Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,308

leave, the other Heirs waving at us as they followed their families out. Darius straightened in his chair as Lionel cut through the crowd, ignoring everyone else and aiming straight for us.

"Still pining after my Guardian I see, boy?" Lionel asked, cutting Darius a look of disdain as he moved to stand over us.

"I think he looooves her," Clara cooed, hopping up onto the table and placing her bare foot right on top of a cheesecake that had been left there without seeming to mind that at all.

"Love," Lionel scoffed, his upper lip peeling back. "What a weak concept."

"Isn't love supposed to conquer all?" Darius asked casually, not seemed to care at all that he was baiting the monster.

The last of the guests filed out and Vard closed the double doors before leaning back against them and watching us with a hungry expression on his face that could only spell trouble.

"Let's put that to the test then, shall we?" Lionel asked, flicking his wrist so that a spear of shadows bolted from his hand and struck Darius in the chest, knocking him backwards out of his chair and crashing to the floor.

I leapt to my feet with a gasp of alarm but managed to stop myself from moving any further than that as I felt Lionel's eyes fix on me.

"What is it, Roxanya?" he asked in a soft tone which urged me to look his way.

But I knew my fear for Darius would be written all too plainly across my face and my heart thundered as I kept my eyes on him instead, watching as he writhed on the floor beneath the torture the shadows were inflicting on him.

"I asked you a question, girl," Lionel snarled and I reached for the shadows as a jolt of fear spilled through my body. I dove into them head first and let them consume me before I turned to look at him with darkness spilling across my vision.

My lips curled up into a cruel grin as he watched me and I moved a step closer to him, trying to think of the answer he wanted while shivering from the kiss of darkness inside me.

"I was just watching his pain," I said, a touch of amusement colouring my words even while they burned my tongue with bile.

Lionel considered me for several more seconds, reaching out to clasp my chin between his thumb and forefinger and I looked straight back into his eyes as he assessed me.

"Don't ever hesitate when I ask something of you again," he growled.

"No, my King," I agreed.

His gaze narrowed on me then he broke a smile which made my heart lighten because of the damn bond, but also made me relax as his attention moved off of me.

"Get up," Lionel snapped at Darius as he withdrew the shadows from his body and his son rolled over onto all fours, panting to regain his breath.

I was desperate to run to him, hating Lionel, Clara, Stella and Vard with a fury that was unrivalled by any other feeling I'd ever succumbed to. One of these days I would go full Phoenix on their asses and burn them all to soot. But until then, I hated myself with almost as much ferocity for having to stand by and watch them hurt so many people.

Darius gripped the edge of the table as he hauled himself to his feet, his teeth bared at his father and smoke spilling between his lips.

"You're a fucking coward," Darius snarled. "You hide behind the shadows and the girl you bonded to yourself against her will and you refuse to fight me like Fae. Everyone here knows it's because I would beat you. And you're so fucking terrified of that day coming that you just keep finding more barriers to place between us. But one day, I'll break through and prove your fears correct."

Lionel snarled right back, the pungent scent of his smoke slipping from him as he stepped up close behind me and placed both hands on my shoulders, his grip bruising as he clasped me tightly.

"I think it's time you go to bed, boy," Lionel purred and I frowned as he failed to do a single thing to reprimand Darius for speaking out. "You're clearly drunk and the rest of us are tired."

Darius looked like he wanted to argue against that but I shot him a pleading look, begging him not to. I couldn't bear to stand by and watch Lionel torture him and I was guessing he