Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,126

here tonight, so you're not really alone, even if it might feel like you are while you're playing this part."

"Don't worry about me," I said, giving her a smile that I knew was too bright before pulling her into a hug. "I'd better go on alone now though. Can't have anyone seeing us socialising."

"Imagine the scandal," she deadpanned as I released her and I gave her one last smile before turning and walking away into the trees.

I passed through the various wards and spells which were in place around King's Hollow to keep the weaker students away and tried not to let my nerves get the better of me as I headed for The Orb.

My stiletto heels clicked along the path and I lifted my chin as I walked, narrowing my eyes a little and letting my resting bitch face do the work of keeping the other students away from me.

I didn't give anyone my attention for any length of time, and I tugged on my connection to the shadows to help keep me calm as the golden building appeared through the trees ahead of me.

As I stepped out of the wood, I set my gaze on the doors to The Orb and almost didn't notice as Darius appeared, jogging up the path which led back towards Ignis House wearing a pair of black shorts and sneakers and nothing else.

My heart thumped in recognition of him and I stole a moment to run over all the reasons why I knew I shouldn’t fear him. Max had helped me reclaim my happy memories of him for the most part, but he’d said the knee jerk fear I felt at Darius’s presence wasn’t going to be so easy to fix. I’d been conditioned to associate the sight or even mention of him with pain and violence. The only real way for me to get over that was by exposing myself to him repeatedly until I just learned not to feel it anymore. Easier said than done. Especially when the mere sight of him had me wanting to call on every drop of magic in my body to protect myself and had all of my muscles locking up instantly.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the real memories I had of running with Darius and wanting to see him in the mornings like this and using them to centre me. When I opened them again, I felt a little more in control and I blew out a breath as I made myself continue towards The Orb.

We reached the door at almost the same moment and I stilled as he placed a hand on it to keep it closed before casting a look over his shoulder to make sure no one was nearby.

"Morning, Roxy," he said in that low, rough voice of his and I chewed on my bottom lip as I found myself caught between the urge to run from him and move closer. The strangest thing was, I was fairly certain that had always been the way I felt about him. It had nothing to do with anything Lionel had subjected me to.

Darius’s expression was guarded as he looked down at me, seeming to be trying to assess how I was taking this unexpected meeting and I wasn’t even certain myself, so I couldn’t exactly help him out either.

I wet my lips as I tried to quiet my thundering pulse and hunted down my voice which was hiding out somewhere in the back of my mind alongside my sanity which seemed to have departed several weeks ago.

"Hi," I replied, not having anything better to say to him than that because I wasn't even sure where to begin or if I'd even be able to find the words if I tried.

There was an endless chasm of time and unspoken pain between us and I wasn’t sure how to even start trying to bridge it, let alone if we could achieve that at all.

He paused, looking like he had a thousand words waiting to tumble from his lips but then he just pulled the door wide and held it open for me instead of speaking any of them. I managed not to flinch at the movement, but it was a hard won battle and I was pretty sure he noticed.

I stepped closer to him hesitantly, my pulse picking up the pace as I was enveloped in the masculine cedar and smoke scent of him. My gaze dipped to his inked torso for a