“
Tears never did anyone any favours, but sometimes they just needed to fall.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
The most important thing I’d learned in life? You can’t trust people. And you especially can’t trust boys with wicked smiles and equally wicked intentions.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
But until that day, you're mine, Blue.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
He was dangerous in all the right ways and I knew without doubt that the fire in his eyes would burn me up if I strayed too close.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Why are the hot ones always jerks?
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Where I’m from I found out the hard way that this life will throw all kinds of crap at you, but the one thing you don’t have to accept is other people’s bullshit.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
My deepest fear is being cast aside, my heart crushed by trusting blindly again. So I’ll never let anyone in again.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Remember the A.S.S love you!” she cried and several people who heard her started laughing. Really? That was the name she went with? The ass club?
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Tory had been my name throughout everything that had shaped me into the person I was today and I had no interest in shedding that persona now or in the future.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Ignore the dimples, Tory, he’s an award winning dickasaurus.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
I know,” he said, his eyes glittering. “But until that day, you're mine, Blue.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
He lifted his head with a demonic smile. “Welcome to your Awakening.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
That night I sat in bed just staring at that bruise, wondering how a physical wound could look so bright and angry but emotional wounds stayed entirely invisible. I wanted my hurt branded on me, to remind me never to trust anyone again.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
And I’m a Taurus; when we set our minds on something it’s not easy to turn us from it.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
And why am I even turned on by Lord Voldemort’s hotter, younger cousin?
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
These people might all be crazy but they sure do know how to make school interesting,
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
The past is gone. The are no more paths for you there.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Okay this is going from weird to mental asylum real fast.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
This Life will throw all kinds of crap at you, but the one thing you don't have to accept is other people's bullshit
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Oh no wait, I’d rather put my cock in a blender.
(Orion POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
I’m sure as shit not going to start going by Roxanya,
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
This is no joke. You know you can't date teachers right? Them's the rules. And I'd appreciate if you didn't mouth-hump his name in front of me.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Asses,” I breathed in horror. “They’re a group of asses and they don’t seem to realise it.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Earth to Darcy, please tell me you're not interested in that perro?” I didn't answer. Partly because I didn't know what perro meant,
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Yeah and he knows it." The girl beside her smothered a laugh. "He does know it, because he has Vampire hearing.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
I released a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
You seemed just as into it as me.” “That’s because we thought we were stroking a wild animal not getting molested by some horse-faced weirdo,” I snarled.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
She's my Source. Touch her again and you're dead. Professor or not.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Great, now I'm eyeing up a potential serial killer. If there was one final ass I had to stare at though...
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
What’s the worst that can happen in a library anyway? Tell that to the guy who was killed by Colonel Mustard with the candlestick.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Tears prickled the backs of my eyes but I bitch-slapped them down hard.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Blue means you…holy shit,” he muttered under his breath.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Do you think he's actually interested in you? He was drunk and grabbed the nearest thing with a pulse.” “Well if that's Darius's standard now I understand why he's with you,” Tory said airily and I couldn't help but exhale a laugh.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Spending the evening overseeing the school dance was right up there with killing myself on my list of enjoyable things to do tonight.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
I'm not shy, you're just so far beyond my personal boundaries right now I can't even see them anymore.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Good morning Gemini! The stars have spoken about your day.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
You've met your match, Mr Window.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
You really don’t know anything do you?” he asked. “This is how my kind regenerate our power; from gold.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
He chuckled darkly and the sound made my toes curl and
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
You’re stupidly strong,” I grumbled
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
What drug are you on exactly? Judging by the fancy attire I'm gonna guess coke?
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
And I was using that as an excuse to watch Darcy Vega as much as I could get away with. It was like feeding a secret drug habit that no one could ever find out about.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
One day, Professor, I'm going to be strong enough to fight you off.” He took a measured breath and I felt like he was sucking something vital out of my body that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get back. “I know,” he said, his eyes glittering. “But until that day, you're mine, Blue.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Why'd you come back?” I choked out, tugging my palm free and wrapping my hands around my head again. “My spidey senses were tingling,” he said, chuckling and I glanced up at him, my brow creasing.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Though as that thought passed through my mind, I realised I actually missed her incessant morning chatter and whistling. Well, maybe not the whistling. But I definitely missed the mug of coffee she always offered to tempt me from my pit. The jingling
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
There was no point in me trying to fight him off despite how much I wanted to,
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
And screwing him didn't bring out the wolf in you either?
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Leaving the mortal world behind was just fine by me. It had never seemed to care for me much anyway. And the feeling was mutual.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Holy fucking shit on a cornflake.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Arghhhh,” she groaned as she arrived, resting her hands on her knees. “I feel like death. But like if death was a puddle of shit.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
So are you Order of pirate then? Do you transform into a one legged man with an eyepatch, a hankering for rum and a pet parrot?
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Whatever you think you know, you will soon learn there is much more that you don't
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Note to all students: Vampire bites, loss of limbs or getting lost in the wailing wood will not count as a valid excuse for being late to class.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
If only real life bullies could be hot, brooding men with dark back stories who worked through their inner demons for the sake of true love.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
My magic rose to my fingertips and I grinned as I realised I’d summoned water. Of course I had, what better way to punish a fire-hungry masochist than by giving him an ice cold shower?
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
His black hair was dishevelled in an I-just-rolled-out-of-bed way that should have made him look like shit like it did for the rest of the population but instead made him look hot as hell.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Don’t worry, Marguerite,” I said soothingly. “It’s not your fault that he needs them to get his motor going. I’m sure your hairy bush does it for him once you start bouncing about on his lap.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
My traitorous heart fluttered at the contact and I tried to stop my eyes from trailing over the strong line of his jaw and the set of his mouth but failed miserably. He was just too damn good to look at.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Max Rigel,” (the dark skinned demi-god). “Caleb Altair,” (the blonde haired beaux next door), “Darius Acrux,” (my sin-filled fantasy). “And Seth Capella,” (the long haired lothario). “This is Gwendalina and Roxanya Vega-
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
I made a mistake and now my time is up. The Shadow has discovered me and there is no hope for me to escape their wrath. The answers you seek are hidden between Leo and Libra. Don’t trust the flames. Claim your throne. - Falling Star
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Do you want me and my sister dead?” I pinned him with my hardest, most unwavering stare. For Tory. For me. I had to hear his answer, even if it was a lie. His eyes softened, running over my face with the faintest of frowns. “No, Blue. I don't.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
The most important thing I’d learned in life? You can’t trust people. And you especially can’t trust boys with wicked smiles and equally wicked intentions. He'd already gone too far. Ridiculed me, made my first week at Zodiac as difficult as possible. So what more evidence did I need to stay the
hell away from him?
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
accompanied by a lick of adrenaline. I half expected to wake up tomorrow and find that all of this was a dream. Despite the fear the Heirs had struck in me, this place called to me. It was beautiful and a deep vibration in my soul told me I belonged here. Like the stars themselves had been waiting for me to arrive at this very spot.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Just like you don’t know the first thing about me,” I replied. “I’ve met much meaner bastards than the four of you before and come out swinging. And I’ve learned a thing or two about the way basic bastards like you operate; you’re not very original. And you don’t frighten me,” I said, my tone miraculously level despite my thundering heartbeat.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
He reached out, brushing his fingers through my hair, coiling a handful around his fingers. “Why do you keep touching me like that?” I jerked aside, my upper lip peeling back. He released a gruff noise in his throat. “Because I'm an Alpha, babe. And this is how I show you who's in charge. You need to forget about rising against me, because you won't win.” He tightened his grip on my hair and I ground my teeth, refusing to let out a yelp of pain.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
I stepped back suddenly, snapping the band of energy that had seemed to be drawing me closer to her as I unbuckled my belt and unbuttoned my fly.
“What are you doing?” she gasped, staring at me as I dropped my jeans, knocking my boxers off with them and letting her get a good eyeful of the full length of my cock.
Her gaze stayed glued on it and blood began to rush that way at the feeling of her attention, like that part of me still hadn't agreed to my decision to have nothing more to do with her beyond making sure she left this place. I gritted my teeth as my dick continued to get all kinds of ideas about the things it could do with her if I just made her bow for me now and I tried not to let my gaze linger on her mouth while I considered how much I'd like to fuck it.
“When you stop eye-fucking me I’ll show you what you’re so desperate to know,” I mocked, forcing her attention back up to my face and earning myself a scowl.
“People don’t tend to whip their junk out in the middle of a conversation,” she snapped like she was pissed at me for it. “So if you didn’t want me catching an eyeful of little Darius then you shouldn’t have brought him into our discussion.”
I released a breath of laughter before I could help myself, my mind and dick wandering down all kinds of out of bounds roads as I gave myself two seconds to consider whether or not I could convince her to bow for me after all.
I leaned closer to her as she scowled back, but her breaths were speeding up and her pupils were wide with what I could have sworn was desire of her own.
I wanted that. I wanted it more than I could say and it was so fucking tempting to just step forward, catch her by the back of the neck and kiss her roughly until she gave in and bowed to me the way I ached for her to. I could see it in her eyes. The temptation despite the hatred and I wanted to hate fuck her so much that I almost took that final step.
But as my own pulse thundered like a war drum in my ears, I knew it wouldn't be so simple. One taste of her and I'd be addicted. And I couldn't afford that no matter how tempting a sin she might have been.
“If you come to my room uninvited again then it had better be because you’re ready to bow to us or to beg me to bend you over that headboard and make you scream my name,” I said with all the confidence I felt in knowing that she was getting as wet for me as I was getting hard for her.
She pressed herself back against my door, her thighs clenching together like she was trying to fight her reaction, but I felt it humming in the air between us no matter how deeply she scowled.
(Darius POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
My lips parted to say something, but I forgot what it had been as my gaze fell on the girl who had just stepped into the room.
My thumping pulse picked up speed for a wholly different reason as I drank her in. Long, black hair tumbled down her spine, her green eyes turned up towards the curving roof as she drank in the sight of the building she was in. Her lips were full and primed for tasting, but the set of her mouth said she was more used to frowning than smiling. She was without a doubt, the most stunning creature I'd ever laid my eyes upon and I couldn't help but stare at her as she moved deeper into the room with the other students.
I felt a silencing bubble closing around me as one of the others tossed it up to allow us to speak freely, but I didn't look away from her. My gaze was riveted to her as I drank in every small movement of her body and each expression crossing her face. I didn't give a fuck about the Vegas showing up tonight anymore. I just wanted to know that girl a whole lot better than I did.
"Holy fuck," Caleb murmured beside me and a deep growl rolled through my chest as I got the impression his gaze was fixed where mine was.
"Mine," I snarled, the beast in me waking up and my eyes shifting into reptilian slits as if my Dragon was aching for a look at her too.
Every muscle in my body tensed and I was filled with the insane urge to get out of my seat and stride straight up to that girl and claim her in front of every fucker here. I didn't even know her name. I didn't know what Order she was or how powerful she was or any of the things like that which should have mattered to me. But I didn't care. Because the only thing about her that mattered in that moment was that I was laying my claim.
The Dragon in me demanded it.
"Well shit, I didn't consider the fact that they might be hot," Seth cursed and I frowned a little at his words, trying to piece them together.
"That'll make things more interesting," Max agreed.
"I wanna know how good they taste," Caleb said with a barely stifled groan.
I didn't want to listen to any of them, but their words kept pushing in on me while I continued to stare at my mystery girl.
...
The second girl looked strikingly like her sister, though for some reason I felt like I'd know which was which in the dark. I wasn't sure what it was. But despite their equally attractive looks, my attention was pulled back towards the first girl like the stars wanted it to be on her.
Nova kept prattling on to the twins while my brothers all hissed plans back and forth between each other. Our parents had been more than clear on this. The Vega twins needed to go. We were expected to make sure that happened. That was all that mattered. My dick's interest in getting to know one of them a whole lot more intimately had no bearing on anything.
(Darius POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Sadly not. I can only feel the depth of your power, the strength of it. And you’re strong. Once you learn to harness it, I have the feeling that I won’t be able to take an ounce of it from you without permission.” My mouth slipped into a smile and her gaze dropped to trace the movement, making my dick get all kinds of hopeful ideas.
“Can you just get this over with? I have a lot of studying to do.” She tilted her chin in the angriest offering I'd ever seen but that wasn't going to cut it today.What would it even take for her to want me to bite her? I'd have given a whole lot to hear her beg me for it that was for sure.
“Don’t you want to hear my proposition, Tory?” I asked in a seductive tone as I shifted closer to her, wanting to feel the heat of her body against mine.
“I can’t imagine anything that you could offer me to make me a willing participant in your dinner schedule,” she deadpanned.
“There may be one thing,” I said, teasing her, tempting her.
Her eyes lit angrily and I could tell she was about to start cursing me or something equally aggressive, so I took a final step forward, caught her chin between my fingers and pressed my mouth to hers.
Tory sucked in a breath of surprise and I slid my tongue between the opening in her lips, kissing her roughly and dominating her mouth in a demand for her to give in to me.
She raised her hands to my chest, palms flat against my pecs and for a moment I was sure she was going to shove me back with either her strength or her magic.
But then the moment passed and instead of fighting, she surrendered, her hands caressing instead of pushing me away, tongue moving with mine and lips devouring. And she tasted so fucking sweet.
I groaned deep in the back of my throat as I dropped my hands to her waist and walked her backwards until her ass hit the desk there.
I lifted her up easily, parting her thighs as I stepped between them and my cock throbbed as I drove it against her panties, stealing a little friction and loving the way she arched into the movement like she was aching for more of me.
Her hands banded around my neck and she pulled me closer, kissing me hard and heatedly as her hips flexed and she ground herself against my solid cock
I moved my hand to her knee, tracing a line along the top of her long socks with my thumb before shifting it up her silken skin.
Tory kissed me harder, her fingers pushing through my hair as she moaned between brushes of our tongues as I kept moving my hand higher, half expecting her to stop me while my heart thundered harder for every second where she didn't.
I pushed my fingers beneath her skirt and she moaned again, her other leg hooking around my ass and dragging me nearer in a demand I was more than willing to give in to.
I grinned against her lips, loving how quickly she'd fallen to my desire, but the moment I did, she sucked my bottom lip between her teeth and bit down hard to remind me of exactly what kind of animal she was.
I jerked back before she could spill my blood, laughing at the fire in her and pausing with my hand almost grazing her panties and the temptation of what lay beneath them.
“Why?” she asked breathlessly, suspicion colouring her green eyes and making me want to offer her the truth. “You can just take what you want from me. So why kiss me?”
(Caleb pov)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Fuck, she was even hotter when she was furious. I seriously wouldn't have minded her taking that anger out on my body all night long. I'd be more than happy to angry fuck her until her body bent and bowed and finally gave in to the power play between us. I'd force her beneath me physically as well as with my power and maybe she'd find she liked it there just fine.
Or maybe she'd stab me to death and cut my cock off for good measure because the look she was aiming my way said that was a whole lot more likely than me getting to spend the night ruining her. But it was a damn nice fantasy to indulge in for a few moments.
...
She gave me a look of utter contempt and it made my cock throb as her nearness just compounded the desire I was already feeling for her and made me get all kinds of insane ideas about what I'd like to do with this little princess if I got her to myself for long enough.
She made no attempt to cover herself, no sign of shame in her frosty features as she stalked forward to claim her key, a sneer touching those edible lips of hers.
Her jaw was tight with rage which she was doing nothing to hide and as she reached out to snatch the key from my hand, I couldn't help but ache to bring her closer, draw her nearer, see just how far she'd go in this denial of my power over her.
Her fingers curled around the brass key, but I didn't release it, instead using my hold on it to tug her a step closer so that only a breath of space divided our bodies. I looked down at her from my imposing height, dominating her space with the bulk of my body and making sure she took in every last inch of height I had over her.
“Of course, if you’d rather just come on up to my room, I can give you a real welcome to the House of Fire,” I suggested my gaze dropping down to her body, the noticeable bulge in my pants making it clear enough how much I meant that offer. I probably shouldn't have been making it at all, but the beast in me couldn't help myself. Dragons saw something they wanted and they took it. And I hadn't seen something I wanted as much as this girl in as long as I could remember.
Our gazes collided and the heat there was almost strong enough to burn, the tension between us crackling so loudly I was surprised the whole room couldn't hear it. But then her gaze shuttered and her lips pursed, her eyes dropping down to take me in, my skin buzzing everywhere they landed as I could feel the want in her while she assessed me.
But as those deep green eyes met mine again and I gave her a knowing smirk, I couldn't tell what she was thinking. I didn't know if she was going to bow to this heat between us or just stoke the flames, and the fact that I didn't know had my heart thumping in anticipation deep in my chest.
She shifted an inch closer to me, tilting her mouth towards my ear and making my flesh spark with the need to take her, own her, destroy her in all the best ways. But just as my cock began to get overexcited at the prospect of all the ways I could make her scream for me given enough time, she spoke and it wasn't in the sultry purr I'd been expecting, her voice coming out loud enough for everyone to hear instead.
“I wouldn’t come near you even if someone held a knife to my heart and told me that the world would end if I didn’t,” she snarled, snatching the key out of my hand as my surprise at her words made me forget to keep my grip tight enough to keep it. “So why don’t you take a long, hard look while you can. Because I can promise you, you won’t be seeing this again.”(Darius POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Like Thelma and Louise if they hadn't driven themselves off a cliff.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
made a mistake and now my time is up. The Shadow has discovered me and there is no hope for me to escape their wrath. The answers you seek are hidden between Leo and Libra. Don’t trust the flames. Claim your throne. - Falling Star
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
That’s because we thought we were stroking a wild animal not getting molested by some horse-faced weirdo,” I snarled.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
I didn’t want to give wolf boy any more ammo against her.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
I am Fae. And I need to embrace the darkest part of me if I’m ever going to survive here.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
Everyone's talking about you on FaeBook
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1))
“
I unbuttoned the top of my shirt as the heat of my magic made my skin prickle and I got a little carried away with the idea of making Roxy Vega bow for me in my own mind. I wanted my hand fisted in her black hair, her mouth on mine and her naked flesh pressed up against me as she gasped my name like a prayer to a god and I ruined her like a demon born to sin. But I needed to stop those thoughts in their track. Not least because I wasn't ever going to be able to indulge in them. By the time I was through with her, she'd hate me far too much for her to ever consider parting her thighs for me. More’s the pity.
Marguerite appeared out of nowhere, jerking me from my fantasies about Roxanya Vega and dropping into my lap where she gasped as she found the hardness of my cock driving into her ass.
She leaned in to kiss me and I dragged her closer, kissing her hard and grinding her down over my cock to try and gain some relief from the ache in it.
I closed my eyes as I kissed her hard, sinking my tongue into her mouth and thinking of a girl with dark hair and fire in her soul. But as she mewled like a kitten and melted for me, my fantasy was somewhat ruined. I may not have known Roxy well, but she didn't seem like the kind of girl to melt into a puddle when I kissed her. No, she'd be all fire and spite and the kind of lust that burned the roof from houses while her fingernails gouged lines in my flesh.
I tried to push that thought out, gripping Marguerite's ass and rocking her back and forth over my cock, but I was fighting a losing battle because she was mewling again and her limbs were going as floppy as my dick was becoming as she instantly let me take control.
I released my grip on her waist, sighing as I pulled back and let her start sucking on my neck while I just looked up at the ceiling and waited for it to get more interesting again. Or maybe for it to just stop.
But before I could make a decision on that, Milton's voice drew my attention to the other side of our group and I instantly perked up at his words.
“Oh hey, it's Tory, right?” he asked and I nudged Marguerite aside to look over at the girl in question where she stood before him as she raised her hand and a tsunami of water slammed into him.
The attack sent him flying back off of his chair and slamming to the floor, but my gaze was fixed on her furious features and the curl of those full lips as she glared at him. My pulse picked up as she blasted him with more water which rolled him across the wooden floor before pinning him to the wall.
The group surrounding me all leapt up in shock and I almost dropped Marguerite on her ass as I stood too.
(Darius POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
That Washer guy is gross,” Tory Vega’s voice caught my attention and my head snapped sideways as I spotted her and Darcy walking down the path with Geraldine Grus in tow.
“He’s the most bothersome babbalumbaduke I ever saw,” Geraldine agreed.
Tory rolled her eyes, looking away from her, clearly not enjoying the girl’s company nor in any mood to indulge it. And I knew exactly why. Darcy on the other hand, gave Geraldine a polite smile and answered her. Ever the sweetheart. You won’t be so sweet when you embrace your inner Fae, Blue.
“What’s a babbalumba-thing?” Darcy frowned and Geraldine flapped her arms and gasped like someone had just dropped dead in front of her.
“You haven’t heard of a babbalumbaduke!? My queen-”
“Darcy,” she interjected and my brows arched at her dismissal of the royalist’s bullshit.
“Pish-posh!” Geraldine waved a hand. “A babbalumbaduke is the most creepsome creature you can imagine. It crawls from sewers and pulls unsuspecting virgins into its grasp, never to let go. The legend says it feasts upon their innocent flesh with nothing but its two-pronged armensprout.”
“To be fair, that does sound like Washer,” Tory said with a smirk.
“Yeah, but what’s an armensprout?” Darcy wrinkled her nose and my lips twitched up at the corner at how fucking cute she looked. Then I murdered that lip twitch and gritted my jaw, replacing the curiosity within me about her with a healthy dose of hatred. She was a Vega. Their name alone was a curse on this land.
“My good lady!” Geraldine wailed. They were close now, about to pass me by on the path as they circled The Orb, probably headed for dinner. “An armensprout is a dilly dongle. A war-willy wingle. A goblin of the grouse. A terrible Leroy.”
“A dick?” Tory guessed and a snort escaped my lips that made Darcy’s head snap around to look into the trees. My heart bolted up into my throat even though I knew she couldn’t see me. But I swear her eyes found my fucking soul anyway.
“Wait, that monster thing eats people with its dick?” Darcy snorted.
“Why yes! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Geraldine guffawed.
Darcy suddenly tripped over her own feet and almost went flying to the ground, but my fingers flicked and I cast air magic before I knew what I was even doing, catching her so she didn’t hit the ground. She looked confused as hell and Tory chuckled, linking her arm through hers and pulling her along.
What the fuck did I just do?
I’d just spent the past ten minutes tripping up students and Darcy hadn’t even had her shirt tucked in. So why hadn’t I taken the opportunity to send her flying into the mud?
“Come on, clumsy butt,” Tory said and Darcy laughed.
“Are you okay, my sweet lady?” Geraldine gasped, hovering around her and Darcy’s cheeks pinked as she waved her away.
“Yup, just hungry,” she said brightly and the only way I could describe Geraldine’s next movement was a high-kneed gallop as she beckoned the girls after her down the path.
“Make way – make way!” she cried at the other students, blasting some of them off the path with her water magic. “The true queens are coming through!”
Tory whispered in Darcy’s ear and I tuned my senses on them to catch it. “Do you think we can outrun her if we turn back and skip dinner?”
“No chance. Look at those legs go,” Darcy said and they both fell into silent laughter, leaning on each other, their bond shining clearly between them.
(Orion POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Darius's playful expression fell away. “If the Vegas are revealing their strength, we're all gonna have to remind everyone that we're stronger.”
“But we're not stronger. Not once they're trained,” Caleb said.
Max leaned back in his seat with a dark smile. “But we are trained. We've got four years on them. No strength beats that and you all know it.” Even though we were only sophomores at Zodiac, we'd had private tutors since our early Awakening at fifteen years old. There was no way they could catch up on us.
“So what are you suggesting?” I asked.
“We remind this school who the real monarchs are,” Max said keenly. “It's time we put the Vegas back in their box.”
I shared a brief look with Caleb, our secrets radiating between us.
How am I going to put Darcy in her place when my body is telling me to protect her? And how is Caleb going to beat down Tory when he's clearly catching feelings for her?
I sighed, knowing I had to say it as I looked to Max. “Sorry bro, I can’t do shit right now. Darcy’s my Omega.”
“What?” Max snapped and a low growl sounded from Darius.
I raised my hands in innocence. “It was an accident.”
“Well fix it,” Darius demanded.
“I’m working on it,” I sighed, but was I really?
“I’m enjoying my fun with Tory,” Caleb said with a casual shrug and Darius shot him a death glare. “I say we just hope for them to fail The Reckoning.”
“And if they don’t?” Max snarled.
“We’ll deal with it then,” I said and Caleb nodded in agreement. “It’s only a week.”
“Fine,” Max huffed, sitting back in his seat. “But if they pass, we’ve gotta come up with a better plan than the last one.”
“Sure,” I said offhandedly. I didn’t like to admit it even to myself but I knew I was holding off on forcing Darcy from my pack on purpose.
Heat radiated from Darius and I could tell something was still bothering him.
“What is it?” I nudged him and his scowl grew.
“If they are Dragons, Father is going to have his own thoughts on the best way to deal with them.”
“Do you think you might really end up married to one of them?” Caleb asked with a worried look.
“No...that's the thing.” Darius shook his head, his brow heavily furrowed. “If he believes they’re about to emerge as Dragons, I don't think he'll take that lying down. In fact, I think he'd rather kill them before that ever happens.”
(Seth)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Reckoning (Zodiac Academy, #3))
“
Stop doubting my amazing stripping skills, dude,” Roxy teased as she continued to struggle with her buttons.
I was about to force my eyes away from her when she cursed and yanked on her shirt hard enough to rip every button off of it.
Beneath it she was wearing a gold push up bra which accentuated her perfect tits and made her look like something out of a Dragon’s wet dream.
She tossed her head back with laughter, taking a playful bow for her friends but her foot slipped and she tumbled off of the table instead.
I took a few running steps towards her before I could stop myself but the guy had leapt up to catch her before she could hit the ground.
“Tory?” he asked as she slumped against him, seeming to have fallen unconscious. “Oh, shit! Help me.”
The girl Roxy had called Sofia scrambled to help him with her and they struggled to move her towards one of the cushioned chairs close to where they’d been sitting.
I shook my head to clear it of the image of her in that gold bra and spun on my heel, striding towards the exit and quite possibly a cold shower.
Just as I made it to the door, a loud scream halted me. I turned back to see Roxy’s friends backing away from her in a panic as a thick sheet of ice spread across the ground away from her, tinting everything in its path a frosty blue.
“Wake up, Tory!” Sofia yelled desperately.
“Maybe you should run for a teacher,” the boy said. “I’ll try to get through to her.”
Sofia turned to run for the exit and her eyes widened in panic as she found me striding towards her instead.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked, my tone clipped.
“She err...” Sofia hesitated, clearly not wanting to trust me with her friend’s condition while battling against the inclination to do whatever I told her. “She passed out and now she’s using magic in her sleep and we can’t get close to help her.”
Roxy whimpered behind her and I stepped around Sofia to inspect the damage for myself. I’d dealt with this kind of thing with the other Heirs once or twice when our powers had first been Awakened. We were just so powerful that if we got too drunk, sometimes we’d lose control over our magic in our sleep and Roxy had seemed wasted to me.
“It’s fine, we’ll look after her,” the boy said firmly but I ignored him as I walked closer to Roxy where she was slumped in the chair.
Ice crunched loudly beneath my boots while the temperature around me plummeted and I hadn’t even gotten close to her yet.
I drew on my fire magic, pushing it against the ice and melting some of it but Roxy’s power fought back as she whimpered again.
“Roxy,” I growled as I made it to stand before her. The ice was still spreading and thickening. She was trembling in the chair and I noticed a few tears sailing down her cheeks.
“Not again,” she breathed, her fists balling as she curled in on herself.
“Roxy, wake up!” I snapped, moving forward to grab her arm and shake her.
She didn’t wake but the ice around me thickened even more and her friends cried out as they were forced to back up again. My breath rose before me and I dropped the six pack beside her chair, crouching down before her so that I could shake her more firmly.
She started coughing and water burst from her mouth like she’d been drowning. I pulled her forward, slapping her back to help her get it all up and the tremors rocking her body reverberated through mine as she pressed against my chest. More cold water flooded from her, drenching her as she cried out in panic and I pulled her against me more firmly.
(Darius POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Reckoning (Zodiac Academy, #3))
“
We don’t want your stupid birth right,” Roxy muttered bitterly before trying to jerk her hand out of my grip. But she was going to have to try harder than that if she expected to break free of a Dragon's strength and I smirked at her before tugging her right back.
She gasped as I knocked her off balance in her towering heels and in the next moment, her ass landed in my lap and the beast in me raised its head in contentment as I claimed the treasure I'd been aching for.
Mine.
Caleb met my gaze with an irritated scowl and I gave him a taunting grin as I wound an arm around her waist and repositioned her so that her ass was firmly seated on my crotch and her side pressed to my chest.
I laughed as she gripped my thigh in an attempt to balance herself better and her back arched against me at the sound, giving me even more ideas I shouldn't have been indulging in over her. But that was damn hard with her round ass currently grinding against my cock and giving it plenty of encouragement.
“Drink with us,” I insisted, moving my mouth to her ear and feeling her shiver as my stubble grazed her neck. I waved at the bartender through the glass window beside us and the girl who had assigned herself as our personal bartender for the night nodded to show she'd seen me. “I swear we won’t lay a finger on you unless you want us to," I added to Roxy in a low voice, letting my mouth graze against her ear for the briefest moment and loving the way I felt her body react to that despite her trying to hide it.
“Well I didn’t want you to drag me into your lap but that didn’t seem to stop you,” she muttered, but she wasn't going anywhere and I wasn't holding her tight enough to force her to stay if she didn't want to.
I laughed again and she glanced up at me from beneath dark lashes like she wasn't sure what to make of me when I wasn't scowling and working to intimidate her.
I could feel Caleb's attention still on us and I suppressed a growl as he moved closer to us, reaching out to brush his fingers against her arm, despite the fact that I'd clearly beat him to claiming her tonight. Asshole.
“I’ll even promise not to bite you tonight if you want?” he offered and I scowled at him while he flipped me off behind her back where no one else could see. I was going to punch him for that later.
Roxy looked across the table to her sister, the two of them entering into some kind of silent twin communication and I took the opportunity to slip my Atlas from my pocket and shoot Lance a quick message.
Darius:
The Vegas just showed up here looking terrified and saying something was chasing them. They said they heard a rattle too.
Lance:
Stay with them. Keep them safe and I'll scout the area with Francesca.
I wasn't going to complain about staying as close as I needed to to the girl currently perched on my ever more solid cock, so I slipped my Atlas back in my pocket and turned my attention back to the girls.
“I guess we could stay for one drink,” Gwen said hesitantly as Max stroked her arm, his gifts pushing against all of us as he worked to make them feel amenable to the idea.
I shifted Roxy on my lap before she got a really clear idea about how much I wanted her to stay from the feeling of my cock trying to punch a hole in the ass of her jeans and she released a shaky breath as my skin brushed against hers.
“One drink then,” she agreed finally and I relaxed as I got what I wanted just as easily as that.
The bartender appeared with a smile and a notepad ready to take our order and Seth perked up with a look in his eyes which promised he would be getting utterly shit faced tonight.
“Better make it a big one then if you’ll only stay for one,” Seth said as he ordered for all of us.
I leaned back in my chair, pulling Roxy closer so that I could steal a moment with her for myself and brushing her hair away from her ear so that I could speak to her alone.(Darius POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
I leaned back in my chair, pulling Roxy closer so that I could steal a moment with her for myself and brushing her hair away from her ear so that I could speak to her alone.
She leaned in to listen to me and my grip on her waist shifted so that I could hold her even closer, the fingers of my other hand stroking against the bare skin of her shoulder where I'd smoothed her black hair aside.
“Do you want to tell me about what happened in that alley?” I asked, wondering if I really should have been worrying about Nymphs or not.
A shiver moved across her skin and I was filled with a protective kind of anger as I felt that echo of her fear.
“Is this the part where you laugh at us for falling for some prank you set up?” she asked. “Was that one of your friends back there? Did you get someone to send the messages too?”
I was tempted to push her for more information, but Lance and Francesca were already hunting for any signs of a Nymph and I didn't want to fall into the trap of arguing with her again while I was holding her like this. I just wanted to steal this moment from the universe and forget about all the shit that was hanging between us outside of right now.
“I don’t need to recruit anyone to do my handy work,” I replied dismissively, dropping the subject. “Maybe I’m concerned for your wellbeing.”
She snorted in disbelief, shifting away so that she wasn't pressed against my chest anymore and I fought a sigh at how quickly I'd managed to fuck that up. Though as she was currently still in my arms, I had to think it wasn't a total lost cause yet, not that I had any real idea what I was trying to achieve with her here.
The bartender returned and I pulled a roll of auras from my pocket which was more than enough to cover our tab, pressing them into her hand as she finished laying the drinks out for us. We'd been planning to move on after this drink anyway and I was keen to get Roxy and her sister away from the place.
Roxy reached out to claim her drink, my gaze moving to her mouth as she lifted the glass to it and tipped the whole thing back, swallowing over and over until every last drop was gone.
“There you go,” she announced. “One drink.”
She pushed out of my lap so suddenly that for a moment all I could do was blink up at her in confusion before my brain caught up to what was happening and I reached out to pull her back again. But she stepped aside, offering me a mocking smile which made it more than clear how much she disliked me.
Darcy smirked as she got to her feet too, not even bothering to touch her drink. “See you later, guys,” she agreed and the two of them turned to walk away.
Caleb shot into Roxy's way with his Vampire speed before she could actually escape and I was glad when she cut him a glare just as acidic as the one she'd offered me, even while he tried to throw the pretty boy charm on with his gleaming smile.
“I guess your word means shit then?” she demanded as he gave her throat a look which said he was thinking about biting her.
“No. I said I won’t bite you tonight and I meant it,” he promised, acting all alluring and pissing me the hell off as she hesitated. “I’m just wondering where you’re going now?”
“Dancing,” Roxy replied moving to brush past him, her hands landing on his waist for a moment as she nudged him aside and irritation flared through me at the contact. “You can always join us if you think you can keep up.”
My anger grew as she offered him that invitation and I scowled at the two of them openly, wondering why she was so much more willing to fall for his bullshit than she was for mine.
Roxy gave Cal a flirtatious look and I ground my teeth before shoving to my feet the moment she was out of sight.
My fist slammed into his bicep as he turned to look at me and he barked a laugh as he shoved me in return.
"Come on, assholes, if the two of you waste time in a dick measuring contest then we'll lose them before you finish,” Max said.(Darius POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Get off of me," I growled but he didn't, leaving Max and Caleb to go get rid of the assholes closing in on my girl.
...
I shook my head and glanced away, catching a glimpse of Roxy and Caleb through the crowd but it was so brief that I couldn't get a read on how it was going. On the one hand I wanted him to convince her to join us again, but on the other I didn’t want her coming over here for his benefit.
"What do you think he's saying to convince them to come over here?" Seth asked. "He's probably just saying 'come on, I'll buy you a drink then you can be my drink.'"
"Roxy isn't into him biting her," I grunted.
"Yet," Seth said, rolling his eyes at me. "Think about it, he's grabbing her all the time, his mouth on her neck, pinning her up against things. It's only a matter of time before he's slipping more than his teeth into her-"
A growl escaped me and I shoved to my feet, done with waiting around for Caleb and Max to bring the girls to us. There was a good chance that there could be a Nymph hanging around here which meant I was supposed to be sticking close to the twins and that was exactly what I intended to do. In fact, I'd probably have to shove Caleb out of my way so that I could get closer and make sure he didn't accidentally put them in danger of having their magic stolen by a dark creature determined to destroy us all. He might even fall against a table and break his pretty nose. Doing so was basically me saving the whole of Solaria from the wrath of the creature in question though, so it was my duty to do it.
But as I looked across the top of the crowd to where they'd all been standing just a few moments ago, I only found Max and Caleb there, no sign of the twins at all.
I mouthed 'where are they?' to Max and he rolled his eyes before pointing to the dance floor.
Roxy and her sister were in the centre of the floor, arms in the air and bodies moving to the beat of the music as countless Fae closed in on them from all sides, some of them seeming to have realised who they were while a few guys just seemed interested in them for reasons of their own. Or reasons of their dicks.
No. No fucking way.
I shoved away from the table and strode across the room, sensing Seth on my heels as he joined me in my Vega hunt.
I made it to the dance floor and people backed away, giving us space as we strode through the crowd towards them.
I fell still as we found them there, my intentions to drag them back over to our table whether they liked it or not falling away as my gaze found the movements of Roxy's body and fixed on them instead.
Her eyes were closed, head tipped back and body moving to the seductive beat in a way that had me drawing closer automatically. I should have just been grabbing her and towing her away, but instead of doing that, my fingers brushed over her waist instead, the rough skin of my hands meeting the softness of her flesh beneath the hem of her shirt.
She turned her head to look around at me, her eyes fluttering open and surprise filled her gaze for a moment, but I just held her eye and tugged her closer.
Her blood red lips parted and I fully expected her to tell me to fuck off, but instead the barest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and she inclined her head just a little as if to say okay.
(Darius POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
I tugged her body against mine, tits pressing to me and damn near making me groan with longing before she slid her hands up my chest as we began to dance with one another.
My body fell into a rhythm with hers so naturally that I swear even my heart was pounding to the tune. Her chest brushed mine, fingers skimming up my neck as my hand fell to the round curve of her ass and I tugged her closer.
My gaze was on her mouth as the heat between us built in time with the movements of our bodies and our breaths mingled in the small space left dividing us. But just as I was starting to give serious consideration to an absolutely terrible idea, she turned in my arms, her ass pushing back into my crotch as she hooked one arm around the back of my neck.
A real growl escaped me then as she ground herself against me, making my cock swell and my thoughts scatter as I lost all sense of everything other than this fucking girl in my arms as we danced together.
I was vaguely aware of Seth dancing with Gwen beside us, but I couldn't tear my eyes from this perfect temptation in my arms.
It was hotter than any sex I could ever remember having and neither of us had removed so much as a single item of clothing.
Roxy kept dancing with her hand clasped around the back of my neck, the arch of her spine giving me a view down her shirt which I was having a damn hard time tearing my attention from. The fabric shifted and slipped across her skin, offering me the barest glimpse of her hardened nipples with every thump of the music and I licked my lips with the desire to suck on them.
My dick was definitely letting itself be known as she continued to grind herself against me and as much as I was enjoying that friction, I really needed to make some effort to control myself.
I grasped her hip and turned her around, the beast in me purring as she instantly looped her arms around my neck to draw me closer.
I didn't even know how many songs had played while we'd been dancing and I didn't care because I knew it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
My gaze met hers and the fire in her was enough to set me alight too as she tilted her chin up and bit down on that full bottom lip. My attention was instantly hooked on her mouth, our bodies still moving together in this hot, endless friction which was begging for some relief.
My resolve was snapping, all the reasons I had to pull away falling from my mind like flakes of snow trying to land on an inferno and I found myself leaning in, devouring the distance that parted us like I wanted to devour this beautiful creature in my arms.
I tightened my grip on her waist, letting her feel the throbbing press of my dick driving into her and making it more than clear what I wanted to spend the rest of the night doing to her. I didn't care if she was a Vega, a princess, the architect of my fall from power, none of that mattered. Because all there was in that moment was her and me and the press of the heavens above us driving us together like we might burn up in the fire which blazed between us if we didn't just dive into it now.
(Darius POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
I slid a hand up her spine, moving it towards the back of her neck as I watched her mouth and prepared to claim it. Claim her. Claim everything that went with that choice, because it didn't even feel like a choice at all, more like an urgent need which demanded to be answered.
“Drink!” Caleb demanded suddenly from beside us, snapping the tension that had been building and destroying the moment before I could claim her in any of the ways I ached to.
Roxy turned away from me to accept the shot he was holding out for her and I took mine without once looking away from her face, tipping it down my throat and wishing something else was gracing my lips.
There was a question hanging between me and her. A want which we both felt and ached to satisfy. But there was a whole chasm full of reasons for us to deny that need too. Not that I gave a shit. Because every fibre of my being was screaming for me to claim her and make her mine with an urgency that made my head spin. I swear I could practically hear the universe holding its breath like there was so much hanging on the choice we made now. But before either of us could make it, Caleb interrupted again.
“Orion’s looking for you,” he said to me, pointing back over to the bar where I had to assume Lance was. “Something about an assignment you haven’t handed in. I told him to chill the hell out and enjoy his drink but he gave me that look, you know the look where you’re not sure if he’s trying to set you alight with the power of thought alone or if he’s just super constipated, so I said I’d tell you.”
Roxy snorted a laugh, and as she looked away to search the crowd for Lance, the spell between us was broken.
I scrubbed a hand down my face, wondering what the hell I'd been thinking. The girl might have been hot. Scorching fucking hot and endlessly intoxicating. And I might have wanted to fuck her more than I think I'd ever wanted to fuck any girl I'd ever met. But she was a star damned Vega. And that meant me and her were over before we could ever even consider beginning.
“I guess I’d better see what he wants,” I said, knowing that the moment I stepped away from here would be the moment this opportunity left us. I cast a final look at Roxy, not really knowing what I expected to find there but she seemed to have forgotten me already as she moved away to place her empty shot glass down on a table.
A growl rumbled through my chest and Caleb grinned widely, slapping me on the shoulder as I passed him and making me want to punch his fucking face all over again. No doubt Lance's appearance had made his fucking night. And it had definitely ruined mine.(Darius POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
My right hand was locked so tightly in a fist, it was starting to shake. My gaze was riveted to two people on the dancefloor, and it was taking every ounce of willpower I had to remain standing there in favour of destroying the man touching Darcy Vega.
Seth Capella’s hands were roaming all over her as they danced like there was no one else here but them. They were staring at each other, exchanging flirtatious smiles and their mouths were getting all too close all too many times.
Through the thump of the music and clamour of voices, it was difficult to focus on the words that passed between them, but I managed to catch a couple of sentences.
“Fuck being enemies, I wanna be your friend tonight,” Seth purred in her ear, his fingers twisting into the blue ends of her hair and making me spit a snarl.
Darcy laughed, clearly drunk as her fingers slid down his arm while his other hand dropped onto her ass, drawing her even closer and squeezing hard.
No.
“What kind of friends act like this?” she laughed again and he nuzzled the side of her head, a carnal look entering his eyes that made my canines sharpen.
All rational thought was exiting my mind until I was nothing but an animal about to attack. I knew in that second I was going to do it. I was going to shoot over there, tear Seth Capella off of her and make him bleed for touching her like that. She was my gir- Source.
“The best of friends,” he answered with a wolfish grin and I took a step forward, but suddenly Darius was there with a scowl the size of a Dragon’s tail, blocking my line of sight.
“Well?” he demanded irritably like I’d just punched him in the cock.
“Well what?” I sniped back and he frowned. “Oh right, yeah. We need to go hunting.”
I gritted my teeth, crushing them to dust in my mouth as I forced my feet to move towards the exit, refusing to let myself look back. Darius walked stiffly at my side, seeming as pissed off as I did to be leaving and judging by how hard he’d been grinding himself against Tory Vega, I had to wonder if she was the reason. I glanced at my friend and caught him looking back.
“What?” he snapped and I looked away again.
“Nothing,” I grunted. “I’m just in the mood to kill something.”
“Same. Let’s find the fucking Nymph and make it suffer.” His eyes turned to reptilian slits and a group of guys in our way scarpered aside as they saw us coming.
I uncurled my still clenched right hand, my knuckles white as I flexed them and brought magic to my fingertips. Is she gonna go home with him? Is she gonna fuck him?
She can’t. He’s a fucking Heir. The worst fucking Heir.
The urge to go back was rising in me and I had to force my legs to keep moving away from that nightclub. There was a Nymph out here somewhere, that was my priority. Not whether or not Darcy Vega chose to fuck an Heir. My heart thumped a painful tune in my chest, continuing its plea with me to go back. To stop her from making the most stupid decision of her life. She was too good for that Wolf asshole. Too sweet. He didn’t deserve to get his hands on her flesh. I pictured her pinned beneath him and stopped dead in the street.
(Orion POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
The paramedic moved away, giving me a line of sight into the crowd and my gaze latched onto Darcy. I was so starved, I moved before I was even aware of making the decision, colliding with her and driving my fangs into her neck.
She squealed in fright and I growled deeply as I drank the sweet nectar of her blood, shutting my eyes and enjoying every second of it. She felt connected to me by it, her spiking pulse seeming to thump within my own body and I relished the feeling of having her power in my grasp. I lost all sense of everything as I fell into the needs of my Order and the desire to devour this girl’s magic. I wanted every last drop. I needed more of her. Everything.
She clawed at my arm and I enjoyed the contact, holding her firmly against my hip as my cock began to throb. I was in the middle of a crowd of students and this was the wrong fucking time to get turned on for so many reasons. But hell she tasted so good. And it was more than that, I had her in my arms again and I didn’t want to let go. She was the summer sun after the longest winter of my life and all I wanted to do was bask in her glow. Especially after I’d seen Capella touching her. This girl didn’t belong to him. I’d staked my claim and maybe that should have only been about her blood, but it was becoming clear to me that it was far more than that. I didn’t want anyone but me getting this close to her. And I’d fight any rival I had to to keep it that way.
“Hey,” Tory snapped, shoving me roughly to try and force me off of her sister but I was in a frenzy and I couldn’t stop. “That’s enough!”
I released a growl in warning for her to back off, but then she shoved me with fire in her palms, the power behind the blast sending me staggering backwards and freeing Blue from my hold. My head was spinning with so much power I felt drunk and my breaths came heavily as I realised how much blood I’d just taken. Far too much.
There were two hand marks singed into my chest, my shirt smoking and my flesh reddened, and Tory looked ready to burn me alive if I took so much as a step closer to her sister again.
“You’ve had enough!” Tory snarled and I bared my fangs at the challenge in her voice.
“Maybe you want to donate to the cause then?” I snapped, but I was just trying to deflect from how much I wanted her sister, how every student close by had witnessed me go fully savage on Darcy Vega like I had no self control at all.
Caleb appeared, dropping an arm around Tory’s shoulders and releasing a deep growl in the back of his throat. “You might want to rethink that statement, Professor.”
I stared at them when I really wanted to be looking at Darcy, but I feared if I did, I’d lunge at her again. And I wasn’t sure I’d stop this time. Fuck. What’s wrong with me?
I shook my head to try and clear it, taking a breath as I realised my magic reserves were full and I didn’t need any more blood. This craving left in me wasn’t anything to do with my power reserves. It was purely about the girl I could see glaring at me in the corner of my eye. I couldn’t believe what I’d just done. I’d taken too much blood and it was wrong. It went against the Vampire Code.
I swallowed the lasting taste of her and finally glanced her way, finding so much hatred in her eyes it scolded me.(ORION POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
I haven’t been drained that low in a long time. I shouldn’t have tried to take so much all at once,” I muttered, wanting to apologise but not quite finding the right words beyond that statement.
“Well feel free to just steal all of mine then,” Darcy spat icily, clutching her neck tighter. I had the urge to heal her, but knew if I tried to touch her again, she’d only recoil.
The ambulance pulled away and I glanced around, double checking Darius wasn’t here and I was glad to find he’d listened to me for once. That was something anyway.
“Come on, I can drive you girls back in my car,” I offered. I’d left my Faerrari parked at the Acrux Hotel when I’d last visited Tucana, opting to stardust home because I’d been too drunk to drive. But I hadn’t had any magical drinks tonight, so I’d healed myself of the effects of the whiskey I’d consumed before coming to get Darius from the nightclub.
Tory’s lip curled back as she glared at me with poison in her gaze.
“We’re not going anywhere alone with you,” Darcy said bitterly, distrust in her eyes.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I snapped, stepping forward to get hold of her. I’d protect her tonight whether she liked it or not.
Tory moved to intercept me and Caleb joined her too like a prime asshole.
“You don’t fucking touch her again,” Tory growled.
I narrowed my eyes at her, about to object, but as my gaze slid to Darcy over her shoulder and I saw the wall in her eyes that told me to get fucked, I knew I wasn’t going to win this fight.
“Bastard,” Darcy hissed at me, looking woozy. Shit, I needed to heal her. And I could get her a blood replenishing potion back at the academy.
“Come on, girls. The bus is gonna leave soon,” Caleb said, tugging Tory after him but she dug her heels in, waiting for Darcy.
I opened my mouth to try and find the words that would convince Blue to stay with me, but she walked straight past me with her cheek turned and Tory threw me one more filthy look before they all headed down the street to the bus stop where mountains of students were gathering. Professors were among them and I knew they were safe enough in numbers, but my feet were still rooted to the pavement as I watched Darcy leave.
You drank way too much. You have to get a grip. How are you going to keep feeding from her if you act like a monster every time your teeth are in her?
I’d never had this problem before. The only thing I could compare it to was when my magic had been Awakened and my Order had Emerged. That first feed had made me feel like a ravenous beast with a bottomless stomach, and yet it still didn’t have a pinch on what it was like to feed from Blue.
Caleb led Tory and Darcy past the queue straight onto the bus and my hackles rose as they joined Max and Seth on the back seats. And as Seth pulled Darcy close to him and nuzzled against her cheek, that feral animal in me awoke once more.
I took out my Atlas and shot an update to Francesca, anxiously scoring my fingers through my hair.
Just as the bus pulled away and rounded a corner, the FIB appeared on the street and I was immediately surrounded by three agents with dark frowns on their faces.
“Lance Orion, you need to come down to the station and make a statement,” Captain Hoskins said and I sighed, knowing it was going to be a long ass night.
I agreed and as I was stardusted away to the precinct, my heart was tugged in another direction, nearly forcing the stars to guide me elsewhere. But the captain ensured I made it to where he wanted to take me and I made a silent prayer to the stars that Darcy wouldn’t end up in Seth Capella’s bed tonight. Because I wasn’t sure I could control the demon in me who’d want his head for that.
(ORION POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Lance thought they could be Sirens, but I was wondering if they weren't something more like Incubuses. The Order was pretty rare but their entire way of rejuvenating magic was based off of sexual desire and they were masters at controlling and claiming lust from others. And Roxy Vega definitely inspired plenty of lust everywhere she went. She inspired so much lust in me that I found myself entirely unable to jerk off over anyone other than her, memories of her body, her mouth or even just her calling me fucking names filling my mind the second I wrapped my fist around my throbbing cock. I’d even tried watching porn to distract myself from her but I just ended up closing my goddamn eyes and thinking of her anyway, imaging how good it would feel to be filling her with my dick instead of fucking my hand all the damn time.
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Lance thought they could be Sirens, but I was wondering if they weren't something more like Incubuses. The Order was pretty rare but their entire way of rejuvenating magic was based off of sexual desire and they were masters at controlling and claiming lust from others. And Roxy Vega definitely inspired plenty of lust everywhere she went. She inspired so much lust in me that I found myself entirely unable to jerk off over anyone other than her, memories of her body, her mouth or even just her calling me fucking names filling my mind the second I wrapped my fist around my throbbing cock. I’d even tried watching porn to distract myself from her but I just ended up closing my goddamn eyes and thinking of her anyway, imaging how good it would feel to be filling her with my dick instead of fucking my hand all the damn time. (DARIUS POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
I can take your blood and power from you,” I agreed as I let my gaze wander down her tempting body. This wasn't some game or anything to do with me being an Heir and her being a Princess. I just wanted her. Simple as that and I really wanted her to want me too. “But I desire more than that. And I’m a Taurus; when we set our minds on something it’s not easy to turn us from it.”
She scoffed, still giving me that suspicious look, though I was hoping I could convince her to trust me, at least for long enough to let me make her pant my name the way I ached to hear.
“You didn’t seem so against the idea the other night,” I urged while she stayed quiet.
“That was drunk Tory,” she said firmly. “She’s notorious for making bad decisions so I wouldn’t get too excited about anything you think she might have done with you. You shouldn’t presume anything that happens when I’m wasted will have any bearing on sober Tory.”
“And you think I’d be a bad decision?” I teased because she might have been right about that, but I still wanted to be one she made.
My lips twitched and I was almost certain I had her convinced.
“I’ve been with enough bad decisions to recognise one when I see them,” she said.
“How many, exactly?” I asked, leaning in to kiss her neck, my stubble grazing against her skin as I fought against the urge to take a bite.
“Enough to let me know that it’s a terrible idea.” Her breath caught as I reached the corner of her lips with my kisses and I paused to hear her decision, though if the way she was pulling me closer again was anything to go by, I was pretty sure I was about to get my wish. “Probably not enough to put me off entirely.”
I chuckled darkly, leaning back to gaze into her deep green eyes. I wanted her to say it, beg for it. Though that may have been a little ambitious with this particular princess.
The words didn't escape her full lips, but as her gaze darkened with desire, she reached out and unhooked the top button of my shirt, making her decision clear.
I held myself still as she worked her way down every single button until she pushed her hands inside my shirt and dragged her hands across the hard lines of my muscles.
A shiver raced through my skin and my dick was working really hard to bust right through my fucking fly, so I stopped beating around the damn bush and claimed her mouth with mine once more.
(Caleb POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
I could feel the tension leaving her as she gave in, her kisses rich and consuming as I explored her mouth with mine.
I moved my hand that final inch, my thumb dragging its way up the centre of her panties until I found her clit and pressed down, making her gasp in pleasure.
I began circling my thumb against her through her panties and she arched her back, her thighs widening further to give me all the access I wanted to destroy her.
I kissed harder as I began to unhook her shirt buttons with my free hand, wanting to see those fucking tits I'd been jerking off over in the flesh.
Her hands continued to move across my bare skin as I kept working her clit and I gave up trying to take my time with her as she started panting with need. I shifted my hand, pushing her panties aside and growling with desire as I found her pussy soaked and ready for me and I immediately sank a finger deep inside her.
Tory moaned, her voice rough and breathy and so fucking sexy that I had to fight the urge to drop my pants and drive my cock into her here and now so that I could hear what it sounded like when I really made her scream.
But thanks to fucking Teddy, I knew I didn't have time to fuck her the way I ached to and I didn't want to rush through something I'd been daydreaming about for so long. So I was going to feel her coming for me like this, take control of her pleasure and leave her wanting more so that she was aching for me as much as possible the next time we found ourselves alone like this and I could really show her what I was made of.
My other hand found her tit and I squeezed it through her bra, groaning at the fullness in my palm and breaking our kiss as I worked my way down her body to better service her hardened nipple.
Tory leaned back, giving me a perfect fucking view of her with her shirt swinging wide and her skirt hitched up around her waist as I drove my finger in and out of her tight pussy.
I yanked her bra down, my dick jerking at the sight of her pink nipple before my mouth descended on it and I sucked it between my lips, coupling the move with the addition of a second finger driving inside her.
She moaned even louder, her pussy tightening like a vice around my fingers while I sucked on her nipple and felt her body surging towards its climax like I was playing the most exquisite instrument in the world.
The moment I felt her coming for me, I reared up and kissed her hard, swallowing her cries of pleasure and tasting her lust as I dragged my tongue over hers.
My dick was fucking aching and I growled with a desperate, needy plea of my flesh which I knew I didn't have time to answer as the heat of our kisses softened and I slowly drew my fingers back out of her, fixing her panties into place again.
I broke off our kiss with a surge of effort, mentally planning to give Teddy the lesson from hell for forcing me to cut this shit short after I'd waited so long to claim it.
Tory blinked up at me in surprise and I had to fight the urge to pout like a bitch as I read the desire in her body and knew she'd been hoping to come all over my cock again after that stunning first round.
“I have a student coming in a minute to learn the art of Vampirism from an expert,” I explained, wishing I could just cancel the damn thing, but my mom had already been calling me out on not attending a bunch of these sessions and as our family name was linked to them, it was a bad look for me to miss any more of them.
“So that was purely for my benefit?” Tory asked in surprise as she began to re-button her shirt.
My jaw ticked with frustration, though I couldn't claim she was the only one of us who had gotten something out of that.
“Oh no, I got plenty from that too,” I promised her, my gaze sweeping over her body appreciatively as I began to mentally plan all the things I wanted to do to every inch of her if I was lucky enough to get to do this with her again.
(Caleb POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
I buttoned my own shirt reluctantly though there wasn't much I could do about my throbbing hard on aside from plan a trip back to my room as soon as I could possibly get out of this training session so that I could jerk off repeatedly with all of the new spank bank material she'd just gifted me.
Tory remained on the desk in front of me and I was hoping that was because her legs weren't working right yet.
The thirst prickled at me again as I eyed her throat and she sighed loudly as she noticed.
“You’re still going to bite me, aren’t you?” she asked, her fingers curling around the edge of the desk.
“You could look at it as rewarding me for my efforts,” I teased, because there was no fucking way she was getting out of here without me drinking from her and we both knew it.
“Well that makes me feel a little better about leaving you with blue balls,” she taunted and I almost groaned in frustration as my dick throbbed in agreement.
“Next time, I’ll be sure to carve out a few hours to dedicate to you,” I told her. “And then neither of us will be left wanting.”
“Next time?” she asked, raising an eyebrow like that wasn't at all likely to happen. But I could hear her heartbeat pounding and I knew she was wondering how hard I could make her come with several hours at our disposal and my cock a whole lot more involved in the act.
I found myself smiling again but then my mood dipped as I realised there wasn't likely to be a next time if the other Heirs succeeded with their plans for the dance. I didn't even really want to go along with the damn plan and in a moment of madness, I suddenly wondered if I could just save her from it. They would still strike at Darcy and maybe that would be enough to force the twins to leave the academy. But if I was being honest, I didn't even really want them to leave anyway.
I moved closer to her again, tucking a lock of dark hair behind her ear. “Are you going to the dance on Friday?” I murmured and her pulse scattered, making my smile deepen in satisfaction.
“Err, yeah,” she said, that suspicious look returning to her eyes.
“Why don’t you blow it off?” I suggested, wondering if I could just convince her to stay away from it all together. She was my Source after all so the others couldn't even really get mad at me for protecting her - that was kinda in the job description anyway. She blinked at me in surprise and I realised she'd probably thought I was going to ask her to go to the dance with me as her date. But I couldn't do that, if I wanted to save her from the other Heirs and their plans then I needed to keep her away from the whole thing.
“What possible reason would I have to do that?” she asked, shifting just enough to make my hand fall from her face.
I felt the rejection before she could even voice it, but I wasn't going to give up that easily.
I ran my dislodged hand down her arm instead, raising goosebumps along her skin and hopefully reminding her of just how good I'd made her feel with these fingers. “Because then I could sneak out and come to your room. We could have the whole House and an entire evening to ourselves."
“That’s pretty presumptuous of you, Earth boy.”
“Earth boy?” I asked in amusement, refusing to back down no matter how hard she was trying to resist me.
I held a hand out to her, bringing earth magic to my fingertips and causing a dark blue flower to blossom in my palm. Girls fucking loved that trick.
“Perhaps I’ve gotten what I wanted from you now,” she said, shifting forward to get up without reaching for the flower.
Okay, so maybe this girl didn't love that trick after all.
I let the flower dissolve into nothing again and stepped forward to stop her from getting to her feet, smiling darkly.
“I’m confident you’ll come back for more,” I promised her and I could tell she was at least a little tempted by the prospect.(Caleb POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
But as my gaze landed on Tory Vega where she stood alone at the bar, looking utterly devastating in a black gown which clung to her figure like a spill of oil, those doubts rose in me again.
She ordered herself a drink and I shot through the crowd before I could stop myself, coming to a halt at her side and leaning against the bar like I'd been there for hours instead of moments.
“It’s not too late,” I said, unable to help myself as I cast a quick glance around the room for the other Heirs. I wasn’t entirely sure what they had planned for her aside from it taking place at the pool, but I knew it wouldn’t be anything good.
Tory turned to look at me, offering me half a smile as she gave me a solid once over with those deep green eyes of hers which made my chest puff up and my dick start paying a whole lot more attention.
“Not too late for what?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink and drawing my focus to the blood red lipstick she wore.
“To sneak out of here and have some real fun,” I offered, reaching out to brush my fingertips along her arm. If she'd just agree then I could get her out of here in less than a heartbeat, I could save her from this attempt to get rid of her and spend the night dedicating myself to her pleasure.
I told myself I was offering that because she was my Source and it was my duty to protect her, but it was more than that, like this feeling in my gut that what me and the other Heirs were planning was the wrong thing. The wrong move. I still believed it would make us look weak rather than strong and though I’d been forced to back down against the three of them, I got the feeling this wouldn’t even work anyway. These girls might not have been raised in this kingdom, but they were Fae and I was sure they’d come back fighting no matter how hard we went at them tonight, so why do it?
Tory looked like she was actually considering my offer but then she just shook her head lightly in refusal, dashing my hopes.
“You’ll have to work harder than that if you want me,” she taunted and any other night I'd have been more than willing to take her up on that offer, but tonight I needed her to let me get her back to my room first.
I leaned a little closer, my mouth against her ear as I spoke seductively, trying to coax an agreement from her lips. “I promise you, I’ll work really hard.”
She looked at me with heat in her eyes and for a moment I thought I had her, but then she shrugged a little and shook her head like she'd never considered it at all.
“Tempting...but no.”
I pursed my lips in disappointment, opening my mouth to say something else to convince her, but before I could figure out what that might have been, Max and Darius appeared at the other end of the bar.
The two of them shot me and Tory death glares like they knew exactly what I'd been up to and my stomach dropped as I gave in to the inevitable.
Darius beckoned me over and I straightened, suppressing a sigh. I might not have liked this but I knew where my loyalties lay and that would always be right alongside the other Heirs.
“Off you run,” Tory muttered and I hesitated a moment, not liking the implication that I was being summoned like a good dog, but I also couldn't deny that my place was with them. And if I had to choose then it would be my brothers every time against every alternative.
I smiled ruefully as I took a step away. “I’m not switching allegiances, Tory,” I said, resigning myself to how the night had to play out now. “No matter how good you look in that dress. We still can’t let you take our throne.”
I walked away but I heard the words she muttered bitterly at my back. “I don’t want your damn throne.”
I just wished her saying that was enough for the Councillors to accept it.
(Caleb POV)
”
”
Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
What were you saying to her?" Darius asked in a low growl as I joined him and Max.
"Asking her to come back to my room tonight so that I could spend the evening fucking her instead of watching the shit show which will come now," I admitted because I'd made it clear enough that I wasn't really on board with this plan anyway and I wasn't going to lie to my brothers even if they wouldn't like the truth.
Darius scoffed. "So I assume she shot you down," he said cockily and I just couldn’t help myself as I replied.
"She didn't the last time though."
A growl tore from Darius's throat and he slammed his drink down on the bar hard enough to shatter it.
Max stepped forward and placed a hand on both of our arms. "There's no time for this macho bullshit tonight," he said firmly, trying to calm us with his gifts and I let him do it because I was feeling too star damned jittery tonight anyway. If we had to do this shit, then I just wanted it over and done with.
I looked around for any sign of Seth but found him and Darcy missing which meant that part of their plan was probably already reaching completion and I gave up any more dumb ideas about putting this off.
Darius glared down the bar at Tory who raised her chin defiantly before flipping him off like she wasn't the least bit afraid of him. Shit. She was fucking crazy. Hot as hell, but batshit with a death wish too. She turned her back on him to make it even worse then slipped away into the crowd.
(Caleb POV)
”
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Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Darius looked inclined to stalk after her, but as he shoved away from the bar, his Atlas began to ring in his pocket and I caught sight of his father's name on the caller ID before he answered it.
"I take it you won't disappoint me again tonight?" Lionel said in a cold voice which made the hairs along the back of my neck stand up. I probably shouldn't have been using my gifts to listen in on the conversation, but Darius probably should have used a silencing bubble if he didn't want me to anyway.
"I'll get it done," Darius bit out.
"Good. Because your brother is here in my office with me, waiting to hear from you about your success, aren't you Xavier?"
"Darius?" Xavier's voice was pitched with fear but as I gave Darius a concerned look, he clearly realised I could hear his conversation and threw a silencing bubble around himself to hide the rest of it from me.
It didn't matter though. I could tell from the way his heart was racing and his knuckles were whitening where he gripped his Atlas that he was afraid of something.
"You see now why we have to do this?" Max growled in a low voice, his gifts clearly tuning him in to Darius's fear too and I nodded in acceptance.
"Yeah," I breathed. "I get it."
An excited squeal cut the air to shreds and I glanced around to find Geraldine Grus rushing through the room in a huge pink dress which looked like one of those old fashioned toilet roll doilies.
She threw herself at Tory in excitement and the two of them hugged each other tightly in greeting.
"Thank fuck she's okay," Max breathed beside me and I turned to him with a faint frown.
"You been worrying about Grus, big boy?" I teased and he instantly tore his gaze from her and shrugged off the concerned look in his eyes.
"Well it would have sucked if a Nymph got all of her power," he said. "Besides, she's one of the only Fae in our class who is even semi capable of using her magic against us so..."
"So?" I pushed but at that moment Darius finished his call and dropped his silencing bubble.
"Let's get on with this," he said darkly. "Where did Roxy go?"
I picked her out among the crowd as she broke away from Geraldine and started heading for the exit, training my heightened senses on her and hearing her ask that hat kid if he knew where Darcy had gone.
"The hat kid just told her to go look for her sister outside," I said, pointing at Tory just as she slipped out the door.
(Caleb POV)
”
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Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Gabriel cannot predict my future!" I roared in reply. "I barely know that half plucked turkey - there's no way he could see the outcome of my actions. I would have-"
(Darius POV)
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Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
The Vegas are in town tonight.
That was it. One dumb sentence. Yet it was all I could damn well think about as my gaze slid past the groups of girls trying to garner our attention in search of the only one whose interest I was looking to grab.
But she wasn't here. I was tempted to ask Lance where exactly he'd seen them, but I had no good reason to do that. Maybe I could convince the other Heirs to come searching for them with me, but I wasn't really looking to spend the night terrorising them. I just wanted to see her. By the stars, what was I even doing? I kept fantasising about her, dreaming about her and jerking off over imagined scenarios of me dominating her with every inch of my body and now I was hoping to see her on a night out like some desperate little fan boy hoping to try my luck. Who even was I right now?
(Darius POV)
”
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Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Hang on,” Darcy spoke over me and my fingers itched with the urge to punish her for that. If she’d done so in my classroom, I would have made her pay severely for it. As it was, I supposed I could be lenient this once. She’d soon learn I was not to be fucked with anyway. Of course, then my treacherous mind ran to the dangerous place where my punishments involved me pushing her down on my desk and spanking her ass raw, and I cursed myself internally. (Orion POV)
”
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Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))
“
Hang on,” Darcy spoke over me and my fingers itched with the urge to punish her for that. If she’d done so in my classroom, I would have made her pay severely for it. As it was, I supposed I could be lenient this once. She’d soon learn I was not to be fucked with anyway. Of course, then my treacherous mind ran to the dangerous place where my punishments involved me pushing her down on my desk and spanking her ass raw, and I cursed myself internally.
What the fuck’s the matter with me?
...
“Yes. But not just any school. The best school.” It really was the fucking best. “So what do you say?”
“I say you're crazy,” Darcy said and I had a vision of showing her just how crazy I could be. Not an appropriate one though. The kind where she was pinned beneath me gasping my name.
Focus.
...
A beat later, Darcy returned from the bathroom in tight jeans which clung to her round ass and a black tank top that hugged the hourglass curves of her body. Ah, great. Why couldn’t she have been covered in Heptian Toad skin?
For some reason, her twin of the exact same figure hadn’t stirred anything in me, but this one had my cock throbbing and my mind spinning with filthy fantasies I could never, ever act on. You fucking idiot.
...
I grabbed her shoulders, jerking her around to face the circle of new students in The Howling Meadow ready for their Awakening as my heart thrashed and rioted in my chest.
Darcy stepped away from me and my fingers balled and unballed as I stared after her, a growl rolling low through my throat as I worked to fight against the thirst, and the other, hungry part of me which had awoken.
Darcy glanced back at me in alarm. “What's going on?” she asked, her green eyes dancing with panic. I guessed this really was a mindfuck.
“Did you just drug us?” Tory rounded on me.
“What is it with you and drugs?” I muttered. “Remember to keep calm,” I commanded, needing them to get through this without making a complete scene.
I had to know what Elements they possessed. Lionel would be waiting for me to call and give him a play by play of everything that had happened tonight, everything I’d learned about the Vegas. But there was one thing for sure I wouldn’t tell even Darius about this night. That I felt a pull to one of them that defied all logic and made my hatred for them deepen. Because of all the concerns I’d had about the Vega twins returning to Solaria, none of my imaginings had conjured up this.
Maybe it was the power of their blood that called to me, but as it was only Darcy who had made me fucking burn with unwanted need, I doubted I could put it down to that. One thing was for sure, I’d be cutting these twisted urges out of me just as soon as I could. And they were not going to affect anything about what came next. Because the Vega twins would not be ascending to the throne. It was my duty to make sure of that. And no girl with blue-tipped hair in bunny pyjamas was going to fuck with my plans.(Lance Orion POV)
”
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Caroline Peckham (The Awakening as Told by the Boys (Zodiac Academy, #1.5))