Max scowled as he propped himself up on one arm, the pain in his balls obviously easing off.
“Fine,” he spat, as if he was going to get up but I wanted to really make sure he got the point.
I lifted my palms at Max as Darcy cried out in encouragement and I sent a wave of air crashing into him. It caught him in its grip and sent him flying into the air and tumbling away from me across the room.
I didn’t wait for him to recover and come for me again. I caught Darcy’s arm and we turned and headed for the exit. Diego, Sofia, Geraldine, Angelica and the rest of the A.S.S. got to their feet and swarmed around us as we walked away. Darcy linked her arm with mine and she grinned triumphantly as we made it outside.
“That’s another point to us,” she said in a low voice.
“And man did it feel good.”
Before we could get very far, Caleb shot through the crowd and came to a halt in front of me. He dropped his kit bag on the floor beside us and pushed a hand through his curls in a way that drew attention to his flexing bicep and didn’t seem to be entirely accidental.
“Can I have a word, sweetheart?” he asked casually, like I hadn’t just gone head to head with one of his friends and come out on top.
“Why?” I asked, my tone unfriendly.
“You’re breaking my heart with this ice queen act,” he teased, stepping into my personal space.
“If you’re going to bite me then just get on with it. Toying with your food is so unattractive.”
“No biting. Just come and talk to me,” he said, turning puppy dog eyes on me and damn if Caleb Altair didn’t look cute as hell when he was begging.
I glanced at Darcy and was surprised to find her eyes sparkling with excitement. “It’s fine,” she said. “We can wait for you here if you want some privacy.”
I almost asked her why the hell she’d think I’d want privacy with one of the assholes who’d tormented us but her gaze slipped from mine to Caleb’s kit bag on the ground for the most fleeting of seconds and I realised this just might be the opportunity we’d been waiting for to get some revenge on the Terra Heir. And I could be the distraction.
“Fine,” I said, sighing in a defeated way.
Caleb smiled like I’d just made his day and caught my hand, pulling me after him as he led me around the side of The Orb, leaving his bag on the ground.
He drew me along until we were alone at the rear of the building, the light of the setting sun blazing orange across its golden surface.
As soon as he was sure we couldn’t be seen, he caught my waist and pushed me back against the bronze structure. Thanks to my run I was wearing leggings and a sports bra so his hands were warm against the bare skin on my stomach.
“What are you doing?” I asked before he could move any closer.
“Hoping to convince you to kiss me again,” he murmured and my pulse hitched at the confidence in his tone.
“Not likely,” I said dismissively.
Caleb groaned like I was torturing him and I couldn’t help but smile a little. “I can’t believe you just sucker punched Max,” he said.
“Of course I did, he was being a dick. And I’m not going to give him details of my sex life to jerk off over.”
“You’re a straight up badass Tory,” Caleb joked, drawing a little closer to me. “Were you worried that people might have found out what I did with you in that classroom?” He reached out to touch my cheek but I fought off the temptation to be sucked in by his rugged looks.
“Well it would be pretty embarrassing if anyone found out I had such terrible taste in men,” I replied.
Caleb chuckled darkly and a little shiver ran down my spine but I refused to acknowledge it.
“Are you going to tell me Max’s secret then?” he asked, changing the subject.
I frowned at him a little. I’d thought that part of my interaction with Max had stayed private because of the noise the crowd was making but Caleb obviously used his Vampire hearing to listen in.
“Oh you know, he gets a hard on for Pegasuses just like you,” I teased and a thrill of satisfaction ran through me as I saw anger flashing in Caleb’s navy eyes at that taunt.
“That rumour is a load of shit,” he snapped and my smile widened.
“Touchy,” I teased.
Caleb released a breath before flashing me a dazzling smile which said he didn’t give a shit but I could see through it.
“So. You’re not going to tell me Max’s secret then?” he pressed. “I could Coerce it from you, you know.”
“I’m sure you could. Or you could just ask him yourself.” I shrugged.
I wasn’t entirely sure why I was keeping Max’s secret apart from the fact that I’d seen the honesty in him when he’d said that revealing it could hurt Solaria as a whole. And as much as I didn’t want to take on the responsibility of ruling this kingdom, I didn’t want to give the Nymphs an advantage against it either.
Caleb seemed to consider that and I guessed loyalty to his friend won out over curiosity because he dropped the subject.
“So how did you enjoy being Song-Spelled?” he asked mischievously.
“Being forced out of my bed in the middle of the night to spend time with one of my least favourite people? I’ve had better evenings,” I said dryly.
“Yeah but you did get to make out with him,” he said with a grin.
I rolled my eyes and didn’t dignify that with a response.
“So are you going to tell me who’s the better kisser?” he pushed, leaning in so close that his breath mingled with mine.
“Hmm.” I bit my lip as I made a show of considering it and the hunger lighting Caleb’s eyes made my pulse hitch. “Neither of you really stood out so it's hard to say.”
Caleb pushed his tongue into his cheek as he tried to stop me from baiting him. “Maybe you need a reminder then?”
He moved forward but I turned away so that his mouth hit my cheek instead of my lips.
“You’re really going to make me work for this aren’t you?” he growled as his mouth shifted down to my neck and my skin lit up beneath him.
But I wasn’t ready to let him off the hook for everything he and his friends had put us through. He needed to be punished and I hoped that I’d given Darcy enough time to advance our plans against him.
I cleared my throat to cover the racing of my heart and pushed him back.
“I actually have things to do tonight so if you’re done with your questions and you’re not going to bite me then I’m going to leave.”
Caleb stared at me in surprise as I slipped out of his grip.
I turned away from him and headed back around The Orb to find my friends again.
“You’re killing me, you know that right?” he called after me.
“I’m sure you can find a nice Pegasus girl to help you work through some of that frustration,” I replied without bothering to look back at him.
As I returned to Darcy and the others she grinned at me conspiratorially. Caleb’s bag was exactly where he’d left it as if nothing had happened in his absence.
We walked away and I glanced back at him as he retrieved it. His gaze was fixed on me and I smirked at him as he watched me leave. I knew I was playing with fire when it came to him but I just couldn’t help myself.
Once we were far enough from him to be sure that he wouldn’t overhear, I turned to Darcy expectantly.
“So?”
“I got his Atlas. Caleb Altair just joined a lot of Pegasus appreciation groups on FaeBook,” she said with a grin. “And he also sent a few suggestive messages to some Pegasus girls on campus.”
An excited laugh fell from my lips and I high fived my sister. “Those assholes won’t know what hit them when we’re through.”
***
It was pretty late by the time I made it back to my room but the satisfied smirk hadn’t left my lips since I’d sucker punched Max in the throat.
I amused myself by sorting through my latest online shopping
orders while listening to some seriously cheery music which I’d selected from a playlist I’d found on my Atlas. I was intermittently dancing and singing along and I couldn’t keep the smug ass smile from my face as I did. I was guessing a Pegasus had put the playlist together and it suited my mood just fine right then because I was every shade of happy after beating down Max Rigel in front of all of his friends.
Of course, I was sure I’d suffer the consequences of that interaction soon enough but it was worth whatever he’d throw at me next just to know that I’d well and truly humiliated him for once.
The weather was having mood swings again and it had swung back to stupidly humid tonight. I’d thrown my window open and dressed in a tiny pair of shorts and a thin vest but I still felt hotter than a polar bear at the beach.
I was waiting for Sofia to join me for a study session but she was running late. I was happy enough to sort through my latest online shopping purchases though. Darcy seemed to think I had an addiction and as I rifled through a box of lacy underwear I was beginning to think she might have a point. But I didn’t care, I’d never had a disposable income before and the stipend we’d been given was stupidly generous. I didn’t mind flexing my plastic muscles to their limit as a hobby.
A loud knock sounded at my door just as Taylor Swift started demanding I shake it off and I upped my dance moves as I called for Sofia to come in.
“You’re just in time,” I said as I grabbed a red bra from the box. “Diego would go nuts over you in this.”
I turned to face her and my mouth fell open as I found a brooding Dragon asshole in my doorway instead of my friend. Weirdly, he was smiling at me like I amused him instead of scowling like I’d just pissed on his grandma but I wasn’t going to trust in this strangely friendly visage.
I stopped dancing instantly and tossed the bra back in the box.
“Don’t stop dancing on my account,” Darius urged, his eyes dripping over my shorts in a way that made my blood heat.
“What do you want?” I demanded.
“I had no idea you were such a huge Taylor Swift fan,” he said, leaning against the doorframe like he owned the damn place. Which I guessed he thought he did as the almighty House Captain.
Taylor belted out another round of haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate and I tilted my head as I regarded him. “She makes some very good points which I happen to agree with.”
“It suits you,” he said.
“What does?” I asked.
“Smiling.”
I scowled at him in response. “It’s hardly surprising you haven’t seen it very often.” I tapped my Atlas and killed the music as I folded my arms. “Back to my original question though: what do you want?”
Darius released a breath and the amusement left his eyes as he adjusted to the new tone in the room.
“I have an invitation for you and your sister to come to a party at my family’s house to meet the Celestial Council,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for the punchline as he offered me a thick envelope stamped with swirling golden script.
“No thanks,” I replied, not taking it and swinging the door shut in his face.
His boot landed over the threshold and the door bounced off of it. Why did these assholes think that was okay?
“It’s not the kind of invitation you can refuse,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I beg to disagree,” I said dryly. A night at his house sounded like a very specific flavour of hell and I had no interest in tasting it.
“What makes you think that you can say no?” he growled. “It’s next Saturday night. I’ll come get you at six. Wear something nice.” He eyed my shorts and tight shirt with disapproval and I raised an eyebrow at him as he turned to walk away, tossing the invite at my feet. He hadn’t seemed to hate my outfit so much when he’d been watching my dance moves.
“Yeah, that’s not going to work for me,” I called, leaving the invite on the floor. “But feel free to rock up here any time you like next weekend, I won’t be here anyway.”
I swung the door shut and headed to my bed, flopping down and tapping my Atlas back on as the cheery beat of my music resumed. I plugged my headphones in and slapped them on, selecting some old school Eminem to suit my new mood and smirking at the change in pace.
I lay back on the soft mattress for half a second before the door flew open and Darius stalked in again, all testosterone and flexing muscles. But I wasn’t afraid of him for once; this was an argument he couldn’t win. I wasn’t going to his stupid party no matter what he did to me.
I pretended not to notice him and cranked up the volume as he began laying into me and his voice was lost to Eminem suggesting the real slim shady please stand up.
My heart was pounding a little harder but I ignored it as I forcefully ignored him.
After about five seconds of me pretending there wasn’t a six and a half foot lump of muscle standing over me with a scowl deep enough to get lost in, a torrent of water slammed into me.
I flinched back and cried out just as Darius ripped my headphones off and tossed them aside.
“You are walking on damn thin ice with me, Roxy,” he growled. “If you keep pushing me you’re seriously going to regret it.”
“Screw you,” I spat. “You treat me like shit every day of the week so what difference does it make if you threaten to do it more? You want me to go to your stupid party? Then you’re going to have to find me and drag me there kicking and screaming and I’ll spend the entire night embarrassing the shit out of you just for the hell of it. It’s not like I give a crap what Mommy and Daddy Acrux think of me anyway.”
Darius snatched my wrist into his grasp and dragged me upright so that he could snarl in my face.
“This is your last warning.”
“Warn away, asshole,” I hissed. “You can’t do any more to me than you have already. And I notice you haven’t tried to drown me again since your little pal Orion gave you a dressing down so I’m guessing you aren’t actually allowed to kill me.”
His grip on my arm tightened painfully and I couldn’t rein in my flinch quickly enough to stop him noticing. He released me suddenly and I drew my arm against my chest, fighting the urge to massage the pain away.
“Of course I’m not going to kill you,” he muttered and I scoffed in response. So he had one line which he wouldn’t cross and that was murder. Great to know. He let out a long sigh before continuing in a softer tone. “What will it take to get you to come with me willingly?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “To quote you when I came to your room needing help; if you want me to help you, you’ll have to make me. And as I’m sure you can’t control my smart mouth or preference for crop tops and leather jackets I doubt you’ll be able to force my cooperation in this at a level which you would find acceptable so I suggest you just give up.”
Darius eyed me curiously for a moment and the difference it made to his features was almost breathtaking. I wasn’t sure he’d ever really looked at me with anything other than a scowl in place before. He really was devastatingly good looking. Every inch of his face looked like it had been carved from stone, all strong lines and perfect angles. My heart thumped unevenly for a moment and I swallowed down the traitorous glimmer of attraction I felt to him, holding myself firmly in denial over it.
“How about a trade then?” he suggested, lowering his voice and leaning closer to me like we were sharing a secret. “I’ll tutor you like I said if you and your sister come to this party willingly, make nice with my father, wear a pretty dress and make some attempt to behave like you’re civilised.”
I was so shocked by his suggestion that for several seconds I could only stare at him.
“And I’ll promise to be... nice to you,” he added, reading my silence as hesitation instead of surprise. “For that night only.”
“I doubt you know how,” I replied flatly, plucking at my wet shirt which was plastered to me. I was going to have to impose on D
arcy tonight if I wanted to sleep in a dry bed.
Darius pursed his lips and reached out towards me. I took a step back, expecting him to turn angry again but instead his fingers skimmed against the soaked material which clung to my stomach as he drew the water back out of my shirt. My heart fluttered a little in response to his touch and I cursed my terrible taste in men for the millionth time.
I watched him in silence as every drop of water was removed from my clothes, hair and bed until a ball of liquid hung in the air between us. Darius directed it into my bathroom and I watched as it dropped into the basin and disappeared down the drain.
“See, I can be nice,” he said as if he’d just done me a favour even though we both knew that he’d been the one to drench me in the first place. He withdrew his hand from my waist and I ignored the ache I felt as the point of contact between us was broken.
“You must really care about impressing Daddy Acrux,” I muttered, twisting my long hair between my fingers just to give myself something to do.
Darius gave a noncommittal noise in response and I realised my guess was off the mark.
“Or you’re really that afraid of disappointing him,” I added.
Darius’s dark eyes flashed with some deep emotion for half a second before he squashed it back down.
“You don’t know anything about my family,” he growled, that anger rising in him just as quickly as it had disappeared.
“Well if they’re anything like you then they’re obviously a bunch of assholes.”
A wave of heated power slammed into me, knocking me back against the wall as Darius surged forward, leaning down to glare right into my eyes.
“Say that again,” he challenged, the threat in his voice clear.
My heart pounded with fear but I knew I’d been right before. He couldn’t kill me. And I was sick of feeling like I just had to roll over and take his bullshit. If he was determined to torment me then fine, there was nothing I could do about it. But I wasn’t going to let him break me.
“Well at least I know where you get it from,” I breathed.
Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts) Page 19