Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,20

his unruly long hair and I jumped up and hugged him.

“That’s so perfect. Have you told him?”

“Perfect?” he scoffed. “It’s very imperfect actually on account of the fact that he’s straight. So obviously I haven’t told him. And if you breathe a word in his direction, babe, I will spank your ass red.”

I laughed. “I won’t.” I offered him my pinky and hooked it around his. “Promise. But you should tell him despite all that shit.”

“Nah.” He waved me off, but I gave him an intent look.

“Seth Capella, life is not guaranteed and with the shit we do most nights, you will regret it if anything happens to him and you don’t get the chance to tell him the truth.”

“We won’t die,” he said with a shrug. “We’re the Heirs and the Savage Princess. Darcy and the dudebros. Wolfman, Bitey C, Fish Fury, Dragzilla, and the Phoen Dream.”

“Okay firstly, never call us those things again, and secondly, we’re not immortal, Seth. Just…don’t take this time for granted, okay?” I implored. “You never know when the world could just be pulled out from under your feet.” My heart knotted up in my throat and I took a shaky breath.

Seth stepped forward, brushing a lock of hair behind my ear with a whine. “We’re gonna be okay.”

“I don’t know that anymore,” I admitted. “I used to think everything would just work out one way or another, but now…” I dropped his gaze, trying to ignore the void living inside me, but it was a hungry thing. Sometimes it felt like it was going to consume everything inside me and leave me hollow. If it wasn’t for the will to save my sister and my desire to see Lionel brought to his knees, I was sure it would have done so already.

Seth gripped my chin, tilting my head up to look him in the eyes. His irises were deep and earthy brown, full of a hope and positivity I hadn’t felt in a long time. Looking at him pulled on some instinctual piece of my soul these days. I’d always felt a connection to Seth, but I’d never really understood why that was when he’d been treating me cruelly. Now, my enemy had somehow become someone I deeply cared about. And though there was still an echo of hurt that lived between us, my hate was now saved for someone much more worthy of it in Solaria.

“You owe me the truth, babe. And you’re not walking out of this room until you give it to me.”

“I could just put you on your ass, Capella,” I warned and he smirked.

“Just try me.” He gnashed his teeth together and I blew out a breath, knocking his hand away from my face. “So what’s your truth? What are you really feeling after all this time away from Professor Dipshit?”

I didn’t walk away like I wanted to. I had made a promise after all. So I swallowed thickly, holding his gaze. “The truth is, I’ll probably dream about Lance for the rest of my life. I’ll miss him and long for him, but when I wake up, I’ll continue as if he was never here. Because that’s what he asked for when he betrayed me. And now he’s gone, he’ll never get back in. No one will. I just can’t trust anyone anymore.”

“You don’t trust me?” Seth whimpered.

“No. There’s only one person I trust in this world and she’s currently being held by a monster. But as soon as I have her back, I’ll keep her close and that’ll be enough.”

Seth reached for me but I knocked his hand away again, hating the look of pain in his eyes or the way I felt that pain scrape up the centre of my being.

“It won’t be enough,” he breathed sadly and I set my jaw, ignoring the agonising hole in my chest that agreed with him.

“It will,” I growled, stepping past him, grabbing my bag and hooking my Atlas off the nightstand before pushing out the door.

Seth followed me out into the hall in his underwear, abandoning the rest of his clothes in my room. I swear if he started trying to keep stuff in my drawers again like he had at the palace he was going to get a dick punch instead of a pillow slap next time.

My gaze shifted to Diego’s old room across the corridor and my stomach clenched, a burning sense of grief driving through me before I forced myself to look away again.