Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,28

the mirror as they slid back beneath my skin until the only visual clue that they were there at all was hidden in the black ring that surrounded my irises.

My gaze stayed locked on that ring for a long moment as the echo of something important tugged at my memory. I shivered as I almost felt the kiss of snow on my arms, tasted tears on my lips, felt a stab of pain directly into my heart. But as I sucked in a sharp breath at the almost memory, the shadows fluttered in my chest and soothed it away for me.

The hint of a smile touched my crimson painted lips and I pulled my door open as I headed outside.

The corridors of Ignis House were quiet due to the early hour and I walked on silent feet in my stiletto heels down the stairs to the empty common room before heading down the next set of stairs to the exit.

I pushed the door open and stepped out into the cool morning, almost calling on my fire magic to warm me through before the shadows licked beneath my skin and drew my attention away from the cold.

I took a few steps, but a prickling sense of awareness drew my attention to more shadows at my back and I clenched my fist as I reached out with my own hold on the dark magic to claim control of the threat.

There was a grunt of discomfort from the source of the shadows, but the owner of them made no attempt to pull them back under their own control and I slowly turned to look at him.

I flinched as my gaze fell on Darius, standing there in a pair of grey sweatpants and a white tank. His muscular, tattooed arms flexed with tension and his gaze tightened as his eyes moved over me.

"Roxy," he murmured and I fought to stay impassive as the echo of pain and fear washed through me at the sound of that name in his mouth.

But this wasn't the indistinct pain of memories I couldn't quite grasp. It was the smack of electricity slamming into my flesh and burning me from the inside out. It was the taste of charred flesh on my lips and the sound of my screams filling the air. He was responsible for that. And even the idea of lingering in his company had me fearing it happening again. But I couldn't show him that. My king had been very clear about that.

"Why are you standing out here?" I asked him, forcing myself to take a step closer even as I remembered the scent of burning flesh in the air and had to fight the desire to bolt. "You didn't seriously think you could sneak up on me, did you?"

"I was waiting for you," he replied, his brow pinching like he thought I should have expected that.

I released my hold on his shadows a touch as I tried to understand why he'd expect me to be out here this early. But as I tried to figure it out, a different memory rose in me of him forcing me beneath the surface of a swimming pool and bringing my nightmares to life. And the darkness in me ached to make him pay for it.

"Why?" I ground out, my jaw tightening as the shadows whispered dark thoughts in my ears, urging me to claim vengeance for the things he'd done and all the pain he was responsible for. I tightened my grip on them, using them to hurt him.

My lips curled up as a curse escaped his lips and I watched as the shadows dug their claws into him and fed on his pain, filling me with a sense of euphoria that was utterly addictive.

Darius clenched his jaw and I felt a sharp tug on my hold over his shadows as he took back control of them. I expected him to lash out at me and drew on my own darkness even more in preparation to fight him off, but instead he just stepped into my personal space and caught my cheek in his rough palm.

"Because I'm not giving up on you, Roxy. I don't care what I have to do or what it costs to pull you back out of the shadows. I won't stop until you're yourself again," he swore roughly.

For a moment I just stood there, my gaze raking over his face as the shadows rippled through my flesh and I smirked at him.

"You think