The Reckoning (Zodiac Academy, #3)

by Caroline Peckham

My dick was straining so hard against my fly that I thought it might actually burst and I had to rearrange myself before I could follow her.

She proceeded to steal my toothbrush like a damn animal, and I leaned against the doorframe as I watched her, trying not to look at her ass too much as she bent forward over the basin. But I was clearly failing at that. I should have been pissed at her for intruding on my space like this but somehow, I didn’t mind at all.

I caught her as she almost face planted into the tiles and hooked her into my arms before returning her to the bed again. She tugged me down too and I was past the point of protesting.

“In what way?” I asked, wondering if she just might be about to admit that she felt this heat between us too. She shifted nearer to me, and I pulled her close as she laid her head on my chest.

A smile pulled at my lips in response to her comment. It might have been nice for my ego if she’d started declaring how attractive she found me, but in all honesty, she just wouldn’t have been herself without her smart mouth.

Once again, I was tucked in a bed, being held and protected against anything and everything the world might have to throw at me. But instead of the soft embrace of parents I’d never known, my head lay on the chest of a man whose strong arms were wrapped around me like he never wanted to let me go.

My arm and leg were coiled over him while he held me against him, his hand resting on the curve of my thigh. He was warm unlike anyone I’d ever known, his skin almost seeming to hold a fire within it which filled my soul with strength and peace. My eyes were closed so I couldn’t see him, but I just felt oddly at home. Like this was where I was meant to be.

He inhaled deeply, his chest rising beneath me while the arm holding me pulled me a little closer still.

“If you keep doing that, I’m going to stop being a gentleman about this situation.”

I knew this room. I’d burned it down once. And somehow, I’d ended up right in the centre of Darius Acrux’s goddamn golden bed.

Darius slid his hand from my thigh, running it up my side over the fabric of the t-shirt until he found my hair where he began twisting it through his fingers. This was too damn weird. Why was he touching me like that? What the hell had we done last night to make him think he could? And why the hell was I letting him?

“I prefer my girls a little less blind drunk and a little more eagerly responsive,” he replied. “Besides, you wouldn’t forget it if I’d fucked you.” Heat rose along my spine at that insinuation, but I ignored it in favour of focusing on the relief his words provided.

At his words, I noticed the feeling of his magic coiling around mine where it had obviously been all night. He hadn’t actually pushed it to merge with mine, but it was dancing along the edges of my power as if it was asking to join it. On instinct I let the barrier around my power drop, welcoming his in. Darius sucked in a sharp breath as his magic tumbled into mine and a breathy moan escaped my lips before I could stop it as the thrill of his magic caused every muscle in my body to tighten for a moment. The ecstasy of our magic combining was kind of addictive, like I could feel the heat of his power filling every dark space in my body and I had to fight to make sure it didn’t burn me.

His fingers kept moving in my hair and I frowned, wondering why he was doing that. And why the hell I still hadn’t moved. It was like we were under some spell where peace existed between us, and we both knew it would be broken if either of us made any sudden movements.

Darius released a breath of laughter, and I inched back a little, moving so that my head was on the pillow beside his instead of resting on his chest. He rolled towards me, moving onto his side, and shifting so that his hand rested on my bare thigh. He didn’t move his hand once it landed there but the heat of his touch was burning through me like magma. “You don’t remember putting on a strip show for your friends in The Orb?”

Darius was just watching me like I was somehow fascinating to him, and I couldn’t help but stare back into his deep brown eyes. His thumb shifted, painting a line of fire across my thigh and my heart thumped a little harder in response.

“I wouldn’t have touched you while you were wasted like that,” he said, his gaze travelling over my face and landing on my mouth. But I’m not wasted now...

His skin was flaming hot beneath my palm, the depth of his fire magic burning within him like an inferno. I wanted to look up again and catch his gaze with mine but if I did then I was fairly sure that I knew what would happen. And this dark temptation before me was so much more monster than man.

Suddenly everywhere that had felt hot between us felt cold and that same ice slithered through my veins as I tried to push myself out of his hold. He wrapped his arm around me more tightly, stopping me from rising. “Don’t go,” he breathed and there was a strange kind of plea in his voice.

I managed to sit upright, and Darius pushed himself up too, catching my hand as I started to scramble backwards, having every intention of getting the hell out of here. “Tell me about it,” he begged. “Don’t just leave.”

Darius scowled darkly, a low growl rumbling in the base of his throat as I told him about Zane like the idea of that asshole pissed him off. Which was about the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard because I was sitting in a bed with someone a thousand times worse than him. I snatched my hand out of Darius’s grip as he continued to hold onto me like he thought he was comforting me or something.

“Well congratulations,”

“Now you’re just like him.” Darius’s face fell like I’d just punched him, and the door spilled open behind me.

“Hopeless,” I mocked myself before pulling his t-shirt over my head. The scent of cedar and smoke coiled around me like a caress and for half a second I was back in his arms.

I dove into the shower to wash Darius Acrux off of my flesh. I cranked the heat up to scalding for good measure and washed my hair twice. The feeling of his hands on my skin didn’t wash off though and eventually I had to leave the imprints there.

“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. Probably just didn’t want me to puke on the carpet.

I grabbed a glittering purple Pegasus horn vibrator out first and quickly wedged it between the cushions. Next, I pulled out a riding whip which we’d gotten personalised so that Caleb Altair stood out in silver letters along the length of it and laid it at the edge of his usual spot with my heart pumping adrenaline into my limbs.

Darius looked my way as he took his seat, but I didn’t react, knowing he couldn’t tell I was looking back at him with my sunglasses shielding my eyes.

Orion arrived at Cardinal Magic with bags under his eyes and a pale look that said he was running low on magic. He shot toward me in a blur and two thoughts collided in my head. One: that I kind of wanted to give him the energy he needed and two: that I was Fae and I needed to start fighting back.

Orion laughed as he locked his arm around my waist, tugging me close. Adrenaline scored through my blood as I flexed my fingers to cast fire, but he snatched my wrist at speed, sinking his fangs into my skin, his venom immobilising my magic in an instant.

His heated mouth on my flesh and the way I was pressed right into the arc of his body sent electricity skittering through my veins. A noise left my lips that was bordering on sexual, and I was just glad the whole class were still chattering loud enough not to hear it. My free hand lay flat against his chest and the solid thumping of his heartbeat drummed against my palm.

“My cousin said Pegasus glitter is the only way to kill Werewolf sperm,” Kylie piped up and Orion gave her a hollow look. “Well, your cousin is a moron,” he deadpanned. “It works for me,” Kylie insisted. “Me and Sethy have never had any issues.”

“Miss Major, that is a myth. I assure you the reason you're not pregnant is because Mr Capella is protecting himself from any accidents, but it isn't a hundred percent effective unless you protect yourself too. So, listen attentively unless you want to be carrying a litter of puppies the next time I see you.”

“Kylie's got a glitter muff!”

“In fact, there's only one spell you need for contraception.” He started passing out the bananas to the boys and peaches to the girls. He tossed one to me with a smirk and I fumbled the catch, but held onto it, placing it down on my desk with a blush lining my cheeks.

I highly suggest you don't rely on your partner to maintain contraception as the spell will also protect you from STIs like Faemidia, Centyphilis, Grifforrhea and Manticrabs.”

Heat rose in my blood and my hand tightened around my peach.

“Oh, sorry guys, I'll bring him back to you as soon as I can.” She beamed, taking Orion's hand, and tugging him out of the room. There wasn't a single drop of moisture left in my mouth. Have I been a complete idiot in thinking he was single?

“Is that a Minotaur horn?” Sofia breathed, her mouth wide as she stared at it. He started laying all kinds of strange sex toys out on Orion's desk including a fake Werewolf tail, a bunch of feathers, a scaly clawed glove, and a set of fake Vampire fangs.

“He likes to do it doggie style and sometimes...he makes me howl for him.”

“When me and my boyfriend have sex...he only wants to do one thing-”

“He asks me to dress up like- like-” Elijah was turning red, and I bit into my lip with discomfort. “Like Darius Acrux,” he gasped. “I have to use a smoke machine and growl like a Dragon while I boss him around. And he asks me to call him...”

“What does your boyfriend ask you to call him?” “Prince Caleb,” Elijah choked out and Tory descended into stifled laughter beside me.

I couldn’t fight a laugh and Orion threw me a wink, remaining where he was.

“Let’s see it then.” 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.

I took a breath, trying to ignore the hot teacher staring at me while I held my hand over the peach and shut my eyes.

“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. Is this because I didn't reply to your messages again, Professor Unprofessional?

“You didn't reply to my message,” he said, and a smile pulled at my mouth. “Is that your new catchphrase?” I asked airily, placing the can down. He was behind me in a flash, one hand on my throat and one on my stomach as he jerked me back into his chest. His teeth grazed my ear and my whole body convulsed with pleasure. “You're supposed to fight back,” he growled. “I will if you try to bite me, but that's not what you want.” I turned in his arms, gazing up at him under my lashes as my heart fell into a rampant beat. “Is it?”

“The Lunar Eclipse is approaching. All Fae act crazy when that happens. I can't be blamed.” A smile danced around the corners of his mouth, revealing the dimple in his right cheek. “That sounds like a very convenient excuse to break the rules,”

“And what would your girlfri...