Zodiac Academy 2: Ruthless Fae

I DIDN’T THINK I’d ever been to a party that was less about fun and more about rules, honour, respect, keeping up appearances… in short it was dull as all hell. If this was what it took to rule over Solaria then I was doubly sure I didn’t want anything to do with the throne.

The Councillors had all been cornered by supposed party-goers who were all in the process of pushing their own agenda in one way or another. I caught snippets of conversation about things like taxes, land claiming, Cerberus hunting rights and even one particularly shrewd looking bastard who was complaining about his desire to take mortal slaves despite the fact that it was outlawed. I gave him an extra wide berth as I moved throughout the lavishly decorated room.

More than one eager man or woman tried to approach me. Some of them gushed about the joy of the Vega Twins returning, others seemed to be sizing me up. I didn’t allow any of them to snare me into conversation for more than a few moments. Now that we knew the one seemingly friendly guy at this party had really just been a reporter on the hunt for a story, I wasn’t going to risk getting snared in another trap.

Caleb’s mother, Melinda, had her eyes on me from across the room. She was engaged in conversation with her handsome son and from the looks he kept shooting my way, I was fairly sure I knew what the topic of conversation was.

The string quartet played some beautiful, classical music and couples swirled across the dance floor in perfectly synchronised moves. They looked amazing but the lack of dim lighting and thumping bass counted me out when it came to the idea of dancing tonight.

Waiters swept around the room with silver trays perched on outstretched arms, sporting all kinds of fancy bite-sized bits of food which didn’t count as a real meal in any way. I’d tried a few of them but the flavours were so rich and overpowering that I’d quickly decided against eating any more. My stomach was pitifully empty and I wished I’d eaten something before we’d left. Rich people might have had the right idea when it came to some things but they didn’t know how to enjoy food.

I snagged my fourth flute of champagne as a waiter swept by, drinking it in one go and adding to the fizzy party in my belly. One thing they did seem to get right was the alcohol and it would have been rude of me to refuse to drink it when they’d gone to so much effort to provide it for me.

I felt Darius approaching me before he arrived and turned to face him as his shadow fell over me.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone look so bored at a party,” he murmured, leaning close to me so that his words didn’t carry. His scent coiled around me, smoke and cedar and danger, or simply put, temptation of my particular variety. I fought against the effects of it and turned my gaze from him to inspect the room again.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a more boring party,” I countered. Though that wasn’t strictly true. It was definitely interesting to see the Celestial Council at work and to put some faces to names but this didn’t really seem like the best way to learn anything real about the Fae elite. It felt like a production, staged a little bit for our benefit but more tailored to suit the Councillors than anyone attending.

“Well you wanted to see how the other half lived. Now you know, it’s frightfully dull.”

A smile tugged at my lips. “Who says frightfully?” I teased. “You wear your mask tighter here than you do at the Academy.”

Darius’s eyes darkened a little. “Who says it’s a mask?” he asked. “I was born to this. This is who I am, who I’ll ever be.”

I leaned a little closer to him, tiptoeing to speak in his ear. “Well, that seems frightfully dull to me,” I breathed. “Don’t you ever want to just rebel against all of it?”

Darius caught my gaze and fire seemed to burn within the depths of his eyes. “All the time,” he replied, his voice a low growl.

I smiled conspiratorially at him. “Prove it,” I dared.

Darius straightened, looking around the room until his gaze caught on Daddy Acrux and the mischief in his expression spluttered out. Lionel was watching our interaction with just enough zeal in his gaze to make my heart flutter with anxiety. There was something about the head of the Acrux family which set all of my instincts screaming warnings.

“Do you want to dance?” Darius asked, his tone returning to its formal setting.

His hand brushed across the bare skin at the base of my spine and butterflies spilled through my stomach before I could stamp them out.

“You’ve danced with me before, Darius,” I said slowly, reminding him of the drunken evening we’d spent grinding up against each other on the dark dance floor of a bar. “And it doesn’t look like that,” I pointed out as the glamorous couples swept across the dance floor in perfect time with each other.

“I know the moves,” he replied. “And you’re a quick study.”

I blinked at the almost-praise from him then laughed it off. “But I don’t want to dance to your tune,” I said before turning away from him and slipping into the crowd again.

My back mourned the loss of contact with his fingers as I walked and I could feel his eyes trailing over me but I didn’t look back. Darius Acrux was a brand of poison I really shouldn’t taste.

On the far side of the room, I spotted a table laid out with more drinks and made a beeline for them.

I snagged another delicious glass of champagne and took a large gulp.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a girl ditch Darius like that,” an amused voice came       from behind me and I turned to find a guy looking at me from a seat at a table in the corner.

He had dark hair that curled in a messy kind of way, looking like it had broken free of his attempts to tame it. His green eyes sparkled with restrained laughter and I couldn’t help but stare at his strong features; he looked almost familiar but I was sure I’d never met him before.

“Well, even Dragons can’t just get their own way all of the time,” I said, moving closer to him.

Apparently that had been the right thing to say because he smiled widely in response to it.

“What’s so great about Dragons anyway, right?” he asked, though a strange tightness came over his posture as he said it.

“Who’d want to be a big old lizard with anger management issues?” I joked. “I think I’d rather be a rabbit shifter – at least bunnies are cute.”

“You don’t have a very rabbity aura about you,” he replied with a smile which lit up his face.

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.”

“It is. Although a rabbit might be exactly the kind of ruler we need; shake it up from all these predators.”

“Maybe that’s why I can’t get on board with this fancy food. It’s just not meant for someone of my Order… although I’m really looking for a sandwich rather than a carrot,” I said wistfully.

He snorted a laugh. “Yeah I had a pizza before I came to join the festivities. I’m only supposed to stay for an hour or so anyway… show my face, sit in the back, avoid emotional triggers…”

He didn’t seem to want to elaborate on that weird statement so I didn’t push him but I did wonder why he’d come if that was all he was going to do.

“Well, I didn’t really want to come at all so maybe I can just hide out back here with you?” I finished the rest of my drink and placed my glass on the table as I drifted closer to him. Aside from Hamish, he was the first person I’d met at this party who seemed at least halfway genuine.

“Sure. If you don’t mind missing out on all the fun,” he said. “I’m sorry but am I talking to Roxanya or Gwendalina? You’re a little hard to tell apart.”

I rolled my eyes at those stupid names. “I believe I originally went by Roxanya but my name is Tory.”

“You haven’t taken back your royal name?” he asked in surprise.

“I haven’t taken back my royal anything. Though I won’t say no to the money when it comes time to inherit that. You didn’t give me your name either,” I prompted.

“You don’t know?” he asked in surprise.

“Oh sorry, dude, are you famous? Must be a bummer to meet someone who isn’t a fan then,” I teased.

He snorted a laugh. “I’m Xavier,” he said. “The Dragon’s younger brother.”

“Oh,” I said. Well that was a quick end to what had seemed like a pleasant conversation. “Actually… I should probably go… mingle or something.” I started to back away, searching the crowd for Darcy. I spotted her on the far side of the room, engaged in conversation with Hamish and a few of his friends. The smile on her face was genuine enough so I was at least confident she didn’t need rescuing.

“You really don’t like him, do you?” Xavier asked in surprise.

“Who?” I asked innocently.

“Darius,” he said, his gaze moving over my shoulder.

“This is the part where I insult him and he’s right behind me, isn’t it?”

Xavier’s eyes sparked with amusement and he nodded.

Well far be it from me to disappoint.

“In that case, I happen to think he’s a vindictive, pretentious twat-waffle who really needs to pull the stick out of his ass and let loose more often,” I said.

“I thought we were being nice this evening?” Darius murmured behind me and I stifled a flinch at just how close he was.

“You said you’d be nice. I made no such promises,” I pointed out, turning to look up at him as he moved to my side. Although now that I thought about it, maybe I had… the champagne tequila cocktail taking place in my digestive system was wreaking havoc with my memory as well as my manners.

Now that he and Xavier were so close to each other it was obvious they were brothers, though Xavier didn’t seem as intense as Darius. But they shared the same jaw, the same colouring, even though Xavier’s build was a lot less stacked.

“Well you’re making Xavier smile so I’ll forgive you this once,” Darius said.

“Poor Tory is starving to death,” Xavier said, though his smile fell a little in response to his brother’s words. “Maybe you can find her something good to eat while I take my leave of this party.”

I followed his gaze and noticed Lionel looking our way. He didn’t seem pleased about something and Xavier got to his feet hastily.

“It was nice to meet you,” I said. 

“You too, Tory. See you later, Darius.” Xavier tucked his chair back into place and quickly left the room.

I glanced at Darius as we were left alone together. Apparently my attempts to avoid this particular Heir were doomed to fail tonight.

Darius looked over my shoulder and his face dipped into a scowl. I followed his gaze and spotted his fiancé Mildred barrelling through the crowd towards us with a frown on her face which melded her eyebrows into one bushy line.

“Come on then,” Darius said hastily, leading the way to the door Xavier had taken out of the room.

“Where to?” I asked in confusion. The party was in full swing and I was fairly sure we weren’t supposed to be leaving it. Not that I’d ever cared much for rules but it seemed odd that he’d gone to so much trouble to get me here just to sneak me away again. Plus it was probably a good idea for me to get the hell away from him before his toothy bride arrived and tried to snap me in half with her brawny arms.

“Xavier said you want some real food,” Darius said suggestively, heading on out without bothering to make sure I was following.

I hesitated. I didn’t really want to go anywhere with him but I couldn’t deny the draw I felt to him either.

The champagne probably isn’t helping with that.

My stomach growled impatiently and I sighed as I gave in to its demands. I snatched another glass of champagne on my way out, quickly drinking it in one gulp before hurrying after him. If alcohol was going to make this decision for me then the least I could do was make sure I consumed plenty of it. I glanced back at Darcy as I left but she was laughing at something Hamish had said and didn’t notice me. Mildred on the other hand looked like she was primed for murder and I hurried out of the room as she began to battle her way across the dance floor with me locked in her sights.

Darius led me down corridors with gilded decorations at every turn. Dragons really liked their gold and it was obvious they had plenty of it to spare.

“Thank you for cheering Xavier up,” Darius said as he opened the door onto a narrow corridor and led me inside.

Thankfully there was no sign of Mildred catching up and I had to hope we’d lost her. A few serving staff squeezed past us carrying trays as we walked, bowing their heads as they spotted the infamous Acrux Heir.

“Why did he need cheering up?” I asked curiously.

“No reason.”

I rolled my eyes at his back.

At the end of the long corridor, he opened another door and we stepped out into a huge kitchen filled with bustling staff who were refilling champagne glasses and making up more of the fancy bite-sized bits of food.

Darius skirted the madness and I followed him, careful not to get in anyone’s way.

He approached a woman who was working on a tray of creamy puff things and leaned close to ask her something. She instantly stopped what she was doing and headed away with a bow.

Darius beckoned for me to follow him and I gritted my teeth as I did, wondering why I’d even come down here with him. The drink was making my head swimmy and apparently it was affecting my judgement too.

He led me through a door to a darkened room with a few soft chairs by the far window and a small table in the centre of the space.

Darius headed for the chairs but I ignored him, taking a perch on the table instead.

“Do you ever do as you’re told?” he asked me, noticing the fact that I’d stopped following him.

“Nope. Do you ever stop telling people what to do?” I asked.

“I think I might just miss your smart mouth when you fail The Reckoning,” he muttered.

I didn’t validate that with a response.

He removed his black jacket and I eyed his fitted white shit appreciatively before pulling my gaze away. I did not need to fall under the spell of Darius Acrux’s stupidly hot appearance. Darius tossed his jacket down on the closest chair and moved to stand beside me. I could feel his eyes on me but I gave my attention to the room, studying portraits of old men in stuffy clothes and dragons soaring across the sky. Their choice in decor was boringly repetitive.

The door opened and the kitchen maid came in carrying two plates with subs for us.

I smiled at her as I accepted mine. “Thanks,” I said and she stared at me like I’d just slapped her before heading out of the room.

“What was that about?” I asked before taking a bite of my sandwich.

Holy hell that’s good.

“Serving jobs are generally taken by Fae with negligible amounts of magic,” Darius said as I ate like a woman possessed. “Thanking them for their work is kind of like the sun thanking a daisy for blooming. Just having a position in our household is beyond what they expect in life.”

I paused, my food suddenly tasting like soot in my mouth. Of course that was how they viewed people with less than them. They were the elite, top of the pecking order, why would they waste time thanking those beneath them?

If we’d met in the mortal world he never would have looked at me at all… and I’d have robbed him blind while he pretended not to notice my existence.

I ate the last few bites of my food in silence and put the plate down beside me as soon as I was done.

“I’d like to go back to the party now,” I said coldly.

Darius eyed me over his own sandwich which he’d barely touched.

“Because I don’t thank servants for doing their jobs?” he asked with barely concealed ridicule.

“Because you’re boringly predictable just like everyone else here. You’re all more concerned about what everybody else thinks and sees than you are about enjoying life. What difference does it make if someone’s the most powerful Fae in the room or the least? I’d sooner have the time of my life with a powerless nobody than stand about posturing with a guy who doesn’t even know how to have fun.” I shrugged and got to my feet, intending to make my own way back to the ballroom but Darius moved forward a step, boxing me against the table as he placed his sandwich down.

“I want to show you something,” he said, his voice dropping a little lower than usual and causing a shiver to run down my spine.

“What?” I asked.

“I said show, not tell. You have to come with me.”

Curiosity nagged at me and the champagne urged me into recklessness. He’d promised to be nice after all, so why not? And even though I’d said I wanted to go back to the snooze fest party, I didn’t really. Given the choice, I’d just head back to the Academy.

“You’d better not be about to whip your junk out again,” I warned. “Because I’ve seen way too much of you for my liking.”

“Oh I think you liked it just fine,” he countered and the heat that flooded my cheeks at his tone stopped me from raising any further argument on the subject.

He stepped a little closer to me and I fought against the impulse to lean in.

“Come on then, don’t keep me in suspense,” I demanded though a little voice in the back of my head wondered if I meant something else by that statement.

Darius’s mouth hooked up at one side and he inclined his head to yet another door on the other side of the room.

I followed him as he led the way through the manor to a grand atrium before opening the door onto a dark stairwell which led down to what must have been an underground chamber.

I eyed him warily but at this point I was pretty sure he’d have attacked me already if he was going to. Darius Acrux may have been a lot of things but it seemed he was a man of his word; he’d promised to be nice to me tonight and that was what he was delivering. I’d have to keep an eye on the time though, at midnight his Cinderella spell might come undone and he’d turn back into an asshole shaped pumpkin.

Lights came on automatically as we descended and at the foot of the stairs, he opened another door and led me out into into an underground parking lot.

I eyed the row of flashy sports cars in every make and model imaginable but he didn’t pause by them, instead leading me to the far end of the lot. 

A smile tugged at my lips as I spotted the lineup of super bikes. They were all top of the range, ultra-sleek, ultra-beautiful speed machines. My fingers tingled with the desire to touch them as the tempting allure of adrenaline called to me.

“You said you could ride,” Darius said, offering me a genuine smile. “So I thought maybe you’d like to see my collection.”

Damn, the way he said ‘my collection’ made me want to punch the entitlement right out of him but I didn’t miss the fire burning in his eyes as he looked at the bikes. That was a passion I knew well. He was a sucker for my kind of temptation too.

“Have you done any modifications on them?” I asked, reaching out to brush my fingers along the saddle of the closest red beauty.

“They’re top of the line,” he said dismissively like I didn’t know what I was looking at. “They don’t need any mods.”

I snorted derisively. So he liked to ride the pretty speed machines but he didn’t know how to work on them. “Figures pretty boy wouldn’t know how to get his hands dirty,” I teased.

“Maybe the kinds of bikes you’re used to riding need work to make them perform better but this kind of quality doesn’t require any extras. Besides, I could just pay someone to do it for me even if they did.”

“Of course you could. That’s not really the point though.” And he was wrong about the kinds of bikes I was used to riding. I spotted four models amongst his collection which I’d ridden within the last six months. The others could easily be mine with a little bit of time and a tool or two. Not that I felt the need to tell him that.

“You wanna take one for a ride?” he offered. “You can test your supposed skill against mine; there’s a circuit to the west of the estate.”

My eyes widened at that offer. I’d missed riding since coming to the Academy and I hadn’t really thought I’d be able to get out again any time soon. But I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know quite how much this meant to me. Every other piece of information the Heirs had gotten on me up until now had been twisted against me in some way and I didn’t want them trying to take this from me too.

“I’m not really dressed for it,” I said slowly though in all honesty I had no issue with tying my dress in a knot around my waist if that was what it took to get me out on the road.

“I’m sure I could lend you my shirt if you want to take it off,” he replied.

“That would require both of us taking off rather a lot of our clothes.” There was a dare hanging in the air between us and I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to resist it much longer.

I eyed the line up of bikes, my heart beating a little faster as I tried to decide which one I’d choose.

In all honesty I was too drunk to ride, although the sandwich was mopping up some of the excess alcohol and I was feeling a little less dizzy… It still wouldn’t have been the best idea though.

“Why do you have the same bikes that that they have in the mortal world?” I asked as I began to wander between the immaculate machines. Some of the badges were different, I read names like Yamaharpy, Sphinxzuki, Hondusa, Harley Dragonson and I couldn’t keep the smirk from my lips but the actual bikes were definitely mortal models.

“There are several permanent rifts between our world and the mortal world where we import all sorts of goods like these. The importers like to change the names as a kind of in-joke but a hell of a lot of our products come straight out of Taiwan or China, direct to Solaria,” Darius explained.

“Why?” I asked. “Can’t Fae invent their own bikes and cars?”

“I guess we could… but why bother? We’ve got better things to do with our time and it makes sense to use the mortals like our own personal goods suppliers. The Fae they deal with even manage to Coerce the best prices for everything we import. No Fae vendor would create any of the things we desire so cheaply.” Darius folded his arms and leaned back to perch on the saddle of a stunning green bike as he watched my exploration.

“So you basically abuse the mortals with your power?” I asked.

“We use our power to take what we want from them,” he agreed. “Just the same as we do with other Fae.”

He had a point there; Fae were equally asshole-like to their own kind.

The sound of a door opening and closing drew our attention back to the stairwell which led to the house and we both looked around as Lionel Acrux strode into the parking lot.

Darius straightened instantly, unfolding his arms as he looked towards his father guiltily.

“I thought I told you to stay at the party, Darius?” Lionel asked, his voice low as he prowled closer.

Darius dipped his head a little before he replied. “I was just showing-”

“If you’re going to screw the Vega girl at least do it on your own time. Tonight, your responsibilities should be taking precedence.”

That was the second time he’d implied that I was looking to sleep with his son and my hackles raised in response at the fact that he thought he had the right to speak to me like that. Earlier I’d been too flustered to defend myself but this second snide comment didn’t hold the same shock factor and I’d had enough to drink to loosen my tongue.

“First of all, ew. I’d sooner have ants in my pants than let Darius get into them,” I snapped. “And secondly, what the hell makes you think you can talk about me like that? I’m a person, not some plaything to be used and dropped just as soon as your precious son has to marry his cousin.”

Lionel Acrux stared at me like I’d just pissed in his cornflakes and ground them into his hair while he slept. The fury in his eyes was punctuated by them shifting into an emerald green colour complete with a slit for pupils.

“Do you think that because of your royal blood you can come crawling out of the gutter and just speak to me however you please?” he hissed. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

I surveyed him through narrowed eyes, pushing my shoulders back as I fought the urge to run screaming for the hills and stood my ground instead.

“Well I think I’m talking to an oversized iguana with a superiority complex, wrapped in an expensive suit. But its hard be sure beneath all the bullshit,” I snarled.

Lionel growled low in the back of his throat, advancing steadily as his Dragon eyes locked on me with deadly intent. Panic gripped me but through some miracle or possibly just fear paralysing me, I managed to hold my ground.

Darius took a step between us. “I told you, Father, they’re totally uncivilised. I don’t even think they had proper schooling in the mortal world and they’ve never learned how to respect-”

“Get back to our guests, Darius,” Lionel hissed and the cold rage in his voice made my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth.

Darius opened his mouth to say something then closed it again. He glanced at me, his eyes flashing with anger and possibly something else too, though I didn’t dare put a name to it.

He started to step back, moving aside so that his father would have a clear view of me again but his brow furrowed and he held his ground instead.

“Just leave it, Father. She’ll fail The Reckoning anyway and there’s no point risking a scandal-”

“I told you to leave, boy,” Lionel growled. “Roxanya and I need to talk.”

Darius hesitated again then shook his head. “She’s not worth it.”

An actual snarl left Lionel’s lips and I half considered running.

The two Acrux men stood their ground and I held my breath as I tried to figure out what was going on between them. One thing I had quickly realised though was that I should have listened to Darius’s warning about his father because I’d just waved one hell of red rag at this big bastard of a bull.

“No, she’s not,” Lionel agreed finally, his gaze narrowing on his son. “And it would seem she isn’t the only one looking for a lesson in respect. Come with me.”

He turned and strode across the garage, heading back towards the stairs which led into the house. Darius followed a few steps behind him, his shoulders tight and his eyes on the ground. He didn’t look back at me and they left me alone in the parking lot.

When the sound of the door closing again reached me, I sagged back against one of the bikes and tried to focus on calming the frantic beat of my heart.

It was cold in the parking lot and I hugged my arms around myself as I tried to steel myself to go back to the party. One thing was for sure, I was going to spend the rest of it avoiding every Dragon in sight.