Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess

I rushed out of The Orb, needing space and air and fucking anything to make this pain inside me go away. I walked blindly, tears fogging my vision and making me want to scream. More than that, I wanted to rip the Heirs apart with my bare hands. But I couldn’t. Not with Seth hanging a sword over Orion’s head. He’d destroy him. But Tory…I’d just let her down so badly. I’d hurt my own flesh and blood. I’d abandoned her when she needed me, with the aim of protecting someone else. But the consequences for Orion were too steep, I couldn’t attack Seth and let him ruin his entire life.

“Hey Vega Whore!” a girl shouted and I recognised Marguerite’s voice with a pang of dread.

My heart hammered as I spotted her with Kylie and a group of their friends walking toward me down the path. Kylie’s eyes were puffy and red and pure hatred seeped from her expression as she glared at me.

I clenched my jaw as they came to a halt before me and ice froze the inside of my palms as I prepared to defend myself.

“Do you think you’re special because Seth Capella dicked you?” Marguerite said with a cold laugh and Jillian and the others sniggered. “He probably thought pity fucking you would make you stop following him around.”

“Shut up,” I snarled, anger rising in me like a wild beast.

“What are you gonna do to make me?” she hissed, raising her hands so flames coiled in them.

“Sethy wouldn’t touch you unless he was blind drunk!” Kylie suddenly piped up, her lower lip quivering.

I wished I could deny that I ever screwed him, but they would all just question him about it. He’d know I told the truth and then what would he do? Seth was volatile, unpredictable and vicious. There was no doubt he’d tell Nova about me and Orion if I admitted to his lie. But that didn’t mean I had to be kind about him.

“Maybe you should stop caring about a waste of space asshole like Seth,” I shot at Kylie. “He chewed you up and spat you out, and frankly he couldn’t get a girl off if he had a map and a vibrator so I really don’t see what the fuss is about.” If my reputation was going down the drain, then so was his.

I marched forward as Kylie’s hair exploded into a sea of snakes, all hissing at me venomously. “Slut!”

I’d had enough of this. I blasted a path through the centre of their group with a gust of air and darted into it, but before I got through, someone made the ground lurch at my feet.

I crashed to my knees and my spine tingled with the urge to shift as anger spilled into every corner of my body. I swung around and found Kylie standing above me. I raised my hands to fight off the attack I expected, but she did something much worse than blast me with magic. She spat in my face and I jerked backwards in shock.

Her group of friends roared with laughter and all of them hurried off down the path toward The Orb. I trembled from head to toe, rising to my feet and pulling my sleeve over my hand as I rubbed the spit from my cheeks. My chest felt like it was cracking, breaking open and ready to unleash a torrent of pain into the sky.

I started running and made it to The Wailing Wood before I came apart, slipping between the trees and choking down a lungful of air as I pressed my back to a huge oak and slid to the ground. I cast a silencing bubble around myself and screamed until my lungs were raw.

My Atlas was pinging and pinging and a part of me wanted to smash the damn thing. But eventually, when my heart stopped hurting enough for me to breathe, I took it out and stared numbly at the screen. Orion had messaged me a hundred times since last night and though I’d answered to tell him I was okay, that was all I could really say. And that was a lie anyway. How was any of this okay?

It looked like he’d seen the article and I tapped on his latest message with an ache in my chest.

Lance:

I shouldn’t have left last night. This never would have happened.

Where are you? I need to see you.

I answered by sending him my location on a map and shut my eyes, resting my head back against the tree. Maybe he’d have an answer to this because I sure as hell couldn’t come up with one. All I knew was that letting my sister down like this wasn’t an option. So I’d tell her the truth, come clean about it all. She deserved that. And at least then she’d know why I couldn’t strike back at the Heirs, not until I could sort out this mess with Seth.

Orion appeared in a blur and I disbanded my silencing bubble as my heart thumped with the relief of him being here. He was dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt, his hair dishevelled and his eyes red from lack of sleep. He dragged me to my feet in an instant and wrapped me in his arms. We were hidden here behind the huge tree trunk so I didn’t have to fear being seen.

I came apart, tears escaping me as I clung onto him, wondering how a single day could have caused so much destruction. If I’d heeded that warning Nova had sent out about Halloween, maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess. The stars had been volatile and we’d both ignored them in favour of some time in each other’s company. Stupid. Idiotic. Moronic. There wasn’t a word strong enough for it. We’d been reckless time and again and our luck had finally run out.

He held me until the tears dried up, kissing my hair and murmuring soothing words.

“I have to tell Tory,” I said, stepping back and wiping the tears from my cheeks as I clung on to the resilience in me. “It’s the only way to fix things between us. She’ll understand and then we can work out what to do together.”

Orion swallowed thickly then slowly nodded. “You’re right…I’ll tell Darius too. He’ll talk to Seth and make him back off and keep him from telling anyone. I won’t let him hurt you.”

Hope glimmered in my heart as I nodded and he moved closer, his expression broken and full of regret. “I’m so sorry for coming to that fucking party.”

I shut my eyes, shaking my head. “We’ve both done stupid things to be together. We could have been caught a hundred times.”

“But of all the Fae in Solaria,” Orion growled, clawing a hand into his hair. “Why did it have to be Seth fucking Capella?”

“I know,” I sighed heavily. “Is there any way to undo this?” I didn’t really expect an answer, because I knew there wasn’t one, but darkness swirled in Orion’s gaze and anxiety prickled my spine at his next words.

“There’s one thing I could try but…” He shook his head.

“What?” I begged.

“Dark Coercion,” he said thickly. “But the consequences of casting it on an Heir to the Solarian throne are unthinkable.”

“Then don’t,” I said immediately, clutching his hand. “You can’t risk breaking the law again, Lance. It’s not worth it.”

“For you, anything’s worth it,” he said and my heart broke because I knew he meant it and it was almost too much to bear. “Do you wish you’d never come to me, Blue?” he asked and I knew what he was referring to. The night I’d broken into Asteroid Place and banged on his door with blue hair and high hopes, telling him I wanted him.

“Don’t say that,” I said in horror. The shadows pressed closer in my mind and I felt them spread between us for a moment like they were feeding on the dark emotions we were feeling. I pushed them back, focusing on the man in front of me who owned my heart and who I knew would do anything in the world to protect me. “I can’t regret it. But if you get arrested because of me, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“You must,” he growled like it was a decided fate.

“Don’t you dare give up,” I demanded, fire burning hot in my veins and chasing away the cold.

“I’m not, but Blue…if this all falls apart, you have to do as I ask. You have to let me take the fall alone.”

“No,” I snarled, rage crashing through my chest like thunder. “I’m just as responsible as you are.”

He lifted a hand, running his thumb along the line of my cheekbone, not saying another word. I could feel this argument wasn’t settled, but I didn’t want to fight right now. I had to try and fix this shitstorm which had hit my life in the past twenty four hours.

“If I was a stronger man, I’d tell you to stay away from me. I’d break this off and let the dust settle until Capella had nothing to hold against us. There’s no video, no evidence, and his memory will fade in a year or so. It wouldn’t stand up in court even if they used a Cyclops. There’s a point where memories become inadmissible in court.”

“I don’t want to stay away,” I whispered, because I knew it was impossible for me to. I felt bound to him like the stars had wrapped golden thread around us and refused to let us go. In the very root of my bones, I knew we belonged together.

“Good. Because I’m not a better man,” he said in a low growl, his eyes full of shadows. “I’m the devil and I want you. I want you like I’ve never wanted anything or anyone. And I will fight to make you mine, no matter what it takes. No force in Solaria will rip us apart.”

I stared at him in awe of his words, lost to the power of them. I clutched his hand and nodded firmly. “I’ll fight for you too, Lance Orion. Whatever it takes.”

“Whatever it takes,” he echoed and a clap of power sparked between our hands. I sucked in a breath of surprise and a sad sort of smile pulled at his mouth.

“Looks like you just struck a deal with me, Blue. No backing out now, not unless we want the stars to turn against us too.”

“Hell, I don’t need any more enemies. Especially not amongst the stars.” An empty laugh escaped me.

“Agreed,” he said grimly.

“I’m going to go find Tory,” I told him, not wanting to wait a second longer and he nodded, squeezing my fingers.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No,” I breathed and fog rose before me in the air. “I need to do this alone. She’s my sister and I’ve hurt her. I have to make things right between us.”

“Okay.” He leaned in, pressing his ice cold lips to my burning hot ones and I melted for half a second, stealing the brief second of peace he offered me. “Go,” he urged, then he was gone in a blur of movement and I stepped out from behind the tree with hope in my heart.

I hurried along the frosty ground, stuffing my hands into my coat pockets and urging more of my fire magic into my veins. I headed for Ignis House, hoping Tory had gone there but I’d search the entire campus until I found her anyway.

Before I reached the end of the trail leading toward Fire Territory, a shadow stepped onto the path, haloed by the hazy morning sun. Rage swam in my blood as I came face to face with Seth Capella once more.

“Thought you might have headed this way,” he mused, walking toward me. “Looking for your sister, right?”

“What do you want?” I snarled, refusing to answer his question. I took my hands from my pockets and brought fire to my fingertips in preparation of an attack.

“Well a thank you would be nice. I did tuck you into bed last night after all, babe.” He smirked and poison trickled down my spine. I’d never hated a person as much as I hated him. None of the Heirs compared. He was my personal enemy. My fucking nemesis and some deep, innate part of me wanted to destroy him Fae on Fae.

“How kind of you after you spent the hours before that destroying my damn life.”

“Yeah about that…I’m here to make things even less enjoyable for you.”

Panic swirled in my gut, but I fought not to let it show on my face. My tongue felt too heavy as he stepped forward and I immediately took a fighting stance as he slinked toward me like a predator.

“See…the thing is, I can’t have you running off to Tory and ruining all of my fun, babe.” He pushed a hand into his dark hair, the white washed out of it from last night. His cocky smirk grew and a bloodthirsty creature awoke in me. “Caleb was listening in when she asked you to come at us earlier and I know you said no because of what I’d do if you did. And that’s the way things are going to stay.”

He drew closer, his shadow falling over me and it felt like he’d just blotted out all the light in the world.

“Don’t do this,” I hissed. “I have a right to tell her.”

“You did.” He shrugged casually. “But I just took that right away from you.”

I lunged forward on instinct, a growl tearing from my throat as I brought up a fistful of flames. My knuckles crunched as they slammed against a solid air shield I couldn’t see and a cry of pain escaped me.

“Fuck you!” I roared at him and my shout was echoed back to me from far away. I squared up to him as he continued to smile, my Order form rising, begging to be unleashed on him. “One day I’m going to crush you under my heel,” I promised. “I’m going to deliver every ounce of pain on you that you’ve delivered on me and everyone I love.”

“Love?” he toyed with that word, his tongue wrapping around it like it was as sweet as candy. “I assume you mean your sister and not your plaything professor?”

I tsked, refusing to answer that. It was none of his business what I felt for anyone.

I glanced over his shoulder, still determined to head to Ignis House to see Tory and make this right. But I could see Seth wasn’t going to allow it.

“I wonder what they’ll say about Orion in the papers. Do you think they’ll call him a pervert or a monster? Both maybe?”

“Stop it,” I spat. “He’s none of those things.”

“You never know what papers will print about people,” he said, hinting at today’s news article.

“Do you think I care what people say about me? What you say about me?” I moved up as close as I could get with his air shield barring my way to him. “You’re nothing, Seth Capella. You’re just a boy kicking his toys out of the pram because I bother you. I get under your skin and you can’t handle that like a man. This isn’t facing me like Fae, it’s pathetic. And if you think you’ve won, you are so wrong. The stars are on my side because they see you for the worthless creature that you are. And they’ll pay you back through me.”

The smile had fallen from his face to be replaced by a dark scowl, one filled with pain and bitterness and something darker than even the shadows lurking under my skin.

I turned to walk away and he caught my wrist in a vice-like hold. I shook him off, letting fire flash up my skin to burn him away and he flinched back with a wolfish snarl.

“Don’t walk away from me!” he roared but I didn’t look back. I moved faster and faster, taking out my Atlas and calling Orion, clinging onto my final ray of hope.

We can still fix this.

There’s still a chance.

He answered on the first ring. “Did you find her?”

I cast a silencing bubble around myself to keep our conversation private.

“No,” my voice cracked. “Seth found me first.” I relayed what had happened and could practically feel Orion’s fury pouring down the line and into me.

“I’ll talk to Darius.”

“Do it soon,” I pleaded. “We have to stop Seth.”

“We will, Blue, I promise. I’m looking for him now.”

I sighed, some of the heaviness leaving my lungs but not nearly enough. The shadows were creeping into my bones and it was getting harder to fight them off.

“Are you alright?” he asked when I said nothing.

“It’s the shadows,” I said honestly.

“Try to breathe, relax. They’re feeding on these emotions. Don’t fall into their trap.”

“I’m trying.” I shut my eyes as I walked, their sweet caress tangling around me.

“Come to me…I’m here, just a little further.”

Orion was talking but I was falling deeper and I couldn’t get out. My eyes wouldn’t open and a sticky weight descended on my bones.

“So close, reach for me. We can help each other.”

A tranquil calm fell over me and I relished its embrace as it stole away the fear in my heart and the desperation I’d felt just moments ago. The darkness sang to me like a lullaby and I wanted to climb into its hold and never come back.

“Darcy!” Someone was shouting but I couldn’t think who, the darkness was getting thicker and I was moving further and further away from the world, drifting through a sea of black.

“Wake up, Miss Vega!” Someone shook me and I jerked out of the dark, finding Orion’s inky eyes boring into mine.

I was on the ground, gazing up at the canopy fanning out above him. The sound of girls giggling caught my ear as a group of students headed by.

“You’re all in detention!” Orion barked at them and their laughter stopped dead. His frantic gaze fell back to me and I blinked hard, pushing him back in fear of anyone else suspecting something between us except a normal student/teacher relationship.

“Shit,” I hissed, rubbing my head where I must have hit it on the ground.

Orion quickly healed it then helped me to my feet. I stepped away even though there was no one else on the path now, but it wasn’t worth the risk.

“Thank you,” I sighed then realised my silencing bubble was still in place and quickly disbanded it. “Now go find Darius,” I demanded and he frowned.

“I’ve been looking everywhere and he’s not answering his fucking Atlas.” He glanced over my shoulder. “I’ll find him. We’ll talk later,” he murmured and I nodded before he shot away again.

I looked behind me, spotting more students moving down the path, the easy smiles on their faces tying a knot of jealousy in my gut. What would it be like to attend this academy with no shitty Heirs ruining your life at every turn?

I shook off the pointless feeling and hurried along with the intention of looking for Darius too. I didn’t know how he’d react to this news, but I trusted Orion. And if he thought Darius could sort this mess out for us, then I believed him. But seeking him out for help when I couldn’t ask my sister for it was a bitter pill to swallow.

If I’d just gone with my gut and told her initially, none of this would be happening. I hadn’t wanted to drag her into my mess, but she was my twin. She’d stand by me through everything even if she didn’t approve, even if she thought the idea of me and Orion was insane.

I’ll let you know everything soon, Tor, and then I’ll never lie to you again a day in my entire life.