Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,224

right?" Darcy grinned while Seth cocked his head in confusion.

"It just felt like a rock to me," he said, glancing up at Caleb who nodded.

I exchanged another look with my sister as I passed it to Geraldine who dropped to one knee in front of me before accepting it.

"Of course none of you unworthy buffoons can feel the power within the weapon of the royals," she exclaimed as she held the Imperial Star up over her head like she was afraid of it getting too close to the ground. "You do not have royal blood running in your veins and therefore are not able to tap into the power that resides within. Only the true Queens can feel it!"

"I felt something," Darius put in. "It wasn't a lot, but it was more than nothing. Like there was power laying in the heart of it behind a veil I couldn't see through."

Geraldine gasped, almost dropping the star as she clutched her pearls - which she was honest to shit actually wearing - and glared daggers at Darius behind me.

"Your unworthy usurper of a father has placed his scaly behind on the throne and crowned himself King. His blood runs in your veins which must make you a...a...a prince of darkness."

All of the other Heirs shifted uncomfortably at that announcement and I frowned as I realised there was some truth to it. They might have all been evenly matched before Lionel had gifted Darius the shadows, but now that he had them, he was technically stronger. And with his father on the throne, he was next in line...

"Calm down, Geraldine, I'm not a prince of anything," Darius growled. "I would never claim to be the heir to the throne. My intentions have always been clear and have never faltered. I stand with my brothers united."

The other Heirs relaxed at that while Seth snorted a laugh. "I know you'd never turn on us, Darius. You're too hard pressed for friends as it is - without us you'd have no one and nothing."

"Except a comfy throne and shiny crown," Caleb joked and Darius laughed dismissively while Max leaned forward to pluck the star from Geraldine's hand.

"Well, I can't feel anything," he said with a shrug. "But if you girls can then maybe you can wield it after all?"

He tossed it across the coffee table and Darcy caught it as Geraldine screamed in horror, throwing the back of her hand over her eyes.

I couldn't help but laugh and Max scooped her up off of the floor, dropping her in his lap as he murmured at her to calm down.

“The diary said only a reigning sovereign could use it,” Darius said.

"Well, it’s worth a shot. Give it a go," I urged and Darcy frowned as she looked at the shimmering stone in her palm.

We all fell silent as we watched her and I flinched in surprise as Darius's hand landed on my shoulder blade before he scored a line down the exact spot where my wings emerged when I shifted.

A breathy moan slid from my lips which I hurriedly covered with a cough as the others looked our way and Darius chuckled before doing it again.

Ho-ly fuck, why did that feel so incredible? He needed to stop. And never stop. And oh shit, he was doing it again…

I tried to ignore what he was doing as Darcy stared at the star for a bit longer before giving up with a sigh.

"Nothing," she said. "I can feel the power of it, but it's kinda like Darius said, there's something standing between it and me and I can't seem to merge my magic with it or get it to respond at all. It sounds crazy, but back in the cave it spoke to me and Lance. It said we need to seek the palace in the deep where the last of them lie. And…that we need to do what the King could not.”

“Sounds like gibberish to me,” Seth said and Geraldine scoffed.

“The voice of a star is sacred, it must mean something of upmost importance,” she exclaimed.

“We heard it talking in the vision of our father,” I said, trying to recall everything we’d heard it say. “Didn’t it mention a palace then too?”

“Yeah,” Darcy said. “The Palace of Flames.” She looked to the Heirs to see if they might be able to shine some light on that, but no one had an answer. My sister reached into her pocket, taking out a Tarot card and my heart beat