The Reckoning (Zodiac Academy, #3)

by Caroline Peckham

To Darius. And no matter what strange connection I had with Blue, it could not stand in the way of me ensuring Darius sat on the Celestial Council and unseated his father in the process.

In theory, could they not just train tory and darcy and then have them help kill lionel

“She's suffocating!” Jillian wailed, patting Kylie on the back as she turned blue. “Professor!” I gasped when he drew near me, and he shot me a dark glare. “Yes, Miss Vega?” he questioned, totally calm, that twisted smile pulling at his mouth. “She's choking,” I hissed, and he shifted his gaze to Kylie as if he'd just noticed her.

Darcy bffr you shouldnt give a fuck

“Precisely. And some of you...” He swept through the class with his Vampire speed, and everyone stiffened. His hand landed on Tory's shoulder as he leaned in close to her ear. “Actually enjoy it, don't you?”

Ope

“Whatever. Caleb is the most powerful Vampire in Solaria. This is the best chance I’ve got to avoid a bite. And my head start is going to run out if I don’t go now.”

Idk about most powerful

“Congratulations, Roxy. Looks like we’ve got a date Wednesday night then.” I ignored the flutter in my chest as he called it a date because it absolutely didn’t take place. “Maybe I’ve already got plans Wednesday,” I said. “Yeah, you do. With me.”

Ehehe okayyyyy

Lance: What if I don't want it to stop?

HEHEHEHEHE

Before I answered, Seth broke into song, cracking out the Backstreet Boys classic, I Want It That Way. Caleb picked up the next line on cue and Seth started clicking his fingers to the beat.

"now number 5"

Caleb shot to her side in a blur of motion, slinging his arm around her shoulders. “Ohh what beautiful poetry you weave for me, sweetheart. Gets me so hard.”

O

Lance: Blue means you like me.

Im cheesing

Lance: I guess you’re about to go back to radio silence so for what it’s worth… In Solaria blue means royal. And to me, blue means you.

UUUUUGH SWOONING

She proceeded to steal my toothbrush like a damn animal, and I leaned against the doorframe as I watched her,

Girlllll

Why had I let myself begin to forget all the things the Heirs had done to us?

Lowkey im forgetting too. Im swooning for darius rn and i have been for a while

“Let her go,” Darius’s voice followed me out and heat raced down my spine, but I refused to even wonder why he’d done that.

HES GROVELING HE WANTS YOU TORY FFS

“He asks me to dress up like- like-” Elijah was turning red, and I bit into my lip with discomfort. “Like Darius Acrux,”

oh no

Oh no. No, no, no. Go away. He chewed the inside of his cheek, his eyes firmly on me and I knew he was purposefully trying to unsettle me.

Im also unsettled

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Could you just look away or something?” I ushered him back and his brows lifted in surprise. “No, I'm happy right here.” He smiled cruelly and I clenched my jaw.

Lol

I can whip it up in three shakes of a Manticore’s heiny!

Geraldine is slowly growing on me i wont lie

Diego

He done been pissing me tf off

Fae hair dye was incredible. My hair shimmered like stars when it caught the light and was as deep blue as a twilight sky. I'd coloured it all over, every last hair. And as I ran my fingertips through my soft locks, my heart began to beat harder again. Blue means you like me.

Im giggling

I grinned stupidly,

Girl same

“Actually… I think I'd better go.” Before I could take another step, Orion shot in front of me in a blur, crowding me in against the couch. He had two tumblers of water in his hand and held one out for me. “No,” he demanded. “Stay.”

Teehee

DARIUS: I’ll come to your room in half an hour. Be ready to ride.

AH. THIS CHAPTER IS DAMN NEAR AN HOUR LONG

Xavier smiled so widely that it made me laugh. Something about him just drew me in. He was so different from his brother it was untrue. Even though I hardly knew him, hanging out with him was like hanging out with an old friend.

Xavier is such a cutie and i love him. Protect him at all costs

Xavier suddenly shifted back into his Fae form, and I squeaked in surprise as I found myself in the arms of a very naked boy. He squeezed me against him so tightly that I could hardly breathe. “Thank you,” he whispered in my ear.

Stop im gonna cry

I turned away from Darius and he jumped onto my back, locking his legs around my waist.

Hold on tight spider monkey

My stomach writhed as Geraldine’s eyes softened and her hands lifted from Max’s chest, moving to caress his cheek instead. “Slippery melons,” she breathed. “You are a bad, bad beast, aren’t you?”

Geraldine? Hello?

Nova rose from her chair, looking stern. “Right, you will all have one hour to make it to that platform out there.” She pointed far out to sea. “It's a three-hundred-foot stretch over very deep water. You must only use air magic to get there, but you can do so in any form you please, and you must not get wet once you pass the starting line.” She lifted her hand and a glowing green line appeared in the sea just ahead of Orion and Perseus.

This seems easy?

“I thought I’d give you the opportunity to apologise,” Caleb raised an eyebrow expectantly and I scoffed.

Not the right thing to say pal

My door opened again, and we both looked around as Darius stepped into the doorway. “What are you screaming about in here? I thought you were being murdered.” His eyes took in my wet hair and towel and the fact that I was trying to push Caleb out of the room and a low growl rumbled from his chest.

Im giddy again. Kicking my lil feet n shit

Orion raised an eyebrow at me, and I offered him a scowl in reply to the judgment which he smirked at before leaving with Darius.

Can lance sense the dagger in torys pocket or what

But I wasn’t just going to cave to fear and tell him what he wanted to know. I’d just come within inches of death, and it was his fault yet again. I had some goddamn questions of my own.

Bit of a stretch blaming him but ok

Darius taunted and for some reason those words stung more than him shoving me had.

How have neither of them realized the astrological connection between them yet

My gaze narrowed on the huge mound of earth which contained Terra House.

DARIUS IS SO OBSESSED OMFG I LOVE IT. Am i toxic?

“Welcome to the nine circles of hell,” Max announced, raising his hands into the air.

Dante’s inferno type shit

“Thank you,” I said. “Drinks are on me.” “I like treating you,” he said and the intensity in his gaze made me look anywhere else.

He wants it

He arched a brow at me. “Oh, please tell me you don’t have some pathetic crush on him, Darcy. That would be tragic.”

Ope

“I thought you were different,” he said slowly. “But you’re just like your whore of a sister, pining after bastardos who treat you like dirt and who only give you a second look because you’d drop onto your knees for them any time they liked. Es patético.” He turned his back on me and walked away into the crowd, seeming to trample on my heart as he left.

Good god diego

I nodded, looking out of the window so I didn’t have to see his reaction when I told him. “When we were in the battle and you were about to die, I felt compelled to save you. Like…if I didn’t a part of me would die too. And ever since then, that part of me is getting stronger like it’s become this tangible thing that lives in me. I’ve never been a jealous person before but when I see you with Francesca it’s like I turn into an animal with nothing but basic instincts.” My cheeks burned hotter, and I didn’t dare look at Orion’s face, unsure why I was baring my soul to him right now. I rarely trusted anyone enough to spill my heart out to them, but I always wanted to with him. “I told you it was crazy.” He took my hand, winding his fingers between mine and pressing his mouth to the back of my knuckles. I chanced a look his way and my heart pounded as I found nothing but happiness in his eyes. Then he said six words that made my heart shine like the moon. “Good, because I feel it too.”

AH IM CHEESING SO HARD RN

and Seth mimed striking a whip at me.

I literally just thought caleb was whipped

House of Horrors.

Shoutout ICP

“Everything,” she replied with a grin. “I want to do it all.” “I’ll do whatever makes you happy,” I replied, throwing my arm over her shoulders as I led her towards the next ride. And the strangest thing was, I was pretty sure that was the truth.

So caleb and tory are actually pretty cute i wont lie. But im still hardcore team darius

A flicker of glittering light shone in their palm, and I was certain it was stardust. A wave of their hand and the magic swallowed them up.

My moneys on this being the king or queen

But every night after that...when you lay your pretty little heads down on your pillows, I want you to remember we’re coming for you.

Darius thinks theyre pretty

“Roxy’s not a nice girl,” he said, his gaze fixed on mine, his pupils larger than normal in his endlessly dark eyes. “No matter how pretty she looks in that dress.”

LIKE UGH

I should have gone after Roxy.

You shouldve

I’d pushed her for her hatred because a moment of her scorn meant more to me than what it cost. I took her attention whatever way I could get it because all the time it was on me it lit me up and made me burn. And I wanted to burn with her more than I thought I’d ever wanted anything in my life.

I love him actually

As far as I knew, Diego hadn’t come down here tonight and I felt kind of sad that he was missing out on the fun. I hoped we could patch things up between us soon, but it was still pretty hard for me to move past what he’d said. Especially as he hadn’t even apologised.

Bruh fuck diego and his feelings

The only problem was, tonight I didn’t really fancy a rainbow. There was only one colour on my mind, in fact. Blue.

Fuck you seth

“Do you think you could ever forgive me for the things I’ve done to you?” Darius breathed,

If hes an asshole tomorrow imma be upset

A deep growl resounded through him as he pinned me in his gaze, the cage of his arms tightening around me like he was afraid I might run. But I was done running from him. There was something between us that couldn’t be denied any longer and it was time we faced it.

DAMN RIGHT