Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning

FIVE MINUTES HAD TURNED into hours. And I was definitely to blame. Darcy wriggled out of my arms and I groaned as she stood up, tracking down her clothes. I traced the curves of her body, eyeing the deep bronze colour of her skin and the way her hair shone like starlight.

This girl is made for me.

“Just another hour.” I shifted out of bed, standing and drawing her back against me.

“Lance,” she laughed as I brushed my hands across the velvet skin of her stomach. I couldn’t get enough of the way that felt. “I have my Air Trial tomorrow.”

“Not until the afternoon,” I said, though I was definitely not winning any awards for teacher of the year right now. It was after two in the morning and if I didn’t let her go, I was going to have a serious problem getting her back to her House unseen. But the truth was, I feared that if she left, she might not come back. And even if she wanted to, who knew how long it would be until we got an opportunity to be together again? I wasn’t exactly the most patient guy and every step I took with her would have to be carefully planned. It would be frustrating as hell and I wasn’t ready to face it yet.

I curled a lock of her hair between my fingers while my other hand tracked along her collar bone. 

Fuck, I had to let her go. For her sake. Definitely not mine. I was going to suffer the second she was gone.

She slipped away from me, tugging on her slinky white pyjamas, twisting her hair up into a knot on top of her head.

“Alright,” I sighed, grabbing my boxers and tugging them on. “I’ll take you back.”

A knock sounded on my window and both of us froze like fucking snowmen in the dead of winter. There was only one person who would show up at my house in the middle of the night – barring Blue apparently.

“Who’s that?” Darcy mouthed at me, her eyes wide in horror.

“Darius,” I said, cursing under my breath as I hurried toward her. “He can’t hear us, the silencing bubble is still in place.”

“Oh,” she breathed, still looking unsure. “What’s he doing here at this time of the night?”

I didn’t have an answer for that so I just shrugged. The knocking came again a little louder this time and I knew what was coming next. To get my attention he’d-

“Motherfucker,” I hissed as he pinched himself hard enough to hurt me through the bond.

“Lance, I know you’re up. Open the window,” Darius hissed.

“I’ll go out the front,” Darcy breathed and I nodded, cursing Darius as I jogged after her out of the bedroom. She made a beeline for the front door, pushing her feet into her shoes and tugging on her coat. She reached for the door, but I caught her arm and tugged her through to the conservatory at the back of the chalet. I dropped my mouth to her ear as I unlocked the door. “It’s a straight shot to the fence this way and there’s no porch lights.” I pointed and she nodded seriously, moving toward the door, but I dragged her back, stamping my mouth to hers, trying to say all the things I’d planned to say before she left. But now we were out of time.

I released her and she was gone, darting into the darkness and making my soul feel like it was being ripped in two. I loved Darius, but by the stars, did he have to come to me tonight of all nights?

Shit…what if he’d turned up sooner? He’d lose the plot if he knew what I’d been doing with one of his mortal enemies.

My throat thickened and I cast that thought aside.

When I was certain Darcy was gone, I stepped outside barefoot onto the rainswept pathway, casting an air shield around myself as I circled the house. Darius had his face pressed to my bedroom window with his hands cupped around his eyes, rain burning away around him as it touched the heated power emanating from him.

“Hey,” I hissed. “Get inside peeping Tom.”

He smirked, striding toward me and we quickly moved back into the conservatory before I locked the door and led him through to the living room. In the light, I realised he was wearing a bunch of gold medallions, chunky rings, two thick bracelets and a belt with a buckle that was a solid gold dragon.

I started laughing. “What the fuck are you wearing?”

“Ha. Ha,” he said dryly. “I’m tapped out. I’ve gotta fill up my reserves and I’m guessing I’m not going to be getting much sleep tonight now so I can’t just fill my bed with gold like usual.”

“Right, but are you expecting me to call you Draggy D now because I don’t think you can pull it off.” I chuckled and he broke a grin.

I spied the two glasses I’d placed on the table beside the couch and my heart lurched, my smile falling away. Shit.

“What took you so long to open the door?” Darius asked, casting a silencing bubble then realising I already had one in place. He frowned. “Why would you cast a silencing bubble if you’re here on your own?”

I folded my arms, trying to come up with an answer for that. “Well Washer is right next door. I don’t want him listening in on…” I didn’t have an end to that stupid ass sentence.

“On what?” Darius frowned then cast me a narrowed-eyed look before moving to the bedroom and sticking his head through the door. I used the distraction to send one of the glasses flying into the kitchen on a gust of air, landing quietly in the sink.

“What? Do you think I’ve got a girl here?” I snorted and he raised a brow as he turned back to me. My heart hit a frantic beat and I knew it was partly because I was lying to him. I didn’t think I’d ever lied to him before about anything and I wished I didn’t have to. The thought made me kind of ill and I hoped the bond between us didn’t let him sense that.

“Apparently not. So I guess you were just in the middle of jerking off over your Numerology book. Again.”

“Numbers are hot,” I said with a smirk. “But I was actually busy jerking off over your mom. She sent me some dirty pictures. Again.”

Darius barked a laugh, throwing himself down on the couch. “Hey whatever man, I wasn’t the one jerking off alone at two in the morning. I thought your hot FIB girlfriend might be here.”

That might have been a better lie.

“No…and she’s not my girlfriend.” I dropped down beside him and instinctively drew him in for a hug. He pressed against me, sighing as the bond became keener for a moment and made me need him that close.

He sat back with a content smile and combed a hand through his hair. “So I got something tonight.” He pushed a hand into his pocket and tossed an object to me. “Which you would have known if you answered your messages.”

“I like to jerk off undisturbed.” I picked up the ornament he’d passed me, inspecting the carved emerald dragon with gold eyes. “What’s this?”

“I told you’d I’d get something of Father’s, didn’t I? Something he gives a shit about. Well that tacky piece of crap is a paperweight he had made in his image. And a life sized version is currently under construction in the backyard.”

Shit, I’d totally forgotten Darius was going home tonight. 

I rolled the heavy thing in my hands. “Yeah that sounds about right.” I sat up straighter as something occurred to me. “Your father didn’t see you tonight did he? About half an hour ago I felt like my whole body had been punched.” Darcy must have thought I was really fucking enjoying myself when I’d cried out mid-sex – which I seriously had been, I just didn’t tend to get that vocal about it.

“That wasn’t Father,” he said and the tension ran out of my body. “I fell off my motorbike.”

I instinctively reached out to him, resting a hand on his knee. His hand brushed across mine, then I pulled away, clearing my throat. Damn Guardian bond.

I picked up the Dragon ornament, swiftly changing the subject. “Are you sure he won’t miss this?”

“He won’t be home for a few days. I’ll put it back when we’re done.”

“Perfect.” I stood, fighting a yawn. Fuck I was beat. But this couldn’t wait. “I’ll get dressed.” I shot to my room, pulling on some clothes and grabbing my Atlas.

Darius:

I’m heading home, maybe catch you later?

Darius:

I took Roxy Vega.

Darius:

I’m coming over. Text me back asshole.

Darius:

I’m outside.

Darius:

It’s raining.

I blew out a slow breath. Tory Vega? Holy shit.

I glanced over my shoulder, finding Darius drifting into my room, looking slightly lost.

“You took Tory Vega home?” I questioned, putting my Atlas down and doing up my shirt. “Are you screwing her?” Please say yes so I can tell you about Darcy.

“Fuck no,” he said but not nearly as fiercely as he should have. He ran his hand down the back of his neck. “She came over to race me on my bikes that’s all.”

“So you lost when you fell off?”

“No, we both fell off so it was a draw… or okay maybe she sort of won.” He smiled like that didn’t actually bother him then sighed. “She spoke to Xavier and he burst into a Pegasus in front of her. They seem to get on pretty well and she said she won’t tell anyone, but you should have seen her face. She was surprised and actually happy about it.”

“Do you trust her?”

“Yeah,” he said stiffly. “Dunno why but…” He shrugged and stepped closer.

I get it.

A beat of silence passed between us and for a second it felt like the Vegas were in the room. Tonight had been unashamedly one of the best of my life and I wanted to tell my goddamn best friend about it. But it wasn’t that simple. In fact, it was the complete opposite of simple. And from the look on Darius’s face I guessed he was dealing with some not-so-simple shit himself. But neither of us said a word.

“Let’s go.” I pulled a coat on and took out the Pitball card collectors box I kept at the base of my closet. “I’ll carry you so we can get down there quickly.” I took out a backpack, stuffing it inside and passing it to Darius. “Put this on.”

He did as I said and we headed to the back door, slipping out into the persistent rain. I cast an air shield around us and the night kept us hidden well enough. I turned away from Darius and he jumped onto my back, locking his legs around my waist. “Giddy up pony.”

I laughed then took off at high speed, launching myself over the fence with the power of air and running flat out as I hit the other side. My heightened vision picked out every prick of light there was to be seen so we didn’t need to create a light orb. I sped through The Wailing Wood toward the eastern cliff in Air Territory, the wind battering against my shield.

I was soon racing down the steps to Air Cove with Darius gripping me tighter as I took the steep path as fast as I could. I reached the cove and tore up the sand while Darius blasted away my footprints behind us with a gush of water magic.

My magical wards tingled against my skin as I drew closer to the hidden cave and I slowed to a halt, dropping Darius to his feet. He reached into the backpack, taking the draining dagger from where it was hidden in the Pitball box and passed it to me. I nodded in thanks, moving to the cliff wall as the waves crashed behind us, splashing against the dome of air I continued to cast.

I raised the dagger, feeling out the wards and cutting through them to gain access to the concealed cave. The wall appeared to dissolve, though anyone else would still see it as intact. We headed inside and I expanded the shield around us to block the wind from following us inside.

Darius cast a large fire, lighting the cave in a warm red glow. We knelt at the heart of the space and Darius placed the Pitball box between us alongside the emerald dragon. I flipped the lid of the box, popping the secret compartment beneath the rows of Pitball cards and taking out the four Elemental bones which would assist me with the magic I was about to cast. I placed them in a row, pushing the box to one side then sitting the dragon between them. 

A thrill flickered in my veins; the call of dark magic always set my blood pounding.

My movements were familiar as I pressed the tip of the dagger to my wrist and dragged it up the centre of my palm. Pain gave way to pleasure as the whisper of the shadows gathered around me. The dagger sang a sweet tune, delighted we’d given it the blood it craved. I could feel its draw, its power demanding I give it more blood, but I pushed the feeling away and passed the blade to Darius.

I held myself on the verge of bliss as I focused on Darius mimicking my actions. Blood slid from his palm and I reached out, clasping his hand so our wounds met and the blood dripped down between us. The second the blood hit the bones, the pull of ecstasy took over and I was dragged out of my own body, plunging into the depths of the shadows.

Dark magic felt like the best drug in the world, but it always wanted more. Training Darius in its ways had taken a long time, but he’d mastered the art of pulling away from the lure of the shadows. Even after all my years of practising it, I still wanted to go to them. Every damn time. That would never go away, but controlling my own mind was the key to using them to my advantage.

I hung in a chasm of darkness, the whispers filling my head and begging me to give in to them. They wanted more than blood, they wanted my body, my soul. My heart yearned to go to their outstretched arms, the sensation rolling over me like the sweetest caress.

I drew on my training, turning away from them and tugging Darius’s presence along with me. With an object of Lionel’s in our midst, I could latch onto the essence of him, seeking him out in Solaria. Past, present, future, it was difficult to control which we’d see. But I focused on what I needed to know, desperate to hear more of his plans for the Lunar Eclipse.

I felt my lips moving, the dark and ancient language I spoke guiding me closer and closer to what I wanted.

The veil of blackness slid aside and my feet met solid ground. Darius appeared beside me and I nodded to him as we arrived in a massive atrium with golden floors and a huge stairway at the far end that split off in three directions. Pillars of onyx flanked both sides of the hall, holding up a huge balcony which ringed the floor above us beneath an expansive ceiling of shining glass.

This was the Court of Solaria; the parliamentary building for the Celestial Council. Men and women in professional clothes strode up and down the atrium. An ornate, cubic clock hung from the centre of the ceiling, the date stamped beneath it telling me we’d landed in the past. Just yesterday.

A huge man marched right through us, our bodies not corporal in this place and I instantly recognised Lionel Acrux.

We hurried after him, the edges of the vision becoming shadowy as we moved. Lionel climbed the staircase, heading right and swinging around onto the long balcony with its mahogany railing and black doors along the wall.

He marched all the way to the end before opening a door and stepping inside. It shut before we reached him, but it didn’t matter. I stepped through the door itself, finding a desk barring our way with a prim receptionist behind it. Lionel had already moved onto the staircase beyond her and we hurried after him, following him up to an office which was the size of an entire apartment.

A long window on the far side looked back down over the atrium far below and a huge desk made entirely of gold sat before it. Everything in the room was as gaudy as it was in his home, he even had a golden bust of his own head. A dark green dragon had been painted across one wall, inlaid with emeralds which glinted under the light of a chandelier.

We moved to where Lionel was standing by the window, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed down on his subordinates.

A shrill noise sounded and Lionel moved to his desk, picking up the phone. “Yes?”

My heightened hearing caught the words on the end of the line. “Ms Orion is here to see you.”

“Send her in,” Lionel said, placing the receiver down. He shrugged out of his robe, laying it over the back of his desk chair and my spine prickled as he loosened his tie a little.

“If my father starts screwing your mom, I’m out of here,” Darius said with a grimace.

“Agreed,” I said, mirroring his expression.

Stella entered the room in a fitted black dress that accentuated her curves, her short dark hair angled to points by her chin.

 “Lionel,” she said with a wide grin. “I have wonderful news.”

Lionel smiled but it looked eerie on his face. “Tell me over a drink.” He headed to a cabinet across the room, taking out a bottle of port and pouring two small glasses.

He handed one to Stella as she approached and his fingers brushed against hers, making my insides coil with disgust. He could have any woman he wanted, did he really have to screw my mother? Not that she was objecting, the lust in her eyes was evident enough.

Lionel cast a silencing bubble and they moved to sit on a golden couch side by side.

“I’ve had a reading done by Madam Monita,” Stella said brightly and my ears pricked up at the name. She was the best astrologer in Solaria; it would have cost a fortune to get a reading from her. “The stars are firmly in our favour for the Eclipse, Lion, so long as we choose well. We must pick someone who is truly pure. It seems my daughter wasn’t good enough last time and for that I am so deeply ashamed…” She dipped her head and fury burned inside me with the heat of the sun.

Lionel caressed her cheek, drawing her up to look at him again.

“I am grateful for the sacrifice you made for our cause, Stella. And I want you to know that I am willing to make just as great a sacrifice as you.”

Stella nodded, dabbing her eyes then resting a hand on his chest. “We can’t choose wrongly again.”

“Xavier is pure blooded,” Lionel growled and my heart turned to stone. “Despite his recent emergence, I can guarantee his Order is due to whichever constellations he was linked to at birth. It has nothing to do with my blood or Catalina’s for that matter.”

Darius growled and I glanced at him with fear burning a hole in my chest.

“I will go over the scriptures again,” Stella said, nodding decisively. “I won’t risk Acrux blood if I’m not sure.”

“I trust you,” Lionel purred, drawing her closer. I thought they were about to kiss, but he rolled his zipper down like that was the most intimate thing he could offer. Before my mother bowed to his whims, I dragged Darius out of the vision with a force of energy.

We’d heard enough and hell if either of us wanted to stand there a moment longer.

I jerked back into my own body, my hand still clasped around Darius’s as he returned too. I dropped his palm, panic swimming in my chest, but it was nothing in comparison to the dread in Darius’s eyes.

“He’s going to use my brother,” Darius breathed, horror sprawling across his features.

“No,” I growled, a promise in my voice. “We will do everything in our power to stop him. I swear on the stars, Darius, we won’t let Lionel hurt Xavier like he hurt my sister.”