Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,80

dove from the sky outside the huge door which led into the palace, dropping my clothes and shifting back as the guards on the door watched me uneasily. I yanked my jeans back on and kicked my feet back into my boots, but I didn’t bother with the shirt, keeping it in my hand as I strode up the steps, my jaw ticking with tension.

Jenkins pulled the door wide before I reached it, bowing as little as he could get away with and murmuring a greeting to me which I ignored. The old fucker didn’t even deserve basic pleasantries from me and he wouldn’t be getting them.

“Where is he?” I asked, not caring that my boots were tracking mud over the perfectly polished white tiles or that he was eyeing my bare chest with distaste as I strode through the entrance hall.

The palace was familiar to me from the many visits I’d made here over the summer to see Darcy. We’d worked tirelessly to try and burn the shadows from my veins so that I’d be in a position to challenge my father and rescue her sister, but nothing we’d done had worked. Not that that stopped us trying regularly.

“The King is currently occupied in his study,” Jenkins replied haughtily. “He asks that you wait for him to-”

I walked away, moving up a flight of stairs and casting slick ice over them to stop the nosey butler from following me as I headed for the study which had once belonged to the Savage King. A bang and a yelp made me grin as I realised Jenkins had tried to follow and fallen.

A door opened before I made it to the study and I smiled as my mom slipped out, her dark hair coiled into some perfect creation as usual and a stunning black evening gown hugging her figure.

“Darius,” she cooed, glancing around before moving to embrace me and I smiled as I held her close for a moment. “What are you doing here tonight?”

“I was hoping you might be able to tell me,” I replied. “The old motherfucker summoned me. I was just heading to ask him why.”

She drew back, her eyes flashing nervously as she glanced down the corridor in the direction of the study.

“He has those things in the house,” she breathed, her fingers bunching in the skirt of her dress nervously.

“Nymphs?” I asked, my skin prickling at the thought of that.

“Yes. I try to stay out of the way when they’re here.”

I was filled with the urge to go and find out what he was doing with them, but I hesitated a moment longer, enjoying the small bit of time alone in my mom’s company. “How has he been?” I asked her. “Is he leaving you alone?”

“No worse than usual,” she replied, painting on a smile which I knew she wore to try and stop me from worrying.

“So, pretty fucking awful then?” I surmised and she just gave me a little shrug.

“He has Clara to occupy him. I’m usually just trotted out for photoshoots and parties. It’s a big palace and I can avoid him for the most part.”

I sighed heavily, hating that she was living like this, sneaking around and hoping to go unnoticed. It was a lonely, miserable kind of existence and I wished I could just take her away from here so that she could have a life of her own. I guessed making her into a widow would be a good way to achieve that.

“I’d better go and find out why he summoned me,” I said, drawing her close again for a moment and she sighed contentedly.

“Is Xavier settling in well?” she murmured as we lingered there for a moment, making up for all the hugs we’d missed out on over the years.

“Yeah,” I said, breathing a laugh. “He’s got the entire Pegasus herd in a flurry and I don’t think he’s even noticed. All the mares are trotting about trying to catch his attention while the Dom looks about ready to bust a blood vessel every time he lays his eyes on him. He’ll be leading the herd in no time.”

A choked sob escaped my mom’s lips and I drew back, frowning down at her to find her smiling through her tears.

“Don’t mind me,” she breathed, waving a hand to dismiss my concerns. “I’m just so relieved that he’s finally free to be himself.”

“He is,” I agreed with a smile, glad to at least have that one thing to be happy for.

Though