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The funny thing was, that chant was the biggest lie I'd ever heard. Because I’d never, in all the years I'd known them, seen the Celestial Heirs look so rattled.
It occurred to me that I’d inflicted this kind of humiliation on people countless times and for half a second, my mind snagged on the Vega Twins and the way they’d looked after Lance had pulled Roxy from that pool. But this wasn’t the same. I’d had to do that. It was for the good of Solaria and I stamped down the little voice in my head which was trying to question that fact with a vengeance.
Roxy’s dark eyes moved to mine, and I felt a lurch right in the centre of my gut for a half a second as it seemed almost like she was directing that smile at me. She’d made a dress out of an oversized Pitball shirt which skimmed her thighs and made her look like she'd just crawled out of my bed and pulled it on.
“Maybe she should be the captain,” Gwendalina suggested with a taunting smile. “Maybe she should,” Lance agreed loudly, and I scowled at my friend. There was no way he’d offer me any loyalty when it came to Pitball. If I wasn’t the best, then he’d say it to my face. I just wished he’d hold his opinion back in front of the Vegas.
I glanced around at the board to confirm what she’d said and by the time I looked back, Caleb had her in his arms and his teeth were in her throat. She didn’t even have the decency to look horrified, her fingers twisting into his hair as he held her in place. His fucking hand was on her thigh, skimming the hem of that shirt and for a moment I actually wanted to rip his arm off.
Caleb released Roxy, leaning close to whisper something in her ear which made her fucking laugh while I ground my teeth.
The Starlight crowd started up a new chant at Cal’s expense. Altair loves Pegasex! He’s horny for the horn!
Orion turned and kicked his seat so hard it snapped in two. Nova dropped her face into her hands as the Starlight principal did a victory dance next to her. I stared at the pitch in utter disbelief. Holy shit, we lost.
A low growl caught my attention and I glanced to my right where Darius stood almost close enough to touch. His jaw was locked tight, his spine rigid and his eyes burning with rage. I looked away from him quickly, though I couldn’t help but feel glad that this was upsetting him.
“Why don’t you two come back and party with us at Starlight tonight?” he offered, and I didn’t miss his suggestive tone. “Why don’t you fuck off while you’ve still got some teeth left?” Darius said before we could respond.
Darcy caught my hand, and I almost tugged her back a step but as our palms met, I felt a well of power brewing between us like a tempestuous storm. This wasn’t like when I power shared with Darius during fire Elemental training. My magic and my sister’s didn’t need any encouragement to merge with one another. They were born of the same womb, trusted each other implicitly, longed to be together.
I hadn’t meant to lay claim to the throne, but why the hell shouldn’t I? That throne had belonged to our father. Our veins held the blood of The Savage King and in that moment, I felt pretty damn savage myself.
“It’s not our claim,” I countered darkly. “It’s our birthright,” Darcy finished.
Darius and Seth moved so quickly that we barely had time to react. We both flung our free hands up and our combined power shot from us in a wave of energy which managed to combine all four Elements. The four Heirs were thrown away from us and the whole stadium fell into stunned silence as they crashed into the ground on the far side of the pitch. For a moment, none of them moved and Darcy and I stepped off of the podium as we advanced on them, still hand in hand with raw power writhing beneath our skin.
Terror threatened to overwhelm me as my limbs weakened and my insides hollowed out. They just had to get near, and we were finished. No more academy, no more Heirs, or dreams, or thrones. No more Lance Orion.
Four more descended onto the pitch to take their place, one of them knocking the blade from Orion's hand and sending it skittering across the mud. “Lance!” I yelled in panic as he fell to his knees under the powerful onslaught of two Nymphs at once.
“No,” I gasped in complete, desperate panic as a Nymph moved toward Orion, reaching down, aiming its probing fingers for his chest. I was moving before I could stop myself, charging toward him in a desperate act to help.
Orion was on the verge of death, and I simply couldn’t see it happen. Every fibre of my being was begging me to save him.
Orion buckled forward, his hands braced against the ground, and something shifted within me. A burning energy filled me up with the heat of a million stars, burrowing into my core. My body felt as though it was about to lift off of the ground with the sheer power of it as a rippling sensation raced across my shoulder blades.
I threw out my hands with a yell of pure rage, letting that fiery energy burn right out of me. A line of fire exploded from my body like a writhing, winged creature of sharpest blue and darkest red.
I sprinted to Orion and pulled him to his feet, pawing at his arms as if to reassure myself he was alright.
On instinct, I forced air out from me in the way Perseus had taught me and Orion grabbed my hand, his energy flooding into my veins in an instant. It pushed the shield out around us, feeling like a solid, unbreakable wall. But was it?!
Orion dragged me on towards the exit with a spurt of his Vampire speed. He slammed his shoulders into the crowd to forge a path through, but I pulled back, snatching my hand from his grip. “I'm not leaving without Tory.” He tried to grab hold of me again, but I ducked away, refusing to let him take me from this fight.
Orion caught my hand, and I dragged his magic into my own on instinct, the rush of his added power filling me up like jet fuel. I unleashed the burning giant inside me, and it erupted from my body in the shape of wings, speeding toward the Nymph and folding around it. The creature stumbled back then burst into flame, its body burning up from the inside out before tumbling into a shower of black dust.
Orion pulled me around to face him and my heart faltered as he clutched onto me. “I'm not going anywhere,” I demanded, and he nodded, a strange smile pulling at his mouth despite the absolute madness descending around us. “Go on then.” He gestured to the raging battle. “Show me what you've got, Blue.”
My hands sank into the mud beneath me as I pushed myself upright and a huge roar laced with pain echoed right through my body. I turned my gaze towards the enormous golden Dragon in the centre of the pitch as eight Nymphs rushed towards him at once.
Darius bellowed in agony again and I started running towards him as a desperate ache built in my chest. It didn’t matter that I hated him, and he hated me, in that moment it was only us and them. And I couldn’t bear to let them take him.
Flames licked their way out of my body, swarming over my flesh until they danced right before my eyes in a mix of blood red and lightning blue. The feel of them on my skin was electrifying and they pulsed with some deep magic which answered my call like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I screamed a battle cry like a damn Viking warrior then I flung my palms out, aiming for the nightmare creature and sending blue and red fire to consume it on blazing wings. The Nymph shrieked as it burned before bursting apart, leaving a trail of black smoke hanging in the air where it had been.
The Nymph shrieked excitedly and drove its probes into the flesh between Darius’s shoulder blades. A roar filled with pure agony escaped him and he fell forward onto his chest as pain wracked through his body. Where my hand still rested against him it was like I could feel that pain within myself. I felt like I was tearing in two, my soul ripping free of my body and the deepest sense of dread filled me.
He snarled at me, striking his nose against my chest to knock me back a step. I stumbled away from him and he struck me again, a deep growl echoing from his throat as he urged me to run.
“So fucking bossy,” I snapped, shoving his big Dragon face aside before I moved closer to him instead. “You probably are stubborn enough to die here rather than let me help you.”
Instead of stopping the blood or healing him, my magic spilled into his body, merging with his in the reverse of what we’d been doing when he helped me with my fire magic. His power welcomed mine instantly, drawing it in, blending with it completely like it had been waiting for this moment. The feeling took my breath away and though it didn’t slow the blood, I felt the tension ease from his muscles and the fear loosen its grip on his heart.
If someone didn’t get to us soon, Darius Acrux was going to die. And though it seemed like he should have been the last person in the world for me to care about after everything he’d done to me, I wasn’t sure I could bear it if I lost him here.
Darius coughed, his eyes flickering a few times before snapping open. His gaze fell on Tory as she continued to look down at him. Her hand was still pressed to his cheek, and he frowned slightly. “You...” he began but he didn’t finish what he’d been going to say. His hand moved over hers for a moment, holding it in place against his cheek as he held her eye.
“Thanks to some insane blue and red fire I cast,” I said, and Tory's eyes widened. “You used it too?” she asked in surprise, gazing down at her palms as if searching for an answer. “It was nothing like our usual Element.”
