Dark Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac Book 1)

by Caroline Peckham

  “You might be able to tempt me into that,” I admitted and his smile widened from teasing to smug as fuck. “But don't go getting cocky.”

  “Me? As if. Now if you don’t ask me about this box I’m gonna lose my mind.” Leon pushed the box a few inches closer to me.

  “What box?” I smiled innocently, batting my eyelashes like I had no fucking idea what he was talking about even though the thing was taking up half the table.

  “Elise,” Leon growled and I was struck with the desire to make him beg a little more as his voice went all rough and demanding on me.

  “Oh this box!” I exclaimed pretending to be surprised by it.

  “Open. It,” he demanded.

  “Why?” I asked, pushing my empty plate aside as I let my gaze trail over the box then back to him.

  “Because it’s for you.”

  “But it’s not my birthday,” I countered.

  Leon growled again and a shiver rolled down my spine. I really liked it when he made that noise.

  “What do I have to do to get you to stop toying with me and open it?” he asked, his gaze raking over me like he didn’t know what the hell to do with me. I guessed for a man used to clicking his fingers and having women fall all over themselves to do every little thing for him, this was pretty damn infuriating. I wondered when was the last time he’d struggled to get his own way in anything.

  I leaned over the box and dropped my voice conspiratorially. “Growl for me again, Leo,” I purred.

  He obliged instantly, his eyes flashing with a hint of danger as I taunted him with that nickname. For a moment I couldn’t help but wonder what happened when the sleeping beast within him awoke. I suddenly really wanted to see him in his Lion form and I wondered if I could convince him to shift for me one time.

  My smile widened as the sound of his growl ripped through my core and I reached out to tug at the ribbon on the box.

  Leon watched me hungrily as I took my sweet time opening his latest gift. Curiosity was stinging me, but I fought against the urge to speed up, savouring the frustration in his gaze as I acted like I couldn’t care less what this box contained.

  When I finally slipped the lid off it, I looked down to find a black dress wrapped in rose scented tissue paper within it. It looked expensive. Like, the kind of expensive which meant the likes of me should never run their grubby paws all over it.

  With a feeling like I was breaking some rule, I reached out and traced my fingers along the soft material.

  Leon was drinking in my reaction as I slowly lifted it from the box and my heart pounded harder as I realised what it was for. He’d bought me a dress for the party. And not just any dress. A piece of art which seemed to call out to me in every way from the tight bodice which laced up the back to the floor length skirt which moved like water between my fingers.

  “Leon,” I breathed, unable to keep up my unaffected pretence a moment longer. “It’s...” There weren’t really words for what it was so I just shook my head, at a loss for them.

  “I’m fucking nailing this generous shit,” he said proudly. “And it gets better.” He lifted a pair of shoes from the bottom of the box where I hadn’t even noticed them.

  I folded the dress back carefully and smiled at the killer heels which were the exact same shade of lilac as my hair.

  “Now I won’t have to bend so low to reach your mouth,” Leon whispered conspiratorially and I was struck with the urge to kiss him now.

  My heart beat a little too fast and I placed the shoes back in the box as I looked up at him. Had he realised that I hadn’t been joking about turning up in my sweatpants? Had he realised I had zero funds to my name? Or was this just some lucky coincidence which had saved me from bailing on the first night I’d been truly looking forward to since coming to this academy? Whatever the reason for his act of kindness was, it seemed like fate was smiling on me today. Well...it was if I ignored the whole Cindy Lou incident but then that hadn’t turned out too terribly either.

  Leon pushed himself to his feet, clearly intending to leave and I replaced the lid on the box.

  “I’ll see you in class?” he confirmed, his gaze sliding to the window where the sun was shining in. He began to loosen his tie, clearly intending to head out for a power top up sunbathing style.

  I shot to my feet before he could leave, stopping before him and pushing up onto my tiptoes as I pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

  “Thank you,” I breathed and his eyes widened in surprise as the length of my body brushed against his for a moment and a shiver of longing darted through me.

  Leon reached out to snare me in his arms, tilting his chin like he was going to steal a proper kiss and I laughed as I sped away from him before he could catch me.

  “You’ll have to be quicker than that if you want to win a kiss, Leo,” I teased as I grabbed the box from the table and he turned towards me with a frown.

  “No fair,” he protested, reaching towards me again.

  “All’s fair in love and war,” I taunted, shooting away again before he could reply.

  I kept going all the way up to my room where I laid the box down on my bunk.

  I bit my lip as I thought about the way Leon’s stubble had grazed against it, wondering what it would be like to feel the bite of it against more of my flesh. As fantasies went, Leon Night was a pretty good one to have. And Friday night at the ball, I might just let myself indulge in it a little.

  Second chances didn’t hang around Alestria too often. Maybe the stars didn’t shine so brightly on this city. But I’d learned a long time ago that even the heavens could be bribed. So I didn’t bow to horoscopes, fate or predictions. I made my own luck. Which was why I headed to the bleachers just before the Spring Party started and shot Elise a private message on FaeBook – a site I spent zero fucking time on, but which actually served me right now.

  Ryder:

  Is Cinderella planning on giving me a twirl on the bleachers before the ball?

  I wore sweatpants and a creased t-shirt, making the least effort possible as I listened to the masses of partying idiots heading to Voyant Sports Hall. Why people wanted to dress up like morons and socialise was beyond me.

  The minutes ticked by and I bit down on the inside of my cheek until blood soaked my tongue. I was growing impatient and even the sweet kiss of pain didn’t compare to the one I wanted to take from Elise’s mouth. I wasn’t gonna back down this time. No more visions. This needed to happen for real. If she really thought any other man could give her what I could, she was fucking delusional. Once we took this step, she’d figure that out. We were cut from the same cloth. She was just afraid she’d drown in me if she gave in to her urges. But it was time for her to let go of the lifebuoy and sink to the bottom of the ocean with me.

  My Atlas vibrated on silent mode and my eyes fell to the screen in time with the dull thump of my heart.

  Elise:

  I’m no princess. And I don’t twirl for anybody.

  A low laugh left my throat as I wrote out a reply.

  Ryder:

  Blame that last message on autocorrect. It meant to say: Is the shit-hot vampire planning on sinking her teeth into my veins before the ball?

  A blur in my periphery made me tense on instinct, but my gaze fell on Elise as she drew to a halt in front of me, having run from the dorms to see me.

  She looked like an evil queen spread onto a layer of fucking beautiful. Her black corseted dress made me hard as hell and the way it pushed up her tits helped too. It fell to the ground but I could tell she was wearing heels due to the extra four inches she’d grown – either that or she was standing on Inferno’s tiny dick.

  She lifted a brow as my gaze dropped to her pink lipstick which I wanted to smear thoroughly with my mouth.

  “Aren’t you supposed to say something about how pretty I look?” She coiled a lock of lilac hair around her finger, swinging her hips as she put on an overly girlish expression.

  “You don’t look
pretty,” I growled and her expression slammed into bitch gear, but I didn’t give a shit. “You look like the most lethal poison I’ve ever seen. It’s fucking divine.”

  “That’s a weird ass compliment, Ryder.” She stepped closer, her eyes tracing over my throat then shifting to my lips, a hint of longing in them. What I could do to you with my mouth, new girl. You only need to say the words.

  “Do you want the normal kind instead then?” I took a step forward with every word I said next. “Beautiful. Stunning. Breath-taking.” I stopped in her personal space, inhaling her. Cherries. Did she know the pits contained cyanide? Everyone savoured the sweet exterior, ignoring the deadly concoction at its heart. The piece that got cut out and thrown away. But I’d never want to get rid of the pit that lived in her. To me, that was the sweetest part of all.

  Her pupils dilated and though her disinterested mask didn’t slip, her body language told me just how much I was affecting her.

  “I don’t think you feel those words as deeply as my first ones, do you?” I growled and she slowly shook her head.

  She laid a hand on my shoulder and leaned in to take a bite of me. I dipped my chin so her mouth was aligned with mine instead and she glanced up through her lashes, a flicker of lust filling them.

  Her fingers knotted in my shirt and I could feel her resistance everywhere, the pressure of it building between us.

  “Lust or pain,” I breathed against her lips. “Your choice, new girl. But make the right one.”

  The heat of her body radiated from her and it took everything I had not to drag her against me. But this was her decision. And I had to let her make it. Surely she felt this between us, did she really give a damn about pissing off Inferno? She could move into my room and he could go to hell.

  She pressed her fingers to her own lips, leaving a lipstick kiss on them before touching them to my mouth. I groaned with a mixture of disappointment and delight as she pushed my head aside and sank her teeth into my throat. I pulled her against me, running my tongue across my lips and tasting her.

  Why can’t she bow to these feelings? Why does Dante Oscura have to matter?

  The sting in my neck grew sharper as she buried her fangs deeper and a growl left my lips as desire coursed through me. This was torture. Pure and simple. And not because of the pain – that was bliss – but because she’d denied me once more. Shut me down. Told me no. I’d laid out my black and wasted heart for her and she’d rejected it. Again. In hindsight, that should have been fucking predictable. But I’d made my choice. I’d told her where I’d be tonight. So she had approximately six more hours to change her mind.

  She extracted her fangs and swallowed my ice cold blood like it was her favourite milkshake.

  “Tonight’s your chance, Elise. I’ll be in my room waiting for you.” It wasn’t entirely true. I had somewhere to go first, but I knew Elise wasn’t going to bail on this party until she stubbornly spent at least a few hours resisting the urge to come to me. I shifted closer to her and her pupils dilated. I dipped my head to her ear, my breath drawing goosebumps along her flesh. “I’ll make it hurt so good.”

  She pressed a hand to my chest to hold me back. “It’s not gonna happen.”

  I nodded, teasing my tongue piercing between my teeth. “But you’re tempted though, aren’t you? Don’t bullshit me.”

  She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, glancing away and I waited for her to decide to tell me. She would, because she couldn’t face the alternative of bottling to the dare in my voice. “Temptation is irrelevant if your will is strong enough, Ryder. And mine’s made of iron. So no matter how tempted I am…” Her hand sailed down my chest and over my waistband to press against my hard-on which was straining against my pants. I released a breathy groan as she squeezed once then stepped away with a teasing grin. “I won’t cave.”

  I grunted in response to that then she shot away from me, leaving me standing there on full fucking display to the world. It hurt to watch her leave. And maybe that was why I was so fucking obsessed with her. Everything about her made me suffer. And I was a glutton for it. But I’d vowed to myself tonight would be her last chance. I hadn’t screwed anyone since she’d stormed into my life, and I wasn’t gonna deny myself any longer if she was never going to be with me.

  My Atlas buzzed and I took it out of my pocket, finding a message from Scarlett. Since my entire fucking family were lying in bloody graves, The Brotherhood were waiting for me to graduate Aurora Academy before I took my rightful place as King. Scarlett was filling in for me until then. She’d been my father’s second in command and I trusted her implicitly. Since Felix Oscura had attacked us in our territory, killing thirteen of my people, she was anxious for me to go home and discuss tactics with her and the rest of the inner circle.

  But I hadn’t rushed home like a baby to its mama, I’d spent the days thinking over tactics and was heading home for a couple of hours tonight like I did every other Friday. Dante had eyes on me at all times, so there was no chance in hell I’d have let him see me run home the second the news had reached my ears.

  I checked the time, figuring I’d be back on campus by ten at the latest.

  I headed behind the bleachers and pulled off my shirt and pants, my focus switching to my one true calling in life. Destroying the Oscuras. And if there was one solid way to kill a boner, it was them.

  The Kiplings kept a stash of spare clothes for me on the edge of campus along with a whole host of other useful shit. I stuffed my shirt and pants into a bag with my Altas, hiding it in the shadows as the laughter of other students carried to me. I shook my head at them then shifted into my snake form, choosing to shrink down to the size of a python. Another perk of my Order. I could be monstrous as all hell or sneaky as fuck.

  I slid into the grass beyond the bleachers, winding my way around Devil’s Hill, passing by the Vega Dorms and across campus. When I eventually passed through the Empyrean Fields and slid into the woods, I let my form grow until I was the length of a school bus and as thick as a cow.

  I wound through the trees, tasting a thousand scents on the air from the crispness of pine trees to the earthiness of moss. I sensed the heat of a deer herd before they stampeded away from me and I slithered deeper into the forest. The mossy ground made my scales slide smoothly along the ground, leaving no trail at all as I headed toward the most north eastern corner of campus.

  I slid through a small stream and up a steep bank, coming to a halt beside the entrance to the Kipling Cache with a deep rattle in the depths of my body.

  I shifted back into my Fae form, standing up in the mud and walking to the concealed hatch which was enchanted to look like a large boulder. As I approached it, I pressed my hand against the cold rock and the magic gave me access, recognising me.

  A wide hatch was revealed at my feet, the vision of the boulder evaporating before my eyes. I knelt down, taking hold of the edge and yanking it up to reveal a steep ramp that headed away into the dark. I descended into it and the Faeworms crawling through the muddy tunnel roof gave enough light to see by.

  I reached the bottom, arriving in a cave which split off in several directions. Only the Kiplings knew their way around this place. It spread for miles under the entire forest, but there was just one part designated for me and my gang.

  I headed past the wooden chests stacked around the cavern, taking the tunnel to my left which was marked with the symbol of The Brotherhood on the wall. Oscuras had their own stores on the opposite side and the Kiplings had cast a powerful spell on each passage to ensure we could only access our own supplies.

  An eternal fire blazed at the heart of The Brotherhood’s cavern. It was a circular chamber created by earth magic, the walls moulded into deep shelves and holes big enough to hold everything we’d ever asked for from the Kiplings. Beside the fire was a dark green Yamaharpie dirt bike which made a grin pull at my mouth, its gleaming paintwork resembling the scales of a snake.

  I headed past it to the chest against th
e wall, wrenching it open and taking out a bundle of clothes. I pulled on the jeans, shirt and hoody, all of which were black to give me cover when darkness fell.

  I put on some boots then tugged on a leather jacket with the Brotherhood insignia on the back. I moved to one of the shelves, pressing my hand to a metal box which unlocked with my touch alone. Inside, was a phone and my keys. I grabbed them out and shut the box, heading to the bike and pulling on my helmet before swinging my leg over my favourite piece of machinery in the world.

  I kicked up the stand and twisted the key in the ignition. The engine blazed to life and the humming power of the beast beneath me sent adrenaline into my blood. I released the throttle and tore down the passage toward the exit, veering through the main cavern and speeding up the ramp that led back into the woods. Gas fumes filled my senses and brought on a buzz in my chest.

  I cast a vine in my left hand as the bike surged into the forest, catching hold of the hatch and slamming it shut behind me. I released the magic and shot through the trees, speeding toward the outer fence which surrounded the academy with a rush of energy pouring through my veins.

  I soon arrived before the huge metal fence which stretched in either direction and I turned the bike to sail alongside it, hunting for the red X the Kiplings had painted onto it. When I spotted it, I turned the bike sharply toward it and rode through the wall as easily as passing through water, the engine droning loudly. The effects of the magic brushed over my skin, running away again as I raced into the forest beyond it.

  The Iron Wood stretched on for hundreds of miles, bordering the city of Alestria before meeting with Fable Mountain in the North. I could take a direct route all the way to Lunar Territory from here and the faculty would be none the fucking wiser.

  I took the well-worn track I followed every couple of weeks, racing through the woodland as dusk descended. The lasting light was deepest red and painted the ground in bloody hues.