Zodiac Academy: The Awakening

A TELL-TALE vibration came from my clutch and I pulled my Atlas out, hoping it was Diego letting us know that he’d gotten Sofia back okay.

Falling Star:

New information has come to light.

Can we meet?

I raised an eyebrow in surprise and nudged Darcy to draw her attention away from trying to summon the barman again.

“Why are they so keen to meet us all of a sudden?” Darcy asked curiously.

“Only one way to find out, I guess,” I replied as I tapped out a response.

Tory Vega:

When?

Falling Star:

Ten minutes.

There’s an alleyway behind the bar.

I’ll see you there.

A shiver raced along my spine as I read their response and I snapped my head up, scouring everyone around us to see who had their Atlas out. Whoever Falling Star was, they knew where we were, which meant they were here somewhere. The restaurant was thronging with people and plenty of Zodiac students had come and gone. 

Was it a coincidence? Or was Falling Star following us? The idea gave me the creeps.

“Are we sure we should trust this stalker?” I muttered as I narrowed my eyes at a group of sophomores who were laughing loudly in a booth behind us.

Darcy cast her eyes around the restaurant too. “I don’t know. But they seem like one of a very few people who are actually trying to help us in this place. Even if they are annoyingly cryptic.”

I bit my tongue, glancing down at the message again. Was it completely insane to trust an anonymous stranger who wanted to meet us in a dark alley at night? Yes, probably. But was I curious enough to take the risk? Apparently so.

“I want answers from this weirdo and I don’t think we’re going to get any unless we meet them. So I say we do it,” I said firmly.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Darcy asked hesitantly.

“Honestly? No. But I still think we should do it.”

“Okay,” Darcy agreed, chewing on her lip. “I’ll order us some Dutch courage.”

I grinned as she finally snagged the bartender’s attention and ordered us a round of drinks.

As it drew nearer to our arranged meeting time, I tried to keep an eye on anyone who was getting ready to leave but it was pretty hard to say. Quite a few of the students were heading on to some of the other bars down the street now that they’d finished their meals. I guessed we’d be finding out soon either way.

“Are you ready?” I asked as I placed my empty glass down on the bar. 

We’d planned to head onto another bar soon anyway, neither of us mentioning the fact that Geraldine was meant to be coming back to meet us. I felt a little guilty knowing we were ditching her but I only had to think about those goddamn ass badges and I knew that it had to be done. No way I was spending my time hanging out with people who happily branded themselves as an ass.

“Let’s see what they’ve got to say for themselves,” Darcy agreed as she pushed her stool back and got to her feet.

She led the way outside and the cool evening air washed around us, making promises of the winter to come. I should have worn a jacket but I’d been tricked by the warmth of the sun before it had set. I wrapped my arms around myself as my thin cami did nothing to protect me from the Elements and wondered why I always sacrificed my comfort for fashion choices.

We headed along the sidewalk, falling into silence as we reached a narrow alleyway between the bar and a dark store which occupied the space beside it.

I offered Darcy a reassuring smile before taking the lead into the alley.

The music from the bar faded to a muffled thump of bass as we delved into the darkness and goosebumps rose along my skin. Yep, we were definitely heading into a serial-killer’s wet dream and I couldn’t help but question our sanity a little as we failed to turn back.

Behind the bar, the alley widened out and a row of dumpsters kept company with a questionable puddle. There was no one waiting in the shadows and a sense of unease settled on me as we glanced about.

“This seems like a pretty shady place for a meeting,” Darcy muttered, eyeing the alley we’d used to get here in a way that suggested she wanted to go back.

“Agreed,” I said, rubbing my hands up and down my arms to try and coax a little warmth back into them. “So how long are we going to wait for our mystery man?”

“Or woman,” Darcy added and I nodded vaguely, though our current position in a darkened alleyway definitely had me imagine a hulking man coming for us, jagged knife in hand, backpack full of rope and duct tape…

“I don’t like this,” I breathed. “Maybe we should just leave?”

My Atlas buzzed again and I quickly pulled it out.

Falling Star:

The Shadow is moving closer. I can’t risk a meet now.

You should find away to safety before the darkness claims you!

Darcy leaned close to read the message too and I cursed our stupid mystery messenger for leading us out here for nothing.

“We should get out of here,” Darcy said, her voice low as she glanced around.

“Come on,” I agreed, taking a step towards the alley we’d used to get here.

A dark shadow moved to block the light from the street beyond and I fell still. Darcy bumped into me as she failed to notice that I’d stopped and I caught her arm to prevent her from falling.

“Who’s there?” I called hesitantly, wondering if Falling Star had decided to turn up after all.

The silence echoed for several long seconds then a deep rattling noise came as the shadow drew closer.

My magic flared in response as I backed up a step, driving Darcy back with me. She tried to move to my side to get a better look but I wouldn’t let her, keeping my body between her and whoever the hell was blocking our exit.

Ice trickled through my veins and I tried to draw on my magic to light a fire in my palm.

Heat swelled along my fingertips just as that rattle sounded again, deeper this time, louder.

My magic stuttered. A small flame sprang to life then died as if someone had sucked it away.

My heart lurched with panic as the figure took a step closer and we took another step back.

I could feel my magic swarming like a tempest beneath my flesh but I couldn’t draw it out.

“I can’t summon my power,” Darcy breathed, her voice tinged with fear.

“Me either,” I whispered.

Was this whole thing some trick? Were we about to be surrounded by the Heirs, ready to spring some new horror on us?

The third rattle was so loud that my limbs trembled in response to it. I didn’t know what it was but it felt like it was forming a cage around my power and locking it up tight. The next step I took felt weighted with lead and I sucked in a sharp breath as I realised that the noise was starting to harness my limbs too. If we didn’t get out of there quickly, I was sure we wouldn’t be able to escape at all.

“Run!” I yelled, snatching Darcy’s hand in mine and spinning in the opposite direction.

We broke into a sprint, our stilettos made it difficult but we refused to let them slow us.

Darcy’s grip on my hand was tight as we shot past the row of dumpsters and that rattle sounded again. For a terrifying moment we slowed despite our intentions and the sound of pounding feet closed in behind us.

I released a scream, throwing every inch of my resolve into placing my feet down as fast as I could.

Darcy stumbled and I caught her arm, righting her as I shoved her ahead of me. I whirled towards the nearest dumpster and snatched a large sack of trash from the top of it before launching it back towards whoever the hell was chasing us just as that rattling started again.

The noise cut off with a muffled grunt as I managed to hit my target and power surged in my fingertips.

A rush of air slammed past me as Darcy unleashed her magic. The wind carved around me like it was made of stone and barely even pulled at my hair before crashing into our stalker with the strength of a tornado.

The shadowy figure was thrown back and I staggered to Darcy’s side with my eyes wide as I tried to draw on my own magic to join with hers.

Before I could, the rattling came again and all access to my power was snatched away once more.

The figure stood again, shadows seeming to cling to them as if they were drawn by a magnet. It concealed everything about them apart from the certainty in my gut that there was something horribly wrong with them.

Darcy whimpered as she caught my arm and dragged me back.

We started running again, fear lending strength to our limbs as we raced down darkened alleys, one after another.

I could feel the shadow drawing closer with each step, imagine their breath on the back of my neck.

The rattling began again and I clapped my hands over my ears, not understanding what the hell it was but knowing that it was doing something to me each time I heard it.

Darcy staggered as the force of the rattle hit her but I urged her on and we managed to sprint even faster as adrenaline spiked through my limbs.

A warm light illuminated the end of the alleyway ahead of us and relief spilled through me as I spied the exit.

We leapt forward and ran straight out onto a well lit street before a busy bar. Tables were sat outside it full of students who were laughing and drinking.

I was too afraid to care about the surprised looks they were shooting us and we darted straight across the street to join the safety of the crowd without slowing at all.

As soon as we were surrounded by warm bodies I spun back to face the alley, my eyes wide as I attempted to spot whoever had been chasing us.

Darcy leaned in close beside me, her arm brushing against mine as my galloping heartbeat thundered in my ears.

The alleyway was empty. Just a dark space between two innocent looking buildings. But the fear knotting my insides was real.

A hand landed on my shoulder and I flinched as I looked up to find Max Rigel smiling at us. He was dressed in the kind of flashy shirt which probably cost more than a week’s rent in our old apartment and his mohawk was slicked back stylishly.

“What’s got our two little Vegas so worked up?” he asked kindly and I could feel the call of his power urging us to divulge our fears to him.

I glanced at Darcy, unsure whether or not to tell him. On the one hand, letting him take some of this fear from me didn’t sound like the worst idea in that moment. On the other, I was probably only terrified at all because one of his dumbass friends had been chasing us.

But as that thought crossed my mind, I spotted the other Heirs lounging at a table to our left. They all had drinks underway and showed every sign that they’d been sitting there for a while. Besides, I still hadn’t taken my eyes off of that alley and no one else had emerged from it.

“There was someone chasing us,” Darcy murmured, giving in to the call of the Siren’s power.

“Really?” Max asked with interest, sliding his arms around us so that we were pulled closer to him. I knew what he was after but I definitely felt safer here than I had in that alleyway. And considering the fact that we were currently surrounded by a bunch of douchebags who I knew wished us harm, that was saying a lot.

“They were trying to hurt us,” I muttered, feeling the pull of Max’s magic as he drew some of mine into himself alongside a sliver of my fear. Sirens would probably make a killing as psychiatrists; who wouldn’t like someone to suck the misery out of them every now and then?

“That sounds like a good story to be told over a drink.” Max steered us between the crowd of students towards the other Heirs. I threw a concerned glance at Darcy and her eyes widened in response but before we could voice any objections, we found ourselves at their table.

The other Heirs looked up at us in surprise and I frowned, wondering why the hell I’d let Max drag us over here.

“Look who I just found running from shadows,” Max announced with a wide smile, his hand dropping down my back until it was in danger of skimming my ass.

I shrugged him off before he could manage it.

“We weren’t running from shadows, someone was chasing us,” Darcy said defensively as Seth leaned forward with a wolfish smile.

“You really must be scared if you thought we were a better option,” he said.

“They are. I can taste their fear,” Max said enthusiastically. “And they were just about to tell me all about it.”

Caleb released a breath of laughter as he ran a hand through his tightly curling blonde hair, his eyes darting between my sister and I.

Max dropped into the only free chair at the table and yanked Darcy down into his lap, pulling her against his chest as he leaned close to her ear.

“What was the worst part?” he asked and I could feel his power tugging at me even though he wasn’t touching me anymore. Darcy was snared in his magic and her lips parted to answer his question automatically.

“They kept making this horrible noise,” she replied. “Like a growl or a rattle…”

Darius leaned forward, his brows lifting with interest as he surveyed my sister and me. 

“We aren’t staying,” I said sharply, leaning forward to pull Darcy out of Max’s grip so that we could make our second escape of the evening.

“Hold on a moment.” A large hand encircled my wrist before I could pull her to her feet and my blood raised in warning as Darius kept hold of me. I turned to meet his dark eyes and couldn’t help but skim my gaze over his white shirt which was almost too tight over his muscular frame. “What if we call a truce on our issues? For one night only,” he offered.

“Why would we believe that?” I asked dismissively.

Darcy was frowning, trying to push her way out of Max’s grip half heartedly like she was vaguely aware that she didn’t want to be there. He unleashed a wave of reassuring power which brushed against me as Darcy relaxed again.

“We just want a fun night,” Caleb piped up. “We can leave our political situation out of it.”

“Our political situation?” Darcy echoed with a frown.

“Yeah, you know. The little issue we have with you rocking up out of nowhere to steal our birthright and upset the balance of power in the entire kingdom,” Caleb teased.

“We don’t want your stupid birthright,” I muttered.

Darius still hadn’t released me and I tried to reclaim my hand by jerking it back. He smirked at my effort then tugged me forward so hard that I fell into his lap.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and shifted me into a more comfortable position with a deep laugh that sent heat flooding my limbs.

“Drink with us,” he insisted, waving at the bartender through the glass window beside us despite the fact that the bar was packed and they were clearly run off of their feet. “I swear we won’t lay a finger on you unless you want us to.”

“Well I didn’t want you to drag me into your lap but that didn’t seem to stop you,” I muttered, though I was fairly sure that me still sitting there weighed against my argument somewhat.

Darius laughed again and I could feel the deep tone of it where his chest was pressed against my side.

Caleb shifted closer on my right and brushed his fingers against my arm, raising goosebumps along my skin. “I’ll even promise not to bite you tonight if you want?”

I caught Darcy’s eye and she offered me a shrug to let me know she was as unsure as I was. Max sent out another wave of relaxing energy and I felt my resolve shattering.

“I guess we could stay for one drink,” Darcy said hesitantly as Max stroked her arm, the press of his influence skittering through the air. We were surrounded by smiles that sent my heart fluttering and my gut plummeting in equal measures.

I was almost positive that this was a terrible idea but the tequila in my system, the Siren’s call and the table filled with gorgeous men were working hard against my better judgment.

“One drink then,” I agreed finally just as voluptuous bartender appeared with a smile and a notepad ready to take our order.

“Better make it a big one then if you’ll only stay for one,” Seth teased as he ordered for all of us.

Darius leaned back in his chair, pulling me closer as he brushed my hair away from my ear and I internally kicked myself as I moved nearer to hear what he was going to say. Guys like him were always a bad idea for me. It was like I had a magnet inside me which drew me towards the most ruthless kind of asshole despite the fact that I knew how it would end. And I’d never met one guy who could even begin to rival Darius Acrux’s dark and mysterious vibe let alone his devastatingly handsome features. I was powerless to stop my traitorous body from shifting against his, especially when his fingertips skimmed along my bare shoulder.

“Do you want to tell me about what happened in that alley?” he asked.

I couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down my spine as I thought back to the shadowy figure who’d been stalking us.

“Is this the part where you laugh at us for falling for some prank you set up?” I asked, refusing to answer his question. “Was that one of your friends back there? Did you get someone to send the messages too?”

His dark gaze flickered for a moment and he seemed to stop himself from saying something.

“I don’t need to recruit anyone to do my handy work,” he replied dismissively. “Maybe I’m concerned for your wellbeing.”

I snorted in disbelief, shifting back so that I was no longer touching his chest. Yes he was stupid hot but he was also damn horrible when he wanted to be and I wasn’t going to fall for his Prince Charming act just because he’d decided to switch it on for me.

I turned away from him and found Caleb eyeing us with interest as the bartender returned with a tray full of drinks.

Darcy was telling Max about the fright we’d gotten in the alley as his arm stayed firmly around her waist, drinking in her fear like a big old leech. I wondered again why we’d let them convince us to join them and shifted my focus to the drinks as the bartender placed them down and Darius pressed a wedge of notes into her hand. It looked like way too much money to me but no doubt she’d earned the tip with her push-up bra.

The drinks were all the same; some tall mixture of liquor and coke and I took mine before anyone else reached for theirs. Caleb was still looking at me and I held his eye as I emptied the contents of the glass in one long drink. It was stupidly strong and I could feel it burning all the way down my throat where it joined the tequila I’d consumed earlier for a warm little party in my stomach.

“There you go,” I announced. “One drink.” I pushed out of Darius’s lap and he looked up at me in surprise, reaching out like he thought he might pull me back again but I stepped aside, offering him a flat smile.

Darcy smirked at me she got to her feet too, not even bothering to touch her own beverage. “See you later, guys,” she agreed as she walked away, clearly hurrying to break free of Max’s power before he upped the voltage again.

I made a move to follow her but Caleb stood and shot into my path using his Vampire speed. I arched an eyebrow at him as his eyes ran over me.

“I guess your word means shit then?” I asked as his gaze landed on my neck for an extra moment and I prepared for him to bite me.

“No. I said I won’t bite you tonight and I meant it,” he assured me with a teasing smile. “I’m just wondering where you’re going now?”

I considered his question for a moment. The night was still fairly young and we hadn’t had any immediate plans to head home before our run in with our mystery tormentor. Darcy had made it to the bar’s entrance and was waiting for me, throwing Caleb a scowl for good measure.

“Dancing,” I replied simply as I brushed past him, my hands landing on his toned waist for a fraction of a second as I guided him out of my way. “You can always join us if you think you can keep up.”

Why did I just say that? 

His navy eyes sparkled for a moment and I couldn’t stop a small smile in response. I let my gaze run over him for all of half a second then turned away to join my sister. Tequila always made me a sucker for a hot guy with asshole intentions and there were way too many of them about tonight.

I fell into step beside Darcy as we entered the bar and I looked around at the grey walls which sparkled with silver glitter in the dim light. The place was heaving and a huge dance floor took up the space at the far end of the room.

“Let’s find some nice men to buy our drinks,” Darcy said with a grin as she began to eye up the possibilities and we fell into our familiar night out routine. We’d never had spare money for our own drinks but it was usually just a matter of time before one or both of us could catch someone’s eye. Of course with our new-found wealth I guessed we didn’t need to do that anymore but why break the habit of a lifetime?

It didn’t take Darcy long to spot a couple of guys looking her way and she took the lead as we moved to stand beside them at the bar. They looked a few years older than us and I was pleased she’d found guys who didn’t go to school with us and wouldn’t have any opinion on the whole Heir situation to taint our interaction with them.

The blonde guy led the way over as we super casually pretended not to notice them coming and I offered him a ‘surprised’ smile as he moved into our space.

“Hi,” he said all smiles with his red haired friend seconding the grin from his left. “I’m Peter, this is-”

“No,” Max said loudly as he elbowed his way between our new friends and us.

“Not happening,” Caleb agreed forcefully, giving blondie a glare that made him back up.

I sighed dramatically. “Really?”

“Now you’re going to put a stop to our free drinks?” Darcy asked with an air of resignation.

“Why are you drinking at the bar when we have the VIP section to ourselves over there?” Caleb asked, pointing at a roped off area beside the dance floor.

“I think you just answered your own question there, Caleb,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Max chuckled at his friend’s expense and I raised an eyebrow at him in surprise. “You’re going to have to work a lot harder to get into this one’s pants, mate,” he teased.

“Never going to happen,” I said before Caleb could reply.

“Come on, Tor,” Darcy said, ignoring the Heirs entirely. “If we aren’t drinking then we should be dancing.”

She caught my hand and turned her back on Max and Caleb with a flick of her blue-tipped hair. I turned from them too, a little thrill running through me with the knowledge that they hated that as Darcy led me up to dance.

The music was familiar and I wondered why they listened to human tunes. Maybe Fae had no songwriting skills? Or perhaps Miley Cyrus was part Fae too? Whatever the reason, I was more than happy to lose myself to something familiar for a change. Dancing on a Friday night seemed to transcend the mortal/Fae divide and that was just fine by me.

I closed my eyes and lost myself to the music as I danced with my sister and we pointedly ignored the feeling of the Heirs watching us from their fancy table beyond the rope. Who wanted to go out drinking and then hide themselves away behind a barrier anyway? Wasn’t the whole point of this exercise to cut loose and socialise a bit? If being an Heir meant spending my life segregated from everyone else then I was doubly sure I had no interest in it.

A set of hands landed on my hips and my eyes flicked open as I found Darius holding me, his fingertips brushing the line of skin between my waistband and the hem of my shirt.

My heart stuttered with surprise for a moment and I had to work hard to keep the emotion from my face. Instead I offered him the faintest half of a smile which I hoped translated into ‘truce’ as I let him pull me closer. And as much as I would have liked to deny it, being held against Darius Acrux’s broad chest really wasn’t the worst place a girl could find herself.

I turned in his arms as we kept moving to the music and spotted Darcy receiving the same treatment from Seth. He’d wrapped his arms around her from behind and was pushing his face into her hair in his wolfy way which in that particular moment didn’t seem to be a problem for her at all.

I smirked at her as she gave me a ‘when in Rome’ kinda look and I shrugged in acceptance as I moved my body with Darius’s. If I closed my eyes I could even pretend he wasn’t such an asshole but then I couldn’t look at his face or his mouth, or the way his muscles were trying really hard to fight against the confines of his shirt… damn I was definitely going to be in trouble with him if I didn’t watch out.

Darius turned me to face him again and I looped my arms around his neck as my chest brushed against his.

He caught me in his gaze for a moment that stretched a little too long and I bit my lip as I tried not to let my imagination get carried away. His eyes dropped to my mouth in response and the heat in his gaze sent an ache of longing right through me. I couldn’t forget who he was or what he’d done but there were certainly a few parts of me that wished I could.

He leaned an inch closer to me and the space between us burned hot with raw energy for a moment and I suddenly felt like I was caught in a hunter’s snare. The worst thing of all was that I didn’t even want to break free. He had me and in that second we both knew it.

His grip on my waist tightened and my body was pulled against his in a way that demanded a hell of a lot less clothes be present. My breath caught in my throat and one of his hands slid up my back, a line of fire following it.

“Drink!” Caleb demanded from beside us and I pushed away from Darius to accept the shot he was holding out for me.

Darius kept his gaze locked on me as he consumed his own shot but I took another step back. I wasn’t going to fall into his trap again. This was the guy who’d burned my clothes off and circulated naked pictures of me. He was rude and arrogant and full of himself. There was no way in hell I’d be ending up in his bed tonight. I was at least sixty-seven percent certain of that.

“Orion’s looking for you,” Caleb said to Darius, pointing back over to the bar where our teacher stood watching us. My gut plummeted and I shot a concerned look at Darcy but she was too caught up with Seth to have noticed. “Something about an assignment you haven’t handed in. I told him to chill the hell out and enjoy his drink but he gave me that look, you know the look where you’re not sure if he’s trying to set you alight with the power of thought alone or if he’s just super constipated, so I said I’d tell you.”

I snorted a laugh, knowing exactly what look Caleb meant and I eyed Orion over the top of my glass. He scowled at us in a way that made me think he’d heard us and I realised that with his Vampire abilities it was possible he had. For a moment I felt like a kid being told off in school and I frowned at the weirdness of that situation. I was out in a bar for God’s sake, why was I being chastised by my Professor? If I’d ever spotted my old English teacher hanging out at Joey’s in her loose fitting slacks and glasses on a string I’d have bust a gut over it. Although I guessed Orion didn’t exactly look like your standard teacher. He didn’t even stick out amongst us. It was more that I knew what he was that made it feel odd.

“I guess I’d better see what he wants,” Darius said, sounding resigned. He cast a final look at me but I pretended not to notice as I moved away and shoved my empty shot glass down on an abandoned table.

Caleb was where I’d left him when I returned to the dance floor. I followed his gaze as he threw a scowl at Orion’s back as he and Darius headed out of the bar to talk. A shiver raced down my spine seeing them together like that and I was forced to wonder about what I’d overheard the other night again. Could the guy I’d just been dancing with really be out to hurt me and Darcy? Orion had gotten Darcy alone back at the restaurant and hadn’t laid a finger on her. But he hadn’t denied it when she’d accused him of wanting to hurt her either…

I glanced at my sister again to find that she was still definitely okay with Seth’s tactile ways. I smirked at her as she leaned into him and he ran his hands down her back.

Caleb continued to scowl from his position in the middle of the dance floor as I made it back to him. A group of girls were dancing provocatively, casting less than subtle looks at his general hotness but he was ignoring them. 

I caught his hand and placed it on my waist as I snagged him for a new dance partner. I might have been a little overfamiliar thanks to Mr Jack Daniels but I pushed through any concerns about being forward with an air of I-don’t-give-a-shit. As his attention shifted to me, I tiptoed up to speak in his ear over the thumping music.

“Did you hate Orion before he tried to poach my blood or is it all about me?” I teased.

Caleb snorted a laugh, pulling me closer as he leaned in to reply. His hands slipped around me, drawing me closer before he spoke and earning me a heap of scowls from the hopeful girls.

“It’s a Vampire thing. We’re always driven to secure the best Source available. We have a hierarchy that’s determined by power but his position as my teacher makes our relationship a little more strained than most. I should respect him because he’s a professor at my school and is technically my superior but I’m more powerful than him so… it causes a little tension.” Caleb shrugged before a playful smile captured his lips. “Do you like us fighting over you then?”

I rolled my eyes and slid my hands up his chest before linking them behind his neck. “Well if either of you wanted anything other than my blood then maybe I’d be flattered. But as I’m rather against the whole concept of being a walking juice-box I’ll have to go with no.”

“What if I did want something other than your blood?” he asked suggestively, his breath dancing across my neck.

I lifted my eyes to meet his, my body pressing closer without me really intending to do it. I shifted my hands a little higher, my fingertips pushing into the short hair at the nape of his neck before trailing up to brush against his soft curls.

“Like what?” I asked, adopting an innocent tone which I really doubted he was buying. How much had I had to drink? Why was this starting to feel like it might not be the worst idea I’d ever had? Hadn’t he hung me over a ravine and used me like a chew toy since my very first day? Why didn’t that seem quite so awful to drunk Tory? And why was I asking myself so many questions when he’d just run his thumb down the centre of my back and my skin was lighting up beneath his touch?

Caleb’s eyes glimmered with amusement. He pushed my hair back over my shoulder as he leaned down, his lips brushing my ear and sending a little shiver down my spine. “What if I wanted to-”

The music suddenly cut off and the overhead lights flared to life, filling the dance floor with way too much reality for my fuzzy head.

I squinted at the bright lights, releasing Caleb and taking a step back as I looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.

Professor Astrum’s voice blared over the loudspeaker. “Would all students of Zodiac Academy please make your way to the student shuttle buses for immediate transportation back to your Houses!”

I looked up at Caleb in confusion. “Is that normal?” I asked.

He shook his head vaguely in response, obviously trying to figure out what was going on.

A chill crept up my spine and I shifted away from him to find Darcy. She moved to join me too, pulling her Atlas from her clutch with a frown and holding it out as she spotted a message there.

Falling Star:

I should have warned her too.

“Who is he talking about?” I demanded.

“I dunno. Do you think something has happened or-”

The doors of the bar flew open and Marguerite burst in, her blood red hair flying around her and her eyes wide with an excited kind of fear. “Geraldine Grus has just been attacked! They’re saying she might die!”

A cold stone dropped into the pit of my stomach at her words. We’d left that other bar without waiting for Geraldine to show up. What if she’d been hurt because she was alone, or was looking for us? I mean, the girl irritated the hell out of me with her devotion to our lineage but I never would have wished any harm to come to her.

“We have to find out if she’s okay,” I breathed, looking at Darcy in desperation.

“Come on,” she agreed, snatching my hand and dragging me towards the exit.

A tide of students and the other bar patrons had already come up with the same idea and we were stuck at the back of them, unable to force a way through. My attention snared on the kitchen entrance behind the bar and I towed Darcy towards it. My light-fingered ways had taught me to suss out escape routes on the run and I got the feeling that the staff entrance was going to be a lot less busy than the front door.

I hopped over the bar and Darcy followed right behind me as I led us straight through the kitchen to the exit which dumped us in an alley.

The cold air slapped me in the face and helped drive a little bit of the alcohol fuzz from my head.

A sleek black superbike was parked up in the alley and for a moment I couldn’t help but stare at it. I knew there were way more important things going on right now but that bike was top of the line, stupid beautiful in a way that just purred ride me. If it had been any other circumstances I’d have found a way to do just that but right now we needed to find out what had happened to Geraldine.

Goosebumps rose along my skin at the memory of the last alley we’d found ourselves in and we ran back to the street where a crowd had formed.

I shoved my way between the bodies and my gaze caught on a pale arm dangling from a stretcher as Geraldine was loaded into the back of a blue and grey ambulance. I fought my way to the front and released a breath of relief as I heard her voice.

She was mumbling about her family, asking for her mom and her skin was sickly pale but she was okay. She was alive.

The paramedic closed the door once she was loaded in and Orion was revealed, leaning against the side of the ambulance.

His sleeves were shoved back and his forearms were stained with blood. His skin was pale and he had bags under his eyes like he hadn’t slept for a month which I could have sworn hadn’t been there earlier.

“You saved her life,” the paramedic said to him seriously. “It’s a good thing you found her before her attacker could finish the job.”

“I was only just powerful enough. I haven’t got a drop of magic left,” Orion muttered and I realised with a jolt what that would mean.

I tried to shove Darcy back into the crowd before he noticed us but my movement had the opposite effect and drew his attention. My heart leapt as he shot forward with his unnatural speed and Darcy released a squeal of fright half a second before his teeth pierced the flesh of her neck.

I caught her hand in mine, squeezing it reassuringly as I waited for him to release her but instead of stopping after a minute or so like the Vampires usually did, he held her more firmly. A whimper escaped her lips as he continued to suck her power from her veins and anger built in me as I was forced to watch.

“Hey,” I snapped, shoving him roughly to try and force him off of her. “That’s enough!”

Orion released a growl like a goddamn animal which was a clear warning to back off but I sure as shit wouldn’t be doing that. Darcy’s magic might have been pinned down by this parasite but mine wasn’t.

I drew fire to my hands as I shoved him again and he finally staggered back with a curse, two hand prints burnt right through the fabric of his shirt and his flesh seared beneath.

“You’ve had enough!” I snarled, daring him to test me again as he glared at me, baring his fangs.

“Maybe you want to donate to the cause then?” he asked angrily and for a moment it seemed like he’d actually lost control.

A heavy arm landed around my shoulders as Caleb appeared and he released a deep growl in the back of his throat. “You might want to rethink that statement, Professor.”

Orion stared at us for a few seconds then shook his head to clear it. He released a heavy breath and his features softened a little.

“I haven’t been drained that low in a long time. I shouldn’t have tried to take so much all at once,” he muttered. Not an apology but I doubted he was capable of more than that.

“Well feel free to just steal all of mine then,” Darcy spat icily, clutching her neck.

The ambulance pulled away and Orion glanced about as if he were looking for someone for a moment before returning his attention to us.

“Come on, I can drive you girls back in my car,” he offered.

My lip curled back on instinct. He was a psycho who’d just attacked my sister and was half covered in Geraldine’s blood. He was obviously claiming to have saved her life but what if he’d been the one trying to hurt her? He was certainly capable of acting like a monster and he’d left the bar right before it had happened.

“We’re not going anywhere alone with you,” Darcy replied bitterly.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Orion snapped, stepping forward like he intended to grab her arm. I moved to intercept him and Caleb joined me too.

“You don’t fucking touch her again,” I growled.

Orion narrowed his eyes at me, looking like he was going to object again but he hesitated as he glanced at Darcy.

“Bastard,” she hissed, looking woozy.

“Come on, girls. The bus is gonna leave soon,” Caleb said, tugging me after him but I dug my heels in, waiting for Darcy.

My sister moved first and I threw Orion one more filthy look before heading after her down the street. Caleb kept his arm around my shoulders as he led the way and I hurried to keep up in my towering heels which I was beginning to daydream about taking off.

There were two buses parked up by the side of the street and a huge crowd of students waiting to get on. I moved to join the back of the queue but Caleb rolled his eyes, guiding us past all of the people who had gotten there first and climbing the steps onto the closest bus.

Max and Seth were sitting in the back row and Caleb told three other kids to get off and wait for the next bus so that we could join them.

I almost wanted to protest his rudeness but my bed was calling to me and I just wanted to escape the madness in this town.

The bus rumbled to life as the doors shut with a hiss and we started off down the road. My brain was still fuzzy with alcohol and I leaned my head back as I closed my eyes, waiting for the journey to be over.

Caleb drew me against him but I shrugged him off, the moment of madness where I’d almost forgotten what he was had been well and truly left behind with the sight of all that blood. 

I tried to relax and enjoy the ride back to the Academy but as the bus bumped over a pothole I realised one person had never reappeared amongst all the mayhem. And the last person to see him was now covered in blood and had been discovered at the scene of a crime.

So where was Darius Acrux?