Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,52

Dragon says he will meet you at you know where.”

“Great. Thanks for helping me. Just don’t cry, okay?” I hugged her goodbye and she nodded several times.

“I won’t,” she croaked and I headed off down the corridor, hearing her mournful sob following me.

I jogged downstairs and walked outside, a swarm of butterflies in my stomach making me want to throw up. Five minutes, that’s it. I can face anything for five minutes.

I ignored the yearning in me that wanted so much more than that. But I could never give in to that feeling. His betrayal ran too deep. And when I’d gone to him before and asked him for an explanation, he refused to give me one. It didn’t matter that Darius swore that what Orion had done was to protect me, to keep me at Zodiac. Even if that was true, he hadn’t had the right to make that choice the way he did. And he hadn’t even offered me an answer for that one desperate question I’d needed from him. Why? Why do this to us, why take everything from me, from himself?

I’d opened a can of worms now and I couldn’t seem to close it as the bastards wriggled out and crawled through my head. I approached the outer fence, checking around to make sure no one was watching. Then I headed off of the path and hurried through the trees to where Darius was waiting. He took in my dress with his eyebrows raising and heat crawled up my neck.

“This was not my choice,” I said firmly before he could open his mouth. “Gabriel and Geraldine are entirely to blame.”

He laughed. “I’m saying nothing. Except that he’s going to lose his fucking mind.”

I rolled my eyes, stepping back and we walked through the illusion Orion had cast here to hide the gap in the fence. He wouldn’t give a shit because he’d moved on just like I was supposed to have moved on. Which I was definitely working on. And most people were convinced of it anyway thanks to my newfound ability to stuff my emotions down so deep that they didn’t give me away. So I was calling it a win.

Darius turned me to face him on the other side of the fence with a dark expression. “Since my father has now outlawed Orders socialising, I had to make a last minute change to our plans. I’m not even really supposed to be able to visit Lance because he’s a Vampire, but in light of my Guardian bond to him, Father decided to be generous.” His sneer gave away what he thought of that. “But obviously I can’t disguise you as Max. Oh, and fuck my father by the way.”

“Yeah fuck him with a spiky dildo,” I agreed. “So what’s the new plan?”

“Well it’s Gabriel’s plan actually. He foresaw this last night and spoke to Dante Oscura. The Storm Dragon’s given you permission to use his image to get into Darkmore.”

I smiled. “Perfect.”

Darius stepped forward and I held still as he carefully disguised me under an illusion spell. It wasn’t an awesome idea to risk this right now, but breaking off the star vow was important. And since Darius had told me about Orion showing up to his last visitation bloody and hurt, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I’d kind of compartmentalised it if I was being honest. Thinking about him was dangerous territory as it was, thinking about him suffering was unbearable.

The illusion trickled over my skin and Darius stepped back, smirking at his own work. “Okay, let’s go.”

He took a pouch of stardust from his pocket and I steeled myself as he threw a pinch of it over us. We were whisked away through a tunnel of stars and my head spun as we were spat out in another part of the world, my feet hitting solid ground. I managed not to stumble too hard, but Darius steadied me anyway as I gazed at the huge complex that housed Darkmore. Damn if I wasn’t getting better at those landings.

A car came to take us in and it wasn’t long before we were heading underground in the large elevator that led us down into the prison’s depths.

My heart rate wouldn’t rest and I wrung my fingers together as we descended.

Darius shot me a taut frown. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I said firmly, fiddling with the bracelet on my wrist. “It won’t be like last time. In and out Darius.”

“Yeah, yeah five minutes right?”