Savage Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac Book 2)

by Caroline Peckham

  I sat in Cardinal Magic class, leaning back in my chair as I attempted not to doze off. I’d stayed up late into the night on my Atlas looking into the boy who’d died in the woods, hoping for some kind of answers as to how Nightshade had selected him. If I could just come up with some kind of proof that she’d been involved in bringing him to the woods that night then maybe I could give that information to the FIB and force them to start an investigation.

  Titan had spoken to them for me like he’d promised but after an extremely brief sweep of The Iron Wood and a discussion with Principal Greyshine about my drug habit, they’d quickly decided against investigating. When Professor Titan had sheepishly explained that to me in our last Liaison meeting, I hadn’t even been surprised. I’d lost my faith in the FIB when they wrote of Gareth’s death as an accidental overdose anyway.

  Even after hours of trawling online, I hadn’t come up with much about my mystery victim. One inactive FaeBook page, a cellphone number that had been cut off and a mention in The Celestial Times about a kid who liked to eat cheez-its so much he’d set a record. I got the feeling the cheez-it kid was not the guy I was looking in to but as there weren’t any pictures accompanying that delightful story it was hard to say for sure.

  Either way, cheez-it records aside, I hadn’t found anything at all to help me out.

  I let my eyes fall shut with a sigh and listened to our Professor as she discussed the pros and cons of illusions. I was pretty excited to start working on that magic but as this was a theory lesson, I could afford to let my attention waver. I’d just research it more thoroughly in my own time, maybe ask Laini to give me some pointers on the subject. Being friendly with a smart ass Sphinx in the class above me had definitely gone a long way towards helping me catch up on my education and I hardly even felt like I was lagging behind the other students in my class these days.

  “Oh, sorry!” Cindy Lou gasped as she stumbled and banged into my desk.

  I jolted upright, narrowing my eyes at her as she bent down to push my bag back under my desk.

  “I tripped on it,” she said innocently before heading down to the front of the room and taking a seat by her friend Amira. Her heart was beating faster than usual and I frowned in confusion as she glanced back at me then looked away just as quickly. .

  What was she up to?

  “You look almost as tired as me, little monster,” Leon said, leaning across the aisle to talk to me in a low voice.

  “I stayed up too late studying,” I said through a yawn.

  “That’s a pretty lame reason to be missing sleep,” he teased. “I’m sure I can give you a better one if you wanna come stay in my room tonight?”

  I laughed, biting my lip as the professor scowled at us.

  A screwed up piece of paper hit Leon in the side of the head and I looked around to see who had thrown it but no one was looking our way. Ryder seemed suspiciously still though so I wondered if it was him.

  “But then you’ll just send Amy and Sasha away from their beds and it makes me feel like an asshat,” I whispered.

  “It’s okay, it makes them happy to please me,” he assured me.

  I opened my mouth to tell him how screwed up that was but the door burst open suddenly before I could get a word out.

  “Everyone stand up, don’t touch your bags and line up along the back wall!” Professor Mars shouted as he strode into the room.

  Cindy Lou shot to her feet, her gaze falling on me for a moment and her mouth pulling up into a little smirk.

  I frowned as I did as commanded, slipping out of my chair before walking to the back of the class with Leon.

  I stood with my back to the brick wall, exchanging a confused look with Leon that told me he had just as little idea of what this was about as I did.

  Gabriel moved to stand on my other side and his arm pressed against mine, sending a shiver along my skin.

  “Hey,” he said, glancing down at me like he wasn’t entirely sure what reception I’d give him.

  “Oh, talking to me in public are you?” I teased. “What is this, my birthday?”

  “Must be,” he agreed, the corner of his mouth twitching with amusement.

  I rolled my eyes dramatically and blew a bubble with my gum.

  Professor Mars stalked to a desk at the front of the room and glared at all of us. He didn’t say a word as he proceeded to up end a student’s bag onto the desk in front of him. He rifled through the contents before moving on to the next and I sighed as I leaned back against the wall, waiting for this to play out.

  “So, I was thinking,” Leon said, leaning close to me. “That maybe if you come back to my room, you could bite me again…”

  My heart leapt at that suggestion and I bit my lip as I turned to look at him.

  “So you’ve come over to the dark side, have you?” I teased, eyeing his neck with more than a little lust. “I told you you’d like it.”

  Leon flexed his fingers and they brushed against the back of my hand. “Only the way you do it,” he replied in a low voice.

  Gabriel growled in the back of his throat beside us and I huffed impatiently in response.

  “Something you’d like to say?” I asked him, arching a brow in his direction.

  “No,” he replied simply, eyes still to the front of the class.

  “So…?” Leon pushed, ignoring Gabriel entirely.

  “Maybe,” I shrugged like the suggestion of drinking his blood wasn’t making my heart beat harder and saliva pool in my mouth. My fangs were tingling with the idea of it and a reckless part of me didn’t even want to wait until tonight to taste him.

  “Maybe?” Leon frowned. “I want a bit more enthusiasm please, little mon-”

  “Callisto!” Professor Mars barked and I flinched at the sound of my name.

  He was standing at my desk, the contents of my bag strewn in front of him and three vials of bright blue Killblaze gripped in his hand.

  “Care to explain yourself?” he demanded.

  “They’re not mine,” I said with a frown, my lips parting in confusion.

  “So I guess the sugar plum fairy just dropped these here on her way to the crack den then did she?” Mars deadpanned.

  “No,” I replied, my mind spinning as I tried to figure out how the hell they could have gotten in my bag.

  A soft snort of amusement caught my heightened senses and my head snapped up as I spotted Cindy Lou sniggering with her friends. My gaze locked with hers as I remembered the way she’d ‘tripped’ on my bag earlier.

  “You!” I snapped, pointing at her as I strode forward. “She planted that in my bag!”

  “What?” Cindy Lou gasped, clutching at her chest like I’d mortally wounded her. “Why are you always bullying me like this? What did I ever do to you?” Actual, honest to the stars tears swam in her eyes and she looked over at Dante like she was expecting him to help her. He only frowned in response, his gaze skipping between me and her like he was trying to figure something out.

  My lip curled back as I glanced at Mars, wondering if he was seriously falling for her bullshit.

  “She did it!” I insisted. “Get a Cyclops to check her memories if you don’t believe me. She’s pissed that I made a fool of her at the spring party and she’s trying to get payback.”

  “You mean the party where you were off your face on Killblaze and attacked me for no reason?” Cindy Lou asked.

  Sniggers rang out around the room and a snarl left me as I realised people were buying into her act. I looked around at the sea of faces, finding Dante still frowning at us like he didn’t even know what to think. The idea of him buying into her bullshit set a fire burning in my gut and my anger just stoked the flames.

  “That’s enough, Callisto, you’re in detention. Hopefully we can scare you straight before you get too hooked on this stuff,” Mars said, shaking his head like he was disappointed in me. “Head down to the auditorium where you will watch an educational movie on the long term effects and risks of taking thi
s toxic substance. Drugs are no joke. If after attending the screening and counselling sessions you continue to flout our rules on this you may find your place at the academy in jeopardy. Do you understand?”

  Rage bled beneath my skin as I opened my mouth to protest but no words would come out. I was too damn angry to form a coherent argument so I just stood there gaping like an idiot.

  “It’s okay, sweety,” Cindy Lou said, taking a step towards me and laying a hand on my shoulder. “Addiction is nothing to be ashamed of.”

  I snapped. The stars had gifted me with a short ass fuse and I was way beyond the point of blowing it anyway. My fist collided with Cindy Lou’s perfectly made up face with every bit of my Vampire strength thrown into the blow.

  She collided with the desk behind her and her legs flipped right up over her head before she fell to the ground with a crack that spoke of something breaking. The silence that followed was punctuated by a collective intake of breath as it became painfully apparent that I’d knocked her out cold. I could still hear her pulse though so I wasn’t concerned with the idea of murdering her. Not that I’d have felt bad if I had, it just would have been kinda hard to get away with it with so many eye witnesses about.

  The silence was broken as Amira shrieked in concern and raced forward to heal her friend.

  Adrenaline pumped freely through my body as I turned my angry gaze back to Professor Mars, half tempted to turn my rage on him next as he opened his mouth, ready to scream at me.

  “The drugs are mine, Professor,” Gabriel’s voice averted world war three and I paused the coming tirade as I turned to stare at him.

  “What?” I said at the exact same moment as Mars.

  “I asked Elise to hold them for me but I don’t want her getting into trouble on my account,” Gabriel continued, moving to my side.

  “Bullshit,” I said, my gaze narrowing on Cindy Lou again as she pushed herself upright. Blood stained her pretty face and I smirked triumphantly even though the damage had already been repaired.

  “I don’t need lies from you, Nox,” Mars said irritably. “Save the Romeo and Juliet shit for after hours.”

  “It’s not a lie,” Gabriel insisted.

  “It is a lie,” I countered, glaring at him.

  Mars threw his hands up in defeat. “I couldn’t give a shit. You both want detention? Fine. You can kindly head on down to the auditorium where you’ll be watching the movie. And I’ll be signing both of you up for drugs related counselling with Miss Nightshade too.”

  I groaned loudly at that. “Can’t you just cut off my arm or something instead? Anything would be less painful than spending more time with her.”

  “This is not a negotiation, Callisto! Get the hell out of my sight – now!” Mars bellowed.

  I held my tongue as I moved forward to claim my bag from my desk, stuffing my stuff back inside it and taking a moment to check that my concealment spell was still in place. Luckily Mars clearly hadn’t detected it and all of the important things I’d gathered in my investigation were still hidden away in the pocket at the back. I threw my bag over my shoulder before sweeping from the room with Gabriel one step behind me.

  I set a fast pace to the auditorium, not looking his way though I could feel his gaze on me.

  When we arrived, we found the door already open and some students from other classes sitting inside waiting for the movie to start. Harvey Bloom caught my eye for a moment before turning away again just as quickly. I wasn’t surprised to see him here with the druggy populous and I guessed I couldn’t blame him for avoiding me after I’d tried to force information about King out of him. I still wanted to know who the hell he got the drugs from though, it just wasn’t a wise move for me to keep pushing the way I had.

  I stopped walking abruptly as I spotted Miss Nightshade waiting at the front of the auditorium, my blood running cold at the sight of her as I cursed myself for not realising sooner that she’d be the one holding this little shit fest.

  “What’s the hold up Miss Callisto?” she called as I stopped dead, seriously considering what the hell she could do to me if I just turned and ran for it.

  Before I could make a decision that might have gotten me expelled, a large hand took mine and I flinched in surprise as I looked up at Gabriel.

  “Come on,” he said, tugging my hand and drawing me after him into the room.

  I was so shocked by his behaviour that I didn’t even resist as he led me straight up the stairs at the centre of the auditorium and took me to the back row. We kept going until we were in the corner of the room and he dropped down into a chair, tugging me down with him.

  We sat in silence for a long moment as more students trailed into the room and I watched Gabriel as he stared straight ahead, acting like him holding my hand wasn’t strange as fuck. And also weirdly nice. Not that I’d admit that. But then I hadn’t pulled my hand away either.

  “Okay everyone, you all know why you’re here. I want you to pay close attention to the following movie on the effects of narcotics such as Killblaze and you’ll all have sessions with me following up on what you learn here. Remember guys, drugs are bad!” Miss Nightshade took a seat at the front of the room and the lights dimmed as the movie started playing.

  “So what is it?” I asked Gabriel in a whisper. “Do you just get off on being the knight in shining armour or something?”

  The corner of Gabriel’s mouth twitched and he turned slowly to look at me.

  “Only when it comes to you apparently.”

  “Convenient,” I sighed.

  “Not really,” he countered. “You make it very difficult.”

  I snorted a laugh at that, earning me a stern look from Nightshade at the front of the room.

  “Are you ever going to tell me how you figured out who I am?” I asked when he didn’t seem inclined to break the silence again.

  Gabriel hesitated for a moment then sighed, his thumb trailing over the back of my hand. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t reclaimed it yet but I kinda liked the way it fit in his.

  With a flick of his other hand, he cast a silencing bubble around us and I leaned in a little more, wondering if he might be about to tell me the truth about something for once.

  “I have a P.I. who works for me from time to time. I asked him to find out who had the phone. He was the one who’d figured out Gareth had it in the first place so it wasn’t much of a stretch for him to presume the person in possession of it now might have been related to him.”

  I nodded slowly. “I guess that makes sense.”

  I was also more than a little relieved that it wasn’t something anyone else was likely to do any time soon so my cover was still pretty tight.

  “So why do you have a P.I.?”

  Gabriel looked at me for a long moment like he was weighing his response, finally shrugging. “For this and that,” he said vaguely.

  Of course he didn’t give me a real answer.

  I exhaled slowly and tried to pull my hand out of his but his grip tightened to stop me from reclaiming it.

  “Elise…” he began in a low voice. “I want you to know that my reasons for trying to avoid our fate were never anything to do with you…”

  “I still don’t believe in fate,” I breathed, though my heart beat a little harder in denial of those words.

  “Then tell me that I’m crazy,” he said, twisting in his chair so that he could speak into my ear. The distance between us was disappearing, the walls I’d put in place crumbling apart with the slightest movement of his mouth. “Tell me that I’m wrong…that you don’t feel this.”

  I breathed in the rich scent of him, my gaze colliding with his as the tension between us spilled over. The space dividing us felt like it was filled with static that crackled between us. I ached to lean closer, press my mouth to his and run my hands over every inch of his flesh. Maybe Mars had been right to send me to this detention because I was an addict. But Killblaze wasn’t my drug of choice. The Kings were. And no matter how hard I t
ried to hold myself back, I kept finding myself in positions like this.

  “Gabriel,” I said slowly, either a warning for him to stay away or a plea for him to move closer. In that moment I had no idea which.

  “-prolonged use of drugs such as Killblaze and Corkscrewer have been known to have side effects such as magic impairment, Elemental deterioration and even anal leakage,” the narrator on the screen said loudly and I coughed out a laugh as I turned to look back at the badly acted educational movie just as it faded into a hospital ward.

  “By the stars, why do they make these movies so fucking dull?” I asked. “It’s like they want kids to take drugs just to alleviate the boredom invoked by watching them.”

  I turned my gaze back to Gabriel and raised an eyebrow as I found him smiling. Like, full on, actual teeth on show, smiling. The difference it made to his face was astonishing. He was already painfully good looking before but without his smoulder in full effect he was just plain captivating.

  “You know, I think that’s the first time I think I’ve ever seen you smile,” I pointed out.

  “Well I wouldn’t get used to it,” he joked, his gaze sliding over me.

  “Why?” I asked seriously. “Don’t you like having fun?”

  “It’s not that,” he said, his frown returning. “I just have to study a lot. Research, practice…I don’t get much time for anything else.”

  “Like fun?” I pushed. “Do you ever do anything reckless?”

  “You mean like trying to take the fall for someone who’s had drugs planted in their bag?” he teased.

  “Touché.” I turned my gaze back to the front of the room. “How good is your control over your water element?” I asked conspiratorially.

  “Pretty damn good,” he replied, matter of fact, not even bothering with being cocky.

  “So why don’t you fry the DVD player so we can get out of here?” I suggested.

  “I can’t do that,” he said with a shake of his head.

  “Because you’re no fun?” I pushed.

  “No. I just…”

  “Don’t wanna get in trouble?” I guessed, sighing as I leaned back in my chair.

  “I just don’t like drawing attention to myself,” he countered.