Lionel caressed her cheek, drawing her up to look at him again.
“I am grateful for the sacrifice you made for our cause, Stella. And I want you to know that I am willing to make just as great a sacrifice as you.”
Stella nodded, dabbing her eyes then resting a hand on his chest. “We can’t choose wrongly again.”
“Xavier is pure blooded,” Lionel growled and my heart turned to stone. “Despite his recent emergence, I can guarantee his Order is due to whichever constellations he was linked to at birth. It has nothing to do with my blood or Catalina’s for that matter.”
Darius growled and I glanced at him with fear burning a hole in my chest.
“I will go over the scriptures again,” Stella said, nodding decisively. “I won’t risk Acrux blood if I’m not sure.”
“I trust you,” Lionel purred, drawing her closer. I thought they were about to kiss, but he rolled his zipper down like that was the most intimate thing he could offer. Before my mother bowed to his whims, I dragged Darius out of the vision with a force of energy.
We’d heard enough and hell if either of us wanted to stand there a moment longer.
I jerked back into my own body, my hand still clasped around Darius’s as he returned too. I dropped his palm, panic swimming in my chest, but it was nothing in comparison to the dread in Darius’s eyes.
“He’s going to use my brother,” Darius breathed, horror sprawling across his features.
“No,” I growled, a promise in my voice. “We will do everything in our power to stop him. I swear on the stars, Darius, we won’t let Lionel hurt Xavier like he hurt my sister.”
I woke up late the next morning, reaching through the sheets in the hunt for warm muscles to pull me close but when I fully gained my senses, I remembered I was alone. My hand landed on my Atlas and the light wind-chime alarm jingled from it barely a heartbeat later.
I pulled my covers over my head and tucked my knees to my chest, brushing my fingers over the places Orion's hands had been and committing every touch and kiss to memory. The wild emotions inside me made my heart feel like it was going to burst. I'd never felt like this about anyone before and I was kind of scared of this powerful storm inside me.
My Atlas persisted and I rolled onto my stomach, tapping the screen to read my horoscope with a yawn.
Good morning Gemini.
The stars have spoken about your day!
You will be set a fierce task today but that might not be the only challenge you have to face. The unpredictable and disruptive Uranus has moved into your chart, so you should expect the unexpected at all times.
Someone started hammering on my door and my heart lurched.
“Who is it?” I called but whoever it was just kept pounding their fist on the wood.
I jumped out of bed, unlocking the door and tugging it open in annoyance. I was nearly bowled over by Seth as he strode into my room, eyes roaming.
“What the hell are you doing?” I tried to shove him back out of the door, bringing air to my fingertips and throwing a gust at him. He blocked it with a simple flick of his hand, his eyes falling to me.
“Who are you fucking?” he demanded.
“What?” I blurted, my heart stumbling at his accusation. Ohmagod how the hell does he know?
“Don't lie to me, babe,” he growled. “I had a Hell Week nightmare lined up last night and you weren't in your bed when we dragged all the freshmen out.”
His eyes flipped over me then settled on my hair. He shot forward, gathering me into his chest and pressing his nose into it. “Mmm I could start up a whole bracelet store with all of this.”
“Get off my hair!” A vine shot from my hand and slammed him into the door, wrapping around his neck. He was still goddamn smiling even when it started choking him and I smiled at the power I’d conjured against him. He severed it with a sharp whip of air, that dark grin of his growing wider.
“Calm down, babe, your Alpha's just checking in on you.” He stalked closer again. “I always like to know who my pack members are screwing. But it’s usually easier to keep tabs on that as they're either screwing me or each other.”
“I'm not screwing anyone.” I folded my arms, giving him a firm stare and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Then where were you last night?”
“I was at Tory's.”
“Liar liar panties on fire,” he purred. “Darius told Caleb that she was with him and Caleb came to me ready to combust.”
She was with Darius? Why?
“Yeah, she was,” I said coolly, trying to cover my ass. “When she went to meet Darius I fell asleep at her place. I got back here an hour ago.”
Seth ran his tongue across his teeth. “Alright, babe. Keep your secrets. If you want your needs met by a real man though, you know you can come to me. Caleb and Tory have a good thing going, we could have the same...” He stepped closer and I folded my arms.
“No thanks. I can meet my own needs.”
“Hm, I'd like to see that some time.” His eyes dragged down to my bare legs then back up to my eyes. “So my pack are still shunning me. Do you wanna come on a run with me again tonight?” He raised his brows, looking genuinely hopeful.
“No, Seth. You said you had to initiate me so you could kick me out. So get on with it.”
“I'm working on it, little Omega. Or maybe I should call you little O-Vega.” He chuckled and I gave him a blank stare. “Come on, I know you're tempted. Riding me is fun, isn’t it?”
“Why don't you go bother your girlfriend with your innuendos? You know Kylie actually cares about you, right?”
Seth nodded, hanging his head. “I get separation anxiety.” He started pacing. “Breakups are hard for wolves, especially for Alphas. I have to keep my options open until I find my mate. It's our nature, the best way to spread the gene pool, you know?”
“Surely you're not going to have kids with Kylie?” I said in disbelief.
“I know that, but my Alpha brain doesn't know that.” He continued pacing, looking to me, whimpering as he went.
“Well it's not my business, but I don't think it's fair for you to keep her on the hook all the time.”
“Are you jealous?” he asked hopefully and I snorted.
“No. Like really no.”
“Oh.” He sighed, resting back against the door. “So...do you wanna hang out for a bit?”
“No,” I breathed in confusion. “Of course I don't.”
“Right yeah...” He frowned, hanging his head and a whine sounded deep in his throat. “How about a hug then?”
“What part of 'I hate you' do you not get? You cut off my hair, Seth. And you knew what it meant to me when you did it.” For a moment I was back there at Seth’s feet, my hair clamped in his hand and my heart crumbling apart.
He nodded, his jaw tightening as he lifted his head. His eyes were as sharp as knives as they landed on me. “You don't know what it's like being one of us. I mean you really have no idea. A handful of hair is nothing for the sake of my throne, Darcy. Losing it would be the end of me.”
“But you didn't just take my hair, you made me believe you liked me.” I walked toward him, my shoulders quivering with rage as I closed the space between us. “You lied to my face, you tricked me into believing you were my friend. And maybe more than that.”
He straightened as I got even closer, intending to try and make him leave even if I wasn't as well trained as him.
Flames flickered in my palms and he kicked off of the door, gazing down his perfectly straight nose at me with a penetrating look. “And what if I meant it? What if that part wasn't a game?”
My lips parted and I shook my head, refusing those words, but he caught my hand and tangled his fingers between mine.
“No.” I yanked my hand back, trembling as I pointed at the door. “Get out.”
He drew in a slow breath through his nose then turned and headed out of the door. A low howl filled the corridor which sent a ripple of discomfort thr
ough me.
Lying jerk.
Even if it was true I was minus five thousand percent interested. There was only one guy I wanted and he was of the bitey teacher variety.
I shot a text to Tory, checking in to make sure she was alright after her night with Darius. It wasn't long before our Air Trial started and I hoped she was ready for it. A yawn fought its way out of my throat and I wondered if I was ready for it.
She finally replied and I relaxed as I read her text.
Tory:
I'm okay. Raced Darius on his bikes. I won.
Darcy:
Woo! Do you wanna get breakfast and tell me about it?
Tory:
It's so early.
Darcy:
It's nearly 9!
Tory:
Shhhhhhhhh.
I laughed, heading into the bathroom to get ready for the day, unsure what to wear. As we didn't have lessons and I didn't know what was required for the trial, I dressed in jeans, boots and a vest, tugging on a cream cardigan over the top. I stuffed my Atlas in my pocket, grabbed my coat and headed out of the door.
I hurried downstairs and into the cool air which was gusting around but the depths of the storm had moved on. Leaves tumbled around me, some of them still green, torn from their branches in the night.
I headed to The Orb, growing more nervous with every step I took. What if Orion's there?
I wanted to see him, but I was also slightly terrified of pretending last night hadn't happened. It meant so much to me that it made me kind of sad that I couldn't talk to anyone about it. And that led me to worrying about what the future held. Because how could this go on? Surely at some point we'd have to stop...
I'm just not going to think about it.
I stepped through the door, making a path for the large table full of A.S.S members, my eyes whipping to where the faculty usually sat. Orion was rarely ever at breakfast, so I didn't know why I expected him to be there today. My shoulders dropped a little when I didn't spot him and I headed over to sit between Sofia and Diego at the table. I didn't know if I was relieved or disappointed. Maybe a bit of both.
“Woah,” Sofia gasped as she looked at me.
“What?” I whipped a bagel from a mountain in front of Geraldine.
“Babbling blueberries!” Geraldine exclaimed and I laughed, realising what the fuss was about.
“Oh yeah, I dyed it.” I shook my head and my hair shimmered in my periphery.
“It's amazing,” Sofia cooed.
“Fantastico,” Diego agreed.
Geraldine wound her hands into her brown locks, eyeing my hair with delight. “Do you think my hair would agree with such an astounding colour?”
“I prefer red.” Max appeared behind her, leaning forward and snatching a bagel from the mountain at the heart of the table.
Geraldine smacked his hand so hard, he dropped it back into the pile and he turned to glare at her.
My tongue grew heavier and magic tingled in my palms, but Geraldine was more than a match for Max Rigel. She was a force to be reckoned with on the Pitball pitch let alone what I imagined she could do when faced with a real fight.
She rose to her feet as Max stood back with a sneer, sizing her up.
Geraldine was eye to eye with him, almost the exact same height. “Your unroyal mits aren't fit to touch my buttery bagels,” she hissed and it would have been funny if Max didn't look like he was about to rip her to shreds.
“Everything in that buffet belongs to me if I want it, Grus,” he snarled. “Even your buttery bagels.”
“Well we'll see about that.” She rolled up her sleeves and hoots and whistles sounded out as the rest of the students in The Orb realised a fight was about to break out.
“Are you sure about this, Geraldine?” Diego asked, looking anxious.
“Oh I'm as sure as a sugar loaf on a Tuesday morning, Diego,” Geraldine said, lifting her chin.
“I guess that's sure,” Sofia whispered to him and I couldn't fight a giggle.
“Take him out,” Angelica encouraged, clapping excitedly.
The other Heirs appeared, muscling their way to the front of the crowd that had formed around Geraldine and Max.
Darius cocked his head to one side, evidently not having expected to find his friend facing off against Geraldine Grus. My gut tugged at the memory of him coming to Orion’s house last night. What the hell had he wanted at two in the morning? I wondered if their bond with each other drew them together like that regularly, or if there had been another reason for him showing up there. It was extra annoying that I couldn’t discuss it with Tory.
Seth rested his hand on Caleb's shoulder, bouncing on his heels and howling keenly.
“Show her who's boss, bro,” Caleb said with a wide grin as Max and Geraldine squared up to each other.
Anxiety bubbled inside me as Max threw out his hands and water shot into the air in a stream, twisting up and around Geraldine to attack her from behind. She blocked it with a fierce slab of earth conjured from nothing then slammed her palm into the air, casting a splash of mud at his face. He whipped out a hand, blocking it with a shield of air and throwing the dirt back at her. She darted sideways and it slapped into the face of Milton Hubert amongst the crowd. He sighed heavily, wiping it from his cheeks with a disheartened expression.
I snorted a laugh as everyone started backing up and casting shields to protect themselves from rogue magic. Geraldine twisted through the air with grace, landing confidently and casting water beneath Max's feet. He ran through the puddle, looking like he was about to tackle her to the ground, but she froze it in an instant and he slipped and skidded, slamming to his knees with a curse.
“Vega Ass-licker!” he barked, using air to propel himself back to his feet.
“Griffin turd bather!” she shouted back and laughter rang out through The Orb which I was definitely joining in with.
Max threw a forceful vortex at her and she was caught up in it, spinning wildly around in circles. She cast water into the surrounding wind so it shot out from the tornado in a ferocious stream.
I gasped as water sprayed over everyone within range, wiping the splashes from my cheeks. Max increased the pressure of the wind, dumping her hard on the floor. She growled, whipping his legs out from under him with a shot of water.
He slammed down onto his back and she sprang forward with a battle cry, straddling him and pressing her weight down on his chest like they were in a Pitball match. He gazed up at her in shock as someone started counting down. “Five, four, three-!”
Max clutched her bare forearms and Geraldine drew in a sharp breath as his Siren gifts fell over her.
“Get off her!” Diego shouted, but didn't move to intervene.
My stomach writhed as Geraldine's eyes softened and her hands lifted from Max's chest, moving to caress his cheek instead.
“Slippery melons,” she breathed. “You are a bad, bad beast, aren't you?”
Max shoved her off of him and rose to his feet, gazing down at her with a triumphant grin. Geraldine gazed up at him in confusion as the lust wore off. I frowned, annoyed on her behalf as Max kicked the puddle at his feet so it splashed over her. He leaned down as her features rearranged into a grimace.
“Yeah I'm real bad, peaches. Better not piss me off again, huh?” He stood upright, moving to the table and snatching a few bagels before moving off to join the Heirs at their couch.
Tory appeared, pushing through the dispersing crowd and dropping down beside me. “Shit did you just fight Max, Geraldine?” she asked and Geraldine nodded, her pride clearly wounded as she snatched up a bagel and took a ferocious bite out of it.
“Ooh that boy is six feet of rancid crustacean juice on a hot summer’s day. What I’d give to see him fall from grace.” Geraldine shot a glare over at the couch of Heirs, her eyes pinned on Max.
“Maybe we can do something,” I said and Tory perked up as she sipped on a cup of coffee an Ass member had handed her.
“Lik
e what?” she asked excitedly and Geraldine leaned in closer.
I bit my lip, gazing across the table to see what we had to work with, an idea coming together. I grabbed an empty bowl and lowered my voice. “Everyone pass me your scraps.”
Geraldine scraped the last of her oatmeal into the bowl with a wide smile. “What are we making?”
“Griffin poo,” I breathed and Tory giggled, splashing some of her coffee into the mix. Sofia sprinkled the remains of her pastry into the bowl and Diego added the last of his eggs with a low chuckle.
The rest of the A.S.S started surreptitiously passing down the remains of their breakfasts and I stirred in pieces of pancakes, croissants and various cereals. Finally, I grabbed the chocolate sauce and Tory grabbed the maple syrup from the centre of the table and we squeezed in a load before mixing it into a thick, brown gloop that I could barely extract the spoon from.
“How are we going to dump it on him?” Tory whispered with a grin, glancing over at the Heirs who were surrounded by a group of girls who giggled at everything they said.
“Umm…” I tried to think of a way and Geraldine slapped her hand on the table.
“If you are willing, Your Highnesses, then I would simply love the opportunity to volunteer. I can use my water magic to ensure this wonderful concoction finds its way to his head.”
“Of course,” I said, bobbing in my seat.
“Do it,” Tory encouraged.
“I’ll make everyone look away,” Sofia whispered, concentrating as she cast the spell to draw everyone’s attention off of us.
Geraldine poured the gloopy mixture onto the table, holding her hand over it and water slid into the liquid from her palm. She wiggled her fingers and the sludge moved like a slug under her will, crawling forward across the table.
“Oh my god gross,” I giggled.
“If I could use a little of your air magic to elevate it to the ceiling, Your Highnesses?” Geraldine asked with glee in her eyes.
Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts) Page 26