Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,333

around her.

The shadows released their hold on me as Clara focused on the fight and I gasped as I took several steps away from Lionel, catching Xavier’s arm and tugging him towards the door to the side of the balcony.

"You can't leave me, Roxanya," Lionel scoffed, not doing a damn thing to even attempt to stop me. "We are in the middle of a battle. My life is in danger. The bond will keep you by my side and ready to die in my defence whether you want it to or not."

"Then I hope I die," I spat at him. "And the last thing I see is my sister cutting your fucking head off."

Lionel scoffed as the taste of those words on my tongue made me feel physically sick. I cursed the bond as it thrummed with life between us, urging me closer to him even though I knew in my heart I didn't truly want that at all.

I tried to take another step, but found I couldn’t, the need to protect him building up in me until there were no other thoughts left in my head.

“Tory, come on,” Xavier urged, tugging on my arm but I shook my head as I threw a protective shield up over Lionel, easing some of the bond’s demands as I gave in.

“You go,” I choked out, the pressure in my skull lessening a little as I stumbled back to Lionel’s side and he smirked at me triumphantly.

“I’m not leaving you here,” Xavier growled but before I could try and insist, a blur of motion in the corner of my eye made me whirl around.

Caleb vaulted over the balcony and shot towards Lionel so fast I could barely even make out the movement. He bounced off of my air shield at the last moment and stumbled back with a furious snarl as my heart lurched with panic for my king.

"Hey, sweetheart," Caleb said, holding one of his flaming daggers in his hand as he looked between me and Lionel for a moment. "Wanna step aside for me?"

"I can't," I grunted, moving to block his view of Lionel as the bastard laughed behind me.

"Your mother will be so disappointed when I send her your head, Caleb," he sneered. "Whatever will she think to find out you're a traitor to the kingdom you were raised to rule?"

Caleb didn't waste time engaging in bullshit with him, shooting around me instead. He ripped a chunk of stone from the seats above us using his earth magic, raining the heavy lumps of masonry down over Lionel's air shield.

My hands snapped out and I threw a fireball at Caleb before I could even consider holding back, the blast of magic exploding against the wall where he'd been standing and making my heart leap with fear for him.

"Nice try, sweetheart," Caleb teased as he shot behind me and I sucked in a sharp breath as I whipped around to face him again.

"I can't let you hurt him, Caleb," I warned, holding my hands up again and coating them in air with the hope that at least I wouldn't set him alight if he wouldn't back off.

A blast of air magic shot past me as Lionel took aim over my shoulder and Caleb sped away again, throwing fire in a wild arc that crashed against Lionel's shield.

"Fight like a Fae!" Xavier roared at his father, making the stone around us shudder as he wielded earth magic. "Stop hiding behind her and face your enemies yourself!"

"As if a herd creature such as you would even understand the meaning of true power," Lionel spat as I was forced to shoot a blast of air at Caleb to stop his attack once more. "Using Roxanya is me being Fae. If you can't even see that then I can see that there isn’t any hope for you. You're nothing but a mistake I should have dealt with a long time ago."

Xavier roared a challenge as he ran forward with his hands raised and I screamed a warning at him as he released a blast of pure fire magic which was so hot it seemed to set the air alight all around us. It crashed into my shield hard enough to make it rattle but it held and I swore, wishing I could have just forced myself to drop it.

There was nothing I could do to stop myself as I blasted him with a bolt of air and his lack of training meant Xavier hadn't even shielded