Zodiac Academy: The Awakening As Told By The Boys

I shoved the door open and strode into the classroom, my mood hitting an all time low. I was exhausted and pissed off. I’d been up half the night talking to Francesca on the phone, trying to convince her to get the FIB to search the outskirts of Tucana for the nest Darius and I were pretty sure existed. I needed definitive clarification they weren’t Fae. Because if we were really going to spring an attack on them, I could not risk them being innocents. And if Darius wet his hands in the blood of our kind, he was going to pay the price of that.

I was not in the mood to deal with insolent students today, so anyone that got on my nerves was going to regret it. I hunted the room for the inevitable. Someone would be up to something and I’d take out a little of my rage on them to sate the furious beast in me this morning. My gaze locked on Kylie Major with a bunch of freshman party leaflets in her grip and satisfaction filled my chest. Perfect.

“No,” I snarled, waving a hand so every single leaflet in the room swept toward me on a violent breeze then slammed into the trash can beside my desk.

Kylie froze, looking to me in alarm, her face draining of colour fast. “Sir, I-”

“Miss Major if you ever hand out garbage in my classroom again you’ll be banned from attending a single one of this year’s formals,” I bit at her, relishing the way she seemed to grow smaller before me.

Her mouth dropped open and I could tell she wasn’t the type to shut up even when she knew she was beat.

“But sir!” she gasped.

I flicked my hand and the remaining leaflets were snatched from her grip and torn to shreds, cascading over her in a shower of pink confetti. But nothing, you insufferable flea.

Laughter rang out through the room and my ears picked up a small snort of amusement from Blue, making my mouth almost quirk up at the corner. Well at least she had semi-decent taste in the company she kept. Though why she kept Polaris around, I’d never know. The way he looks at her…

My gaze fixed on the hat-wearing shitbag and how his eyes kept flitting to Darcy then to Tory beyond her. He looked sweaty. And sweaty people weren’t my kind of people. Especially sweaty people who looked too closely at girls they had no right to look at. What did he want anyway? A leg up in this world? Yeah, that was it. He was obviously a leach. And I’d seen enough of them come through this classroom in my time to know that leaches were one of the most dangerous friends you could keep. Weaker Fae who couldn’t make it on their own, but knew how to befriend the right people, offer out the right favours. Then bam. They’d bend you over, fuck you in the ass and take your glory.

I slammed my coffee cup down on the desk and the room fell quiet as I stared at the sea of concerned faces before me. My eyes moved automatically to Darcy and she raised her chin, not looking away as I tried to glare her into doing so. The challenge in her gaze made my inner Fae roar and I ground my teeth for a moment as the rest of the room seemed to fade away. Why did she unsettle me like that? She was just a girl. Even if she was a Vega. And her mouthy sister didn’t get me riled the way she did. No…it was something in the way she looked at me, like she could see beneath my hardened steely exterior that kept most other Fae out. Darius and Gabriel were among the very few Fae who could get beneath it with ease. But with her, it didn’t feel like that. It was like she was prying my ribcage open and wrapping her hand around my heart, one firm squeeze away from destroying me.

I turned to the board, snatching up my digital pen and writing across it with today’s daily reminder.

YOU ARE NOT UNIQUE.

I snapped around to face the class again, finding them all looking glum at that. Good. They should feel glum. Because they were all fucking useless and needed to try harder. “Every star sign in the Zodiac holds its own attributes. Good and bad. They can influence your nature. But they do not make you different or special. They make you Fae.” I tapped on the board to activate the slides on their Atlases and everyone looked down at their screens, saving me from Blue’s intense stare.

“All Fae are a part of this,” I continued, trying to rein in the worst of my rage in case I lost my shit entirely today and ended up with Uncle Lionel paying me a visit. Fuck that. “And we all share two defining celestial beings in common.” I pointed at the centre of the Zodiac. “The sun and the moon. They bind us. And no Order, no eyeliner, or blue hair-” I gave Darcy a pointed look as I stepped into the closest aisle and she pursed her lips at me, giving me a kick over riling her. “Or beanie hat.” I took a swipe at Diego’s hat, but he grabbed hold of it like it was the fucking Holy Grail, glaring up at me in a challenge. Well hello, little Fae. Did you crawl out of your scaredy hole at last?

I smirked at him, glad to see he had some semblance of a backbone after all. It wasn’t like I wanted this bunch of freshmen to be useless. In fact, I thrived most on teaching when they started pushing back. It almost made me enjoy the job then. Not much, but it was something. Seeing the new generation realise they were some of the most powerful beings in the kingdom and figuring out they didn’t have to stand for everyone pushing them around all the time was sort of gratifying – if you gave a shit about stuff like that.

“Makes you different,” I finished, walking further into the classroom and checking everyone was paying attention. “There are twelve signs, I expect even our royal Vega Heirs know what they are. So let’s hear them.” I shot up behind the two twins, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. My grip was firmer on Darcy, my fingers curling around her possessively and my fangs tingled with the memory of her blood in my mouth.

Blue turned her head to look up at me and I saw a wild creature lurking in her eyes, one I was curious to see on the outside of her flesh. Where my hand lay on her, energy thrived. It felt like gravity, drawing me in, rooting me to her more fiercely than the pull of the earth rooted me to the ground.

“Go ahead, Miss Vega,” I commanded.

“Which one?” she and Tory said at the same time.

“Blue.” I tapped her on the shoulder. “Vega number two can come with me.” I nudged Tory and she rose to her feet with a frown, casting a look at her sister. But no one was going to save her. I led her to my desk, sitting in my chair and holding out my hand. Prestos had been a useless fucking Liaison to Tory so far as I could tell, and though I’d insisted she send over Tory’s power rankings to me, she still hadn’t done it and frankly I was done waiting.

“Palm,” I ordered and she hesitantly placed her hand in mine. I started reading the markings on her hand, wondering why her flesh didn’t affect me the way her sister’s did. It wasn’t unheard of for twins to Emerge as different Orders, though it was quite rare. If Darcy was a Siren, then I’d guess from the temperament of this girl that she was a Dragon, though she was so petite it didn’t seem likely. Of course, her father had been a Hydra, so what was to say she or her sister wouldn’t be one of those too? I couldn’t rule out anything.

“I don’t hear Zodiac signs filling my ears,” I sniped.

I felt Darcy’s irritation with me as the sound of giggles carried from Kylie and her friends, but that wasn’t really my problem. She either participated in my class or she could get the hell out of it.

Darcy called out the names to me in a flat tone. “Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn.” Astrology had leaked into the Mortal Realm after Fae had conducted experiments there a long time ago, trying to work out if humans were affected by the stars too. It seemed there was some amount of influence, though their lack of Elemental magic and Orders meant they were affected to a far lesser extent than us. It seemed some humans were more gifted than others when it came to predicting their fates or reading the signs from the stars though, which suggested there was some magic of old at play. Though nothing conclusive had ever really come of it. Interesting though.

“Good, five points to House Aer,” I said and I could almost feel Darcy’s shock over that. Yes, Miss Vega, you do actually get rewarded for effort in this class, or what would be the point of it?

I studied the Mount of Jupiter line on her index finger, surprised by how different her markings were to her sister’s in some ways. This line indicated confidence, leadership and ambition, but there was a smaller line intersecting it that spoke of a deep-rooted fear holding her back in all of these areas. One glance up at her made a frown pull at my brow. I could see the hardness in her, but there was something underneath it all and I only had to think of the shitty place they’d come from in the Mortal Realm to be sure both of these girls had suffered in life. They were both wearing armour, but in different ways and the clues within their palms was making it all too clear to me that their suffering ran deep enough to affect their fates. Fuck, I didn’t wanna care. It wasn’t my job to care. I’d seen suffering first hand. I was suffering half the time. But I’d never been poor or gone hungry. That was a kind of reality I imagined left wounds that would never heal.

I focused on her power rankings and jotted them down on a notepad, feeling Tory squirming over how long I was holding onto her for. She didn’t trust me, that was obvious. I could practically feel her magic trying to force me out, but I was surprised by the comparison that gave me to the way Blue’s skin had felt when it had been in contact with mine. I hadn’t noticed before how much her magic had been calling to me within her veins, but now I could feel the exact opposite of that within her twin, I was sure it was true. But what the fuck did that even mean?

I finally released her hand and passed Tory a slip of paper. “These are your Elemental scores. The higher the number, the stronger your power. Your principal magic is fire.”

“Oh…right.” She nodded, moving to walk away but I made a sudden decision, needing to compare her sister’s blood with hers, to be sure I wasn’t going insane and imagining the way everything about Darcy seemed to draw me in. If Tory tasted the same, had the same affect, then that settled it. There was nothing to worry about. There was no hidden connection between Darcy and I, it was just a power lust thing which I could compartmentalise when I fed from her next.

I caught Tory’s wrist, dragged her forwards and dug my fangs into her skin, making her gasp in horror. Her blood washed over my tongue, a wave of magic crashing along with it that felt like the dark and enchanting power of the moon. She tasted good, really fucking good, and her power was just as immense as her sister’s. But that was where the similarity ended, because feeding from Darcy had felt like drowning in everything she was and aching for more. It had tasted like her sweetness, her fucking light had been flowing directly into me and begging me to bow to everything it was. Tory tasted like a dream, but not my dream. And that was something I wasn’t sure I even understood.

“Oh my stars, sir!” Kylie gasped, but I ignored her, continuing to feed, to try and find in Tory what I’d found in Darcy, to prove I was wrong. That it was just Darcy’s blood that caused me to crave her and nothing else, but the more I drank, the clearer it became to me that I wasn’t going to find that same unending desire for Tory’s essence. It was just blood. Really nice blood. Like bottle it and guard it forever blood. But not her blood.

“Stop it!” Blue snapped at me, but Tory warned her off with a look and I finally tugged my fangs free of her skin in my own time.

She moved away, glaring at me and I shut down every crazy thought in my head, getting to my feet and continuing with the lesson.

Whispers broke out behind me about some FaeBook post that had gone live and I growled, turning to face the room and finding everyone looking at their Atlases.

I was about to announce a mass detention when the door flew wide open and Caleb Altair sprinted into the room, diving over my fucking desk. He slammed me against the board and a collective inhale sounded around us as I took in the complete rage in his eyes.

I blasted him off of me with a snarl and he tumbled backwards, his head slamming into the desk and sending a crack splintering up the middle of it. My instincts flared at the challenge in his eyes as Caleb lunged at me with a fistful of flames. He was the only Fae I’d ever met who sent the beast in me spiralling as easily as this. Caleb was the one Vampire I knew who was more powerful than me, which meant the competition between us could never be settled in a way which would fully satisfy my impulses to challenge him and in that moment, I lost my head entirely as everything inside me simply screamed for his destruction.

I was about to intercept and attempt to fucking destroy him when I remembered I was a teacher and he was an Heir and there was more at stake here than this fight was worth.

“Enough!” I bellowed before Caleb could try and land the strike.

The Terra Heir paused, clearly forcing himself to consider our situation over his own instincts too and the students all fell still as they watched our interaction.

Caleb extinguished the flames in his palms, a low growl rolling from his throat. “She’s my Source. Touch her again and you’re dead. Professor or not.”

A flicker of surprise fell through me as I realised exactly why he’d come tearing in here like someone had stuck a burning poker up his asshole and told them it was my fault. I didn’t exactly pay a lot of attention to student gossip and seeing as Darius and I had had our own issues recently, I guessed no one had managed to pass on the memo that Caleb had claimed himself a Vega for a Source which meant that me biting her had absolutely warranted his psychotic attack on me…and I probably couldn’t even give him detention for it. Dammit.

I wasn’t just going to apologise like some weak ass Fae though, so I decided to own my actions and enforce my authority over him as his teacher.

I snatched the front of his shirt, pulling him within an inch of my face. “Get out of my classroom.”

“Not until you swear it,” Caleb spat, wheeling a hand around to point at Tory. “She’s mine. Keep your teeth out of her.”

“I don’t belong to anyone!” Tory snapped and Darcy nodded her agreement. You do until you can fight us off.

I tried to work out how to deal with this without falling into a full-on fight with an Altair. There’d be news reports, fucking journalists at the gates. And as much as this rivalry which hung between us begged for it, it really wouldn’t be a good look for either of us. It would probably rile up those anti-Vampire lobbyists who were always trying to claim that Fae of our Order shouldn’t hold positions of power because we were too easily ruled by our instincts too. Fuck those guys.

 Caleb pushed me off of him so hard my back smashed into the board and I bared my fangs, fighting my instincts to kill him for that.

Tense mutters broke out in the class and I felt Darcy’s eyes boring holes in my head. A wild decision formed in my mind that fixed my issue with Caleb and simultaneously sent all my plans to keep my distance from Blue spiralling down the drain. But I was already saying the words, each one falling from my lips and not letting me go back on them. Because I didn’t want to, not even a little bit. Besides, I was a Vampire and I had a right to do this. The Vegas were the most powerful magic Sources in the kingdom. And I had a chance to claim one of them as mine. The one who tormented my fucking soul.

“Fine,” I said in a deadly tone. “But the other Vega Twin is mine.”

“Excuse me?” Darcy gasped, but neither Caleb or I acknowledged her as we eyed each other.

Caleb grumbled, starting to stalk back and forth before me like a caged lion. He was clearly trying to decide if he should just challenge me for ownership of the two of them. But he knew as well as I did that it wasn’t a good look for him to be fighting with one of his professors, which was why we tended to avoid each other and the conflict which arose from the nature of our Orders whenever we could.

“Deal,” he finally forced out then marched from the room, slamming the door behind him. The insult didn’t pass me by. Then again, I probably would have done the same in his position. I was going to work extra hard at finding something to give him detention for this week though.

A breath left me that was tangled with relief. Because now I had her. And it was the best damn feeling I’d experienced in a long time. But I wasn’t going to let the class see how much my mood had just brightened, so I straightened my shirt and turned to the board, a smile tearing across my face where they couldn’t see it as I continued with the lesson in a flat tone.

“Aries are ruled by Mars so they can be particularly impulsive and often aggressive when…” I went on autopilot as my heart drummed to a hammering beat and my inner Vampire bellowed his victory.

But I was fucked, so fucked because I knew this was about more than her blood, some deeper connection forged by something intangible. But screw it. Because I actually wanted something for the first time in too many years and now that I had it, I wasn’t letting it go. Darcy Vega was my Source. Mine. And no one else in the whole damn kingdom could have a taste of her but me.

“Don’t we get a say in this?” Darcy hissed to her sister and my smile dug deeper. No, Blue, you don’t.

“Not unless we can fight them off,” Tory said in anger.

“Which you won’t be able to do unless you listen in class!” I grabbed a book from my desk, hurling it at them and making them leap apart to avoid being hit. “One more word out of either of you and you’ll be in detention for the rest of the year.”

Their glares were venomous and I stared coolly back, wating for either of them to go against my word. But they kept their mouths shut at last and I went back to teaching the class.

“When you’re Awakened, you will always obtain the Elemental power linked to your star sign. For example, as a water sign, all Pisceans are gifted with the Elemental magic of water. Those who gain more than one Element are usually gifted this way because they are linked to more than one constellation.” I tapped the board and a chart appeared which showed every constellation in the sky. “As you can see, there are hundreds of combinations. The powers gifted to you by the stars are very elusive. Little is known about how or why some Fae are born with more than one Element. But we do know that genetics play a role and so does your Order.” I glanced at the Vegas, trying to assess if my judgements on their Orders were correct. Darcy looked me dead in the eye with so much hatred that it made my skin itch. I approached her with a cruel smile curling up my lips, happy to make my enemy squirm.

“Can you name some of the constellations which aren’t linked to a Zodiac sign, Miss Vega?” I asked.

“Um…” She cleared her throat. “The little bear?”

“Correct.” Damn. I pointed at Diego Polaris beside her. “Which is also known as?”

“The little dipper, sir,” he supplied.

“I bet Diego’s got a Little Dipper,” Tyler Corbin snorted from the front row.

“Five points from Terra,” I snapped at him and Tyler huffed.

“And the Latin name?” I pointed at Sofia Cygnus who turned pink-faced as she answered.

“Ursa Minor?” she squeaked.

“Ten points to House Ignis.” I strode away and started writing on the board again. “So if you are an Aquarius but are also linked to Ursa Minor which has the power of earth, you will possibly be gifted with two Elements.”

“Possibly, sir?” a girl with a long braid of raven hair asked from the second row.

“The stars can be unpredictable,” I explained. “Their nature must compliment ours for everything to align.” I folded my arms. “So, what does your Zodiac sign mean for you personally? Does anyone know?”

A few hands rose and I picked out a boy in the row behind the Vegas. “It tells you your nature.”

“Inaccurate,” I said in exasperation. “Try again.”

“It er…” the boy glanced around for help, but no one had any to offer. He cleared his throat then shrugged. May the stars have fucking mercy on me.

“Anyone?” I growled in annoyance.

“It influences your nature, sir?” Sofia offered. Oh thank the moon, there’s someone here with more than two brain cells.

“Correct,” I said brightly, moving to lean back against my desk. I pointed at Jillian Minor who had an expression like a slapped ass this morning. “Miss Minor, what are the other three things that influence a Fae’s nature?”

She turned the colour of a beetroot, looking to her useless friend Kylie who sighed dramatically.

“Order,” Kylie offered for her.

“And?” I pressed.

“Er…genetics?” she guessed.

“Correct. And?” I demanded.

She fell quiet and I could hear her brain rattling around in that air head of hers.

“Anyone?” I asked, gazing over everyone disappointedly. I wasn’t sure I’d ever taught a freshman class as ill-prepared for life at Zodiac Academy as this.

“Life experience, sir?” Blue’s voice caught my ear and my gaze snapped onto her like I’d been trying to resist doing before now. Seeing as my eyes were there, I let them roam, taking in her large eyes and perfectly bronzed skin which spoke of her ancestry. Her mother had looked like that, born to the Voldrakia kingdom where the sun always shone and the Fae were very different to those who lived in Solaria. Some called them savages due to their rather feral practises. Murder was perfectly legal there along with most other crimes. They fought for power in ways our kingdom tended to be more civilised about, and the royals who ruled only encouraged more cruelty by making a sport out of it. They hosted violent games where the prizes included wealth, status and even marriage. The Vegas’ father may have had a reputation for brutality, but their mother had been forged in it. Though by all accounts, once the Savage King had married her, he had become slightly less ruthless, so it seemed she may have curbed the death toll in our kingdom a little.

Wait a minute, what did Blue say? Did she actually have the right answer?

“Correct,” I said in surprise, striding down the aisle and halting in front of her desk. She fell entirely within my shadow and I liked the way she set her jaw and stared up at me unwaveringly. “Also known as?”

“Nurture,” she said, her throat bobbing in the most tempting way I had ever known.

“Good. See me after class.” I marched away, my pulse flickering and my fangs sharpening to points.

I berated myself internally for all the good it did, but nothing could stop the buzz of adrenaline sweeping through me over soon having her alone. It was wrong. All of these thoughts were, this craving. But I couldn’t seem to stop them. And now I’d branded her as my Source, I had inadvertently made things even more difficult. Because my nature was to protect her now, to keep her as mine, to ensure no other Vampire stole her blood from me. And as good as it felt to know I had that claim, it was also going to make things far more complicated when it came to getting rid of her.

What the hell are you playing at?

I don’t know, but I can’t fucking stop.

***

I sat behind my desk at the end of class, my gaze fixed on my Atlas as I waited for everyone to leave. Everyone but her.

I had a message from Francesca which I was debating how to answer.

Francesca:

So when are you free for drinks, you said you’d let me know when you were around this week..?

When wasn’t I free for drinks? I mean, technically I had a bottle of bourbon on the go at all times. I was in the most committed relationship of my life with booze. Although, as Darius pointed out sometimes, it was more like a toxic partner I couldn’t get rid of. But whenever he tried to stop me drinking, I would spiral into depression and functioning became nearly impossible. So if that wasn’t a merry little reason to keep feeding my liver the good stuff then I didn’t know what was. It kept me peppy. Okay, not peppy. But somewhere around the not-suicidal line, which was a place where I gave just enough of a fuck about things to keep being useful to Darius. And as that was my only goal in life these days, it seemed like the perfect place to be.

I really needed to meet with Francesca and discuss the Nymph issue. There was too much at stake when it came to that nest.

Lance:

Friday night?

It would be good to see her regardless. She was a friend, even if that friendship came with benefits sometimes. Francesca was working her way up in the FIB ranks and she didn’t have time for a steady relationship, and as I would be about the most useless boyfriend imaginable and I could barely stomach most people’s company, it suited me perfectly too. Only, since I’d gotten back from the Mortal Realm, I hadn’t felt like hooking up. Most nights I either wanted to be alone with whiskey or with Darius. I missed Gabriel too, but he had his own life, his own family. And I didn’t like him seeing me when I was in a slump, because I knew I couldn’t hide anything from his Sight. If he saw me up close, he’d start trying to guide me towards a better fate in riddles I couldn’t solve. But we’d played that game too many times, and I knew there wasn’t a better fate waiting for me. The best I could hope for was that Darius defeated Lionel, then maybe I’d get some peace of mind.

Francesca:

Perfect! I’ll book Andromeda Place for eight o’clock.

The class had emptied out and I didn’t even have to look up to know I was now alone in a room with Darcy Vega because the energy in the air had just intensified tenfold. I could feel her presence like a living thing in the room and I didn’t entirely hate that feeling.

I kept my gaze on my Atlas, mulling over what exactly I was about to say to her. I had to keep it professional. That was key. And maybe if I put some boundaries in place, I could keep this shitshow from becoming a shitparade.

“How’s the Coercion shield coming?” I asked, still not looking up. If I did, I wouldn’t stop looking. And if I looked, I’d move closer. And if I moved closer, I might bite her again. And if I bit her again, well….let’s just say I might have to start punching myself in the dick pre-bite in future. But I couldn’t just stare at my Atlas forever.

“Better. I’ve been practicing with friends,” she said.

I nodded, glad she was trying. Not that I wanted her to do well obviously, but freshmen who didn’t make an effort to Fae up made me sick. “You should be spending every free moment on it.” I swung around in my chair, biting the bullet as I let my eyes lift to meet her gaze. Fuck, she looked edible. “It’s imperative that you can throw off basic Coercion. Do you understand how vulnerable you are while you’re unable to?”

I was saying this partly because I’d made her my Source. I needed her to be able to protect herself from rogue Vampires who tried to Coerce her into letting them feed from her. I couldn’t have that. I’d snap their fucking necks if they tried. But the other reason was that if any Nymphs with control over their stolen magic had learned Coercion, she’d be easy prey for them. And if her magic got into one of their hands, the consequences were unimaginable.

She nodded, still standing near the door like she didn’t want to be anywhere near me. It was a fool’s hope now she was my Source. We’d be getting much closer in future. And my dick was decidedly happy about that, though it would absolutely not be joining the party.

“Yes, sir.” She was scrutinising me and I grew desperately curious about what she was thinking. Her dislike for me wasn’t surprising, but there was more to it than that. There was suspicion in those captivating eyes of hers and I didn’t much like it.

“Good.” I broke a smile that felt more natural than I’d intended. “So, I wanted to be clear about what it means to be my Source.”

“I don’t want to be your Source,” she said immediately, revulsion in her voice that made my hackles rise. But she had a furious look on her face that was so damn cute, and I quite enjoyed getting under her skin like that.

“Until you manage to stop me, I’m afraid that’s not your decision.” I gave her a bemused look and she scowled back, but all that anger wouldn’t do her much good unless she channelled it into studying.

I got up, moving around my desk to stand before her, closing the gap between us and thirsting to get even closer.

“You will tell me if any other Vampire bites you. That is non-negotiable, Miss Vega. I will make it known to the academy that you’re mine and that should save us any more incidents like today. I am not likely to be challenged by anyone except Caleb, but now that has been settled we should have no more issues. However, if another Vampire happens to take a liking to you …you will tell me.”

“How often do you expect to feed from me?” She folded her arms and I was surprised by how against this whole idea she was. There were freshman who would have killed to have a Vampire as powerful as me claim them as their Source. It gave them a shield from all other Vampires. She wouldn’t have to be pinned down and bitten in the hallways. Unless of course, I came across her and fancied a taste. I practically salivated at the thought of that.

“Once or twice a week.” I shrugged. “But if I become drained then it may be more.”

She nodded stiffly, clearly pissed about this whole thing. Then her features hardened and I felt the challenge rolling off of her, telling me this girl might just be an Alpha deep down. Though it didn’t look like she knew it if she was. And I’d be sure not to point it out and to leave her confidence down in the gutter.

“One day, Professor, I’m going to be strong enough to fight you off,” she said, her voice ringing with power for a moment and making me pause. Oh fuck, why is that so hot?

I took a measured breath, fighting the urge to rise to that challenge, because she’d end up trapped beneath me and I was supposed to be professional right now. But there was no harm making her aware of that.

“I know,” I said, enjoying this game. “But until that day, you’re mine, Blue.”

I swear she shivered a little at those words, but her eyes were a menacing wall that forced me out.

“I don’t belong to anyone,” she said, her voice a deadly whisper.

I stepped closer, wanting to reach out and wrap my fingers around her throat, pin her to my desk and drive my fangs into her. Then she’d learn that she was very wrong about those words.

Be professional, for the stars’ sake.

“Belonging to me is a far better fate than most could wish for in their first week at Zodiac Academy,” I said coolly and she bristled.

“I’d rather be bitten by every Vampire in this school until I can fight them off than have one monster like you trying to possess me.”

“Careful, Blue,” I warned. “Remember who you’re talking to.”

“How could I forget, sir?” she said lightly, batting her lashes like she was oh-so-innocent again. But I could see that her innocence didn’t run as thickly as it first appeared. And the idea of there being a wild, untamed beast living within her only made me want to coax it out and feel the slash of its claws.

I closed the distance between us, gazing down my nose at her and consuming her breathing space. A nervous tremble of her lower lip gave me a rush, showing me that she knew exactly who held the power right now. “You may hate me, Miss Vega, but you will learn to respect me.”

Her eyes were a storm of swear words, but she didn’t let any pass her lips. I’d unnerved her now and that was what I wanted. I needed her fear. And her hate. Because we were on opposing sides of a war she couldn’t even comprehend yet. And when Darius forced her to bow and sent her and her sister running from this academy, I’d be there to watch her go with a smile on my face. And surely the taste of her blood couldn’t come close to the taste of that victory.

She nodded, backing up and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. Then she turned her back on me and was gone before I could reprimand her for it. I realised my hands were balled into fists and I slowly uncurled them, the raging thump of my heartbeat seeming to echo into every part of my body.

You’re playing with fire, Blue. And you won’t like it when it burns.