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

by Caroline Peckham

  BOOM. Thunder cracked so loudly I was certain it came from inside my actual room. Lightning flashed and I screamed as a single dark cloud illuminated on my ceiling before rain poured from it in torrents.

  “Shit!” I sprang out of bed, immediately stubbing my toe on my nightstand and pain made more curses pour from my lips.

  “Ohmagod.” Tory leapt out of bed as I held my foot, hissing between my teeth. “What’s happening?”

  “Hell Week,” I groaned. “I’d bet my life on it.”

  Screams sounded through the tower and I hopped toward the door, unlocking it and wrenching it open. Freshmen were stumbling into the hallway, soaking wet and furious.

  Tory and I hurried out to join them in our pyjamas and the pain finally eased from my toe.

  Two dark figures appeared at the end of the corridor, cast in shadow in the dimly lit hall and wearing the black cloaks of Hell Week but no masks.

  “You have two minutes to get to the stairway,” Max’s booming voice filled the air. “If you don’t bring shoes, you’ll regret it. The rainstorms won’t stop until you’re all out so if anyone’s hiding, I suggest they get the fuck out now.”

  Diego crept out of his room in a raincoat done up to his chin. Tory nudged me and I found she’d grabbed shoes and coats for us and we quickly put them on.

  “Everyone out!” Seth barked. “Move move move!”

  I shared a do we really have to do this? look with Tory before heading after the rest of the freshmen, a yawn pulling at my mouth. Diego moved to my side, swearing loudly in Spanish as we headed toward Seth and Max.

  As we passed between them, they moved in close, trapping Tory and I as Diego slipped away ahead of us.

  Max’s hand curled around my wrist and squeezed so tight I winced.

  “Hey!” I gasped, trying to tug free of him. “Be afraid, little Vegas,” he purred. “Be very afraid.”

  “Run,” Seth hissed and the two of them released us.

  We darted away and they chased after us, corralling us to the top of the staircase. My brows lifted as I found the stairs entirely encased in ice, shimmering like glass as it created a perfectly smooth slide down the huge spiralling steps.

  All of the air freshmen were gathered at the top, looking around nervously and Seth didn’t give them a second’s warning as he blasted air at their backs. Ten fell down at once, screaming as they skidded over the ice at a furious pace. Then another ten, then another.

  I spotted Kylie in the next line up, looking to Seth pleadingly before he threw out a palm and mercilessly sent her tumbling down the slide with another group.

  When only eight freshmen remained as well as us, Seth pushed Diego over the edge followed by the other seven. He caught my arm, tugging me into his chest while Max took hold of Tory. I opened my mouth to speak, but Seth darted forward, dragging me back against his body and launching himself down the slide.

  A scream tore from my throat as we skated down it at high speed, round and round all the way to the bottom. Seth clutched me tighter as we reached the end and I yelled in alarm as we were plunged into a huge pool of ice-cold water which filled the atrium.

  My heart nearly stopped as I sank into the freezing depths, kicking hard to escape Seth’s iron hold. We breached the surface where freshmen were coughing and spluttering as they tread water. I turned to look for Tory just as Seth cast air at the door, sending it flying open so we spilled out of the tower onto the grass beyond. He never let go of me as we skidded across the ground, then hauled me to my feet. His eyes locked with mine and my heart thudded harder at the sight of his impenetrable expression.

  “Where are you t-taking us?” I asked through chattering teeth.

  His lips were tight and I hoped this was part of the Hell Week act as he prodded me in the ribs to get me to start walking.

  “That way,” he murmured in my ear but I turned, searching for Tory, relieved when I saw her darting away from Max to join Diego.

  I ducked away from Seth to meet them, shivering as the cold air beat around us.

  Seth and Max stayed at the back of the group, herding us across the plains of Air Territory like cattle. I noticed Seth casting air around him and Max to dry out their clothes and frowned as I tried to ignite enough heat in my body to do the same, but the air that twisted between my fingers was cold and useless.

  My teeth chattered louder as we reached The Wailing Wood and I tried to draw fire into my blood as Tory had taught me. I managed to chase off the deepest bite of the cold, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

  As we headed under the orange glow of the lamps, a large group became visible up ahead. The freshmen were gathered on the path, all of them from fire, earth and water, their clothes as soaked as ours.

  “That’s the last of them!” Seth called out and Caleb appeared, shoving freshmen aside as he walked toward us. I instinctively searched for the final Heir but he was nowhere to be seen.

  “Keep walking!” Caleb hollered, moving toward us as the rest of the freshmen hurried on.

  We stepped forward to follow but Caleb barred our way, his jaw locked tight and his black cloak fluttering around him in the breeze.

  “I’m not sure I’m into the Count Dracula look,” Tory joked and I raised a brow hopefully, waiting to see if Caleb’s furious mask might crack. But it seemed they were all playing up to the Hell Week bullshit tonight.

  “Move,” Caleb growled, jerking his head toward the rest of the freshmen.

  Tory rolled her eyes, stepping past him and I glanced over my shoulder as Seth and Max moved up behind us. Caleb waited then fell into step with them like three horsemen of the apocalypse – but where’s the fourth?!

  Seth started howling and the noise sent a shiver racing up my spine. We quickened our pace to join the end of the queue of freshmen and I hunted for our friends amongst the masses.

  We soon arrived in The Howling Meadow, moving into the long grass and huddling close for warmth.

  “This is bullshit,” I whispered, shifting even closer to Tory to share body heat.

  Seth, Caleb and Max remained on the verge of the trees and everyone turned to them expectantly, the sound of my chattering teeth drilling into my skull.

  “Welcome to the nine circles of hell,” Max announced, raising his hands into the air. Lights swirled into existence in huge rings, spreading away from him, floating out across campus and expanding into enormous circles of colour. The smallest ring encased our group in a glimmering green and the next one ringed the edge of the meadow in blue, then more and more colours reached out into the darkness.

  “If you’re going to survive the next hour, you need to make it beyond the ninth circle,” Caleb said with a glimmer in his gaze. “You are all soaking wet, but the pools you were dunked in wasn’t water. It was Faesine.”

  A collective gasp of horror sounded around us and Tory and I looked to each other in confusion.

  Seth smiled darkly as he gazed between the two of us, picking up from Caleb. “For those of you who don’t know, Faesine is a highly flammable substance. It’s entirely odourless except to one creature who can smell it a mile away.”

  The three Heirs parted and a deep growl sounded from the trees which sounded like it belonged to a damn dinosaur. Two reptilian eyes appeared between the boughs then Darius’s enormous golden form stepped form the darkness, towering over the Heirs. He raised his huge head of shining scales, roaring to the sky and fear drove a blade into my heart.

  “This is a joke right?” Diego called, his tone panicked.

  “The only joke here is pathetic Orderless unFae like you. You’re an insult to our school.” Max spat on the floor, but his eyes were on us like those words hadn’t been for Diego at all.

  I reached for Tory’s hand without hesitation and our magic rushed to meet each other’s. I relaxed a little as the flow of our power expanded between us. This is just a Hell Week stunt. Just a game.

  “In case you don’t believe us about the Faesine…” Seth took his shirt off,
tossing it to the ground and stepping back. Darius release a spurt of fire at it and a huge hole exploded into the ground as the substance reacted, causing a green blaze to burn where it had been.

  Seth unbuckled his pants. “You will run. We’ll ensure that you do.” The second he finished stripping, he leapt forward, bursting into his enormous wolf form and baring his teeth at us. The crowd flinched back as he snapped his powerful jaws and Darius stepped out of the trees.

  Seth moved toward Max, dropping down to let him climb onto his back and the Water Heir held on with one hand while raising the other. Air danced around him and leaves spun in the breeze as the vortex grew, warning us that this game was about to begin.

  Caleb set his feet like he was preparing to run at us, his fangs snapping out and a low snarl emanating from him.

  “Holy shit,” Tory breathed and I clutched her hand tighter.

  “There’s no rules about not fighting back,” I whispered and Caleb’s eyes flipped to me, a warning blazing in them. Oh crap.

  “Three!” Max cried. “Two!”

  Darius lunged forward, taking off into the sky with several powerful wingbeats. His huge form shadowed the moon as he soared high above us, turning sharply and releasing an explosion of fire from his mouth.

  “One!” Max roared and we ran like hell.

  Every freshman in the meadow split apart, pouring into the trees through the coloured rings of light, racing for the opposite side of the field, casting domes of air and water around themselves for protection.

  Tory and I darted for the nearest trees, a blaze of fire tearing overhead as Darius unleashed his power. The earth was torn up behind us as Dragon Fire split it apart and the heat washed over my back, spreading adrenaline into my limbs.

  We’d passed through the first two rings already and I could see the next one way off through the trees, the purple light calling us on as we ran as hard as we possibly could.

  A baying howl rang out behind us and heavy paws crashed through the undergrowth following the path we’d just trodden.

  Water magic crashed to the ground in front of us, freezing instantly into a sheet of ice. We were running too fast to stop and we both threw out our free hands to cast fire.

  “Wait – no fire!” I screamed at the last second, remembering the Faesine. My feet hit the slippery surface and I skidded into Tory, taking her to the ground. I groaned as we untangled ourselves as quickly as we could, trying to ignore the bruising in my limbs. Tory turned to melt the ice with water and I threw out my hands, casting a wall of earth as Seth leapt into the air, his teeth bared and Max yelling a battle cry from his back.

  A crash and a yelp sounded as they collided with it and a laugh bubbled from my throat as Tory caught my hand, yanking me upright. We sprinted on, the sound of screaming freshmen carrying all across the woodland. The darkness was thick, but if we kept our eye on the purple ring, we wouldn’t lose our way.

  We finally darted through it and I panted as we increased our pace, racing through the trees and tearing toward the yellow ring further off at the edge of the forest.

  Two freshmen screamed close to our right, then another to our left, the sound of falling bodies making fear slice into my flesh. A huge shadow sailed overhead but I refused to look up, keeping my gaze firmly on that ring.

  Three down, six to go.

  A rush of air warned us a second before Caleb appeared, shooting vines from his hands and tangling us up in them. We crashed to the ground and he leered over us with a satisfied smirk, raising his hands and making the vines tighten and tighten.

  I cried out in pain as thorns grew along the edges and drew blood.

  “What the hell, Caleb?” Tory spat then yelped as more thorns dug in to her.

  “Just a little prank. Can’t you handle the heat, sweetheart?”

  The roar of a Dragon echoed in the distance and panic crawled under my flesh. Caleb looked up, his eyes horribly dark as he seemed to be waiting for something. Then he sprang over us and darted off into the trees.

  I hunted for Tory’s hand, clawing through the mud as I fought against the vines and she did the same. Our fingers met and earth magic burst from our bodies at the same moment, withering the vines so they became brittle and we hurriedly broke free of them, rising to our feet.

  “Why’d he run off?” I asked, wiping my muddy hands off on my thighs. Despite the cold, I was so full of adrenaline I could hardly feel it now. But that might have been because I was frozen into numbness.

  “No idea,” she said and her breath fogged before her. “Let’s move. Get this bullshit over with before he decides to come back.”

  Screams rang out up ahead and we darted away from them, speeding on toward the edge of the wood. We broke free of the trees the same moment we passed through the yellow ring and found ourselves in Earth Territory. Hills spread out ahead of us and the next ring was half way across the exposed plain of land.

  A rush of paws sounded behind us and a flash of white fur made my pulse elevate. Seth tore away from us and screams called out in the direction he took.

  “Let’s run for it,” I breathed and Tory nodded, wordlessly casting a shield of air around as we sprinted out across the grass.

  Other freshmen burst from the trees, evidently having been waiting for someone to break away first. Nearly thirty others sprinted across the grass and terror shredded my heart as Darius soared overhead. He swooped low, releasing hellfire down on the freshmen. I blinked against the burning light, tossing a desperate glance over my shoulder in fear of him actually setting someone ablaze. He circled a group of five, setting the grass alight around them so they were penned in within it. He turned, banking hard and capturing another group within a fiery circle.

  It’s just a game. Nothing to worry about. And I sure as hell want to win it!

  Tory’s hand slipped from mine as we ran so fast it became impossible to hold on to each other. We practically dove through the next ring, setting our eye on the second to last one in the distance. We were tearing toward the Pitball Stadium now and the orange ring blazed before it, encouraging us onward. Darius’s roars fell away behind us and I gasped for breath, slowing just a little because of the searing stitch in my side.

  Tory pulled me along, more used to running than I was and I made a mental promise to myself that I’d start joining her on those daily runs.

  We charged through the orange ring and spotted the final one just beyond the stadium, the shimmering silver colour calling us on. No other students were behind us and the world seemed to fall eerily quiet as we raced past the stadium to where a thick cluster of trees grouped around the back of it.

  We were so close, just a hundred feet. A laugh escaped my throat as we charged through it, running into a circular clearing at the heart of the trees and resting our hands on our knees as we dragged in air.

  “Holy…hell,” I panted, my lungs burning and my muscles aching.

  “We won,” Tory said breathlessly, laughing and standing up straight.

  I sighed happily as I looked around at the copse we’d run into, lunging forward to hug her with an excited squeal.

  “Winner winner chicken dinner,” Caleb’s voice made me freeze as he appeared out of the trees to our right and I released Tory with a lump in my throat. Seth appeared in sweatpants on the opposite side of the clearing and Max moved out of the trees across from him. The cracking of a twig made me lurch around and Darius appeared in sweatpants, his expression darker than I’d ever seen it. We were penned in and I had the awful feeling it was intentional.

  “No one else made it to the final ring,” Darius announced to the others. “Anyone who made it beyond the trees got cordoned in by my fire.”

  “Not many got out of the wood,” Caleb said with a dark smile.

  “Well we won your game,” I tried with a shrug. “Guess we’ll be going...”

  Tory shifted closer and we turned to face Caleb – the safest bet – walking in his direction.

  He cocked his head as
we approached and fire blazed to life in his hands. “Careful, Vegas. You wouldn’t want to go up in flames.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure the press would love to hear about how the four of you barbecued us in the woods.” Tory rolled her eyes. “Fun’s over, Caleb. I’m dog tired and I wanna go back to bed.”

  Caleb didn’t smile, his eyes sliding over my sister in a way that unsettled me. He extinguished the fire in his palms, flicking his hand and the earth trembled beneath our feet. Slabs of dirt shot up underneath us, making us stumble back to the centre of the circle. The four heirs closed in as one and real fear inched into my gut.

  Seth raised a hand, knocking Tory and I into Darius with a gust of air.

  Darius wrapped his arms around us, igniting flames in his palms so we had to shrink back into his body to keep away from them. “Accidents happen at Zodiac all the time…”

  “Come on man, they know we didn’t actually coat them in Faesine. I only put it on my shirt to freak them out,” Seth said, his eyes locked on me.

  “Seth!” Max threw a punch into his arm and he lurched away with a whine.

  Relief filled me over the Faesine but it was short-lived as Darius shoved us at Max with a blast of water and I spluttered, clutching onto Max’s arm and preparing to fight back. Max snared us in shackles of ice which encased our whole hands. Panic seized me as I tried to burn my way through them but Max’s power was fierce, halting my magic where it pressed against my palms.

  I waited for his Siren gifts to push into us too with dread writhing in my gut, but it never came. Tory locked eyes with him, a threat in her gaze. She’d reveal his darkest secret if he broke his side of the bargain and used his Siren powers against us, and it looked like he wasn’t going to risk it.

  “You can go back to bed, little Vegas. You just have to beg,” Max said with a sneer. “I want you on your knees telling us how we’re all your kings and how you’re so sorry for ever showing your faces in Solaria. And once we’re satisfied, you can go.”

  “We’ll never beg you,” Tory spat.