Restless Stars (Zodiac Academy, #9)

by Caroline Peckham

SIX MONTHS LATER

Ahhhhh

“Are you ready?” I asked, looking to Darcy in her flowing dark blue gown, rhinestones embedded in its bodice and a cape of spun silver hung from her shoulders which would trail out like a veil behind her as she walked.

Eeeeee

And I wasn’t sure what got more official than a coronation.

The crowd cheered, waving banners and singing songs which I couldn’t decipher. Flowers were hurled at our feet and Fae shrieked declarations of love and loyalty at us. I spotted a sign begging me to dump the Dragon and marry the guy holding it and snorted a most un-queenly laugh. “Don’t get any ideas,” Darius growled as he stepped out from where he’d been waiting and offered me his arm. “You look like one of those Christmas nutcracker things,” I told him as my eyes ran from the black boots on his feet over the fitted blood red suit and ruffly shirt thing all the way up to the perfectly dishevelled black hair which was spilling down into his eyes as always. “You just need a top hat.” “And you look like a toilet paper doily,” he retorted, his lips brushing my ear as he leaned in close to speak to me. “I look forward to hunting for skin beneath the many layers of that thing once we’re done here.”

“Then watch as they claim their crowns.” Geraldine turned to us and I took Darcy’s hand in mine, and together we sat upon the Hydra throne, claiming it for our own in front of our kingdom and the world.

As one, Geraldine placed a crown on Darcy’s head and Gabriel placed a crown on mine and the crowd exploded into voracious roars of delight. Then, one by one, they all dropped to their knees before us and pledged their loyalty to our reign. I looked to my sister with an utterly liberated smile on my face which she returned just as brightly, and I knew that though nothing would ever be the same for us as it had once been, we would forever be at home in Solaria.

My brief time with my father on the battlefield had secured the knowledge I needed for this task at last. He had assured me that the potion would cast no bond upon any who drank it, but it would brand them with the mark of the Guild, giving them the power to wield the Guild Stone that they were gifted. They would become a Fate Weaver, and no star could ever interfere with their decisions or lay a curse upon their soul again. It was a position of honour that would place them in a government which would advise the reigning sovereigns and also have the power to vote on any laws the twins decreed.

“Rise, Geraldine Gundellifus Gabolia Gundestria Grus, Fate Weaver, protector of the True Queens and sacred guider of the kingdom,” I commanded.

Leo

“Darius Acrux,” I called next, and my friend smiled cockily as he took a knee before me, and I repeated the process. I called upon Caleb, Seth, Max, Xavier, Melinda and Tiberius. Then it was Imenia Brumalis followed by Eugene Dipper who had proved their mettle both in war and in their ruthless, unwavering allegiance to the twins. The High Nymph Cordette was next, securing her kind’s position of equality among us. It was a tentative alliance, but the twins had already made public announcements about the Nymphs’ newfound status in our land and had threatened to punish any intolerance between Fae and Nymph kind. Finally, I drank from the chalice myself, and that secured the rising twelve. Gabriel, as the Royal Seer, was not a part of the Guild, but his position in the twins’ court was of an importance that spoke for itself.

Eeeee who knows

I walked forward, bowing to them both and offering the chalice to Darcy’s lips. “Drink, my Queen.” Her eyes remained on mine as she did as I asked, and I spoke the words of the ritual that marked her as a queen with the centre of the Guild, linking her to the twelve as they were linked to her in a circle of protection. Then I held the chalice to Tory, and she drank as I spoke the words that untethered her fate from the sky once and for all. “This story is yours to tell now,” I told them both. “Take the pen and guide us towards our happily ever after.”

“Nervous?” Tory jibed. “Nope,” I said lightly. “Liar,” Gabriel said with a knowing look. “Definitely,” Sofia agreed. “Okay I’m one percent freaking out,” I admitted, wringing my hands together.

Marriage!!!

But all of them became a blur as my eyes found those of Orion at the far end of the aisle, standing beneath an ornate wooden arch with books stacked over it and blue flowers weaving between them on little vines.

Scream

Orion took my hand, guiding me in front of him, admiring my dress before his gaze found mine again. He leaned forward to speak in my ear, his breath on my skin sending a shiver down my spine. “There are no words in this universe that can aptly capture your beauty in this moment.”

“I got you something,” I said as I placed my water down. Orion pushed a hand into his hair which wasn’t anywhere near as neat as it had been during the ceremony. His jacket was removed too, collar open, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up and his waistcoat unbuttoned. This was the true Orion; scruffy, roguish and fucking edible. “Oh yeah?” he asked, leaning down. “Is it a kiss, wife?” “Nope,” I said, a tease in my voice as I leaned back to avoid his mouth. He placed his hands either side of me on the table, a hungry growl in his throat. “What then?” “This place,” I said with a mischievous smile. “Hm?” he grunted, not understanding as his eyes remained on my lips and he continued to chase me for that kiss. “The Library of the Lost,” I said. “It’s yours. All yours. You can rename it if you like. The Library of the Not Lost. Or The Library of Orion’s Precious Books that No One’s Allowed to Touch. Or-” His palm came down on my mouth to quiet me. “Blue,” he warned like I’d done something bad, and heat burned a path between my thighs. “Are you toying with me, because that’s a very dangerous game to play.”

“Where’s Rosalie tonight?” I asked Dante, not having seen his cousin at all. Dante’s eyes darkened as he looked my way. “In Darkmore Penitentiary.” “What?” I gasped as Tory appeared from the crowd, a dress strap slipping down one shoulder and a big ass smile on her face as she led Darius after her by the hand. Geraldine dove on her, pushing the strap back into place and Tory waved her off. “Why do you look like someone just tit punched you?” Tory asked me, her smile falling. “Dante said Rosalie’s in Darkmore,” I explained. “It just happened yesterday, in fact,” Dante said heavily. “Then we’ll have her released,” Tory said, and I nodded. “No need, piccole regine,” Dante said, his eyes crackling with lightning. “Rosalie is always right where she intends to be. She is there by no mere coincidence, I assure you.”

“Twins don’t run in my family – you can’t blame me!” I yelled, ducking as my wife hurled a fistful of ice at my head and scooping little Tarin into my arms as I nearly trampled him in my attempt to escape.

Babies!!!!

Darcy’s belly was so round now that it looked like she might pop at any given moment despite her baby not being due for another two months,

Screammmmmm

“Babies plural?” Orion asked as he followed Darcy into the house. “As in twins?” He looked between Rygar and Tarin for a moment then added, “Again?” “Yup,” Gabriel said, grinning over a fistful of chips before stuffing them into his mouth. “Wow,” Darcy said, looking from the boys, to her sister, to me. “You really don’t do anything by halves, do you Darius?”

“Hmm, seems unlikely. I’ve just got the one bun in this oven,” Darcy said thoughtfully. “And I’m pretty sure twins come from the male side.” “Bullshit,” I spat. “Bullshit cock,” Tarin said happily, and Roxy scowled at me like that was my fault too. “Come on, Rox, you love the boys. You can’t be that upset over it-” “I love them alright – and once they vacate the premises, I’m right here for it. But in the meantime, I will once again be playing host to two massive Dragon babies in my womb at once.”

Their one-year-old daughter Augustaline was riding on Max’s shoulders while smacking him over the head with a cuddly flail. Max smiled between winces and set Augustaline free to run riot with the boys the moment the door was closed behind them.

Ahhhhh

“What’s with all the sobbing?” Seth asked as he and Caleb strolled into my house like it was a free for all too. “I thought this was a death day party?” “It is,” I agreed, looking out the window at the darkened sky and deciding that now was as good a time as any. If anything was likely to put Roxy in a good mood again then it would surely be our traditional yearly burning of a Dragon made out of old sacks along with photographs of my father’s smug face. “Come on.”

Tharix stood in the shadows beyond it, his eyes trailing between the members of my family with interest and a smile lifting his lips. The four sayer dragons were predictably with him, one on his shoulder while another clung to his arm and the blue and coral ones had a play fight in the grass by his feet. Tharix had become as familiar as any of my loved ones, but when we all gathered together like this he still retreated as though feeling like he didn’t quite belong. It wasn’t something that any of us could fix for him though, and I could only hope that one day he would find a true peace that would allow him to put the last of his demons to bed.

“Tonight, as we do once a year, our minds linger on the long-departed Lame Lionel,” Geraldine warbled. “As there are surely none in this lifetime who might grieve him, we come together on this day – the anniversary of his vanquishment – year upon year and remember him. We think of him like this for one reason alone; so that he may never pass on from The Veil. We wish for his soul to be tethered by the thoughts of the living, so that his suffering can go on and on eternally at the hands of those who fell prey to his evil machinations. So here is to Lionel Acrux – the Fae who shall forever be trapped within the hell of death! The Dragon who burned!”

And as I looked at the basket of glitter, the sparkly ponytail and shimmering pink horn made of silicone in the bathroom, I decided it was time to focus on making my Moon Mate as happy as happy could be.

Oh god

I stripped out of all my clothes then grabbed the tube of glitter and started my work covering my cock in it, painting a love heart onto my chest too. Then I washed my hands and let the stuff dry – the glitter would soon be like a second skin. Next, I grabbed the pony tail and using some Mino-strength glue to stick it to the base of my spine. I rocked my ass side to side, the tail swishing left and right as I admired myself in the mirror. Fuck, that looked pretty damn good on me.

Omg no

“What are you doing in there?” Caleb asked in amusement, and I neighed in reply. “What the fuck?” He grabbed the comforter, ripping it off of me, and I reared up, casting an illusion of hooves onto my hands and feet, moving my arms like kicking front legs. Caleb’s eyes widened in shock as he took in my swishy tail and sparkly horn. “Seth,” he barked. “What fuck are you doing?” “It’s okay, Cal. I know.” “You know what?” he balked. “I knowwwwww,” I said with a wink, placing a hoof against his chest. “You can be yourself with me. You don’t have to hide it.” “Hide what?” he snapped. Oh my poor, embarrassed little Cal, still unable to fully unveil his inner desires even now.

“No, I want you take that shit off and never put it near our bed again,” he hissed, and I stilled, my lips parting in shock. “You…don’t want this?” I asked in horror. How could I have gotten it wrong? There had to be something to the rumours. Surely I wasn’t kidding myself here. I’d picked up on the hints and drawn this conclusion. He was my mate; how could I get it so wrong? “Of course I don’t,” he snapped. “Not even my multi-function horn?” I pressed the button on the horn and it began intermittently spinning, vibrating and thrusting. Caleb stared at me in stunned silence. “And where is that supposed to go?” he balked. “Well, I mean…” I shrugged innocently.

Lmao

“I’m just saying I’m totally cool with this. I’m into it if you’re into it. There’s no shame in being horny for the horn. Look how hot I look in this shit.” I flexed my muscles, and Caleb’s gaze trailed over my abs. “Fuck,” he exhaled. “You do look hot.” Excitement flared inside me at the breakthrough. “I knew it!” “No,” he snipped. “That doesn’t mean I’m horny for the horn, it’s just because it’s you in all that glitter.” “Sureeee it is, Cal,” I said, smirking. “Dammit, Seth I’m not into Pegasuses.” “Do you wanna see my dijazzle?” I offered, onto him now, knowing his truth. He couldn’t admit it out loud, but the way he was looking at me confirmed it. This was getting him hard. And when Cal was hard, I was hard. Caleb hesitated, his gaze dropping to my shiny purple shorts. “Well… I kind of want to see. Out of curiosity.”

Caleb loomed down on me, his fangs extending. “Then neigh for me like a good pony and do exactly what I tell you.”

Bahaha

I raced into the hospital and the receptionist directed us to a room upstairs. And there, we found them. Two cots side by side and a healer checking over the babies inside.

More babiessss

“This is the girl,” the healer told us, pointing to our beautiful daughter who had strands of soft golden hair which already had a slight curl to it and bright blue eyes. “And here’s your baby boy.” She gestured to the other one with earthy eyes, slightly darker skin and a dusting of brown hair on his head. “Don’t tell us which one is mine and which is Caleb’s,” I told the healer firmly, and she shared a confused look with Caleb who snorted a laugh, scooping the little boy into his arms.

Moron

“This is Kale.” “And this is Elara,”

Awwwwww

“Azura Vega-Orion,” I said in a stern voice which was all play. “You think you can handle the sky as well as your brother?” “Sky,” she said, tiny hands reaching for the air where Archer was spinning in a wind of my creation, laughing his head off.

I love them

“Kale,” she said keenly, and I arched an eyebrow at her. She had a thing for that boy of Seth and Caleb’s, always toddling after him and rolling in the mud with him like a hellion.

Eee

She started listing off the many, many cousins she had, Tory and Darius having provided two sets of twins and finishing it off with triplets last year. I didn’t know if they were done, but I did know that they were crazy. I could hardly keep an eye on two tiny terrors, let alone seven.

Shit lol

“Can you take us to the woods again, Uncle Lancelot?” Darius’s seven-year-old boy, Rygar, asked keenly. He’d come up with the nickname himself after reading about the legend of King Arthur at school, and I liked the reminder of my father’s old name for me.

scream pitched up from Gabriel’s youngest. RJ and I shot over in alarm, finding a tree on fire right before her. “What happened?” I gasped, and she pointed skyward. My neck craned as I found Azura up in the treetops, two fiery wings blazing at her back. “Holy shit,” I gasped as she sailed through the leaves, setting them all on fire while singing softly to herself, seemingly unaware that she was burning the whole woodland down. “She’s Emerged!” Archer shouted in shock. “Dad – save her!”

Azura was giggling like this was some game and when I made it to the other side of the bushes, I found Kale sitting up on a tree stump with Azura nowhere in sight. He lifted his nose to the trees again and I spotted her flying away through the canopy and off into the sky. “Azura come down this instant!” I ordered, throwing air under my feet to propel myself after her, panic scoring through me. Gabriel came flying fast from the direction of the house, the trees now alight with flames as I worked to snare my freshly-Emerged daughter in a net of air. “Watch out,” Gabriel called. “Her Emergence is triggering others.”

Two trees were felled beneath me and I found Darius and Tory’s seven-year-old twins shifting into two beautiful metallic Dragons, one bronze, one silver, the other kids cheering in excitement and Kale letting out a howl of joy. I’d known that chaos was coming, but this?

“That their kids are all about to ride away on two newly-Emerged Dragon children?” I drawled. “Yeah, Noxy. I think we should tell them.”

Hehehe

It was too perfect, all of this. The life we’d forged together and made our own. This was where living really happened. Between the layers of havoc and sweetness of all the love we shared. And I couldn’t have imagined up any better dream for myself, than this. Simply, purely, this.

MANY YEARS AFTER THAT (just before a new evil appears and it all goes to hell again)

Sob

feel them,” Darcy called to me. I closed my eyes, reaching out my hand and concentrating until I felt it too; the gentlest brush of warm skin and scales against my fingertips. Our parents were flying with us out here in the sky again this morning. I smiled, falling into our long-established routine of recounting the various parts of our lives and the lives of our family which our parents may not have witnessed from beyond The Veil, making sure they knew all of it, wishing they could have shared in it too.

We had been two lost girls adrift in the mortal realm, but here, in this wilderness of magic and endless love, we had found ourselves at home.

Iove it so much i dont wanna leave them