Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,39

me escape from the brutality of heartache. It was a wound that lived on the inside and consumed all the colour in the world until everything seemed grey. She was gone. I’d made her go. And there was nothing I could ever do to fix it.

I spent a couple of hours reading, not finding anything of use and eventually giving up as I realised it must be almost time for visitation hours. I needed to see Darius. And I was always desperate for any scrap of news he brought from the outside. After everything that had happened with Lionel during the summer, I lived on Darius’s updates like a drug. News reached this prison slowly, the newspapers I got were always a week old, so I was often left not knowing what was going on. I’d been struggling with the fear that my sacrifice had been for nothing after Lionel had bound Tory to him and all the power had shifted in his favour. But now I’d made my bed, I had to lie in it. It was too late for regrets.

Appealing my sentence would only prove I’d lied and ensure Darcy’s name was dragged through the mud. Her place at Zodiac Academy would be in jeopardy and she had to keep getting stronger so she might be in with a chance to claim the throne. At least one good thing had come of it all. Blue - fuck no, don’t call her that - had broken free of the shadows and she was no longer plagued by them. She was so fucking strong. So fucking everything. By the stars, I couldn’t believe I’d ever tried to claim her for myself. She was so far out of my league it was unreal.

Despite knowing that, it was still keeping me awake at night not being able to comfort her after everything. She’d lost her sister to Lionel. And I knew the fucking feeling. But now I was stuck in here, useless to her and Darius and everyone I cared about. The only solace I could take was that by staying here, Darcy would keep her place at the academy. And that was what I held onto to keep me sane.

Books were shuffled along the stack at the end of the aisle and Poltergeist’s yellowy eyes peered through them. He liked rearranging the books. He also liked watching me. And as creepy as that was, it kind of beat hanging around with most of the other inmates so I just ignored him and let him do his creepy thing.

A creak sounded on a floorboard behind me and Poltergeist gasped a warning just before a huge fist slammed into my head.

I twisted around with a yell as four strong hands gripped my shoulders, shoving me down over the desk. I spat a curse at Gustard’s UnFae assholes as more of them crowded closer and Gustard watched from just beyond them.

I kicked one of the guys holding me in the dick and he yelped as he backed away, clutching his junk with both hands. Another one came to take his place, but I fought my way to my feet, throwing solid punches into the faces of anyone who got near. Blood coated my knuckles as I let myself go fully savage. I’d learned fast to fight for your fucking life and ask questions later in here. So I broke jaws and noses and roared like a fucking demon from hell as I beat the shit out of anyone who tried to grab me. My heart thrashed in my chest and I relished the outlet, sinking into the shadows as they reared up in me, lured by the pain I was delivering and whispering their encouragements in my ears.

Gustard laughed coldly, the sound making adrenaline rush through my veins.

“Hold him down,” he commanded and I lunged toward him, trying to break through the ranks to get to their leader, determination and anger fuelling my movements.

“Face me like a fucking Fae,” I barked as four of his guys grabbed me and forced me to lay down on the desk on my back.

One of them slammed their fist into my nose and blood poured over my face, pain splintering through my skull as bone and cartilage busted from the blow. I’d faced worse, but I doubted it was gonna end there.

A big asshole slapped a hand across my mouth and my arm was yanked out over the edge of the table. My muscles bulged and I bucked