Zodiac Academy: The Awakening
The Awakening: Chapter 22

AS THE NIGHT wore on, I began to relax more and more. No one had come at Darcy or I with embarrassing forms of Coercion or jibing insults. I’d barely even caught sight of the Heirs at all. It was definitely looking like we were going to be able to enjoy our evening in peace. And with that thought in mind, I was in search of another drink.

An endless cascade of falling leaves in every colour of fall swept through a soft wind above my head, making the fire-based lighting flicker all around us. It was like something out of a movie, too impossibly beautiful to be real and yet there I stood, beneath it all.

The dance floor was full of couples who were locked together as a slow love song filled the room and I smirked as I spotted Diego and Sofia amongst them. She was looking up at him like he was the reason the sun appeared each morning but his attention was wavering a little. He alternated between looking back at her and glancing around the room. I just hoped it was because he was nervous and not because he was losing interest. She was in for some serious heartbreak if he didn’t end up kissing her tonight.

Darcy had been convinced to join Seth for a dance too and though I wasn’t exactly convinced that he held entirely good intentions it would have been pretty hypocritical for me to say anything after my accidental hook-up with Caleb. Not that I’d mentioned that particular judgement slip-up to anyone. I was sure Darcy would understand but my history of bad choices with the opposite gender made me want to hide my latest transgression. Typical Tory behaviour seemed to involve hot guys with questionable intentions or illegal activities more often than not so I was sure she wouldn’t be surprised by me living up to that reputation but I’d still decided to keep it a secret for now.

I headed for the bar where drinks were being served in glasses made out of actual ice courtesy of the water Elementals. With all the excitement, I’d only managed one drink so far but it was time to catch up on myself if I was about to face the reality of going solo at a school dance. It had seemed like a great idea to turn down all of my well-mannered A.S.S suitors at the time but in reality it left me alone while my friends and Darcy coupled up.

I eyed Justin and the other A.S.S members across the dance floor as they chatted together and peeled off to dance. It wasn’t too late to join them but I just wasn’t sure I could take an evening of bowing and gushing voices calling me your majesty or Roxanya in the company of the ass club.

Nope. I wasn’t above drinking on my own and right about now that seemed like a good option.

I reached the bar and ordered myself a double pink gin and tonic as I fiddled with a trailing curl of my hair.

“It’s not too late,” Caleb’s rough voice came from beside me and I turned to replace him leaning on the bar as if he’d been there all along. No doubt he’d used his Vampire speed to shoot into the position and I offered him half a smile as I eyed his pristine navy suit which exactly matched the colour of his eyes. He was stupidly attractive in sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt so the way he looked now was beyond words. Memories of his hands on my body, his mouth against mine came pouring in and a little flood of heat built in me.

“Not too late for what?” I asked, taking a sip of my drink which left the rim of the glass stained red from my lipstick.

“To sneak out of here and have some real fun,” he replied, his fingertips brushing against my arm where I was leaning on the bar. The contact made a little flutter of energy run through me and I gave his offer a beat of consideration before shaking my head lightly.

“You’ll have to work harder than that if you want me,” I replied lightly.

He leaned a little closer, his mouth almost brushing against my ear. “I promise you, I’ll work really hard.”

Desire trickled along my limbs and I looked up at him from beneath my lashes.

“Tempting… but no.” I shrugged.

I didn’t want to be seen leaving with him. It was bad enough that Marguerite and her posse thought I was after Darius without me strutting out of here with another Heir on my arm. If anything was going to happen between Caleb and I again then it’d be on my terms and in secret. I’d had more than enough of everyone knowing my business and offering their opinions on it.

Caleb’s lips pursed with disappointment and he opened his mouth to say something else just as Max and Darius appeared at the other end of the bar.

The Heirs didn’t seem massively pleased to see me but then I wasn’t thrilled to see them either.

Darius beckoned Caleb over and he straightened, pushing away from me a little.

“Off you run,” I muttered and Caleb hesitated a moment, seeming torn between going to his friends and staying with me. But we both knew what he’d do and he smiled ruefully as he took a step away.

“I’m not switching allegiances, Tory,” he said in a low voice, sounding resigned. “No matter how good you look in that dress. We still can’t let you take our throne.”

He walked away before I could respond and I watched him go with a flicker of disappointment which I quickly squashed. “I don’t want your damn throne,” I muttered but he couldn’t hear me. None of them ever heard me when I said that.

They’d drawn a line in the sand and insisted that Darcy and I stay firmly on the other side of it no matter how little we wanted to engage in this fight. We didn’t want their throne or their power or anything other than to replace our place in this world that had been stolen from us for so many years. Why was that such a crime? Why did our very existence demand that we engage in this stupid war?

Darcy was now nowhere to be seen and Seth was conspicuously absent too. A prickle ran down my spine as I thought about what they might be doing. She was a big girl and perfectly within her rights to make her own bad decisions but something about the Wolf Shifter set me on edge. When he’d been holding me out over that ravine with Caleb, the look in his eye had made me think he really might have dropped me…

I finished my drink and placed my empty glass down on the bar as I turned away from it.

Darius caught my eye for a moment and a little spike of fear hit me at the coldness in his gaze. I resisted the urge to flip him off then thought better of it and raised my middle finger at him before turning my back on him to cement the insult. I wasn’t afraid of Darius goddamn Acrux… or at least that was what I was going to keep telling myself until it became the truth.

I pushed through the crowd, keeping my eyes peeled for a sign of my sister while wondering where else she might be.

Before I got very far, a squeal of excitement caught my ear and I turned to replace Geraldine hurrying my way. She was clad in a gauzy pink dress with balloon sleeves and enough ruffles to make her sound like she was wading through a pile of dead leaves at all times.

“Holy jammy dodgers on a diamond encrusted plate! Your maj-”

“Geraldine!” I interrupted her before she could dip her head to me. I was so pleased to see her up and about that I grabbed her into a hug which probably surprised me more than her.

“Oh my!” she breathed and I could tell that my embrace meant a lot to her. My heart softened a little despite myself. The A.S.S were annoying as hell but it wasn’t really their fault that the Vega Heirs didn’t want the throne.

“I’m so glad that you’re alright,” I said as I extracted myself from the layers of taffeta and grinned at her.

“Thank you. It took a while before I could get my magic to start replenishing itself again but I’m finally feeling like my old self.”

More members of the A.S.S had noticed her return and were running over to greet her too. Bows, curtsies and formal greetings were getting tossed my way like missiles and I quickly extracted myself from the simpering group with the excuse of needing a bathroom break.

As I backed out of the crowd, I collided with a hard chest and turned to replace Diego there with an amused smile on his face.

“Need a hand escaping the masses?” he teased and I laughed as I glanced back at the ass club who were all occupied with gushing over Geraldine’s return.

“I think I made it out alone, thanks. Have you seen Darcy anywhere?” I asked.

“She was heading outside the last time I saw her,” Diego replied with a faint frown. “Seth disappeared not long after. He’s been hounding after her a lot recently. Do you think we should be worried…?”

“Don’t be silly, I’m sure she’s fine,” I said, ignoring the little warning trickle that ran down my spine. “But I think I’m just gonna go and make sure.”

“I can come with you,” he said brightly, following me as I took a step away.

“Where’s Sofia?” I asked, pausing again. I didn’t want him leaving her for my sake. She’d been so excited about attending this dance with him and I wasn’t going to let anything ruin it for her.

“She’s grabbing a drink, I’m sure she won’t mind if I just-”

“No.” I waved him off as I stepped away. “Just look after your date. I’ll be back soon.”

Diego seemed inclined to argue further but I waved him off dismissively and headed for the exit. He liked to act all protective of us but if it came to an argument with Seth or any of the other Heirs I knew he’d just slink back into the shadows anyway. But that was alright; I didn’t need anyone to fight my battles for me.

The cool air chilled my skin as I stepped outside and I paused for a moment, trying to figure out where to begin my search. I didn’t want to interrupt Darcy if she was enjoying Seth’s company but I just wanted to make sure she was okay.

Shimmering orbs of light marked a pathway to the left of the exit and I headed in that direction, eyeing the way the moonlight glimmered off of the silvery Lunar building ahead of me. This place really was beautiful.

My high heels clicked against the brick pathway and my breath rose in little puffs before me as I wrapped my arms around myself to ward off the chill.

I moved into the shadow of the curving Lunar building and stilled suddenly as I felt eyes on my back. Years of stealing bikes and skulking in the shadows had taught me to trust my instincts and I whirled around a moment before Darius reached me.

I gasped as I spotted him and he smirked like my fear amused him.

“Out for a walk?” he asked and I took a step back. He’d removed his jacket and stood before me in a pale blue shirt with the sleeves rolled back. His muscular chest pressed against the fabric in a way that drew my gaze but I refused to let myself appreciate it.

“Something like that,” I muttered.

I glanced behind him but we were alone out here. His gaze trailed over me slowly and I shivered beneath his scrutiny as a beat of silence stretched a little too long.

“Did you want something?” I asked, holding my chin high.

“Last chance, Roxy. Take your sister and leave this Academy. Go back to your little mortal lives and leave Solaria in the hands of people who are worthy of the throne,” he said darkly.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I replied. “So you need to get over it.”

“Is that your final decision?” he asked, taking a step towards me that made my heart leap with fright.

I held my ground despite the fact that my knees felt like they might buckle at any moment. “Yes,” I snarled. He wasn’t going to bully me out of here and I was done playing nice about it.

“Then I guess I’m going to have to change your mind,” he said and it almost seemed like he was resigning himself to the fact.

I scowled at him as I made a move to turn away from him but his hand whipped out and he caught my arm, his strong fingers locking around me like a manacle.

“Let go of me,” I demanded, trying to drag my arm out of his grip but he yanked me close instead of releasing me.

“No, I don’t think I will,” he growled. “You’re going to learn a little lesson about respect. I won’t have you turning your back on me again.”

I struggled to free myself from him but he caught my other arm too.

“Don’t fight me. And don’t scream,” he said, his voice thick with Coercion.

I threw all of my power into my mental shield but the force of his will tore through the wall I constructed like it was built of nothing but tissue paper and my eyes widened as I felt his commands take possession of my limbs.

Darius smiled at me but there was nothing warm in it. His jaw was set, determined and his grip on me unwavering.

He steered me towards the Lunar building and my traitorous legs went willingly beneath me.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears, and my limbs trembled with fear.

Darius Acrux had me in his clutches and I was completely at his mercy.