Zodiac Academy: Fated Throne

by Caroline Peckham

  Gabriel closed his eyes and Seth snatched the star from Darcy with a gust of air magic before launching it at Gabriel's chest way harder than necessary.

  I sucked in a breath as it smacked against his pec and he grunted a curse as the rough edge of it cut his skin open while Seth saved the Imperial Star from falling to the ground with his magic and guided it back down to the table.

  "Ow," Gabriel snarled, opening his eyes and narrowing them at Seth.

  "How can we be sure that proves anything?" Caleb asked. "I know you think you would have seen that coming, but maybe you wouldn't really see anything we threw at you and the Imperial Star is no different."

  Gabriel tutted as he healed the cut on his chest before levelling a look at Caleb. "If you want me to prove it then throw whatever else you like at me," he taunted, closing his eyes again and waiting.

  Caleb smirked as he leaned forward, lifting his hand and casting round stones into his palm before throwing them at Gabriel one after another. My brother caught each of them with ease, never once opening his eyes and somehow having his hand in the perfect place to make the catch no matter what way Caleb shot them at him.

  "Satisfied?" Gabriel asked, smirking cockily and I grinned at him. That shit was stupid cool. I seriously had the best siblings.

  "Okay, so we just need to hide it then," Darcy said thoughtfully. "Should we leave it here somewhere or-"

  "Oh my lady, I don't believe it should ever be out of sight of one of the Vega Princesses. This is of tantamount importance in the fight against our evil overlord," Geraldine said hastily.

  "One of you should wear it then," Max suggested.

  "I have a chain that you could hang it from," Darius said, lifting me into his arms for a moment so that he could get off of the couch before placing me back down and heading across the room to the chest where he kept his treasure.

  "You should wear it, Darcy," I said. "It's too risky for me to be bringing it near to Lionel whenever I go back there."

  "Okay," she agreed, accepting the silver chain from Darius as he held it out to her.

  He didn't actually let go of it though, a soft growl escaping him as he tried to fight his Dragon nature to hoard all of his treasure for himself.

  "I could find a different chain if you don't want me to have this?" Darcy asked, looking amused as his muscles bunched with the effort of trying to make himself part with it.

  I got to my feet and moved over to him, taking his hand in mine and meeting his dark gaze as I slowly peeled his fingers out of his fist one by one.

  "Bad Dragon," I chastised and he almost smirked at me until the moment when I actually tugged the chain out of his hand.

  He snatched my wrist suddenly but I’d already tossed the chain to Darcy. I could feel all of our friends watching us as he fought against his Dragon nature while staring down at me with all the intensity of the fire that burned in his soul.

  "You shouldn't have done that, Roxy," he growled and a shiver of fear tracked through my core at his words which both made me want to run for the hills and move even closer to the danger in his eyes.

  I forced myself to push through the fear, tiptoeing up and placing a kiss against the rough stubble lining his jaw, my lips just brushing the corner of his mouth as my heart galloped in my chest.

  "You'll forgive me," I teased and his eyes flared with liquid heat as he slowly relaxed his grip on my arm and let me go.

  I stepped back with my pulse pounding and turned to Darcy as she crafted an amulet out of earth magic to hold the star on the chain before hanging it around her neck. It was beautiful, but nothing about it gave away what it truly was, and I grinned at the knowledge that we'd finally gotten one up on the lizard asshole who had stolen our throne.

  "So what now?" Seth asked eagerly and I looked around at everyone, wondering if any of them might have an answer to that.

  "Well, Orion won't be able to read any more from the diary until the next full moon," Darius said. "And it's not like we can actually use the Imperial Star. So I guess we just keep looking into ways to break the Guardian bond, fighting Nymphs and hunting for any more advantages that we can get over my father between now and then."

  "Well I suppose in that case, it is time for me to hit the hay," Geraldine announced, getting to her feet. "We should all try to rest our noggins awhile to refresh ourselves before class."

  "I'll walk you back," Max announced, getting to his feet and heading out of the room with her.

  "You wanna come for a sleepover with me?" I asked Darcy, giving her a look that let her know I was going to be getting answers about her and Orion the moment we were alone.

  "Sure," she agreed and we said goodnight to the others as we headed out of the room towards the bedroom I'd claimed for my own here in the Hollow. We couldn’t stay here together nearly as often as I liked in case one of the K.U.N.T.s noticed her absence, so she often had to return to Aer Tower and I relished the chance to remain here with everyone now.

  I ducked into Darius's room as Darcy moved into mine and I looked around for a moment before snagging one of his hoodies from the end of his bed and taking it with me. I wasn’t going to let myself overthink the fact that I slept better when I was wrapped up in his clothes than I did without them. They were just warmer than mine. And comfier. And smelled all kinds of nice.

  Darcy was already showering when I made it inside and I pulled my clothes off, using my water magic to wash instead of waiting for a turn then using air to dry myself off again before pushing fire though my veins to warm up. Then I pulled on Darius's hoodie and made myself and Darcy little crowns made of white rose vines just to use every Element before crawling into the bed and waiting for her. It was pretty damn cool having all the Elements and I was in the mood to celebrate our win.

  There was a fire burning in the grate and I bit my lip as I looked at it, trying to figure out when Darius had managed to sneak in here and get it going for me since we’d returned. It wasn’t like I needed any help in lighting a fire, but the room was always so nice and warm when it had been burning for a while and the constant flames meant that I always woke up with my magic fully replenished every morning too.

  When Darcy reappeared wearing a pair of my pyjamas, I grinned as I tossed the crown onto her head and she laughed as she settled herself back against the pillows.

  "Look at us, practically queens already," I joked, grabbing a huge bar of chocolate from my nightstand and tossing it to her before cursing as I realised my second bar was gone. Fucking Seth. I knew it was him. Always sniffing about my snacks. I was gonna have to set up some kind of snack trap to keep him out of my shit if this kept happening.

  "Can you actually imagine it?" Darcy asked, breathing a laugh. "Us ruling a damn kingdom?"

  "I've been thinking about it and I have some ideas," I said seriously. "Like first of all, I'm thinking there could be some pretty epic race nights at the palace if we build a circuit through the grounds. And every month I can beat Darius's ass at the race."

  "Sounds good. No need to worry about all that political crap."

  "Nah," I agreed. "We'll make the Heirs our Councillors and let them deal with that shit. Make me queen of partying and I'll be a happy duck and you and Orion can fill the palace with little baby Vampires to satisfy the kingdom's need for more Heirs."

  "As if," Darcy balked. "There is no me and Orion. Not anymore."

  "Right. So why are you blushing? Do you wanna tell me what happened in that tomb or are you gonna make me guess?" I teased.

  Darcy groaned loudly, slumping back on the pillows as she took a big bite of chocolate. "I dunno, Tor. We were looking for the Imperial Star and then somehow we were arguing about everything that had happened and I was just so mad at him all over again then suddenly he was just there and he...I..."

  "So you're telling me that while we were all out there fighting for our lives you two were making out in the dark?" I teased and she groaned, yanking a pillow out from under me and covering her face.


  "No, it wasn't like that," she protested, her voice muffled by the pillow and I snatched it away from her again.

  "So what was it like? Are you getting back together?" I asked hopefully and her face scrunched up angrily at that suggestion.

  "Fuck no. He doesn't just get to rip my heart out, stamp on it, leave it to rot for six months then dust it off and start it beating again. We're just...he’s just...I’m just...nothing."

  She looked so broken by that statement that it cut into me and my heart twisted with sympathy for my twin as I burrowed down into the covers beside her.

  "Maybe you should think about forgiving him?" I suggested in a small voice.

  "What?" she gasped like she never would have expected to hear that opinion from me and I grimaced at the words too, but I stood by them.

  "Look, I know I'm always the first to tell people to get fucked if they cross me. And I'm the first to kick a dude in the dick if he even thinks about crossing you - which I have been doing repeatedly to Orion by the way - but my situation has made me realise that maybe, sometimes, it's worth letting your pride slip and thinking about forgiveness.

  If I hadn't been so stubborn when it came to Darius then maybe things could have turned out differently for us. But now that I know what it's like to ache for a love I can never really have, I just don't want that for you. And I know Orion fucked up and deserves every punishment you want to dish out and he should have to grovel so hard that he becomes the king of grovelling but..."

  "But?" she asked, looking at me like she was hoping I might have the answers she needed even though we both knew I sucked at this stuff more than anyone we knew. But I guessed I was an expert in what not to do, so I could give her my advice on that much.

  "But if you think there's a chance that the love between you could be repaired or that you might be able to forgive him one day then maybe you should open yourself up to the possibility of that? Because I once thought I could never forgive Darius for the things he's done to me and maybe I still haven't, but I wish I had the choice to try. And I don't want to see you left pining for the man you love when there's a chance for you to find happiness with him, even if it's only the slightest glimmer of hope. At least there is hope."

  Darcy's eyes filled with tears for both of us and I smiled sadly as I pulled her into my arms and we lifted the covers over our heads like we used to when we were little kids.

  "I'm not sure there is any hope," Darcy whispered in the darkness.

  "I know," I said. "But not sure is better than being certain there's not. So just think about it, yeah?"

  "Okay," she agreed. "I'll think about it."

  I jogged out to Earth Territory for my Order Enhancement lesson, excited to fly with my herd. I was in a fucking awesome mood today. Since I’d passed The Reckoning, shit just seemed to be getting better and better. Darius and the others had found the Imperial Star, my mom had escaped my father, and my horn had grown two centimetres in the last week. Life was sweet. And to top it all off, I’d spent yesterday evening dijazzling my junk with shiny topaz rhinestones and a big ass diamond which now adorned the base of my dick.

  I wasn’t sure I’d done it right exactly, but I’d figured it out from an article in Zodiass Weekly. And I couldn’t wait to show it off. Getting naked was kinda second nature now and all the other stallions were showing off their glittering bits all the time to get the females’ attention. So it was time I Faed up and did it too. It didn’t feel completely right on me, but I was sure I’d get used to it in time.

  I hurried up the hill where all the other Pegasuses were gathering for class. Professor Clip-Clop – whose name was actually Clippard but he seemed to like his students’ little nickname for him - was there with his violet hair, square chin and narrow shoulders, already stripping down as he prepared to shift.

  “Morning Xavier!” he called brightly. “Ready to get into the sky?”

  “Yes, sir.” I grinned, heading over to join my herd but my mood took a dive as my gaze fell on a shirtless Tyler whispering in Sofia’s ear and kissing her neck. She was in rainbow coloured underwear that made my dick twitch happily, but the way he was touching her made my lips tighten. He was such a possessive asshole, with his muscles and his hair that always looked casually windswept like he’d just flown through the freshest, fluffiest cloud. I just wanted to punch him in his damn face.

  Sofia waved me over and I pulled my shirt off, revealing my broad chest which I’d been working on daily in the Lunar Leisure gym.

  Before I made it to Sofia, Liselle jumped into my way, her silvery hair running down her spine and her large eyes framed with blue glitter that matched her shifted form.

  “Hey Xavier, wanna fly beside me today?” She batted her lashes and I looked over her head to Sofia.

  “Yeah, sure,” I muttered as she ran her finger up between my abs.

  Sofia snorted indignantly and my heart lifted as she glared at Liselle. Was she…jealous?

  Liselle tiptoed up to draw my attention back to her. She really was pretty, with full lips, dark skin and a scent that reminded me of candy canes. But there was only one girl I craved and I planned on claiming her and this herd just as soon as I could.

  Liselle pushed her fingers into my hair, tipping her head to one side. “You’d look good with a long mane, have you ever thought about growing it out fully?”

  She was suddenly ripped away from me by the hair and I found Sofia there, knocking her to the ground and turning around to kick dirt over her. Holy shit.

  “Brutal, baby,” Tyler laughed, taking out his Atlas to record it.

  “You classless hinny!” Liselle shrieked, diving at Sofia, but my girl was ready, kicking her hard in the gut and sending her flying back onto the ground. Sofia did a victory trot around her and my gaze followed her ass as more of the males drew closer.

  Hubert’s arm brushed mine as he stepped in beside me. He was a head shorter than me with a waxed chest and a colourful tattoo of a fairy over his right pec. He was naked, his small, sparkly dick proudly on display. Which was fucking stiff as he stared at Sofia.

  I snorted angrily and shoved him to the ground, making him whinny at me in fury. He didn’t get up as I postured over him though, turning his head down submissively.

  “Let’s get into the sky, gang!” Professor Clip-Clop called and I knew it was now or never to show off my new dijazzle. Man, I never thought I’d enjoy decorating my dick over playing Fortnite, but things had changed.

  Nerves warred inside me as I kicked off my shoes and dropped my pants and boxers, stepping out of them and pressing my shoulders back as I looked to Sofia. She’d moved back to Tyler’s side, but her eyes were firmly fixed on me, widening as they fell to my flashy dick.

  A few of the lesser females cooed but I didn’t have eyes for them. I just wanted Sofia’s approval, and as she bit her lip and stepped toward me, my heart raced.

  “Looking good, Xavier,” she purred and I tried not to get hard, but shit I was a sucker for this girl.

  Tyler stamped his foot as the rest of the females started crowding around me and Liselle even reached out to try and touch it before I smacked her hand away.

  My head was about to explode with pride when I felt one of the gemstones come loose and drop into the grass. Oh no.

  Another fell after it, then another, until a cascade of rhinestones were tumbling down to land between my feet and everyone around me stared on in shock. No, no, no! Abort, abort!

  I whinnied in alarm as the last of them fell and finally the diamond plopped off and that was that. Silence fell, and I swear an obnoxious tumbleweed rolled by.

  Tyler burst out laughing first, the sound making rage flood through every inch of my being. “What kind of useless sticking spell did you use, buddy?”

  Heat burst through my cheeks as I tried to maintain my dignity, but others were laughing now and I was tempted to open up a hole in the ground with my earth magic and let it swallow me away.

  “I just used Begluezzle glue,�
�� I murmured then wished I hadn’t because Tyler just laughed harder.

  “That stuff is like sugar water,” he chuckled and I stamped my foot in anger as more people joined in laughing.

  Tyler lifted his Atlas, about to document this and make me the laughing stock of the whole school. But fuck that. I released a furious neigh then charged at him full pelt. He wasn’t quick enough to get out of my way and I tackled him to the ground, headbutting him hard.

  I threw my fists at him and he fought back with an angry whinny, struggling to try and roll us over. His knuckles crashed into my jaw and I twisted my head, biting his arm and he neighed loudly, forcing us to roll at last. I let the shift run through me, refusing to let him get the upper hand as my body twisted into my lilac Pegasus form. I kicked him away with my hooves and he shifted too, tearing through his pants and landing on four powerful silver legs.

  He came at me with his head low and his horn glinting sharply. I swung my head toward him and our horns collided with a sharp ringing noise. I wanted to snap this asshole’s horn right off and beat him down until he submitted to me. Nothing was going to stop me this time.

  I reared up, trying to kick him but he reared up too, his hooves cracking against mine.

  Sofia whinnied excitedly nearby, clapping as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Tyler’s hoof smashed into my shoulder and I neighed in fury, returning a hard kick to his chest.

  “Alright now, off into the sky!” Clip-Clop called, running forward and smacking my flank.

  I reared up again in anger but he stared me down with a look that said he was gonna throw us into detention if we didn’t obey. He went to slap Tyler’s ass too, but he galloped away, neighing a command for the rest of the herd to follow. I galloped behind him and Sofia soon caught up with me in her sparkly pink form, her nose in line with mine as we chased Tyler.

  I had to let him go, hating that this fight was over. But the war had only just begun.

  Sofia whinnied and nuzzled her face against mine for a moment before charging ahead to run at Tyler’s side. Mixed messages was definitely her middle name. But apparently the sparkling shower of gemstones which had fallen from my junk didn’t mean it was game over for us just yet. So I had to take it as a win.