“What the hell do you want?” Darius snarled, pushing himself up to a sitting position so that he could throw the full weight of his scowl at me.
“Do you have a pirate fetish or something?” I blurted, eyeing the coins and gold with confusion.
“What?” he asked, his scowl somehow defying the laws of physics and finding a way to deepen.
“Well you’re half naked in a bed full of coins so either you’re doing something with them or putting them somewhere... inaccessible while fully dressed or I missed the memo about your enrolment in Captain Silver’s new fleet.”
A beat of silence passed as his gaze dragged over me.
“You really don’t know anything do you?” he asked. “This is how my kind regenerate our power; from gold.”
“Oh.” I frowned at the coins again as I processed that. “So are you Order of pirate then? Do you transform into a one legged man with an eyepatch, a hankering for rum and a pet parrot?”
Darius stared at me for several long seconds and I began to wonder if he might just be about to crack a smile when he spoke again.
“What the hell are you doing in my room?” he demanded.
“Why do you think I’m here?” I bit back instantly. He knew full well that he’d been scheduled to meet me for our tutoring session and there was no way that I was going to allow some bullshit excuse about a kitten to spring from his lips this time.
“The only possible reason I can imagine for you to be stupid enough to come bursting in here would be that you’ve finally come to realise who really deserves to rule Solaria. And that being the case, I imagine you’re about to bow down low and praise me and the other Heirs as your kings,” he said, the casual tone of his voice possibly suggesting he truly thought I might be here for that reason.
“Keep dreaming,” I muttered. “I’m here because you missed yet another one of our tutoring sessions, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
“And what if I am?” he asked, rising to his feet suddenly and sending a little cascade of coins to the floor. “What will you do about it? Make me bow to your will?”
I lifted my chin with every last shred of my anger. “Come and do the session like you promised,” I demanded firmly.
Darius stalked closer and the difference in our heights was made painfully clear as he towered over me and I was forced to look up at him.
“No,” he breathed, his body coiled with tension that I could practically feel. “If you want me to train you, you’ll have to make me. If you really are one of our kind then you’re going to need to learn quickly that Fae take what they want and the only thing that matters to us is power. So if you want me to do something for you then you’re going to have to force me.”
I bit my tongue against the urge to start calling him names and remind him that he’d already agreed to this and replied in an icy tone. “How many Elements do you wield again, Darius?” I asked. “Two isn’t it?”
I let the insinuation hang between us and I almost felt his hatred of me and what I was as it simmered inside him.
“Two are more than enough,” he replied bluntly.
“Yeah... but having all four has got to be better.” God, why the hell was I rising to the bait like this? I’d only wanted him to help me, I’d never had any intention of prodding him about my potential. Hell, I’d never even given my potential much thought but now it sounded like I was challenging him for the throne I’d claimed to have no interest in.
“I’m an apex predator. My kind aren’t built to take orders from anyone. It’s written in my DNA to rule over you. I could never bow no matter how powerful you might have the potential to be,” he growled, clearly reading between the lines I’d never meant to draw.
“How can you know that? You don’t even know what Order I am. Maybe I’m higher up the food chain than you think,” I snarled. I had no idea what had prompted me to enter into this argument with him but now that I’d embarked upon it, I felt like there was no way for me to turn back.
Darius snorted a laugh as he moved to pass me in the doorway, pausing right in my personal space so that I was face to face with the rippling muscles of his bare chest. The scent coming off of him was enough to make me bite down on my lip. It was at once metallic and animal. A hint of smoke and cedar and something totally him.
“No one is higher up the food chain than me, Roxy,” he purred, placing a hand either side of my head and pinning me in against the door.
I swallowed a lump in my throat as I tilted my head back to look up at him, my heart pounding with fear and exhilaration at his proximity. I pressed my palms to the door behind me, locking them in place in case they got any ideas about reaching for the beast before me. Because despite the fact that Darius Acrux was a complete and utter asshole who had made it his mission to make my life a living hell, he was still my exact brand of temptation.
This close to him I felt like an addict sitting before a lit pipe, just hoping the smoke didn’t blow in my face before I caved entirely.
My gaze roamed over his features as the distance between us was reduced to millimetres. The heat between us was building, sparks of energy lighting my skin with a carnal need which I was sure only he could satisfy but I refused to acknowledge the fact.
“What Order are you?” I breathed, wondering why I’d never asked before. He always acted like a monster to me so I guessed I’d never needed proof of what his nature was. But as I stood before him I began to feel like coming here had been a terrible mistake. The look in his eyes said he might just devour me whole and I got the feeling that wasn’t an empty promise.
“I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours,” he replied mockingly and for a moment I could have sworn his eyes changed. They’d looked golden, the pupils shifting to reptilian slits before he blinked and the deep brown colour had returned. Perhaps I’d imagined it but I didn’t think so.
“But I don’t know my Order yet,” I said. “Professor Orion thinks growing up in the mortal world suppressed our abilities.”
Darius eyed me intently as though he were looking for a lie and I resisted the urge to try and shrink into the door he’d boxed me against.
He stepped back suddenly and unhooked his belt buckle before unbuttoning his jeans.
“What are you doing?” I gasped, my gaze locked on his movements as he dropped his pants, boxers and all and I was given an eye full of every single inch of him.
“When you stop eye-fucking me I’ll show you what you’re so desperate to know,” he replied mockingly and I snapped my gaze back up to his face, throwing him a scowl.
“People don’t tend to whip their junk out in the middle of a conversation,” I quipped. “So if you didn’t want me catching an eyeful of little Darius then you shouldn’t have brought him into our discussion.”
Darius released a breath of laughter and for half a second it was as though we didn’t harbour eternal hatred for one another.
He leaned close to me again and I had to work hard on maintaining eye contact as his naked god-like body shifted so close that I could hardly breathe.
“If you come to my room uninvited again then it had better be because you’re ready to bow to us or to beg me to bend you over that headboard and make you scream my name,” he purred and the total confidence with which he said it made my traitorous libido kick into overdrive. I bit down on a reply, not wanting him to know the effect he had on my body as I pressed myself back against his door defensively. Thankfully the movement was minimal and I managed to maintain my disinterested scowl.
Darius turned away from me suddenly then took a running jump out of the open window beside us. I gasped in surprise, my heart leaping as I shot forward to look out at what had happened.
For no more than two seconds, Darius free fell from the ten floor drop before his body shifted with unexpected ease and a huge, golden dragon burst from the prison of his flesh as if it had been there all along.
My mouth fell open in shock as I stared at the glorious beast of legend
as Darius gave a few flaps of his powerful wings and spiralled up towards the clouds. Each of his scales glimmered in the light of the setting sun like a million gemstones. The thin membrane of his wings let a soft orange glow through them as he banked hard, weaving across the landscape of the fire territory with more grace than should have been possible for such an enormous beast.
As if that display wasn’t enough to make my heart pound and my desire for him grow ten-fold, he released a powerful roar which made the whole glass structure of Ignis House shudder. He followed that up with a blast of dragon fire so potent that it warmed the skin of my cheeks despite the huge distance between us.
My gaze stayed locked on him as he tore through the skies and I found myself desperate to join him in the clouds. I wondered if there was any chance that when my Order revealed itself, I would be granted the blessing of wings. Flying through the clouds seemed like its own beautiful kind of freedom and I knew that if I could experience it even once then I’d be able to die having lived a life fulfilled.
I stood watching Darius in his dragon form for way longer than was necessary but I couldn’t help it. He was beautiful, magnificent, a king amongst beasts. He’d been right when he said that we’d find nothing to tame this hatred between us though. Mine and Darcy’s very existence threatened his position as a monarch of this realm and I knew with one look at his shifted form that a creature such as him would never be tamed.
He was power and heat and war wrapped up in a single being. He’d fight to the death to maintain what was his. And while we remained at this Academy, we were a threat. But for the first time since I’d arrived here, watching him soar through the skies sparked something in me. It was like a primal ache to rise to the challenge he presented. I didn’t want his throne or his kingdom but I did want something else from him. I wanted his respect. And with that knowledge I knew I’d never bow to him. So if he was determined to see me fall, he was going to have to try and make me break.
THE SIREN ORDER Enhancement class was held on the edge of the expansive lake in Water Territory. The sun was glimmering beyond the clouds, making a good effort at breaking through as we strode up the path to where around fifty students were gathering together for the class. Aqua House was far out at the centre of the lake, a group of beautiful domes, its sea green exterior sparkling in the morning light.
We hurried forward so we weren't the last ones to arrive and the Professor looked to us with a welcoming smile. “Good morning girls, I'm Professor Undine,” she said, beckoning us closer. She was young with large blue eyes the colour of the ocean. Her hair was a rich crimson, braided down her spine and almost reaching her ass. She looked like a cross between Lara Croft and The Little Mermaid in her tank top and shorts. An outfit that it wasn't nearly warm enough for.
“Come on everyone, get in the circle,” she called.
Everyone sat down in the grass and we dropped into a space between two guys, looking toward Undine at the heart of the group.
My gaze snagged on Max Rigel on the other side of the circle and my heart juddered. His arms were locked around his knees and his muscles were on show in the tight t-shirt he wore. Everything about him screamed Alpha male and I couldn’t help but appreciate his masculine shape for half a second.
A slim blonde guy beside him muttered something in his ear and Max started grinning. He somehow looked even less approachable now he was smiling.
Undine took something from her pocket and I eyed the strange contraption with interest. A silver ball hung in a nest of wire and as she flicked a finger at it, the ball inside started spinning.
She tossed it at a girl across the circle who caught it out of the air.
“Happy,” the girl announced, reading something off of the ball as it stopped spinning.
“Great,” Undine said. “Who wants to start?”
Max groaned, seeming annoyed and I tried to work out what the hell was going on. “Can't we do fear again, miss?”
“We did fear last week,” Undine said firmly. “And besides, you spend enough of your time terrorising the other students at Zodiac to get your fix, Mr Rigel. You don't need to get it here every week too.”
“For fuck's sake,” Max growled.
“Language, Mr Rigel. That's five points from Aqua,” Undine shot at him. “You know how much I hate the Fs and the Ss.”
“What about the Cs?” Max asked with a smirk.
Undine ignored him, glancing around the circle until her eyes landed on Tory and I. “Ah, this is a good opportunity to introduce you to our Order, girls. Come and stand up here with me.”
We rose to our feet and my skin tingled uncomfortably as I felt everyone's eyes on us. We joined Undine and she gave us an encouraging smile.
“Think of a happy memory you've had this week,” she instructed and I shared a look with Tory.
Happy? We hadn't had much time to be happy with everything that had gone on in the past few days.
“Er...” Tory frowned and I chewed my lip.
A couple of giggles sounded around us and a blush crept into my cheeks.
“You must have something that's made you happy in the last seven days? Or the last fourteen perhaps?” She raised her brows, seeming concerned as she glanced between us.
With slightly more leeway it was easier. Before Geraldine had been attacked, our night with Diego and Sofia had been a lot of fun. I tried to focus on only the good parts and nodded to Undine. “Got one.”
Tory nodded as well with a grin.
“Okay.” Undine pointed out ten people in the circle and they all rushed forward like dogs eager for a meal.
I shrank as five of them surrounded me and the other five ringed Tory.
“Take your coat off,” a girl with dark ringlets urged and someone pulled it from my shoulders, tossing it on the grass.
“Hey!” I went to grab it but the five of them closed ranks.
“Hold that happy memory in your heads,” Undine instructed.
Were we about to fly off to Neverland right now? Because I was pretty sure we needed fairy dust for that.
I tried to relax, knowing this was just the way of the Siren Order. And if I belonged to it, I had to try and fit in.
I conjured the happy memory again and the group around me pressed their hands to my bare arms. One even cupped my cheek.
The Sirens shifted in nearer, starting to smile. I realised one of them was the blonde boy who'd been sitting with Max and my stomach knotted.
“Tell us about your memory,” a girl said and a wave of calm washed over my heart.
“I was out in town drinking with friends,” I said, recalling how Sofia had consumed all four of Diego's shots before any of us had had a chance to grab one. A snort of laughter escaped me and the Sirens chuckled along with me.
“What else?” Max's friend asked, seeming less affected by my laughter. “I can sense something else in you, tell us about the rest of your evening.” His eyes were hopeful as he brushed his fingers over my wrist. My tongue loosened under his influence and I felt myself drifting toward the later events that evening. “I saw Professor Orion.”
One girl gasped then grinned keenly as she held onto my arm.
I frowned, but the blonde guy squeezed my flesh, a wave of their power calling me to keep going and my words kept flowing. “He was angry...he's so hot when he's angry.”
Some of the group moaned and Undine suddenly clapped her hands. “Enough. We're not doing lust today.”
Everyone released me and the reality of what I'd just said slammed into me. My cheeks burned as the Sirens headed away and I blew out a breath of annoyance at Max's friend.
I turned toward Tory but found she was still entranced by her group and I could almost see them feeding on whatever happy story she was telling.
Undine split the rest of the Sirens up into groups and they started recounting happy memories while their classmates drank in the power of their emotions. Max laid down in the grass, cupping his head with his hands, clearly not
interested in participating.
The Professor moved to my side, giving me an apologetic smile. “You've got to keep your wits about you, Darcy. You can build shields and control which emotions Sirens can access.” She rubbed my arm, leaning closer. “Orion is on your mind, huh?” She nudged me and I nodded as I recalled the way his dominating aura made me feel sometimes. Completely powerless and yet at the same time like I wanted to reach out and feel the graze of his stubble on my hands, run my fingers around the back of his neck and press my lips against his. He was intimidating as hell but there was also something about him that just...drew me in. And I’d maybe once or twice daydreamed about being spread across his desk under the full keenness of his rage.
Professor Undine sighed and I jerked away from her, realising what she'd done. “Hey,” I snapped, furious.
Why is everyone after those emotions?!
And why am I even turned on by Lord Voldemort’s hotter, younger cousin?
“Sorry,” she said, but the smile pulling at her lips told me she didn't really mean it.
Leeches. All of them. In a way, I disliked this power more than the Vampires'. At least with them they only took magic, the Sirens could pull my darkest thoughts from my lips and feed on my feelings about them while draining my power.
Max suddenly pounced on Undine from behind, grabbing her shoulders. She squeaked in alarm and Max smiled keenly as he kept his hands on her to absorb her frightened reaction.
“We're not doing fear, Rigel,” she snarled, throwing up a hand so a gust of air shoved him away from her. She stalked away, checking on the other students and Max hounded off after a couple of girls, looking like he wasn't done playing games.
I relaxed a little as I spotted Tory moving to join me, wondering if we could somehow ditch this class before any more of my thoughts on Orion were offered out like candy.
Zodiac Academy: The Awakening: An Academy Bullymance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts Book 1) Page 30
