I turned to Orion and he smiled in a way that broke my heart. A tear tumbled down my cheek and I let it fall, let it be seen, because it was proof. And though I hated to be so exposed, I would bleed for Orion. I’d cut myself open to win this case for him if it was asked of me.
“Your honour.” Kipling extracted a piece of paper from his briefcase, slamming it down on the table. “As is outlined in the Vampire Code, there is no rule stating that my client can’t bite his Source wherever he pleases on her body. There’s no law against it and it is conjecture to suggest one place on the body is more sexual than another. There are plenty of people in the world who have a foot fetish, finger fetish, or even a nose fetish. So you cannot take Mrs Whitclaw’s line of questioning into account.”
The judge considered that for a long moment then nodded, making a ragged breath escape me. “This line of questioning has been overruled and will not be taken into account as evidence. A Cyclops will remove the jurors’ memories of this line of inquiry before a verdict is decided. Mrs Whitclaw, please proceed.”
She moved closer to me again, that huntress look back in her eyes as she searched for a different angle. She wasn’t done with me, far from it. “Please detail the first instance you were intimate with Mr Orion.”
I took a breath, then another, trying to quiet the pounding of my pulse. “We were at Lord Lionel Acrux’s manor at a private party,” I said. “I went for a walk and bumped into him so we went outside together to get some air.”
“And who instigated that arrangement?” Whitclaw asked, making me fall still.
“I…I don’t know, I can’t remember. We both wanted to escape the party that’s all. So we went outside.”
“And then what?” Whitclaw pressed.
“Then…Lance made me a drink and-”
“He gave you alcohol?” Whitclaw interjected and my heart raced.
“Just a wine,” I said like it didn’t matter. And it didn’t, she was just looking for ways to use this story against him. I was allowed to drink, but she was making it sound like he’d poured alcohol down my throat.
I remembered the cocktail umbrella he’d put in it and a small smile pulled at my mouth. “He was sweet, we were laughing together, then he went for a dip in the pool.”
“So he plied you with alcohol then he took his clothes off in front of you?” Whitclaw guessed and my heart stammered.
“It wasn’t like that,” I blurted.
“What was it like?” She raised a questioning eyebrow and my heart thundered in my ears.
I searched for the right words, not wanting to give her any more ammo. “It was…fate. I could feel it in every part of my body. The sky wanted it. I wanted it. We wanted each other.” I chanced a look at Orion and I wished I hadn’t because I almost came apart, his dark and penetrating eyes making me weak.
“What happened next, Miss Vega?” Whitclaw pushed, clearly wanting me to move on from this.
“He went under the water,” I breathed. “He was under there for so long that I moved to the edge of the pool, ducking down to look for him. When he came up, he pulled me into the water.”
“He used force to get you in the pool?” Whitclaw questioned and I shook my head sharply.
“No, he was playing around.”
“Did he ask for your consent?” she pushed.
“No, but-”
“And what happened after he dragged you under the surface?” she asked, letting a little shock into her voice for show. Some of the jury were lapping it up, gazing at me in concern.
I wanted to leap from the stand and claw this woman’s eyes out. She was twisting everything I said, turning that perfectly magical night into something nasty and premediated. “He created an air pod at the bottom of the pool.” I let myself smile so the jury could see. I wasn’t going to let this bitch taint this story. “And we kissed.”
“He kissed you or you kissed him?” Whitclaw asked.
“He…I – I wanted it.”
“But who kissed who, Miss Vega?” Whitclaw demanded and I knew I had to give her the truth.
“He kissed me,” I breathed.
“And then what?” she pushed.
“Nothing,” I said firmly. “We went back to the party.”
“And who did you tell?” she asked.
“No one.”
“Did he threaten you to keep it quiet?”
“No,” I growled.
“What did he say exactly?” she asked and my brain rattled as I tried to think.
“He said…” I racked my memory and it came to me. “He said, you know how it has to be. And I said that I did know.”
“And did he explain what he meant by that?” Whitclaw asked, seeming aghast now.
“I…no, but I knew it meant that we couldn’t tell anyone. That’s obvious.”
“Is it?” she questioned, that eyebrow popping up again as she turned to the jury once more. “It is interesting that Mr Orion would use such a phrase. You know how it has to be….quite a threatening phrase some might say. The words ‘has to’ implies that if Miss Vega broke that rule she would be punished. And as he used exactly such a phrase in the video evidence provided, stating that he would punish you if you disobeyed him, it seems quite clear that’s what he meant.”
“That’s not what he meant,” I snapped.
“Objection. It’s conjecture,” Kipling said simply. “Without hearing the way it was spoken, we have no idea how it could be construed. She cannot compare it to any instance in the video evidence provided and assume it to be so.”
“Sustained,” the judge agreed and my shoulders relaxed as Whitclaw was stuffed back in her box. “Do you have any further questions, Mrs Whitclaw?”
She eyed me like she was trying to pick at my skin and see the blood and muscle that lived underneath. “Just one, your honour.” She moved closer and my heart struggled to pump blood for a long second. “Why, if he loves you so dearly as you claim, do you believe that Mr Orion did not quit his job at Zodiac Academy to be with you?”
My lungs compressed as I absorbed the question. There was a hundred answers to that. He’d been appointed his position there by Lionel Acrux himself, he had no choice but to stay there as Guardian to his son. He was training Darius in dark magic, he needed to be close to him, and to me and Tory too since we’d gotten the shadows. And regardless of all that, it was his job, his life, his home. I never would have let him give it all up for me.
“Miss Vega?” Whitclaw pressed as my lips opened and closed.
“He had responsibilities,” I said firmly.
“What responsibilities?”
“He’s Darius Acrux’s Guardian, for one,” I blurted.
“And for two?” She arched that damn brow again.
I struggled for anything I could say in court. I couldn’t bring up anything about the shadows or dark magic or Lionel Acrux being a domineering buttcrack of a Dragon lord.
“No further questions, your honour,” Mrs Whitclaw said and I sagged down in my seat, my gaze falling to my hands. I had the horrible, bone-deep feeling that I’d just let Orion down. And it was unbearable.
Mr Kipling came up to question me next, clasping his hands behind his back. He was so formal and yet he had a warm presence I far preferred over Whitclaw’s. And at least he was on our side.
He asked me all the same questions again plus more, letting me talk about Orion and our relationship in detail, asking about the time he’d taken me for a picnic at his home, the gifts he’d given me, including the rose quartz which was a symbol that we were exclusive. Then he declared to the jury that our love was plain for the world to see as Orion and I got caught in each other’s eyes and I hoped that was true with all my soul.
I was finally released from the stand and made it back to Darius’s side, my legs like jelly. I breathed a sigh of relief, leaning close to whisper in his ear as I sat down. “Did I do okay?”
“You did great, Darcy. No one can deny how much you love each other,” he said,
lifting his chin as if he was ready to go to bat for us if anyone did dare deny it.
“Your honour, I’d like to call my next witness to the stand,” Whitclaw announced and Darkice inclined his head. “Miss Kylie Major.”
I froze, confused as the sound of heels clicking down the aisle behind me made me twist around in my seat. Kylie was dolled up in a bright pink dress that had no business in a place like this. Her high heels were over six inches tall and her perfect make-up and flowing blonde hair made her look like she was about to attend a catwalk over a damn trial.
She vowed to tell the truth then rose to the stand, crossing her legs and showing off ample skin as she smiled patiently at Mrs Whitclaw. Inside, I was screaming. Because I knew why she was there. It suddenly clicked together like a puzzle in my head that featured something dark and grotesque.
Kipling was talking into Orion’s ear again as his muscles bunched and flexed. I could see his jaw grinding and his rage was mirrored in my own heart.
“Miss Major, you presented this Atlas to the FIB on March twenty third, is that correct?” Whitclaw plucked a transparent bag out of her briefcase, holding it up for the jury, showing them the pink case of my Atlas inside.
I couldn’t draw a single breath, my fingernails driving into the skin of my palms and splitting it open. Magic was washing through my veins with the force of a tsunami, desperate to be unleashed on that bitch sitting on the stand.
“Yes,” Kylie agreed, nodding. “I found Darcy’s Atlas in The Orb at dinner. She must have left it there.”
No way. She’d stolen it. And this whole mess was her fault. She’d given them the evidence. Not Seth. That truth hit me like a heart attack and I rubbed my forehead as I tried to process it.
“And what did you do then?” Whitclaw asked.
“Well, I had my suspicions that Darcy Vega was sleeping with my ex-boyfriend. I have loads of friends who’ve seen her down on her knees for boys all over campus, but she’d been sleeping with my Sethy even when we were together.”
“That’s a lie!” I snapped, unable to help myself and Darkice banged his gavel.
“Silence in court!” he roared and my hands balled up even tighter until I made my palms bleed.
Kylie flicked her hair, not giving me her attention as she barrelled on. “I found a message from her from a codename called Starboy with arrangements to meet in the school archives. She’d been lying to me for months about sleeping with Seth, so I set up a camera down there and decided to out her for the liar she was.”
“But she wasn’t a liar, was she?” Whitclaw spoke in my favour for the first time, though I knew it wasn’t because she was going to vouch for me.
“Well, I wouldn’t put it past her for screwing my ex too, but I couldn’t believe what I’d caught on camera. At first, I was shocked. But then it made a whole lot of sense,” Kylie said thoughtfully and I wished I could grab a handful of all that blonde hair and rip a chunk of it out of her scalp.
“And why is that?” Whitclaw asked.
“Because Orion has always taken a liking to her. He calls her Blue like it’s a cute little nickname or something. It singles her out from the other students in class, makes her feel important, I guess.” She shrugged. “She wasn’t doing so great when she first started at Zodiac, but weirdly her grades got better and better as she went on. Now it makes complete sense. She’s been spreading her legs for a teacher!” She feigned her absolute shock and my insides shrivelled.
Kylie had always been a bitch, but to go this far to hurt me was just cruel. She was as venomous as her Order form.
“No further questions, your honour,” Whitclaw dismissed her and apparently Kipling didn’t have any intention of questioning her and giving her the limelight any longer than necessary as she clip-clopped her way to a bench at the back of the room with a smug as shit smile on her face. I wanted to tear her lips off and stuff them down her throat for what she’d done to us.
“It’s now time for the defendant to make a statement in light of the evidence brought before us and reaffirm his plea to the jury,” Judge Darkice announced and Orion strode toward the stand with his hands balling and unballing at his sides.
I didn’t breathe until he’d taken the oath to be honest and sat down on the witness stand, my teeth driving into my tongue. I stole a look at the jury and found many of them sitting up in their chairs. Like they wanted to listen, like they cared to. All he had to do was tell the truth and they’d believe him. I was sure of it.
“Please make your statement, then the prosecution will proceed with the questioning,” Judge Darkice instructed and Orion took in a long breath, his eyes finding mine in the audience.
The world seemed to fade so there was just us and far too much space separating our souls. I needed a moment in his arms, I needed his mouth against mine and his soothing caresses. I didn’t know when I’d get any of that again, or be able to give them to him in return. But if he could just avoid prison, I knew Darius could find a way to get me to him. There had to be a way. We could make it work. We just had to climb this momentous hurdle and seek the light on the other side. Because no one would ever compare to him. No one would ever own my heart but that man. It was a truth cast in iron, impossible to undo. And if I had to wait months or years or an eternity for him, I would.
Orion visibly swallowed, an apology in his eyes before he turned his gaze from me towards the jury instead. A horrible lick of dread ran up my spine at his expression and panic flittered through me. What’s he thinking?
“It’s with regret that I laid a hand on a princess of Solaria,” he spoke evenly and his words brought a sharp frown to my face. “And it’s with even more regret that I admit that I used her for my own gain. I groomed her, manipulated her and ultimately, I used Dark Coercion on her to force her to be mine.”
“No!” I screamed, rising from my seat as absolute horror encased me. Darius was up beside me too, fury in his eyes as he stared at his friend and a tumult of chatter broke out around us.
“Order, order!” the judge commanded, bashing his gavel down. “Sit down immediately!” A wave of air magic rushed across the room and I was forced back into my seat with everyone else.
“What’s he doing?” I begged of Darius, fear slicing my heart to ribbons. But he didn’t answer, just stared at Orion unblinkingly, desperation written into his features.
“Will the prosecution please approach the stand,” Darkice commanded, his voice sharp as he glared at Orion.
I was shaking all over, staring at Orion as I begged him to meet my gaze. Darius suddenly grabbed my hand, squeezing tight and I clung to it with all my strength.
“Dark Coercion is a form of dark magic,” Whitclaw purred, moving toward Orion like she was savouring the kill.
“No shit,” Orion gritted out.
“So you admit that you cast Dark Coercion on Gwendalina Vega, Princess of Solaria? A girl who is protected by the highest of royal laws?”
“I do,” Orion said with a nod that shattered my heart into a million sharp pieces. “She has no idea, of course. That’s why she told lies here today. I convinced her that she loved me, I made her forget that I forced her hand, I made her want me and desire me. Everything she believes about our relationship is a farce that I concocted.”
I shook my head, tears rolling down my cheeks as Darius’s grip tightened on my hand.
“And why would you do that?” Whitclaw asked sweetly.
“Because I wanted her. I got off on the power and I knew I could use her to rise in society,” Orion said with a shrug that was callous and cold.
He let the jury see him as a monster, painting himself as one. But I didn’t understand why. I wanted to scream and fight and demand he take it back, but he’d ensured that no one would believe me. They thought I’d been Coerced to feel this way. And the idea that he could betray me so deeply made me want to vomit.
“So do you change your plea?” Whitclaw asked, victory in her posture.
“Your ho
nour, I demand a moment alone with my client,” Kipling insisted, his shoulders pressed back.
“I change my plea,” Orion said before Darkice could answer him. “I plead guilty.”
“He’s lying!” I rose from my seat again, refusing to let this stand.
“Have him put through Cyclops interrogation,” Darius demanded, pointing directly at the judge like he could threaten him into doing so. “Then you’ll see the truth.”
“Order in my court!” Darkice boomed. “If you do not sit down this instant, I will have you ejected.”
Darius’s hand was still locked with mine and we both dropped back down in unison as tears started washing down my cheeks.
This can’t be happening. Please tell me this isn’t happening. He wouldn’t do this to me. To himself.
Orion’s gaze was fixed on the wall, his jaw set in stone, his eyes infinitely dark.
Darkice straightened in his seat, drumming his fingers on the bench then bashed his gavel down on the block. “The defendant is power shamed and outcast from society indefinitely. He will serve a sentence in Darkmore Penitentiary of ten years on account of his manipulation of a Solarian Princess, and another fifteen for wielding dark magic to do so. Court adjourned.” He rose from his seat, sweeping out the door behind him with the finality of an axe falling. No.
A group of FIB agents strode towards Orion and he lifted his cuffed wrists, letting him bind them without a glimmer of a fight. I got out of my seat, pushing past Darius and running towards them with so much rage in me, it was surely going to set me on fire.
“How could you do this!?” I screamed at him, grabbing one of the agent’s arms as I tried to battle my way towards him. I caught Orion’s hand somewhere in the throng and his fingers hooked around mine for half a second before I was forced back.
“Stand down,” an agent commanded, marching away as he helped guide Orion toward the nearest door.
“Lance!” I screamed, tears searing my flesh as he went with them. Not looking back. Never giving me even a second to say goodbye as he cut out my heart and left it bloody and butchered in his wake.
His betrayal sliced deeper than a knife. He hadn’t fought for us. He’d dived head first into the pits of hell without me. And for what?
Zodiac Academy 5: Cursed Fates: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts) Page 56