Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning
The Reckoning: Chapter 12

WE MADE IT INTO The Orb for lunch while managing to avoid any Hell Week pranks and I slipped through the tables towards Geraldine and the Ass Club with my sunglasses back in place and my stomach rumbling. The idea of food still made me feel a little queasy but it was time to bite the bullet and go for something greasy.

“Oh my, Your Majesty,” Geraldine gasped as she spotted me. “Whatever is the matter? You look positively frightful! Like the cat took a dump on your pillow!”

I snorted a laugh and dropped into a soft armchair with a sigh. “I’m suffering, Geraldine,” I admitted. “Though it’s through no fault of the cat. I can only blame Mr Jack Daniels and his friend of the Comforting Southern variety. I spent a little too much time in their company last night and I’m suffering the consequences.”

“Oh! Well holy banana bread, why didn’t you say? I have a home remedy for what ails you. I can whip it up in three shakes of a Manticore’s heiny! Just you wait there and I’ll see if I can find the salmon slugs and whispering onion dew…” She hurried away from me and I grimaced.

“I’m not consuming anything with slugs in it,” I groaned. “I just need something nice and greasy.”

“Let me see what I can find,” Sofia offered, getting to her feet. “I feel responsible anyway.”

“I’m a big girl, I can make my own terrible decisions,” I said dismissively, though I was still surprised at just how drunk I’d ended up. I guessed I’d just lost track somewhere and let it get out of control though that wasn’t usually like me. “But I will love you forever if you feed me so I’m not protesting that idea.”

I looked around for Darcy but she still hadn’t appeared. I guessed Orion was making her find every exploded bit of peach and banana in the classroom and I was just glad that he hadn’t singled me out for that task. If I’d had to scramble about on my hands and knees looking for manky bits of fruit I was sure I’d have hurled.

A blur of motion shot towards us and my heart leapt as Caleb appeared in the chair beside mine, kicking his feet up on the table and leaning back as if he’d been there the whole time.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he said with a grin. 

I guessed he was over his embarrassment from this morning already. We’ll just have to work harder next time.

Diego straightened in his chair opposite us, eyeing the Earth Heir warily.

“No, no,” I said, waving Caleb away from me. “I can’t do perky this morning. I’m in a decidedly down-beat mood. Please take that sunshine smile away from me.”

“Ouch,” Caleb said, clutching at his heart like I’d wounded him but I only tipped my head back against my chair to close my eyes for a moment.

“I’m unaffected by your pain,” I assured him.

Caleb lowered his voice seductively but made no effort to stay quiet enough not to be overheard. “But I was going to ask if you want to play a game with me…”

Diego spat a mouthful of his coffee out and it sprayed the table between us.

“Shit, man! Watch out!” Caleb snapped, giving him an ounce of attention as he wiped at his uniform, though I was fairly sure Diego hadn’t gotten him.

Diego apologised, hurrying off to find some napkins and Caleb watched him retreat through narrowed eyes.

“Washer dropped in on our sex ed class,” I explained before Caleb decided to seek vengeance against my friend. “He’s taken a bit of an interest in you and me and he got me to admit to our hunting game in front of the whole class.” I couldn’t hide the grimace which followed those words and Caleb leaned towards me with a frown.

“When you say he’s taken an interest in us, do you mean he’s been looking at your memories?” Caleb asked darkly.

My heart thumped a little harder in response to the threat laced in his voice and I could only nod in response.

“I’ll sort that out, sweetheart. That old pervert needs to remember who he’s spying on.” He got to his feet suddenly and I reached out to catch his hand before he could speed away.

“What are you going to do?” I asked and he looked down at me in surprise.

“I’m going to make sure he stays out of your head,” he promised. “And in the meantime, you can have your lunch and get your energy up for our game.”

Caleb leaned down like he was going to kiss me and I shifted back. “I can’t play today,” I said, shaking my head even though it made the ringing in my ears get louder. “I’m half dying here. I drank way too much last night.”

“Oh, is that all? You were starting to make me think you didn’t like me anymore,” Caleb teased. He reached out to cup my cheek and my lips parted to make some protest about him touching me like that in public but before I could, the warm flow of magic slid through my veins.

The pounding in my brain retreated, quickly followed by the sick feeling in my gut and every other symptom of the hangover from hell which had been plaguing me.

I stared up at Caleb in surprise and he leaned down to speak in my ear. “Will you play with me now?”

His stubble grazed my cheek and I turned to look up at him as he drew back a few inches.

“What if I don’t want to today?” I breathed.

Caleb pouted and a smile tugged at my lips. “Then I guess I’ll just have to bite you here.” He pushed my hair back over my shoulder and touched his lips to my throat. The contact made my skin tingle and I bit my lip.

He kissed my neck, shifting an inch higher and kissing me again.

I cleared my throat and pushed him back a step as I tried to hide the reactions my body was having to him. But as he could probably hear the fast pace of my heart, I doubted he was fooled.

“I want to eat first,” I warned him. “I’ll play with you at twenty to one, that way I’ll have five minutes to get to class after I win.”

“You won’t win,” he assured me, brushing his fingers over my knee for a moment before shooting away from me.

I glanced around from within the confines of my sunglasses to see just how many people had noticed that exchange. I didn’t really want to be publicly marked as Caleb’s somehow. I wasn’t his girlfriend and I didn’t want anyone to think I was.

As I glanced over at the Heirs’ couch, I found Darius looking right back at me and my heart leapt in surprise. I couldn’t really figure out the look he was giving me but something about it made me feel uncomfortable. I dropped my gaze and pulled my sunglasses off, tossing them back into my satchel as I ran my fingers through my hair, super subtly making a curtain out of it to block my view of Darius.

Sofia and Diego reappeared at the same time, and they placed a few big pizzas on the table with some bowls of fries. I thanked them with a wide smile as I dug in.

“Where’s the bloodsucker gone?” Diego asked, not bothering to hide the sneer on his face. He hadn’t seemed quite so keen to show his dislike of Caleb to his face though.

“I think he’s actually gone to tell Washer to stay out of my head,” I said. “Which I have no complaints about. If he can keep that sleazebag away from my dirty thoughts then I’m all for it.”

“I imagine he’ll want something in return for that favour,” Diego said darkly. “The Heirs don’t just do things out of the kindness of their hearts.”

I shrugged, not wanting to get into it with Diego. I knew I should have been keeping my distance from all of the Heirs but Caleb kept drawing me in. And at least with him there was no confusion about what he wanted from me. My body and my blood. Though sometimes I wasn’t sure which he desired more.

Darcy reappeared as I was tucking into my second slice of pizza and dropped into her chair with a sigh.

“Orion being an ass?” I asked, gauging her mood.

“When isn’t he?” she replied, avoiding my eye as she grabbed some pizza for herself. I got the feeling she was holding back but decided not to push her on it with the others around. I imagined it involved Orion being a mega dickwad though.

“How are you feeling about the Air Trial tomorrow?” Sofia asked and I was pleased to jump on a subject which didn’t involve my sex life.

We spent the rest of our meal discussing our theories on what the trial might involve and I kept an eye on the time surreptitiously.

Just before twenty to, I pushed my chair back and said goodbye to my friends. Darcy gave me a knowing look when I didn’t really say where I was going and I promised to meet her outside Tarot class in twenty minutes.

Caleb still hadn’t reappeared but I was sure he’d start the hunt on time. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake as last time though; hiding inside made it easier for him to find me because he could pick out my heartbeat in the silence. There was a strong wind blowing today so I intended to hide in the woods where the creaking branches and wind whistling through the leaves should mask the sounds of my body from him.

I cut a quick path between the trees in The Wailing Wood, moving off of the main track until I found a huge tree which had half rotted out, leaving a hollow area in its base. I pushed my way inside, using the warmth of my fire magic to dry out the space before settling down to wait.

I took my Atlas from my bag so that I could watch the time and smiled to myself.

Let’s see if you can find me now, Altair.

I opened up FaeBook and glanced through today’s posts. Caleb had been tagged in several Pegasus porn videos which I refused to click on despite the amusement they caused me. 

The hashtag #getdumped was trending too alongside multiple pictures of Max Rigel, my favourite of which included a badly photoshopped image of him riding a Griffin and wearing a cowboy hat. The rumour Geraldine had kickstarted about the Griffin poo he’d been coated in at the Pitball game was catching on like wildfire. 

As I was scrolling, a new post popped up and as the comments came in I had to battle not to laugh out loud. 

Max Rigel: Anyone entertaining bullshit lies about me on here will find themselves waterboarded the next time we meet.

#rememberwhoiam #vengeanceissweet

Comments:

Tyler Corbin: Yeah guys, don’t dump on him #trueaboutthepoo #stoptheplop #haveyouheardabouttheturd

Katie MacKenzie: Don’t be ashamed of who you are! Love and support with you always Max. #sniffinthegriffin #bepootoyourself

I had to stop reading them or I was definitely going to give myself away by laughing loud enough for Caleb to hear me.

The minutes ticked by achingly slowly but the closer we drew to the end of the deadline, the more my excitement built. There was just one minute left and I still hadn’t heard any sign of Caleb drawing close to me.

Just as I began to think I had it in the bag, the sound of my name carried to me on the wind and I spotted Caleb stalking through the trees ahead of me as he searched. I was deep within the shadows in the hollow trunk and I was confident he wouldn’t be able to see me unless he got a lot closer.

My heart was pounding and I fought desperately to stay completely still. The wind blew wildly through the trees, making the leaves rustle and the bows creak and groan. I was sure it was enough to hide the soft sounds of my heartbeat and light breaths. He was right there but I’d definitely managed to hide well from him and the timer on my Atlas was down to its last few seconds…

Three, two, one…

“For fuck’s sake!” Caleb yelled from the direction of the path.

A huge crash followed and I peeked out of the hollow trunk I’d been using to conceal myself just in time to see a tree go crashing to the ground. I flinched at the tremor which rocked through the earth at my feet and hesitated short of drawing attention to myself. I stepped out slowly, unsure whether I should approach him yet or not. He seemed really angry. Like, insanely upset for someone who had just lost a silly game.

Before I could decide whether or not I wanted to find out how much of that anger was directed at me, Caleb turned and spotted me.

I offered him a victory smirk.

His eyes were burning with fury but triumph flared in them at the sight of me.

Before I could say anything, he shot towards me using his Vampire speed and I gasped as he drove me back against the huge trunk of a tree before claiming my mouth with his. A flare of pain shot along my spine at the force he’d used to slam me into the tree and I jerked away from his kiss to swat his arm.

“Ow, you asshole,” I grumbled and a flash of excitement filled his face for a moment before he dipped his head in apology.

“Sorry,” he breathed, leaning in to trail kisses along my neck and speaking between them. “But I’ve been thinking about doing this all morning and then when it looked like you’d escaped I just lost control for a moment and-”

“It didn’t look like I would escape,” I corrected. “I did escape. Time’s up, I win. So you don’t get your prize.”

I placed my hands on his chest and forced him back a step though he resisted for a moment.

“But…” Caleb’s brows pulled together as he looked at me and the hunger in his gaze made me bite my lip. As much as I wanted to hold firm and refuse him anything at all, the call of his flesh was really making me doubt that choice.

“You don’t get to bite me,” I said firmly, the rest I wasn’t quite decided on yet.

“C’mon Tory, I almost had you-”

“Not good enough. Almost doesn’t get you your prize.” His gaze drifted to my neck anyway and I narrowed my eyes. “If you bite me after I won I won’t play with you again,” I added to drive the point home. “If we don’t stick to the rules then there’s no point in it at all.”

Caleb scowled and for half a second I thought he was going to lunge at me and drain me anyway. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Instead he turned suddenly, scraping his fingers into his hair as he started pacing. He released a groan of frustration and my smile widened with victory as he paced back and forth before me like a caged beast. I watched his motions with my heart hammering, feeling the frustration pouring from him and wondering if I might have to try and fight him off. It certainly looked like he was battling with the decision of whether or not he was going to stick to the rules.

He stopped as suddenly as he’d started, turning to look at me with a wicked smile.

“Okay then. What do you get for winning?” he asked, his voice deep and alluring.

My lips parted but I didn’t have an answer for him. All I’d ever thought about when we’d played this game before was the fact that I could avoid a bite. I’d never considered claiming a prize myself.

“Seems like you need a reward,” Caleb pressed, moving right into my personal space.

He kissed me slowly, his lips moving against mine in an achingly soft dance. He pressed me back, parting my lips gently and pushing his tongue into my mouth to stroke across mine. A groan of longing escaped me as I gave myself to the kiss, his hand moving to cup my cheek as he pulled me closer.

Caleb drew back and looked into my eyes for a moment, a smile pulling at his lips as he slowly lowered down onto his knees before me.

“What are you doing?” I breathed, looking around in alarm. We were in the middle of The Wailing Wood and I could see the path which led from The Orb to Aer Tower not more than ten meters behind him. If anyone came along they’d see us for sure and it was a pretty popular route.

“What’s the matter, Tory? Are you afraid?” Caleb breathed as he placed his hands on my knees and started to skim them up my thighs beneath my school skirt, keeping his gaze locked with mine the entire time.

The sensitive skin on my inner thighs came alive as his fingers trailed higher and sparks raced to my core, making my heart thump harder. An ache of longing built in me as he moved, a wild part of me wanting to give in to him.

My breath hitched as he made it to my panties and he caught the sides of them before slowly tugging them down.

My gaze flipped back to the path again and I caught his wrists to halt him.

“Someone could see us,” I said hesitantly.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Caleb replied. “I promise to stop if I hear someone coming… aside from you of course.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that and he took that as confirmation, pulling my panties down to my ankles until I stepped out of them.

My heart was pounding and I looked around again nervously, opening my mouth to protest. We were close enough to Terra House, we could just go back to his room and-

Caleb caught my knees and pushed them apart half a second before his mouth landed on me and I sucked in a breath in shock.

Any objections I’d been thinking of making were driven from my mind as he dragged his tongue right up the centre of me and I released a breathy moan.

He repeated the move a few times before switching to circling, sucking even a hint of biting. I fought against the impulse to cry out, gripping the rough bark of the tree at my back as I fought to remain upright while he pulled me apart.

“Fuck, Caleb-”

The pressure of his tongue increased as his hands shifted up my thighs, pinning my hips in place to give him better access. My eyes fell shut, my head lolling back as he pushed me closer and closer to the edge, my whole world circling around the movements of his tongue.

I was losing control on the noise I was making and Caleb released a dark laugh, the noise of it echoing right through the centre of me.

I shifted a hand to his hair, fisting his golden curls between my fingers as I urged him on. Pressure was building between my thighs and I was falling captive to him, my body bowing to his demands as he coiled me tighter and tighter.

His grip on me tightened, and I could feel myself falling apart as he moved his mouth with expert skill, pushing me towards ecstasy.

I swore as he slowed his pace, keeping me hanging in the final moments of this torture as he devoured me.

“Please,” I moaned, needing him to put me out of my agony and with one final drag of his tongue, stars burst before my eyes and his name spilled from my lips.

Caleb got to his feet, gripping my waist and pinning me to the tree as he kissed me, hard.

“You are so fucking hot, Tory,” he growled, kissing me again.

I gripped the front of his shirt as I drew him closer, my body aching for more of him even though I knew we must be late for class by now. I could feel how hard he was as he ground up against me and I was gripped with the desire to demand more from him. All of him.

His lips moved to my throat and I could feel his fangs resting against the skin there as he toyed with the idea of biting me.

“Are you really going to break the rules?” I teased as I managed to regain control of my breathing.

Caleb hung there, his muscles tight and his teeth oh so close to piercing my skin.

He groaned longingly and forced himself away before looking into my eyes.

“Next time, I’m going to win,” he promised me.

My eyes sparkled with the challenge and I reached between us to run my hand down the hard length of his arousal beneath his pants. I leaned closer to him as I rubbed against him a few times, drawing a growl of desire from his lips. “Maybe then I’ll return the favour.”

Caleb groaned again, stealing another kiss for a long second before drawing back. He shook his head like he was trying to clear it and I laughed.

“Can I have my underwear back now?” I asked, holding my hand out.

Caleb pulled my red panties from his pocket and gave me a teasing smile. “Hmmm, I think these would make a good consolation prize for me,” he objected.

I rolled my eyes and tried to snatch them from him but he used his speed to shove them back into his pocket.

“See you later, Tory.” He kissed me for half a second then shot away so quickly that he was out of sight before I could even say a word in protest. He’d made me late for Tarot class and now I was going to have to show up with no underwear.

Damn Vampire.

I let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through my hair self consciously as I pushed away from the tree and started hurrying towards my Tarot class. 

I was nearly fifteen minutes late by the time I got to Mercury Chambers and I steeled myself as I opened the door to the underground classroom, ready to face whatever punishment Washer decided to give out. 

“Sorry Professor,” I began as I pushed the door wide and he looked around at me as I clearly interrupted a talk he’d been giving. “I got held up by-”

“Mr Altair informed me you’d be late to class, don’t worry about it. Please feel free to tell him that I was accommodating to his… ah… use of his Source,” Washer said quickly, glancing at me then dropping his gaze as he clasped his hands together in front of him. For a moment I could have sworn his hands were trembling but he curled them into fists before I could be sure. 

“Oh… erm, okay then.” I headed towards my seat beside Darcy, frowning at her in confusion. 

“Sir!” Kylie Major piped up, her face written in outrage. “You took ten House Points from me for arriving one minute late! How is it fair that-”

“As I said, Mr Altair had need of his Source. I’m hardly going to deny one of our most promising and influential students a favour when he requests it so… nicely. Do not forget that the Heirs are the future leaders of Solaria, Miss Major. Now, can we please return to our lesson?” 

Kylie scowled but dropped it and I slipped into my seat. 

Darcy raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged in return. I’d known Caleb was going to tell Washer to back off but it kinda seemed like he’d scared the shit out of him in the process. 

I pulled my books and Tarot deck out of my bag and sat back to listen as Washer went on  with whatever he’d been saying before I interrupted. 

“Um, so… yes. This will be the final Tarot lesson I’m covering for you I’m afraid,” he said and I didn’t even bother to hide the grin on my face in response. “Principal Nova has just confirmed that next week, those of you who survive The Reckoning, will be taught by Professor Nox who has recently decided to take up a profession in teaching. He has the gift of true sight which means he sees actual glimpses of the future from time to time and despite his young age he qualified at the top of his class so I’m sure he will be an adequate replacement for me. Though of course many people value experience over youth so maybe you’ll all be begging me to come back and satisfy you before long.” He winked at us and I recoiled, though thankfully his gaze wasn’t on me. 

“I’d take anyone over him,” I whispered to Darcy and the others in an undertone. 

“If he’s young, maybe he’ll be nice to look at like Orion,” Sofia joked. 

“No way we’d end up with two teachers that hot,” Darcy scoffed. 

“And you call Washer a pervertido?” Diego grumbled and I rolled my eyes at him. 

“As if you’ll be complaining when we start Physical Enhancement with Professor Prestos,” I said. “You’ve just got a bug up your ass because you still haven’t got your hat back.”

“My abuela knitted that hat for me before she died,” Diego growled. 

“Well lucky you, my parents died before they got around to making me a hat,” I snipped back. 

Darcy bit her lip on a smile and offered me a raised eyebrow to say I was treading the line of bitch. I sighed. I was treading that line most days and I didn’t usually adjust my personality to suit grief over stolen hats.

“Today, I think you’re ready to start learning how to read the cards properly,” Washer announced. “If you pair up then shuffle your deck I’ll come round and instruct you on how to lay them out and read them in relation to each other. There are many ways to interpret the cards based on the order in which they’re drawn and the energy you exude while shuffling the deck.”

Washer headed off to the far side of the class and I leaned back in my chair as Darcy began shuffling her cards. 

Diego muttered something in Spanish before getting up and asking Washer if he could go to the bathroom. The door clicked shut behind him and Sofia let out a long whistle. 

“He’s been in such a bad mood since Hell Week began,” she commented. 

“Yeah, he really needs to sort out his hattitude,” I said, snorting a laugh at my own joke. Sofia laughed too and Darcy smirked but she was clearly trying to rein in her amusement. 

“He’s touchy about Orion ever since he broke that trinket box,” she explained.

“Well I don’t have the energy for his mood swings,” I sighed. “They exhaust me.”

“I thought that was Caleb,” Sofia teased and I laughed again. 

“He wishes.” I crossed my legs beneath the table though, pursing my lips at the memory of him stealing my panties. I was less than impressed with that stunt. 

“I think that if Diego just gets the hat back, he-” Darcy gasped, her fingers curling tightly around one of the cards in her deck as she tugged it loose. 

“Don’t tell me that’s another one,” I hissed, leaning close as she laid the card on the table between us. 

The Empress looked up at us from the card, reclining on a chair in a dress covered in red roses while wearing a crown of stars. I reached out like I had no control over the impulse to do it and ran my forefinger down the centre of the card. A shudder ran along my spine as the magic in the card called out to me and I exchanged a loaded look with Darcy. 

“How did Astrum set all of this up before he died?” I asked. “It seemed like he was caught out when he was killed by the Shadow, but every time one of these cards appears I have to think he planned on us finding them before he was murdered.”

“Not necessarily,” Sofia piped up. “Objects of special significance can stay linked to spirits after they pass. There are plenty of examples of powerful Fae managing to send messages back to the living from beyond the veil.”

I let out a long breath, absorbing that. 

“So why make the messages so cryptic then?” Darcy sighed. “Why not just say things clearly rather than giving vague warnings about things or snippets of information we can’t possibly put together ourselves?”

“Maybe it gets lost in translation?” Sofia suggested. 

“So all we need is to find a ghost who wants to translate for us and we’re all set,” I deadpanned. “What does The Empress even mean anyway?”

“She’s associated with all things maternal,” Sofia explained instantly. “She often represents the creation of life, pregnancy, romance-”

“Well let’s hope this isn’t a prediction,” I said with an exaggerated shudder. “The last thing I need is a little vampire baby nipping at my ankles.”

Darcy laughed. “You’d better make sure you learn that spell Orion taught us before you go near Caleb again. I’m not babysitting a kid that bites.”

“You have to admit my big brown eyes and Caleb’s blonde curls would make for a damn cute baby though,” I teased. 

“Urgh, and then we’d be stuck with the Heirs forever.” Darcy mimed puking into her satchel and I laughed. 

“Point taken. I’ll do the spell twice to make extra sure. Shall we see if the message shines any light on The Empress then?” I suggested, eyeing the card suspiciously.

Darcy nodded, reaching out to flip the card over. 

In the Palace of Souls, rests a secret untold. 

Find the light who burned on after the fire…

“Clear as always,” I said, leaning back in my chair irritably. What was the point of sending us these messages if they were always so damn cryptic?

“Do you think we’ll ever get one that just says ‘there’s a folder full of answers sitting beside you’?” Darcy asked. 

“Here’s hoping, because that means nothing to me,” I said, tossing the card away from me in disgust. It caught on an errant breeze, flipped over and landed right back on the desk in front of us. I scowled at it. 

Damn ghost card. 

“Well the first half is pretty self explanatory,” Sofia said, raising an eyebrow at us.

“No it’s not,” I disagreed. 

“Well, the Palace of Souls is your family’s palace,” she said slowly. “You know, where the Savage King and the Queen lived before they were killed…”

“I didn’t know that,” Darcy breathed, leaning back in her chair. 

“We don’t know much of anything about them,” I added, twisting my lips. “But maybe it’s time we found out… Who owns the palace now?” 

“Well…” Sofia looked between the two of us. “I’m assuming you do.”

I snorted a laugh and Darcy blew out a breath as she picked the card up. “I keep forgetting we’re actually princesses,” she said, shaking her head. 

I looked at her and a smile hooked up the corner of my mouth. “Yeah, we’re motherfucking princesses and we own a goddamn palace. Maybe it’s time we went and visited it?” 

“Do you really think we can?” Darcy asked, her eyes lighting with excitement for a moment at the idea. “Maybe some of our parents’ stuff is still there…”

I swallowed thickly at that idea, a frown pinching my features. I hadn’t really considered that. I’d been thinking more about vaults of gold than something that might link us to the people who brought us into this world. Suddenly my chest felt a little too tight at the idea of going there and I had to fight against the idea of backing out of the plan before we’d even made one. 

“Perhaps we should just focus on getting through The Reckoning this week first?” I said, hoping it wasn’t obvious that the idea of finding out more about our parents made me uncomfortable.

Darcy gave me a look that said she’d seen right through me and I offered a tiny shrug in response. “I guess you’re probably right,” she agreed but I didn’t miss the hint of disappointment in her tone. “But maybe afterwards we can ask Nova about us taking a visit to the palace?”

“Sure,” I agreed with a nod. I’d just have to suck it up and go. It wasn’t like it mattered anyway. The King and Queen were just two dead people I’d never known. Even if all of their stuff still filled the palace it wouldn’t change that fact. 

The rest of the class passed quickly, though Diego stayed in a mood with me after he returned from his bathroom break. I half considered apologising to him then realised that I might have been being a bitch – but he was too so I was pretty sure we were even. No doubt he’d get over it soon enough.

We left the class without Washer coming over to me at all and I couldn’t help but let some of my irritation with Caleb go in response. He might have been a damn underwear thief but if he’d actually managed to scare Washer away from me then I’d happily pay the price in panties. 

That said, our next class was Fire Elemental and I had no intention of spending it without my underwear.

We said goodbye to Diego and I forced Darcy and Sofia to hurry down the path to Fire Territory, explaining my problem to them on the way. When they stopped laughing, they started running with me and we got to the Fire Arena early to wait with the full intention to retrieve my panties from Caleb before it started.

I waited outside for him to arrive with a very amused Darcy by my side. She kept trying not to laugh and I tried to look annoyed at her.

“Here comes the panty thief now,” she said in an undertone as Caleb appeared on the path ahead.

“I shouldn’t have told you,” I muttered, rolling my eyes as she snorted a laugh.

“Do you think he’ll give them back?” she asked.

“I’m going to make him,” I said confidently, striding forward to meet Caleb who broke a smile as he spotted me.

“You have something of mine,” I accused, folding my arms as I blocked his path.

“Really?” he asked, feigning surprise. “What’s that then?”

I glanced around at the other students who were filing past us into the locker rooms and fixed him with a death stare.

“You know what.”

“Remind me,” Caleb challenged, stepping a little closer.

At that moment, Darius appeared. He strolled straight towards us and heat rose in my cheeks as his gaze landed on me. I felt ridiculously awkward around him after last night and I had zero intention of talking to him now.

“Forget it,” I said quickly, turning away from Caleb before Darius made it to us.

“You can have them back if you promise to spend tonight at Terra House with me,” Caleb called.

I turned back to him with a scowl. “No,” I said flatly, flipping him off for good measure. I turned away before he could say anything else and headed into the locker rooms with Darcy.

“Oh my god, you should have seen his face when you turned your back on him,” she said on a laugh. “I think you just really pissed him off.”

“Whatever. He’s shouting about us hooking up in front of the whole damn school. I’m not his girlfriend and it’s no one else’s business what we get up to. Plus he stole my underwear so…” I shrugged, not wanting to admit that Darius was actually the one who’d rattled me.

“Well you always knew he’d leave you for a Pegasus in the end anyway. He’s got the horn for the horn,” she said and I smirked in response. That joke would never get old.

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