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

by Caroline Peckham

  “Ooo,” I cooed.

  “I’ll win you it,” Diego said, puffing out his chest as he planted his cup down on the counter. A long-barrelled red gun sat at the centre of it, chained down to stop people stealing it. There was a single large target at the back of the stand conjured by magic, suspended in the air and slowly rotating.

  The shady-looking guy behind the counter sidled closer. “Are you going to have a go, missy?” he asked.

  “Sure,” I said brightly.

  “I’ll do it,” Diego insisted, passing over the money before I could.

  I sighed, folding my arms and settling in for the show as Diego picked up the gun. “I just have to hit that target?” he asked the man.

  “You have to hit it three times. You get thirty seconds and unlimited shots,” the guy confirmed with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Ready?”

  Diego nodded and the guy grinned, stepping aside. Diego lifted the gun and shot at the huge target. An explosion of red light burst from it with a powerful kickback that made him stumble away from the counter. The target shot sideways and the blast exploded into a shower of sparks as it missed. Diego cursed, raising the gun and firing again. This time the target shrank to the size of a pea and Diego missed once more.

  “That’s impossible,” I said with a laugh, but Diego looked deadly serious as he lined up the gun. He took shot after shot, the target darting left, right, up, down, becoming huge, then tiny, elongated, then round like a ball, pinging all over the place.

  Diego didn’t get a single shot and slammed the gun down in annoyance.

  “Move over,” the deep voice made my heart churn up and turn to mulch.

  Orion pushed Diego aside, dressed in a black shirt and jeans with a leather jacket that looked way too good on him. Behind him, was Francesca.

  She looked like the Bonnie to his Clyde, wearing a fitted red dress which hugged her curves and a long black jacket which screamed class. She tilted her head, resting her hand on Orion’s arm. “For me?” she asked and I wanted to scream.

  Orion paid me zero attention, curling an arm around her waist and tugging her against his hip. “Do you want the blue Pegasus or the silver?”

  Diego caught my sleeve to draw me away but something kept me there, my jaw set as I watched the two of them. So close to each other, her fingers caressing him like they’d done it a thousand times.

  I thought you were single, jerkface?

  “Blue,” Francesca decided.

  “My favourite colour.” He kissed her nose. Kissed her goddamn nose while saying how much he loved the colour blue. Why did that hurt so much?

  Orion pressed the end of the gun to his shoulder, aiming down the sight. The weaselly man behind the counter restarted the game and the target shot sideways.

  Bang. It exploded into a shower of multi-coloured sparks as Orion hit it dead on.

  The target reappeared in a tiny form, whizzing about like a bee. Orion shifted the gun so fast I barely saw the movement. Another bang and a display of sparks followed as he hit it again. The third time, I blinked and he’d done it. Won the damn game.

  The guy unhooked one of the huge blue Pegasus toys from where it hung on a rack, handing it over to Orion who passed it straight to Francesca. My heart crushed to dust as he slung his arm over her shoulders and walked away, the two of them looking like some movie star couple as they headed toward the drinks stand.

  I turned to Diego, slapping a painfully bright smile on my face. “Let’s go on all the rides until we puke.”

  “Er…okay,” he said and I snatched his hand, a small and bitter part of me knowing I was doing it to get back at Orion. I despised playing games, but I wasn’t going to have him dangle Francesca in front of me and not bite back. It was humiliating.

  I towed Diego onto the first rollercoaster we found – which happened to be the biggest – and guided him into the front row. Diego turned sheet white as the bar locked over our waists, his hand gripping mine for dear life.

  We shot off so fast, a scream tumbled from my throat and adrenaline surged through me like a forest fire.

  Before I knew it, the ride was over and I was laughing my head off, feeling a thousand times better already.

  Screw Orion. He’s made himself clear. He’s done. And I’m not going to let it ruin my night – even if I do go home later and cry into a pillow until I choke. That’s later’s problem. Now, I’m gonna have a damn good time.

  We queued for another rollercoaster even though Diego still looked a little pale from the last one. I spotted Tyler and Sofia getting off the ride and waved to catch their attention. They didn’t notice us, but I’d drawn Diego’s eyes to them, immediately hating myself for it as Tyler grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a fierce kiss.

  I turned to Diego, feeling shitty that I’d helped set those two up. Especially now I was getting a taste of my own medicine. His eyes were dark, but his response was curling an arm around my waist and drawing me closer. And I let him. Partly because it was freezing and I couldn’t refuse a hug and partly because I was hurting hard. Besides, we were using each other. He wanted Sofia and I wanted Orion. Might as well slap on a smile and pretend neither of us gave a shit.

  I looked up at Diego and a flame in his eyes roared, like he did want this. And I was so unprepared that when he dipped his head and pressed his lips to mine I just froze. Totally, utterly froze.

  I spluttered, stepping back, unsure what to say. Did he like me? Or was this to get back at Sofia? Even if it was, he should have asked.

  We were ushered forward to get on the rollercoaster but suddenly I didn’t feel like it.

  “Let’s get some food,” I said quickly, turning and nearly having an aneurism when I spotted Orion near a stand beyond the queue, his eyes drilling into me. His face was an unreadable mask but his gaze told me everything I needed to know. He’d seen Diego kiss me.

  I pushed through the queue, my blood too hot as I forced my way out. I needed to talk to Orion. Just for a second. Just to explain. We might have been on bad terms right now but I hadn’t meant for that to happen.

  “Darcy!” Diego called after me.

  There were so many bodies in my way, I just needed everyone to goddamn move. Air burst from my palms, forcing a path into existence and people stumbled aside in annoyance. The path cut directly to Orion and pain branded a permanent mark on my heart. He held Francesca against the side of the stand, one hand tangled in her hair, the other locked around her waist as he kissed her. She clung to his jacket, her fingers scraping across his beard as her tongue pushed into his mouth.

  Diego caught my arm and led me away, not even noticing Orion there. Because to him it meant nothing. It wasn’t the sky falling down, but to me it felt like every star in the heavens were descending and crashing into the earth around me.

  Caleb was late.

  I blew out a breath of frustration as I sipped on my milkshake in The Orb. We’d already agreed to meet late because he had to meet the other Heirs for something before we left, but now I was wondering what the point of going at all was.

  I eyed my Atlas as the clock ticked from twelve minutes past to thirteen. He hadn’t even messaged me.

  And I’m done.

  There were shuttle buses heading to the fair and I didn’t need a ride in Caleb Altair’s no doubt obnoxiously flashy car. I hated cars anyway. Hardly ever rode in them if I could avoid it. They always made me remember sinking to the bottom of that goddamn lake and being trapped. Waiting to die. And even though that fear didn’t have its claws in me in the way it used to, I’d still always prefer a bike.

  I twisted my long ponytail around my finger as I grabbed my leather jacket from the back of my chair and stood up.

  The red crop top and fitted jeans I’d chosen to wear weren’t really warm enough for the time of year but I was using my fire magic to keep me warm anyway.

  I headed for the exit and sent a quick message to Geraldine, checking where her and the Ass Club were. She’d been be
gging me to go with them earlier and I’d almost ditched Caleb in favour of a night with her anyway. I’d only decided against it when Justin Master had suggested he be my escort for the night. I’d tried to make a joke about him being a male prostitute which had gotten him so flustered that I’d dropped the idea just to save him the torture of my company for the evening. He really loved the idea of the Vega Princesses but I knew I didn’t live up to his prim and proper fantasies one bit. And though being a disappointment in that regard was highly amusing, it got a bit draining too. I just wanted a night of freedom.

  My Atlas buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to find Geraldine’s reply.

  Geraldine:

  Oh hula beluga! Everyone’s just jumping in their jackets to hear you’ll be joining us! Let me know when you’re here and I’ll get you some cotton candfae!

  I smirked to myself at her exuberant response and upped my speed a little as I headed to the north of campus where the shuttle busses would be ferrying people to the Fairy Fair in Tucana.

  I made it to the gates at the edge of campus, passing by the parking lot and heading to the bus shelter where a crowd of students were already waiting for the shuttle bus.

  I skirted the crowd, not recognising anyone and not really wanting to find out if they were amongst the Heirs’ fan club, then took a seat on a low wall beside the shelter to wait.

  My Atlas buzzed again and I pulled it from my pocket.

  Caleb:

  Where are you?

  I raised an eyebrow at the tone of the message, it was half seven now. Half an hour since we’d arranged to meet and this was the first I’d heard from him.

  Tory:

  Heading to the fair.

  Caleb:

  Why didn’t you wait for me in The Orb?

  I snorted. Who did he think he was? As if I was going to sit about waiting for half an hour to see if he decided to grace me with his presence. In fact, aside from messaging me about going to this damn fair, he’d been suspiciously absent ever since I’d spent the night in his room. Maybe he’d been annoyed that I didn’t wait there for him to come back from his mystery meeting with the other Heirs, but I wasn’t gonna hang around in his room without him there. It was weird. I hadn’t even intended to stay the whole night in the first place. So when he’d gone I’d got my shit together and left too.

  Tory:

  I was under the impression you weren’t coming.

  Caleb:

  Tell me where you are now, I’ll come get you.

  No apology then.

  Tory:

  No thanks.

  I looked up just as someone came to sit beside me and smiled as I recognised Milton. He’d become a bit of a permanent feature at our tables in The Orb, though I was glad to see he hadn’t bowed to peer pressure and started wearing an Ass badge.

  “Don’t often see you alone,” he commented. “Aren’t you spending the night with Darcy?”

  “She’s on a date,” I replied with a shrug. Fake date, but still...

  “And you’re not?”

  “I got stood up,” I said, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. I wasn’t sure why I found it so amusing but I did. It seemed kinda fitting; everything in this place was always working against me, why would my love life be any different? Besides, I hadn’t been looking for Caleb to ask me out in the first place so I was hardly going to start sobbing about it when it never even got off the ground.

  “Shit. And I thought my life was pathetic,” he teased and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  The growl of an engine made me look up as a flashy black sports car came skidding to a halt at the curb right in front of us.

  My lips parted as the door opened, swinging up into the air like it was the goddamn Batmobile before Caleb got out.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked me, a frown tugging at his brow as he drew closer.

  Milton swiftly got up and moved away as Caleb shot him a dark look and I pursed my lips defiantly.

  “Catching the bus. What does it look like?”

  “I...you said you were coming with me,” Caleb said, looking at me like he couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on.

  “Yeah. And then you left me waiting around for you without bothering to let me know you were running late. So I ditched plan A in favour of meeting my friends.” I shrugged at him. It wasn’t that hard to understand. I wasn’t going to be jerked around by some guy who wasn’t even my boyfriend.

  Caleb just stared at me like I was speaking some other language and I got to my feet as the shuttle bus arrived.

  I took a step towards it and he caught my hand to stop me.

  “Are you getting on the bus?” he asked with a frown.

  “Yeah. If you let go of me.”

  “But...” Caleb pushed a hand into his hair and let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry alright?”

  I raised an eyebrow in surprise and waited to hear the rest of it.

  “I recently found out some shit that kinda made me think about some things differently.” Caleb narrowed his navy eyes on me like he was trying to figure something out. “And I don’t know what to think anymore.”

  “About what?”

  “I can’t tell you,” he replied, his jaw tightening.

  I shrugged and turned back for the bus but he caught my hand again, halting me.

  “Come with me to the fair, Tory...please.”

  “Christ, you look like you’re gonna cry if I say no,” I teased.

  “Shut the fuck up and get in the car,” he replied with a smirk.

  “That’s more like it.” I let him walk me to the car and got in beneath the ridiculous door before Caleb shut it for me.

  I instantly hit the button for the window, the knot in my chest loosening as it descended. Fucking cars.

  He went around to the other side and slid in behind the wheel, starting up the engine which gave a deep growl that vibrated right through my bones.

  I turned to find him smirking at the look on my face. “You said you liked big engines,” he reminded me.

  “I was probably referring to bike engines but points for effort. Minus points for making me look like a stuck-up prick arriving at a fun fair in the Batmobile though so you’re back to minus ten.”

  “How does that work out?” he asked.

  We shot away from the curb and down the road and I was pressed back into the leather seat as he accelerated quickly.

  “You stood me up.”

  “You stood me up,” he countered. “I was just running late.”

  “Well next time send a message, asshole, or you won’t get another shot,” I said with a smirk but I meant it. I wasn’t anyone’s fool and I wouldn’t let him mess me around.

  “Point taken.”

  I eyed Caleb as he drove. He was leaning back in his chair, one hand on the wheel, his muscular figure on show beneath a tight fitting white t-shirt. His hair was too neat, styled back with product to tame his curls. I preferred the way it looked when I’d been clawing my hands through it.

  “What are you looking at?” he asked without turning his gaze from the road.

  “You,” I replied with a shrug. He was nice to look at, it shouldn’t have been that surprising.

  His gaze slid to me for a moment and suddenly the air in the car felt a lot warmer.

  “You should put your seatbelt on,” he commented.

  “I know,” I replied but I didn’t do it. Never again.

  Lights of every colour lit up the horizon ahead of us and I leaned forward as we drew closer to the field where the fair had been erected, a grin on my face like a little kid. But I didn’t care. I’d never had money to do this kind of thing before and I was looking forward to it more than was probably normal for someone my age.

  We suddenly veered left and I looked at Caleb in surprise as we turned away from the highway and he guided the car up a steep hill into the darkness. I couldn’t see anything beyond the light of the headlights and the cool air coming in through my o
pen window sent a shiver down my spine.

  “I think you took a wrong turn,” I teased, twisting in my seat to look back down the hill at the twinkling lights of the fair.

  Caleb didn’t respond but he put his foot down a little more, the engine roaring as we climbed higher and higher into the hills.

  “Caleb?” I asked, looking at him as he continued to ignore me.

  His mouth was set in a thin line and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, looking around again. Everything beyond the windows was pitch black, endless darkness filling the space around us. I had no idea where we were and as he took a sharp turn, the lights of Tucana and the Fairy Fair behind us were stolen away.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked, a frown pulling at my brow.

  Caleb didn’t respond but his hand shifted to the controls on his door. My window slid closed and a heavy thunk sounded as the doors locked.

  I spun around in my chair as a spike of adrenaline kick-started my heart.

  My hand made it to the door handle and I yanked on it automatically, rattling it as it refused to respond to my attempts to open it.

  “Let me out of the car,” I breathed, a shiver running down my spine.

  Caleb ignored me again, guiding the car back and forth around hairpin turns which had my pulse hammering with panic.

  I snatched my Atlas from my pocket, meaning to message someone or call someone or-

  Caleb snatched it out of my hands, flicking it off before throwing it over his shoulder where it fell into the small space behind his seat and out of sight.

  I lifted my hand, magic tingling in my fingertips as I tried to figure out what spell I could use against him safely while we were travelling at this speed.

  “Don’t,” Caleb snapped, snatching my wrist and shoving it down into my lap.

  “If this is some new game of yours, I’m not enjoying it,” I breathed and he released a hollow laugh.

  “I’m not playing, sweetheart,” he promised me.