Zodiac Academy 5: Cursed Fates: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts)

by Caroline Peckham

  “Lance,” I said, frowning at the page. “Clara, Stella…” Nothing.

  I frowned, placing the notebook on the coffee table. My head was too fucked right now to figure it out. But maybe I’d be able to crack it in time.

  Gabriel rested a hand on my shoulder and cast a silencing bubble around the room.

  I frowned, looking to him for an explanation and he sighed, giving me a guilty sort of smile.

  “What’s going on?” I demanded.

  “I’ve withheld some information from you.”

  “What information?” I growled, my heart rate rising.

  “It’s nothing bad, just don’t lose your shit, okay?” he asked and I pressed my tongue into my cheek, waiting. “I know about you and Darcy Vega.”

  I felt like I’d been punched directly in the heart. Despite the fact that he was my friend, my Nebula fucking Ally, my defences still flew right up. “Gabriel, it’s – there’s-”

  “Save it.” He clapped my shoulder. “I’ve heard all of it in my visions a thousand times. You don’t need to explain. When I say I know, I mean, I know. You’re in love.”

  The blood was definitely draining from my face and I stared at him in shock and maybe some relief too. I hated hiding Blue. Despised it. And to share the truth with another of my closest friends in the world felt like a weight lifting from my shoulders.

  “No one can know,” I said, my voice thick with concern. I’d tried to keep this between me and Blue for so long and now I feared how quickly the secret was spreading. Even if it was to people we trusted. One slip of the tongue and that would be it for us.

  “Of course,” he said gently. “And just so you know, I don’t judge you or anything. Frankly, it was inevitable.”

  “Wait,” I breathed, my heart thumping harder with a note of hope ringing through my body. “Can you see the future? Can you see if it will work out for us?”

  Gabriel’s brows stitched together and he stared into my eyes like he was trying to peer into my soul and find the answers I sought. “There’s so many paths,” he said heavily. “I don’t know…I can’t be sure. I’m sorry.”

  I looked away from him, my teeth grinding to dust. “It’s alright,” I forced out, though I felt pissed in that moment. Mostly at the stars for not giving me any comfort at all. If I knew things would be okay for me and Blue, life would have been a hell of a lot less stressful.

  “I’m happy for you,” he said, leaning back in his seat again. “Really fucking happy, Orio. You’ve had a shit lot in life.”

  “Thanks,” I said on a breath of laughter.

  “Could be worse, right?” he joked and I rubbed my eyes. Could it be worse right now? Lionel was getting in to a position to take the throne. And my own sister was helping him. The Nymphs were banding together with them and the stars only knew how long it would be before the death toll started rising. Part of me wanted to tell Gabriel all about it. His Sight wouldn’t be able to detect the Nymphs movements or anything to do with them, so there wasn’t any chance he knew already. But I didn’t want to drag him into this mess. Though I imagined the whole world was going to get dragged into it soon enough.

  “There’s something I need to talk to you about,” I said slowly, knowing I’d been putting this off because dragging it all up felt like cutting open a vein. But Gabriel was a good friend. And I knew I could trust him with anything. So I told him all about Clara, the night I’d brought her back from the shadows, the dark magic I’d used. All of it. And when I was done, it felt like a ten ton elephant had lifted from my chest.

  “That’s why I couldn’t see you that night,” he breathed, his elbows on his knees as he rubbed at his eyes. “Fuck, Orio, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. I should have-”

  “You didn’t know. And at the time…I didn’t want to put all of this on you.”

  “You know I’d be there for you through anything,” he growled, turning to me with anxiety in his gaze.

  “I know, Noxy,” I said with half a smile. “I guess I was just trying to protect you. But it seems I’m fucking terrible at protecting people.” I thought of Clara with a pang in my chest.

  He frowned grimly. “You’re better than you think.”

  My Atlas buzzed and I took it out, finding a message waiting for me.

  Darius:

  Father has summoned us.

  Those four words sent adrenaline tumbling into my limbs. I’d wanted to go to Acrux Manor and tear my sister out of Lionel’s arms since the night she’d returned from the Shadow Realm. But now…now I knew things were more complicated than that. She wasn’t in her right mind, but maybe if I could get close to her, break through the power that held her in its dark grip, I could bring her back from it. I could make sure she really was still in that body.

  I shot Darius a reply, rising from my seat and Gabriel stood with me.

  “You have to go,” he said before I could say a word then he moved forward and wrapped his arms tightly around me. “When you want to talk, I’m here. Always.”

  “Thank you, Noxy.” I clapped him on the back and he headed for the door, exiting a moment later.

  I shot to my room, changing out of my professor bullshit into jeans and a blue button down before rifling through the box of Clara’s things and taking out her bracelet. There were silver charms on it which represented each member of our family, plus her friends, her life before she’d started working with Stella and been led astray by Lionel.

  I had a feeling the path her life had taken hinged on the moment she’d agreed to be Lionel’s Guardian. He’d gotten his claws in her from that very second and he’d never let go. I doubted he’d planned for any of this to happen, but it had sure worked out in his favour. He had a devoted servant who could wield the shadows and control all the Nymphs in the world. So if I could just break that loyalty, bring her back, remind her who she really is…

  I pocketed the charm bracelet and used the back door to leave the house. I met Darius on the edge of Campus where I’d left the hole in the defences. His eyes were ringed with darkness and I knew he was plagued by plenty of his own demons these days. We wordlessly slipped through the gap in the fence and I wrapped my arms around him as we stood beneath the bushes that shaded the perimeter. He clutched onto me and the knot in my chest eased as the bond between us deepened, thrumming in my ears and making me want to get nearer and nearer to him.

  “Let’s just run off together into the sunset,” Darius joked. “We can forget all about the Vegas and buy a house in Starshine Bay.”

  “We can have two kids. Boys obviously. Girls are trouble,” I played along and he released a chuckle as we stepped apart.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asked, his face falling grave once more.

  I sighed, turning my head to look up at the stars and wondering what they had in store for me tonight. They twinkled so innocently and I swear I could almost hear the laughter passing between them. All of this must have looked so amusing from way up there in the heartless sky.

  “I’ll never be ready,” I admitted, dropping my gaze to him. “But I have to go. I want to try and reach her.”

  “She’s not herself,” he said in a dark tone that made my pulse beat angrily beneath my flesh.

  He’d told me that a hundred times since he’d been home and seen her. And though I knew it was true, I still couldn’t believe I wasn’t going to recognise my own sister when we got there. A foolish part of me was hoping she’d see me, run into my arms and apologise for everything, tell me the shadows had claimed her and she hadn’t been in her right mind.

  I bit down on the inside of my cheek. “Let’s go,” I forced out and Darius threw a handful of stardust into the air.

  We arrived on the edge of the Acrux property and two guards in black uniforms stepped forward in front of the iron gate with magic flashing in their palms.

  “It’s me, assholes,” Darius growled as a Faelight illuminated above us to check.

  “Good evening, Master Darius,” they sa
id in unison which was creepy as fuck, then they moved to open the gates.

  I guessed old Uncle Lionel had upped security on the place. And if you were planning world domination, I supposed watching your back was a sensible move. I wished he wouldn’t though, then I could drive a draining dagger into his heart. It would be pretty difficult to land the hit though, considering it must have been about the size of a Tiberian Rat shit.

  My heart pounded to a war beat as we walked up the long driveway side by side. I’d been here so many times in my life, but never with so much apprehension as now.

  My hands were balled into fists by the time we reached the huge wooden door and Darius reached out to rest a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be with you.”

  I turned to him with a razor sharp lump in my throat, gratitude spilling through me though I wasn’t able to find the words to voice it before the doors pulled open before us. Jenkins bowed low, ushering us inside with murmured pleasantries and I pushed a hand into my pocket, winding my fingers around Clara’s charm bracelet and trying to draw an ounce of hope from it.

  Footsteps caught my ear and my gaze caught on Xavier at the top of the sweeping staircase in his sweats.

  “Fuck, it’s good to see you both,” he said, taking a step down the stairs before hesitating.

  “And you, Xavier, how are you?” I called.

  “Master Xavier has decided to stay in his room for the night,” Jenkins said, looking to him with barely concealed irritation. It was obvious he’d decided no such thing, but I could take a pretty good guess at who had commanded him to.

  “Go back to your room,” Darius encouraged, a note of worry in his voice. He didn’t want Lionel showing up and finding his youngest son ignoring orders, though it felt good to see him pushing back. “We’ll come see you before we leave.”

  Xavier nodded, shooting a glare at Jenkins before heading off back down the hall.

  “This way, Master Darius, Mr Orion.” Jenkins murmured, leading us to the smoking room before scurrying away.

  Inside, Lionel was standing beside the fireplace and I had to double take the woman beside him, expecting it to be Catalina. But it wasn’t. My sister wore a low-cut black dress that hugged her figure and made the shadows stand out in her eyes.

  A breath snagged in my lungs a second before she rushed at me, sprinting with the full speed of our Order. Darius cried out as I braced to meet her, but before I could do anything to protect myself, the weight of the shadows immobilised my body, my arms locking against my sides as Clara crashed into me. Fuck!

  “Clara!” Lionel barked a warning as I feared for my life, hunting for any signs of my sister in her eyes as she threw her arms around me, making my back slam into the door.

  “Baby brother!” she cried, lunging toward my face and I snarled in warning a second before her lips stamped to my cheek. Then my forehead, my nose, my eyes. My breathing came raggedly as I searched her face, pain slicing me apart. Is it her?

  “Clara, do you really know me?” I breathed, hope making my heart lift.

  She stepped back, peering into my eyes as she batted her lashes. Everything about her was so familiar and yet terrifyingly alien. Her face was hers, and yet it wasn’t. Her cheeks were hollow where they’d once been full and her eyes…they were tainted by an ever-swirling sea of darkness. She released me from the shadows and a beat of strained silence stretched between us. I had to take a chance, had to be fearless.

  I dug into my pocket, silent as I took her hand and placed the charm bracelet in it, aware we had an audience. And aware my sanity was taking a dive right now. But it was the only plan I had.

  “Do you remember this?” I whispered, wishing we could have a moment alone as Lionel’s shadow drew ever closer.

  Darius wasn’t moving in the corner of my eye and I had a feeling Clara was holding him in check with the shadows too. And that made my confidence waver.

  “So pretty,” she breathed, turning it over in her palm. “Is it for me?” She glanced up with hope in her gaze and my neck prickled.

  “It’s yours already. I kept it for you.”

  She held out her wrist so I could put it on and I did so, my lips firming into a tight line as I waited for some recognition to cross her features.

  “This one’s yours,” she gasped suddenly, taking the Orion constellation charm between her fingers. “And this one’s for Dad.” She brushed her thumb over the silver willow tree.

  My throat thickened as I nodded, my heart pounding solidly in my ears.

  She looked up again with tears brimming in her eyes and for a moment she was just my sister again. The girl who’d played Vampires and Werewolves with me when we were kids. Who I’d held when she’d fallen and scuffed her knees. Who I would have done anything for.

  She blinked and that girl was gone, a disturbing grin pulling at her mouth. “Oh Lancey it’s beautiful!” She turned, spinning towards Lionel and draping her arms around his neck as she dangled her wrist in front of his face. “Look what my little brother brought for me.”

  “I’m speechless,” Lionel deadpanned, his eyes on me. “We won’t be having any trouble now will we, Lance?”

  “No trouble,” I said in a growl that wasn’t entirely convincing.

  Clara waved a hand and Darius let out a heavy breath as he was released from her spell, marching to my side in solidarity.

  “Clara was quite famished when she returned from the Shadow Realm,” Lionel said, an edge to his tone. “It’s a pity you didn’t think to include me in your plans to rescue her then perhaps things wouldn’t have been so…messy. It’s almost as though you didn’t want me to find out.”

  I didn’t answer, because he knew the truth. I wasn’t going to lie to his face and make up some bullshit story that we hadn’t gone behind his back and wielded the shadows to bring Clara home. I was already in his shit books. And I didn’t think I’d be getting out of them any time soon.

  “Stop being so pouty everyone,” Clara demanded, combing her fingers lovingly through Lionel’s hair and chills ran through my body.

  Please tell me this is not fucking happening.

  My suspicions were horribly confirmed as Lionel’s arm wound possessively around Clara’s small waist, tugging her against his hip.

  Rage flashed white hot beneath my skin and my upper lip peeled back on a snarl before I could even think about stopping it. Lionel eyed me with his Dragon form flickering behind his eyes, a dangerous glint to them.

  “You understand the pull of a Guardian bond,” Lionel said, almost mockingly. He was goading me and I wasn’t Fae enough not to rise to it.

  “What exactly do you mean by that?” I hissed, my shoulders squaring as my gaze dragged over his hands where they touched her.

  Darius caught my arm as I stepped forward but I jerked out of his hold, my lungs heaving as I waited for the axe to fall.

  “Oh dear,” Clara said in a sing-song voice that didn’t sound like her at all. “Are you upset about mine and Daddy’s little affair, Lancey? We can’t help it. It’s love.”

  “Get your hands off of her!” I pointed in Lionel’s face, knowing I was asking for a world of hell, but fuck him. Fuck this son of a bitch for laying a finger on my sister.

  “Watch your tone, boy,” Lionel snapped. “You need to get used to the way things are now. And frankly, you should be on your knees begging for my forgiveness after the stunt you pulled bringing her back without telling me.”

  I caught Clara’s arm, trying to pull her away from him and Darius fisted a hand in the back of my shirt to try and stop me. I threw a blast of air at Lionel, making him stumble away and the look in his eyes in response was pure murder. He came at me like a beast, catching hold of my throat with a palm that was scalding. My flesh seared and I hissed between my teeth as Clara locked down my body with the shadows, not letting me fight back. And that hurt more than anything else she’d done so far.

  “Father, let him go,” Darius demanded, but Lionel ignored him.

  “
Monster,” I spat in his face.

  “You raise your voice to me again, Lance, and I’ll show you just how much of a monster I can be,” he snarled then threw me to the ground with a blast of air. His shiny shoe slammed down on my chest to keep me there and I stared up at him with hatred seeping through every pore in my body. “Clara is with me now. Get used to it. She protects me as you protect my son.”

  “I might protect him, but I don’t fuck him!” I roared and he stole the air from my lungs with a swipe of his hand.

  He leaned down, a sneer pulling at his features. “I don’t care what you do with him so long as he stays out of trouble. You will not comment on mine and Clara’s relationship again, are we clear?”

  The seconds ticked by, turning to a minute, two. I fought for air, starting to convulse beneath him as his shoe pressed harder down on my chest.

  “Father,” Darius growled. “Enough.”

  “I’ll decide what’s enough,” Lionel purred, a hint of pleasure flitting through his gaze as he watched me suffer beneath him. This was what he lived for. He was a fucking sadist.

  When I was about to black out, he stepped away from me and released his hold on my lungs. I gasped heavily, clutching at my chest as I struggled to get enough air down. Darius dropped to my side, worry lining his features as he subtly released healing magic into my body.

  “Get up. Move. We have guests waiting in the ballroom. This talk is over. Take this as a warning. But remember, Lance Orion, I can find another Guardian for Darius if needs be. And I am running out of patience with you,” Lionel hissed and Clara giggled as they headed away toward the ballroom.

  “Fuck him,” I rasped as Darius helped me to my feet.

  “Yeah,” he agreed in a low tone. “But don’t piss him off again, Lance. He follows through with his threats and I can’t lose you.” His brows pulled together and I sighed, pressing my forehead to his.

  “You won’t,” I swore, trying to swallow down the bitterness in my mouth at knowing Lionel Acrux was screwing my damn sister. Fuck fuck fuck.