Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,78

truck. My heart dropped off a ledge, smashed through three glass roofs and hit the ground with a splat that made it explode.

Lionel Acrux stood there with his arms folded and a dark grin on his face that said I was in a world of fucking trouble. And holy shit did I know it.

My friend Francesca stepped out of the armoured truck in her black FIB jumpsuit, a sharp V forming between her eyes as she looked at me. She moved forward, drawing me away from Cain who headed back inside without another word.

“Lance, you’re now under house arrest. It’s the King’s orders,” she breathed, glancing over at Lionel who smirked victoriously.

“I’ll ride in the back with him,” Lionel announced, opening the door for me and gesturing mockingly for me to get in.

In the pit of my gut, I knew this was worse than staying in Darkmore. My pulse thrashed against my eardrums and I tried to come up with some way to refuse this. But Lionel was the King now, how the fuck was I supposed to get out of this?

Fran gripped my wrist, giving me an intent look that told me to comply before drawing me toward the back of the truck.

I glared at Lionel as I passed him by then climbed inside, dropping into a seat. Lionel followed me in and Fran shut the door for him before moving to drive the vehicle.

“Good morning, Lance,” Lionel purred, looking at me like a smug fucking bastard as he cast a silencing bubble around us. “We have a lot to discuss.”

“What the fuck do you want?” I spat and he stole the air from my lungs with a wave of his hand.

“I am your King, dare to speak to me that way again and your sister will pay the price for it.”

I glowered at him as my lungs began to burn and he continued to hold my life in his grasp, watching me closely as I started to convulse, my eyes rolling back into my head.

He let me breathe again with a casual flick of his wrist and I coughed heavily, choking down a lungful of air as I bit back the curses I wanted to fling at him. I wasn’t going to risk him hurting Clara and he knew it. The fucking asshole.

“Now listen to me,” Lionel growled, leaning in closer, the scent of expensive cologne and power rolling from him. “You are going to do exactly as I say because I officially own you, Lance Orion. You are mine. And if you step a toe out of line you will regret it. You are still a convicted criminal and the entire FIB will come for you if you try to run from me.”

I said nothing as my hands balled with rage. All I wanted to do was tear into his throat with my teeth and bleed him dry, but I wouldn’t get access to my Order until the suppressant in my veins wore off.

I hated this man, I hated him with the heat of a thousand fucking suns.

“What do you want?” I snarled and he smiled in a way that set me on edge.

“My Seer brought me some interesting information this morning. It seems you are the key to finding the Imperial Star. You have some sort of diary in your possession, yes?”

I gaped at him and I swear I heard the sound of my soul screaming.

“I’ll take that as confirmation,” he said smugly. “I cannot take it from you as it seems only you can decipher it, but you will work to unveil its secrets and hand them to me. Do you understand?”

Francesca threw a worried look at me over her shoulder even though she couldn’t hear what we were saying. But I guessed when the King of Solaria kidnaps you from a maximum security prison, it was unlikely you were heading off on a fun-filled day to the zoo.

“You will agree to this, Lance,” he growled, his jade green Dragon peering out of his eyes. “You will swear it on the stars that you will make every effort to find the Imperial Star.”

My mouth was too dry, my mind working on overdrive as I tried to figure out a way out of this. He knew about the fucking diary. He was going to lock me up and force me to reveal its secrets to him.

Only…he hadn’t explicitly said that. He was asking me to promise to find it. And that was exactly what I intended