Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess

I queued outside Cardinal Magic between Sofia and Tory, eyeing Diego who was close to the front of the line in his uniform and black beanie hat, staring at his Atlas.

“Is he ever going to drop the shit?” Tory said under her breath.

“He hardly even talks to me anymore either,” Sofia said with a sad frown.

“I don’t get why he doesn’t just apologise,” I said.

Part of me still felt bad for hitting him after he’d said he wished Orion had died when the Nymphs attacked. But even though I knew Diego had reasons to dislike Orion, I still felt fiercely protective of him and the mere suggestion of him being hurt had sent me to a dark place.

The door flew open and Orion stepped out of the classroom with a stern look. “Are you all loitering out here on purpose today?”

Everyone stared at him in surprise.

“Since when is he ever on time?” Tory whispered and I stifled a laugh.

“Today obviously, Miss Vega. Now get inside!” he barked, turning and striding back into the room as everyone hurried to follow.

I headed to my seat, finding Diego’s desk vacated beside mine and spotting him walking towards the back of the room, dropping into an empty seat. I pursed my lips, trying to catch his eye but he determinedly looked at his Atlas.

The white-blond boy, Elijah Indus, moved to his desk, his chair still missing since the last time he’d pissed Orion off so he had to remain standing, looking tired already as he laid out his books.

I faced the board, curious as Orion wrote his quote of the day on the board.

YOU ALL PASSED THE RECKONING.

I arched a brow, glancing at Tory. “That’s almost a compliment,” I breathed and she laughed, but our amusement died away as Orion added more to the board.

THE STARS MUST BE FUCKING WITH ME.

He turned to us with a wide grin and a few nervous laughs rang out. When he didn’t rebuke them, several more people laughed and a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

“Right, Corbin.” He pointed at Tyler in the front row. “Give me one good reason why you’re still sitting in my classroom.”

“I er, passed The Reckoning, sir?” Tyler tried.

“That’s a mindlessly fucking stupid answer,” Orion said, his smile withering. “Try again.”

“Umm…I got an A on my Tarot paper the other week?” he suggested with a shrug.

“You got a B minus,” Orion corrected, arching a brow.

“How did you-” Tyler started, but Orion cut over him.

“You’re still here, Tyler, because as much as you irritate the stars right out of the night sky, you also challenge me every damn lesson.” He seemed both angry and pleased about that. He rounded on the rest of the class as Tyler seemed slightly dazed by the backhanded compliment. “About ten percent of this class test me on a weekly basis. They question my knowledge, they act out, they talk back to me, they write me endless emails about why they can’t do their assignments, or about why it was covered in Dragon shit when they did  – Mr Indus.” His gaze swivelled onto me and Tory as he moved to lean back against his desk. “That ten percent will most likely make it to the second semester of their freshman year. The other ninety…” He shrugged. “Maybe you’re wasting everyone’s time.”

A dark haired girl – who I was fairly sure was called Nicole – raised her hand near the front of the class.

“Miss Metivier?” Orion asked and she cleared her throat.

“Are you saying you want us to break the rules, sir?” She frowned, glancing around at the rest of the class.

I sensed an impending storm as Orion drifted closer to her. “I’m saying, Fae don’t take shit lying down. So how about you stand up and get the hell out of my classroom if that lesson hasn’t sunk into your head yet.”

She rose from her seat and Orion smiled manically as she took a step toward the door, then halted.

“No,” she breathed and my heart skittered as Orion’s jaw clenched.

“No?” he purred.

“No, sir. I’m going to stay.” She hesitantly moved back to her seat and dropped into it, her face paling, but her posture full of determination.

An endless pause filled the air between them.

“Good,” he said with a dark glint in his gaze. “Detention Thursday.”

“What?” she gasped.

“You heard me!” he roared and she shrank away from him, nodding quickly. He moved back to the board and tapped the screen to bring up a list of clubs and societies at the school.

Pitball – try outs will be held each semester. Competition to get onto the official school team is fierce, but substitute positions are always available.

Cheerleading – The squad are always looking for guys and gals with upbeat personalities, who love to dance and chant!

Star Charting – midnight sessions are required and Orders with enhanced night vision are always welcomed with enthusiasm!

Tarot Club – members with an affinity for foresight are encouraged to flex their predictive muscles in our club.

Elemental Combat – students will learn how to fight against those who have harnessed other Elements to them. (Please be aware that this is a highly hazardous club).

Order Mixers – each term we will arrange opportunities for the different Orders to come together and offer their abilities out to each other. So if you like the idea of riding on a Pegasus or having your stress drained by a Siren then this is the place for you!

Fate Dodging – a group dedicated to trying to thwart our horoscopes. If you like the idea of trying to change your fate then why not come and spend time with a bunch of like-minded individuals?

Blood Donation – want to earn extra credit by donating blood/power to the vampire students? Or maybe you just enjoy the feeling of fangs in your neck? Whatever your motivation, come and join us at our bi-weekly sessions with the Vampire Order!

Extreme Hunt – fancy your chances at evading the hunters? Or would you prefer to join the pack? Then our weekly hunts might be for you! We give the ‘prey’ two hours to try and escape ‘hunters’ in their Order forms in a bloodthirsty race which is followed up by a celebration back at The Orb. (Vampires are encouraged not to join due to their dangerous hunting instincts and the guidelines in the Vampire Code).

Study Club – a group of serious, like-minded students who prefer the company of books to socialising. We meet in the Venus Library most days and study at separate desks in utter silence – bliss! Sphinxes will find this club particularly favourable.

Almighty Sovereign Society – Come and join ranks with the rootenist tootenist royalists in Solaria to celebrate the return of the Vega Twins!

“Now that you have officially enrolled at the academy, you are required to sign up to at least one club or society for extra credit. You should all have sent your choices to me already. The deadline was this morning,” Orion said, hooking his Atlas off the desk as my heart sank like a stone.

“What?” I whispered to Tory. “Did you know about that?”

She shook her head. “No idea.”

“He sent the email last Thursday,” Sofia hissed, her eyes wide with alarm.

Oh shit.

I checked my Atlas emails, scanning through them and locating the one from Orion. I’d been so busy with the Trials and the Reckoning, I hadn’t been checking them at all and it looked like Tory hadn’t either.

“If you haven’t sent in your decision, please stand up now,” Orion commanded and Tory and I rose from our seats.

I cursed under my breath as I realised we were the only ones in the whole damn class to have missed this email. I could hear Kylie and Jillian sniggering and heat rose along the back of my neck.

Orion looked between us like we were two rare steaks he was about to devour. “Do either of you have an explanation for not choosing a club? Or shall I just put it down to a lack of intelligence?” He smirked and I rolled my eyes at his crap, making his gaze sharpen on me.

“Something you want to share with the class, Miss Vega?”

“Well is it really that big of a deal? We’ll just pick one now,” I said.

“Yeah, let’s join the Ass Club,” Tory said easily, dropping back down into her seat.

“Oh no, Miss Vega, the time for choosing has passed. Now stand back up!”

Tory got to her feet again with a huff and Orion smiled cruelly at her, sending a flicker of anxiety through me. He glanced over his shoulder at the list of clubs then turned back to her with his gaze glittering. “I think the cheer squad will suit your jovial nature, Tory. They practice two nights a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Pitball Stadium. I’m sure your Cheer Captain, Marguerite Helebor, will be most welcoming.” He dismissed Tory with a wave of his hand but she didn’t move, looking like she was about to spit venom.

I stared at Orion in fury on her behalf. My sister was about as far from a cheerleader as you could get, especially on a team full of Marguerite Helebors.

“No thanks,” Tory said with a tsk. “I wanna join the Ass Club.”

Orion bared his fangs and my pulse quickened. “You’re officially assigned to the Cheer Squad, now sit the fuck down or I’ll give you detention.”

“Just try not screw every guy on the Pitball team, yeah Tory?” Kylie said in a sweet voice and we both spun around in rage.

“Shut up!” Orion bellowed, throwing out a hand and a blast of air knocked Kylie off of her chair onto her ass.

A laugh tumbled from my throat and I turned back to face the front, finding Orion fixing his gaze on me.

He ran his tongue across his fangs, seeming to consider something. “Pitball team. Tryouts are next Thursday.” A few people sucked in breaths as he turned away from me and my ears rang with those words as he tapped the board to start the lesson. I was still on my feet, my heart thrashing in my chest. Not only was Pitball the most brutal sport I’d ever witnessed in my entire life, but all of the Heirs were on the damn team. Why the hell would he assign me to that?

“Excuse me, sir?” I questioned icily.

“Sit down, Miss Vega,” he growled and I gritted my teeth.

“Do you really think Pitball is a good fit for me?” I demanded.

“Yes. I think it’s the perfect fit. Any more pointless questions you’d like to waste my time with?” He glanced over his shoulder, raising a brow and I could see the mischief sparkling under all that assholeness. Whatever reason he had, I’d damn well get it from him outside of class.

I dropped back into my seat and Sofia gave both of us anxious looks. “Maybe he’ll let you swap after a week or so,” she offered weakly, but I had the feeling there wasn’t much chance of that.

“Today we’ll be conducting our first official practical lesson of the semester.”

Low chatter sounded around the room, but Orion didn’t bother to acknowledge it as he tapped the board and the lesson title appeared.

Silencing Bubbles.

My mood picked up at that and I attempted to push all worrying thoughts of Pitball tryouts from my head as I prepared to learn a new spell – which was pretty damn impossible as I kept picturing myself on that Pitch being squashed by the four Heirs like a mouse under a steamroller. It was all very well Emerging as a fiercely powerful Phoenix, but I was pretty sure no Order powers were allowed to be used in the game.

Damn you, Lance. I’m gonna get you back for this.

“Miss Major, can you please tell me about something you got up to this weekend?” Orion asked out of the blue and everyone turned to Kylie in surprise.

“Um…really? Okay. Well I went to the mall on Saturday and my friend Sinead was all like oh my stars, Kylie, did you notice that freakishly hot Minotaur checking you out? And I was like-” she continued on but suddenly I couldn’t hear a word coming out of her mouth. Everyone started laughing and she became more animated in her story, apparently thinking we were all totally engaged by it.

“Silencing spells can be used to stop sound escaping a certain area or to silence someone or something you would rather not hear,” Orion explained. “For example, Miss Major’s dull weekend adventures with her vapid friends.”

A snort of laughter escaped me as Kylie’s mouth stopped moving as she clearly heard him and Orion waved his hand to release her from the silencing bubble.

“I’m not vapid,” Jillian complained from beside her with a sulky expression.

“Miss Minor, what is the definition of vapid?” Orion stared her down and she froze, glancing to Kylie for help, but she only looked skyward in annoyance.

“Well- er- it means – er – egg-like?”

Laughter poured through the air and Tyler cheered, waving his Atlas. “I totally caught that entire moment on camera, Jillian. Hashtag black hole for a brain.”

“Screw you, Tyler!” Jillian shouted, turning bright red.

He started tapping away as he uploaded the post to FaeBook and Orion did nothing to stop him as a low rumble of laughter escaped him too.

Orion tapped the board and everyone fell quiet. “You all need to practice this hand movement.” A diagram of a hand appeared which moved to show the twisting flourish I’d seen him cast plenty of times. Most recently to stop anyone overhear us making out or tearing each other’s clothes off.

My mind drifted onto those memories and I chewed on my lip as I let my gaze travel down his chest. He was still talking but I couldn’t hear a word as my eyes reached his waistband and I fell prey to a seriously dirty fantasy. I wonder if he keeps a ruler in his drawer he could teach me a lesson with…

“Are you concentrating, Miss Vega?” Orion barked suddenly and I sat up straight, finding everyone around me waving one hand in the air as they practised the movement. “Would you like to share your little daydream with the rest of the class?” He smirked, telling me he knew exactly what I’d just been thinking about and I cleared my throat.

“No sir,” I said firmly.

“Then focus or I’ll make you share it,” he said and his tone sent a quake through me that set my pulse racing.

I nodded, hiding a grin and he moved swiftly on to start correcting people’s hand movements.

I raised my right palm, following the diagram and twisting it through the air in a sort of scooping fashion. Twisting to the right silenced a sound or person and to the left cast a bubble of silence around yourself. I was always worried about people listening in around this school, especially as I had so many damn secrets to carry these days, so this spell was a godsend.

When Orion was satisfied we all had it, he finally taught us the spell.

“Practise by casting a bubble around yourself first. Let your magic flow without Elemental form and use its energy to create a shield surrounding your body. Make sure you feel out any gaps in its surface where sound might slip through.”

I shut my eyes to concentrate, moving my hand in the correct motion as I let magic float to the surface of my skin, gently pushing it away from me to encase my body. My ears popped and it felt like pressured air was closing in on me.

I blinked, looking to Tory as she cast her own spell. The world around me was still loud and I spoke to get Tory’s attention, the word echoing back to me like a drum. I winced against the noise as it continued to ping off of the solid bubble I’d formed around myself. On the one hand, I’d clearly blocked sounds from escaping it but I’d planted myself inside a goddamn megaphone too.

I dissolved the magic with a breath of relief and my ears popped again just as Tory tried to catch my attention inside her own silencing bubble. I couldn’t hear anything and I gave her a thumbs up, realising a second later she could hear me and I released a laugh.

I spent the next twenty minutes practising and finally managed to get the hang of it, allowing just enough magic into the cast so that no one could hear me and I didn’t feel suffocated at the same time.

“Good.” Orion pressed a hand to my shoulder, making me jump. “Now try reversing it so you block out the sound around you.” He walked on and a smile spread across my face as I tried what he’d said, flicking my hand in the opposite direction and forcing my magic out from my body. The world fell utterly silent, except for a very faint noise on the edge of my hearing.

I shut my eyes to try and locate the source of it, pushing my magic toward the edges of the room to try and quiet it. It sounded like someone whispering, but I couldn’t quite hear what they were saying. A heaviness seeped over me and the whispers grew a little louder.

“Almost…closer.”

A deep thrumming started up in my chest like the dull beat of a drum, the rhythm tantalising, drawing me into a state of utter calm. My body relaxed so much I almost felt detached from it, floating in the endless dark expanse of my mind.

“Into…falling…help.”

The voice sounded broken, louder and quieter intermittently and I couldn’t grasp any of the words in between the few I caught. But something made me long to reach out to whoever it was as bliss washed through me, asking me to give in to its call.

I hit the floor, blinking hard as pain flared along the back of my head. I found my sister leaning over me, shouting something I couldn’t hear. Someone pushed her aside, the world still entirely quiet as Orion came into view, taking my hand so his magic came flooding into my body. I inhaled in shock as his power blended with mine and he dispelled the wall of silence I’d cast around myself so the sound of the class rushed back into my ears.

“-the hell happened?” Orion demanded, his hand still firmly locked around mine and his eyes alight with worry.

My mouth was overly dry and my head hurt where I must have smacked it on the floor. I sat upright, rubbing it and Orion knocked my hand aside, healing the bump in an instant.

I knew what had happened. The shadows had lured me into them and that strange voice…it was the same one I’d heard when Lionel had sent us into the darkness. Fear gripped my bones, but I didn’t even know what I was afraid of. Just that I should be terrified.

Tory pushed past Orion and he released me as she pulled me upright. “Are you okay?” she looked between my eyes like she knew exactly what had happened, but I couldn’t say anything right then.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I think I cut my air supply off by accident.” I forced out a laugh, my eyes catching on Diego who was standing beyond Sofia with a wide-eyed look. As he met my gaze, he dipped his head and hurried back to his seat.

I glanced at Orion who didn’t look convinced by what I’d said and I dropped back into my seat, looking away from him until he left.

I shared an anxious look with Tory that told her I’d explain after class and she nodded, chewing on her lip.

By the time the bell rang, I’d shaken off the strange feeling which had lingered with me after I’d come out of the shadows, but I couldn’t forget that faraway voice.

As I headed out of the classroom, Orion called to me, “Your Liaison’s been moved to tonight, Miss Vega, as there wasn’t one on Monday.”

I nodded to him, slipping out of the room, certain he was going to grill me on what had really happened today. I wasn’t sure why he didn’t believe me, but I could tell he didn’t. And I wished I could just be honest about it because he was one of the only people in the world who could probably help.

I caught Tory’s elbow, drawing her out of the crowd as we exited Jupiter Hall into the frosty air. Sofia gave us a curious look and I hated the fact I had to lie to her too as I said, “We’ll catch you up, we’ve got to pick up some packages from Pluto Offices.”

“Is it another mountain of clothes to feed Tory’s habit?” Sofia laughed.

“Yep, she’s got issues,” I said and Tory shrugged innocently before we hurried away. She immediately cast a silencing bubble around us with a triumphant grin, then tugged me closer.

“So? Was it the shadows?” Her smile fell away as concern took its place.

“Yeah,” I said on a breath. “But not just them…I heard that voice again, you know the one we heard when-”

“I heard her again too!” she gasped, her eyes glinting with darkness. “In my dreams, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying, it was just distant whispers.”

“Same,” I said, a chill running through me. “Who do you think it is?”

“God only knows. And I’m not sure I want to find out anyway.”

I fell silent for a moment and Tory nudged me to make me spill my thoughts. I sighed heavily, pulling her to a halt. “I think we should tell Orion.”

“No,” she said instantly.

“Tory,” I impressed and she pursed her lips, glancing away. I reached out and touched her arm until she looked back at me. “I know you don’t trust him, but I do.”

“You don’t trust anyone,” she balked and I realised my mistake, cursing myself internally.

“I mean, I trust him about this. He knows about the shadows and all kinds of dark magic. And it’s not like he can tell anyone what we say.” I hoped I’d covered my tracks and relaxed a bit when Tory didn’t question me further.

“Ugh, fine. But I swear to god if he starts lecturing us-”

“He won’t,” I promised.

“Why have you got so much faith in him, Darcy?” Tory frowned and I wanted to answer her so badly it hurt. My eyes drifted to my shoes and I tried to come up with an answer that wasn’t a lie.

“Because I know he can be an asshole, but he’s helped us too. And I know he wanted to save us from this happening.”

A beat of silence passed between us as Tory considered that. When I glanced up, I found her looking at the sky as a group of Griffins flew overhead. “Wanting to save someone isn’t the same as doing it.”

“He tried. They both tried,” I said, tipping my head back to watch the beautiful beasts soar away toward The Wailing Wood. I didn’t exactly like to defend Darius Acrux, but I’d seen what he did that night, seen the position he’d been in. And Tory had too. It wasn’t like I was excusing anything else he’d done. For all the other shit, he could rot in hell.

“I guess,” she said noncommittally. “Doesn’t change who they are though.”

“No…they’re the only ones who can choose to change.”

She nodded and on that, it seemed we agreed.

***

I brought Tory to my Liaison with Orion at seven o’clock, not bothering to hurry as I was sure he’d be late anyway. As we headed up the marble staircase past a few students loitering in the hallways, I began to grow nervous.

What the hell was he going to think when he found out we had this dark power in us too? Was he going to flip out? Start drinking?

Yep, most likely both of those things.

I was just gonna have to roll with the punches.

Tory stared at her Atlas, mindlessly flipping through the FaeBook feed and she snorted a laugh as she held it out for me to read one of the posts.

Sandeep Athwal: D.A.A meeting tonight in The Orb. (Dump Addicts Anonymous) Come and drop a load on us for some much needed relief. No judgement. It’s okay to crave a brown shower. #everyonelovesasuperpooper #ploptilyoudrop #whyflushit #poosmorefunwithtwo #powerfulsirenswelcome

Comments:

Nicole Neethling: These rumours about Max aren’t true!!

Ashleigh Logan: The Water Heir don’t care, he rubs shit in his hair. #drinkthestink

Barry Gurra: Anyone spreading these lies will answer to me!

Christine Wortman: It’s never okay to crave a brown shower! #yellowonly

Tyler Corbin: Max puts the real poo in his shampoo. #tastetheturd #icandoapooandboxitforyou

I choked on a laugh as Tory continued to scroll, then knocked on Orion’s door out of habit even though I didn’t think he’d actually be there yet.

“Come in,” he called, surprising me and I headed into the room.

He stood, pressing the front of his shirt down with a slanted smile. On the desk was a bottle of red wine and a small box wrapped with a ribbon. With a sharp inhale, he snatched the box, stuffing it in his pocket half a second before Tory looked up from her Atlas beside me. Her gaze fell on the wine and two glasses and her brow furrowed.

“Dude, you are half a percent cooler to me now.” She moved to his desk, opening the wine and filling the glasses, picking one up and handing the other one to me. “You’ll need an extra glass though tonight.”

“I can see that,” he said in a low growl, dropping down into his chair and not making a move to get another glass.

I mouthed an apology behind Tory’s back, figuring I probably should have given him a heads up about bringing her along. But I hadn’t exactly expected him to have wine and a damn gift. But also, ooh what kind of gift??

I pulled up a chair and Orion looked between us, stacking his hands on his stomach as he leaned back in his seat. “So why am I getting the treat of double vision right now?”

“Because we have something real fun to tell you,” Tory said dryly, sipping her wine.

I took a mouthful of my own to steady my pulse as Orion sat up straighter with a frown. “Like?”

“Well…” I started, biting into my lip. “We kind of lied to you about the shadows.”

“What do you mean?” A dangerous tone sharpened his voice as he leaned forward and laid his palms on the desk.

“They didn’t pass through us,” Tory supplied.

“They stayed with us,” I finished.

Orion remained icily still, his gaze darkening as he searched our faces for a lie. “Impossible. They can’t have.” He rose from his seat suddenly, knocking his chair back and clawing a hand through his hair.

“Yeah so…I’m gonna go get dinner now.” Tory got up.

“SIT DOWN!” Orion bellowed and she dropped back into her seat like a falling stone.

Tory looked to me with a scowl. “I told you we can’t trust this asshole.”

“Miss Vega if you think you can talk to me like that and get away with-”

“We need you to help us manage them,” I spoke over him. “No one else can.”

His eyes whipped to me, an ache building in them like this news was breaking his heart.

He shook his head, starting to pace and I shared a glance with Tory as we waited for him to say something. My insides twisted up as he continued to move anxiously back and forth.

Finally, he slammed his hands down on the desk, glaring at us across it. “This is so much fucking worse than you think. You can already feel its draw, can’t you?”

“Yes,” I breathed.

His eyes flared with realisation. “That’s what happened to you in class,” he snarled, but not like he was angry at me, like he was angry at the whole world besides me.

I nodded and Tory reached out to rest a hand on my arm.

Orion’s brows pulled together. “Do you know what will happen if you give into it? Do you know how many years it takes to master the ability to pull away from them?”

“No, but you can help. Teach us?” I asked desperately and he shut his eyes for a long second.

“Told you he couldn’t help us,” Tory muttered to me and Orion’s eyes flew open, shooting a hard stare at her that could have crumbled the Great Wall of China.

“I damn well can help you. And I will when I get over the shock of this. But here’s a quick pop quiz first: are you two conspiring to give me a fucking heart attack?”

A small smile pulled at my lips and his expression softened a fraction. He sighed heavily and sank back down into his seat. “So long as there’s nothing else-”

“There is just one other thing,” I cut across him before he could fall into the hope that that sentence was clearly bringing him.

“What?” he ground out through his teeth and I swallowed the lump pushing at my throat, knowing this was going to sound entirely insane. But at least my sister could back me up on it.

“There’s this voice. A woman’s voice, I think. But it’s so distant, it’s hard to tell. Do you hear that too?” I asked, sitting forward in my chair.

“The whispers are souls trapped in the shadows,” he said darkly and my heart thumped an uneven beat. “They’re Fae who have lost themselves to its power. It uses them to trick you, to lure you into its claws. But if you go, you’ll become lost, joining them forever in an endless void.”

“Nice, remind me not to book my next vacation there then. But the thing is, Professor, it’s a specific voice we’re hearing, is that normal?” Tory frowned.

Orion released a hollow laugh. “Nothing is normal about any of this. But…no I can’t say I’ve ever heard a specific voice. I don’t know why that would be the case.”

“I thought you knew about dark magic and the shadows,” Tory said in frustration.

“I do.” He thought for a long moment and I shifted in my seat. “Maybe now we’re attached to the shadows, the souls can connect to us directly.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t have a better answer than that right now, it’s just speculation. But I’ll look into it.”

“In your little book of black magic?” Tory taunted and he pursed his lips.

“Yeah I keep it with my Ouija board and voodoo dolls,” Orion deadpanned.

I leaned forward, speaking before this could descend into an argument. “So what do we do now?”

He drew in a long breath. “Fuck, well…Darius won’t like it, but you need to learn to wield this power. You’ll have to join him for our classes in dark magic.”

Tory tossed her head back with a groan. “Can’t you just teach us separately? I do not wanna hang out with that douchebag.”

“It’s risky enough as it is. We have to keep the lessons to a minimum, this is not a fucking extra curricular activity, Miss Vega.”

She huffed, giving in and rising to her feet. “Fine, let us know when and where. Right now I’m starving, have a great Liaison, Darcy.” She gave me a sorrowful look like leaving me here was bordering on cruel and I frowned as she slipped out of the door.

Orion got up, heading across the room to lock it with physical and magical locks before knocking his head back against the door.

“I was an idiot to bring the wine,” he said, shaking his head at himself.

“No, it was sweet,” I said, standing and he glanced at me with shadows swirling in his gaze.

“It was moronic.” He kicked off of the door, striding toward me and dragging me against him, pressing his mouth to mine. The blinds were drawn across the windows but I still felt that electric buzz of fear as we did this right here in the middle of campus.

I trailed my hands down his sides, our kiss slow and torturous as we enjoyed the stolen moment of bliss. A deep pit of fiery power seemed to open up in my chest, blazing through my veins and rushing to meet the magic in him. I suddenly felt like I was standing on a precipice, about to tumble into its embrace as ecstasy rippled on the edges of my mind. I moaned and Orion growled, dragging me closer as our power blended and the flow of his energy twisted through me like a tornado.

“Shit,” he breathed as he pulled away. “You taste like fire.”

“How would you know? Do you often eat fire?” I teased, winding my fingers into his hair as I tip-toed up to brush my mouth over his again, breathing in the scent of cinnamon that clung to him.

“Not every day,” he murmured against my lips. “It gives me indigestion.”

I laughed and his deep chuckle came in response.

“So…I think I recall you snatching a pretty little box off of the table when my sister walked in.” I raised my brows, grinning up at him and I could have freaking sworn his cheeks touched with colour. “Are you blushing?” I gasped excitedly and he chewed the inside of his cheek.

“No,” he grunted. “I’m just starting to think the present was a stupid idea.”

“Maybe I should be the judge of that.” I slipped my hands beneath his jacket, hunting for the box and he raised his arms like I was a cop, smirking as I searched him. I tugged it out as I found it and he dropped his hands, sucking on his lower lip as he waited for me to open it.

I untied the ribbon, flipping off the lid and my breath snagged in my lungs as I found a pale pink crystal inside which glimmered like starlight.

“Wow,” I breathed, taking it from the nest of silk.

Orion cleared his throat, running a hand down the back of his neck. “It’s rose quartz.”

“It’s beautiful.” I turned the silken stone over in my palm, a warm energy seeming to emit from it that felt like a piece of everything good in the world.

He caught my hand, wrapping his around it so the crystal was contained within my fist. I glanced up at him and his eyes flickered with some fierce emotion. “In Solaria we have a tradition of giving rose quartz to someone we want to be exclusive with.”

“You do?” I whispered, my heart pounding madly.

“Yeah.” He squeezed my hand. “Look, I don’t know what this thing is between us or where it’s going, Blue, but after everything that’s happened, the one thing that’s clear to me is that I don’t want anyone else. So this crystal is a promise from me that I’m yours. For now. Forever. Or till it all goes to shit, I don’t know which yet.” He smiled hopefully and my heart could have burst with how much this meant to me.

I reached up to touch my lips to his. “Thank you.”

He released my hand and I tucked the quartz into my blazer pocket with a shy smile.

“You’re making it really hard to stay mad at you,” I said, pulling away from him.

“Why are you mad at me?” He frowned.

“Pitball, Lance? Are you screwing with me?” I placed my hands on my hips and he grinned devilishly, hounding forward as I backed away beyond his desk.

“You’re powerful. Once you’re trained, you could be a fucking legend on the pitch.” He continued to stalk me as I placed his chair between us, smiling cheekily.

His fangs lengthened and his eyes sparkled as he pushed it aside. I leapt toward the cupboard door at the back of the office, wrenching it open and slipping inside. I forgot the game as I found myself in a small room with books stacked neatly on shelves lining the walls. I reached out to brush the spine of a huge leather bound journal which was etched with silver stars. Orion slid an arm around my waist, dropping his mouth to my neck and grazing his fangs across my skin.

“Do you like my tiny library?” he asked in a playful voice and I smiled.

“You’re a total geek,” I said, loving that about him as he laughed against the crook of my neck. He placed a soft kiss there which sent a deep shudder through to my core.

I turned my head, a glint catching my eye and I pulled away from Orion as I moved toward a line of shelves which weren’t stacked with books. Pitball trophies filled every spare space and my heart beat harder as I brushed my fingers over them, all branded with Orion’s name. He’d won Fae of the Match countless times and there were several tournament trophies in a dusty corner which looked liked they’d gone untouched for years. I located a framed photograph amongst them, glancing over my shoulder as I picked it up, finding Orion watching me from the doorway with a nervous sort of expression.

I gazed at the picture of his team. Orion stood at the heart of it in a pristine Pitball kit in the navy and silver colours of Zodiac Academy. He had a Captain badge pinned to his chest and a Pitball tucked under his arm. He must have been a year or so older than I was now and wore the most carefree smile in the world. I brushed my fingers over the picture, wondering what had gone so wrong for him that he’d lost that hopeful glimmer in his eyes which said he had the whole world at his feet.

“I was an Airsentry,” Orion spoke at last. “Best damn one in Solaria for a while.”

“You look happy,” I said, my voice unexpectedly sad, because deep down, I knew Orion wasn’t truly happy anymore. Something had broken in him since this picture had been taken and it hurt me to know it, knotting up my chest like tangled wire.

“I was,” he said in a low tone, then cleared his throat. “Maybe we should get back to the lesson now, huh?”

I placed the picture down, painting on a bright smile as I turned to him and took his outstretched hand. The wall in his eyes said he didn’t want to talk about it right then, and I would respect that. But I hoped one day he’d tell me. Because then maybe I could try to find a way to reignite the fire that no longer burned in his heart.