Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts)

by Caroline Peckham

  “Line up at the sea's edge!” Nova commanded and the parents behind us started cheering excitedly. I was sharply reminded that no one here was cheering for us and dug deep to summon my courage.

  We’ll cheer for our damn selves.

  Tory and I hurried along the shore to the furthest end of the line. “We're doing this with each other, right?” she asked.

  “Of course,” I said then frowned as she eyed the water. “Are you sure you're gonna be okay?”

  She nodded firmly. “We'll get through this together.”

  “Together,” I echoed, pulling her into a quick hug before facing the sea again.

  “Any ideas how though?” she breathed, but a whistle blared in my ears and the clock started running down.

  Students poured into the sea and we ran forward too. The second the waves splashed up my legs, I winced as the cold water sank into my wet suit, chilling me instantly. We hurried out toward the starting line and I shot a glance at other students as they drew to a halt in front of it too. Goosebumps spread out across my flesh and I clenched my teeth as I tried to focus.

  “Let's just try to fly over there,” Tory suggested, raising her hands above the sloshing waves.

  A shriek caught my attention and I spotted Kylie casting herself haphazardly into the air. She lost control and immediately sank under the waves on the other side of the line. Perseus lifted a hand, ripping her backwards through the sea and depositing her at the starting line again. She spluttered, pushing her golden hair out of her face with a grimace.

  Several more students made their attempts and I turned to Tory, focusing on our own plan.

  “Okay let's do it,” I said.

  We both cast air from our hands, pushing ourselves out of the water to hover above the sea. I angled my palms to try and float forward and grinned as I managed it, moving slowly over the start line. Tory went up way higher than me and I glanced up at her as water streamed from her feet all over my head.

  “Go on Tor!” I cried, pushing more air beneath me.

  I spotted Diego being yanked out of the water by a whip of wind and thrown back beyond the starting line at high speed, his arms and legs cartwheeling as he hit the waves and sank under.

  Several other students were trying out our tactic, but others were casting small pockets of air, hopping from one to another as they progressed toward the platform.

  I pushed the wind from my hands and too much energy rushed from me at once. I cried out as I shot sideways. The second I panicked, I was done for. I lost control and sucked in a breath at the last moment as I crashed into the water beneath me.

  Icy salt water assaulted my senses and I kicked hard to breach the surface. A tight coil wrapped around my middle and I jerked backwards violently as I was yanked out of the water by the whip of air.

  I flew backwards above the sea and my stomach swooped violently as I was dropped unceremoniously back over the starting line. Someone's arm curled around my waist, dragging me upright and I found myself face to chest with Orion. My hand was pressed to his bicep and I immediately withdrew, cursing my racing heart.

  I gave him the hint of a smile then turned and ran back to the starting line just in time to see Tory being dumped into the water beside me. She came up spluttering, shaking her head violently and a stream of curses left her lips as she blinked the salt water from her eyes.

  Screams filled the air as students were dragged out of the water left right and centre, but a few had made it almost half way to the platform and determination filled me as Tory and I moved closer to the glowing green belt of magic.

  Adrenaline started to keep the cold at bay and I set my eyes on the platform with my jaw clenched. The crowd was cheering behind me and someone got overly excited as a girl far out to sea almost reached the platform. She started running across the air she'd cast beneath her, but suddenly stumbled, her arms wheeling, her scream carrying back to us. She plummeted into the ocean and Perseus tore her from the water, dragging her all the way back to the starting line at a ferocious speed. A huge splash crashed over us as she was dropped beside us then came up for air with a huge breath. My eyes widened as I realised it was Jillian.

  She huffed, moving back to the line to start again and Tory grabbed my hand, her power flowing into mine.

  “We're stronger together,” she said and I nodded, my heart dancing at the feeling of our magic merging.

  “Cast air beneath us and run like hell?” I suggested and she grinned.

  “Worth a shot.”

  With our free hands, we pushed ourselves out of the water with a blast of air, hovering a foot above the surface. I clutched her hand tighter and she squeezed my fingers in reassurance.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  Before I could answer, a howl hit my ears followed by a chant from the Heirs. “The Vega Twins are out of luck, it's time for you to give it up!”

  “Shitbags,” Tory growled as the crowd of their friends took up the chant so it echoed off of the cliff walls. Even some of the parents joined in.

  “Let's show them what we can do,” I hissed and Tory nodded.

  We glided forward across the starting line then Tory counted, “Three, two, one-”

  We continued to cast air beneath our feet and started running, sprinting for the platform out to sea. We moved faster and faster, the shield beneath us growing almost solid as we raced along it in perfect time with one another.

  The chant grew deafeningly loud, following us over the water so we couldn't possibly escape it. “THE VEGA TWINS ARE OUT OF LUCK, IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO GIVE IT UP!”

  I tried to focus on the magic at my fingertips, forcing it beneath our bare feet as we pushed ourselves even faster. The platform was in sight and no other students were even close. Cheers and boos tangled in the air as we got nearer and nearer to finishing this trial before anyone else.

  “No one wants you to win, losers!” Max's voice rose above the crowd followed by another of Seth's piercing howls.

  “I guess losing is in your blood, Roxy!” Darius called and I felt her concentration falter a little.

  “Don't listen,” I panted, trying to block them out and Tory nodded.

  “Whoever you were screwing last night is having hashtag regrets right about now, Darcy!” Seth bellowed.

  My blood turned to ice. Tory glanced at me and the air gave way beneath us the moment we lost concentration. We plunged into the ocean just ten feet from the platform and the icy water enveloped us once more. I was barely under for a second before magic snared my waist and I was ripped backwards through the waves. A scream got stuck in my throat as I ascended from the sea, flying through the air and crashing into the water in front of the starting line. I coughed heavily as I tried to force the briny water from my throat, staggering as I found my bearings. My hand pressed to firm, warm skin and I looked up, finding Orion right next to me.

  His jaw was tight and I gave him a look that I hoped communicated the fact Seth was just baiting me and didn't really know anything.

  “Focus,” he growled, pushing me back toward the starting line.

  I stumbled toward Tory as she slogged away from Perseus with a scowl.

  Diego suddenly crashed into the water between us, rising to his feet with a desperate look on his face. “I'm not gonna get through this,” he panted, pushing his sopping wet hair out of his eyes.

  “You will,” I said firmly, looking to Tory. She shook her head as she realised what I was about to offer, then stopped the second Diego glanced over his shoulder at her.

  “We'll do it together,” I said and Tory gave him a tight smile.

  “Yeah, Diego,” she said, prodding him toward the starting line. “Together.” She threw me a concerned look and I couldn’t help but return it as I hoped Diego wouldn’t hinder us. We couldn't hesitate any longer though; the timer was already halfway down. At least no one else had made it to the platform yet so we weren't the only ones struggling.

  “The Vega girls are super lame, go ahead,
renounce your claim!”

  I turned, spotting Marguerite heading a line of cheerleaders in navy and silver, waving their pom poms at us. They all flipped backwards in the sand, bending over one at a time to reveal the phrase 'Vega Whores' spelled out across their asses on their white underwear.

  “Screw them.” I turned to face the sea, gathering air between my fingertips.

  “How about a shield?” I suggested and Tory nodded.

  “Yeah, maybe we can use it like an inflatable ball,” she mused.

  “I missed the class on shields, chicas,” Diego said sadly, hanging his head.

  “We’ll help,” I said immediately and Tory nodded. Her gaze drifted back to our enemies on the beach then she moved closer and rested her hand on Diego's arm.

  “Just stay close,” she said firmly.

  “Okay, if you're sure?” he asked and we nodded. We couldn't just leave him here to fail. He was our friend.

  Tory and I caught hold of his hands and we cast air at the same time. Diego helped but our combined magic was obviously doing the heavy lifting as we rose above the water once more. A tumult of cheers fell over us and I gazed out to the platform where several students were stepping onto it. Jealousy hit me as I took in the line up. I was fairly sure Kylie Major and her friend Jillian were amongst them.

  “Come on, let's finish this,” Tory growled, casting a firm shield around us.

  “Vega whores are such a bore!” Marguerite led the next chant, but this one only fuelled my determination. “The boys they screw don't come for more!”

  I pushed my magic out to join my sister's and the wind halted as we created a solid sphere around us. The noise around us dimmed so we could barely hear the chanting over the intensity of our shield.

  “Three,” I breathed excitedly.

  “Two,” Diego said.

  “One!” Tory cried and we charged forward, making the shield spin around us like we were in a solid ball. I whooped as we all fell into a rhythm, moving in perfect synchronization as we raced for the finish line.

  “Keep going!” I encouraged and we picked up speed, moving across the sea with complete ease.

  We made it over the water so fast that I was shocked when we suddenly rolled onto the platform. We dissolved the magic and dove on each other in a three-way hug, bouncing up and down in excitement.

  The timer still had twenty minutes left on it and I beamed as pride swelled in my chest. We'd made it through the first trial.

  “We did it!” Tory cheered and Diego looked between us guiltily, but I didn't acknowledge it. So what if he'd gotten a free ride? He deserved to be in this academy as much as we did.

  We waited for the trial to end and soon thirty eight others joined us on the platform. When the timer went off, a horrible feeling scraped through my stomach. A girl just two feet from the finish line wailed in horror as she realised she hadn’t made it in time. She’d have a low score when it came to The Reckoning. My heart juddered as I looked to Tory, seeing the same feeling reflected in her eyes.

  “We can't fail any of these trials and risk not making the cut,” she said and I nodded seriously.

  “We won’t, Tor. Zodiac is where we belong.”

  The high I felt after completing our Air Trial was simmering through my veins as I stood beneath the steaming hot water in my shower.

  I closed my eyes, letting the water ease some of the knots out of my shoulders as my mind began to wander. I kept thinking back over last night and the way that Darius had made me laugh when I’d let my guard down a little. Sometimes it was like he was a completely different person to the dick who had done so many awful things to me from the first second I’d arrived in this academy. My mind drifted to the way it had felt to wake up in his arms and how my fingertips had trailed over his sculpted muscles. I wondered what it would be like to trace the lines of all of his tattoos and how he might react to me doing it. I bit my lip as my mind started to wander in the direction of where that might lead and I had to curse my luck for the thousandth time that he was such a damn asshole.

  But if he wasn’t then there were more than a few things I’d like to have done with him. I thought about the way he’d looked at me when he’d tried to convince me to stay with him last night and my heart started to beat a little faster, my breaths coming a little heavier-

  “This is your worst attempt yet, sweetheart,” Caleb’s voice came through the door to my en-suite and I half leapt out of my skin. A scream escaped my lips and I stumbled back a step, knocking the shower door open with a loud bang.

  “What the fuck are you doing in my room?” I shouted, snatching a towel and wrapping it around me tightly before I stormed towards the door.

  I threw it open with another bang and found Caleb lounging against my desk like he owned the goddamn world. His blonde hair was dishevelled and he was wearing a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt which hugged his muscular figure and made him look good enough to eat. Or at least it would have if he hadn’t just broken into my room and scared the crap out of me.

  “I messaged you,” he said innocently. “Fifteen minutes. You had time to run.” He pushed himself upright, moving towards me but I glared at him in response, making him hesitate.

  “New rule. If you haven’t had a reply then the game isn’t on. I was in the shower. I didn’t even get your damn message. And how did you get in here?”

  Caleb seemed to realise that I was genuinely pissed off and he stopped his advance on me, raising his hands innocently.

  “Your door was unlocked. I thought you left it open for me.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but he might have been right. I’d come back here in a hurry and it was possible I hadn’t locked the door.

  “Well I didn’t. And I was under the impression you were pissed at me anyway?”

  “I thought I’d give you the opportunity to apologise,” Caleb raised an eyebrow expectantly and I scoffed.

  “Not likely. You’re the one acting like you own me because we hooked up a few times. How would you respond to a girl who did that to you?”

  Caleb sighed dramatically, his lips twitching like he was amused. “You could give it a try and I’ll see if I like it?” he suggested.

  I gave him a flat look and he drew closer to me.

  “Okay,” he said, raising his hands in defeat. “Point taken. Let me make it up to you.”

  He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth, slowly carving a trail along my jaw and down my neck as he pushed his fingers into my wet hair. Heat spread beneath my skin and a small smile tugged at my lips as he broke through my irritation with him.

  “Are you going to give me some space to get dressed?” I asked as he pressed his body against me more firmly, my heart beating faster in response.

  “Don’t you want me to stay?” he murmured.

  “I’m meeting Darcy and my friends in The Orb. And I’m starving. So no,” I pulled back and pointed him towards the door but he resisted.

  “I thought-”

  My door opened again and we both looked around as Darius stepped into the doorway.

  “What are you screaming about in here? I thought you were being murdered.” His eyes took in my wet hair and towel and the fact that I was trying to push Caleb out of the room and a low growl rumbled from his chest. My skin suddenly felt altogether too hot.

  “Well now you can see no one is here to murder her you can leave us to it,” Caleb replied, moving closer to me instead of further away.

  “No. Now that both of you have let yourselves into my room without knocking, you can both fuck off,” I snapped, embarrassment clawing at me.

  “I was just making sure you were alright,” Darius said softly, his eyes on me but the tension in his posture was all for Caleb’s benefit.

  “I will be when you’re both gone.” My heart was pounding something chronic and blood was heating my cheeks. There was one thin towel dividing my body from these two gorgeous men and my blood was pumping like mad with a mixture o
f mortification and something a little less respectable.

  The two of them looked at me and I fixed a scowl on my face as I waited for them to do as they were told.

  “Sorry for crossing a line, sweetheart,” Caleb said softly, pressing a brief kiss to my cheek before heading towards Darius. “Come on Darius, let’s go get a drink.”

  Darius’s eyes stayed on me for a long moment and I couldn’t really do anything but stare back at him, caught in the snare of his gaze.

  Caleb clapped him on the arm as he reached him and he nodded, turning away quickly and pulling my door shut without so much as another word to me.

  I moved forward to lock my door, blowing out a shaky breath as my frantic heart settled.

  Geraldine had messaged to say the Ass Club were making a celebration out of dinner for us in The Orb so I pulled a blood red skater dress out of my closet and spent a bit of time styling my hair and doing my makeup before I headed out.

  The sun was low in the sky but it wasn’t cold out so I grabbed my leather jacket and threw my Atlas into my pocket.

  I still felt a little jittery after having a Vampire and a Dragon Shifter break into my room while I was showering and I quickly scoured my desk for something sweet to take the edge off of my nerves.

  I checked my bedside locker when I couldn’t come up with anything but instead of finding candy, my fingers brushed against the hilt of the dagger I’d stolen from Darius’s room.

  A deep longing coiled its way through my chest and I pulled it into my grasp, letting out a soft sigh as I held it. I closed my eyes for a moment, almost feeling like I was in the presence of an old friend, someone who wanted to protect me...

  I bit my lip as I looked down at the silver blade, running my thumb over the swirling design engraved on the hilt.

  My horoscope had warned about troubles as night drew in today and as I glanced out of my window at the sun which was already beginning to set, I wondered if taking the dagger with me wouldn’t be the worst idea. If I ran into any Nymphs then I could use it to defend myself if my magic was paralysed, especially as I hadn’t been able to summon the blue and red flames again since the attack...