Zodiac Academy 7: Heartless Sky

I lazed on a chair built into the rocks, leaning back against Orion’s bare chest as I watched Xavier, Max and Geraldine playing catch with a ball of water in one of the bubbling pools. Geraldine had decided that the girls’ bathhouse within the royal quarters was required for relaxation for me and Tory this morning – despite my protests – but it was hard to keep complaining when Orion ran his fingers repeatedly through my hair and I practically started purring like a Lion Shifter with how content I was.

Tory and Darius had gone back to their room to ‘fetch something’ and hadn’t returned yet, so I decided not to think about why that was. I was kind of regretting letting Seth stay with me and Orion considering we now had nowhere to get any privacy. Despite this place seeming to have endless tunnels, it also seemed to have endless Fae too, and when we’d snuck off to try and have some alone time last night, only Orion’s Vampire ears had saved us from being caught by a couple of Oscura Wolves out on a run in their shifted forms. He’d yanked my panties up so fast I swear I could still feel the wedgie then he’d shot us away into the dark so no one saw us.

“Is there any way I can contact someone who’s not part of the rebellion, Geraldine?” Xavier asked with a frown on his brow.

“Who, my dear Xavier?” she asked, her large breasts bouncing in the tiny green bikini she wore which was dotted with little Cerberuses.

“Sofia,” he said, his cheeks pinking a little as Max tossed him the ball of water and he caught it before throwing it to Geraldine.

“Oh, sweet Sofia, our glittery gallopy friend,” Geraldine sighed. “But no, Xavier, we cannot make contact unless it is of utmost urgency. Merely speaking with her could put her at risk of Cyclops interrogation.”

Xavier hung his head and my attention was snagged as Darius and Tory walked into the room. She was wearing a red bikini which matched my blue one in every way, the surface a mimicry of snakeskin. Geraldine had let Tory pick out a few items for one of the supplies runs yesterday but we still didn’t have a huge amount of clothes to work with.

I waved to her and she jogged over, her hand locked in Darius’s as she pulled him along, his black and gold swim shorts the only thing he wore and I couldn’t help but smirk at their matching tattoos. My sister had gone freaking soft on that Dragon even if she had chosen to display it in a badass way instead of a soppy one.

Orion shifted beneath me as Tory dropped down onto the lounger beside ours and Darius looked to him as he remained standing.

“Hey, brother,” he said, a look of uncertainty in his eyes for a second.

“Hey,” Orion said, clearing his throat and I sensed an awkwardness between them which made me shift in my seat. What was going on?

Tory didn’t seem to notice, picking up a towel folded on the end of her lounger and dropping it over her face. “Wake me up for lunch. I need to catch up on some sleep.”

I breathed a laugh, looking to Darius as he lingered there, his eyes on Orion then flicking to the others in the pool.

“That’s not how you play water ball,” he said with a scoff and he walked over to them, casting a huge water ball in his palm which was spinning and spitting water everywhere. He launched it at Xavier and it slammed into his face, knocking him clean out of the pool and tumbling across the floor.

“Ah, you asshole!” Xavier leapt up, creating an equally fierce water ball in his hand and throwing it hard at his brother.

Darius tried to duck, but it hit him in the chest and sent him stumbling backwards a few steps.

Max burst out laughing and they all fell into a violent game which Geraldine started taking very seriously, casting explosive water balls that sent everyone running in different directions as she roared like an Amazonian warrior.

“Wanna play?” I asked Orion keenly as I sat up, grinning at the game as I prepared to join in.

“Nah…you go,” he said and I glanced back at him with a frown.

“What’s up?” I asked, sensing something sad in his expression and his eyes trailed to Darius again before back to me.

“I-” he started, but he was instantly cut off by the arrival of the other two Heirs as Caleb shot into the room carrying Seth.

“Murder!” Seth shouted and I spun to face them, finding him on Caleb’s back butt ass naked and wide eyed.

Caleb had blood smeared along his cheek and for a moment, a smile pulled at my mouth as I expected some prank, but their expressions made me get to my feet.

“Whatever do you mean?” Geraldine demanded.

“Some guards have been ripped to pieces out in the barn,” Caleb said seriously, letting Seth down.

“Fuck.” Orion was on his feet in an instant and I hurried over to wake Tory who was dead to the world already.

“Whasappening?” she slurred as I pulled her upright, my heart starting to beat unevenly.

“Some guards have been killed,” I said and her lips parted in surprise.

“We must fetch my father at once!” Geraldine announced, climbing out of the pool and dripping water everywhere as she ran for the door.

“Everyone should get their weapons,” I said urgently, the fear of our enemies being here creeping under my skin.

“Wait here,” Orion growled before shooting off out of the bathhouse and barely a few seconds passed before he returned with everyone’s Phoenix weapons in hand, handing them out as well as slapping a pair of sweatpants into Seth’s chest for him to cover up with.

“Oh wow, thanks friend,” he said before pulling them on.

“I’m doing everyone else a favour, not you,” Orion muttered.

“Because of how intimidating my mega cock is,” Seth agreed with a serious nod which had Caleb turning to look at his dick for a moment before glancing away again like he hadn’t meant to look at all. “Sorry to make you feel inferior.”

Orion snarled but ignored him as we all hurried out of the bathhouse in the direction Geraldine had headed.

Darius and Orion fell back to walk beside me and Tory, and my hand brushed my sister’s as we shared a worried glance.

As we made it to the tunnel that led to the farmhouse, we found it thronging with frantic people.

“What’s happened?!” someone cried.

“Is King Lionel here?” another shouted in panic.

“He’s not the fucking king,” Tory growled irritably.

“Keep your flans on a low heat!” Hamish called out from somewhere up ahead. “We shall get to the bottom of this post haste.”

We pushed through the crowd and I looked up at Orion who could see over most people ahead of us.

“What’s going on?” I asked and he looked at me with a frown.

“Looks like Hamish is heading outside with a group of Fae,” he said, taking my arm and pulling me closer like he thought I might be attacked at any second.

As the crowd noticed us coming, they created a path to allow us through and we made it to the front, waiting for Hamish to return while Geraldine spoke to Catalina in a low voice. When he finally came back from the farmhouse, his face was pale with worry and my pulse became more rapid.

“There has been an incident,” Hamish called out, using magic to send his voice echoing throughout the entire Burrows. “Cyclops Interrogation will commence immediately. Please return to your rooms and wait to be summoned.”

“Can we help?” I asked, stepping toward him.

“No, my lady Darcy,” he said. “Please return to your room. We will find the culprit swiftly.”

“You don’t think it’s to do with Lionel?” Tory asked, her right hand tightening into a fist as Catalina’s spine straightened at his name.

“As of yet, there is no sign of further attack,” Hamish said. “But we will be most vigilant, of course.” He wafted us away and Geraldine looked to us with tears in her eyes.

“My ladies, do forgive me. I would never bring you to a place of danger and bloodshed intentionally,” she croaked a sob.

“It’s not your fault,” I said softly but she just covered her face and wailed while Orion took hold of my arm, pulling me away.

We were carried along with the crowd back to the royal quarters and I chewed my lip anxiously as the others started splitting away into their rooms. I caught hold of Tory before she could go, wrapping her in a tight hug.

“It’s not him, Tor,” I said and she nodded.

“If it is, I’ll take his other fucking hand,” she growled and the strength in her voice brought a smile to my lips.

“We’ll cut his legs off too and throw him in a river to drown,” I agreed as we parted.

Darius nodded to us and pulled her across the hall in the direction of the room they’d made theirs since his return. I hadn’t actually mentioned anything to Tory about the fact that she’d jumped straight into living with her new boyfriend. I was semi sure she would freak out if it was pointed out to her, and I didn’t want her sending him off to find another room because she was afraid of jumping in too deep too fast. This whole thing had been a long time coming and I was just happy to see her smiling so much.

We walked into our room with Seth close behind me and the door swung shut behind us, the sound of worried voices still carrying from down the halls.

“Um, Darcy?” Seth whispered, pulling on my sleeve as Orion headed to the closet to grab some clothes.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“I know this isn’t exactly the time, but…” He cast a silencing bubble around us and my curiosity piqued. “Before we found those bodies in the barn, me and Cal were in there and I was naked, and he was on his knees and he totally got down and dirty with my boner.”

“What?” I gasped. “He did?”

“Well…no, but his cheek did. And his ear a bit.”

“What are you talking about?” I frowned, not wanting to judge but like, was that some sort of kinky shit I’d never heard of? Because a cock to the ear didn’t sound particularly fun for anyone.

“He was biting me,” he said, bobbing on his toes. “He bit me right here.” He tugged his sweatpants down to show me the mark, but unveiled his dick in the same movement and a freight train seemed to run him over a second later.

Orion slammed him into the wall behind me and I whipped around with a gasp as he choked Seth with one hand while Seth’s pants fell fully down to his ankles and he blinked back at him innocently.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Orion barked and in the next second, Seth blasted him away with a hurricane of air, sending him flying into the opposite wall, causing a crack to rip up the centre of it.

Orion hit the ground running, but Seth kept blasting a huge storm of air at him to keep him back, turning to me with a casual grin as he pulled up his pants with his free hand.

“Anyway, my boner was right there while he was biting me and I swear he flirted with it a little. His hand was moving down my abs and everything,” he said giddily and I glanced at Orion, unsure if I should continue with this conversation while he was battling to get to us with a satanic look on his face. But Seth kept going anyway, casting a silencing bubble around Orion as he started hurling abuse at him so that he could tell the rest of his story.

“So I’ve had a really good idea of how to make my next move,” he said, looking like he could barely contain it. “I’m gonna play gay chicken with him.”

“Gay chicken?” I frowned.

“Yeah, because Cal is competitive, see? He can’t ever bear to lose. So I’ll just dare him to go gay for me and he won’t be able to back down on the dare because he’d have to admit defeat by doing so. Then he’ll go full gay and we’ll get gayer and gayer together until one day we’re married and it’s ten years down the line and he’s still so committed to the dare with our fourteen children who often ask why Daddy C always goes to those strip bars at the weekends with the booby ladies and-”

“That’s a terrible idea,” I cut over him and he looked crestfallen, like he’d really thought he’d cracked it this time. I took pity on him, resting a hand on his shoulder with a sigh. “Just tell him the truth, Seth.”

He frowned, twiddling his thumbs. “What if you ask him if he likes me while I hide under a barrel nearby? And then if he says he’s not into me, I can jump out and say it’s a prank.” He had to focus for a second as Orion’s air magic started to cut through his own and his expression tensed.

“I’ll talk to him if you want, but he changed the subject every time I tried to bring it up before,” I said sadly.

“I know, but that’s because you two need more bonding time. Hang out with him, be his new bestie, and he’ll talk to you.” His eyes gleamed like two giant pennies and I nodded my agreement. Dammit, he was too cute when he gave me the puppy eyes.

“Fine, but you have to stop winding Orion up. And could you like, be his friend? He says he doesn’t need any more friends, but I see him watching you guys when you’re all having fun and it kinda breaks my heart because he just stands back, alone…” I said with a frown. “I think he needs you guys more than he’d ever admit.”

“Yeah, it’s so sad isn’t it? The way he stares at us when we’re playing together,” he said with a whine in his throat. “Poor, sad little Lance Orion. With his washed up dreams, two careers down the drain, now he’s Power Shamed and outcast for life…”

“That’s enough,” I growled in warning, and he nodded seriously.

“We’ll be best friends soon, Darcy. I promise.” He hooked his pinky around mine. “But right now, I’m gonna release him and run for my life, so if you could dive into the way, that’d be great, babe.” He winked then dropped the storm holding Orion back, whipping the door open with his air magic and flying out of it on a cloud at high speed, his chuckle carrying back to us.

Orion shot after him in a blur of speed, but I cast a net of vines to catch him, yanking him back and throwing him onto the bed.

He snarled, practically spitting venom as he shoved the net off of himself and worked to get up. But I pounced on him like a cat, straddling his lap and pressing my mouth to his with a smile as I ground down over the ridge of his cock through his pants.

“I know what you’re doing, Blue,” he warned as his hand latched around the Imperial Star hanging on a chain around my throat, pulling it tight enough to make my heart race as I sank my tongue between his lips.

“I know what I’m doing too,” I teased and he cursed as I rocked my hips again.

I forgot all about the distraction as he used two fingers to push my little bikini bottoms aside and sank them into me with a growl in his throat. It might not have been good timing, but as we had to wait here for our interrogation anyway and death seemed to lurk around every corner in our lives these days, I was going to steal a moment with my man and fuck him breathless.