Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,22

honest to shit growl. I stalked my way to The Orb, fuming at what Lionel had made Tory do. He was twisting everything, making out that she wanted him, that she’d chosen him over me. It was sick. I wanted to tear his goddamn head off for it.

Fire flared hotter under my skin as my Phoenix reared its head, desperate to be unleashed. A flash of movement in my periphery made me flinch and fire burst to life in my palms as Caleb slowed to a halt beside me.

“Woah, chill sweetheart. I guess you saw the article?” he asked and I put out the flames.

“Yeah,” I snarled. “How dare that asshole do that to her, he had no right.”

He frowned sadly. “We’ll fix it. We’ll get her back.”

“We’ve been saying that for months,” I said, my breaths coming heavily and I cast a quick silencing bubble around us. “Even if I could burn the shadows out of her, how are we supposed to get near her?”

Caleb pushed his fingers into his curly blonde hair with a sigh. “Darius can get us inside his house.”

“So what? She’s locked somewhere we can’t reach her. And even if we knew where she was being kept, I doubt we could get near her without setting off a ward or – or-” I shook my head in dismay.

We’d been over it all before anyway. We weren’t getting near her unless Lionel chose it. And that truth was unbearable.

Caleb knocked his arm against mine and I looked up at him with a sad smile.

“We won’t give up on her,” I breathed and he nodded seriously.

“Never.”

“Maybe Gabriel will see more?” Caleb said, his voice heavy. Gabriel had come to me over the summer after inviting all of the Heirs and Geraldine to the palace, announcing it was time to tell them the truth. They’d proved their friendship to the Vegas, and we’d entrusted them with our secret. That Gabriel was mine and Tory’s brother. And he was the son of the greatest Seer of the century.

“I hope so,” I sighed and he gave me an encouraging smile, though there was a darkness in his eyes that spoke of his doubts too. With Clara and the Nymphs keeping Lionel’s movements hidden, it was impossible for Gabriel to see anything tangible that might help us save Tory. Especially with her so far away, lost to the shadows. Darius said we couldn’t use the shadows to spy on Lionel anymore either because Clara could sense it. It was infuriating.

I disbanded my silencing bubble as we walked up to The Orb and Caleb opened the door, letting me head inside first. The place was packed and freshmen were clustering together in groups, looking wide-eyed and unprepared - which I imagined was exactly how I’d looked when I’d started here too. Plenty of them glanced our way, nudging each other and whispering. My gaze snagged on the group of the Heirs’ siblings holding court at a table beyond the Heirs’ red couch. Xavier wasn’t among them though and I frowned as I hunted for him before my view was blocked by Geraldine climbing onto the A.S.S. table with two bagels clutched in her hands.

“My lady!” She strode over the table, sending bagels flying everywhere as she used Justin Masters’ head to help her climb down on this side then ran towards me like a runaway train.

I laughed as she collided with me, hugging her tight, the scent of butter and fresh coffee hanging around her.

“See you later, Darcy.” Caleb shot off to get some coffee as I was crushed into Geraldine’s large breasts, wheezing as she squeezed the air out of me.

“It’s good to see you too, Geraldine,” I rasped.

She pressed me back, looking me over then burst into tears, covering her eyes and turning away from me with a wail. “Oh mangos on a merry-go-round you’re so broken, I can’t bear it. Your homologous half, your synonymous sibling, your tantamount twin – gone! There has never been such woe as this. To see you here alone, walking through the door of destiny which leads you down a separate path to hers. It is a travesty!”

“Shh.” I patted her back, feeling eyes on us from all around. “We’ll work it out.”

Geraldine wailed, spinning on her heels to look at me again, her eyes red and her face blotchy. “That diabolical, dastard of a Dragoon! I would give him what for alright. I’d pluck his eyes out and fry them up in a