Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts)

by Caroline Peckham

  I turned to look at my teammates but my eyes were really on the other Heirs as I spoke.

  “How is your power doing? We need to smash them with our magic this half,” I said, reaching into my core to assess mine. Despite the fact that I’d been using magic since the start of the game, the well of power within me still burned fiercely, especially after sitting with the bag of gold I’d brought to the locker rooms for most of half time.

  “I’m three quarters full,” Seth announced. His hands were fisted at his sides as he fought against the urge to scratch again. He was the only one of us who couldn’t replenish his magic during the halftime allowance due to his need for a run beneath the moon to do it but he always held back on using too much in the first half for just this reason.

  “I’ll go and get my fix now,” Max announced, striding away towards the Starlight cheer squad as he fought a grimace at the pain of his purple flesh.

  “I should top up too,” Caleb added, his gaze drifting over to the edge of the pitch where the Vegas were standing by their seats, talking to their friends. He didn’t actually move though and I got the feeling that he didn’t want Roxy to see him shaken.

  “Come on, let’s show these Starlight assholes who they’re dealing with. You’ve got fucking royalty for a Source,” I urged, clapping a hand on his shoulder and guiding him towards them. Orion had already gone ahead of us and was just slipping through the forcefield to take his seat close to the twins. His shoulders were tight with tension and his jaw locked as he glared straight ahead.

  We prowled across the pitch and Roxy looked around as she saw us coming. She pursed her full lips but didn’t show any other sign that our arrival bothered her. I gritted my teeth, wishing she’d just flinch so that my father and the other Councillors could see that they were afraid of us at the very least but of course she didn’t. Her sister stood beside her and the look of disdain directed our way sent a wave of anger through me. Who the hell did these girls think they were?

  To make matters worse, the Starlight Captain, Quentin, got to them before we could and he offered them a teasing bow and a smile which made me want to knock his teeth out. Which I intended to do as soon as the second half started. The girls both laughed at something he said, smiling like he was the funniest fucking dipshit they’d ever met.

  Roxy’s dark eyes moved to mine and I felt a lurch right in the centre of my gut for a half a second as it seemed almost like she was directing that smile at me. She’d made a dress out of an oversized Pitball shirt which skimmed her thighs and made her look like she'd just crawled out of my bed and pulled it on. The idea of that excited me way more than it should have but as she turned to whisper something to her sister, I saw the name printed across the back of her shirt wasn’t Acrux, it was Grus.

  Of course it is. Stop thinking with your dick and get your head back in the game!

  The Starlight Captain noticed us approaching and made himself scarce but I noted the lingering looks the twins gave him as he jogged away.

  “Enjoying the game, sweetheart?” Caleb asked as we drew close enough to speak with them. I didn’t miss the way Roxy’s eyes trailed over him and the fact that there was considerably less hatred in her gaze when she looked his way than what she directed at me. I guessed he hadn’t half drowned her but it still pissed me off.

  “We are,” she admitted with a wide smile. “Isn’t Geraldine amazing?”

  “Yeah she’s the fucking cat's pyjamas,” I growled, wishing I could actually aim an insult the Cerberus’s way but that girl was single handedly saving our asses from total annihilation at this point so I couldn’t even pretend to do it. Without her we would have been royally screwed.

  “Maybe she should be the Captain,” Gwendalina suggested with a taunting smile.

  “Maybe she should,” Lance agreed loudly and I scowled at my friend. There was no way he’d offer me any loyalty when it came to Pitball. If I wasn’t the best then he’d say it to my face. I just wished he’d hold his opinion back in front of the Vegas.

  “I just need a quick top up,” Caleb said and Roxy didn’t even fucking flinch at that. She sighed like him biting her was a goddamn inconvenience and pulled her long hair over her shoulder to offer him access to her neck.

  “You’d better hurry up,” she added. “Only two minutes of half time left.”

  I glanced around at the board to confirm what she’d said and by the time I looked back, Caleb had her in his arms and his teeth were in her throat.

  She didn’t even have the decency to look horrified, her fingers twisting into his hair as he held her in place. His fucking hand was on her thigh, skimming the hem of that shirt and for a moment I actually wanted to rip his arm off.

  I shook my head and turned away from them. This anger with Milton was spilling into everything I did today. I just couldn’t believe that he’d done such a thing to me. He was one of my most loyal followers, I’d never even sensed an inch of defiance in him let alone a betrayal of this magnitude and I couldn’t get it out of my head. If I couldn’t trust someone as devoted as him then who the hell could I trust?

  My gaze skimmed over the box above the twins where my parents were sitting but I didn’t let it linger there. If I saw the look of frustration and disappointment I knew would be on my father’s face then I really would lose the plot.

  Caleb released Roxy, leaning close to whisper something in her ear which made her fucking laugh while I ground my teeth. He spared a moment to heal the bite on her neck and we turned back to the pitch.

  “I hope you do better this half!” Gwen called after us.

  “You can’t do any worse, right?” Roxy added and I clenched my fists to stop myself from rounding on them.

  Max was approaching from the other side of the pitch, jittery with the excited energy he’d just drained from the Starlight cheer squad who were now all cheering in a less than enthusiastic way. A dark smile filled my face at the sight of that and I imagined the Starlight fans hadn’t loved watching their cheer squad paw at our Waterguard while he drained all of the pep from them.

  The team lined up on either side of me as the final minute started counting down and Prestos appeared with a metal Starter Ball.

  Quentin stood opposite me and I snarled in his smirking face. I’d happily teach him a lesson in why we were destined to rule over Solaria and he was headed toward a middle ranking position in some backwater town.

  The crowd were counting down the seconds but I blocked them out, my whole world zeroing in on the Team Captain opposite me. He tried to hold my gaze but his smirk slipped and his eyes flickered with concern a moment before the whistle blew.

  I bellowed as I charged straight towards him, wrapping my fist in ice half a beat before slamming it into his face. Teeth met with my knuckles and he was thrown back into the mud to a huge ooooh from the crowd.

  I snatched the twenty pound ball into my arms and started running, throwing fire magic out in an arc before me as I sprinted straight for the Pit.

  Every member of the opposing team leapt into my path but I battered them aside with the strength of my charge and the heat of my fire.

  The two Starlight Pit Keepers were waiting for me as I made it to the bronze plate surrounding the Pit and my magic spluttered out as I crossed the no-magic zone. I was running with the charge of a stampeding elephant though and they didn’t stand a chance as I collided with them, knocking one of them to the floor on my left and knocking the other straight back into the Pit just as I slammed the ball down on top of him.

  I turned back to the Zodiac crowd, pumping my fist triumphantly as they went wild.

  To add to my victory Prestos yelled, “Parker, you’re Out!”, as the Pit Keeper I’d knocked into the Pit failed to get himself back out of it in time.

  We were two points up already and I was determined to claw back every point we needed plus some. I wasn’t going to lose this fucking match.

  The next round started up immediately and I grinned as the flaming ball sho
t out of the hole in my zone. Damian, our backup Fireside who’d taken Milton’s place when I banned him from playing, raced forward to grab the ball and I charged at the two fire players from Starlight.

  Their Fireshield tried to intercept me but I slammed into her full-force, knocking her to her ass in the mud. Their Waterback shot Damian with a blast of water and the ball was thrown from his arms before being snatched by their Earthraider Quentin.

  Seth was sprinting into position ahead of me close to the Pit and Max made it to my side as we charged towards the ball.

  A wave of earth magic tore across the ground before us, throwing Max into me and sending us both crashing to the ground. Max screamed as the pressure of my weight on him increased the burning in his skin. These Starlight assholes are going to pay for sabotaging him like this!

  Lance was bellowing obscenities at me and I leapt to my feet, racing after the ball again but it was too late. Starlight scored and to make matters worse, Prestos announced Max Out again.

  My lips parted in horror as he hobbled away and I scrambled back to the Fire Quarter in anticipation of the next ball.

  Typically the ice ball shot out of the Water Hole where we were one player down. Our Waterback was instantly tackled by their Waterguard who pinned her to the ground long enough to knock her Out. Meanwhile their Waterback managed to surround herself with their Airsentry and Earthbacker as she raced for the Pit.

  I threw a blast of fire at them, knocking all three to their asses but somehow the Waterback managed to hook the ball into the hands of their Fireside as she fell and he slammed the ball home in the next breath.

  I shook my head, unable to believe what was happening as we resumed our positions and my rage built into a tangible thing.

  The next ball shot out of the Air Hole but Seth was scratching his damn ass and missed the play. Caleb ran to intercept Starlight’s Airstriker who instantly started glowing a sparkling yellow as he ran.

  “Look he’s after some Pegasus ass again!” someone shouted.

  The Starlight crowd started up a new chant at Cal’s expense. Altair loves Pegasex! He’s horny for the horn! Over and over the words came from the crowd and Caleb stumbled as it got to him, missing his chance to tackle the Airstriker and giving him the opportunity to score again.

  My heart was pounding out of rhythm, I was losing a grip on my anger and I was filled with the awful fucking possibility that we might actually lose this game.

  As we drew closer to the end of the match, Zodiac had managed to claw their way closer to evening the score though they still had a way to go if they wanted to win.

  Geraldine used a sea of vines to throw a ball over the heads of the Starlight Pit Keepers. She skidded through their defences, entering the no-magic zone and caught the ball out of the air to a chorus of cheers. I was off my seat, yelling for her to score the point with adrenaline surging and she threw it into the Pit to a deafening cheer.

  The round ended with Starlight with ten points and Zodiac with five. The final round was about to start, but Orion called for a huddle, drawing the soaked, muddy, distressed looking team to the edge of the pitch. I strained my ears as they grouped around him in a crescent. My gut tugged a little as Max rubbed at his sore arms, purple welts beginning to rise there. I didn't want to feel bad, but I couldn't help it as he groaned in pain. I'd thought that he'd quit the game to go get help, but he was persevering through his agony and it made me feel like crap.

  He deserves this, dammit.

  Geraldine had a fire in her eyes but she looked exhausted, her kit smothered in mud and bruises shining on her arms. Sofia had mentioned the players weren't allowed to replenish their magic during a game aside from half time so every ounce they had had to be saved for tactics on the pitch.

  Orion gave them a tense look. “We're five points down, you know what that means.”

  They all nodded.

  “Do what you've gotta do to win. I believe in you,” Orion spoke mostly to Darius then grouped the ten of them together in a circle, starting up a chant that bled into the Zodiac audience until the entire stadium shook with the ferocity of it.

  “Zodiac will not be beat! Zodiac can take the heat!”

  It was so catchy that I was soon joining in and a band far up in the stands took up the tune too. Nearly every single student, professor or parent there to support our school clapped in time with the rhythm. It was an ear-splitting cacophony which drowned out the cheers of Starlight and it was the first time I'd ever witnessed Fae being so united in one cause.

  My heart pounded in time with the tune as the Zodiac team raised their arms in the air, jogging back onto the pitch. Orion hovered at the edge of the turf, his head tipped low and his hands stuffed in his pockets. His shoulders were like a wall of tension and his jaw was set in stone.

  “Come on Zodiac,” I whispered, looking to Tory.

  “I hate the Heirs but I kinda want our school to win,” she said, echoing my thoughts.

  “Plus Geraldine will be a hero after this if they pull it off,” I said excitedly.

  “It's about to get brutal,” Sofia said seriously as if the entire game hadn't been one long, violent brawl. “The only way Zodiac can win or draw is if Starlight get minus five points or more. So they have to get the opposition to drop the ball or get six of their team struck Out of the round.”

  “Shit on a brick,” Tory breathed, curling her hands into fists on her knees.

  I chewed on my lip desperately as I looked across to where the two teams were moving into their Elemental Quarters. Seth's eyes were set on the Starlight Airsentry, Olef, while his hands curled up, forcing himself not to scratch. Max swung his head side to side but kept his hands away from his burning skin too. Darius looked like he was about to murder someone and the way his eyes were set on Quentin, I suspected he was going to tackle him the second the whistle blew.

  Geraldine dug her heels into the ground like a bull about to charge and I pitied anyone on the Starlight team who was about to face the wrath of Zodiac.

  The whistle peeled through the air and a ball burst out of the Fire Hole, blazing through the atmosphere in a burning trail of fire, glowing red hot. Starlight charged toward it, their Waterback shooting a blast of liquid up to cool the ball before it was caught skillfully by the Fireside.

  The four Heirs ate up the ground, speeding ahead and plowing into four of the Starlight team, trying to take them to the ground as fast as they could.

  The ball was tossed to their Airstriker who blazed a trail toward the Pit.

  “No!” I yelled, my heart tumbling in my chest as he cast a powerful gust of air at the Zodiac Keepers.

  The Badgerville girl was blown aside but Justin stood his ground, teeth clenched as he sent a fiery blaze back at the air Elemental. Damian Evergile slammed into the Airstriker at the same moment, snatching the ball and running for the opposite end of the pitch.

  “What's he doing?” Tory gasped.

  “They can't Pit the ball!” Sofia cried over the roaring noise. “The round will end and one point isn't enough to win the match.”

  Three of the Starlight team chased after Damian at high speed while the Heirs and Geraldine tried to wrestle five of the opposition to the ground.

  “Benson, Tulissa, Quentin, you're out!” Prestos announced and Zodiac cheered wildly as Max, Darius and Seth stood up to let them go. Only Tulissa walked herself off the pitch while the other two were carried away on stretchers.

  “Oh my god,” I breathed, completely stunned by the brutality playing out before me.

  The guy Geraldine was trying to force to the ground kept throwing heavy punches at her, forcing her back and I winced every time she took a hit. Darius sprinted forward to help followed closely by Caleb and they dove on top of Geraldine to hold the Starlight player down.

  Prestos's whistle blew shrilly and my eardrums nearly burst with the noise that sounded from the Zodiac crowd. “Avery you're out!”

  Four of Starlight were Out. They only had si
x members left in play, but they were working their assess off to get the ball from Damian who was circling the pitch as fast as he could. He looked exhausted and as he ran past Caleb, he tossed him the ball. Caleb let out a burst of speed, racing away from the three members of Starlight who were still in hot pursuit.

  Darius and Seth charged toward their Keepers, seeking out easier prey while Caleb distracted the remainder of their team. The two of them fled, leaving the goal wide open, but they clearly knew the tactic Zodiac were playing. Our team didn't want to Pit the ball, they wanted to force two more Starlight players out of the game to secure their win.

  The Keepers were fast and I wondered if this was a tactic they were well accustomed to in the final round. Darius and Seth were like predators chasing down gazelle, their eyes set on the slowest of the two players. They collided with her full force and a horrible snapping noise filled the air as they took her to the ground. She lay eerily still and when a few seconds passed, Prestos's whistle blew. “Ling, you're out!”

  The boys got off of her and two medics raced onto the pitch with a stretcher to peel her off of the ground. Oh shit.

  “It's a draw,” Diego gasped. That was five players out. There was no way Starlight could bring it back so close to the end of the round. The clock was counting down ten seconds and the entire school roared as Caleb raced for the Pit.

  “We can still win!” Sofia screamed as Caleb tore toward it, a victorious grin pulling at his mouth.

  No one saw the Starlight Airsentry coming. He forced a blast into Caleb's side that sent him crashing into the mud, his arm twisting awkwardly beneath him. He fell on top of him, snatched the ball and tossed it into the Pit with a yell of exertion.

  A collective gasp of absolute horror dragged in around me.

  Starlight Academy went completely crazy as the timer hit zero and the scoreboard flashed with the final scores. Zodiac: 5 Starlight: 6