A smile twisted up my lips and I shrugged, deciding to leave him in continued suspense over that question, walking back to join the group.
“I want an answer by sundown,” he called after me and my grin grew even wider.
Never gonna happen, Professor Two Personalities.
I headed into Orion's downpour as it eased to a localised rain shower. I sighed as it cooled my heated skin and washed away the mud coating my clothes. I stooped down to pick up my shovel but Darius got there first, whipping it up and tossing it to Seth. Seth threw it to Max and he threw it to Caleb. I darted forward to take it and Caleb launched it over my head back to Darius with a bark of laughter.
“For god's sake,” I huffed, not buying into their game as I folded my arms.
Darius held it out to me and I moved to take it. I wrapped my fingers around the end and he tugged sharply to draw me toward him. My foot slipped in the mud and someone's foot shot in front of me to finish me off. I landed on my back with a loud splat and laughter rang out around me.
“GIVE ME FIFTY ALTAIR!” Orion bellowed so I guessed Caleb had been the one to trip me. I got to my feet with a grimace, wiping my muddy hands down my jeans.
“He's gone full Pitball coach. It was only a bit of fun,” Caleb muttered, stepping out of the rain and dropping down to do his set. I couldn't help but notice the swell of his muscular arms as he moved up and down at a fierce pace. I turned away, internally berating myself as I dug my shovel into the ground. The water made the mud easier to shift and I threw a huge scoop over my shoulder with relief.
“Argh!” Caleb cried and I gasped as I realised I'd thrown the load all over him.
He jumped to his feet, his mouth skewing into a grin and my heart slowed a fraction as I mirrored his smile. “Better watch it, Vega,” he said as he passed me but it didn't hold any of the nastiness the other Heirs kept flinging my way.
“Raindrops keep falling on my head,” Seth sang, his white shirt having turned entirely transparent to reveal his muscular body “But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red, crying's not for me. Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining-”
“Shut the fuck up!” Orion shouted. “I'm trying to concentrate here.”
“Watching porn again, sir?” Seth shot at him with a smirk.
“Yeah, your mom's really improved since the last edition,” he answered without missing a beat and Seth's face dropped into a scowl as a laugh tore from my throat.
“Do you know who is always watching porn?” Max chipped in.
“You?” the three other guys answered in unison.
They all burst out laughing and I fought the urge to join in.
“Hilarious,” Max said dryly. “I meant Washer. He snuck off in class the other day to rub one out.”
“Liar,” Darius laughed while I wrinkled my nose.
“Psh,” Caleb waved down Darius. “I don't even have water magic, but every time I go into their territory I hear Washer watching porn. That guy has got a lust addiction I swear.”
“I believe that,” I said to myself, but everyone turned to me, brows raised as if they couldn't believe I'd dared to join in on their conversation. I tucked a loose lock of hair behind my ear, feeling awkward under their scrutiny.
“Oh yeah, how come?” Caleb asked, giving me a bemused look.
“He's taken over my Tarot class,” I said, feeling a little uncomfortable with them all looking at me. “But we're not even reading cards, he made us do palmistry so he can paw at everyone.”
“Ha, no way,” Caleb laughed. “Sucks for the girls.”
“Not just them, bro,” Darius said. “Have you seen the outfits the guys have to wear for Water Elemental class? That creep wants to see my junk every time I show up there.”
“I know, and could the bathing suits be any more low cut on the girls?” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Don't say that in front of him or he'll find a way to make it happen,” Darius joked with me and I laughed along a little nervously.
Holy shit, the Dragon is actually talking to me like an equal for once.
I noticed Seth watching our interaction with a glower. He flipped a glance at Orion then continued working, the sight of the braid of hair on his wrist setting me on edge again.
It was midday by the time the hole was dug and we stood at the bottom of an eight foot pit, ankle deep in mud, soaked to the bone and tired as hell. Well I was anyway. The past few hours, I'd lost my footing so many times I was covered in filth but I’d done my bit. My aching arms were a testament to that.
“Right I hope you all enjoyed your morning as much as I did,” Orion called down to us. “Up you get.”
Caleb created a slim platform of earth which spiralled up beneath him so he could jump out at the top. Max propelled himself up with a blast of air from his palms and Darius scored a path into the wall of the pit with fire, creating a passage up to the top. Seth propelled himself out with air too and I rubbed my fingers together, my mouth dry as all five of them stared down at me, waiting expectantly. I knew I could have just used Darius's path but I wanted to do it myself and prove my competence.
Max sniggered, elbowing Darius beside him who broke a grin.
I was getting better and better at controlling my air powers and as I shut my eyes to block out the four mocking faces angled my way, I felt for the pressure of air in my body, pushing it out of my hands.
I shot up to the top at high speed and triumph soared through me. I realised a heartbeat too late I’d forgotten to aim and crashed into Seth full force, taking him to the ground. He stared up at me in shock and I scrambled off of him with my cheeks flaming. Someone held a hand out for me and I looked up, finding Darius there.
“Poor effort,” he said with a smirk and I reluctantly took his hand as he dragged me upright.
Orion gazed at us with a flicker of amusement in his eyes then pointed at Caleb. “Altair, fill in that hole.”
Caleb stepped forward, wielding the mounds of dirt around him and forcing it all down into the hole we'd wasted the entire morning digging. Although, as I glanced between our group and thought about the way a couple of the Heirs had treated me like an actual human being a few times today, I wondered if it wasn't wasted after all.
Orion led us back to the centre of campus and all the way up to Jupiter Hall. We headed inside and followed him across the atrium to a stairwell beyond a large marble archway. He climbed up several floors at a brisk pace and we jogged after him, soon arriving in a long corridor and stopping beneath a hatch in the ceiling.
Orion jumped up, catching hold of the tab, his shirt riding up as he did so and giving me a glimpse of his tightened abs. My cheeks flushed hot and desire unfurled in my belly. I noticed Seth's gaze lingering on him too and was only mildly surprised to realise he clearly swung both ways.
As I turned away from Orion to hide my blush, I spotted a row of metal trowels and large black gloves laid across a cushioned window seat. I frowned as I tried to work out what we were about to do.
Orion pulled down a ladder and I stared up at the clouds above, the sound of the wind whipping by overhead.
“Up,” he instructed as we stared at him. He passed out the trowels and thick gloves to the Heirs as they went ahead and disappeared onto the roof.
“You're all wet,” he pointed out, his eyes raking down my body. I nodded in answer, unable to make my tongue work as he passed me a trowel and a pair of gloves. “Have they not taught you to dry yourself in your Air Elemental class yet?”
“No, sir.”
He looked so inviting, his expression tugging me in and his eyes lighting a blaze that swirled in my chest.
“Useless. Well up you go then,” he said and I moved toward the ladder, taking hold of the first rung.
Orion stepped up close behind me and his fingers brushed my waist, barely perceptible but I felt it everywhere. It scored a line of goosebumps across my back and a heavenly shiver fluttered up my spine. Heated air pushed under m
y clothes, drying them out almost instantly.
“Thank you,” I whispered for the second time today. What’s gotten into him?
He took hold of the ladder either side of my hands. “Up,” he breathed against my cheek and hot wax seemed to pour down each of my legs, making it almost impossible to move. But somehow, I managed it.
I climbed up to the hatch, my breath stalling as I arrived on top of Jupiter Hall. The roof was covered with red tiles, dropping into a gentle slope on either side of me and reaching toward a sheer drop below. Orion jumped up beside me and turned me around to face the other end of the roof where the Heirs were grouped together, looking grim.
Coating the tiles was a thick, grey substance which resembled cement.
“A Griffin who shall not be named came up here the other day,” Orion announced. “Drunk and in his Order form. Apparently whatever he'd just eaten didn't agree with him.”
“Oh my god,” I breathed, realising what the mess was.
“Griffin shit is seriously nasty,” Orion continued brightly. “It dries as hard as rock and can give you a burning, blotchy purple rash for days if you get it on your skin.”
The Heirs immediately started pulling on their gloves, all except Max who folded his arms and shook his head. “I'm not doing that. I've got sensitive skin. I’ll get ten times more of a rash than anyone else who touches that shit.”
My ears pricked up at that. That sounds like something I’d love to see.
His friends started laughing and Orion gave him a weary look.
“If you refuse, you can forget about playing in the match against Starlight Academy next week.”
“But sir! My dad’s coming to watch that game,” Max complained.
“So get cleaning,” Orion growled and his tone sent a quiver through me. When he wasn't directing his harsh tone at me, it was super hot.
Max pulled on the gloves, muttering curse words under his breath as he knelt near a pile of the Griffin excrement and started chipping away at it. The second he worked a lump free, a sickly smell rose into the air like rotting cabbage.
Caleb bent over and retched and Orion wrinkled his nose.
“Down wind Altair,” Orion encouraged, covering his face as he walked to the other end of the roof.
Caleb pulled his shirt up over his nose and changed positions so the wind was blowing away from him. I moved to kneel beside my own pile of poo and released a sigh as I started scraping it off of the tiles with my trowel.
I soon had to lift my own shirt up and cover my nose, the stench becoming too much as more and more of the stuff was broken away. When no one was looking, I pocketed a lump of it, hoping Tory and I might be able to use it in revenge against Max. Imagine if we could get it all over him somehow, his beautiful face would be all splotchy and purple...
Orion provided some large buckets and I shared one with Caleb as we filled it while Max took on the role of carting it back and forth to dump it in The Wailing Wood.
As the sun sank lower in the sky and I started to daydream about food and a hot shower, I noticed Darius was slacking off, sitting on the far edge of the roof with Orion. Their backs were to us and they chatted in low voices. Occasionally their laughter drifted our way. Caleb and Seth would look up and glare at them, then get back to work.
Max reappeared from his last trip to the woods, floating up from the ground using the power of air and hovering above us all as he wasted some time gliding along.
Orion was too engrossed chatting to Darius to notice and the other Heirs took it as a signal to stop working. I concentrated on my work, turning my back on them and hoping Orion would call time on this detention soon. The sun seemed to be taking longer than ever to reach the horizon today.
“Hey peaches,” Max said, dropping the bucket near me and making me jump. “What was the reason you got detention again?”
“She didn't say,” Caleb replied for me, dropping down beside me.
Max rested his hand on my shoulder and I jerked away in panic, lifting a palm to defend myself. Before the magic even tingled my fingertips, his influence took over, sending a flood of trust and calm right through to my bones.
“So?” Max pressed.
“I stole stardust from Orion's office,” I breathed and I spotted Seth moving closer, his interest clearly piqued. He'd tied his hair up in a knot atop his head which highlighted the razor sharp angles of his cheek bones.
“Stardust?” Seth questioned. “What for?”
“We were gonna go home,” the words escaped my lips and a small, internal voice screamed at me for revealing that.
The three of them shared a look and a calculating expression crept onto Seth's face. He raised a palm, painting lines in the air and a strange trickling sensation swept over me.
Max grinned, glancing at Orion and Darius who were still facing away from us as they sat on the roof's edge.
“Hey Professor Dickshit!” Max shouted and my mind reeled when neither Orion or Darius responded, clearly unable to hear him.
“Perfect,” Seth said coldly. “Let her go, Max.”
“Dude, Orion is right there,” Caleb hissed, shaking his head as Max released me.
The pressure of his power slowly ebbed from my chest and fear found me instead. Seth yanked me to my feet, drawing me into the cage his body created.
“Get your hands off of me,” I snarled, drawing magic to my fingertips. Fire flared and I grabbed his arms in a moment of pure adrenaline, searing his flesh. Seth gritted his teeth, hauling me toward the edge of the roof and refusing to let go.”Why didn't you leave?” he demanded, his eyes flashing with something that almost looked like fear.
“Stop it!” I snapped as Max's laughter hit my ears. Caleb looked between everyone, his jaw set and a dark frown on his face.
The scent of singed skin carried to my nose, but Seth was wild, his eyes flaring as he refused to release me. “Why?!” he shoved me into Max's arms and the second he touched me, I was putty in their hands again.
“Why?” Max repeated in my ear as his power coiled around my tongue and made me give the answer they wanted.
“Because this feels like our home. We belong here.”
“I knew it.” Seth threw an accusing finger at me. “They do want the throne.”
All three Heirs suddenly went flying backwards through the air and I gasped in surprise as they were thrown over the edge of the roof. Instead of falling they were flipped upside down, dangling as if held by their ankles above the sheer drop below.
Orion stormed past me, his sleeves rolled up and his expression a fiery pit of rage. “You cast a fucking silence spell behind my back? Are you asking to get expelled?!” he roared.
Darius moved to my side, tucking his hands into his pockets as he gazed up at his friends with a tight-lipped expression.
“ANSWER ME!” Orion bellowed and I spotted students down on campus pointing up at the Heirs dangling above the pathway below.
“No sir,” they spoke in unison.
Seth's hair had come free of his man bun and was flying around him in the breeze. He tried to hold it back but I was pretty sure Orion increased the wind pressure to place him in an even stormier gust.
“Is that the Celestial Heirs?” a voice carried to me from below then laughter and gasps followed.
I imagined FaeBook was blowing up right about now and a bubble filled my chest, replacing my anxiety at their threatening behaviour.
Max stared down at the ground angrily as the students started taking photographs. “You've made your point, Professor. Let us down.”
“Fine,” Orion growled, waving a hand and his magic released them.
I gasped in shock as they plummeted towards the ground, running to the edge with my heart hammering like crazy.
Seth flipped himself upside down, landing lightly on his feet with all the grace of an angel, while Max spun through the air, making a show for the onlookers on a magical breeze. Caleb caught himself on a pillar of land, creating steps to descend do
wn to the pathway and taking a bow for the students standing there.
I pursed my lips as their fan base fell about them, clapping and giggling.
“Damn,” Orion muttered, moving to my side. “I hoped at least one of them would go splat.” I didn't know whether he was joking or not but Darius barked a laugh. So apparently he was.
“They're untouchable,” I whispered, unable to take my eyes off of the group below as my hands curled into tight fists.
“No one's untouchable,” Orion said in a rumbling tone that struck a deep chord in my heart. “You just have to find the right buttons to push, Blue.” He lowered his voice to a secret whisper, leaning in close. “Or is it Green?”
I ran south through Air Territory with the long grass trailing around my knees as I carved a path through the overgrown meadow towards the Fire Arena where I was due to meet Darius once he’d finished up detention with Orion.
I’d reached the last section of my playlist and the beat had urged me into a sprint, my long hair blowing out behind me in the wind as I raced downhill, the end in sight.
I was close to a new P.B., I just had to keep up this pace and I’d smash my ten km record.
I wondered if Darius was really going to show. He’d seemed pretty damn set on me and Darcy attending his fancy party but he’d also lied about meeting me enough times that I didn’t trust his word for shit.
I crossed into Fire Territory and the ground evened out, getting harder beneath my sneakers. I upped my pace a final time as I sprinted for the Fire Arena and skidded to a halt on the gravel outside it with seventeen seconds to spare.
I whooped in triumph, smiling to myself at my win then took a moment to use my water magic to clean the sweat and dirt from my body as my heart rate slowed.
A blur of motion shot towards me and I gasped as Caleb Altair appeared beside me, running his hand through his golden curls and grinning at me like I was his best buddy.
“You still couldn’t beat me though, could you?” Caleb asked casually, jamming his hands into his jeans pockets.
“I could if you didn’t use your bloodsucker powers,” I replied, panting a little as I caught my breath.
Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts) Page 21
