Heartless Sky (Zodiac Academy, #7)

by Caroline Peckham

We’d proved how far we’d go for one another in battle, he’d bowed to me, he’d sworn his allegiance in every way a Fae could. But I wanted to show him that we were equals.

“Goodnight, Lance,” I said breathlessly and he pressed his lips to the soft place behind my ear as his fingers ran over the bite to heal it. “Goodnight, Blue.” “Goodnight, roomies,” Seth whispered.

“I want him here,” Darcy said firmly. “He’s my boyfriend.” Hamish paled at that and Seth bounced up and down in his seat as Tory grinned at them. Orion glanced at Darcy with some objection in his eyes as Hamish broke out in a sweat. “Thanks to me,” Seth said excitedly. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Orion demanded, narrowing his gaze on him, his hand straying towards a pineapple in a fruit bowl on the table. Seth mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key as Orion’s hand closed around the pineapple in a threat.

Darcy laid a hand on his arm, drawing it away from his weapon of choice and Orion’s

“Wait here,” Orion growled before shooting off out of the bathhouse and barely a few seconds passed before he returned with everyone’s Phoenix weapons in hand, handing them out as well as slapping a pair of sweatpants into Seth’s chest for him to cover up with. “Oh wow, thanks friend,” he said before pulling them on. “I’m doing everyone else a favour, not you,” Orion muttered.

And I had meant something on this earth in a world where I should have meant nothing.

“What would happen if a Fae with a big Order form swallowed three people then shifted back into their Fae form? Do you think they’d die? I think they might die,” Seth mused aloud. “Actually, I know some annoying people we could send as bait to Lionel, then when he eats them, we could shoot an Order Suppressant dart up his ass and bang. Dead Dragon. Annoying people eaten. Win – win.”

“Jesus, Geraldine, you can’t say shit like that,” Tory said, swatting my arm to chastise me. “That’s like tempting fate. You might as well have said something like ‘nothing could possibly go wrong now’ or ‘I had a feeling everything was going to be okay.’”

“Gerry can’t play either,” Max said, but Geraldine conjured a turnip in her hand and whacked him round the ear with

“My turn!” Geraldine cried, pointing a finger at Orion. “You sir have gotten away with this game far too easily.” “I literally just got here,” he said as he swigged from his bourbon bottle.

“Hell yeah we can,” Seth agreed. “We’re the Phoen Dream, Bitchy Flame Eyes, Wolfman, Bitey C, Fish Fury, Dragzilla, Professor Shame and Batty Betty.”

When darkness steps closer, lean into the light. The strongest of weapons is forged in the flame, hold your breath and fight through the pain.

“I’ve got you, little shrew,” he murmured reassuringly, a soft, teddy bear of a Dragon peering down at me instead of a raging animal as I felt the truth of that statement.

“You don’t need to make deals on the stars,” I said anxiously. “Don’t worry, he’s not at risk of breaking the deal, Darcy. Look at him. He’d find a way to lasso the sun out of the sky and bring ruin on us all if it saved you from Lavinia’s curse,” Tory said, smiling darkly at him. “That’s the problem,” I muttered,

“What is it?” Orion called up to me. “A book,” I called back. “Very funny,” Orion growled. “What’s it called?” “You’re very grumpy today.” I turned it on its side to read the name, finding nothing but a single flame there carved into the binding itself. I flipped open the front cover to read the first page and found the title glimmering in bronze ink that almost seemed to flicker with flames. Fire in the Blood by Petonius Vega

“There is no story I would choose to live in but ours,” he answered

But most of all, I call it loving you with the intensity of the sun and the devotion of the moon

“Ah yes,” she purred. “The greasy-haired codswallop rests his scar-shamed face upon a lagaluffin.” “What the hell’s a lagaluffin?” I whispered, moving forward to peer over her head into the dark room. “I think she means a pillow,” Darius said as he knocked the door wider so he could see too.

A true Fae takes fear captive and refuses its call.

I cursed as I threw my magic at him, hoisting him into the air and casting vines to wrap around his chest and creating a parachute out of leaves. “What are you doing?” he gasped. “Thanks for having my back, dude, but this is where you make your escape,” I said, double checking that he was strapped in firmly as he shook his head in denial. “I wish to fight at your side until the bitter end, my lady. I will be your steadfast and galant-” “White knights just don’t do it for me, Justin. But thanks and all that jazz. If I die, tell them I went out like a badass.”