Zodiac Academy Fated Throne - Caroline Peckham Page 0,90

very soul, and it was making the hairs on my arms raise. I didn’t like him looking at me like that, but a part of me didn’t want him to stop either.

“Well I’ve still got my father’s diary. And now I know how to access it,” Orion said and I just had to look at him as my heart lifted.

“You do?” I asked.

He nodded. “I can read it under the light of the full moon apparently.”

“Which was two days ago so now we’ve got to wait for another fucking moon cycle,” Darius said and Seth punched him in the arm. “What the fuck?”

“Why didn’t you text us, asshole. We were worried about you,” Seth growled.

“Sorry brother, I left my Atlas back at the academy. And Father let me stay with Orion so I…” He cleared his throat as the two of them shared an awkward look. “We haven’t been able to really fulfil the needs of the Guardian bond in a long time.”

“Oh, I see. Say no more.” Seth winked, strolling casually over to me and slinging his arm around my shoulders. He turned his head, whispering in my ear. “Butt sex.”

“Seth,” I snorted a moment before a freight train collided with us as Orion shoved Seth away from me with a snarl, putting himself between us.

“Woah, what the hell?” I gasped as Orion went full fucking animal, his fangs on show as he glared at Seth in a clear warning to stay away.

Seth gazed back at him with a taunting smirk like he was wholly up to the challenge. But this was not going any further.

I ducked around Orion, shooting him a glare as I moved to stand beside Seth again.

“He’s on our side now. Me and him are good,” I growled, planting my hands on my hips. “Hasn’t Darius explained that to you?”

Orion’s pupils were fully dilated, his eyes moving from me to Seth as his jaw worked furiously. “He’s explained plenty, but I’m not so quick to forgive,” he hissed and my heart galloped faster.

“Trust me, I’m not quick to forgive either,” I said icily. “But things have changed with me and Seth. There’s a lot that’s happened since you’ve been in prison.”

“A lot,” Seth emphasised.

“I know,” Orion snarled, his shoulders tensing and Gabriel moved to stand in front of him and block me and Seth from view.

“Relax, Orio. Sit down. We need to talk about the diary,” Gabriel said, gripping his arm tightly and leaning in close to speak in his ear. “Oh and if you ever shove my sister like that again I’ll rip one of your arms off.” He said it so calmly, but the darkness in his eyes said he’d absolutely do it. Aw, I love my psycho big brother.

Orion tsked. “I didn’t shove her,” he growled then walked over to a drawer beside the bed and took out a leatherbound diary.

“No, you just bowled into me like a stampeding rhino,” I said lightly and I swear Orion smirked before he flattened his lips and turned away again.

That small, tiny, infinitesimal sliver of light between us made my stomach flutter and I internally started stamping on every bastard of a butterfly who dared show up for him.

Darius set about casting an illusion spell in front of the windows so it would look like only he and Orion were in here. Lionel may have been away for the weekend, but I wouldn’t put it past any of his minions to rat us out if they suspected anything strange going on here.

As I moved through the room, I gazed beyond the floor length windows along the far wall. They looked out onto an L shaped swimming pool and hot tub. I could just make out the palace in the distance and my heart clenched at the thought of Lionel residing in it. It didn’t belong to him. It was mine and Tory’s and I planned on dragging him out of it as soon as damn possible. Preferably in a body bag.

“Can you go anywhere on the grounds?” I asked Orion.

“Pretty much,” he grunted. “Only during the day though. Lionel has guards lock me in here from six pm ‘til dawn.”

That’s gotta be better than Darkmore, right? I moved to sit in a chair, but Seth caught my hand and dragged me down beside him on the couch, nuzzling into my hair. I batted him off absentmindedly, working to focus on the diary and nothing else as my eyes kept skipping over to Orion and the