Fated Throne (Zodiac Academy, #6)

by Caroline Peckham

I gritted my teeth and forced my mind to lock all of the secrets I was keeping away in the dark. He wasn’t going to find them. I’d die before I gave my sister up, my brother, my friends. I would keep everything we’d been doing to fight back against this monster secret and conceal the location of the Imperial Star no matter what. He wasn’t going to break me. But he was definitely going to try.

“Who freed you from the shadows?” he purred, his voice slick and oily and turning my stomach. “Fuck you,” Roxy hissed between her teeth, panting heavily as she began to bleed out and she sagged against the restraints holding her in place on the chair. “I freed myself.”

“I’m not marrying her,” I hissed. “I won’t. I love Roxy and I’m never going to be with anyone else.”

Words failed me for several long seconds and in my mind all I could see was the girl with the long brunette hair and eyes which could peer straight into my dark soul without flinching away from it. She was the owner of all that I was, and I knew I’d make any sacrifice I had to, to save her.

I was still going to marry her. I had to. Even though it broke me, and I feared it would break Roxy too, I had to do it.

“One of these days, I’ll rip you open and tear your intestines out,” I swore to him. “And then I’ll hang you up by them and let the crows finish the job.” Vard’s eyes glazed over with a vision and the way his face paled let me know that he’d just seen a path to a future where I made good on that promise. And I really hoped it came to pass.

For a moment I just looked at the snow, thinking of how Roxy had told me her only Christmas tradition was a snowball fight with Darcy and remembering the way she’d laughed with me when we’d wrestled in the snow exactly a year ago in the grounds of this very place. I should have told her then how much I wanted her. I should have been a true Fae and owned up to all the shit I’d put her through and just told her how much I admired her, hungered for her, needed her.

And look where that had gotten us. I’m so fucking sorry, baby.

“Roxy,” I breathed, looking into her eyes and trying to convey everything I was feeling to her without words. I wanted to rip her from his arms, drag her away with me and just run and run until we were so lost that no one could ever find us again. “Darius, I’m sorry,” she began, and I was relieved to see he hadn’t managed to crush her with the shadows this time, but that just meant she was feeling every bit of pain he doled out to her.

“Tell me what to do, baby,” I breathed, looking into her green eyes, hoping she might have thought of something I hadn’t. She swallowed thickly and shook her head. “There isn’t anything,” she breathed, a tear slipping down her cheek as she looked up at me. “I’m sorry, Darius. I don’t want you to have to do this for me.” “I would do anything for you,” I growled fiercely, swiping the tear from her cheek as it felt like my entire chest was caving in and I tried to linger in this moment forever,

I cant fucking cope

“I’m yours,” she breathed, her mouth touching mine with her words. “Whatever you have to do...even if Mildred really does have your-” “I can’t be with her like that,” I growled. “I can’t be with anyone but you. It would fucking kill me, Roxy.” She smiled weakly, reaching up to hold my cheek in her palm as her other hand fisted my shirt over my heart. “You’re mine where it counts, Darius. And I’m yours. Nothing can change that.”

and my heart fell as I realised he hadn’t even invited the Heirs and Councillors. They had no idea this was happening to me. And that was the very last hope for help I’d been holding out on.

IK SICK

She leaned towards me like she expected me to lift her veil, but I just stood there, scowling, giving no shits if everyone could see how much I didn’t want to marry this fucking woman.

and even if she hadn’t been, she wasn’t my girl. I didn’t want her or anyone else. Only Roxy. Only ever her.

I twisted to look around at my girl as Xavier stood at her side, his fingers curled around hers. The pain in her green eyes as she watched me go fractured something in me that I wasn’t sure would ever be mended. I’d sworn I’d never hurt her again and here I was tearing her heart out when I wasn’t even worthy of owning it.

“I won’t let them hurt you,” he swore, but whatever Lionel had planned for us, we weren’t going to be able to fight.

“I know I broke your trust before,” he said with pain coating his voice. “But only because I thought it was the right thing to do. I wouldn’t break a promise to you unless the alternative was worse. So when I did it, I was sure it was.”

“Darcy, I…” He shifted closer to the wall, reaching through it once more and I laced my fingers between his as my heart ached. “If this is my last promise, please know I won’t break it. I swear that no matter what happens, I will fight to save you.”

Tears burned my eyes as I gripped his hand tighter. “I’ll fight for you too,” I swore. Just like we had all those months ago. Before I’d lost everything. “I know this means nothing now, but if I don’t say it I’ll hate myself,” he said, his voice dark and rough. Silence stretched for a long moment as I waited for him to continue. “I love you, Blue. I loved you then, I love you now, I’ll love you tomorrow even if I’m no longer on this earth. No time exists where I won’t love you.” “Lance, please don’t say goodbye,” my words caught in my throat as pain burrowed into my core. “I have to,” he rasped. “Just in case. I’m so fucking sorry for everything I did to you. To us. I ruined everything. And I know it can’t be fixed. That I made it nearly impossible for you to trust me when we first met, and when you finally did and I earned your heart, I broke that trust irreversibly.”

“But it cost me you,” he said, his tone full of loss and regret.

“Woah, hold the fuck on - you’re a guy?” I balked, but it actually did make a lot of sense now I thought about it. “Is this your fucking surprise?” Holy shit, maybe this is my way out. I can’t impregnant a man. Her big ass foot suddenly slammed into my chest and knocked me flying back against the table beyond the foot of the bed. “What the fuck?” I roared at her, my temper fraying as she melted the ice restraints off of her arms and rolled over. But instead of finding Mildred there, I found fucking Gabriel, grinning at me like some crazy asshole as he removed the illusion spells he’d put in place to make himself look like Mildred. “Hey, husband,” he teased, gripping the front of the wedding dress and ripping it right down the front so that he could climb out of it. “Were you really about to fuck me without even telling me you loved me?” “What...how...I just married you!” “Not quite,” he disagreed. “I’m already married more than enough, though it’s sweet you thought it was a possibility.” He waved his wedding ring at me, and I just stared in confusion as my brain tried to catch up to my eyes. “I don’t understand,” I growled, trying to figure this out, was I not married? Holy fucking shit, was that possible?

I JUST SNORTEF OUT LOUD LMGAOOOO

“Woah, hold the fuck on - you’re a guy?” I balked, but it actually did make a lot of sense now I thought about it. “Is this your fucking surprise?” Holy shit, maybe this is my way out. I can’t impregnant a man. Her big ass foot suddenly slammed into my chest and knocked me flying back against the table beyond the foot of the bed. “What the fuck?” I roared at her, my temper fraying as she melted the ice restraints off of her arms and rolled over. But instead of finding Mildred there, I found fucking Gabriel, grinning at me like some crazy asshole as he removed the illusion spells he’d put in place to make himself look like Mildred. “Hey, husband,” he teased, gripping the front of the wedding dress and ripping it right down the front so that he could climb out of it. “Were you really about to fuck me without even telling me you loved me?” “What...how...I just married you!” “Not quite,” he disagreed. “I’m already married more than enough, though it’s sweet you thought it was a possibility.” He waved his wedding ring at me, and I just stared in confusion as my brain tried to catch up to my eyes. “I don’t understand,” I growled, trying to figure this out, was I not married? Holy fucking shit, was that possible?

IM DHBG