Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,120

any better, unless you were a complete asshole. Which I tried not to be most of the time.

I sighed as I walked down the path though The Wailing Wood, heading for the lake and Aqua House while trying to skim whatever brief flashes of happiness that I could taste on any of the Fae I passed by just to take the edge off of what was consuming me.

But it was no good. Every time I closed my eyes, I was reliving Tory's nightmares, drowning in Darius's feelings of failure and so much pain that it made me choke.

I hardly even noticed that I was back at my dorm until I was turning my key in the lock and pushing the door wide.

I didn't even flick the lights on, just knocking the door shut behind me as I kicked off my shoes and tugged my shirt over my head. It was still damp with Tory's tears, but it hadn't felt right to dry them out with magic. They were too heavy to just wish away like that.

I noticed the door hadn't clicked shut behind me and looked over my shoulder to find Geraldine pushing it open hesitantly.

"I'm sorry, Gerry," I murmured. "I don't think I can bear to go over it all again tonight. Maybe just give me tonight to-"

"I didn't come to enquire about my lady, you bumbling beluga," she said in a soft voice, pushing the door closed behind her as she stepped inside. "I came to enquire about you."

I stilled, a lump forming in my throat as I took that in.

"I thought you didn't care about me?" I asked a little bitterly, our ongoing argument over her engagement to that fucking stuck up assbag still biting at me.

Geraldine sighed, kicking her shoes off and dropping her blazer as she padded towards me with her eyes glimmering with tears.

"Don't do that tonight, Maxy boy," she breathed. "Just let me hold you close and we can pretend the rest of the world isn't out there."

I swallowed thickly, nodding as she wrapped her hands around my waist and gently pushed me back until I was sinking down onto the bed.

Her mouth found mine as she lowered down onto my lap and I groaned softly as I fell back beneath her. Our kiss was slow and deep and laced with pain that wouldn't be fixed by anything we did now, but somehow it helped all the same.

I pulled her closer as the warmth of her body against mine seemed to soothe something deep within my soul and somehow we ended up curled together against my pillows as her soft hands continued to soothe and caress me.

I kissed her again, devouring her slowly while my heart pounded to this torturous rhythm that made me ache in a wholly different way than I had all day.

"I hate fighting with you, Gerry," I breathed as I moved my hands into her hair, letting some of my heartache slip away and worshipping her with every movement of my mouth against hers.

Everything just felt better when I was with her. She could fight away the worst demons in my mind and keep them at bay if only she'd stay here.

"Then stop talking," she breathed. "We only argue when you open your flapper trap."

I had to admit she had a point there, so I closed my mouth and gave in to what she wanted, as she pulled me into her arms. I laid my head against her chest where the solid thump of her heart beat beneath my ear and her presence eased the pain in my soul unlike anything else could have.

Her fingers stroked through my hair and there was this beautiful feeling of contentment that came from her which helped to ease the ache in my soul and stop the cycle of horrifying memories from dominating my mind.

It wasn’t enough to chase out all of the dark in me. But it was the sliver of light I’d been aching for, calling me home.

W hen Max returned the next morning at dawn, he made me and Gabriel leave so that he could wake Tory. I hadn’t spoken to her, just curled up in bed between her and Gabriel while she slept. Me and my brother had stayed up talking half the night in a silencing bubble about Tory, the Imperial Star, Lionel’s awful Orderist shit and just…everything.

I was out in the woods close to King’s Hollow, pacing and practising my earth magic, making a whole tree regrow