Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,235

other though. So we shall don our masks and stick it to the big man while we’re here all the same.”

“Yeah, fuck my father,” I said with a grin as I put my mask on.

“All this defiance gets my wet Wanda working,” Geraldine exclaimed as she led us along dark corridors before pushing through a door into a stairwell and guiding us down a couple of flights.

“How did you get on the Pitball team, Geraldine?” Hadley asked. “I wanna try out next term.”

“You must have the heart of a lion and the balls of a bull, young Altair,” she said seriously, lifting her chin as pride gleamed in her eyes.

“Check and check,” he said with a smirk and I rolled my eyes at him.

We headed through a door and my heart leapt as Geraldine let us into a silencing bubble and the sound of a crowd exploded in my ears. We were in a huge underground space the size of the Pitball pitch. It must have been right underneath it. The whole place was decorated with earth magic so it looked like a jungle, moss and vines covering the roof and floor, trees dotted around the place with ornate wooden stools ringing them. A band was playing in front of a dancefloor and to one side of it was a long bar stacked high with alcohol.

“Woah,” I breathed.

“I shall see you soon, boys, I’m off for a romp on the dancefloor.” Geraldine headed away, soon joining Max Rigel and swishing her hips to knock aside a girl who was dancing close to him. The other Heirs and who I guessed was Darcy were beyond them, all drinking shots and jumping wildly to the beat. I only recognised the Heirs because I knew them so well, but they’d all changed their hair and had cast illusions over their appearances to blend in.

“This is fucking awesome,” Hadley growled.

My gaze suddenly locked on Sofia in a pastel blue dress, her blonde pixie cut shimmering with glitter. I knew it was her from the deep connection I felt in my chest the moment I laid eyes on her. She was at the bar with a group of girls and there was no sign of fucking Tyler for once. She’s here. And she looks like a damn dream.

“I’m gonna go say hi to Sofia,” I said, turning to Hadley, finding his gaze locked on someone and his brow drawn low.

I recognised Athena sitting on one of the stools around the nearest tree, wearing a black dress that split up one thigh. Hadley’s friend Trent sat beside her without a mask on, his hand on her knee and Grayson was beyond them, talking animatedly as his pack of females all sighed or laughed at every word he said.

“You good?” I nudged Hadley and he grunted.

“See you in a bit,” he muttered then shot off ahead of me, dropping into the seat beside Athena, his shoulders squared at Trent. If I wasn’t being totally crazy, it kinda looked like he was jealous. Or maybe it was just a blood thing. He was desperate to sink his teeth into Athena and Trent probably was too. I’d never understand the Vampires. The idea of drinking blood made me wanna vom. Give me a sparkly rainbow cloud any day of the week.

I started walking through the jungle toward Sofia, my pulse thumping against my eardrums as I went. Hadley’s advice kept haunting me as I walked. That I should hook up with some random girls just so I wasn’t a complete inexperienced virgin when it came to claiming Sofia. But as I drew closer to her, I didn’t even see anyone else. How was I supposed to screw another girl when it felt like this one already owned every piece of me? I knew it was fucking crazy. But I just couldn’t get her out of my head. She was my lucky star. And maybe she’d get over the fact that I wasn’t like the other guys she’d been with when I stole the title of Dom and crushed the rest of the herd beneath my hooves.

I walked straight up to her before I could second guess myself, planting my hand on the bar and gazing down at her as the other girls backed up around me.

“Hey,” I said, my eyes falling down to her lips as they parted in surprise.

“Xavier,” she gasped. “You’re here.”

“Guess I’m part of the club now,” I said with a smirk worthy of Hadley. I