Savage Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac, #2)

by Caroline Peckham

“You’re a good friend.” “Friend?” he asked, a laugh slipping from him before he could catch it.

Ryder released a breath of frustration and I smirked at him for a moment before shooting away.

Ryder Draconis might think his armour was impenetrable, but I was pretty sure I was finding my way in.

Because I had to admit that the closer I got to the Kings, the harder it became to shield my heart from them.

I was left in the wake of Hurricane Elise once again.

That girl was an enigma. Every second I spent with her felt like I was getting close to an answer but by the time she left, I felt further from understanding her than ever.

Although if Elise had one, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it was.

But the simple possibility that she just liked me was more insane than her plotting to assassinate me.

There were too many assholes up to too much dodgy shit in this academy. I preferred to keep away from it all too.

I stepped forward and he backed up, giving me room to kick the door shut behind me.

“What can I help you with?” “Elise Callisto. She’s my lab partner again as of today.”

But he wouldn’t shift, he wouldn’t dare.

Those empty parts of me seemed fuller than usual, like more emotions were trying to crawl out of my skin and brand themselves on me.

Since he’d been paired with my girl he hadn’t missed a class though.

I was about to reclaim her.

I cast my hypnosis and I was suddenly in his face wielding a meat cleaver at him. “NOW!” I bellowed and he nearly fell out of his seat in the vision.

Elise fell into the chair beside mine and I hid my smirk by resting my thumb on the corner of my mouth.

But the airy feeling in my stomach wasn’t something I had a label for. If I had to name it though, I’d call it cloudfuckery.

leaning in close so I got a taste of her on the air.

“I’m the best potions student in the whole fucking school. You need to catch up, don’t you? So it makes sense for us to be paired.” I shrugged.

“That you liiiike me,” she sang, prodding me in the ribs.

She was right in a sense. Why was it so fucking hard to admit that? So what if I liked her? Was that really such a goddamn crime?

If he figured out I had a soft spot for Elise, he might start to think I wasn’t a strong enough leader. Of course, I’d just beat his fucking head in if he tried to suggest that to the Brotherhood. But I still didn’t like the way he was looking at us.

Inferno swept into the room, his eyes seeking out my girl in an instant. I was getting challenged left, right and centre for Elise and it got my back up.

Especially when Nox walked into the room and sought her out too. I bared my teeth, my hackles rising as the Lion King walked in too.

“For fuck’s sake,” Leon snarled, making a ...

None of Elise’s other stalkers said a word. It was done. And I wasn’t going to have her taken from me in this class again.

Though sometimes Elise fixed a few of my broken shards, holding them together long enough for her to get a glimpse of that person I’d been.

The most excruciating thing about Elise was that she reminded me of that whole person, triggered memories of him.

When I was done, my thumb drifted to my photos and I brought up the one of Elise and I as fucking bunny rabbits.

A softness filled my chest which I decided to mentally term Elisery.

“If you’re going to stare at it, you might as well set it as your screensaver.” “What? Fuck no.”

“How do you undo it?” I’d never set a fucking screensaver in my life. How was I supposed to get rid of it?

But I was currently beating Inferno on the leaderboard and the stubborn part of me simply couldn’t allow him to take the lead.

Eugene stood up to prove his point, his chair firmly stuck to his ass. The class lost it as laughter filled the air and I glanced at Elise, finding her frowning.

And I realised that confusion was officially going to join pain and lust on my emotional scale.

Because Elise Callisto left me feeling fucking perplexed every time I ‘hung out’ with her.

Death was coming on swift wings and I was its deliverer.

Just one of those crystals was powerful enough to stop a Fae shifting into their Order form for a full hour.

But the amount I’d bought could take down a fucking army for an entire day.

I smiled darkly, checking my watch. My test subject was about to arrive. Not that he knew what he was coming here for.

I was fucking immune to all potions thanks to my Order.

The bunny picture of Elise and I stared at me on my fucking screensaver. I’d forgotten all about trying to change it and now one of my goddamn Brothers had seen it.

“She’s making you weak.” It took everything I had not to slam my knuckles into his fucking face.

I smiled, but it was a wicked, hollow thing.

“Elise is not your concern,” I snarled. “From now on, you don’t breathe her name or even look in her direction.”

“The leader of the Lunar Brotherhood doesn’t show mercy,” I snarled as I drank in his pain, tightening my hand around his neck.

And I’d feed and feed until he got the message.

I was not fucking weak. And Elise Callisto was not to be used against me.

If Miss Nightshade didn’t think there was any issue with her using her Siren gifts to dig around in my head without permission, then she really couldn’t complain about me using my Vampire gifts to follow her to her precious secret meeting.