They both fell silent and the tell-tale thump thump thump of a headboard drilled into my head.
Stella giggled excitedly. “You're such a bad man. You know how to put a Fae in their place, don't you Lion?”
Arghhhhh.
More heavy breathing and wall-banging followed and I wondered if it was actually worth me eavesdropping on my mother's sexcapades for information or if I was just torturing myself for no good reason.
Were they really planning what I suspected on the lunar eclipse, or were they just discussing old times? I had to know. Because if they were going to do it again, we were in deep shit.
“I won't make the same mistakes again, this time we'll pick the right Fae,” Lionel growled. They fell into a crescendo of bangs and moans and I stormed away from the room, figuring I'd heard enough. My heart thumped painfully hard as I sped through the halls of the Acrux manor back toward the ballroom.
With the approaching lunar eclipse, I'd feared this would happen. But now it was confirmed, that fear spread like a disease, gnawing into my bones.
This can't be happening again.
Clara's face came to mind, the sprinkle of freckles across her nose, her slanted smile, the way her shoulders had trembled just before she'd died...
Bile rose in my throat as I reached the doorway to the ballroom. I drew to a halt, resting a hand against the wall and trying to fight off the rage, the tearing panic, the seizing grief of losing her. Of that awful fucking night. I wanted to claw my way back through time and stop it all from happening. I'd make better decisions. I'd tear off Lionel's head before he could place this bind on me which forced me to guard his son. I'd save Clara from her suffering and the shadows which had consumed her.
My brain rattled against the inside of my skull and my fangs sharpened to deadly points, begging me to kill the ones responsible for this.
I took an even breath then shoved my way through the door, hunting the ballroom for Darius. I found Darcy first and my gaze wouldn't shift from her for several seconds. She was speaking with Grus and his pompous royalist friends and my spine prickled with unease.
You kissed The Savage King's daughter you moron.
A vein pulsed in my temple as I clenched my jaw too tightly. I'd given in to temptation and though I vowed never to lay a hand on her again, I still couldn't undo what I'd already done. My Libra instincts were screaming at me like a disappointed parent, telling me I'd acted unfairly by offering her a ray of hope then stamping on it just as quickly. The scales of my inner compass were well and truly tipped and the only way to right them again was by ending this before it started. But something cut into me, forcing me to acknowledge it like a blade spinning in my gut. Alright so maybe I can't forget about her right away. But I'll damn well force her out eventually.
I finally dragged my eyes elsewhere and found Darius across the room. His expression was distant as he stood with the other Heirs, a war contained within his eyes. As if he sensed me, his gaze flitted my way and I jerked my head to beckon him.
He didn't say a word to his friends before he strode away to join me and we moved in tense silence back out of the ballroom and further down the corridor. I soon guided him into an empty lounge and sank into an armchair.
He remained on his feet, his mouth flat. “What's going on?”
“It's happening again,” I growled. “I just overheard your father and my mother discussing the lunar eclipse.” I left out the part about them screwing each other. Darius knew full well his father wasn't a loyal man to his wife, but I didn't think it was worth mentioning. Darius had had a rough enough night as it was.
His jaw ticked with rage and he shut his eyes for a long moment. “Who have they chosen?” he asked eventually and I shook my head.
“It didn’t sound like they’d picked yet.”
Darius started pacing, his hands flexing as he drew fire into writhing balls in his palms. “This night is just getting better and better,” he muttered. “Do you think there’s any chance of them actually succeeding this time?”
I considered that. “It's impossible to say. After what happened last time, I would have thought they'd never want to attempt it again.” A tense pause passed where breathing became a bit harder. Fuck, Clara why did you have to get wrapped up in their world?
Darius went to say something as he noticed my expression but I barrelled over him, not wanting his sympathy. “If they succeed this time who knows what hell they could unleash.”
Darius sighed heavily. “I’ll have to come home more often, see if I can get Father to tell me anything or trust me some more.”
I gave him a look of disbelief. “Do you really think he’d open up to you? He hasn’t shown any inclination to trust you with his plans so far and now that he’s gotten it into his head that you’re chasing after Tory Vega-“
“I’m not chasing after her,” he snarled. “I saved her from herself. She insulted him right to his face, if I hadn’t stood between them fuck knows what he would have done to her.”
Anger pulled at my insides and I didn't know if I was angry at him for softening towards a Vega or if I was angry at myself for the exact same thing. I stood up, too furious to remain in place. “Well maybe you should have let him, now he only has more reason to mistrust you.” I started pacing, my shoulders tight as I let those words settle over the room. The worst thing was, I knew I didn't mean them. And that was a serious problem.
“I know,” Darius said wearily, his eyes following me as I paced. “I don’t know what the hell came over me. That girl just knows how to push my buttons. The sooner her and her sister are gone, the better.”
My throat tightened and I stopped walking, facing a bookcase at the end of the room. “Agreed,” I said quietly. I glanced over my shoulder and Darius shifted, turning away and my brows lifted. Shit are we in the exact same boat here? “Maybe you were thinking with your dick and not your head.”
Darius kicked at the floor, looking away from me. “That's not the point. We still need them gone.”
I nodded firmly. No girl had ever turned my head enough to make me an idiot. I'd already made it clear that that kiss was a one time thing with Darcy. It should have been a never time thing but here we are.
Tonight was just one long series of mistakes that the stars were definitely laughing about. My horoscope had told me I'd be ruled by Venus today. And that was the horniest fucking planet in the solar system. I should have been prepared to deal with it. I was a Professor at Zodiac Academy, dammit, and I couldn't even ward off Venus when it shoved me in front of The Savage King's daughter.
Mercury was moving into retrograde soon too, maybe that was why my decisions were all over the place. But this was the worst possible time for me to lose focus. There was too much at stake.
I released a low growl, my fangs sharpening as my anger rose. I had to get this dilemma under control. Now. “We will get rid of them. But I'm concerned about where they’ll go with the Nymph situation becoming more volatile every day.”
Darius nodded, his brow creasing. “We'll have to make sure they go back to the mortal world. The Nymphs have no way to travel there so they’d be about as safe as we could hope.”
“Not as safe as if they stayed where we could keep an eye on them,” I muttered and I hoped that that wasn't a Venus-fuelled comment.
Darius folded his arms, setting his jaw with some decision. “The longer they stay, the more control they’ll get over their magic and the more threat they pose to me and my brothers. If we don’t watch out, we could end up with two naive savage princesses on the throne and give the Nymphs exactly the kind of unbalance they need to tip the scales of this fight in their favour.”
I sniggered at that. “So you think they could overthrow you if they stay then?” I baited him.
Darius's eyes flashed gold with rage. “That's not what I said. But I felt Roxy’s power and I almost lost myself in it. She didn’t tire in over two hours of wielding a constant stream of powerful fire magic. We’ve got
four years of experience over them but if it came to brute force they could pose a challenge. It seems like a stupid risk to take if we can just get rid of them now instead.”
I rolled my neck, vaguely looking around the room in hopes of finding something to drink. It was a habit I'd formed after Clara's death. A drink a day made that familiar ache stop. Sometimes it needed three, or four. But I drowned it eventually. This night felt like a solid six.
“I don't want to argue with you,” I said, marching across the room as I spotted a likely place for Lionel's stash. I yanked open the cabinet, busting the lock – shame about that – and found a bottle of port inside. Not really my drink of choice but when in Rome. I snatched it out with a couple of glasses and Darius gave me that look that said you drink to much. Except he'd stopped actually saying that a long time ago. And tonight he stepped forward and took a glass himself.
“Tomorrow we can deal with this,” I said firmly, knocking the nectar down my throat and willing it to take away this stress. “Tonight I have some forgetting to do.”
I hadn’t seen either Lionel or Darius since my return to the party and I was hoping that would continue to be the case until we could get out of here.
I skirted the edges of the ballroom, sipping from a glass of champagne and trying to avoid attention. It was a little easier to do while Darcy was nowhere to be seen; one Vega Twin alone could pass as just another girl at a fancy party.
“You don’t look like you’re having much fun,” Caleb murmured in my ear and I flinched as I turned to find him standing beside me.
Damn sneaky, speedy Vampire.
“I’m getting the distinct impression that Fae just don’t know how to party,” I said, faking a yawn which turned real half way through.
“I’m sure I can liven things up for you,” he purred.
“I’ve already had that offer from one of your friends and it ended with his psycho father laying into me. So I think I’ll pass.” I started to walk away but Caleb caught my arm and pulled me towards him.
“Sorry sweetheart, but your little reprieve from our arrangement has come to an end,” he said with a smirk which revealed his growing fangs.
I opened my mouth to protest but he whirled me around, using his Vampire speed to move us until he had me pressed against the wall in a shadowy corner.
He brushed my hair away from my neck gently and leaned in without any further hesitation.
“Wait,” I breathed, my heart pumping a little faster from his proximity.
He hesitated an inch from my flesh. “Why?”
“Because... this is too easy,” I said, thinking quickly.
Caleb laughed, his breath dancing over my skin. “Why would I have any complaints about that?”
“Aren’t you supposed to be a big, bad predator? Wouldn’t you prefer to work for your meal?” My mind was whirling with an idea which might be a little insane but also just might result in me keeping all of my blood and power in my body tonight.
“Go on,” he offered, inching back so that he could look down at me, interest lighting his navy blue eyes.
I placed my palm on his chest to hold him away. “Let’s make it a game. I’ll run from you and hide. If you can’t find me within fifteen minutes you don’t bite me tonight.”
A smile hooked at his lips. “But I could just bite you right now,” he said. “What else do I get for winning your game?”
“Are you afraid you’ll lose?” I taunted.
His eyes flashed and I knew I’d hit the right button with that one. Of course he wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to prove himself able to beat me in another way.
“You’re just delaying the inevitable,” he teased.
“We’ll see. But you can’t use your Vampire speed,” I added, prodding him in the chest.
“Alright,” he said with a grin. “No Vampire speed.”
“I get a two minute head start.”
Caleb’s smile widened and I couldn’t help but smile back. The champagne was buzzing in my veins and my magic was sizzling with the excitement of this game. He was probably going to catch me anyway but at least this way I had a chance to escape.
Besides, I had some tricks of my own up my sleeve which he didn’t know about. I’d been slinking through the shadows and hiding from the cops for years; finding me wouldn’t be an easy task.
“What are you waiting for then?” Caleb asked, stepping back to release me from the prison of his arms. “Run.”
My heart leapt with excitement and a laugh escaped my lips as I turned and sprinted out of the room, ignoring the few party goers who noticed me. My stilettos clicked loudly on the marble floor so I paused for half a second to pull them off and carried them as I fled.
I ran down several long corridors and found myself back by the huge door which led out to the cool night air and the grounds beyond. I took a step that way then paused. That was where he’d expect me to go. I glanced up at the wide stairwell which curved away to my right. Sneaking around the private rooms of Daddy Acrux’s house was probably a terrible idea but there was a good chance Caleb would think I’d be too chicken-shit to do it.
With a surge of madness I turned right and pounded up the stairs. My hand landed on the golden bannister as I hauled myself up and up faster. I fisted my long skirt in my hand and turned left at the top of the stairs, heading down the corridor we'd taken earlier to meet with the Celestial Council.
I took a left, hit a dead end, whirled around then took a right instead. I kept running, winding through hallways at random before snatching at a door handle and pulling it wide.
I found a huge office awaiting me, the scent of smoke and hard liquor hanging in the air. I hesitated and for a moment I was sure I could hear footsteps coming this way from somewhere out in the corridors.
I quickly pulled the door shut behind me and scampered into the room. Another door stood ajar in the far corner and I ducked my head inside but only found a little closet stacked high with old, leather bound books. They had titles like Beating the Acursed, Advanced Predictive Charting and Binding a Strong Will.
I backed up and the sound of footsteps reached me from beyond the door.
My breath caught in my chest and I scrambled back across the wide room before ducking under the huge oak desk.
My heart raced as I pressed my back to the underside of the desk and heavy footsteps entered the room.
I bit my lip as adrenaline surged through my veins, sinking deeper into the space beneath the desk and willing my thundering heart to slow.
The footsteps drew closer and I fell deathly still as I spotted a pair of legs clad in a deep blue suit. That wasn’t Caleb; it was Lionel Acrux and if he discovered me here I would have a lot of explaining to do.
He took a seat in the wing backed chair behind the desk and I shrank aside as he crossed his ankles three inches from my hiding place. The sound of him cracking his knuckles broke the silence and he let out a huff of irritation.
“Is it done?” he asked suddenly and it took me a moment to realise he was on the phone. “No. I don’t want excuses on this, if you’re not capable of executing the plan then there are plenty of people ready to take your place. I’ve already had to deal with a disrespectful Heir tonight and I warn you I’m in no mood to tolerate further failure.”
In the silence that followed, I could just hear the tinny voice of someone replying but I couldn’t make out any of the words or even whether it was a man or a woman on the other end.
“I trust you to see to this as a matter of priority,” he snarled. “Contact me the moment you’ve got something productive to tell me. And don’t keep me waiting long unless you want to feel the wrath of my Dragon Fire.”
Something slammed into the desk above my head and I flinched, my heart jolting violently.
Lionel released a long sigh laced with a growl before getting to his feet again.
I didn’t move. I didn’t even dare to breathe as he prowled around his desk and headed for the door.<
br />
He hesitated on the threshold like he sensed something wasn’t as it should be and a shiver of fear fled along my spine.
Lionel left, pulling the door closed with a sharp snap and I finally released my bottom lip from its hold between my teeth. I’d bitten down hard enough to draw blood and the metallic taste of it filled my mouth.
I inched along, meaning to get the hell out of there but the door opened again, this time remaining open as someone else stalked in.
I leaned forward to get a look out from beneath the desk and relief filled me as I recognised Caleb’s black tux and polished black shoes.
“One minute to go,” he murmured and I stilled. “You almost got away.”
My heart pounded in response to his words. Did he really know he’d tracked me down? Or was he just hoping that he had?
Magic tingled through my fingers as I considered my options. If I really only had to escape him for one more minute then I should probably run for it. I was fast and without his Vampire speed I could probably outpace him for long enough to win this game.
Caleb moved around the desk to the back of the room and I shifted forward on my hands and knees. The door was in sight but I’d lose a few precious seconds as I got to my feet.
At the far end of the room, the door that led into the little library space still stood ajar. I called on my air magic and sent a gust of wind towards it.
The door closed with a sharp snap and I leapt to my feet as Caleb was distracted. I ran for the exit and raced out into the corridor.
Caleb laughed as he took chase and I couldn’t help but laugh too.
I shot down the long corridor, the marble floor cold against my bare feet. I could hear him gaining on me and I threw a glance over my shoulder.
“No cheating!” I cried as I spotted his lengthening fangs.
He laughed as he ran faster but he didn’t use his Vampire speed.
I rounded a corner and grabbed the closest door handle, wrenching it open as I tumbled inside. I found myself in a small room with a round mahogany table at the heart of it. Decks of cards and gambling chips were stacked neatly in the centre of it and four chairs were tucked beneath it.
Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts) Page 37