Instead of finding a message from him, my heart pumped out of rhythm as I found one from Orion instead. I hadn’t replied to his message last night, I just…couldn’t. I didn’t know what he wanted from me, it was too confusing. He said he couldn’t think straight around me and I seriously reciprocated that feeling, but I also knew that I wasn’t going to make some rash decision just because my libido went from zero to a thousand every time I was around him. If we went down that route, gave into that urge, it could end in absolute disaster. But hell, it was the strongest temptation I’d ever resisted.
I took a steadying breath and opened the message.
Lance:
You do like keeping a guy in suspense don't you?
Darcy:
For someone who was very clear about what does and doesn't happen above swimming pools, I'm surprised you're still looking for the answer to your last question.
Lance:
What about the question before that then?
Green or blue?
A smile gnawed into my cheeks as I thought up my reply.
Darcy:
What difference does it make to you aside from being able to tell me and my sister apart?
Lance:
Blue means you like me.
A surprised laugh tore from my throat and I rolled my eyes to the sky as I closed in on Aer Tower.
Darcy:
That makes no sense. Besides, blue hair meant something to me once, but I don’t need it anymore.
I reached Aer Tower just as my Atlas pinged again, but I stuffed it firmly away, casting air at the triangular symbol above the door and heading inside. I hurried upstairs with a burning need to read that message but I held out all the way until I got into my room.
I pushed the door closed, dumping my bag on the bed and fishing my Atlas back out. I stripped my blazer off, dropping onto my desk chair and switching on the lamp beside my sketchbooks. When I checked my messages, I found two from Orion.
Lance:
I know what it meant. Darius told me after the Fall Party. But I have my own (better) meaning and Solaria has one too.
P.S
I fully intend to break that guy’s legs once you give me his name by the way.
Lance:
I guess you’re about to go back to radio silence so for what it’s worth…
In Solaria blue means royal.
And to me, blue means you.
I swear I reread that last sentence a hundred times, my ears ringing and my heart thrashing in my chest. Blue means you.
My eyes whipped back to the first message and pockets of heat burst in my cheeks.
A knock came at my door and I jolted out of my reverie, standing up and pulling it open.
Seth stood there with a vulnerable look on his face and magic automatically rushed to my fingertips.
“Yes?” I demanded, fire blazing in my palms.
“Have you watched it yet?” he asked with a strange smile pulling at his mouth.
“Watched what?” I frowned.
“The video I sent you. It’s your ammo against me tonight.”
“Oh… no I haven’t.” I glanced over at my Atlas and my heart smashed into my throat as I spotted the gleaming Aquarius Moonstone sitting beyond it. Oh shit!
“I’ll watch it now.” I slammed the door in his face, rushing to my desk and stuffing the Moonstone into the top drawer. If he ever found out what I’d done, he’d kill me. He’d lost his entire pack because of the fleas I’d summoned - which had been a definite bonus but now meant his fury would be tenfold.
“That hit me in the face you know,” he said from the other side of the door and I answered with a laugh. “I’m just gonna wait right here.”
“Do what you want, mutt,” I said under my breath, navigating my way to the email he’d sent me and clicking the video to play it.
The recording was taken in Seth’s room and I frowned as he stepped in front of the camera in his school uniform. ‘You can leave your hat on’ started playing and my mouth fell open as Seth tugged off his blazer to the raunchy music, swinging it over his head and tossing it onto the bed.
“Oh my god,” I breathed, unable to stop watching as his strip show played out. He was over-dramatic on purpose, pulling out his hair and whipping it in a circle before ripping off his shirt and sending buttons flying everywhere.
I started laughing and heard Seth chuckle out in the corridor. In the video, he sprang onto the bed, looking like stripper Tarzan as he dove off of it and skidded across the floor on his knees right up to the camera. As he started unbuttoning his pants, I had the feeling this strip show was going to go all the way, so I tapped the screen to turn it off. I got to my feet, shaking my head with another laugh as I opened the door again.
I folded my arms, trying to school my expression as I leaned against the doorframe. “And what exactly was that video supposed to achieve? That’s not ammo, you get naked ten times a day to change into your Order form.”
“True, but did you watch until the end?” He quirked a brow and I shook my head. He nudged his way past me, his fingers brushing my arm as he went. He picked up my Atlas, sliding the video to the last frame and holding it out to show me.
“This better not be a freeze frame of your dick,” I muttered and he snorted as I took it from him.
“You’d need a wide-angle lens to fit it all in if it was.”
“Yeah keep telling yourself that.” I looked at the screen and found he was now holding a sign over his junk that said I renounce my claim to the throne of Solaria.
“If you sell this image to the press, I’m royally fucked,” Seth said with a grim smile.
“Seth,” I gasped, looking up at him with my heart in my throat. “Why would you give me this?”
“Well it’s only yours for the next…” He checked his watch. “Four hours. At midnight it will automatically delete. So you’ve got that long to destroy my life if you choose to.”
My throat tightened and I stared at him for a long moment before finally nodding. This wolf pack initiation thing must have meant a helluva lot to him if he was willing to risk me giving this video to the press. So my instincts told me I was safe.
“Do you trust me then babe…just for tonight?” he asked hopefully.
“I’ll never trust you,” I said bitterly. “But so long as I’ve got this, I know you’ll behave.”
“Good, that was the plan,” he said brightly.
“So what do I have to do?” I asked cautiously, recalling how he’d rubbed himself all over me the last time this subject had come up.
“Well like I said before, you have to challenge me or please me. You can’t challenge me because I’ll win and I can’t hold back or it doesn’t count.”
“I think I’d prefer that to the other thing though,” I said, wrinkling my nose.
He reached out to touch me again then withdrew his hand, shifting uncomfortably like it was really difficult for him to keep his paws off of me. “Well you don’t have to screw me to make it work. As much as my particular pack like to go all the way with each other, that’s not the only way to please me.”
“Good, because like I said before-”
“You’d rather never fuck anyone again than screw me. Yeah I remember, babe. Kinda hard for a guy to forget something like that.” He arched a brow at me and a laugh escaped my throat. That sounded even better being echoed back to me from his lips.
“What do I have to do then, buy you a present?” I jibed.
He barked a laugh. “Nope.” He held out his hand. “Come with me, we’re going on an adventure.”
I ignored his hand, grabbing my coat and picking up my Atlas. I forwarded the email to Tory with the message 'if you don't hear from me by 11:30, send this to the press'. Seth watched the whole time, making no move to stop me, then I tucked my Atlas into my pocket.
“Lead the way,” I said, wanting to get this over with.
He grinned devilishly before snatching my palm and tugging me out of the door. I turned
back, scrambling to lock up before he pulled me away, running into the stairwell and dragging me after him.
“It’s nearly curfew,” I warned as I tried to keep up.
“Sure is.” He led me out of the exit at the bottom of Aer Tower and my Atlas pinged.
Tory:
Holy shit - be careful, Darcy!
We’re still drinking in The Orb. Come join us when you’re done.
I looked up with a grin, tucking my Atlas away and Seth tugged me into a run.
“What are we doing?” I laughed, unable to help it as the cold wind blustered around me and the lambent moon shone down on us, its bulbous form nearly full.
“Awooo!” Seth howled up to the celestial being above and the sound set my heart pounding and the hairs rising along the back of my neck. “You’re coming on a run with me.”
He released my hand, pulling off his clothes and stuffing them in his backpack before tossing it to me. I caught it, putting it on as he twisted away from me and tore into his huge white form, his fur rippling in the crazy wind that beat around us. He lifted his head and a true howl left his throat, the piercing sound sending a shiver right down my spine and setting my pulse racing.
He lowered down to let me get on his back and I climbed onto him with a little thrill dancing in my chest. With the weapon I had against him, for once I really believed he wasn’t going to risk pissing me off.
I locked my knees behind his shoulders, winding my fingers into his silky fur as he rose to his feet. I clutched on tighter, having forgotten how large he really was as he bounded away across the sprawling flatlands that led to the eastern cliff.
The air swirled around us, bringing the briny tang of the sea under my nose. The sound of crashing waves grew louder as we neared the cliff edge and I gasped, clutching on tighter as Seth veered sharply right, racing alongside the sheer drop. The moonlight caught on the cresting the waves, making the wild ocean sparkle like rhinestones.
A whoop of excitement escaped me as I held on tightly, adrenaline bouncing through my veins like lightning.
Seth turned down the steep steps that led to Air Cove and my heart lurched upwards as he sprinted down them at high speed. I clutched onto him for dear life as he sprang from the final few steps and his paws smashed into the sand, spraying it up behind him as he bounded toward the sea.
“Woah woah woah!” I cried as he made a beeline right for the waves. “Seth!” I screamed and he released a bark which sounded an awful lot like a laugh.
He turned at the last second, splashing through the shallow tide as it drew in around his paws and racing for the other end of the beach. The world became a blur as he charged across the land, intermittently howling to the moon as he went.
He eventually slowed to a halt and I couldn’t stop smiling as I slid off of him and leaned back against a large boulder, shaking with adrenaline.
Seth returned to his Fae form and I passed him the backpack of clothes, turning away as he got dressed. After a minute he cleared his throat and I glanced back to find he'd dropped down to sit on a flat rock jutting from the sand. “Are you gonna join me?”
“It must be almost curfew,” I said hesitantly, vaguely wondering if Tory and the others might have headed back to one of our Houses so I could go meet them.
“Five minutes?” he asked with a soft whine. “We’ll be back before any teachers find us.”
I bit my lip, the thrill of the ride still running through my veins. I did have that video after all and I wasn’t totally untrained these days. If he tried anything maybe I’d be able to blast him to smithereens with my newfound fire powers.
I moved to the edge of the rock, sitting a few feet away from him and gazing out at the dark ocean.
“Have I passed your initiation yet?” I asked, glancing at him.
“Not yet,” he murmured.
“What else have I got to do?” I asked suspiciously, the high of the run starting to wear off.
“We need to bond a bit,” he said stiffly.
I narrowed my eyes. “Like how?”
“Nothing sexual, babe. Jeez. I gave you my word, didn’t I?”
“You’ve lied to me before,” I reminded him.
“I know,” he sighed. “This isn’t like that.”
“And what was that like exactly?” I asked coldly.
“That was business. This is pleasure.” He grinned mischievously and some of my rage ebbed away a bit. But certainly not all of it. I’d kind of enjoyed the evening so far, but it was definitely easier to like Seth when he was a giant fluffy wolf who couldn’t talk.
I waited for more of an explanation on what I was supposed to do and he slid closer so he was within arm’s reach. I gave him a stare that warned him not to touch me and he didn’t.
He sighed, looking up at the stars blazing above us. “Sex is so much easier than this.”
I watched him in my periphery not sure how to respond to that.
“Do you want to hear a story?” he asked and my brows arched.
“Okay,” I agreed and he dropped his head to stare at the sea.
“In my family we have this tradition called Forging. Every cub has to go through it to prove they’re strong enough to be a part of the pack.”
I turned to look at him, intrigued by that. “What does it involve?”
His throat bobbed and he didn’t look at me as the continued, “You have to survive a week on your own on Fable Mountain in Northern Solaria.” He glanced at me. “This will sound a little fucked up, but it’s the way of wolves so don’t judge my parents too hard.”
“Alright,” I breathed, my skin prickling at the tension in his voice.
“Cubs don’t get named until after their Forging because a lot of them don’t make it back. The idea is to weed out the weak to keep the pack strong. It’s been done for generations but a lot of Werewolves have given up the custom because it’s so ruthless.”
I nodded, my mouth drying up at the idea of parents leaving their children to fend for themselves like that, knowing they might not come home.
“What was it like?” I asked in a strained voice.
“I was only five,” he said quietly. “Dad told me to spend the week in my wolf form, he said it was easier that way. It was so long ago but I can still remember every day vividly.” He cleared his throat, a vulnerable look gripping his features. “I remember my parents walking me up the mountain through the thickest snow I’d ever seen. I thought it was a game, I remember laughing and playing. I didn’t really get it until they left me there in a cave with no food, no water, nothing.” He swallowed thickly and my heart stung as I pictured him as a small white wolf cub abandoned to fend for himself like that.
“That’s awful,” I whispered, threading my cold fingers together.
“I don’t blame them. I love my parents. They made me strong,” he said fiercely and I could see he really meant that.
“How did you survive?” I asked.
“I nearly didn’t,” he muttered. “There was a blizzard that week. The snow was so thick I only had to step outside the cave to be blinded by the endless fog. So I holed up in there, frozen to the bone, starving and…alone.” His jaw tightened. “I’d never been alone before. I’ve got a lot of family. We always slept together and I didn’t realise how painful it would be to be cut off like that.” He rubbed a hand over his face with a sigh. “Do you remember what you said to me the other week, how I didn’t break you...I forged you?” He looked to me and my stomach clenched as I nodded. “It made me realise how much I’ve become like my parents. After I survived that week on the mountain, I vowed that if I ever had a family of my own that I’d never put them through that. But somewhere along the way, I forgot that promise I made to myself.”
We sat in silence and I tried to imagine what it would have been like to grow up in this cutthroat world. Would I be as hard-hearted as the Heirs if the King and Queen had raised me?
“How did you survive that week?” I asked.
“Well�
��the snow packed up so high outside the cave that it eventually kept the wind out. I got water from the ice, but I didn’t eat anything. I was weak as hell by the time my parents came back and dug me out. But I survived so… I passed.”
I reached out, resting a hand on Seth’s arm, my eyes watering at the horrible image he’d conjured in my mind. He looked to me with a taut frown, releasing a low whine. An instinct rose in me and I wasn’t sure if I should act on it, but he seriously looked like he needed a hug. I shuffled closer as I decided to give in to the feeling and wrapped my arms around him.
He buried his face in my neck and as I tried to pull back, he held me there a moment longer, making my heart judder.
“Seth,” I warned and he quickly released me.
I scooted away again with a lump in my throat. There really was something to this whole Alpha wolf thing. His aura was designed to dominate, to make me want to bow to his commands and please him. But I wasn’t a wolf. And I wouldn’t ever act like I was either.
He gasped suddenly, resting a hand on his chest. “Oh thank fuck for that.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“Welcome to the pack, babe. You’re officially initiated.”
My head was ringing and my pulse was slamming into my eardrums loud enough to make me lose focus.
“Are you listening to me?” Lance asked and I realised I hadn’t been.
I blinked a few times and shook my head, trying to force the dizziness away.
“Say it again,” I asked, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it slowly.
Lance caught my arm and pulled me to a halt. We were at the top of the cliffs in Air Territory, walking along the path that led to The Orb. It was after curfew but that actually made it easier for us to meet. No one was around to see us.
“Did I push you too hard?” he asked, a trace of concern leaking into his voice.
“No.” I shook my head and took another deep breath of the sea air rolling over the cliff. “I skipped dinner though, so-”
Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts) Page 11