Ruthless Fae (Zodiac Academy, #2)

by Caroline Peckham

I threw a lingering glance over my shoulder as we exited, spotting Orion pocketing the band of blue hair alongside Diego's hat. His eyes met mine for the briefest moment, blazing with a fierceness I didn't understand. But as Tory tugged my sleeve, I turned away and tried not to wonder about the intensity of that look.

I snorted a laugh and Diego shot me a glare, but I wasn't paying enough attention. My gaze was lingering on Orion's ass and Tory gave me a pointed look when I finally turned away.

“I have to protect the weakest in the pack until they find their place,” he said in a low voice. “That's why I healed you today. You have to find your position so I can stop feeling like this.”

Made her a star damned Omega. So I was bound to her and my instincts were burning, telling me to go after her and put her in her place for what she just did.

“You’re not wearing the dress I sent you.” “This might be a good time for you to realise, I don’t tend to do as I’m told,” I said dismissively. “I think I like this one better anyway.”

“I am. Just try not to fall in love with me though, it could make things awkward when we go back to fighting with each other tomorrow.”

Darcy: I bumped into Orion by The Orb. He says he’s coming with us and that you should meet us here...

“In all honesty, Lance is more likely to add to the debauchery than detract from it,” Darius said, offering me his arm.

Darius noticed the action and threw an arm around my shoulders which I instantly shrugged back off. “I’m not your date, dude,” I reminded him, not bothering to lower my voice. “If people see us together acting like a couple they’ll give you an easier time,” he said, staying close enough to me that I could feel the heat of his body a heartbeat away from mine.

Marguerite seemed to think better of attacking while the Heir clearly had me marked as his but the look in her eyes told me the next time she saw me alone I’d be in for some serious shit from her.

was the act though. Did he do all of the horrible things he did to maintain his position and keep up appearances for the sake of proving his power? Or could he just pour on the sweetness when it suited him to get his own way? He was so hard to read that I had no idea which version was the real him.

“What you just said was wrong though,”

“The bit about him being one of the most powerful Fae in Solaria. Because he’s not anymore, is he?” I smirked knowingly and stepped away from him to join Darcy.

As he kissed me, his mouth brushed against the corner of mine, and I bit my lip to hide my surprised smile. Before he pulled back, he dropped his mouth to my neck and I froze, expecting him to bite me but he only touched his lips to my skin, causing a prickle of energy to run along my spine. “You’re looking delicious tonight, sweetheart,”

My gaze fell on Orion who looked back at me with a flat stare which made me feel like he’d heard the hitch in my pulse as Caleb had touched me. He looked weirdly at home in his own tux, his youth more apparent beside the Heirs now that they were all dressed the same.

I turned my attention from him, glancing at Caleb again as he pushed a hand into his curls.

I shrugged innocently and she rolled her eyes at me. Point taken. I won’t get myself mixed up with the pretty asshole tonight... Probably.

I stumbled a step in my stilettos and Darius caught my arm to steady me. My hand landed on his bicep which flexed beneath my grip, and I bit my lip as I glanced up at him, thanking him before I could stop myself. “No problem,” he said, still holding onto me even though I didn’t need him to anymore.

“Sorry!” Darcy gasped behind me, and I turned, finding her scrambling out of Orion’s lap on the gravel at our feet. “Predictably clumsy as always, Blue,” Orion said but his tone was more teasing than really annoyed.

“If you like this, you should come and see my house some time,” Caleb offered, moving to stand on my other side. “We’ve got a dungeon and everything.”

“Technically, your house is bigger than this anyway,”

“Well, obviously the palace is bigger than the Celestial Estates,” Caleb supplied. I’d never given much thought to the fact that we had more than just money waiting for us in our inheritance. The idea of us living in a place like this was beyond ridiculous though.

“High Lord Lionel Acrux and Lady Catalina Acrux,”

Darius moved towards me, taking my arm without giving me a choice in the matter.

“Darcy is in red and Tory in blue.”

Darius on the other hand didn’t seem amused and he looked like he might just be about to turn into a giant, fire-breathing reptile. Max reached over to him, brushing a hand along his arm and he relaxed slightly. I guessed the Siren had just siphoned some of his anger from him and I was surprised at the gesture.

I spotted Orion slipping through the crowd at a fast pace and Lionel's wife, Catalina, searching around as if looking for him. He swept past us, throwing a curt nod our way before heading on and my eyes dropped instinctively to his ass. Maybe there's two things good about this party.

“Yeah, I'm gonna decline the date rape.” Tory smiled hollowly and Darius scoffed. “As if I'd need to drug you to get you in my bed,” Darius taunted. “Keep dreaming, Dragon boy.” She rolled her eyes and I grinned.

“These must be the Vega Twins,” she said coldly. “Well don't waste your time sniffing around my snookums. Daddy says he's saving himself for our wedding night.”

“Oh and what's wrong with that exactly, Seth Capella? You like your girls hairy, don't you?”

“You like mutt muff,” she answered, jutting out her chin and I noticed a few wiry hairs protruding from it.

“I don't fuck girls in their Order form, idiot.” “Maybe not, but you do, don't you Caleb Altair?” She rounded on him and now I was really starting to warm to Mildred as she cut them all down to size.

“My sister's boyfriend’s cousin said you like Pegasus butts. He even sent a video to Aurora Academy of you humping a Pegasex blow up ...

Darius sank down into a chair and dropped his head into his hands. His friends grouped around him, their mocking expressions falling away. Seth nuzzled against Darius's cheek and Max reached out, pressing his fingers to the back of his hand while Caleb started pacing back and forth in front of him.

“Where are you going?” He gave me a dark smile that set my pulse racing. “Fox hunting.” He shot off into the crowd and my hair was tossed around my face by his momentum.

In fact, the only one who seemed devastated by the loss of Clara, was her brother, Lance Orion.”

“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone look so bored at a party,” he murmured, leaning close to me so that his words didn’t carry. His scent coiled around me, smoke and cedar and danger, or simply put, temptation of my particular variety.

“Well, you wanted to see how the other half lived. Now you know, it’s frightfully dull.”

“You wear your mask tighter here than you do at the academy.” Darius’s eyes darkened. “Who says it’s a mask?” he asked. “I was born to this. This is who I am, who I’ll ever be.” I leaned closer to him, tiptoeing to speak in his ear. “Well, that seems frightfully dull to me,”

“Don’t you ever want to just rebel against all of it?” Darius caught my gaze and fire seemed to burn within the depths of his eyes. “All the time,” he replied, his voice a low growl. I smiled conspiratorially at him. “Prove it,” I dared.

“Do you want to dance?” Darius asked, his tone returning to its formal setting. His hand brushed across the bare skin at the base of my spine and butterflies spilled through my stomach before I could stamp them out.

My back mourned the loss of contact with his fingers as I walked, and I could feel his eyes trailing over me but I didn’t look back. Darius Acrux was a brand of poison I really shouldn’t taste.

“In that case, I happen to think he’s a vindictive, pretentious, twat-waffle who really needs to pull the stick out of his ass and let loose more often,” I said. “I thought we were being nice this evening?”

“You said you’d be nice. I made no such promises,”

“Do you ever do as you’re told?” he asked me, noticing the fact that I’d stopped following him. “Nope. Do you ever stop telling people what to do?” I asked. “I think I might just miss your smart mouth when you fail The Reckoning,” he muttered.

He removed his black jacket, and I eyed his fitted white shirt appreciatively before pulling my gaze away. I did not need to fall under the spell of Darius Acrux’s stupidly hot appearance.

“You’d better not be about to whip your junk out again,” I warned. “Because I’ve seen way too much of you for my liking.” “Oh, I think you liked it just fine,” he countered and the heat that flooded my cheeks at his tone stopped me from raising any further argument on the subject. He stepped closer to me and I fought against the impulse to lean in.

“I’m sure I could lend you my shirt if you want to take your dress off,” he replied. “That would require both of us taking off rather a lot of our clothes.” There was a dare hanging in the air between us and I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to resist it much longer.

“Well, I think I’m talking to an oversized iguana with a superiority complex, wrapped in an expensive suit. But it’s hard be sure beneath all the bullshit,” I snarled.

He started to step back, moving aside so that his father would have a clear view of me again, but his brow furrowed, and he held his ground instead.