Zodiac Academy: Fated Throne

by Caroline Peckham

  “Alright,” I grunted and Ethan’s eyebrows flew up.

  “Really?” he asked and his pack started bounding around me, yapping excitedly and motherfucking hugging me. One guy reached for my junk and I caught his wrist at the last second, quickly hitching on a grin to cover my scowl.

  “Later,” I growled. This had better be what Gabriel fucking meant.

  Ethan gave me an appraising look, sucking on his lower lip for a second before sweeping past me down the line with his pack, overtaking a bunch of other inmates as they cut to the front of the queue. I blew out a breath, running a hand down the back of my neck before checking the next item on Gabriel’s list.

  Use the sink at the far end and take what’s left.

  I frowned, tucking it back into my pocket, figuring that wasn’t relevant just yet when I suddenly got the urge to pee. Fucking Noxy.

  I left the queue, heading out the door and a bunch of guards gave me surly looks as I walked to the bathroom on the next floor down. I slipped through the door, using the urinal before heading to the sink at the far end like Gabriel had said.

  Plunger strode in, walking right up to the sink next to mine and proceeded to take his jumpsuit off casual as anything, revealing his hairy grey chest and throwing me a dirty smile.

  I wrinkled my nose, ignoring him but saw him drop his underwear in my periphery. By the fucking sun.

  He propped one leg up on the sink and started trimming away at his pubes with a pair scissors he’d gotten from fuck knew where.

  “Yeah, that’s the business. Ooh hello my pretty, aren’t you a curly silver treasure?” he purred.

  Nope I’m out.

  I was about to leave when I remembered Gabriel’s message and cursed as I forced myself to remain there, taking my time over washing my hands. This. Is. Hell.

  “Mmm yeah, clippity clip my sweetness. Got to keep you tidy for tonight’s activit-ais.”

  The sound of boots pounding into the room came this way and I looked up as Officer Cain strode in with a furious expression as he spotted Plunger standing there with his cock in hand.

  “Twenty-Four!” he bellowed furiously and Plunger knocked the little pair of scissors into my sink, the soapy water hiding them from view. “Get fucking walking. You’re going to the hole this time, I’ve had enough of this shit.” He shot forward with his Vampire speed, grabbing his arm and Plunger threw himself against him, rubbing his ass against his crotch.

  “Oh my, Officer, do be careful with me!”

  “Get your fucking clothes on.” Cain shoved him away in disgust and Plunger tugged on his jumpsuit, leaving his dirty underpants on the floor as Cain dragged him away.

  I looked down at the water concealing the scissors and cursed the stars. And Gabriel a bit too. Fucking pube scissors, Noxy??

  I washed them off thoroughly as hell then pocketed them before checking the next item on the list.

  Tell the Incubus he looks like shit. You’ll know when.

  Great, that’s gonna go down like a treat.

  I walked back upstairs for dinner and grabbed some food, sitting alone while I killed the hour. At five to eight, the Lunar Wolf pack got up and all started howling excitedly as they headed off in the direction of the library, a bunch of them shooting me hungry looks.

  I checked the final items on the list for any sign that Gabriel was shitting me about this orgy. Are you sure you planned for this, Noxy?

  Guess I had to trust his ass though. So I pushed out of my seat and headed to the door, my gaze snagging on Sin who cornered Poltergeist against the wall. “You owe me three tokens for the commissary, ghost man,” he growled. “Pay up.”

  Poltergeist shook his head in a panic. “I – I don’t have them. But if I can just have a bit longer I’ll-”

  “You’ll what? Poop them out? I don’t have time for your intestines to produce the goods. I’ve got a need for chocolate that won’t quit. And if I don’t get chocolate, I get hangry, and you don’t want me to get hangry do you, ghost man?”

  “N-no. Please, just a little longer,” Poltergeist begged and I slowed my pace, taking a breath.

  Well this seems like the perfect time to be an asshole.

  “You look like shit today, Sin,” I called and he swung around like I’d hit him with a baseball bat.

  “Come the fuck again, pretty fangs?” he growled.

  “You look like shit,” I deadpanned, shrugging and he lunged at me with a holler, throwing a fist that I ducked. But he came at me like a savage once more, twisting around behind me and leaping onto my back. His teeth sank into my shoulder and I snarled as I flipped him over so he hit the ground beneath me with a thwack.

  “I can bite too, honey pie,” he said through bloody teeth, his eyes wild. “I’ll bite deep and make you hurt so bad you’ll scream for your momma.”

  “Unlikely.” I glanced over my shoulder, spotting Poltergeist high-tailing it out the door. I checked my list as Sin scrambled to his feet.

  Take it like a Fae.

  I prayed those words didn’t have anything to do with the pack orgy Gabriel had set me up for, but then Sin’s fist slammed into my face and I stumbled back, tasting blood. He laughed wildly then slapped me on the shoulder as I cursed.

  “Have a good evening, bestie.” He sauntered off as I rubbed my jaw, stretching it out. Bestie?

  I headed out the door and made my way down to the library, stepping through the frosted doors. The sound of Ethan’s pack howling, groaning and gasping carried from the back of the room and I guessed they’d made a start without me. I read the final item on the list as I turned down an aisle, wondering what the hell Gabriel expected to achieve by all this.

  Shoelaces.

  I looked up as I tucked the list away, my eyes falling to Gustard who was with some of his gang, all of them crowding around someone further down the aisle. I scowled as I realised they were shoving Poltergeist between them and laughing.

  “Does picking on an old man make you feel strong, assholes?” I asked.

  Gustard turned his head, sneering then striding toward me as his little gang of shits immediately jumped up at his back.

  “Not that it’s your business, but something precious has been stolen from me. A blade of fortune grass,” Gustard purred, my gaze travelling over the spider tattoo on the side of his face. He smoothed down his immaculate jumpsuit, regarding me as I gave him an icy look.

  “I d-don’t have it,” Poltergeist stammered.

  “There you go, he doesn’t have it. So I’m sure you fine, upstanding Fae will let him go now,” I said dryly then moved to step past Gustard, but a big dude with a large gut pressed a hand to my chest to stop me. His uniform marked him as a Minotaur and his cowish face confirmed it as he snorted angrily.

  “Get your hand off of me,” I demanded calmly, my skin prickling under his touch.

  “Or what?” he laughed, the rest of the group swarming around, closing in on me on all sides while a big girl with buck teeth held onto Poltergeist.

  My jaw tightened as I glared at Gustard, ignoring his pets. “I challenge you to fight me like Fae.”

  Gustard laughed and the rest of his crew did the same. “Do you hear that boys? The big bad Vampire wants to fight me like Fae.” He moved forward, smiling at me cruelly. “We’re not Fae anymore though. Didn’t you get the memo? We’re animals. And animals do what they have to to survive.”

  “What do you want?” I snapped.

  “Well some little thief has stolen my fortune grass and come to think of it, you seem just the type of sneak who would do it,” Gustard growled.

  “I don’t have shit,” I said dismissively.

  The Minotaur pulled my arms behind my back and a Lion Shifter moved forward to pat me down. I huffed out a breath impatiently then my heart lurched as the Lion pulled the pair of pube scissors out of my pocket, waving them victoriously.

  “Carrying weapons are we, Vampire?” Gustard sneered, then nodded to the Minotaur who locked me in a choke hold as ano
ther two assholes lunged forward to keep me still. “Teach him a lesson, Angus.”

  My heart leapt as the Lion jumped up and down with the scissors, eyeing my face greedily. My gaze dropped to his feet, his shoelaces hanging open and I guessed Noxy really was saving my ass today. The Lion lunged toward me and I stamped down on his laces, making him fly at me with a yelp of surprise. His aim was thrown off and the Minotaur screamed, releasing me and knocking the others flying as I stumbled away. I darted through a gap in their ranks, glancing back to see the Minotaur falling to his knees, grasping at the scissors sticking out of his throat.

  Gustard took his leave, jogging away from the carnage as a guard shouted out and came running over to see what had happened.

  I grabbed Poltergeist’s arm as he stood stock still staring at the chaos and I dragged him down the next aisle, putting as much distance between us and that bleeding Minotaur as possible.

  We rounded into a dark aisle in the far right corner of the library and Poltergeist wheezed as he caught his breath. “Thank you,” he said heavily.

  “It’s nothing,” I said, waving him off but he clutched my arm, tugging to make me look down at him.

  “I wasn’t sure if I could trust you,” he whispered in a rush, his yellowy eyes flicking back and forth between mine. “I have so many enemies.”

  I frowned at the guy, figuring he was paranoid or some shit but then he rolled up his sleeve and showed me the faded mark of the Virgo star sign on the crook of his elbow.

  “You’re Guardian bonded?” I asked in surprise. “To who?”

  “My Ward is dead,” he breathed, leaning closer, the small man having to tip toe to speak in my ear. “I once served Kraveen Dire, a friend of your father’s. I knew Azriel Orion well.”

  My throat tightened as shock jarred through me.

  “I met you once, when you were just a boy. That was long before I ended up in here for breaking my eternal vow,” he went on in a ramble.

  “What vow?” I asked in confusion.

  “I had to be here, it was my fate. I was a royal guard so I stole from the king, breaking my vow to the royals. My betrayal landed me here.” He moved closer, his eyes wild. “I wanted to trust you the first moment you stepped into the prison, but there are so many rumours circling, that you are Guardian bonded to an Acrux. And one must never trust an Acrux.”

  “Darius is different to his father,” I said protectively and Poltergeist’s eyes widened. I went on before he could try and question me on that, “What’s your real name?”

  His eyes flitted left and right. “Jasper Lumien. Listen,” he said urgently, his grip tightening on my arm. “Before Kraveen died, your father came to him with a very important message from the Queen to say the wheels of fate were in motion and there was nothing she could do to stop it.”

  “What?” I blurted and he hushed me, drawing me further down the dark aisle. “Queen Vega?”

  He nodded intently. “We were the last, you see?”

  “The last of what?” I frowned.

  He wet his lips, his voice dropping to nothing but a breath. “The Zodiac Guild.”

  “You’re a member?” I asked in surprise and he nodded again, lifting his thumb to his mouth and biting down until blood was drawn. I frowned as he smeared the drop of blood along the inside of his forearm and my heart stuttered as a sword appeared along the length of it, seeming to shimmer up from beneath his skin, each constellation etched into its surface. I’d seen the symbol before and the breath was crushed out of me as I realised what this meant. My dad had been one of them. The elite society created to serve and protect the royals.

  “One of the last tasks set to us by King Vega was to protect the Imperial Star,” Jasper whispered.

  I grabbed onto him, pulling him closer as desperation filled me. “Where is it? Where is the Imperial Star?” I demanded.

  He shook his head fiercely. “I don’t know. I wasn’t its keeper. Our Guild Master Ling Astrum was given it by the King. The Queen had instructed him to entrust it to our Guild brother, Kraveen Dire, if anything were to happen to them. Kraveen held the Imperial Star for some years, but when he died, it was sent to your father.”

  “But he’s dead now too,” I said, shaking my head. “And all I have left of him is his diary. But I can’t read it, it’s locked by powerful magic and I don’t know the word which will open it.”

  “I think I do,” he whispered and my heart thundered against my ribs.

  “How?” I growled, my breathing growing frantic. The answer could be so close, if this guy knew how to give me that passcode then the Imperial Star could be in the hands of Darius and Darcy by nightfall. “Tell me.”

  “When Astrum first came to us with the Imperial Star, we bound ourselves,” he rasped. “All four of us made a promise. Queen Vega foresaw a terrible fate, that the world would fall under the rule of a fierce and cruel Acrux and there was no other path, no possible way to change it. Solaria would descend into chaos, the Orders would be divided, those of weaker power eradicated in time. Every Fae would be watched and controlled. Our children and our children’s children would die if they ever fought back.”

  “Get to the point, Jasper,” I snarled and he nodded quickly.

  “We consulted with the stars and the shadows alike,” he breathed. “And one answer came to us. The single path, the only hope.”

  “Which was?” I pushed.

  “The Vega Twins. If they could be saved and the Imperial Star could be returned to them, there was a chance that they might succeed against the monster who sought to take their throne,” he whispered. “But the price was high,” he half choked out. “The King and Queen would fall, and the last of the Zodiac Guild had to give their lives for a new prophesy to arise.”

  His hand trembled around my arm, but his eyes were full of hope.

  “Tell me what I have to do,” I begged, certain he held all the answers we’d been looking for for months.

  “I’m afraid this is the end of my journey,” he whispered, smiling strangely at me. “As one can vow on the stars, one can also vow on the shadows. Kraveen, your father and I did just that. A promise to die.”

  “What are you talking about? Please, you need to tell me everything you know, you must have some idea where the Imperial Star could be hidden,” I demanded, but he shook his head, still smiling that strange smile.

  “The stars showed us each our true paths, the last steps they wanted us each to take before their debt must be paid. My task led me here to Darkmore to wait for Azriel’s son, to tell him everything so long as he was pure of heart. And now I know that you are, I am left with my final duty to the Guild.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention as an intense energy seemed to surround us. It felt as though the stars themselves were turning their gaze to watch us and my lungs started to labour.

  “The stars whispered a single word to me, a word I have held in me all these years, waiting for you. And now I know why,” Jasper breathed.

  I swallowed what felt like a razor blade in my throat, clinging onto this guy who could change everything.

  “What’s the word?” I demanded, hunting his eyes as if I could read it from them.

  He leaned closer again, whispering it to me in a slow and measured breath. “Ankaa.”

  My lips parted as I recognised that word. “That’s-”

  “The brightest star in the Phoenix constellation,” he answered for me, smiling even wider. He pressed a hand to my cheek, his eyes brimming with tears. “You look like him, dear boy. It is good to see one last familiar face.”

  He groaned suddenly and the scent of blood hit my senses though my Vampire was locked down deep inside me. I gasped as he stumbled away, a shank held in his grip as he stabbed at his gut again and again.

  “Stop!” I cried, lurching forward to grab him as he started to fall. I caught him before he hit the ground, but he didn’t seem to see me, his eyes looking somewhere through me and his lips parting like he was gaz
ing at something beautiful beyond me.

  “Wait!” I begged, then turned my head. “Help! I need a guard! Someone help!”

  Jasper fell still in my arms and I stared at his peaceful expression in disbelief as the sound of footsteps came from both ends of the aisle.

  I was pulled away from him and I fell back on my ass, staring at Jasper as my mind reeled from all he’d told me.

  There was one thing that kept ringing in my head like a bell chiming on repeat. I had the password to open the diary, I was certain of it. My father had known this moment would come. And now his secrets were just waiting for me to discover. It didn’t matter that Jasper didn’t know where the Imperial Star was, because my father surely had.

  ***

  After a round of Cyclops interrogation, it was confirmed that I had nothing to do with Jasper’s death. And thanks to the guards leaving me in isolation all night while they waited for the Cyclops to arrive at the prison for his shift the next morning, I’d had time to train my mind and hide away the secrets I didn’t want him to see.

  As I was escorted back to my cell, excitement and anticipation laced my veins. The second I was locked up, I hung a sheet over the bars and moved to my bed, grabbing the diary out from where I’d stashed it in a slim hole cut into the mattress.

  I sat on my bunk, flipping open the book and taking a deep breath, my heart thudding powerfully in my chest.

  “Ankaa,” I whispered to the diary and words unfolded before me, spreading across the first page in a hand written note from my father.

  Dearest Lancelot,

  If you are reading this, then the stars have aligned and fate has given the world a chance. I bound this book with a word I saw spoken to you in a vision gifted to me from Merissa Vega. The Queen has seen the path that will lead you to the truth. And it lies within this diary.

  Firstly, I want to apologise to you, my boy. I never wanted to leave you and Clara behind. If there was any other choice in it, I would have taken it. But my death will buy a chance for the world and the kingdom I love so dearly. Merissa gave me a glimpse of the life you have led and I’m sorry for what you have lost, but there is a chance yet for happiness. And that is all I have ever wanted for you and your sister.