Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,79

to do anyway. I might have been a washed up bastard of a professor, but I was still a wily one.

Lionel took a key from his pocket, cocky as anything as he twisted it tauntingly between his fingers. “In return, you will have a house on my property and some semblance of freedom within a shadow ward created by Clara. You will be allowed to see my son regularly and of course, you will have access to your magic and Order twenty-four-seven.” He unlocked my cuffs, and magic rushed to my fingertips, the will to fight him nearly overwhelming me. But I couldn’t defeat Lionel Acrux, even if it would have been worth it to tear his face off before I went down in a blaze of fire.

Once I got my Order back, I could try and run, but that would only mean the entire FIB would come hunting for me and what were the chances that I could really get out of this truck in one piece anyway? Even if I made it, then what use would I be to anyone? I couldn’t be away from Darius for long with the Guardian bond tethering me to him, and Lionel would get his talons into me sooner or later. Besides, it could take a while for the suppressant to wear off and my Order to awaken.

No, the asshole had me cornered.

He offered me his hand, his eyes glittering with victory as I slid my palm into his, my upper lip curling back.

“So we have a deal?” he asked.

“I’ll make every effort to find the Imperial Star,” I swore and a clap of magic ran between us, binding me to him in this promise. And I will make every effort to ensure it never falls into your greasy palms, Uncle Lionel.

I materialised outside the gates of The Palace of Souls and strode straight forward at a fast pace. The journalists who were camped out there all perked up at the sight of me, scrambling to jump to their feet and intercept me. But I was in no mood to entertain the press tonight and I upped my pace, my chin raised as the guards on the golden gates opened them to admit me.

“Would you like me to call you a carriage, Prince Acrux?” one of them asked and I stumbled a step at that title, wondering what insane parallel universe I’d just fallen into as I shook my head and growled a no at him.

I was already unbuckling my belt and I kicked my shoes off as I prepared to shift. I didn’t need to wait around for some damn transport to take me up the ridiculously long drive to the palace itself. I hooked my shirt off single-handedly, and the flash of one of the journalists’ cameras went off behind me as they crowded in close to the gates for the strip show.

“If any one of you takes a photograph of my naked ass without my permission then you’ll find yourselves out of a job and knee deep in a legal case before you even get home tonight,” I snarled, glancing over my shoulder and a flurry of apologies came from them as they all diligently turned away again.

I dropped my jeans into the pile of clothes last and shifted in the blink of an eye.

The moment my enormous feet hit the ground, the cameras all went wild again as they all desperately tried to get a good shot of me in my golden Dragon form. But I wasn’t in the mood to pose for them so I let them photograph my scaley ass, grabbed the heap of clothes from the floor into my mouth and took off fast.

I beat my wings hard as I sped towards the palace, the gigantic building dominating the view ahead of me as the countless towers reached up towards the dark clouds above and the moonlight seemed to make the walls gleam.

I didn’t know why Father had summoned me back here at such short notice, but I wanted to get it over and done with. We were supposed to be working on our plans to lure Roxy away from the K.U.N.T.s again so that we could dose her with the antidote, and I hated being called away from that. No doubt the others would come up with something without me, but everything that had happened to her was because of my father and I felt responsible for her in a way that pained me.

I