Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,44

then swapped places with Geraldine in the shower once she was done. By the time we were dressed in our uniforms we found all the guys waiting for us in the lounge, looking casually gorgeous and prepared to take on anything. I just hoped they really were prepared because I had a feeling we weren’t going to like the world that was waiting for us outside of this place. I sure as hell wasn’t looking forward to facing it, but with all of them around me, everything seemed easier.

We headed down the stairway together and started walking to The Orb where the assembly was being held. Darius tugged on my sleeve beside me, drawing me to the back of the group and casting a silencing bubble around us.

I frowned curiously. “What’s up?”

“So, there’s something I need to ask you.” His Adam’s apple rose and fell as he stared at me and I got the feeling I wasn’t going to like what he had to say. I swear any news any of us got these days was bad news. I probably should have been used to it by now.

“What is it? You’re giving me that doomed Dragon look and I don’t like it.”

“It’s not too bad, it’s just…I need you to visit Lance.”

“What?” I hissed, my heart rate going from nought to a thousand miles per hour in one second flat. “No,” I blurted, my instinct to refuse driving through me. The last time I’d seen him, he’d turned me away, told me to move on, acted like we were nothing. He’d ripped my heart out and watched it bleed for him. I wasn’t going back there. Besides, he didn’t want me to go back there. And I sure as shit wasn’t going to be making a visit so he could tell me to fuck off again.

“He’s agreed,” Darius said quickly as if that made it any better.

“Oh well, if he’s agreed,” I said sarcastically. “Then I’ll fly there right now and skip into his arms like an obedient little homing pigeon. Oh no wait, I’d rather eat Griffin shit.”

“Darcy,” Darius sighed. “The star vow he broke is putting him in danger. The bad luck he gets means he’s coming up against the most vicious assholes in that place over and over again. I had to heal him of a broken arm and a shattered nose yesterday.”

I stopped walking, the horror of that news making everything bunch up inside me and hurt like hell.

Darius turned to me with a serious look. “And it’s more than that. We need to find out what’s in his father’s diary. He’s never going to get the luck to do that if he remains under this curse.”

I drew in a long breath, trying to hear him out through the cloud of rage and betrayal in my head. Slowly, I nodded, giving in. I couldn’t just let Orion suffer in there. And though I’d never admit it, knowing that he was being hurt just made me want to tear through the walls of that prison and take him as far away from it as Faely possible. I knew I couldn’t do that, but I could do this…

“Okay,” I agreed tightly. “But I want to go in and out. Five minutes, that’s it.”

“Deal,” he said, a grim look entering his eyes. “But you could talk to him.”

“No,” I growled. “I gave him a chance to talk and he told me to stay away from him. I’m done, Darius.”

He looked like he wanted to say more, but finally nodded and disbanded the silencing bubble. “We’ll go tonight.”

Shit. Tonight??

“Sure,” I forced out like it didn’t matter. But it did, hell it really did.

We kept walking, hurrying to catch up with the others while I tried not to panic about the bomb that had just exploded in my face. It’ll be fine. In and out. Five minutes.

There was a strange mood hanging over the campus as students headed to The Orb, some obviously overjoyed and others sombre. I was definitely in the second party. Lionel taking the throne was the worst thing that could have happened freaking ever. I had no idea how we were going to stop him now. I just knew we had to.

We reached The Orb, heading inside and my heart thumped a little harder at the sight of Nova standing before the faculty at the far end of the room, a wide and disconcerting smile on her face.

I walked toward the A.S.S. table, but Seth caught my