Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,258

voice barely audible over the storm. "And you're mine. No matter what."

I kissed her once more, not wanting this to end, not wanting her to go. It felt like it would break me all over again if I had to watch her walk away from me again and yet I knew that this was the most we were ever going to be able to have. It was so much more than I thought we could take, but it was nowhere near enough at the same time.

I kissed her swollen lips one last time and she ran her fingers over my jaw like she wanted to memorise the lines of it before finally pulling back and getting to her feet.

The moment our bodies were no longer connected, the flow of our shared magic was cut off. I groaned at the loss of her power within me while she gritted her teeth as she fought to maintain the air shield with her power alone.

I stood too, stumbling a little as the force of the earthquake rattled through the ground beneath us.

"Can you hold the shield while we fly above the storm?" I asked her, the lightning which was slamming into her magic making my skin prickle with discomfort.

"I think so," she agreed, pulling my filthy tank back on before shifting into her full Phoenix form, her body covered in red and blue flames.

I shifted too, the Dragon in me bursting free of my fresh and I leapt into the air after Roxy as she took off towards the sky.

We flew hard and fast, lightning striking Roxy's shield over and over again, making my heart pound with the idea of what might happen if one of those bolts managed to break through. But she just flew harder, driving a path into existence between the clouds until we emerged above them and we were suddenly bathed in sunlight.

The air shield surrounding us fell away and we exchanged one last look before she took off in the direction of the academy once more and I was left to watch her go with my heart breaking a little all over again.

But this time the fissure wasn't so deep. Because despite the fact that the stars were determined to keep us apart, we'd managed to fight back and claim a slice of our own happiness right out from under their noses.

I just hoped they weren't the types to hold a grudge. Because if they were, then I had the feeling that destiny would be turning against us now and fate would make sure it got the last laugh.

***

I strode out of Jupiter Hall at the end of the day, my mind full of my girl instead of the lessons and I almost didn't notice the gold coin sat on the path in front of me until my foot was about to land on it.

Smoke coated my tongue as I looked down at it. That wasn't just some random coin. It was a four hundred and thirty-eight year old solid gold aura from King Agrien's reign.

I smirked as I bent down to retrieve the treasure, my inner Dragon chortling happily as I mentally added it to my treasure pile. Technically I probably should have made some effort to find the original owner and return it, but fuck that. This coin was mine. Mine.

The other Heirs had already headed to The Orb and I started making my way there, keeping my pace casual as I tugged my Atlas from my pocket and sent Roxy a message. We hadn't really gotten back to messaging each other like we used to yet, but after we'd denied the stars to be together, I was hoping we were back on track at last.

Darius:

What are you wearing?

Our unusual conversation starter made my heart race as I thought about how little she'd been wearing out in that field in a thunderstorm sent to tear us apart by the stars, and I almost didn't notice the glint of gold at the edge of the path to my right. But the Dragon in me wasn't going to miss treasure when it was up for the taking and my head snapped around almost of its own volition as I spotted another coin, this one even rarer - a ten aura piece from Queen Alanara's reign.

I smirked as I picked it up, rubbing the gold between my thumb and forefinger and enjoying the little thrill of magic I gained from it.

Just as I was about to turn away from