Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae

BECAUSE DARIUS HAD decided to collect me and Darcy at six for the party from hell, I’d had no choice but to head straight from my Saturday afternoon run to my room to get myself ready with zero time to grab dinner at The Orb. Missing a meal was a pretty touchy subject for me after scraping by in the mortal world and I’d already considered sending Darius a message to make sure we’d be getting fed at this thing. In the end I’d decided against it. I’d promised to play nice tonight and I was going to try and stick to my word. Rich people had to eat too so I was sure I wouldn’t be going hungry. 

One thing I would not be doing, however, was wearing the dress he’d had delivered for me.

A ridiculously fancy black box tied with a navy ribbon and inlaid with silver stars lay unopened on my bed containing whatever dresses he’d decided upon for Darcy and I to wear. We’d agreed wholeheartedly that that would not be happening. I hadn’t even looked beneath the lid. Though I had to admit curiosity was gnawing at me a bit every time I glanced at it. But I wasn’t going to budge on this. I’d be showing up at this party as myself and I wasn’t going to be dressed up and paraded about like anything else.

Besides, I had my own money and a dress which I didn’t mind admitting looked pretty damn good on me. It was midnight blue and clung to my figure in all the right places before falling to the floor. It came up to my neck but was completely backless all the way down to the base of my spine. The four inch stilettos I’d paired with it pushed me close to six foot which meant the Heirs wouldn’t be looking down on me quite so much tonight, though short of wearing platforms I’d never actually be able to match their towering heights.

I’d shadowed my eyes and ringed them in black eyeliner and coupled the look with a dark red lipstick. The Celestial Council weren’t going to meet a pair of innocent girls who they could push around tonight. I was dressed for war and I was prepared to hold my own.

Keep telling yourself that and maybe it will become true.

I grabbed my Atlas and tapped out a message to Darcy. She was running late and Darius was supposed to be here any minute. She messaged back to say she was on her way and I tossed my Atlas into my clutch as I waited.

A knock came at the door and I stiffened, getting to my feet so that I could open it.

Darius stood outside wearing a black tux which looked like it had been made specifically for him. It fit perfectly and my mouth dried up as my gaze roamed over him. His dark hair was slicked back and the rough stubble lining his jaw ached for me to brush my fingers over it.

No, no, no. Bad Tory.

“Darcy’s not here yet,” I said in place of a greeting.

“I can see that,” he replied.

Before I could lose myself to the spell of his unfairly good looks, I turned away from him, heading back to the mirror which hung on the wall as I applied another coat of lipstick which wasn’t in any way necessary.

He stayed by the door, leaning against the frame as he watched me. “You’re not wearing the dress I sent you.”

“This might be a good time for you to realise, I don’t tend to do as I’m told,” I said dismissively.

“I think I like this one better anyway.”

I turned to look at him in surprise as his gaze slid over me in a way that made heat rise along my skin.

“Nice to know you can admit when you’re wrong,” I said. “So you’re actually going to stick to your word about being nice?”

Darius flashed me a smile which transformed his face in a way I’d never seen before. “I am. Just try not to fall in love with me though, it could make things awkward when we go back to fighting with each other tomorrow.”

I scoffed at that and tossed my lipstick into my clutch just as my Atlas pinged.

Darcy: 

I bumped into Orion by The Orb. He says he’s coming with us and that you should meet us here…

I raised an eyebrow in surprise and tapped out a quick response.

Tory: 

Okay, I’ll be there to rescue you from his grumpy face ASAP x

“Darcy says she’s going to meet us at The Orb. She ran into your bestie and he told her he can’t bear to spend the evening away from you so he’s tagging along. I just hope that this party isn’t going to be dull, because inviting a teacher has really lowered my expectations for debauchery,” I said as I moved out of my room and locked up behind me.

“In all honesty, Lance is more likely to add to the debauchery than detract from it,” Darius said, offering me his arm.

“Ooo Lance has a first name. Will he want me using that or is it a special right only given to those who get a tattoo in his honour?” I asked, touching my fingers to Darius’s forearm where I knew the Libra brand sat on his skin beneath the fancy suit. I didn’t take his arm though and started walking down the corridor unassisted.

“What makes you think that tattoo is for him?” Darius asked, falling into step with me easily despite the fast pace I set.

“Oh is it a secret? I thought everyone knew he was your Guardian and you’ve got that little soul bond thing going on.”

“Who told you that?” Darius demanded, his voice dropping an octave.

“You just did.” I flashed him a smile and he scowled at me. “Done playing nice so soon?”

He released a long breath as we reached the common room but didn’t reply. A lot of eyes turned our way. I guessed the sight of the two of us suddenly hanging out was pretty weird.

To the left of us, I noticed Milton Hubert sporting a flashy new gold watch which I’d had delivered to him anonymously. The stipend had taken a hefty hit for that but I’d figured it would be worth the pay off if my plan came together. Besides, I had a whole heap of treasure buried in The Wailing Wood if I ever ran low on cash.

As we passed Milton’s table, Darius’s little gang all looked up, bobbing their heads like a bunch of meerkats as their leader approached.

“Hey man,” Milton said, smiling widely at Darius.

More of the group perked up with greetings, wishing him a fun evening and casting an interested eye over me. I didn’t say much as I waited for Darius to finish up with his fan club but I did smile to myself as he noticed the watch. I was counting on him to recognise the value of it instantly and the way his eyebrows drew together made me think he had. Milton was totally oblivious as he sported his flashy new trinket for the whole world to see.

I faked a yawn not so subtly and Darius pulled his attention from his fan club back to me again.

“Sorry,” he said. “Shall we go?”

I almost choked on my own tongue at the sound of him apologising and could only raise my eyebrows in response as he guided me towards the door by placing a hand on the bare skin at the base of my spine.

At that exact moment, Marguerite came into the room flanked by three of her friends and her face fell into a mask of absolute horror as she spotted her former boyfriend and me on our way out together.

“What the hell is this?” she demanded, tossing her red hair over her shoulder so violently that it whipped her friend in the eye.

Darius cast a lazy glance in her direction without replying before increasing the pressure of his hand on my back to get me moving. I stepped forward so that he was no longer touching me and began to head for the door despite the livid mean girl blocking our way out.

Marguerite looked like she wanted to set me alight, her hand half raised like she was genuinely considering it. Darius noticed the action and threw an arm around my shoulders which I instantly shrugged back off.

“I’m not your date, dude,” I reminded him, not bothering to lower my voice.

“If people see us together acting like a couple they’ll give you an easier time,” he said, staying close enough to me that I could feel the heat of his body a heartbeat away from mine.

“I’m not a damsel in distress either,” I added. Not that he was the Prince Charming type any other day of the week so I really wasn’t sure why he was taking this act so far.

Marguerite seemed to think better of attacking while the Heir clearly had me marked as his but the look in her eyes told me the next time she saw me alone I’d be in for some serious shit from her. I threw her a taunting smirk as we passed because, what the hell? She was clearly gunning for me anyway so why not let her bring it on?

“Besides, you’ll be back to your usual self tomorrow, encouraging them all to hate me so what’s the point of pretending?” I asked.

That remark didn’t get an answer and we headed downstairs to the exit in silence. To my surprise, Darius stepped forward and opened the door for me. Apparently the asshole could turn on the charm when he wanted to. That just left me wondering which version of him was the act though. Did he do all of the horrible things he did to maintain his position and keep up appearances for the sake of proving his power? Or could he just pour on the sweetness when it suited him to get his own way? He was so hard to read that I had no idea which version was the real him. But I guessed for one night I could indulge in the fantasy that he actually had a few scraps of decency about him.

“No doubt you won’t take my advice,” he said slowly. “But I would encourage you not to speak to my father the way you speak to me.”

“Pfft, what’s he gonna do?” I asked. “Try and drown me? No one’s that twisted, right?”

Darius caught my hand suddenly and pulled me around to face him. My heart slammed into my ribs and I tried to pull my hand back but he didn’t let go. The Orb was just ahead of us but he held me still instead of letting me carry on to meet with Darcy.

“Who do you think wanted me to do that?” he asked, his voice dangerously low. “I’m warning you, don’t push him. He’s one of the most powerful Fae in the whole of Solaria and he always gets what he wants. Just nod when it’s appropriate to nod, say please and thank you and don’t let your smart mouth run away with you. I’m not telling you this for my benefit.”

I looked into his dark eyes for a long moment, sensing that he was being genuine in this but I couldn’t for the life of me understand why. What difference did it make to him if his father decided to lay into me? Surely that would be what he’d want anyway?

I shrugged like I didn’t much care either way. “I’ll behave if he does.”

Darius’s shoulders sagged a fraction with what I could have sworn was relief and he guided me on again. I extracted my hand from his when he didn’t release me right away. I didn’t like this new, possibly nice Darius. If I wasn’t careful I might just fall for his act.

“What you just said was wrong though,” I added as we approached The Orb and I spotted Darcy. She waved as she saw me too and moved away from Orion to join me. Her blood-red dress was held in place with a halter strap and swept to her feet making her look like she was either ready to take on a red carpet or a firing squad of Celestial Heirs and their questionable parents.

“Which part?” Darius asked.

“The bit about him being one of the most powerful Fae in Solaria. Because he’s not anymore, is he?” I smirked knowingly and stepped away from him to join Darcy.

“Everything okay?” she asked me, casting a look in Darius’s direction.

“Remind me again why we agreed to this,” I asked as Seth, Caleb and Max approached us.

They were all wearing tuxedos too and I suddenly felt like I was really out of my depth. This wasn’t me. Fancy parties and champagne cocktails were a million miles away from boosting engines and dancing in backwater bars. These guys looked like they were just as comfortable as they did any day of the week. They were the kings of the world and anyone who looked at them knew it. But what did that make us? We were about to step into their world and I really didn’t think it had a place for us.

“Still time to make a run for it,” Darcy joked and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Good evening ladies,” Max said with a wide smile like we were old friends.

“Hi,” I replied, not bothering to sound friendly. Darcy didn’t even give him that much.

I glanced at Seth, expecting him to crack a joke about the fact that he’d pissed on me the other day but he only offered a pleasant smile before moving to brush his hand along Darius’s arm in greeting. He followed it up with a hug, nuzzling against Darius’s neck for a fleeting moment while I watched the interaction with amusement. Darius took it in his stride, clapping Seth on the back as they parted and offering him a warm smile. I didn’t miss the fact that Seth was scratching himself rather a lot and I exchanged a knowing smile with Darcy. 

Caleb was the only one to actually approach us. Darcy stilled as he pressed a kiss to her cheek and he turned to me to offer the same. As he kissed me, his mouth brushed against the corner of mine and I bit my lip to hide my surprised smile. Before he pulled back, he dropped his mouth to my neck and I froze, expecting him to bite me but he only touched his lips to my skin, causing a prickle of energy to run along my spine.

“You’re looking delicious tonight, sweetheart,” he murmured as he drew back, smiling like we were sharing some great secret.

I could feel the other Heirs watching us and I swallowed the lump in my throat without looking their way. My gaze fell on Orion who looked back at me with a flat stare which made me feel like he’d heard the hitch in my pulse as Caleb had touched me. He looked weirdly at home in his own tux, his youth more apparent beside the Heirs now that they were all dressed the same. I was used to seeing him in a suit while we all wore our uniforms but he didn’t even look out of place in our group. It was weird to think of him as a normal guy. I turned my attention from him, glancing at Caleb again as he pushed a hand into his curls.

I stepped toward Darcy as he moved away and she raised an accusatory eyebrow at me.

Damn she can read me like a book. Especially when I’m falling into predictably bad routines.

I shrugged innocently and she rolled her eyes at me.

Point taken. I won’t get myself mixed up with the pretty asshole tonight… Probably.

“Is everyone ready to go?” Orion asked, pulling a silk pouch from his pocket and retrieving a handful of stardust from it.

I nodded, eyeing the glittering stardust with interest as we grouped closer together.

The Heirs closed in around us and I was forced to wonder if we were insane to be going along with this. Once we left campus we’d be surrounded by our enemies and trusting them with our fates. The look in Darcy’s eyes told me she was thinking the same thing but before we could change our minds, Orion threw the stardust over us.

My gut lurched, the world spun and I was given the distinct impression that I’d just left my stomach contents behind on the ground outside The Orb. Stars sprang to life all around us and it was like we were floating in the cosmos, somewhere and nowhere all at once. As suddenly as they had appeared, the stars winked out of existence and the cool night air brushed my skin as the ground materialised beneath my feet once more.

I stumbled forward a step in my stilettos and Darius caught my arm to steady me.

My hand landed on his bicep which flexed beneath my grip and I bit my lip as I glanced up at him, thanking him before I could stop myself.

“No problem,” he said, still holding onto me even though I didn’t need him to anymore.

“Sorry!” Darcy gasped behind me and I turned, finding her scrambling out of Orion’s lap on the gravel at our feet.

“Predictably clumsy as always, Blue,” Orion said but his tone was more teasing than really annoyed. I guessed he wasn’t channelling his inner grump so hard tonight. He stood up, casting magic to remove the dust from his pants and I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing.

Darcy’s cheeks flushed red and the Heirs failed to stifle their laughter in response.

I looked around to see where the stardust had taken us and found an enormous gothic building sprawling out before us. It looked more like a spa hotel or museum than a home; vaulted windows overlooked the sprawling grounds and pillars stood either side of the biggest door I’d ever seen. There were two towers at either end of the structure which loomed above the rest of it, stone balustrades lining their flat roofs.

Along the rooftop, silhouetted by the setting sun were countless stone dragons who glared down at us with unseeing eyes. A marble porch ringed the front of the building, the steps buffed to a polish which reflected the orange glow of the sky back at it.

“I thought we were going to your house?” I asked Darius with a frown.

He followed my gaze as I stared at the enormous building which spread away from us and seemed to really look at it for the first time since we’d arrived.

“This is my house,” he replied with a frown like he didn’t understand what I meant.

“Shut up,” I breathed automatically. I’d seen Buckingham Palace on the TV and this place looked like it could house three of them.

Darius’s lips twitched like my disbelief was hilarious but he didn’t want it to show.

“If you like this, you should come and see my house some time,” Caleb offered, moving to stand on my other side. “We’ve got a dungeon and everything.”

“This isn’t a house it’s a fortress; you could keep a small army in there with room to spare,” I countered, ignoring the dungeon comment because I had no way of knowing if he meant that.

Darius and Caleb exchanged a look that screamed of their entitled upbringing and I straightened my spine as I wiped the look of awe from my features. I wasn’t going to walk into this place looking like a goddamn tourist at the colosseum, overwhelmed and slack-jawed.

“Technically, your house is bigger than this anyway,” Caleb said as we started to walk towards the gigantic door.

“What?” I asked in confusion.

“Well, obviously the Palace is bigger than the Celestial Estates,” Caleb supplied. I’d never given much thought to the fact that we had more than just money waiting for us in our inheritance. The idea of us living in a place like this was beyond ridiculous though.

Max shot Caleb a dark look like he didn’t like him reminding us about our inheritance but I was glad that he had. I couldn’t walk into this place thinking of us as two broke girls from the shittiest part of town, we had to embody the parts of long lost Princesses even if we had zero desire to claim our crowns. If we didn’t, I had the distinct feeling that these people would eat us alive.

I stepped away from the two Heirs so that I could walk with Darcy instead. We were in this together, and whatever awaited us within these walls, we’d face it as a united front.

I exchanged a look with my sister which embodied the whole ‘holy shit these guys are disgustingly rich’ shock before we headed up the steps.

The gigantic door swung inwards as we approached and I looked into a huge entrance hall which I was sure could hold a fully grown Dragon. And as I glanced at the solid gold dragon-head door knocker, I guessed that that was the exact point.

The space inside was spacious and painted white with golden adornments on everything from the door handles to the light fittings to the bannister of the sweeping staircase before us. And I was absolutely sure that that was solid gold too.

The servants who had opened the door for us bowed low and stayed in that position as we stepped inside and my high heels clicked on the marble floor.

An elegantly dressed gentleman with grey hair and a neat moustache stepped out of the shadows, offering us a stiff bow as he came to stand at the foot of the stairs.

Is that a butler? Do real people actually have butlers??

“High Lord Lionel Acrux and Lady Catalina Acrux,” he announced with a flourish and my attention was captured by the couple who proceeded to descend the stairs like they were goddamn royalty. Which I guessed in this world they kinda were.

Daddy Acrux swept down the stairs with his wife on his arm and captured every inch of my attention in an immaculate blue suit complete with medals pinned to his chest. His blonde hair was styled perfectly and drew my eye to the strong lines of his face. He had a look of Darius about him but his angles looked sharper, more predatory. He was a huge man, at least as tall as Darius, his broad frame packed with muscle in much the same way. His gaze bored into mine as he assessed me and I kept my chin high as I stared right back.

Just when I thought my knees might start trembling from the intensity of his stare, he swept his attention on to scrutinise Darcy, releasing me.

I let out a slow breath, looking at Darius’s mother instead.

Holy fake tits!

Mommy Acrux was stunningly beautiful and perfectly put together, her pale pink dress was cut with a sweetheart neckline which revealed a lot of cleavage. It was really hard to look away from it. I thought I had a pretty decent rack but beside her curvaceous glory I was a pancake with a face. Real flowers bloomed along the side of her dress, opening and closing their petals in various shades of blue to compliment her husband’s attire and I guessed that meant she held the Element of Earth, though I’d never seen magic used in such a pretty, pointless way before. Her face was painted with the exact right amount of makeup to accentuate her beauty. She had Darius’s dark hair, bronzed skin and deep brown eyes and she hung on her husband’s arm like the definition of arm candy. The men in the room were not so subtly checking her out but I couldn’t blame them. Hell, I even fancied her.

The butler clearly had more work to do and he stepped forward to announce us to his High Lord and Lady.

“May I present the Celestial Heirs, Max Rigel, Seth Capella, Caleb Altair and Master Acrux,” he said.

The Heirs all moved forward to greet the Acruxes and I stifled my surprise as each of them bowed their heads to Daddy Acrux. Mommy Acrux offered out air kisses and embraces which pulled the Heirs against those breasts for a moment. Seth smirked as he moved aside and Darius approached last.

His father barely spared him a glance and his mother didn’t offer him one of the hugs but she brushed a hand against his cheek.

“How lovely to see you, Darius dear,” she murmured, her tone was sultry and she didn’t actually seem to be particularly pleased to see her son.

“I’ve missed you, Mother,” Darius replied, his voice sounding like it was on autopilot even to me.

“Lance Orion,” the butler announced next and I got the impression that addressing us last was intentional.

Orion bowed a little lower than the Heirs had as he approached the Acruxes.

“Good evening Uncle, Aunt,” he said formally and I frowned. As far as I knew he wasn’t related to Darius’s family.

He was rewarded with an extra five seconds against the plastic perfection of Mommy Acrux’s breasts and I was almost certain his smile took on a forced quality as she released him.

“Ladies Roxanya and Gwendalina Vega,” the butler announced last, motioning us forward.

“It’s Tory and Darcy actually,” I said without taking a step forward and I sure as shit wouldn’t be bowing either. This moment was a test of our mettle and I refused to be intimidated into submission.

Daddy Acrux raised a brow at my tone and I could feel Darius glaring at me but I simply held his eye.

“Those are the names we grew up with,” Darcy added when no one else took the option to speak. “And we’re rather fond of them.”

“Mortal names?” Lionel asked, his lips twisting like he found that amusing or disgusting, hard to say which. “Nonsense, the lost Vega twins can’t go by any names other than those given to them by the King.”

“Well I hear the King was a bit of a whack job,” I said mildly. “So perhaps it’s better not to live by the way he did things. But if you like the idea of addressing us by those names then why don’t I just call you Barry and we’ll see how you like it?”

Silence rang out deafeningly and I could feel every eye in the entrance hall pinned on me but I just smiled sweetly and waited to see what would happen. Darcy stood tall beside me, showing a united front against this room of monsters and I was eternally grateful to have been blessed with life at my sister’s side.

Mommy Acrux tittered a laugh, breaking the tension as she squeezed her husband’s arm.

Lionel flashed us a smile which was more like he was baring his teeth but a beat of laughter came from him too, like we were all just joking around and not actually getting into a pissing contest.

The Heirs instantly joined in with the laughter like they were all programmed to fall into line at the littlest push from their superior.

“Tory and Darcy it is then,” Lionel said graciously though he purposefully looked at me as he said Darcy and visa versa. I let it slide though, just glad to have made it through the first test. This was going to be a long night.

“Perhaps we should leave you to your meeting with the rest of the Council,” Catalina purred, claiming Orion’s arm in her perfectly manicured grasp.

“Yes, we shouldn’t keep them waiting,” Lionel agreed.

“Come Lance, you can keep me entertained while they talk business,” Catalina said, tightening her grip on Orion and pressing her body against his.

Orion dipped his head towards Lionel before leading her away and I glanced at Darcy to see what she made of our Cardinal Magic Professor curtsying to the Acruxes like a little pet. Her eyes widened marginally and my lips twitched in response. Yep, we were definitely in the thick of crazy town now. No way out but through it though.

“Come,” Lionel instructed, turning his back on all of us in a way that I knew was designed to show his dominance. I’d learned exactly how well turning your back on another Fae usually went down but none of the Heirs batted an eye to it this time, clearly accepting their places beneath him in the pecking order. He headed off up the grand staircase and left us to follow.

Darius moved towards me, taking my arm without giving me a choice in the matter.

Much to her disgust, Max claimed Darcy and led her after Lionel with Seth and Caleb trailing after them.

Darius held me back for a moment, leaning down to speak into my ear so that the butler and the other servants didn’t overhear what he was going to say.

“Watch yourself, Roxy,” he growled, his breath dancing across my skin.

I turned my face towards him, my cheek brushing against his for a brief moment as I looked into his dark eyes. I wasn’t sure what I found there but his grip on my arm tightened at the defiance in my gaze.

“Are you deaf, Darius?” I breathed. “That’s not my name.”

I tried to shrug him off as I moved towards the stairs but he refused to release me, walking at my side instead.

I gritted my teeth in acceptance. I wasn’t going to wrench my arm out of his grasp and make a scene but I wasn’t just going to roll over for his father or the rest of the Celestial Council either.

At the top of the sweeping staircase, Lionel led us to the left and we followed him along a huge corridor lined with a plush red carpet and huge paintings hanging in gold frames. It was all very grand and ostentatious, more like a museum than a home and I wondered what it would have been like to grow up in a place like this. I just couldn’t picture a diddy Darius toddling about the halls with a teddy clutched in his fist.

The butler had somehow made it up here ahead of us and he was waiting outside a set of double doors as we approached. He opened them for us with a flourish.

“High Lord Tiberius Rigel, High Lady Antonia Capella and High Lady Melinda Altair,” he said as he moved aside for us to head in.

The room we’d arrived in was a lavish sort of parlour. The kind of room that didn’t really seem to hold any purpose. The walls were lined with bookshelves holding thick tomes, deep green curtains hung beside floor length windows which looked out over sprawling manicured grounds with a lake twinkling in the distance.

A huge fireplace took up most of the wall to our right and a fire raged at its centre though the room didn’t feel hot with it. There were six plush, cream chairs placed in a wide circle before the fire but no one sat in them.

The other Celestial Councillors were standing to the left of the room, each nursing drinks though they set them down to greet their children as they arrived.

Darius kept hold of me as the other Heirs moved towards their parents and I watched them with interest.

Max’s father, Tiberius, was practically his doppelgänger, though his hair was trimmed short in place of the mohawk his son sported. They embraced to an enthusiastic, “Let me get a good look at my boy!” and I couldn’t help but remember what I’d seen in Max’s mind when I’d been Song-Spelled. This man shielded him from the wrath of his step mother. He’d fought to keep this position for Max despite the fact that he was a bastard and could have more easily been set aside. Despite my particular feelings for the Water Heir, I couldn’t help but appreciate the love he shared with his father.

Seth’s mother, Antonia,  was all Werewolf, pouncing on her son and brushing her hands through his hair as he nuzzled against her with a wide smile. She even dragged a tongue up his cheek in a wolfy kiss and I almost laughed in response. Her hair was a russet brown flecked with copper which caught the firelight and her eyes were pale grey and shone with an intelligent kind of cunning.

Caleb’s mother, Melinda, smiled broadly at her son. She shared his golden curls and looked like a fifties pin up girl in a white dress which flared out around her legs. She pressed a kiss to Caleb’s cheek leaving a print of pink lipstick behind on his skin which she wiped away affectionately.

Apparently the dismissive indifference that Darius received from his father wasn’t a trait all of the Celestial Council shared. I hoped that might mean there was a chance for this meeting not to be a total disaster after all.

Lionel headed straight for a chair beside the fire, the butler placing a crystal tumbler filled with amber liquid into his hand the moment his ass hit the cushions.

Once the Councillors had greeted their sons, they turned their gaze on us. Darcy had moved to stand by my side and we stood firm as they approached.

“Which is Roxanya and which is Gwendalina?” Melinda Altair tittered. “You both look exactly alike.”

“That happens with twins,” I replied, smiling sweetly to counter the flat tone.

Melinda smiled like she didn’t mind the bite in my voice one bit and I found myself warming to her just a little.

“They go by their mortal names, Mom,” Caleb supplied so that we didn’t have to go through the whole rigmarole again. “Darcy is in red and Tory in blue.”

“A pleasure to be reunited with the lost Vegas,” Tiberius boomed, offering his hand to Darcy.

She smiled politely as she shook. “Nice to meet you too,” she replied.

He claimed my hand next and I was momentarily overwhelmed by the call of his Siren gifts. He wasn’t actually using them on me but his mere touch was enough to make me want to spill all of my secrets to him.

I withdrew my hand warily and he gave me a smile which said clever choice.

Unsurprisingly, Seth’s mother got overly tactile, brushing her hands over our arms, touching our hair, murmuring compliments about our soft skin and generally making me feel like a chew toy. Though her touches were gentle there was something about them that felt claiming, like she was asserting her dominance through them. I guessed that was a pretty accurate assessment of the Werewolf Alpha and politely extracted myself from her grip.

“Shall we get on with it?” Lionel drawled from his chair by the fire. “The evening is drawing on and we have a party to attend.”

Melinda Altair chuckled like he’d been joking but his curt tone didn’t give me that impression.

Darius guided us over to the fire, directing the two of us towards the chairs to the right. The other Councillors took the remaining three seats and their sons all moved to stand behind them stoically.

“A drink, ladies?” the butler asked and I noticed he’d somehow managed to supply everyone else in the room with a beverage already.

“Sure. I’ll take a shot of tequila,” I said, not bothering to choose anything with more class to it. This was who I was and I wouldn’t apologise for it.

”I’ll have a rum and coke,” Darcy requested.

Lionel was assessing us like we were something he might just like to eat and I straightened my spine accordingly.

A crystal glass appeared in my hand a moment later and I knocked the drink back in one hit because why the hell not? I was pretty sure I could use the boost to my courage.

Eight sets of very powerful eyes were fixed on us and I was struck with the realisation that if the people in this room wanted to hurt us then we were well and truly screwed. Deader than dead. Beyond the grave. The thought was weirdly reassuring. Here we were, at their mercy, drinking their fancy tequila like it was no different to the piss water version I was used to at Joey’s bar and we were still breathing. They wanted something from us. I wasn’t sure what yet, but it was clear that they weren’t going to hurt us… for now.

“It’s such a pleasure to welcome you back into the fold,” Tiberius said heartily. “Max tells me you’ve been settling in well at the Academy, getting up to high-jinx together.”

“Is that how he put it?” Darcy asked stiffly and Max offered the barest hint of a smirk from behind his father’s back.

“I suppose everything here must seem very strange to you after living amongst the mortals,” Melinda said kindly.

“It has been a big adjustment,” I hedged. “But I think we’re getting the hang of it now.”

“I hear you need my son’s help to control your fire Element,” Lionel added a little scathingly, looking between my sister and I as he tried to figure out which one of us had been getting the tuition from Darius.

“Oh yes, Darius has been a great help,” I agreed, not bothering to hide the sarcasm.

“Well so long as you remember he’s only screwing you to pass the time and don’t get any ideas about marriage, I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

“I’m sorry, what?” I was damn glad I’d emptied my drink in one hit because I would have spat it out all over his fancy suit if I hadn’t.

“I just wanted to make sure you understand that Darius is betrothed. It would be a shame if you got any fanciful notions about him.” Lionel watched me as he took a long drink from his glass and I fumbled for something to say that wasn’t a flat out insult. Luckily Darcy had my back.

“I’m not sure where you got that idea, but Tory hasn’t got the faintest bit of interest in Darius. He can head off into the sunset with his lovely bride and I can assure you she won’t give it the slightest bit of thought,” she said, her voice saccharine sweet.

Darius apparently had nothing to add to this conversation but his jaw was clenching hard enough to crack a tooth.

“I apologise if I misread the signs.” Lionel shrugged, spreading his hands.

“It’s fine,” I ground out though it really wasn’t and I was fairly sure he’d said it just to rattle me. Or maybe he really did suspect that I was sleeping with his son and was trying to call us out on it. Either way, I didn’t bother to hide my grimace at the idea and Darius looked pretty pissed about it too.

“You’ll have the pleasure of meeting his fiancé at the party,” Lionel added. “Mildred flew down especially so that they could spend some quality time together. She may even transfer to Zodiac next term if things go to plan.”

Caleb snorted a laugh and his mother swiped a hand at him, smacking his arm lightly to scold him, though she seemed pretty amused herself. Seth looked like he was practically biting his tongue off to stop himself from laughing too. I exchanged a look with Darcy, remembering the conversation I’d overheard in The Wailing Wood when the Heirs were teasing Darius about having to marry his ugly cousin. I looked forward to finding out just how ugly she was once we made it out of this snake pit.

Darius on the other hand didn’t seem amused and he looked like he might just be about to turn into a giant, fire-breathing reptile. Max reached over to him, brushing a hand along his arm and he relaxed slightly. I guessed the Siren had just siphoned some of his anger from him and I was a little surprised at the gesture.

“So, tell me girls,” Antonia Capella asked. “Have you given much thought to your claim?”

Well at least someone in this room is getting straight to the point.

“We really haven’t given it much consideration,” Darcy said. “It doesn’t even seem real. We have no plans to storm in here and set ourselves up on the throne though.”

The Councillors all laughed darkly in response to that.

“I imagine you’d have a little trouble doing that even if you wanted to,” Tiberius commented and it almost sounded kind but there was a threat there. These men and women guarded the empty throne and they had no intention of letting two girls who had grown up in the mortal world sit on it.

“Well we don’t want to,” I snapped, my irritation brimming over a little. “We just want to see out our time at the Academy, learn how to use our magic and claim our inheritance – of the financial variety. You can keep your empty throne.”

“Just like that?” Melinda asked, arching a brown.

“Just like that,” I agreed and Darcy nodded firmly.

“Perfect. Then this meeting has come to a natural conclusion. We should go and join the party.” Lionel got to his feet and swept from the room before I even really processed what he was doing.

The other Councillors left too and the Heirs trailed after them.

We rose to follow them and Caleb moved close to me for a moment, his fingertips brushing along my arm.

“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?” he teased. “Shall we go and find something to drink?”

“That sounds like a good idea to me.”