Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,298

mom's voice drew my attention to her as she called my name.

"I've been looking for you!" she chastised half-heartedly. “Come on - I want you to speak with the leader of the Falhurst company. He's doing some really impressive things with predictive charts that I just know you'd love to hear about."

I smiled politely at the Falhurst dude who Mom was clearly trying to impress for some deal and painted on my Heir face as I moved over to join them.

Had we just gotten away with freeing a bunch of prisoners right out from under Lionel's scaly nose without anyone even realising we'd ducked out on the party?

Hell yeah we had. And it felt really fucking good.

I stood in a huge shower which seemed big enough for eight people as I washed the blood from my skin, examining the places on my stomach where the knife had cut me open. There was no sign it had ever happened, yet I could still feel the icy lick of it imprinted in my memory.

I shuddered, turning the water off and stepping out into the large bathroom onto a fluffy white mat, using my air magic to dry myself off before wrapping myself in a towel. Gabriel’s family were away at a cabin for Christmas in their usual tradition and Gabriel would be joining them there too after tonight. He’d given me access to his house a while ago and had given me permission to come here if I was ever in trouble. I guessed he’d done the same for Orion.

My bloody clothes were bagged up in the garbage and Diego’s hat rested by the his and hers sinks with my Atlas. I picked them up, finding a text from Tory in reply to the message I’d sent her to say we had the hat and we were okay, but we’d had to run after Stella and Clara had shown up. I’d tell her the rest when I saw her next. At least for now, we were safe.

Tory:

Lay low. Lionel will send the FIB looking for Orion as soon as he realises he’s escaped. xx

My throat thickened as I let that knowledge settle over me. On the one hand, I was glad he was away from Lionel but on the other, the idea of the FIB coming for him was terrifying. What would they do to a convict on the run? How many more years would they add to his sentence if he was caught? There was only one plan we could make. They could never, ever catch him.

I dressed in a pair of soft lilac sweatpants and a white crop top I’d borrowed from Gabriel’s wife then opened the door, putting Diego’s hat and my Atlas in my pocket. Orion immediately pushed off of the wall opposite me, his eyes full of anxiety. He’d washed and changed, wearing what I guessed were a pair of Gabriel’s navy sweatpants. He didn’t stop coming, dropping to his knees in front of me and pressing his mouth to my bare stomach. I gasped in surprise, fisting my hands in his hair as desire spilled through my flesh.

He hugged me against him and looked up at me with his brows drawn low.

“I’m sorry,” he rasped, a haunted look in his eyes that made my heart squeeze painfully.

I knelt down too, leaning into his touch as he cupped my cheek. “It wasn’t you.”

His upper lip peeled back, his fangs glinting as hatred shone in his eyes. But I wasn’t sure who it was aimed at, only certain it wasn’t me. His fingers pushed through my hair like he was trying to reassure himself I was still here, and I let myself bathe in his touches despite knowing it would only make it harder to pull away.

“I’m okay,” I promised and his Adam’s apple rose and fell.

“I’m not,” he replied in a deep growl.

“I’m sorry too,” I breathed, pain caving in my chest.

“Don’t you dare be.” He looked at me with an intensity in his gaze that made my breath catch. “You freed me from the shadows. You saved us. I was the one who…” He laid his mouth on my throat where the knife had kissed my flesh and a shiver darted down my spine.

“Stop,” I said but it came out husky, more like a plea for him to continue than anything else. After coming so close to losing him again, all I wanted to do was pull him nearer and never let go. But there was