Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,269

to hide it as I found a message from Darius. Of course, if she did decide to look this way, she’d punish the hell out of me for it. But I didn’t give a damn.

Darius:

Can you go to Lance’s tonight? He might need help and I’m busy.

My heart missed a full beat.

Darcy:

Busy doing what?

Darius:

Stuff and things. Be there by seven, shrew.

I shot him a gif of an angry Minotaur shouting ‘NO!’ and he replied with one of a shrew running away from a torrent of Dragon fire.

I pursed my lips, wondering where the hell he’d found such a gif before tossing him one back of a Calonian Octopus Shifter with Fae hands on the end of every tentacle putting its middle fingers up.

Darius:

Have fun!

“Asshole,” I muttered.

Right, well if I was going, I definitely needed a buffer. I wasn’t gonna spend an evening alone with a guy I craved like a drug and who was just as bad for me. So I shot a message to the group chat asking for help.

Max:

No can do, little Vega, Gerry’s sneaking over to my place tonight.

Darcy:

How did you pull that off??

Max:

I stole all the bagels from the school supply and stashed them in my room. If she wants breakfast tomorrow, she has to come. Literally.

I snorted a laugh but it fell dead as Seth’s reply came in next.

Seth:

Can’t come tonight. Cal’s hunting me.

Caleb:

I am?

Seth:

Yup. *crossing swords emoji*

Seth:

Shit that was meant to be a battle axe emoji.

Caleb:

…

Seth:

Anyways, sorry babe, we’re out. Good luck, let us know all the juicy deets…about the diary.

I gritted my jaw in annoyance, looking over to Tory, but I knew she couldn’t join me. She only went home to Lionel at the weekends and there was no way I was going to make her head back to the palace any more than she had to.

My Atlas buzzed and I found a message from the only other person I could have called on.

Gabriel:

No can do, I’m heading home for the night for Faetalian Tuesdays. I’m cooking. I’ll freeze you some!

Great. It looked like it was on me.

It wasn’t like I didn’t want to see Orion. Hell, that was all I wanted to do. But being in a house alone with him seemed like a terrible idea. Especially since we’d kissed. I’d worked really hard convincing myself it meant nothing, and I didn’t want to be proven wrong.

I moved my thumb onto the new number in my contacts for Orion, his name saved as Starboy just like it used to be to hide the fact that we were talking. I guessed some things never changed. I hadn’t messaged him once since I’d gotten his number, but I figured it was only right to tell him I’d be showing up later.

Darcy:

Hey, I’ll be over at 7. Darius thought it would be best if someone is there with you.

P.S. Full moon woo!

Full. Moon. Woo??

God why would I say that?

Three little dots appeared to let me know he was typing a reply and I couldn’t believe how much that made my heart backflip.

Starboy:

And Darius thought the best someone would be you?

P.S. I think you’re spending too much time with Werewolves for the moon to get you that excited…

I rolled my eyes, but I was also struggling to flatten my grin as I replied.

Darcy:

He’s busy doing ‘stuff and things’ apparently which I’m gonna assume means counting out his gold and checking all the locks on his doors to make sure no one ever steals it.

So I guess you’re stuck with me.

P.S. No more time than I do with Sirens, Vampires, Cerberuses and Dragons.

Starboy:

I can think of worse fates.

P.S. They don’t sleep in your bed though, do they?

My heart lurched into my throat as I stared at those words. How the hell did he know Seth slept in my bed? Had Darius told him?

“Miss Vega!” Highspell shrieked and I looked up in surprise, finding her storming toward me like a bat out of hell. Her eyes turned to green slits and the necklace around her throat glowed brighter as she closed in on me. “How dare you disrespect me in my own classroom?” she hissed and I tucked my Atlas into my pocket.

“I don’t need to disrespect you, miss, you manage that all on your own,” I said lightly, poking the beast.

Tory met my eye across the room, a grin tugging up the corner of her mouth ever so slightly. I noticed her fingers flicking under her seat and Highspell suddenly tripped over like a whip of air