Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,113

of deadly projectiles.

For a moment I was paralysed in fear and panic but in the midst of it, the call of the Phoenix fire in my blood centred me and I found a girl between the flames, her body coated in fire like mine and her arms outstretched to me in a silent plea.

I collided with her with a sob escaping me as she pulled me close, squeezing me so hard I was sure I would break. But I didn't. Because I had her. And she was all I'd ever needed.

My tears turned hysterical as I clung to her, my brain unable to concentrate fully on anything other than how much I'd been missing without her, how much I needed her and how much less I'd been altogether.

I wasn’t sure how long we clung to each other like that, practically forming one body, two halves of the same whole. Just the way we’d been born to be.

I slowly became aware of the fire around us dying down as the tears stopped sizzling from my skin and my Phoenix withdrew, sinking within me again though staying close to the surface as it chased the lingering shadows aside.

"You're okay, Tor," Darcy was saying over and over as she held me tight against her and stroked her fingers through my hair.

"Is she under control again?" Seth's voice drew my attention and I turned my head slightly, finding him standing within a dome of ice that Max, Geraldine and Darius were all maintaining around their side of the treehouse to shield everyone.

Behind us, the entire place had been blasted apart and flames still blazed throughout the branches of the trees in the forest beyond.

"You're okay now, aren't you, Tor?" Darcy asked and I blinked up at her, drawing back a little as my brain tried to catch up to what was happening.

I was left feeling like I had to wade through a layer of cotton wool to even understand the words everyone was throwing at me.

"My lady, you may have my clothes!" Geraldine announced loudly, parting the ice beside her and stepping forward as she began to peel off her shirt, making me realise that I'd burned all of my clothes off in the shift and was crouched naked on the floor with my arms wound tightly around myself.

Darcy had clearly had the presence of mind to protect her own outfit when she shifted so I was just the naked ass chick that everyone was staring at.

Embarrassment clawed at me and the shadows slithered beneath my skin, offering me some reprieve from this feeling, but I resisted their call, looking at my sister and finding all I needed to centre myself in her gaze.

Max caught Geraldine's wrist and tugged her back before she could take anything off. "Don't crowd her," he warned. "She might blow again."

My skin prickled with the touch of his Siren gifts and I glanced at Darcy nervously as she gave me an encouraging nod. "Max will help you if you'll let him?"

I was trembling with weakness from the injuries the cage had given me and my brain felt so close to cracking that it was all too tempting to accept, but as a huge figure moved in the corner of my eye, I locked up.

Darius took a step towards me and I gasped, my Phoenix rearing up beneath my skin protectively as fear skittered through me and I tried to scramble back away from him.

"Here," he offered, pulling a hoody from a chest of clothes that had been protected from the blast by the ice shield and offering it to me.

My magic had been replenished a little by the flames of our Phoenixes and I threw an air shield up before Darius could move any closer, recoiling into Darcy's arms as a whimper of fear escaped me.

"Shit," Max cursed, glancing between me and Darius as his face pinched with sadness. "Darius...I think you should leave."

"What?" the Dragon growled, his eyes flashing with a clear refusal and his muscles rippling like he was on the verge of shifting himself.

I sucked in a fearful breath as I pushed more magic into the shield and Darcy caught my chin, turning me to face her as healing magic slid beneath my skin and eased some of the aches in my flesh.

"You don't need to be afraid of Darius, Tory," she breathed. "He's not like his father. He'd never hurt you like Lionel did-"

"Lionel doesn't hurt me," I snarled, pushing out of her arms. "He