Zodiac Academy: The Awakening As Told By The Boys

I woke with my arms wrapped around Darius and a headache pounding at the base of my skull. I was disorientated for a second before I remembered last night. Swerving Francesca staying over because I wanted to cuddle Darius – I mean, talk to him about the Vegas – then bourbon. Lots of bourbon.

Darius’s forehead was against mine and his muscles tightened on me in his sleep as he mumbled something about someone stealing his gold. I released a slow breath as I reached a hand up to heal my headache away and take the edge off my hangover as I remained in his embrace and let the Guardian Bond have its feed. I definitely wasn’t this Dragon’s gold hoard, but damn if I’d be telling him while the magic binding us urged me to enjoy every second in his arms.

When my eyes flickered open, I found myself looking at him too intently, and a fresh wave of anger crashed against my chest because of his father. Fucking Uncle Lionel with his grand ideas and his disregard for anyone else and their wants. I was here because of him, wrapped around his son like I’d die if I wasn’t this close to him, and sometimes it did feel like that when we spent too long apart.

I didn’t resent Darius for any of it. He’d been there on that cliff and watched my sister die right beside me, bound and forced to kneel. He was just another one of his father’s victims, though sometimes I feared how hard his heart was becoming because of that. I was pretty sure I was one of the very few people he showed his softer side to, and the only one he talked to about Lionel. I could say the same of him though. I’d always been a loner, my nature inclined that way due to my Order, but I’d used it as an excuse to avoid people too, to keep Francesca at a distance, to have alone time from my colleagues, to sit and drink and drink and drink…

I had no idea where it was all going to end up for me, but this path probably led nowhere good. The further I walked along it, the more withdrawn and bitter I became. My smiles were growing rarer and my light had dulled a long time ago. This hollow life was probably going to kill me one day, and maybe that would be for the best.

“Is that your cock digging into my hip?” Darius murmured as he stirred.

I reached between us, grunting as I tugged out the empty bottle of bourbon. “You wish, baby.”

He chuckled as he opened his eyes, holding onto me for a few more moments before rolling onto his back and swiping a hand down his face. I immediately missed the contact and curled my hands into fists as I forced myself to roll away. When I’d first been bonded to him by Lionel, I’d struggled to keep any distance at all, and it had been a seriously fucked up adjustment for us both to get used to needing each other so much. Him sleeping here was risky as hell and it wasn’t something I allowed very often, but last night the bond had been flaring so fiercely that getting him in my bed had been necessary for my sanity. And from the way he’d held me too, I had a feeling he had felt the same way.

Darius swiped his Atlas off my nightstand and yawned, letting out a stream of smoke from his lungs and wafting it away with his hand as he looked at the screen.

“Shit.” He sat upright. “It’s nine o’clock. I’m late for class.”

He shoved out of bed and I cursed as I got out too, shooting away with the speed of my Order and showering in a minute flat before tearing back to my room and drying off with my air magic along the way. Darius was already halfway out the window and he paused as I dragged my clothes on.

“You’re teaching the Vegas first period, right?” he asked and my gut clenched at their name. The name which could change the entire fate of Solaria. The name we’d sat discussing for hours last night before we’d passed out.

I’d taken some information out of the file I’d built on them so Lionel wouldn’t get hold of it, hiding the real file in my desk while passing on the copy to him. It wasn’t much, but withholding a few details meant Lionel wouldn’t be able to build complete numerology charts on them which could help him make predictions on their capabilities. If anyone was going to beat them, it was Darius, not his father. So he was the one I was ensuring had the edge on them, but if Lionel found out he’d be furious.

I ground my teeth and grit out, “Yes.”

“Assess everything about them. Strengths and weaknesses. I want a list.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I shoved my fingers through my messed up hair. “Meet me at Jupiter Hall tonight. Eight o’clock. I wanna start teaching you a new spell down at the beach.”

He grinned, nodding as fire flared in his eyes then he ran off out of sight and I flicked my fingers, casting some concealment spells around him as he went in an attempt to hide him from any teachers looking this way.

“Coo-ee! Are you there, Lance?” Brian Washer called from outside my front door and I buckled up my pants with a groan, my shirt still hanging open as I shot to the door, figuring it was best to distract him while Darius was still sneaking out of Asteroid Place.

I unlocked the door, tugging it open and squinting out at him as the morning sunlight streamed into my face. He was wearing a gleaming blue spandex onesie which outlined his dick and balls so perfectly that I had to fight the urge to scoop my eyes clean out of my face.

I levelled him with a look that said I was not in the mood for being chatty – though when was I ever? – but as usual, he didn’t seem to get the message.

“Just thought I’d check you were up. You know it’s after nine, don’t you Lance?”

“I’m aware,” I said flatly.

“You have your first freshman class today, don’t you?” he asked, his eyes moving down to roam over my bare chest.

“Oh, do I?” I asked sarcastically. “Damn, I’ll have to cancel my morning synchronised swimming lesson.”

He chuckled, swatting my right pec and a low growl of warning rose in my throat.

Man, I need coffee. It’s too early for this.

“Don’t go taking up morning lessons without including me, silly. I’m still yet to get you to join me for my yoga routines.” He started squatting, his muscular, tanned thighs bending right out either side of him as he went up and down a few times before staying down and starting to pulse.

His face was on a level with my crotch and I quickly did my fly up as I realised it was riding low and took a step back. If this asshole wasn’t fucking my boss, I’d have put him in his place a long time ago. As it was, I was under strict instructions from Uncle Lionel to behave within my role here as a professor, and pissing Elaine Nova off was one of my no-gos.

I’d had to make a star vow about that after my first few weeks teaching here, when I’d figured I’d just get myself fired as a fuck you to Lionel. I’d rarely turned up to teach my classes and had been obnoxious to anyone who’d tried to call me out on it, including Elaine. I’d even snuck up on Professor Astrum once and bitten him which kinda went against the code of professional behaviour between the faculty. That guy was a royalist and fucking hated me as it was, but now he was the ringleader of the I Hate Lance Orion Club.

Lionel had had to show up to smooth things over. He’d dragged me to Elaine’s office and scolded me like a naughty kid whilst sweet talking the principal. She was a sucker for strong Fae, always kissing ass to whoever held the most power in the room, hence why she was currently asslicking the Vegas. I guessed she’d made some new bets on who was gonna win the throne. Anyway, she’d let me stay and Lionel had forced me to play professor to the best of my abilities. It meant the worst of my anger lived on the inside of me these days more than the out. But no one ever said I had to teach with a smile on my face, so every little asshole in this place fell at the receiving end of my rage whenever I needed an outlet. It was actually kind of therapeutic to put mouthy students in line. I’d earned my title as a hardass teacher here fair and square and as I now had no other goals in life, I focused on raising the bar of how much I could make the students despise me. You could say it gave me some sort of job satisfaction.

“You could be as flexible as me if you worked at it, Lancey.” Washer bent right over so his ass was in the air and he started swaying it left to right.

“As tempting as that is, I think I’ll pass, Brian,” I said dryly. “Spandex wouldn’t suit me.”

He stood upright, his hands on his hips as he started lunging instead and I swear to the moon, his junk looked at me through that material. And it was twitching. “You could always do it naked. I often bathe my buttocks in the sun’s rays. You could join me for some long, hard lunges like these and feel your low hanging fruit warm in our mother sun’s eye.”

“I’m good,” I said, fighting a grimace. “I’d better get to class.” Anywhere is better than here.

“Of course! Enjoy your lesson. I hope those Vegas don’t get you all worked up over their wet spots.”

“What?” I balked.

“Oh sorry, that’s the old Water Elemental lingo in me coming out,” he waved a hand at me. “I call my students’ strengths their wet spots. If they’re doing poorly, I mark them down as dry, then damp, moist, wet, right up to gushing like a waterfall. It’s a cute little sliding scale strictly for my notes. I’m looking forward to seeing how wet the Vega girls are.”

“I really think you should use some different terminology,” I said, my nose wrinkling.

Was he fucking kidding me with this shit? I’d seen a professor get fired from here because he fed air to a drowning girl in the lake by breathing it directly into her mouth with his air magic. I mean yeah, he could have used his hand, because what the fuck? But it still seemed extreme. The rules on no student-teacher relationships were very clear though, and even saying something suggestive could get you in serious trouble. But I swear Washer got away with it sheerly because he was making Nova come at night. He may have been gross, but he was a pretty powerful guy and I guessed his Siren powers helped her to not be repulsed by him.

“Whyever would I do that?” he laughed. “My wetness scale is wonderful. I even have symbols to go with each wet spot, would you like to see?”

I’d literally rather crack my own skull open and let a crow feast on my brains.

“I’ve gotta go to class.” I was seriously fucking late at this point. Not that I was ever really on time seeing as I liked to push Lionel’s little boundaries which he’d set for me at this school. I was the absolute minimum of a decent teacher, always sitting right at the boundaries of what I could get away with as a way to remain defiant without breaking any rules. I doubted he gave a shit though, so the defiance didn’t really serve any purpose except stopping me from going completely insane over being under his heel. That, coupled with the fact that I was teaching his son dark magic right under his nose, and I was able to keep my mood levels just above the suicidal line. And if that wasn’t a reason to celebrate then I didn’t know what was.

“Alright, have a good day. Oh and I’ll send you some photos of my yoga routine so you can try out a few moves,” he said, but I’d already shot away back into the house, a shudder running down my spine as I prayed he wouldn’t send me any such thing.

I did up my shirt, threw a tie haphazardly around my neck and tugged on a blazer before tearing out of the house and using air magic to leap over Washer as he started bending and flexing again.

I shot all the way to Jupiter Hall, then figured fuck it and turned back to The Orb, speeding inside and slowing to a halt by the morning buffet as I made myself a coffee.

I took my time, elbowing a jittery looking boy out the way as I poured sugar and milk into the cup in copious amounts before taking a sip to make sure it was right.

“Can I just grab the-”

I bared my fangs at the boy I’d knocked aside who was trying to get to the sugar bowl and he ran away with a scream of fright. I shook my head at the weak display and shot away again, careful not to spill any of my coffee by casting an air seal over the cup and racing into Jupiter Hall. I slowed to a walk as I reached the corridor leading up to my classroom, sweeping my hair back and taking another long drink of my coffee.

Ah, caffeine. One of my few friends.

I shoved the door to my classroom open, mentally preparing myself for the first freshman class of the new term and ready to start assessing the Vegas’ strengths. I kicked the door shut behind me and sipped on my cup of coffee as I fought to banish the heaviness left on me from last night. Darius and I had talked late into the night about the Vegas, but our attention had eventually turned back to our even bigger problem. The Nymphs were growing more volatile, popping up way more often than they used to, and I didn’t like the sense of dread in the air. One simple Tarot reading was enough to tell me something big was coming, I just couldn’t see what. Even Gabriel couldn’t give me any straight answers and his fortune telling skills were unrivalled. Though I suspected he knew more than he could say. And I supposed he had to in case he changed the coming fate, though his advice just left me in a daze of confusion.

Follow your heart, it won’t lead you astray, he kept saying. Like some sort of fortune cookie on blast. What the hell did that even mean? My heart led me to guzzling bourbon and watching old recordings of the Pitball games I’d won back in my glory days. Ergh, I was old before my time. A withered man with withered dreams. I should have been living it up in the Solarian Pitball League right now and these should have been my glory days.

I sighed, my gaze firmly forward as I strode up to my desk and tried to drown out the whispers filling the room from my new students. The curse of the Vampire ears. Gossip.

“Oh my stars, he’s even hotter up close.”

“How old is he? How can he be a professor here?”

“My mom said he almost made it as a Pitball player for the league once, but he threw it all away.”

I ground my teeth at that last statement, cursing Lionel Acrux once again for stealing my life from me. But it was all down the drain now, a long gone memory which I’d had to let go of.

Fine, okay, maybe I chewed on that memory like a dog with an old bone sometimes, but mostly it was in the past now. I wasn’t the hopeful, foolish boy I’d been when I’d been studying here. Five years had hardened me into a man who had a short fuse and zero tolerance for bullshit. And I swear all the students in this academy ever seemed to do was spew bullshit.

I listened for the Vegas, not looking their way, though the urge to do so was burning at me. And in particular, her. The one with blue-tipped hair who wore bunny pyjamas and smiled at her sister like not a single dark thing lived in her soul. Not that I’d been paying attention.

I placed my coffee cup down on my desk and picked up my digital marker, turning to the board and writing across it in bold lettering.

Time to show the little shits that they’re not in high school anymore.

Zodiac was an elite school designed for elite Fae. Only the best of the best got to attend academies to receive their magical education while the vast majority stayed on in high school for a further four years when they turned eighteen to learn how to wield their powers. And Zodiac Academy was the best academy of all, so they needed to prove they deserved their place here. As being a dick came naturally to me, I was more than happy to start driving the point home that I would seriously enjoy getting them expelled if they didn’t impress me. And I was one impossible asshole to impress.

YOU DO NOT HAVE A PLACE AT ZODIAC ACADEMY.

I swung around to assess their reaction to that, realising I hadn’t even done up my tie yet and taking a moment to fix it. I was a professional after all, thanks to old Lionel.

“Do you always get dressed on your way to work, sir?” asked a boy in the front row in a taunting voice. He had blonde tipped hair and a dudebro vibe about him that instantly rubbed me the wrong way. That coupled with what he’d said made the hunter in me raise its head and I finished tightening the knot at my throat as I fixed my gaze on my first victim.

“Name?” I demanded of him.

“Tyler Corbin.”

“Well Corbin, you’re not here to cast judgment on a single thing I do. In fact, it’s entirely the other way around. So if I want to show up naked five minutes before the lesson ends, I will.”

A few of the girls giggled and my gaze immediately flicked to Darcy Vega for the first time to see if she was one of them. Her gaze bored into me and my heart shoved its way into my throat. But there was no hint of a giggle on her lips. Good, fuck the gigglers. They drove me insane.

I pointed at a blonde girl who was out of her seat, her lashes all fluttery and her face full of way too much confidence for my liking. “Sit in your seat or you can stand on your desk for the rest of the lesson, Miss…?”

“Kylie Major,” she sighed then fell into her chair, tossing her hair over one shoulder.

“Read this out, Major,” I directed, pointing at the board.

She cleared her throat a few times and the dark-haired girl beside her suppressed another giggle that made me bristle with irritation. “You do not have a place at Zodiac Academy.”

Chatter broke out again and I folded my arms, sick of all this noise as I gave everyone a look that told them to hush the fuck up. They obeyed which was something, but I didn’t feel like they were quite getting the message yet.

I let the silence ring out for a moment until all of their attention was firmly fixed on me. “You all have a mid-term assessment which will decide whether or not you continue here at Zodiac. We call it The Reckoning because it will decide the fate of your entire lives. Zodiac Academy is the most prestigious school in Solaria and we won’t waste time on anyone who can’t prove their worth. If you fail it, you’re out. Back to whatever crevice of this world – or any other world -” I gave the Vegas a hard look and Darcy’s throat bobbed, making my fangs prickle demandingly, “-you came from. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” they all said in unison, but that wasn’t good enough.

“Yes what?” I pressed, needing them to understand that I was to be respected, because frankly I held their fates in my palms and I didn’t take kindly to insolence.

“Yes, sir,” everyone corrected, but I only watched Darcy Vega saying those words, her full lips moving around them perfectly. I liked that more than I cared to admit and snapped my attention away from her once more.

She’s a student and your mortal enemy. Not a good combination to be distracted by, idiot.

I pressed a button at the base of the board and the words were erased. “This is Cardinal Magic where I will attempt to give you a basic understanding of all practical magic, simple divination and astrology. Today, I’ll be introducing you to the Orders of Fae. None of you will be casting a single spell in my classroom until you have a basic foundation of knowledge to work from, so pay attention.”

A groan sounded from several of the students in response and I tutted under my breath. They wouldn’t last here if they weren’t up for hard work. It was a Fae eat Fae world and as boring as the basics may have been to them, they were crucial to harnessing their magic. But if I had to throw a few whiners in detention and watch them shovel Griffin shit, then so be it.

“Everyone will need to be at the same level of understanding by the end of term. Whatever you think you know, you will soon learn there is much more that you do not.” I took my blazer off, getting too fucking hot in here as my mind kept darting to the blue-haired Vega girl and the thought of her blood in my mouth.

I should have fed from Darius before he left this morning. Fucking stupid.

Obviously I was thinking about drinking from a Vega now, their power was like a magnet to my Order. That was what I wanted. My fist in her hair, her head wrenched back, her neck exposed while I drove my fangs into her and stole magic from one of the most powerful creatures ever born.

My cock twitched at the thought of that and I decided I was hot for power. Wouldn’t have been the first time. Definitely wouldn’t be the last. And why shouldn’t I drink from her? No Vampire had claimed her as their Source yet, and the only one who could take me on was Caleb Altair.

If you’re hot for power, why aren’t you looking at Tory Vega too?

Shut up.

I tapped the board and a diagram appeared with a small selection of Orders listed on it.

ORDERS OF FAE

TAENIA

(Parasitic Orders)

Vampire

Siren

MUTATIO

(Mutating Orders)

Dragon

Manticore

Griffin

Cerberus

Pegasus

Werewolf

Nemean Lion

Hydra

Caucasian Eagle

Chimera

DIVISUS

(Spliced Orders)

Minotaur

Medusa

Centaur

Cyclops

Sphinx

Harpy

I faced everyone again, finding Darcy’s eyes glittering like jade or emerald or – who gives a fuck what gemstone they resemble? “You each have an Order, most of which will have been apparent since childhood. Let me have a show of hands who does not yet know their Order.”

Tory and Darcy slowly raised their hands and a boy in a hat did the same beside them along with a bunch more students around the class.

I nodded stiffly, only caring about the Orders of two Fae in this room. Because whatever they Emerged as would play a massive factor into their power level.

“Email me after class.” I turned back to the board and continued with the lesson. “The Taenia have just two divisions whereas if I were to write every Mutatio on this board we would be here until next week.” I pointed to the middle column. “The easiest way to distinguish a Mutatio Order is that they will shift fully into a creature without humanoid characteristics. The Divisus Order can get confused with the Mutatio, but the easiest way to distinguish them is that the Divisus Orders maintain human-like characteristics when they have mutated into their magical form. The Taenia differ from the other two Orders in that they maintain human form at all times, except for one feature. Can anyone name the feature of a Siren which changes when they embrace their powers?” I looked to the class, finding several students with their hands raised.

I picked a girl at the back with long braided hair. “Sirens get scales.” She twisted her hand and a shimmer of blue and gold rippled across her skin. “They’re tough as hell and perfect for swimming.”

“Correct,” I said. This class may have been simple for some, but it was vital I brought the students all up to the same level of knowledge. And between the Vegas and Fae who came from isolated areas or had shitty parents who’d never taught them jack about their own world, this was an important lesson. “And what feature changes for Vampires?”

“Teeth,” Tory offered in a sharp tone, a crease on her brow that told me exactly what she thought of my kind. Anyone who hadn’t witnessed Caleb Altair driving his fangs into her last night had likely seen it on FaeBook this morning. He’d staked a claim on her, but nothing was official. Although as my gaze flicked to her sister, I was pretty sure I had a deal in mind for how we could work out our competition over them.

Some of the students snickered and I let them mock the Vega girl, because that was all part of this world. If she wanted their respect, she’d have to earn it, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be helping either of them attain that.

“Correct, Miss Vega.” I rested my hands flat on my desk and peeled my upper lip back, my fangs extending as I exposed them for the whole class to see. Fuck, I was hungry. My throat was burning with a need my coffee couldn’t do anything to satisfy.

Darcy’s face paled and I grinned darkly at the glint of fear in her eyes, running my tongue across my fangs before letting them retract. Are you scared of me, princess? How terrified would you be with my fangs in you then? Maybe I’ll find out soon enough. Though that thought came with another jerk of my cock and I smothered that idea. If she tasted too good, I could get hard in front of the whole class and then I really would be in trouble. 

Darcy’s nose wrinkled at me and I realised she was disgusted with me. I tried to ignore the flash of heat that burned in my chest over that and ploughed on.

“And what is the purpose of Vampire fangs?” I asked.

“To suck magic out of other Orders!” Miss Major called out, seeming excited, but fuck knew why.

“Correct,” I said, deciding I wanted to feed. Maybe if I drank from someone, I could get my mind off of the one I really wanted to drink from. “Any volunteers?”

Nervous laughter rang out and my dark smile grew. Freshmen were so deliciously vulnerable, I was like a wolf standing in a room full of rabbits.

“No?” I pressed, strolling casually into the aisles between the desks as I started my hunt. “Because in Solaria, Fae don’t tend to ask for what they want, do they?”

I paused beside the desk of the boy wearing a beanie hat just beside Darcy’s desk and the boy’s eyes widened. I’ll give her a show up close which will frighten the living hell out of her. Then maybe she’ll start getting the message to go back to the Mortal Realm and stay well away from the throne of Solaria.

“Name?” I demanded of the boy.

“Diego Polaris,” he said. “And as a teacher, sir, don’t you have to ask for blood?”

Didn’t realise the kid was a comedian. I snatched his arm and dug my fangs into it, drinking deeply from the vein. The boy released a yell of pain and – holy mother of fuck, what the hell is that? He tastes like a foot.

“Stop!” Darcy demanded and I extracted my fangs, wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth and fighting a heave as I looked up to find her on her feet with rage in her eyes. My revulsion gave way to surprise at her little display and my brows arched.

The Fae in me reared up and a growl built in my throat at the challenge in her eyes. Alright, here it is. The Vega backbone on display. So now the crushing has to begin.

“Problem, Miss Vega?” I asked. How far will you take this little challenge, trouble?

She glanced over her shoulder at her sister who shook her head to warn her off. Clever girl.

Darcy sank back into her seat and satisfaction rippled through me at hearing her heart beat wildly out of rhythm. Her upper lip curled a little as she turned her head away so she didn’t have to look at me anymore. I lingered there for a couple of seconds, fighting the urge to rip her out her seat and get the vile taste of Polaris’s blood out of my mouth with the sweet nectar of hers. I just knew she’d taste like a dream. I had to know for sure though. I fucking had to.

No. I’ve gotten a semi from drinking from Darius before, what could happen if this girl tastes even better?

I marched back to my desk and dropped onto the wide leather chair behind it. “You have ten minutes to describe the shifted forms of each Mutatio in the table. Go.” I plucked up my coffee cup, drained the last of it then sat back in my chair, picking up my Atlas.

I found Gabriel had sent me a video and I clicked on it, fighting a snort at the tiny snake in it who was wearing an equally tiny cowboy hat.

“Great, we’ll just sit here for ten minutes then,” Tory said under her breath, folding her arms and I ignored her complaints, but kept my attention trained on them in case they said anything worth listening to. So far, I didn’t have much to report back to Darius, except that they were clueless and maybe that was good. Because their naivety to the Fae world meant they were about as much a threat to the throne as that foul tasting hat kid. He must be a Heptian Toad.

“Are you okay?” Darcy whispered to Polaris and I fought the urge to look up as I listened for his response, but none came. Of course he’s not okay. He’s not gonna last a week here. Might as well start saying your goodbyes, Miss Vega.

I shot a message to Gabriel in response to the video.

Lance:

That cowsnake doesn’t look like he’d be good for much wrangling.

A photo came in of a plastic cow now sitting beside the snake and I bit down on a laugh.

Lance:

Clearly I was mistaken.

Noxy:

Clearly.

Aren’t you in class right now?

Lance:

Yeah. First freshman CM of the year.

Feel free to come put me out of my misery.

Noxy:

Haha, it can’t be that bad.

How’s the Vega watch going?

I stole a glance at Darcy then forced my eyes back down at my Atlas as the pinkness of her lips taunted me.

Lance:

I don’t think they’ll be any trouble.

Noxy:

Are you sure about that?

Lance:

They’re clueless. How much shit could they really stir up?

Noxy:

Just don’t underestimate them too much, Orio…

Lance:

What have you seen??

Noxy:

Nothing.

Lance:

Liar.

Noxy:

Just follow your heart.

Lance:

Eat a dick.

Noxy:

Is that an offer?

Lance:

You wish.

Noxy:

I do. Every night on every star in the sky.

I swallowed another laugh and my hearing picked up a whisper towards the back of the room that made my amusement die in a wave.

‘Orion is so hot,” Kylie whispered.

‘Yeah and he knows it.’ The girl beside her smothered a laugh.

‘He does know it, because he has Vampire hearing.’ I looked up from my desk, pinning them in my gaze. ‘So if you don’t want detention for the next week, I suggest you keep your petty thoughts to yourselves about me and any other member of faculty for that matter.’

The girls’ mouths dropped open and Darcy supressed a laugh. Apparently she didn’t like the blonde girl. Which was the only thing we had in common. Though I didn’t really like any student except Darius, so there was that.

‘Oh come on, Professor, as if you don’t love having a bunch of girls drooling over you,’ Tyler called out from the front row, shoving a hand into his blonde-tipped hair to mess it up.

Well you just made my day, you frosted-tip prick.

I rose from my seat, wandering casually toward the boy with a smile that told him I was thoroughly amused. Of course, that was just a trap and the guy fell for it as he grinned from ear to ear at me. Stupid little freshman.

In a surge of movement, I cracked Tyler’s head against his desk and the entire class inhaled sharply as my smile died a quick death.

I pointed a finger and swept it across everyone in the room in warning. “To me, each and every one of you is just a pair of ears. Ears that are going to listen to me speak and no one else in this classroom. If you want to talk to your little BFF in the seat next to you, go ahead. But you’ll join Frosted Tips here in detention tonight. And trust me when I say, detention with me is not a fun experience.’

‘Detention?’ Tyler gasped as he rubbed his forehead.

My eyes narrowed on him as I gave him a fierce look that dared him to say another word. He backed down like a good boy, nodding quickly.

“This place is crazy,” Darcy whispered to Tory.

“Batshit,” she agreed and I wondered if I could pull them up on that to show them a lesson too.

Darcy’s Atlas pinged loudly and just like that, the stars answered my plea. My gaze narrowed on her and she waved a hand in apology as she scrambled to find the mute button. But instead of finding it, her gaze fixed on the screen as she read the notification.

I watched in deadly silence as she tapped on it, continuing about her merry life as she moved to read the message. Then, I had to assume audacity was her middle name as she offered her Atlas to her sister to read it too while they shared eyebrow raises and Darcy even stifled a laugh. Darcy then took her time tapping on the screen and at this point everyone in the class was staring while I slowly crept closer to both of them, as silent as death on wings.

Darcy’s Atlas pinged once more and she winced, her eyes snapping up and locking with mine.

“Miss Vega, are you entirely dense?” I snarled, my pulse thumping to a heady tune in my ears, telling me to bite her, begging me to.

“No,” she said fiercely and I started to think Gabriel was right. These two were trouble. The obnoxious kind.

“Then why are your Atlas notifications switched on in my classroom after I gave you a clear warning to turn them off?” I snapped.

“I didn’t realise-” she started but I cut off her bullshit excuse, my mouth twisting into a demonic smile as I prepared to put her in her place.

“Don’t ever lie to me,” I growled and a little of the colour in her cheeks drained away. “Let’s hear it then. What does this message say that is obviously important enough to interrupt my class?”

Panic. The beautiful kind, crossed her features as she glanced down at the message on the screen. She was in my snare, baited and caught and now I’d be having her for dinner.

“Out loud. Now,” I demanded and Tory started shaking her head, her own concern clear at what her sister was about to reveal to the class. My mind went on overdrive for a second as I wondered if she was about to read out some filthy message from a guy. But she’d been in Solaria one day, she could hardly have hooked up with anyone yet. Not that it mattered.

Of course, it wasn’t unheard of. I’d had to break up an orgy in The Orb the first fucking day Seth Capella had joined Zodiac. He’d been at this school an hour. An hour.

But Darcy didn’t seem like the type of girl to have been tearing her clothes off and diving into a pack orgy on day one at a new school in an entirely different world to the one she’d lived in her whole life. You never could really tell though.

Darcy cleared her throat as a few giggles sounded from her classmates. Diego shot her a sympathetic look as she began to read it, every syllable enunciated.

“The lump of muscle who teaches your Cardinal Magic class. Just to be clear, you’ll recognise Orion by the scent of bourbon on his breath-” a big inhale sounded from the whole class, “-the permanent scowl stamped on his face and the general air of failed dreams about him since he lost his chance at playing for the Solarian Pitball League.”

My teeth slammed together in a vice and blood pumped furiously through my body. Who the fuck was sending her messages like that about me?

Darcy’s eyes lifted to meet mine and I glared at her with the intensity of the sun as laughter built in the classroom. I needed a culprit, and then I’d find said culprit and slam their head through a wall.

“And which of your many, many friends sent you that colourful message?” I asked, deadly calm, a lion in the grass. I will find you, and I will fucking kill you.

“I don’t know. It’s sort of… anonymous,” Darcy said weakly, offering up her Atlas.

Anonymous? That wasn’t good. And I could see the truth in her eyes so she probably wasn’t lying. But why would someone bad mouth me to her? What was the purpose of it?

“Everyone return to their work,” I barked, striding back to my chair and sitting down as I whipped up my Atlas again. 

As I was about to send a message to Gabriel, Tory whispered something which caught my attention.

“Do you think we can trust this Falling Star person?”

“I don’t know,” Darcy replied thoughtfully. “It’s hard to know who to trust in this place.”

Are you really going to trust a message from some anonymous loser with a vendetta against me?

They clearly weren’t getting the message about chatter in my classroom so I waved my hand, deciding I wanted Darcy squirming for me again. It was rather thrilling actually. I wondered how much blood I could drain from her face this time.

She frowned, glancing around like she wasn’t sure what I wanted and that made this all the more fun.

‘Miss Vega if you’re not standing up in the next three seconds, you’re going to regret it,” I barked.

“Which Vega?” Tory asked, barely concealing her jibing tone.

My eyes snapped to her. “The one who has tried to individualise herself by dyeing the ends of her hair blue. It has failed by the way.” The only thing it’s ensured is that I can’t stop thinking about what it would look like spilled across my pillow while my hand is braced against the wall above her.

Stop.

The temperature in my body was rising too high and I needed an outlet right now. So she was going to take the brunt of it because it was her fault those thoughts were in my head in the first place.

Wait a minute, maybe she’s a Siren. Maybe her gifts are starting to Emerge and she’s so strong than she’s capturing me in the trap of her allure. That would make a lot of sense.

Darcy pressed her lips together at the insult, deciding not to do as I’d asked. Which was a very bad choice, because I didn’t like being disobeyed. Not one bit. Especially in my classroom, and especially when I was already worked up.

‘Stand up,” I commanded.

‘If I say no are you going to smash my head into the table?’ she asked through gritted teeth. I’d rather my headboard.

Shit.

“I’ll do it.” Tory rose from her seat but I raised a hand, my gaze fixed on her sister.

“I didn’t ask you,” I snarled.

Tory pouted then dropped back into her chair, rolling her eyes.

Darcy obeyed at last, standing up and raising her brows with a mock bored expression as she waited for what I was about to say. I could hear her heartbeat though, my senses were entirely focused on it, so I could tell exactly how unnerved she was. And the beast in me liked that a whole lot.

My mouth hooked up at the corner as I finally got her where I wanted her. At my mercy.

“Tell me the qualities and abilities of a Nemean Lion.” I smiled like a psycho, wanting to get under her skin and make her fear me. I was the hunter in the room and she was the prey. And that was how things were going to stay too. But I needed to get a rise out of these girls to see what they were capable of. And there was no time like the present.

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I thought not,” I said quietly. “But while everyone else was working you thought it was a good time to speak with your equally useless sister?”

Tory rose abruptly from her seat. “Who are you calling useless?”

“Am I not speaking clearly enough?” I asked coolly.

She pursed her lips and didn’t answer.

I surveyed them for a moment, then a delicious idea for a punishment coiled through me like a viper. “Both of you climb onto your desks.”

I Coerced them and the two twins scrambled onto their desks as everyone in the room started chattering excitedly. I was too Fae not to enjoy having that power over the Savage King’s daughters. It was a high like nothing I’d known before.

I moved to lean back against my desk, pushing my hands into my pockets and nodding to Diego. “Polaris, please explain loud and clear to the ignorant twins on your left what Coercion is.”

Diego got up, his chair legs scraping across the floor with a screech. He adjusted his beanie hat, throwing them an apologetic glance before answering. “Coercion is one of the Cardinal magics gifted to all Fae without exception. It’s the ability to control those of weak mind and is particularly effective on mortals.”

“Tell them why,” I pressed, my amusement increasing as I continued to watch the girls.

Diego cleared his throat. “Because most Fae learn how to perform a simple shield on their minds to block basic Coercion from a young age.”

“Thank you, sit down,” I told Diego and both girls looked positively fuming.

“We’ve never been taught any-” Tory started but I cut over her.

“Quiet,” I commanded then looked to the rest of the class. “The Vega twins need to learn how to perform a simple shield. To encourage them to do so, you are all assigned the task of Coercing them at any given opportunity from here on out.”

Kylie squealed her delight and several more of the class laughed. If they made it through the next couple of weeks with the whole school targeting them, I’d be very surprised. This was the perfect time to strike at them and I’d promised Darius I’d help remove the problem they presented him. So I’d happily stoop to these levels to get the job done.

“What?” Darcy gasped. “How are we supposed to learn to do something we’ve never even heard of before now?”

Your problem, not mine.

Tory was still struggling to open her lips after I’d ordered her to stay quiet, but she was working really damn hard at it.

I ignored her question, pointing at Tyler in the front row, ready to get the show started. “Stand up, turn around, one command.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” Darcy blurted, trying to force herself to get off the table, but she couldn’t do it. You’re in my trap now, Siren girl. And you’re not going to fuck with my head anymore.

Tyler grinned in excitement and I was kind of annoyed by giving the guy a reason to be happy. “Jump up and down and flap your arms like a chicken.”

The twins did just that and I watched with a smug grin as they made complete idiots of themselves and the whole class roared with laughter.

“Who’s next?” I asked and Kylie’s arm flew into the air faster.

“Go ahead.” I nodded at her.

She stood up with a malicious expression on her face and I wondered how far she was going to take this.

“Screw this,” Tory snapped, kicking her Atlas off the desk and my arm shot out as I cast air magic to catch it, sending it right back to where it had come from.

I opened my mouth to berate her but the classroom door opened and Elaine Nova strode in. She surveyed the scene with a look of interest then smiled at me. “How is everyone’s first lesson going?”

“Terrible,” Darcy muttered and my eyes flashed her way. My gut tugged slightly at her miserable expression, but I immediately smothered that reaction. She’s a Siren, don’t fall for it.

I released them from my Coercion and Darcy dropped off her desk, folding her arms as she glared at me. Don’t hate the player, hate the game, princess.

“The twins are behind,” I told Elaine bluntly. “They don’t know a thing about the Orders. Beyond that, they don’t have even a basic shield against Coercion and I doubt against any other magic either. So they’ll most likely be dead before the end of term.”

“Hmm.” Nova glanced their way. “Well that won’t do.” She tapped her lower lip and I wondered if she might just expel them now to save on the funeral expenses, but I guessed that was a bit too much to hope for. “They’ll have to have Liaisons for tuition once a week.”

I nodded. “That’s the least they need.”

“They’ll need the best for the job,” she said thoughtfully.

“Right.” I scratched my short beard, losing interest in this conversation. If she wanted them mentored, then that was her problem.

“So you’ll have to tutor one of them and I’ll elect another professor for the other.”

My fury went from ten to a hundred and a snarl built in my throat. “I coach Pitball most evenings, I don’t have time for that.” No fucking way am I being a tutor to one of my enemies.

“Yes but you only coach for an hour, then you have the whole evening at your disposal,” Nova said brightly.

“You’re right, I’d love to give my private time up for this,” I said dryly and Nova beamed as if she hadn’t registered my sarcasm.

The principal looked to Darcy and pointed. “Tory, you’ll be taught by Professor Orion and-”

No. And no with a slice of fuck no.

“I’m Darcy,” she corrected.

“I – er – of course you are,” Nova backtracked. “So you’ll be with Orion and Darcy I’ll let you know-”

“I’m Tory,” her sister huffed and I saw my fate closing in, the doors slamming in my face and offering me no way out. I quickly ran over my options in my mind and figured this was going to happen anyway, so I needed to take advantage of it. At least I’d be in a position to learn more about them, find their weaknesses like Darius needed. That was a good thing. Even if the idea of it was making heat crawl up my neck.

“Right er-” Nova started but I stepped in.

“Blue, you’re with me.” I pointed at Darcy and she scowled at the nickname. Well it looks like you just bought yourself an eternity of being called that then, didn’t you Blue?

If I had to do this, then I’d at least be getting my kicks out of it. I’d get so deep under her skin, she’d lose her mind trying to claw me out. But I was still pissed I had to give up my free time for this. My life was already owned in so many ways by other people, now a Vega was taking a piece of it too.

“Right,” Nova said. “You should start tonight; they need to get on track as soon as possible.”

“Great,” I bit out. There goes my down time laying on the couch getting wasted.

“I’ll leave you to it then.” Nova turned on her stilettos and headed out of the room, snapping the door shut behind her.

I sighed heavily, marching back to the board as I thought about having Darcy all to myself in my office. That didn’t seem like a very safe place to be. For her or me. How was I going to stop myself from biting her? Well maybe I don’t have to… I’ll just angle my boner away if I get turned on by her power and shoot away to hide behind my desk before she sees. Simple.

By the stars, am I really making a boner escape plan?

“Sir?” Kylie moaned and I decided I hated her there and then for her whiny voice alone. “Are we not doing Coercion anymore?”

“No,” I growled. “Sit down and shut up. That goes for all of you.”

I turned back to the board and pushed away all thoughts of having Darcy alone in my office with her blood as fair game and focused on the lesson I needed to teach. But as my fangs pricked my tongue, I felt my inner monster make a decision that would be impossible to go back on. Because tonight, when she came to my office with her blue hair and defiant eyes, I was going to get a taste of that girl and show her what true power looked like.