Cursed Fates (Zodiac Academy, #5)

by Caroline Peckham

I reached up slowly, tugging the blindfold from my eyes and blinking in the dim light as I found Darius staring at me like he’d never seen me before and he never wanted to look away again.

“You can’t tell me you don’t feel that when we’re together. The way my heart pounds, my soul burns, my whole body aches…I know you feel it too,” he breathed, catching my cheek in his rough palm and forcing my eyes up to meet his, the black rings in them taunting me with the choice I’d made. “Why did you fight it before?”

“We were made for each other, Roxy,” Darius growled, tipping my chin to bring my gaze back up to his.

“The stars might have decided that you can never be mine,” Darius said roughly, refusing to move away from me. “But I am yours. No matter what. I don’t care where we end up or who we’re with, I’ll always be yours. And I’m going to fix the damage I did to us even if the stars don’t care. I’m going to prove to you that I could have been worthy of you if I’d just listened to my heart sooner.”

Darius rolled his eyes, ignoring the chaos around him as he fixed Tory in his sights while I fought a grin at the two of them. I couldn’t believe what Caleb had done for them and I was so happy that there was a way they could be together sometimes. Even if that did involve a threesome with two Heirs, at least she was enjoying herself. Get it, Tor.

“Cheerleaders sometimes support a certain player on the field,” Darius said as he pushed his hand into his pocket and took out a navy ribbon with the word Fireshield on it. “Will you cheer for me today, Roxy?”

“Thanks. So are you wearing a cheer ribbon for me today?” I taunted and he leaned in closer with mischief in his eyes. “Yes, but I had to wear it somewhere no one would see. So it’s tied in a very special place.” I burst out laughing, gripping his waistband. “Are you telling me it’s tied to your-” “You can find out exactly where it’s tied after the game, but only if you do well.”

She looked like a predator through and through. “Alpha,” he growled to no one in particular and I snorted a laugh. “You know you’re talking out loud right?” I muttered and he blinked, turning to me in surprise. “Werewolf,” he breathed and I couldn’t help but laugh again. “Pretty.” “You’ve been reduced to single words,” I pointed out. “Maybe you should ask her out after the match.” “Yeah,” he agreed, blinking out of his stupor. “Maybe I should.”

The crowd went crazy and Seth and Caleb crashed into one another as they were momentarily distracted by her curves and the rose vine tattoo spiralling up under her push-up sports bra, sending each other crashing to the ground. Gah - idiots!

“Good save,” he said with a grin before jogging off to take up a position in the fire quarter. A grin bit into my cheeks as the other Heirs and Geraldine congratulated me then I headed back to stand in front of the Pit, feeling like I could take on the entire world. Bring it on, Aurora.

She was screaming in celebration, arms raised in the air as she fist pumped excitedly over the point she’d won and I just watched her with a dumb as fuck grin on my face. Or at least I did until she grabbed the hem of her jersey, ripped it off alongside her sports bra and continued her victory lap completely topless. “NO!” I bellowed as I charged across the pitch to intercept her, my blood pumping hot as fury charged my limbs.

no.

“Nice work on that shield, Gwen,” I teased, scrubbing my knuckles into her hair as she shoved me off. “Nice work on that tackle, Dari,” she joked back just as Lance leapt on me. “You fucking beauty!” he snarled, grabbing my face between his hands and placing a rough, scratchy kiss on my forehead as he straddled me in the mud.

My gaze lingered on the ribbon she still had tied around her neck. I’d never asked a girl to cheer for me before and when she’d said yes, I’d had to fight hard not to grin my fucking head off and sweep her into my arms.

My gaze trailed down over her navy and silver cheer uniform before I could help it and my gut tightened as I noticed the letters DAR painted on the side of her toned waist. Did she really paint my name on her skin? And why do I like the idea of that so much? Roxy tossed the pom-poms and folded her arms as she waited for me to reply and I managed to read the rest of the letters which curled around her side CY. Right. Idiot. Of course she wouldn’t paint my name on her body.

My skin was flaring so hot with fire magic that they were probably all getting burned as the heat rolled off of me. But not Roxy. Fire couldn’t hurt her. Maybe it was fate for her to be a Phoenix, the only creature immune to the worst of my power. Maybe the stars had always wanted me to be unable to hurt her.

I growled again as I reached out and grabbed her, lifting her out of my spot before spinning around and sitting in it myself and dumping her in my lap.

I was my own man and I was going to make my own choices. Which meant I’d never hurt her again.

The ground shook more fiercely which effectively made her body vibrate against my dick as she straddled me in that tiny skirt and I grunted as she gave me a knowing look. I couldn’t deny that I’d had more than a few fantasies about getting her in a position like this with that cheer outfit on and me still wearing my Pitball uniform. It was a pretty cliched fantasy, but a hot one none the less. Especially with the way she looked in her uniform. “Problem, Darius?” she teased, shifting her hips again as my dick hardened between us. I should have been too angry to be turned on, but with her it always felt like this. Like we were dancing the line of love and hate with the only thing consistently present being lust.

“We’ll see if he’s so tempted by you when I’m done pulverising that pretty face of yours and I cut your perky tits off for good measure!” Mildred howled. “Not the tits!” Tyler Corbin gasped from the other side of the crowd as he filmed the whole thing.

They might have been fighting like mortals having a bar brawl, but with a crown on her head and blood painting her flesh, I didn’t think she’d ever looked more like the Savage King’s daughter before. She really was a Fae Princess. And I liked it.

A laugh tumbled from my lips before I could stop it and Roxy looked up at me with a wild determination in her eyes as she grinned like a damn warrior.

“I’ll toss Mildred back in her room, heal her and cast a sleeping spell on her so that she can properly recover,” Cal announced as he moved around us and I couldn’t help but smile at him. It might have annoyed the fuck out of me that he’d been with my girl, but he really was a good friend. A true brother.

“I’m going to look after you,” I growled, leaving no room for negotiation. “So just let me.”

I sighed as my magic depleted, using the last drops of it to heal her and clean the blood from her skin after burning through so much in the game. A soft touch against my hair made me open my eyes and I looked up at her as she pushed the crown onto my head.

But as she reached up to unclasp the blood ruby pendant from around her neck I caught her wrist to stop her. “Keep it,” I said, my gaze slipping to the priceless heart where it lay against her flesh. Dragons didn’t give treasure away. Ever. It was inherited through the family or we bought more of it, but we never gifted it to anyone. It went against everything we stood for and the fierce possessiveness of our natures. But for some reason that I couldn’t fully comprehend, I wanted her to keep that necklace. “It looks better on you anyway.”

The party was in full swing around us again and I couldn’t help but feel a little more like joining in as I watched Roxy walk away from me. She glanced back once and my heart leapt as she offered me the smallest of smiles. Roxy Vega might never be mine, but sometimes I found I didn’t mind pining for her as much as I should have.

But her attention kept swinging between me and Caleb and I couldn’t figure out who she was most hot for.

“Name the person you hated most before you came to Zodiac,” I asked, saying it casually like I wasn’t fishing for anything. “Zane Baxter,” she said with darkness in her eyes. “My ex-boyfriend.”

“Those are not the words you malfunctioning mutt!” she yelled and I sang louder over her as Rosalie continued to record it with a bright grin.

“Sing it, asshole!” Darius demanded, a grin on his face. It felt so good to see him happy that a puppyish yip escaped me as I righted myself on the table. “Anything for you, you beautiful Dargon. Dargron. I mean, Draron,” I slurred. “Dammit, how hard is it to say Dragarn? Dargon! Oh fuck my life.”

Darius and Tory drifted closer together and Darcy linked arms with both of them in the middle and my heart tugged as I realised she was doing it so they could stay close to each other.

“You can stay, but you have to share.” “How good are you two at sharing?” she asked, glancing between me and Caleb and my throat thickened. “I’m real good,” I growled. “How about you Caleb?”

I suddenly didn’t care that we were alone. I could just be with him like this for a moment. It was the only place I wanted to be right now, gripping him tightly and breathing in his fresh, sandalwood scent.

Yep, it’s official. I’m into my straight best friend. Thanks for the headfuck stars.

“Look, sometimes we want to see the good in people we care about so much that we pretend it’s there, living under all the layers of cruelty. But the fact is, Diego, some people are toxic. And if you keep them in your life, they’ll poison everything good in your world until you end up being just like them. And that’s a far worse fate than going against the grain and making your own path. Even if that means you’re alone.”

Maybe I should have just trusted her judgement because she clearly saw people’s hearts when she looked at them. Fuck, I love that girl.

I turned to Blue with a wide, boyish grin and whipped the blade through the air between us. My breathing stuttered once more as the entire sword ignited in red and blue fire, the blade itself shimmering like it had turned to molten silver.

I lowered the bottle between us and held it to her lips. “Do as I say or you’ll be punished.” I poured the champagne haphazardly over her mouth and it spilled down her chin and onto her breasts as she swallowed the small amount she’d gotten.

I devoured the view of her spread out for me, my own breathing matching the rampant pants of hers. I was a slave to this body, this girl. I wanted to possess every part of her, invade her and lay siege to every corner of her being.

She blushed and I wished I could bottle that colour. I’d paint it on my walls and wear it on my damn skin. She was too divine a creature and I was utterly captivated by her when she looked at me like that.

“Are you going to punish me, Professor?” she asked sweetly and fuck, I was about to lose my mind. I needed to be inside of her, feeling her heat, her aching flesh as she wrapped herself around me. I could sense myself giving into that urge inch by inch.

I pressed my knees into the blanket on either side of her and yanked her hips up, sitting back as I brought her perfect round ass to my lips and sank my teeth into her flesh.

“Good girls get rewarded,” I purred. “Are you going to behave?” She nodded. “Say it,” I growled. “I’ll be good.”

“Are you wet for me, Blue?” I asked. “See for yourself,” she said breathily and I laughed. Always lippy. Even when I had her at my mercy. I slapped my hand hard against her ass and she gasped in surprise before I rubbed the reddened mark to soothe it. “Answer me,” I insisted and I could picture her blush from here. “Yes,” she whispered and I slid my hand between her legs, feeling the evidence of her arousal with a groan. Fuck, she’s so ready for me.

I poured the ice cold liquid between her legs and her hips bucked as she let out a cry of alarm. I pressed one palm down on her stomach to keep her still, dropping my mouth between her thighs and lapping up the champagne as she cursed like a sailor.

I feasted on her mercilessly, drawing her closer and closer before slowing my tongue and making her beg and beg and beg. It was the highest form of power and I was losing my mind over it. “Please – god – please,” she cried, but she wasn’t going to come like this. I wanted to fall apart with her and I was so desperate for her, I knew I was going to last about as long as she was at this point.

I didn’t feel like I was on the same plane as I had been two seconds ago, I was lost to her. My beautiful blue-haired warrior.

Everything in my life was brighter with her. It was good and sweet and perfect. I didn’t know what I’d done for the stars to gift me this girl. I could never have offered them enough to earn this good fortune. And I wasn’t going to squander it. I knew what I had. And I’d protect her until my dying breath. And even then I’d still fight to keep her safe beyond the veil. Whatever it took. Always.

He’d carried me back to my room just before sunrise. Exhausted, shattered, whole. I slept for a few hours and when I woke, I was still smiling. I didn’t think I’d ever get rid of this smile. And I didn’t want to.