Shadow Princess (Zodiac Academy, #4)

by Caroline Peckham

It wasn’t true, it couldn’t be. Phoenixes were practically a myth. No one was even sure they really had existed. They were supposed to have been the most powerful Order of all, their flames capable of all kinds of insane things. Some people even claimed they’d been immortal but if that was the case then where were they? How did a species die off if they couldn’t die?

If he finds out about this before you’ve learned to harness these powers-” “He’d kill you,”

I wanted her close even though the moon was gone now, the Eclipse over and its effects waning. But it didn’t seem like she felt remotely the same way anymore.

“You wanna share that little exchange with the group?” I asked, scrubbing a hand over my face. “Obviously not, dipshit,” Roxy snarled.

Contrary to what you may think, we’ve never wanted anything at all to do with you or your bullshit throne. But one way or another we keep getting dragged into this drama. So, if there’s something I choose not to say to you then that’s up to me.”

“I don’t know what it is you want from me,” she said quietly. “But I don’t care either. You think because you’ve decided you want to talk to me then that means I must want to too? Well, I don’t. And I don’t know what makes you think you can keep laying your hands on me either. Fire doesn’t burn me, Darius, my Order is more powerful than a Dragon. I don’t have any reason to fear you anymore and I don’t have to do anything you say.”

“Why ever would I want to roll in your haystack again, Max Rigel? I can add a notch to my bedpost when I get back to my own room and go right on back to the important things in life.”

“You know, silly bear. When your noodle gets scrambled by the moon, and you get the hormone hotties for someone ridunkulous. It’s just a little embarrassing, don’t you think?” “I…are you worried I’d be embarrassed to tell people about us?”

“Why in Solaria would you be embarrassed?” she asked, widening those big blue eyes at me, and capturing me in them. “I’m the one who’s got to play the shame game. Whatever would anyone think if they realised I’d bumped bottoms with an Heir?” She said the word like it was dirty.

“What? Just…wait. Are you saying you’re embarrassed about last night? Didn’t you feel what I felt? That sex was fucking mind blowing.” “Yes, yes, you were perfectly adequate,” she said as she moved to look in the mirror, standing by my closet and fixing her damn hair. “Adequate??” “Well, I can’t stand around here gossiping with you all day, I need to check in with the A.S.S. and see who else fell for the moon crazies. I doubt anyone else had quite such a slip of sanity as me though.” She chuckled again. “Wait. Slip of sanity? Are you saying this isn’t going to happen again?”

“Of course it isn’t, silly sausage.” She laughed as she pulled the door open, not even bothering to check me out as I stood naked before her. “See you later, baked potata!”

Because now I’d had a taste of Grus, I wasn’t going back. That girl was going to be mine.

“You’re not just Tory’s enemy, Darius, you’re your own. It’s like every time you punish her, you’re trying to punish yourself too.”

“Thanks for the pep talk, Dad,” Darius said scathingly, clearly not in the mood to have a rational discussion about the subject.

I didn’t care if Stella was my flesh and blood, I’d fucking kill her and Darius’s father for this.

It might take me all day, but I was going to stay here until I knew everything there was to know about Phoenixes to prepare Blue and Tory. Because there wasn’t a soul on earth who could help them right now, but me.

Her knees brushed mine under the desk and I hooked my foot around hers on instinct.

Darcy said, looking fascinated and I nodded, rubbing my knee against hers under the table. She was always such an enthusiastic student and fuck if that didn’t get me so hard for her. She shared my love of learning and I’d often enjoyed the way her eyes lit up in awe in my classes. Focus, asshole.

And more than that, he was my Nebula Ally.

Omg i forgot about those

“You can trust Gabriel,” I said firmly. “He’s my Nebula Ally.”

Kinda cringe sorry

“Besides, he’s my Ally. The stars chose him as my soul friend, so he won’t betray my trust.”

Soul friend?

“How’s your father, kid? You have that same tight-arsed expression he’s always sporting. Are you growing into his shoes well?” he asked coldly, and I pursed my lips as Tory snorted a laugh and Darcy elbowed her. “He’s not like him,”

“I’d love some time to get to know you both,” he said. “The stars have sent me to help you, I felt it in every part of my being.” “I’d like that,” Darcy said with a keen look. “If you take us flying, you’ll be my new best friend, dude,” Tory said with a grin.

As a Scorpio and a Leo, they were capable of forming a strong friendship, but only if the Leo could let go of their superiority complex and if the Scorpio saw past their own pride. But fuck if I saw either of them managing that.

“So what you’re saying is, our power is endless?” Tory asked, grinning in a way that was only going to piss Darius off. “As in, so long as I can cast fire, I’ll never run out of magic. Unlike big fat lizard shifters who have to pop off for a snooze on a heap of gold whenever they’re running low?”

Ha shes funny

It is also capable of harming Orders which are resistant to fire like Manticores, Hydras and…Dragons.” Darius stilled, his hands tightening on the arms of his chair while Gabriel chuckled under his breath. The twins shared a look, their eyes wide and full of excitement. “So you’re saying that this big ass lizard can’t burn me at all, but I can totally cook his ass if I want to?” Tory asked with a smirk as she pointed at Darius.

“It’s just nice for all of us to know our capabilities,” Tory replied with a shrug. “And our limitations,” she tossed at Darius.

Because Darius Acrux might not ever rescind his claim to the throne, and I didn’t want him to. But maybe I could convince him to share it with two more candidates.

Another day, another confusing as fuck prediction. One day I’d open up my Atlas and the horoscope would say: avoid the eggs today or you’ll get the shits and I’d know exactly where I stood for once.

Because, fuck my life had flipped on its axis fast and the only way I’d managed to sleep at all was by chasing oblivion with a bottle of tequila. Bad call Tory. But better that than me ending up knocking on the door of the Dragon upstairs and admitting that Darcy and I had the shadows too and it fucking terrified me. Because in the cold light of day it was much easier to remember that said Dragon could not be trusted. Which meant I was fucked, because I had no one else to turn to aside from Orion whose head was so far up the Dragon’s asshole that I was sure he could taste his meals for him from a distance.

Not until we got permission from Darius’s pet teacher anyway.

“Did you miss me during the Eclipse, sweetheart?” Caleb breathed in my ear, and I flinched away from him in surprise.

Forgot about him actually

“What the hell was that?” Caleb asked, tipping his head as he peered into my eyes. “What?” I asked innocently, although it was obvious he’d seen the shadows. “For a second your eyes went all dark…”

“So the moon didn’t drive you towards anyone else?” he pressed, pinning me in his gaze. I shrugged, brushing past him as I headed into The Orb and he fell into step beside me. “I didn’t hook up with anyone else if that’s what you’re getting at.” “That wasn’t what I asked though,” he pushed. “I asked if you were drawn towards anyone?” I took a deep breath as I turned to look up at him. “Yeah. If you wanna know, it pushed me towards Darius.”

So yeah, I’m drawn to him, but I can only think I’m insane for feeling that way because all he ever does is piss me off or hurt me.”

“You know, you could have just lied to me,”

“But you think I’m hot too…?” I made a show of running my eyes over him, taking in the way his muscles pressed against his shirt and the perfectly mussed up way his curly hair sat. “Yeah, I guess so,” I agreed casually. Caleb grinned.

He’s usually more concerned with shoving me in the mud or trying to drown me…” “Both things I haven’t done.” “You stood and watched which is arguably just as bad.”

“It’s just not strictly true. We have the same hobbies and we both grew up having to deal with shitty parental figures…”

“Well, lucky for me I went poof at midnight and turned into a pumpkin like Cinderella before I could make that lapse in judgment,” I agreed because it was damn lucky. Moon Tory absolutely wouldn’t have said no to Darius if we’d spent even another moment alone down on the beach.

“I’m not really a princess kind of girl,” I whispered.

“I’m gonna prove to you that I’m the better choice. You’ll fall for me so hard you’ll break bones.”

Besides, if he succeeded in making me forget about Darius, I was all for it because that asshole had hurt me too many times for me to be looking at him the way I did sometimes.

Ass Club

“Fine. The moon was just making me think about you all night. And the idea of you hooking up with someone else drives me a little bit insane,” he said. “Especially Darius.”

And nothing anyone has ever tried, said, or suggested has ever even come close to dividing us. So there’s no chance in hell I’m going to fall out with him over a girl.”

“What if I asked you to be mine. Just mine?” he offered, and I laughed.

“See?” I interrupted. “That wasn’t that hard, was it? You don’t want me long term, so why would I commit to you short term? We have fun Caleb but I’m not your girl. If you can’t handle the idea of me meeting other people, maybe even hooking up with them, then we can just call time on this thing between us. Because I’m not ever going to put my life on hold for a man. Especially one who doesn’t think I’m good enough to make the cut long term.”

“And that’s exactly why I never wanted the stupid throne in the first place. Who wants to be shackled to some chair when you could be free? Fuck that.”

“So, you’re telling me you’re not willing to be exclusive?” he confirmed, his lips twitching with amusement like he’d expected that anyway. “No, idiot. Now can I go get my breakfast?” “Do you wanna hang out later?” he asked, still blocking my way. “If I say maybe, will you let me leave?” “You’re busy later, Roxy,” Darius said from right behind me and I jerked around, scowling up at him and wondering how much of our conversation he’d been eavesdropping on. “No, I’m not,” I replied, wondering what he was going on about.