Zodiac Academy 5: Cursed Fates

I ran on the treadmill at full speed, pushing my body to its very limits. I’d taken the beating of a lifetime last night. There’d been so much blood, I’d feared for a second Father wasn’t going to stop. But I shouldn’t have doubted, because now that my Order was exposed to the world, he couldn’t kill me. Not anytime soon at least. Tory Vega had given me the protection I needed. And not just that, she’d saved me from any more sessions with Gravebone too. His mind tricks had made me question my own head, but since last night, I felt like myself again.

I never had chosen the Dragons in my hypnosis, but he’d gotten frighteningly close to persuading me that way. Closer than I liked to admit. I just hoped that asshole took a long walk off a short pier sometime soon and fell into a fiery pit of lava.

In an hour, the press were going to arrive along with the other Councillors and the Heirs to celebrate my Emergence. It was laughable. In fact, after my mother had healed me from Father’s attack last night, I’d laughed my fucking ass off. Because now he was going to be forced to let me out in public. He was going to have to send me to school. To Zodiac. It was only a matter of time before I’d be Awakened in the summer and ready to start my education in September. I’d move out of this house, this hell.

My gut twisted suddenly and I banged my fist against the emergency stop, the treadmill slowing to a halt beneath me.

I took in heavy breaths, my mind latching onto Mom. She’d stayed with me late into the night, apologising for everything. I didn’t care that I was nearly a grown man, I’d curled up into her arms and drank in the feeling of her surrounding me, trying to make up for every lost hug we’d missed out on. But then she’d gone away. And now we had to act as if she wasn’t healed. Because that was what she was. My father was a disease that ate into the minds and hearts of others. His desire for power had corrupted him a long time ago and his need for control meant he’d fought to mould us into the ideal, mindless little puppets he needed us to be. If people really knew what he was like, if they knew what he’d done…

I swallowed the hard ball in my throat and stepped off of the treadmill as I caught my breath. Leaving this house and going to Zodiac Academy was something I’d hoped for my entire life. But that was when I’d thought that Mother was as heartless as Father. Now…how could I leave her here in good conscience?

The answer was simple: I couldn’t.

So I needed a plan, some way to get her out of this life before I was carted off to school in September and she was left to the misery of Acrux Manor alone.

I headed out of the gym and was soon showered and heading back to my room. Mother had laid out a fine white dress shirt and dark trousers on my bed for the photoshoot. The Acrux family crest was embroidered on the breast pocket in gold; two dragons reaching toward a single flame above them, their tails intertwined where our surname was printed.

I dressed in the smart clothes and headed to the mirror on the wall, using some product to push my curling hair back. I never usually bothered, but today was a special day. One I was determined to enjoy. I wanted to see my father’s skin stretching back over the shiniest smile he could muster for the cameras. I wanted to feel the discomfort hiding behind his eyes, sense the blood rising in his neck when his friends congratulated him. I was going to bathe in every delicious moment of it. I’d take a hundred beatings for that. Today was mine. And I was going to own every second and commit each one to memory. I knew things weren’t going to be plain sailing from here. But they were surely going to get better. They had to.

“It’s not fair!” I heard Clara cry from somewhere down the hall.

I moved to my door, stepping into the hallway to find Father dragging her along by the arm. He was dressed in a black suit that was more fit for a funeral than a celebration. But then again, I supposed this was a kind of death to him. A death of his absolute control over me. Ha. R.I.P.

“You will do this, Clara, it’s not a request,” Father snarled and she threw a blast of shadows at him, throwing him back a step. His hand came at her so fast, she had no time to stop him as it crashed against her cheek, sending her head wheeling sideways.

My heart beat harder as I watched, not moving an inch in case they spotted me and dragged me into whatever this fight was about.

“Daddy!” Clara wailed, cupping her reddened cheek. Then she dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around his legs and hugging tight. “Don’t do this to me, please! I don’t like the dark!”

“There is a light in the attic, foolish girl,” he snapped. “You cannot be seen by the press, you don’t hide the shadows well enough. One slip and we’ll be exposed.” He caught a fistful of her hair, dragging her to her feet and hauling her along as she bawled like a child.

They rounded a corner and my heartbeat steadied as I hurried forward and headed downstairs. At least I didn’t have to deal with her today.

I ate a bowl of cereal in the kitchen before refilling the bowl and having another one, because why the hell not? Might as well celebrate. I wished I could dance with Mom and hug her in front of everyone today. And the thought ripped and pulled at a long suffering wound in my chest. After all the animosity I’d harboured in my heart for her, now my insides were all twisted up, my love for her expanding and chasing away those dark feelings I’d aimed toward her. If only I’d known she’d been a slave to Father too, maybe I wouldn’t have felt so alone since Darius had gone to school.

My phone started ringing and I took it out in surprise, finding Sofia calling. My heart jammed into my throat and I half choked on the cereal in my mouth.

One startling truth rang in my ears like a gong. She’s figured it out.

We never called each other. The only way I’d heard her voice before was through her videos on FaeBook which I may or may not have saved to my phone and watched like some creeper. But seeing her smile and laugh with her friends had felt like she was smiling and laughing with me. Which yeah, was sad as shit. But I’d found comfort in it. I wasn’t remotely prepared to answer that call and hear her voice aimed at me for real.

I left the bowl on the side and raced into the pantry, pulling the door closed and rushing past the shelves of food. The call was going to damn well cut out if I didn’t answer in the next ten seconds.

Shit what do I say?

Am I going to sound like a douche?

What if she hates my voice?

I cleared my throat. “Hello Sofia,” I practised in a deeper tone than usual. Idiot. “Hello. Hi. What’s crack-a-lackin’?”

Answer it asshole!!!

I pressed the button and held it to my ear, saying – nothing. Yep, I said nothing. Just remained quiet and listened to her breathe.

“Philip?” she asked tentatively and I pressed my back to the far wall, sinking down to the floor beside a sack of potatoes. Which was weird because I kind of felt like a sack of potatoes in that moment.

“Hey,” I said. And I sounded normal. Definitely normal.

“You’re not Philip, are you?” she asked. By the stars, she sounded sweeter than in any of her videos. That voice was husky, innocent yet seductive. And I might have been getting hard for her like a twelve year old boy with his first ever boner. Real fucking smooth.

“No,” I answered in a slightly strained voice, apparently only able to give one word answers. But what was she going to think now? What if she didn’t want to talk to me anymore? Darius wasn’t exactly a BFD (Big Friendly Dragon). And she was definitely Team Vega, so maybe she didn’t care for him or my family.

“You’re Xavier Acrux,” she said, her voice quavering a little.

I wasn’t sure if she was afraid or just about to break down into tears because her bubble had been burst when she’d learned that I wasn’t Philip the low level Pegasus who was entirely inoffensive with his existence.

“Yeah,” I rasped. More words, idiot, more words! I barrelled on. “Does that change things?”

A beat of silence passed which might as well have been a lifetime.

“No,” she answered. “At least, not if you don’t want it to?”

“No – of course I don’t. I’m sorry I lied, I just…” A thousand explanations rang through my head, but I didn’t have to say any of them before Sofia answered.

“I get it. You’re an Acrux. Your father wanted you to be a Dragon.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. Man it felt so good to talk to her. Her voice was a silken thread that seemed to weave itself into my soul and soothe every dark shadow it found there. “He’s going to pretend it’s the best news ever now. Tory saved my ass.”

“I’m gonna give her the biggest hug for you.”

“Thanks,” I laughed, pushing a hand into my hair as my heart raced. I didn’t know why I felt like such a bundle of nerves, but talking to her was like taking an injection of pure adrenaline. “I should be able to come to Zodiac next year,” I blurted then instantly regretted it. What was I even trying to say by telling her that? That we could meet? Date? No chance. She was a year older than me anyway, why would she want that?

“That’s amazing news,” she gasped and a shit-eating grin took over my whole face.

“Is it?” I asked.

“The best,” she laughed and that sound – fuck, that sound.

“Xavier! The press are here, where are you?!” Father’s voice boomed through the walls as he used magic to amplify it and my heart stuttered.

“Shit, I’ve gotta go,” I muttered.

“Okay, talk soon?”

“Real soon. And watch out for an article in The Celestial Times tomorrow,” I said with a low laugh.

“Can’t wait.”

“Bye,” I breathed then hung up, getting to my feet and staring down at my hard on with a sigh. I was so not camera ready right now.

“XAVIER!” Father bellowed and yep, that did it. My boner sank like a ship hitting a rock at sea and I rearranged my pants as I headed out of the door into the kitchen.

My heart thumped against my ears as I hurried through to the entrance hall, finding Jenkins opening the door and Mother and Father standing at the top of the stairs, looking like a picturesque couple as he wrapped an arm around her waist. The Celestial Councillors all strode inside followed by Seth, Caleb and Max. Darius appeared a step behind them, his eyes searching the space then landing on me.

He rushed forward, wrapping me in his arms and I laughed as he clapped me on the back.

“Are you alright?” he asked in a low tone.

“Better than I’ve been in a long time,” I muttered then flashes of cameras fell over us as the press descended.

“Can we get a few photos of the Acrux family on the stairs?” a blonde woman called and I exchanged a smirk with Darius before we moved to the foot of the steps while Jenkins ushered the Councillors through to the lounge. The Heirs didn’t leave though, creating an arc to one side of the room as they watched the shoot with interest.

Father’s hand landed on my shoulder suddenly and I fought the urge to flinch, glancing at him with a polished smile. He returned it and I couldn’t remember any other time he’d directed a smile at me.

“Now just the High Lord and his youngest son,” a bearded man asked and Darius peeled away with my mother as Father stepped down to stand at my side.

He put his arm around my shoulders and tugged me close to his side. I fought the urge to laugh at the absurdity of it as the group of photographers gathered closer, looking excited as they snapped photo after photo.

I could see Darius and Mother in the corner of my eye, speaking within a silencing bubble as she clutched onto his hand. They were being careful not to make a scene, but the look in their eyes said that they were both desperate to bridge the gap that Father had forced between them with his Dark Coercion. Darius had already text me to say he’d be coming home the next time Father had to stay in the city and the three of us planned on spending some time as a proper family for once, without anything keeping us from loving each other the way we should. And I was looking forward to that with a desperate ache in my soul.

We posed for several more photos as Father kept his fake smile in place through pure determination and I relaxed as they finally called an end to them.

I thought that would be it, but a woman with steely eyes who I recognised as the head of The Celestial Times, Portia Silverstone – a woman whom my father always worked so hard to keep sweet – directed us outside.

“Let’s see that Pegasus form then, dear boy,” she asked. “We’ve got a few props for you set up out here…” She headed out of the door and the photographers snapped a few surreptitious photos of the Heirs before following and Father’s grip on my shoulders tightened painfully.

I couldn’t help a snort of amusement as we made it outside and found that Portia had set up a scene under the ash tree to one side of the drive. A bucket of carrots laid beside it and a large, checkered picnic blanket had been spread out next to it.

“Don’t be shy, Xavier,” Portia encouraged and Father released me, his arms falling stiff at his sides. “Let’s see you shift.”

My cheeks heated from the attention, especially as I started pulling my clothes off and the photographers had a field day over my new set of abs.

“We should book him in for a less family friendly shoot in Zodiass Weekly,” I heard one of the reporters mutter and another laugh escaped me.

A youngish girl who I guessed was an intern ran forward with a towel before I whipped my dick out and I offered her a smile. “Thanks. I think I’ll build up to the full nude shoot,” I joked and her cheeks coloured with a blush.

My brows arched at that. I’d always been the less cool, less hot, less interesting brother in the family. And I hadn’t really cared about that. But the way she was looking at me made me wonder if that was still going to be true after today. Holy glittering Pegasus shit, what the hell is happening right now?

I shot a glance at my father before I attempted to shift, nerves warring through me. I’d never done this under so much pressure before. What if I screwed it up? What if I burst into my form too vigorously, skewered Portia Silverstone on my horn and shit a rainbow in the process?

Don’t be a dick today, stars. Pretty please with a cherry on top.

Father was smiling so hard, I wondered if he was going to break a tooth.

A smirk pulled at my features as I turned away from the crowd then leapt forward, letting my Order take over and spill through my flesh. It felt incredible. Blissful.

I shook my head and glitter tumbled from my mane as an excited whinny broke free of my throat. I trotted around to face the reporters and camera flashes blinded me. I reared up, enjoying the attention for once and giving them a show with a full on neigh.

The Heirs stood beyond them, clapping and whooping. Seth howled like crazy and Max crowed like a cockerel. Darius had the biggest smile I’d ever seen him wear and Caleb was just outright laughing as he stared at my father.

“Wonderful, Xavier!” Portia cried. “You are quite the stallion. The biggest I’ve ever seen. Are you proud of your son, Lord Acrux?”

“So proud I could burst,” Father replied, his eyes dead, his smile still intact.

“Were you expecting him to be a Dragon? Was it a surprise?” the blonde woman called.

“It was quite the surprise,” Father agreed, a bead of sweat rolling down his brow which he quickly dabbed at. “Astounding how the stars work, really. With so much Dragon blood, it should have been impossible. But here we are.”

A whinny escaped me again as laughter crashed through me and Portia clapped excitedly before ushering me towards the picnic blanket.

I walked over, the scent of the carrots making my mouth actually water. I’d always liked them, apples too, was this why? I was always destined to be a Pegasus?

“Beautiful Xavier, now let’s see your father feeding you one of the carrots,” Portia encouraged and the Heirs’ laughter rang in my ears.

I looked to Father as he strode towards me with his grin starting to look painful and he swiped a carrot out of the bucket, holding it out for me.

I chomped down on it as more cameras flashed and Father reached out, seeming unsure where to pet me for a moment before settling on my neck with one firm clap. Glitter tumbled down to the ground and plastered his hand. I could see how much he wanted to wipe it off as his arm dropped heavily to his side and his fingers flexed. It angered me how disgusted he was by me, by my kind. But I wasn’t going to let that ruin my day.

The photographers had the time of their lives directing us into various stances, then finally freed my father from his moment in hell, calling the Heirs over to have pictures taken with me while he headed inside.

Seth stripped his shirt off with a whoop and the rest of the Heirs followed, laughing their heads off as they positioned themselves around me in ridiculously over-the-top poses.

Caleb lay on the ground before me with a carrot between his teeth while Max ran a hand down my back, smearing his chest with glitter and the others soon hurried to get themselves covered in it too. Darius stood by my head and I nuzzled into his face the moment the cameras flashed. This was going right up there with the top best moments of my life.

“Are we done?” Darius asked the press eventually. “I want to go flying with my brother.”

My heart pounded madly at the thought. Flying with Mom last night had been euphoric and I’d envied Darius of his wings for so long, I was more than ready to do it all over again with him.

“Absolutely,” Portia said with a beaming smile. “We won’t intrude any further on this special day.”

They started packing up their gear and the Heirs moved around me, petting my back and making happiness spread through every part of my body. Shivers ran through me from the contact and I never wanted it to end.

“He needs a herd,” Max commented.

“We can be his herd today, huh Xavier?” Seth asked and I nodded my head excitedly.

“I bet you can’t keep up with me,” Caleb challenged with a smirk and I stamped my hooves impatiently as Seth stripped down and leapt forward into his enormous white Wolf form.

Max whistled at the intern who turned beetroot as she glanced back at him. “Can I borrow your backpack, love?”

She nodded wordlessly, dropping it from her shoulder and tipping everything out of it before tossing it to Max.

“Thanks,” he said.

She nodded, darting away with her things bundled in her arms and I whinnied a laugh as Max gathered up Seth’s clothes then held the bag out for Darius’s.

My brother stripped down, tossing them in it and moving away from us before diving onto the lawn in his enormous golden Dragon form, an ear-splitting roar leaving him that made the earth quake.

I reared up in excitement, charging away from the other Heirs as Darius spread his wings and launched himself into the sky. I spread mine too, running faster across the grass and leaping off of the ground with two wing flaps as I climbed after him towards the sun. We tore into the clouds and there was something so achingly wonderful about the brush of them over my body. When I was Awakened, they’d be what I needed to recharge my magic and I could almost feel their connection to my soul humming through me already.

I flew beneath Darius in his immense shadow before circling up to fly at eye level with him. If Dragon’s could smile, he’d be doing it right now. His gaze burned with a thousand emotions as glitter tumbled off of my body, leaving a gleaming trail through the sky as we started swooping and soaring around each other.

He soon took a nose dive towards the ground and I tucked my wings, following his every move and using the drag of his powerful body to pull me along with even more ease.

His wings stretched out as he pulled up just a few meters from the ground and Seth threw his head back, howling up at us from below with Max on his back whooping and pumping his fist.

Caleb raced along at their side, grinning up at us as we followed them towards the group of trees beyond the lake. I dropped down onto the grass, my hooves thundering along, galloping feeling just as good as flying as I kept pace with Seth. His flank rubbed my side and a zing of energy danced through my limbs. I needed this. I needed a herd, a group, a family. And I loved that they were offering me that, even if just for one day.

I wonder if Father will let me meet with others of my kind before I start school.

Darius flew up above the trees as we tore into them and we finally slowed to a halt beside a bubbling stream, shifting out of our Orders.

“Heads up!” Darius called as he plummeted from the sky in his Fae form and let Seth catch his naked ass on a gust of air as if he’d done it a thousand times.

Max tossed us our clothes and I pulled my pants on, leaving my chest bare and the others did the same as we dropped down onto the rocks, bathing in the sunlight filtering through the branches. I was hot as hell from the run and the heat of spring was finally starting to seep into the world too. It really was a new beginning for me. Not just for the trees and the flowers. This year, I was going to get to bloom with them.

“That was awesome,” I exclaimed, grinning around at them.

“You’re one fast horse,” Seth commented. “You make me hungry for the hunt.”

“Me too,” Caleb laughed. “I was looking at that sparkly neck salivating, Xavier. You’d better get ready to defend yourself at Zodiac.”

“I’ll eat anyone who touches him,” Darius commented, leaning back on a boulder with a smirk.

“You don’t have to look out for me.” I rolled my eyes.

“I’ll always look out for you,” Darius said with a shrug. “But I’m sure you’ll be ready to kick ass by the time you enrol if you keep working out like you are.”

“I wonder if he’ll get two Elements like you,” Max wondered aloud. “You’re a fire star sign, right?”

“Of course,” I said. “Mother and Father must have had our conceptions planned right down to the hour.” I grimaced and Darius mirrored me.

“If I ever have kids, I’m gonna let them be whatever the stars decide,” I said firmly and Darius glanced away with a tight expression, making guilt rack my heart.

“Sorry…fuck Mildred,” I muttered and he nodded.

“You’ve got Dragon blood Xavier, you won’t get off that lightly with Father anyway. He’ll force you to do whatever he wants,” Darius said sadly and I glanced around the Heirs, wondering how he was able to say that.

“Wait, you…” My lips parted as they all looked to me with sad smiles. They knew. And that could only mean one thing. Darius’s Coercion was gone, just like mine had vanished when Tory had burned through it with her Phoenix fire.

“So you know everything?” I asked warily.

“Everything,” Caleb said grimly as he cast a silencing bubble around the group. “We tried to talk to our parents, but there’s not any evidence to prove it yet. They’re being cautious though. My mom has had her suspicions about Lionel apparently. She said he disappeared for a while the morning of the Nymph attack at the Palace of Souls. She followed him, but he had a decent alibi and after they fought together against them, I guess she dismissed it. But now…hopefully they’ll take this seriously.”

“What if we went to the press and just told them everything?” I suggested hopefully.

“Father’s got this all locked down too well, Xavier,” Darius said with a sigh. “Until he makes a move on the Councillors and reveals his cards, there’s nothing we can do but try to undermine his plans in the meantime. And at least the other Councillors can prepare for his next move to take the throne.”

“Well, look at all these pretty boys hanging out in the woods.”

The voice made my blood chill and I swivelled around, finding Clara hanging upside down from a branch in what looked like a wedding dress with a lace corset and a flowing skirt.

“What the fuck?” Max rose to his feet with his hands raised and Caleb dispersed the silencing bubble as he got to his feet too, a low growl rumbling through his chest.

Clara dropped from the tree, flipping upright and using the shadows to help her land softly. Caleb, Max and Seth inhaled sharply at the sight. Even though they knew about this, seeing Clara for the first time must have been disturbing. She was like a beautiful monster, her skin laced with shadow, her power emanating from her body almost loud enough to hear.

I moved to get up but she grabbed hold of the shadows inside me, keeping me still as she dropped into my lap and pushed her fingers into my hair. “Daddy locked me up in the attic, isn’t he a bad, bad man?”

“Go back to the house, Clara,” Darius demanded as fire flickered in his palms.

Her touch was icily cold and my stomach churned as she raked a fingernail down my neck. “But I’m hungry.” She lurched forward, her fangs driving into my throat and I hissed, my jaw locking tight as she drank deeply from my veins.

The Heirs moved closer with danger in their stances and I shook my head to warn them off, not wanting this to descend into a fight. She yanked her fangs free again and grazed her fingers over my neck to heal the wound then giggled softly, getting to her feet.

She moved towards the others, brushing her hands over their naked chests and licking her lips. “I bet you all taste wonderful.”

“You try and bite anyone else and we won’t be responsible for our actions,” Darius snarled. “Now go back to the house.”

“But I want to play.” She pouted. “And I found such a pretty dress to wear and none of you have even told me how nice I look in it. I think it was your mother’s.”

She released her hold on the shadows within me and I growled as I rose to my feet. “Father will be furious.”

“He’s always angry,” she laughed. “And he has to catch me first anyway, but you wouldn’t tell on me, would you Xavier?”

She rounded on me again with darkness in her gaze and Seth caught her arm to try and hold her back. She threw out a blast of shadow and he shielded at the last second, making the dark tendrils spread out over the dome of air like a spiderweb. Clara laughed then directed it at Caleb instead who met it with a tangle of roots that burst from the ground, deflecting it away from him.

“Go back to the house!” Darius snapped, raising his hands as flames flared in them.

Clara laughed manically like this was some game we were playing with her, rushing forward and closing his fists as she took hold of the shadows within him. He bared his teeth and she smiled sweetly.

“Don’t shout at me, Darius. I don’t like to be shouted at,” she whispered.

A tremendous roar sounded from back at the manor and a twisted smile spread across my face. “Father knows you’re not in the attic,” I breathed and her cheeks paled a little. Which was saying something considering she was practically translucent.

She pressed her finger to her lips then raced away into the trees with her laughter tumbling back to us.

“I guess you heard about Clara,” I said to the Heirs, folding my arms. “Father’s new psycho pet.”

The three of them looked from me to Darius, concern burning in their eyes.

“So we need to deal with her before Lionel,” Seth said thoughtfully. “That’s how you win against a pack, cut the leader off from the strength of their inferiors.”

“Yeah, plus if we get rid of her, Lionel won’t have power over the Nymphs,” Max added and hope suddenly lit a path through my chest.

We all fell into a conversation about how to fight back. How to win. And with the strength of the Heirs on our side and the Vegas too, I had the most incredible feeling that the future might not end up so bleak after all. We had a long way to go before I could truly believe that. But at least I wasn’t alone anymore.