Dark Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac Book 1)

by Caroline Peckham

  Two powerful wingbeats had me soaring ahead of them and I flew as low as possible above the shoreline, my fanned tail whipping out behind me. Tabitha barked happily as she drew level with my flank, her grey coat seeming almost silver in the moonshine.

  I released another roar which had a note of laughter to it, drinking in the high of flying in my Order form. I led the wolves around the lake four times before they grew tired and slowed to a halt. Some of them waded into the water while others played and nuzzled each other on the beach. I dropped down beside them and Tabitha rubbed her wet nose to mine before heading off to chase Nikita.

  This was the only time I really felt the difference between us. Shit, I loved being a damn Storm Dragon. Alpha of the most terrifying fucking wolf pack in Solaria. It sounded seriously badass too. The only problem was, sometimes I was reminded of just how different I was to them.

  When I was a kid, my siblings had all emerged early as was common for Werewolves. I’d ridden on their backs, shared baths, played in the woods with them. But when my Order had emerged, my mamma had encouraged me to take charge, to shift when the wolves shifted and lead them as a Dragon Alpha. But the longer that went on, the less easy it was to join in with them like this. And sometimes I didn’t want to.

  As much as I loved them, Dragons were naturally more solitary. Now and then, I just needed to slip away into the clouds and spread my wings alone. And when we came down to the lake, they knew I’d fly away eventually. It was my favourite area to fly on campus and beyond that, there was a place here I loved to go when I needed to gather my thoughts.

  I flexed my wings and my pack howled their goodbyes as I took off with a powerful leap, climbing higher and higher into the sky. I raced for the clouds, twisting through them and relishing the wet kiss of the moisture across my wings. Power radiated through me, my excitement growing as I rose even higher into the heavens.

  Energy was building and building in my body, begging to be released and I finally let it out. I opened my huge jaws and a tremendous bolt of white hot electricity burst from the very pit of my chest like lightning. The sound that left me was akin to a thunderclap and the clouds darkened around me, pulsing with my storm powers. Rain poured far below and I heard it hitting the lake like a tumult of applause.

  The wolves howled once more as I raced through the clouds, emotions burning right out of me in the form of electricity.

  When I was finally feeling depleted, I flattened my wings to my sides, letting myself freefall toward the lake, tumbling down through the clouds in a spiral. This was freedom. There was nothing in the world that equalled it. The rush, the wind, the rain, the storm. I was a living breathing part of it. It was what I was born to be.

  I pulled up before I hit the lake, rain cascading over my back as I set my sights on the boathouse at the water’s edge. I came to land on the pier, the wooden slats groaning beneath my weight. I shifted out of my Dragon form, heading up the pier with exhilaration burning through my blood.

  The boathouse was the size of a barn with flaking white paint coating it and a huge old willow tree leaning against one side. The fronds hung all the way down over the opening at the front, creating a cocoon within it. The vessels Aurora Academy had at its disposal included three simple fishing boats a couple of rowing boats and a bunch of canoes. I couldn’t remember the last time students had used any of them. That was why this place was my haven. No one came here so I’d claimed it as mine.

  I swept the willow branches aside and the scent of damp wood and old lacquer tingled my senses, making the tension run smoothly out of my body. It was familiar and almost homely; the one place on campus where I could truly have privacy.

  I headed inside, flexing my limbs as I lazily made my way toward the back of the boat house, passing by the fishing boats in the water at the heart of the space. Ropes and nets hung along the walls alongside a bunch of rusted tools which looked a century old.

  “I wasn’t sure how long to wait to tell you I’m here, but in case you came here to jerk off, I figured I’d better speak up.”

  My heart lurched as I found Elise perched high up on a wooden platform at the back of the boat house, her legs swinging casually off of it. She was chewing gum and had an open book on her knee.

  Trust her to find my secret place. I didn’t even feel angry; it was a strange kind of relief to find her there. As if this place was meant for us both. Great, now I’m losing my fucking mind.

  “If you wanted to see me naked, you only had to ask, carina.”

  “Oh yes my long-winded plan of waiting out here in some busted up boat shed in the hopes that you might appear in your birthday suit has finally paid off,” she said dryly, a hint of amusement to her tone. And I didn’t miss the way her eyes fell to my dick and widened.

  I smirked as I headed to the crate at the back of the shed where I kept spare clothes and a bunch of gold to replenish my magic, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. No one ever came here, but if they did, they sure as shit wouldn’t dare to steal from me.

  When I was done, I walked to the ladder which led up to the small platform and climbed up to join her. Although she was technically joining me because this was my spot.

  I dropped down beside her and swiped the book from her knee, my thigh pressing up against hers. I felt her watching me from the corner of my eye as I flipped the book over to read the title.

  Wuthering Heights.

  I passed it back to her, cocking a brow. “Didn’t peg you as a romantic.”

  “I’m not. I’m in it for the revenge and seeing why nice people are driven to do bad things.” She pushed the book into her bag, drawing her legs up to hug them to her chest. Her uniform was bone dry so either she’d been here since before the storm or she could cast a decent air shield. The rain was drumming against the roof, making my favourite sound in the world.

  “What about bad people being driven to do nice things?” I asked, leaning my shoulder against hers.

  She didn’t move away, looking at me as if she was capable of picking apart my soul. But I kept that shit on lock down. I didn’t need the complication of a girl claiming my heart. I liked Elise, damn well hungered for her. But Mamma had taught me to mantieni il tuo cuore con la tua famiglia– keep your heart with the family. The moment I gave it away, I was in trouble. I could be manipulated, deceived, tricked. And as the future leader of the Oscura Clan, I had to do everything I could to protect myself. Didn’t mean I couldn’t fool around though...

  “Maybe there’s no good and bad. There’s just people.” Elise shrugged and I nodded as I considered that.

  “What about enemies and friends?” I looked to her and saw something splitting apart in her gaze. She didn’t answer and I reached for her hand on instinct. Her fingers weaved with mine and my guarded heart twitched. “Why did you come here, carina?”

  Her soft green eyes bored into mine. “I needed to be alone. I went for a walk and stumbled across this place. It sounded like a storm was coming so…” She shrugged and the rush of rain sounded between us, crashing against the roof as my power still burned through the sky.

  “My storm,” I said with a smug kind of smile.

  Her brows lifted a little, but I wouldn’t exactly say she looked impressed. I wondered what in this world could actually impress a girl like her.

  “Must be fun up there in the clouds,” she said thoughtfully.

  “I’ll take you sometime,” I offered.

  “What?” she said in surprise. “You can’t. Dragons don’t let people ride them. Isn’t it part of your Order laws?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t abide by many laws, bella.”

  A playful smile danced around her mouth and she squeezed my hand, sending an injection of heat into my damn soul. “I’m still not seeing a scary mob boss sitting beside me, Dante. It just doesn’t add up.”

  “I smile at people until they cross me,” I said seriously. “One strike is all it takes.”

  “Ooo scary,” she teased and I
cocked my head to look at her.

  “Seems like you want to see my dark side. But I wouldn’t encourage that. Once you’ve seen it, you can’t un-see it.”

  “Like your dick?” she smirked and I bit down on a grin.

  “Yeah, carina. And once you feel it, you can’t un-feel it.”

  “Well I wouldn’t get much done with my day if that was the case.”

  I laughed and she blew a bubble with her gum, the scent of cherries popping under my nose.

  “So what do you do in here?” she asked. “I’m guessing from the clothes stash you come here a lot?”

  “Well it involves copious amounts of Vampire porn and several tubes of lube.”

  She burst out laughing and I grinned at her, warmth spreading through my chest as I finally cracked her mask.

  Her gaze caught on mine and I sensed she was waiting for a real answer to her question.

  I sighed, pushing a hand into my hair. “I come here to think.”

  “About?” she breathed, no judgment in her voice.

  “The Clan, life…” You.

  “The Clan?” she questioned.

  “The Clan hit The Brotherhood hard last week. We killed thirteen of their members. Or…my uncle did.” A tightness grew in my chest as I thought of Felix. I needed to get on top of his bullshit before it got even more out of hand.

  Elise had fallen quiet and I glanced her way, eyeing the lines on her brow.

  “Thirteen people?” she echoed.

  “Yeah and…” I stopped, reminding myself of Mamma’s words. I shouldn’t open up to anyone about the Clan. Shouldn’t even want to. But with Elise, my tongue felt loose.

  “And?” she questioned, her fingers squeezing mine again.

  There was one thing I could do which bought me a free pass with this. So I lifted our hands between us, raising my brows at her. “I can’t have these words leave these walls, carina. Will you take a bond of silence with me? It will only apply to this boat house. You won’t be able to speak about what I tell you beyond this place.”

  Her lips parted. “By the fucking sun, Dante. That’s senior year magic.”

  “It was one of the first spells I ever learned.” I shrugged. “There’s a lot of shit I can do that seniors can do. And there’s a lot I can do that they can’t too.”

  She swallowed, her fingers locking tighter with mine. “Do it.”

  “You have to let our magic blend, just for a minute.” I gave her a sideways smile. Power sharing was a rush. It required a lot of trust or willpower to manage it. It wasn’t natural to let someone beneath the surface of your skin. And I could see the hesitation in Elise’s eyes.

  “Trust me, carina. I won’t hurt you,” I encouraged.

  Her eyes locked with mine and for some reason it was the easiest thing in the world to let my own barriers down. Hers washed away just as quickly and her power flowed into my body like a river.

  Fuck me.

  It wasn’t just a rush, with her it was a fucking orgasm. I groaned the same time she did, the two of us pressing closer, more flesh touching, allowing the magic to flow faster between us.

  “Holy shit,” I gasped.

  Her power ebbed and flowed under my skin like pure ecstasy and static energy crackled all over my flesh.

  “Dante,” she said breathlessly, almost begging and the sound sent another wave of pleasure through me.

  I pressed my cheek to hers, falling into the spell of her magic as it blended with mine, filling me up and making me want to get every inch of her exposed flesh against me. It would cause a fucking volcanic eruption for sure and I sure as hell wanted to burn up in it.

  She clawed at my shirt, pushing it up to get her free hand onto my stomach, her magic flooding into me at so many points of contact I was heady.

  The spell, asshole!

  I shut my eyes to focus, forming my magic into a bond which wrapped around every place our skin met. It expanded from our bodies and encased the walls in a shimmering silver light. I held onto Elise a few seconds longer than was necessary, drowning in the feel of her power inside me, then I broke the contact, pressing her back.

  We were breathless as we stared at each other, my heart thumping hard and fast, her expression telling me she could hear it.

  “That was insane,” I growled.

  She nodded, her pupils fully dilated and her lips open, inviting. I leaned in to kiss her on instinct, but she caught me by the throat and shoved me back. Argh.

  “Sorry,” I grunted, turning away and she caught my hand again, confusing the fuck out of me.

  “You were saying…about your Clan?” she encouraged, amusement flashing across her features.

  I sighed as I wrapped her hand up in mine.

  “Well…my uncle attacked some shitty rundown bar in Lunar Territory. The people he killed were a bunch of hookers and old men.” I drew in a slow breath and felt Elise staring at me.

  “You feel bad,” she said in surprise and I shrugged one shoulder in answer.

  “It just isn’t the way I’d conduct my fucking Clan. Felix is standing in for me until I graduate, but he can’t go around killing people without a damn tactic behind it. So now we’re just waiting for The Brotherhood to retaliate, and do you think they’re gonna go for the men who did it? Fuck no. They’re gonna target our weaker people like we did to them.”

  Rage spewed through my gut. I felt so helpless to it. It was a damn time bomb. And when it went off, blood was gonna splatter the wall and paint my name on it. Everything Felix did reflected on me. He was supposed to be checking in with me, running his plans by me. But was he fuck.

  Elise leaned her head against my shoulder and my anger simmered. “Do you ever think the gangs could find some way to come together? To make amends?”

  I stiffened as hatred pulsed under my skin. “Never,” I snarled.

  “With you and Ryder…it seems more personal than rivalry.”

  I pressed my lips together, wondering if I should tell her everything. But I didn’t want to think about Mariella and what she’d done to Ryder Draconis. So I decided on a piece of the truth. Something that was printed in the news, that she could have found out anyway if she really wanted to know. “Ryder’s father killed my father.”

  She sucked in a breath, but remained quiet as she waited for me to elaborate.

  A scab picked off the old wound in my chest as I remembered the day I’d gotten the news. “Vesper Draconis didn’t just kill him either. He cut him into ten pieces like their sick motherfucking gang always does. Him and my dad were Astral Adversaries. The stars had bound them to clash forever until it ended in blood. Ryder and I have inherited their star bond.” We’d never confirmed that for sure, but it was pretty damn obvious to me.

  “I’m sorry,” she breathed.

  I pressed my tongue into my cheek, fighting back the emotion at losing my father five years ago. “We got him back for it,” I said in a dark tone which sent goosebumps rising across Elise’s arms.

  “How?” she whispered but I shook my head.

  The rain had slowed to a drizzle and the clouds were beginning to part, allowing the moonlight down on the pier. A heavy weight descended on me and I decided I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “Another day, carina.”

  I moved to get up, but she tugged on my hand to make me look at her. “Thank you for telling me. I never had a father – he skipped out on me before I was able to form a memory of him so I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose one like that.”

  I frowned, reaching out to trail a thumb across her cheek. “Well your father was a fucking idiot to give you up. If you were ever mine to protect, I’d keep you close and never let go.”

  “You know I don’t need that,” she whispered and I leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

  “I know, carina. But the earth would still turn whether the moon was watching or not. Maybe she likes the company though.” I cleared my throat, gazing down at our intertwined hands. “You know…if
you want to use this place to get away from the world, you can. It’s good to be alone sometimes.”

  “Yeah,” she agreed. “It really is. It can be suffocating in our dorm.”

  “That’s why I have a sheet,” I said with a grin. We fell quiet and I watched her out of the corner of my eye, realising something strange. “It feels like being alone even with you here.”

  “Am I that boring?” she teased, but her expression was serious.

  “No I just meant-”

  “I know what you meant,” she whispered, like she was scared to admit it. She lifted her eyes and her soul seemed to call to mine from the depths of her eyes, spinning an unbreakable web between us. “Maybe we can come here and be alone together sometimes.”

  “Alone together,” I echoed with a smile pulling at my mouth. “I like the sound of that, bella.”

  It was two days until the Spring party and I flicked through my pathetically limited wardrobe with my lips twisting in distaste. I’d come to Aurora Academy with one fairly small bag of clothes and they were all I owned in the world. None of which was suitable for a fancy party. Or even a shitty party really. I had a few pairs of jeans and leggings, some semi appealing shirts and a leather jacket which had seen better days. There was a reason why I didn’t bother changing out of my uniform after class during the week and why I tended to wear my sports kit sweats if I was hanging around the dorm on the weekends.

  For a moment my gaze trailed over Laini’s section of the closet which was a hell of a lot fuller than mine and I wondered if she might let me borrow something. But even as I considered it, I dismissed the idea. Laini was a lot shorter than me and my chest was a lot fuller. Nothing of hers was going to fit.

  I sighed. The party had sounded like fun but I was going to have to pull out of it. Maybe I’d just wait until the day and fake a home emergency. I’d have to head off campus for the evening, but I could just go sit in a park or something...

  Wow my life outside of vengeance really is pathetic.

  I shook off my disappointment over the party. I wasn’t here for social events anyway. I was here for Gareth.