Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,217

snapped as Darcy begged her to as well.

“They are shut, I opened them for like one millisecond,” Tory growled.

I pushed Darcy up ahead of me as I placed one hand on the hot scales of my friend and boosted Tory up after her. I climbed on and a hand found mine which I knew was Blue’s by touch alone. I sat behind her and felt Geraldine slide into place behind me, knowing it was her by the way she breathed, “Holy guacamole, I’m upon the loins of a lizard.”

Warm magic swept out from Darcy’s hand and the burns on my body healed over. I immediately pushed my own magic back into her veins, healing any bruise or mark I’d left on her in the tomb. It made me sick that I’d done that. I knew I’d been under a spell, but fuck, that didn’t make me feel any better about it.

Geraldine’s arms slid around my waist as Darius shifted beneath us. “Holy abs, whose man muscle am I holding onto?” she cried in my ear and I snorted.

“It’s your old teacher,” I called to her.

“You’re only as young as you think you are,” she said then Darius took off and she wailed like a banshee, her hands sliding up to grip my pecs and squeezing hard.

“By the stars,” I swore, pulling Darcy against me as Geraldine nearly clawed my nipples off.

I opened my eyes just as Darius sailed over the gate far below and flew across the forest as more furious howls rang out while the pack chased us. Darcy’s midnight blue hair fluttered against my face and I held her tighter, relief filling me at getting the fuck away from that graveyard.

“By the light of the moon upon my Great Aunt Delia’s bosoms, this is the most magnanimous ride of my life!” Geraldine yelled.

Seth started howling and Max and Caleb joined in as we soared up toward the full moon.

“Wanna loosen your grip there a bit, Grus?” I growled as her fingers clamped tighter over my pecs.

“A strapping man like you can handle a little light lady-handed squeezing,” she insisted and Darcy craned her neck to try and see what the fuss was about, bursting out laughing as she realised what was going on.

“Are we stardusting out of here or what?” Max called.

I adjusted my grip on Darcy, pushing a hand into my pocket and pulling out a pouch. “Ready Darius?” I yelled to him and he nodded his large head.

I threw it ahead of us and Darius flew us straight into it. We were wrenched away into the ether, travelling a hundred miles across Solaria where we were spat out beyond the fence of the academy.

Darius shifted back before we landed and we all fell in a heap on the grass. I extracted myself from the pile up, tugging Darcy up by the hand and hooking her sister out of the mess too.

“Did you find it?” Tory asked anxiously and Darcy reached into her pocket, taking out the Imperial Star to show her with a triumphant smile. Everyone crowded closer to see and pride swelled in my chest. We’d fucking done it.

“Have mercy!” Geraldine wailed, honest to shit tears rolling down her cheeks as she gazed at it. “It’s more beautiful than the sunset diamond of Tullissia.”

“Make it do something,” Seth urged, bouncing up and down excitedly.

I made a mild attempt not to despise him, but failed. If Darcy had been telling the truth about them then he had a fuck ton of explaining to do. And I was not a forgiving kind of guy.

“Let’s not,” Darcy shot back, pocketing the star. “We don’t know how it works and fucking with stars has caused us far too much trouble before now.”

“Seconded. Let’s just get to King’s Hollow. I’d rather not piss off any more celestial beings in my lifetime,” Tory said, shooting a look at Darius as he finished pulling his clothes back on.

“It’s a shame we can’t use it to make my father’s head blow up though,” Darius said with a frown.

“That’s too quick of a death for him,” Max reasoned. “He should be cursed to eat a field of thorn bushes then be smothered inside a Griffin’s asshole.”

“Oh what fun,” Geraldine guffawed, slapping her thigh. “I’d like to make that odious beast stand in a pool of ravenous fishes who feast on his scrotum and tallywacker until there is nothing left of him downstairs but his questionable morals.”

I barked a laugh and she grinned at me.