Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess

The wind howled around me as I strode around the lake, dark thoughts twisting through my mind and calling on the shadows as I tried to figure out how best to strike back at the Heirs.

Especially Darius.

Stupid fucking Darius with his stupid fucking face and his lying mouth and his massive fucking bed and his goddamn jacuzzi and every beautiful, perfectly crafted motorbike the world had ever seen with none of the appreciation for how they ran. He didn’t deserve to have so much. I wished I could take it all away from him. Every single thing.

I stopped still as a thought occurred to me.

There is one thing I can take from him pretty easily though…

I quit my aimless pacing and turned north, cutting a path through The Wailing Wood and heading straight for the parking lot which stood by the main gates. I may not have been able to take the Heirs on in a straight fight yet, but I could sure as shit hit them where it hurt.

My hair billowed out behind me as the storm picked up intensity, my red skirt whipping around my thighs and a chill prickling against my skin. But this was no natural gale, the wind was dancing to the tune of my power, rising up into a whirlwind around me as I channelled my rage into my air magic, needing an outlet for some of this fury.

My heart was beating to a frantic rhythm and my jaw was set in a hard line.

Darcy may have been willing to let the Heirs get away with this shit, but I wasn’t. Not anymore. Not when they painted such pretty lies and worked so damn hard to destroy us.

The parking lot appeared ahead of me and I pulled my black sweater off, tying it around my waist so that I could unleash my wings.

Gabriel had focused our Order lessons on us learning to only half transform so that we could keep our Phoenix nature hidden and now calling on my wings alone was almost easy.

They burst from my back with a surge of magic and the pure heat of them washed over me as they caught alight. For a moment, I bathed in the warmth of the fire as it stoked my magical reserves before banishing the flames so that my golden feathers caught the sunlight without them. This way if anyone spotted me, I was less likely to be recognised. The Heirs had minions everywhere and I didn’t want them to know what I was doing until it was too damn late for them to stop me.

With a hard beat of my wings, I took off. The raging winds I’d called to life swept beneath me at my call, pushing against my feathers and lifting me ever higher.

I flew straight towards the parking lot, tucking my wings tight as I made it to the top floor where the Heirs kept their cars and landing inside.

My boots pounded across the concrete as I headed straight down the line of priceless vehicles and I set my gaze on the gleaming red super bike at the end of the lot.

I approached it quickly, banishing my wings again so that I could move more easily into the small space beside it where I dropped to my knees.

I pulled a hairpin from my hair and a savage smile tugged at my lips as I quickly started tugging at the wires for the ignition so that I could hotwire this beauty.

It took a bit of time for me to work around the immobiliser and for a terrifying moment I almost set off the alarm, but I was finally rewarded for my efforts as the electrics suddenly came to life and I jumped up to start the engine.

As my thumb pressed down on the ignition, a tingle of magic swept across my skin and the hairs rose along the back of my neck. I stilled, frowning as I tried to figure out what the hell that had been. There was something about the power of it that had seemed familiar and yet I knew it wasn’t mine. It must have been something placed on the bike, but what?

A distant roar sounded and I snapped around, looking out of the parking lot and over The Wailing Wood just in time to see a huge, golden Dragon send a plume of fire into the sky in the distance.

Oh shit, that was a magical alarm hardwired to an asshole.

I glanced at the bike, half considered bailing on my plan, then kicked my leg over the saddle instead.

The deep purr of the engine rumbled between my thighs and with a twist of my wrist, I was speeding down the exit ramp with the wind tugging through my hair.

I circled down the ramp at high speed, the lot turning into a blur around me as I focused all of my attention on getting the hell out of here.

The bike rode like a dream, even better than I’d imagined. It took the ramp like I was on a speedway and before I knew it, I was heading straight towards the exit.

A barrier stood in my way and my heart lurched as I lifted a hand for a moment, casting a fireball at it as I maintained my speed.

A huge crash sounded as the barrier was destroyed and I sped straight through the dying embers of the fireball as I shot out onto the road which led off campus. But instead of turning for the gate and freedom, I swung the bike right, aiming straight back for the heart of the academy grounds.

My pulse was banging to the beat of a war drum in my chest and Darius roared again from the sky ahead of me as he drew closer.

I looked up, my hair whipping back over my shoulders from the speed of the bike as I inched it faster and faster and I spotted him flying straight towards me above The Wailing Wood.

Darius’s beady Dragon eyes were locked on me and his rage could be felt building in the air all around me as I shot straight towards him.

I gritted my teeth, refusing to show even an inch of fear while real terror rose within me at the same time. But I wouldn’t back down. Not this time. He’d pushed me too fucking far. What was with all of the bullshit last night where he pretended to give a damn about me and took me back to his room? He’d already set me up by then. He’d known what he’d done to me and Darcy and yet for a moment he’d made me think…

I gritted my teeth, a snarl of pure rage escaping me as I refused to follow that train of thought any further.

I sped down the path towards the edge of the trees. All I had to do was get beneath them before he could make it to me.

Darius roared again as we closed in on each other, each of his razor sharp teeth on show for a moment that seemed to stretch out forever as I sped straight towards him.

I shot beneath the cover of the trees just before he could reach me and the roar he released in response set the ground trembling beneath my wheels.

A smile bit into my cheeks and I laughed like a mad woman as I tugged the throttle back, shooting along the path which led into the depths of The Wailing Wood as I caught glimpses of Dragon fire and golden wings beyond the canopy above me.

I threw a silencing bubble up around me to hide the sound of the bike just as I took a sharp left, veering towards Air Territory.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever ridden so fast in all my life. It was exhilarating, terrifying, liberating and utterly freeing. I was unstoppable. Like a force of nature that even a Dragon couldn’t capture.

My momentary cockiness was burst like a bubble as the sound of a wolf howling filled the trees around me.

“She’s heading for Aer Tower!” Max’s voice called out between the trees and I twisted my head, spotting him riding on Seth’s back in his huge white Werewolf form as they chased me too.

I threw a hard shield of air magic up alongside the silencing bubble before he could cast any magic at me and dragged the throttle back even further.

Seth might be as fast as a hell dog in his Order form but he was no match for the beast beneath me and I was soon pulling away from them as I sped on down the path. 

But I wasn’t in the clear, there was one Heir who could match my speed and I hadn’t caught sight of him yet.

I shot out of the trees and took a hairpin turn towards Aer Tower. I dropped the silencing bubble as I spotted students on the path ahead of me, needing them to hear me coming so that they would get out of my goddamn way.

Screams filled the air as I rode fast between the bodies, weaving back and forth at high speed to avoid them and riding right past Aer Tower.

A roar filled the heavens behind me and heat brushed against my skin as a huge ball of Dragon Fire shot overhead.

I twisted in my seat to look over my shoulder, spotting the enormous golden Dragon closing in on me. Seth and Max were racing along the path behind me too and the adrenaline in my veins burned with white hot energy as I quickly looked back at the path ahead of me to take the next turn.

I shot around the corner, opening up the throttle as the crowd of students disappeared and I took the path which led straight to the cliffs above Air Cove.

Darius bellowed his rage at the sky again and I felt the lick of his flames curling over my air shield.

Fire can’t hurt me, asshole.

Suddenly the cliff appeared ahead of me, the blue sky opening up above it and calling me on.

Almost there!

Caleb appeared in a flash of movement, blocking the path ahead and gritting his teeth as he wielded the earth to do his bidding.

The ground quaked and trembled beneath me, the bike bucking on the uneven terrain as an earthquake shuddered through the ground.

I almost fell off but I managed to cast air at the last moment, righting the bike as my heart leapt in panic.

Darius roared again right behind me, so close that I could practically feel Dragon breath on the back of my neck.

I turned the bike sharply, aiming it at the horizon and throwing my hand out to force the earth to create a smooth path ahead of me.

I loosed the throttle, drawing it back as far as it would go and the engine bellowed beneath me as I shot straight towards the edge of the cliff.

Caleb fought to regain control of the earth and Seth howled his fury behind me as Max threw his air magic at my shield, trying to break it open. But it didn’t matter. They couldn’t stop me. 

The ground bucked beneath me just as I hit the edge of the cliff and the bike took off.

A whoop of excitement and fear tore from my lips as I soared out over nothing and the huge drop beneath me sent my gut spiralling with vertigo.

I stayed in the saddle until the bike began to fall then leapt out of it, my wings bursting from my back with Phoenix fire burning blue and red along the length of them.

I beat my wings and watched as the bike fell and fell and – CRASH! It slammed into the rocks which protruded from the sea with an almighty bang, the beautiful bodywork destroyed in one fell swoop. It didn’t explode like in the movies though and that was disappointing. With a flick of my fingers, I sent a fireball chasing after it and a huge explosion tore from the machine as the flames found the gas tank.

For a moment I felt a pang of guilt for the beautiful piece of machinery as it died but the roar of absolute fury that tore from Darius’s throat a moment later made it worth it.

A wave of Dragon fire washed from his mouth, punching through my shield and coming straight for me. I yelled out in surprise, throwing my arms up and casting a wall of red and blue Phoenix flames between us just before his fire could touch me.

The Dragon and Phoenix fire burned gold as it merged but the power of my flames consumed his with a flare of white hot energy.

Before he could come at me again, I turned and shot away from him, flying fast and hard with the aid of my air magic to speed me on.

Caleb and Max were shouting back and forth and the four of them raced after me as I powered away towards Fire Territory with my heart in my throat and victory burning a path down my limbs.

They were mad as all hell, but I was as fast as lightning with the wind I was casting behind me and if they wanted to punish me for what I’d just done, they were going to have to catch me.

The barren landscape of Fire Territory didn’t offer up many potential hiding places but as I swept over it, I spotted a cloud of steam hanging thickly in the distance. Where Water and Fire Territory merged, the Shimmering Springs sprawled out in pools of hot water which created a maze of paths and caverns far too narrow for a Dragon to navigate.

I sped towards them, tucking my wings and extinguishing the flames which lined them as I dove into the cloud of steam.

Darius roared somewhere behind me but he wasn’t close.

I dropped to the ground and started running down the little alleyways between the pools, the thick steam making it hard for me to see as I ran on. I banished my wings so the weight of them wouldn’t hold me up and my shoulder blades tingled as my Order form withdrew beneath my flesh again.

I cast a silencing bubble around me to hide myself further and spotted a narrow cave cut into the side of the rocks.

I darted into it and dragged my black sweater back on to hide myself better as I leaned back within the shadows.

For several long moments the only thing I could hear was the frantic pounding of my heart but then Seth’s voice came on the wind.

“She probably ran straight out into Water Territory!” he called just as he stepped onto a path in the distance. The other Heirs moved close to him and I noticed that he and Darius had put their clothes back on. I guessed either Max or Caleb had carried them for them while they hunted me which was a shame because this would have been even funnier if the two of them had been running all around campus with their dicks flapping about as they tried to find me.

“She’s probably run back to the Ass Society at The Orb,” Max put in.

“I’ll head there and check,” Caleb said, shooting away before the others even replied.

“When I find her, I’m gonna fucking destroy her,” Darius snarled, his eyes flashing with rage.

“What do you want us to do?” Seth asked him, seeming unsure of how to best go about tracking me down.

“Go and hunt in Water Territory and check back at her room in Ignis house if you don’t find her there,” Darius growled. “And if you do find her, hold her until I get there. This is personal.”

“Oh this is gonna be good,” Seth said excitedly before turning and running away with Max right beside him.

Silence stretched as Darius stayed where he was, turning slowly as he looked all around at the maze of paths which led between the hundreds of little pools and waterfalls which made up the hot springs. 

“Roxy!” Darius bellowed suddenly. “I know you’re still here somewhere. Come out and face me like Fae!”

My spine straightened and I gritted my teeth at that challenge and I only hesitated for a moment before stepping out of the shadows. Because what the hell else was I going to do anyway? It wasn’t like he’d forget about this and hiding any longer would only be delaying the inevitable. This fight was coming whether I liked it or not.

Though in that moment, the fire in my veins said that maybe I did like it. I was sick of him pushing me around and treating me like shit. It was time for me to stand and face him like Fae. And if he knocked me on my ass then that was fine. Because I’d just get right back up and come at him again. And again. Until he was the one staring up at me from the dirt.

I waved a hand to dispel my silencing bubble and strolled straight towards him. “Are you looking for me?” I asked innocently as he whirled around to face me.

The rage in his eyes burned right into my soul and for a moment my bravado faltered. But only for a moment. I might have been terrified of Darius Acrux, but I wasn’t going to let him know it.

“You must have a death wish, Roxy,” he growled, striding forward and closing the distance between us until there was nothing more than an inch of space dividing our bodies.

“I’ve just got a no more assholes wish,” I countered. “And I’m not going to put up with your bullshit anymore.”

“Well wishes like that don’t come true in Solaria, Princess. And if you’re going to stand up and fight me then you’ll be the one paying the consequences.”

“I think you’re the one who’ll end up paying, oh mighty Fire Heir, because your flames can’t hurt me and your power can’t match me. So why don’t you just give up now before I end up dragging you through the dirt in front of the entire Kingdom?”

Darius snarled right in my face, leaning close threateningly and I slammed my palms into his chest, knocking him back a step with the force of my hatred. 

His eyes flared and he shoved me right back. My back collided with the rock wall behind me, a faint hiss of pain shooting along my spine, as he came straight for me. 

I glared at him, raising my chin defiantly, daring him to do his worst as he reached out and snatched a handful of my hair into his grasp, tugging on it hard enough to tilt my head back. A gasp of pain parted my lips and his mouth collided with mine a moment later as my heart leapt at the unexpected turn of this argument. 

For several long seconds I was thrown, tossed into the flames as my lips parted for his without question and his tongue invaded my mouth. He kissed me hungrily. Possessively. Claiming every piece of me for his own and a moan was dragged from me as my knees buckled and I was filled with the overwhelming urge to give in to exactly what he wanted from me. Let him take me, use me, own me, have every piece and break them all apart just because he could. 

I was submerged in the cage of his arms and the temptation of his flesh. But he hadn’t managed to drown me before and I didn’t plan on allowing it now. 

With a wrench of determination, I jerked backwards, parting our lips through pure force of will. 

The second I was free of him, I swung my right hand at him, slapping him square across his jaw as rage ate me alive. 

Darius stared down at me in surprise for a long moment and pure, unbridled hatred lit the air between us. We glared at each other, each waiting for the other to make the next move.

Steam from the hot pools swept between us, shrouding my view of him and making my heart pound with panic as I wondered what I’d find in his gaze once it cleared. 

The mist blew away again and the tingling of my lips drew my gaze to his mouth. 

We stayed utterly still, my chest was heaving with deep breaths and about a thousand insults sat waiting on the tip of my tongue. But I held them there, reaching into the space between us instead and fisting my hand in the material of his black T-shirt as I yanked him towards me again. 

His kiss almost burned me as the heat of this moment brought our magic to the surface of our skin and energy raced through every small point of contact between us. 

His body pressed to mine, driving me back against the wall as I gasped into his mouth and his tongue took me captive. 

His hand came to my jaw as he pinned me in place, his hips grinding against mine so that I could feel how hard he was already through the layers of material that separated us. It sent a wave of delicious temptation through me as I was forced to clench my thighs together and fight the urges raised in my flesh by his touch.  

I dragged the material I was still fisting lower, yanking on it so hard that I heard it rip. Darius growled against my lips and I moaned hungrily as he kissed me harder and my hands made it to the tear in his T-shirt before pushing inside. My heart pounded as I swept my palms across the firm muscles of his chest, my fingertips pressing down firmly as I explored every curve and ridge. 

His hold on my face tightened as I touched him and his hand slipped to encase my neck. 

I inhaled sharply, breaking our kiss for a moment as he tightened his grip. He pinned me in place with his hand around my throat, taking the chance to shift his attention from my bruised lips to run a trail of kisses down my neck which were punctuated by drags of his teeth across my flesh. I leaned back a little, half meaning to shift his grip from my throat and half wanting to give him more access to it. He refused to release me as he bit down right below where his thumb held me, just hard enough to hurt but not quite enough to break the skin. 

I moaned in protest, jerking my head back as I pushed my hands further beneath his ruined T-shirt. 

Darius yanked on my hair again to hold me still and sucked on my neck hard enough to leave a mark.

I groaned in frustration as he continued to use his position to leave marks on my neck without kissing my lips again. 

I stopped the exploration I was making of his body and raked my fingernails down his perfect chest, feeling his skin break beneath the pressure I exerted. 

Darius growled at me and the sound of it sent a wave of fear and anticipation racing down my spine and heat flooding between my thighs. I arched into him, my breasts pressing against his chest and he gave in to me, returning his attention to my mouth again. 

I moaned as he kissed me, releasing his grip on my neck so that he could find my breast, his hand grasping through the thin material of my sweater as my nipple hardened in response to his touch. 

The grip he still held in my hair tightened to the point of pain which felt so fucking good I cried out. I pushed at his ruined T-shirt, shoving the material up until he was forced to break away from me to rip it over his head. 

He released my hair but the moment his shirt hit the ground, he stepped forward again and pushed my skirt up, catching the backs of my thighs and hoisting me up into his arms. I parted my legs so that he could step between them and he drove me back against the rock wall again, hitting it hard enough to knock a cascade of gravel tumbling down on us. 

His fingers dug into my ass as he held me against him and I locked my ankles behind his back, squeezing my legs together so that he was pressed against me as firmly as possible. I could feel how hard he was as he ground up against me through his jeans, the rough material grazing my inner thighs in a way that set my blood pumping. 

His kisses were setting me alight, my whole body bowing to the carnal desire I’d felt for him since the very first time I’d seen him. 

He was still all the things I hated about him but he was also my own personal brand of hell. And I’d been sinning for a long time, waiting for him to punish me. 

Darius pinned me against the wall with his body and shifted his hand beneath my skirt until he reached the lacy material of my black panties. 

His fingers twisted around the side of them, tightening into a fist as he gave them a sharp yank. 

I gasped as he ripped them off of me, the material cutting into my thigh before it broke. 

His hand moved between us and I gasped he pushed a finger straight inside me.

He groaned hungrily as he felt just how much I wanted him, pushing a second finger into me and drawing them in and out at a perfect pace which had me panting in his arms.

I raked my hands through his black hair as I kissed him again, dragging him against me like I wanted to devour him whole.

I could feel him smiling in anticipation against my mouth as he kissed me again and I drew his bottom lip into my mouth before biting down hard enough to draw blood. 

Darius yanked his head back, pushing his tongue against the bite on his lip as his eyes swum with dark promises which coiled their way through me.

He drew his fingers back out of me and I groaned in disappointment as he watched me with a gaze so heated it set every inch of my flesh on fire.

My grip landed on his biceps and my gaze dipped down to take in the sculpted perfection of his chest and arms and the swirling ink which covered them. 

A twist of black flames ran over his shoulder and I moved my hand, scoring the line of the tattoo with my thumbnail as he watched. His powerful shoulders tensed and he dropped me to my feet suddenly, stepping back so that the heat of his body was lost to me. 

He hooked his thumb into his belt as he began to pull it loose and I stepped forward, knocking his hands aside as I took it from him instead. 

I yanked on the belt, slipping it free of its buckle and dragging it out of its loops.

Darius’s hands found my waist and he pushed them beneath the base of my sweater, his fingers sweeping across my skin beneath the material. He snatched the hem into his grip with an impatient growl before yanking it over my head. 

He groaned at the sight of my lace bra which matched the panties he’d already destroyed and revealed my hardened nipples pressing through it. 

I dropped his belt with my sweater and undid the button on his fly, kissing him again as I made him walk back several steps and I pushed my hand inside his jeans. 

Darius growled as I took the full, hard length of him in my hand, my pulse hitching with anticipation as I felt the size of him. I began to move my hand up and down as his kisses moved along my neck again, trailing fire across my flesh.

He caught my wrist suddenly, pulling my hand out of his jeans and spinning me around so that my back was pressed to his stomach. He pinned my arm across my body and I pushed my ass back against him at the sound of his pants hitting the ground behind me. 

His dick pressed into my ass and I ground back against it, groaning at how hard he was and knowing my body was reacting just as keenly to his. 

I tugged an arm free of his hold and reached back over my shoulder, gripping his neck and turning my head so that I could kiss him again as he roughly pushed at my skirt. It fell down my thighs and I stepped out of it, kicking my boots off in the same movement. 

Darius gripped my hip and pushed me forward like he was planning on bending me over the rocky ledge of the pool beside us but that wasn’t going to work for me. I wouldn’t be turning my damn back on him.

I twisted in his arms, smacking his hand off of me as he tried to fight against what I wanted. He snatched my wrist into his grasp to stop me from smacking him again and a growl escaped him which had my heart thundering to a heady beat.

“No,” I snapped.

“You want me to stop?” Darius asked, his voice rough with desire.

My gaze travelled over his naked body and I bit my lip hungrily as I took in every mouthwatering inch of him.

“Don’t stop,” I replied but I still wasn’t going to let him bend me over that rock.

He assessed my body with just as much need in his gaze and kissed me hard as he drove me back towards the pool.  

This time I let him move me as I shook his hand off of my wrist and clasped the back of his neck with my hands, gripping so hard that I knew I was marking him with my nails. 

The pain only seemed to drive him on as his rough stubble bit at the soft skin of my face. 

He caught my waist, his fingers bruising as he lifted me over the rocky wall and carried me into the hot pool.

My feet hit the bottom as the blue water lapped around my waist, gravel brushing across my toes as I backed up with Darius hounding after me, his kisses growing more urgent, his hands grasping at my breasts beneath my bra as I ran my hands all over him. 

He hooked an arm around my back, pulling me flush against his body while still urging me backwards. 

The hot water washed around our waists and he kept walking as he kissed, sucked and bit my neck and I clung to his shoulders, tipping my head back to give him more access. 

At the back of the pool a small waterfall tumbled down a glistening rock face and he shoved me back against it, gripping the backs of my thighs so tightly that it hurt as he hoisted me back into his arms and I hooked my legs around his waist. 

He broke away from kissing me and looked straight into my eyes half a second before claiming my body with one powerful thrust of his hips. 

I cried out as the full, hard length of him drove inside me, filling me completely and sending my thoughts scattering. 

He didn’t give me a moment to adjust before pulling back and slamming into me again. 

The constant trickle of the waterfall tumbled over us, slipping between our bodies so that our skin slid against each other. I moaned in need, my body demanding more as he shifted his mouth over my collar bone towards my breasts which were straining against the thin fabric of my bra, the only barrier left between us.

His mouth landed on my nipple over the lace, his teeth raking at the material as he growled in frustration. I gasped as he slammed into me again, yanking the strap of my bra down to give him the access he wanted. 

The next thrust of his hips was met with his mouth claiming my nipple. He bit down and I hissed in pain and pleasure, dragging my nails across his shoulders in response, demanding more of it.  

Darius growled again and I could feel the vibrations of it deep inside my body as he thrusted into me again and again. 

I cried out, my muscles tightening around him as he kept up the relentless pace. My head was spinning and curses spilled from my lips as I matched the movements of his body to mine. 

My nails gouged lines across his back, his neck, his shoulders. His mouth was everywhere, kisses that made my toes curl followed by bites which made me cry out. I was as savage as he was, tearing into his flesh while claiming all the pleasure I wanted from it. 

My whole body was alight with his touch and even as I felt him driving me towards the edge, I knew it wouldn’t be enough. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get enough of the feeling of his body against mine. 

He released my breast and shifted up to claim my lips again, pushing his tongue into my mouth and devouring the cries which were spilling from my lips as he kept up his relentless pace. 

It was like he needed more of me despite the fact that he was taking it all already and I was giving it willingly. 

I gripped his shoulders as his fingers dug into my thighs and I had to break our kiss to take a breath as my heart slammed against my ribs, fighting to keep up with his demands on my flesh which were making my entire body tremble with want and need. 

The whole world narrowed to the feeling of him inside me as I tightened around him again and a cry fell from my lips as pleasure unlike anything I’d ever known crashed through my body. 

Darius followed me over the edge, groaning into my neck as he found his release too.

Our chests were pressed against each other’s, our heavy breathing the only sound to pass between us as he leaned his forehead to the rock wall beside me, his rough cheek scraping against mine. He still held my legs up, our bodies still connected as I fought to catch my breath and water continued to tumble over us. 

I slid my hands from his shoulders, running them down slowly until my palms rested against his chest. 

He turned his head and I moved to meet his kiss even though I’d already taken what I’d wanted from him. 

This kiss was slower, deeper, his lips skating across mine in a gentle caress which was a million miles from the punishing passion which we’d both just succumbed to. I arched my back against him, reaching up to stroke my fingers along his jaw as we lingered a little longer in the moment. 

When he finally pulled back, he caught my eye and something in his gaze seemed to call to me. Like he needed me to see him. The real him. Just for that second. I wondered if I was giving him a true glimpse of me in response as I brushed my thumb along his jaw and he tilted into my touch like he ached for it. Enough to let me know he craved the feeling of my touch on his skin. 

My thumb made it to his chin and I withdrew my hand, frowning slightly at myself for touching him that way. 

Our breathing evened out and Darius lowered my legs back down to the bottom of the pool as he stepped back, breaking the contact between us. 

He looked down at me, his dark eyes full of questions and a glimmer of something I didn’t want to address. 

I bit my lip, wondering briefly why I’d just given into temptation with him before pushing that thought aside. I could beat myself up over it later, right now I needed to deal with the Dragon in front of me. 

His gaze hardened as he looked at me, the anger which couldn’t be sated by what we’d just done returning to hang between us. 

I scowled at him in response, pulling my bra strap back over my shoulder as I fought to wrangle my thoughts away from the wanton desires of my flesh. 

Darius took another step back, the pool lapping around his waist as I stayed where I was with the waterfall cascading over my shoulders. 

He opened his mouth to say something but I got there first, striding towards him through the water.

“This doesn’t change anything,” I said aggressively, knocking my shoulder against his arm as I passed him. 

“Thank fuck for that,” he replied darkly. 

I ignored him, heading for the edge of the pool and my clothes so that I could get the hell away from him. 

As I gripped the edge and started to pull myself up, a gust of wind drove down on me and I flinched instinctively, looking up as water fell over me like raindrops, spilling from Darius’s Dragon body as he soared away. 

I watched as he banked hard and twisted out of sight into the clouds, brushing my thumb across my swollen lips. 

My body was still tingling with the memory of his and I frowned as I headed over to reclaim my clothes. 

Darius Acrux was probably the most pig headed, arrogant, infuriating man I’d ever met. But he was fucking mind blowing in the sack.