Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,328

shot up behind the Nymph with water magic, whacking it hard in the backs of the legs with his bat and the creature stumbled down onto one knee with a roar.

Orion twisted around, hefting the bat over his head and smashing it down on the Nymph’s skull with a furious blow. The creature hit the ground with a dying groan and burst into ash and shadow around us.

“Yes,” I hissed, kissing Orion’s cheek.

More Nymphs spilled into the arena from a set of stone doors across from us and Orion ran at them full pelt to try and get inside. But just as we were about to dive through the doors, we hit a magical barrier and were thrown backwards amongst four of the giant beasts, rolling away from each other across the sand.

My heart thundered in my chest as I pushed myself up, lifting the knife and slashing at the legs of the closest Nymph before driving it into one of their stomach’s.

A huge probed hand smashed into me, sending me flying further away from Orion and I hit the sand hard enough to bruise my spine. Fear and determination collided together inside me as I shoved to my feet once more with a snarl, rearranging my grip on the knife as I ran back to where Orion was savagely wielding the bat against three of the monsters.

He fought with furious, unyielding blows, but they soon got the upper hand and one of them knocked him to the ground, slamming a foot down on his chest and reaching toward his heart with its outstretched probes.

“No!” Terror seized me and I sprinted toward him with a scream of defiance, slamming the knife into the Nymph’s back over and over and over, making it twist around in alarm to face me. Another beast caught me around the waist, throwing me down beside Orion and the knife was knocked from my hand, bouncing away across the sand. My heart thrashed, my hope receded.

A sea of grotesque Nymph faces gazed down at us as they pinned us in place and Orion fought with everything he had to get up, making it half way only to be pushed down again by more and more Nymph hands as they battled to be the ones to probe him.

“Get away!” I cried, reaching for him as sharp probes scraped down the length of my body and the scent of my own blood ran under my nose.

I had to get to Orion. I wouldn’t stop until I was with him.

If we have to die, at least let us die together.

“Darcy!” a piercing scream came from my sister and pain spread through me at that sound, confirming what I already knew. It was over. The Nymphs were fighting over which one would steal our magic and we couldn’t get free as they surrounded us.

I’m sorry. I love you.

The crowd were shouting excitedly, chanting for our deaths and life seemed to close in all around me, narrowing down to a few final moments.

My hand found Orion’s and he yanked me tightly towards him, trying to get free with all his might. But the Nymphs were crowding in and as he somehow made it to his knees, one of them took hold of his head. I reared up and tore into the beast’s hands with my nails, sinking my teeth into its probes and biting the hard bark of its flesh until I tasted blood.

It lurched back with a screech, but another took its place and held him still. Orion’s eyes met mine, unblinking, like he didn’t dare see anything but me in his final moments and I didn’t dare to close my eyes either. Grief splintered through my body as another Nymph got hold of me and Orion and I were forced closer together as they started fighting to get their probes into us first.

Tears slipped down my cheeks and I barely felt the pain of my injuries at all as I gazed at my mate in front of me. A man I had chosen for myself, regardless of stars and fate and laws. He was mine and I was his. Now and always. In the end, he’d kept his promise to me after all and I’d kept mine. We’d fought for each other until we couldn’t fight any more.

I breathed him in and cursed the world for not giving us a chance. Or maybe we’d had one and this was the price of screwing it up.

“Don’t let go of me,”