So stop looking, asshole.
Nova continued on, “Werewolves will have to run under the moon early in the evening-” They groaned as she went on and I searched for Darius again as I realised the major issue this curfew posed for us.
His gaze butted against mine as if he was thinking the same thing and I jerked my head to beckon him. He slid out of his seat and no one paid him much attention as he moved to the far wall and started a subtle trail toward me.
I slipped back out of the door and a moment later, he joined me outside. He said nothing as we headed away toward the shadowy path between Pluto Offices and Mercury Chambers. The FIB were crawling all over this place so I kept walking without a single word, turning into the entrance to the offices and shutting the door behind us with a loud clunk. It was deathly silent in the atrium and the darkness was penetrated by the dim blue glow of lights on the sorting machines. I opened my palm, casting a silencing bubble around us as a precaution.
“Curfew presents a real issue for your training,” I said, folding my arms.
Darius nodded. “Yeah and I still don't even have my own draining dagger to practice with.”
“Have you got back everything else that your pal Milton stole?” I asked in a dark tone. I’d gut that kid for burning down Darius’s room if I wouldn’t lose my damn job for it.
“I got back a few coins that were in his room,” he growled. “It’s hard to say if he took any more than that and I can't ask him outright about the dagger. It'd draw too much attention to it. But he's too thick to realise what it is.”
“Stupidity is dangerous around something like that. What if he starts cutting himself?” I hissed, running a hand down the back of my neck.
“Well he'll fuck up his whole life if he gets caught doing that.”
A tense moment passed between us as the weight of his words settled in the air. We'd both lose everything if we got caught, but we were too far down this road to stop now.
“The last thing we need is the FIB getting their hands on it,” I said anxiously. “It's not traceable but if they know an artifact like that is floating around campus, they'll start a witch hunt.”
“Your fuck buddy will keep them off our backs,” Darius taunted but I wasn't in the mood for games.
“Francesca covers for me when we go after Nymphs. She's not aware of my other hobbies,” I said dryly, even though Darius knew that. He just wanted a rise out of me, which meant he was in a seriously bad mood and playing with fire.
“I think she'd still take a bullet for you even if she did figure out that you-” I stole the air from his lungs with a twist of my fingers and he spluttered heavily.
A crunch had sounded outside. A footstep for sure.
Darius glared at me as he caught his breath but the look I gave him told him exactly why and his eyes whipped to the door. I’d cast a silencing bubble around us but an FIB agent could have breached it if they’d sensed it.
I leaned in close, speaking into Darius’s ear. “I have a feeling the FIB aren't being transparent with their investigation this time. They're watching all of us. I'll message you privately. Delete everything I send the second you've read it.”
He nodded and I dropped the silencing bubble just before he shoved me hard in the chest. “My friend died out there! I can't keep calm and just sit in that assembly, Professor!”
“You need to take a breath,” I boomed. “If you lose control of your Order form I'll dock you twenty House Points.”
“Fuck you!” Darius stormed out of Pluto Offices and I marched after him into the night.
“Twenty House points and you can meet me in detention Thursday evening!” I bellowed after him. That ought to give us a chance to practice.
The air was eerily still but a shadow moving in my periphery alerted me to the slinking FIB agent, strolling along as if he hadn't been there the entire time.
“I wouldn't want your job,” he joked but his eyes trailed over me in a way that made me uncomfortable.
“It'd be fine if the kids actually behaved,” I said, slapping on a smile and he nodded slowly.
“I hear that. I've got a ten year old who starts a rebellion every other week. You got kids?”
“Nah. Not really my calling in life.”
“Says the teacher.” He cocked a brow.
“Well if there's one way to put you off having kids, it's being around a bunch of teenagers twenty four seven.”
“You'll change your mind on that one day. Besides, you're only young. You can't have been graduated long, you look about the same age as my eldest...”
I kept my smile in place but it was beginning to hurt my face. Don’t presume you know shit about me, asshole. “Four years out.”
He looked me over. “And you're a professor? At this academy? How'd you pull that off?”
Nosy shit. “Straight As in my finals.” And Uncle Acrux pulling strings so I'd have to be within a mile radius of his son at all times. I didn't even wanna be a goddamn teacher. Though I doubted anyone else could tell that...
He released a low whistle. “Well I bet you make friends with the students easier than you do the faculty, eh?”
My eyes sharpened and my smile fell away dramatically. This guy wasn't casually interested in me, he was fucking interrogating me. And that riled up a fierce storm in my blood.
You wanna dance, shitbag? I've been to hell and back tonight, so you're a walk in the park.
“I don't make friends with anyone very easily, least of all students, Mr..?”
“Malone. Gordon Malone. It just struck me as odd that you brought Lionel Acrux's son all the way out here to have a private chat. I hear on the grapevine that your family have a special kind of relationship with theirs.” Triumph flared in his eyes like he'd won this game. That he'd caught me out at something. But hell if he had.
My eyes slid over him as I hunted for his badge and rank. Jackpot. This loser was beneath Francesca. Because just like me, she aced every job she took on in life. She'd climbed the ranks at the FIB faster than anyone else in her training class. And she hadn't stopped climbing since.
“Well Mr Malone, I suppose your superior Agent Sky will be wondering where you've run off to.”
His brows jumped up. “You...know her?”
“Yeah I'd like to think I know my girlfriend pretty well.” I watched the blood run from his face all the way down to his shiny little boots with a twisted satisfaction. It wasn't entirely accurate but she wouldn't deny it if he brought it up. Not that I expected he would now he knew he was interrogating the man that kept company with his boss at night.
He cleared his throat. “Yes well, you're probably right. You won't um, tell her that I...”
“That you what?” I smirked.
“Nothing.” He dipped his head. “Have a good night.” He hurried away and my shoulders dropped.
That was one crisis averted but I had much bigger problems facing me this week. It looked like the Vega Twins were about to emerge in their Order forms and they'd proved that they were now a genuine threat to the throne.
On top of that, the Lunar Eclipse coincided with The Reckoning. Which meant I was about to be worked off my ass preparing freshmen for both events while trying to figure out a way to stop Darius's father from bringing a plague down on Solaria.
At Zodiac, they called this Hell Week. And this year, it was more literal than ever.
“Tor?” Darcy’s whispered voice reached out to me where I was hiding in slumber and I recoiled from it with a groan. “Tory?” she said a little louder.
“No,” I mumbled, pulling a pillow over my head.
I was dog tired. We were in my room in Ignis House, neither of us wanting to part company since the horror of the Nymph attack. After everything that had happened after the Pitball match yesterday and attending that assembly where Nova had basically told us to suck it up and get on with our education, we’d stayed up into the small hours talking.
I guessed at some point we’d both passed
out but I had no idea why the hell Darcy thought it was a good idea to wake me up again. From the aching in my limbs and foggy brain I could only imagine it was the armpit of dawn and I had no reason to want to see that time of day.
“Can you hear that?” Darcy asked, the note of concern in her voice making me lower the pillow an inch.
I groaned again as I rolled onto my back and lay still until a strange sound reached my ears. It was like the distant clang of a metal gong.
“What is that?” I asked, forcing myself up a little onto my elbows and blinking the sleep from my eyes.
Darcy was sitting up in my bed, her arms folded as she cocked her head to listen.
“It could be anything in this crazy school. Maybe Manticores play the gong to replenish their magic or Harpies like to dance to gong music under the light of the moon just for the hell of it,” I suggested.
Darcy laughed half-heartedly and we both fell silent as the dull chime of the gong rang out again, sounding a little nearer this time. It wasn’t really a dancing under the moon kind of sound though; it was more ominous than that, like the promise of something to come.
A shiver ran down my spine at that thought and I pushed myself upright.
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but shall we get an early start, maybe head for breakfast at The Orb?” I asked. Now that I was awake and that damn gong was ringing out I didn’t imagine I’d be getting much more sleep anyway.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Darcy replied, relief lacing her tone.
I moved to get out of bed but my Atlas suddenly released a loud ring which I’d never heard from it before. Darcy’s did the same on the desk across the room and we exchanged a look before I hooked mine off of the nightstand to see what this was about.
As my gaze fell on the message, my eyes widened in surprise and I held it out so that Darcy could read it too.
WELCOME TO HELL WEEK!
You and the rest of the freshman class are now formally beginning the week leading up to The Reckoning.
During this week you must pass the trials of your Elements before taking part in the final assessment which will determine whether you are worthy of your place at our prestigious academy.
To make sure you are thoroughly challenged, the rest of the student body will be throwing further tests your way at every turn and making your lives hell!
Will you make the cut for this year’s official enrolment?
It’s time to prove how Fae you are.
Yours - Principal Nova
“What the crap?” Darcy breathed in disbelief. “A bunch of people died yesterday. I get that Nova said we have to carry on with our education if we want to be strong enough to stand against the Nymphs in the future, but this seems like a bit much.”
“Everything in this fucking place is a bit much,” I growled.
“What do they mean the rest of the student body will be making our lives hell?” Darcy questioned.
“Well that bit at least won’t be any different,” I joked. “In fact, if they’ve got to spread their attention between all the freshmen instead of just focusing on us then maybe we’re in for an easier time than usual.”
“That’d be nice. Though I get the feeling it will just make the target on our backs even bigger,” Darcy sighed.
“Maybe you’re right. At least we’re used to it.” I pushed myself upright and ran my fingers through my hair as I fought against the urge to crawl back into bed.
The clash of the gong was getting louder and I got the sense that it was to do with this Hell Week shit.
“Freshmen!” a girl’s voice carried loudly from out in the corridor and I hesitated as I looked towards my closed door. “Hell Week is upon you! You have fifteen minutes to get yourselves ready for class and get out of your rooms. Anyone who doesn’t appear voluntarily will be dragged out. You have been warned!”
I looked back at Darcy and groaned. “Why does it have to start so early in the morning?” I asked. “It really is going to be hell if they wake me up at this time every day.”
“Let’s hope that’s the worst of it,” Darcy replied as she got up too.
We exchanged a look which said we both knew that was unlikely before I headed into the en-suite. I clipped my hair up before jumping into the shower, letting the hot water wake me up despite the longing I felt for pillows and soft sheets.
I emerged quickly, leaving Darcy to take her turn as I dressed in my Academy uniform and tamed my hair into something respectable. As I started applying my makeup, my Atlas pinged with a private message.
I reached for it automatically, my lips parting in surprise as I saw who it was from.
Caleb:
So I’m thinking we need to draw a few lines in the sand...
I frowned in confusion, wondering what he meant by that before replying.
Tory:
Talking in riddles only makes you seem like more of a douchebag.
Caleb:
And there was me thinking that was impossible. I’m talking about keeping the two sides of our relationship separate.
Tory:
We don’t have a relationship.
I tossed my Atlas onto my bed dismissively and returned to the task of completing my makeup. Darcy appeared from her own shower and claimed another uniform from my closet without bothering to ask. As we were the same size in everything, we’d long since taken to stealing each other’s clothes as standard. And even though we weren’t as short on options as we used to be in the mortal world, it was a habit that we weren’t likely to break any time soon. It was familiar and natural, and one of the few things that hadn’t changed when we’d come to this insane academy.
My Atlas pinged behind me. And again. And again.
“You’re popular this morning,” Darcy commented, eyeing it with interest.
I grunted in response. “Caleb’s just trying to get into my pants again.”
She snorted a laugh. “How hard are you going to make him work for it?”
“He took part in the whole throwing us in a pit business. So I’m thinking I’m done with him,” I said dismissively.
“Yeah, you totally should be,” she agreed. “But that look in your eye says you’re not.”
“That’s just the part of my brain which is blinded by his hotness. I refuse to listen to her because she’s a slut. The sensible part of my brain says hell no and I’ll be keeping company with her and her chastity belt from now on.”
“Okay,” Darcy said in a way which told me she wasn’t totally convinced but there wasn’t much I could do about that. My track record spoke for itself.
The Atlas pinged again. And again.
“At least let’s see how hard he’s grovelling,” she said with a wicked smile.
I laughed and moved to grab my Atlas from the bed.
Caleb:
That’s so cold, Tory. I know you felt things too... the noises you were making in response to them are kinda hard to deny ;)
Caleb:
Do you want me to beg? Do you like the idea of getting me on my knees for you?
Caleb:
Are you ignoring me now? Can’t we just agree to disagree about the whole throne issue and take out our frustrations over the situation on each other?
I promise, I’m super frustrated over it and it will take a lot of work to make me feel any better about it...
Caleb:
You wanna see how frustrated I am...? I really need help working through this...
The last message contained a photograph which Caleb had taken of himself in a mirror after getting out of the shower. His blonde curls were damp and looked darker than usual and every inch of his exposed, muscular body glistened with fat drops of moisture. The picture cut off at his waist and his navy eyes blazed with an intensity which made me swallow a lump in my throat.
Caleb:
Want to come over and see the rest?
Darcy released a breath of laughter. “Well he certainly knows what he wants.”
My gaze raked over the picture of his tight abs glistening with water and I groaned. “Why does he have to be such an asshole?” I complained.
“Well if he wasn’t, you probably wouldn’t like him at all,” she reasoned and I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
“That is a tragically accurate assessment,” I agreed.
I decided to leave Caleb hanging and closed down the private messages with a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.
“Time’s up freshmen!” the girl’s voice came from beyond my door again and we looked around at it with concern. “Come on out to face hell - it’ll only be worse if we have to come get you!”
“This school is insane,” Darcy groaned as she placed her satchel over her shoulder and we prepared to head out there.
I stuffed my Atlas into my own satchel and threw it on as we moved towards the door.
“Shield?” I suggested at the last second, imagining someone waiting outside the door to throw a bucket of water over our heads or something.
“Good idea,” Darcy agreed.
We both threw up a strong shield of air magic and I opened my door with my heart in my throat.
The door swung wide and I held my breath as we stepped out to find... nothing. The corridor was abandoned.
I exchanged a look with Darcy and quickly locked up behind us as we headed for the stairs which led down to the common room.
The only sound was the persistent clang of that far off gong which my heart was quickly falling into rhythm with.
We descended in silence but the second my feet landed at the foot of the stairs in the common room, I fell still. The whole room was full of students clad in long black robes with plain white masks concealing their faces.
For a moment nothing happened, they all stared at us through the eye holes in their masks and I felt like I’d just stumbled into a creepy ass cult nightmare.
Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts) Page 2