him since I’d stalked him in the woods the other night and I had to wonder if I was standing face to face with my potential murderer. My pulse spiked accordingly and I eyed the exit, unsure if I should try to bolt.
Zodiac Academy: The Awakening: An Academy Bullymance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts Book 1) Page 21