Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess
Shadow Princess: Chapter 21

The music thumped in my ears and set off a wild excitement in my body as I took in the incredible magic in the cavern. The stalactites far above glittered and flashed, the crystals and minerals brought to life by a pulsing light which seemed to emit from within the rock itself. At the far end of the cave, a stage was built from a pillar of earth where a DJ with devil horns and a red mask was lost to the trance of his own set.

The ground had been wielded to build stone chairs and tables around the edges of the space and the floor was lined with a springy moss. The walls were covered with vines that moved like snakes in every direction, all of them coated in neon flowers which released puffs of glitter every few seconds. It was beautiful, captivating and made me want to learn how to wield all of that insanely cool magic.

Tory led us off the dance floor and over to a huge drinks table where a bright green punch was flowing through a fountain of ice. I grabbed a glass which was also made from ice and delicately held in a nest of vines, filling it from one of the streams that trickled over the lowest tier. I took a sip and my tastebuds crackled and popped as the sour drink swept over my tongue. A zing of adrenaline ran through my veins in response and I eagerly took another mouthful as the magic in it continued to spark throughout my body.

“Well flick my nipples, that tastes wonder-tastic!” Geraldine exclaimed, refilling her cup the moment she finished it.

“What’s that about your nipples, Grus?” Max’s voice made me turn and my heart stuttered as I spotted the other three Heirs standing beyond him in a tight circle. I couldn’t help but admire their incredible costumes. Each of them had come as the Element of their House, looking like an artist had used their bodies as a canvas.

Max’s scales were in place below his waist, but his chest was bare and someone had painted silver and blue swirls all across his skin which glittered like moonlight. His broad shoulders were covered with seashells and in his hand was a huge golden trident that looked sharp enough to skewer someone. His mohawk was dyed a deep navy colour and a crown of glittering blue gemstones perched on his head.

Seth was dressed as air. His long hair was dyed icily white and fluttered in a breeze I couldn’t feel; the crown atop his head was a silver ring of spikes that glinted sharply. His shoulders were covered with feathers which hung over his muscular chest and his trousers were made of some tailored white material, buckled with a large silver belt inlaid with clear crystals.

Caleb wore the colours of earth. His blonde locks had been transformed to look like golden leaves, swept back beneath a crown of bronze. He wore a dark cape woven from moss and ivy which hung from his shoulders by a bronze plate.

Darius looked forbidding in his fire costume. His shoulders were covered in armour which appeared to be made of coal and a flickering blue fire rippled along it. His hair was swept back beneath a crown of gold and red flames seemed to flicker within the metal itself. The tattoos on his chest intermittently lit up, flaring like a flash fire before returning to deepest black.

“You don’t do things by halves, do you?” I said to Max and he shrugged.

“We had a photo shoot for the press, little Vega. They wouldn’t let us do anything less than perfect.”

“You’ve really got to work hard at keeping up that douchebag reputation,” Tory commented with a smirk, but Max shrugged it off, looking to Geraldine. His eyes raked down her mermaid costume, settling on her breasts for a long moment before he glanced up with a grin.

“We match,” he pointed out and I eyed Geraldine, wondering how she was going to react to his attention.

“Princess Mer-Geraldine would never be seen dead with some common hagfish,” Geraldine said dismissively and a snort escaped me.

Max’s jaw clenched. “I’m not a hagfish, I’m Poseidon, king of the sea.”

“Oh, well why would the mighty King Poseidon wear a hagfish costume?” Geraldine asked with a frown and Max’s eyes flared with rage.

“He’s not – I mean, I’m not. It’s not a hagfish costume!”

A few girls giggled as they walked past him and his cheeks coloured. He glanced over at the other Heirs, looking like he was about to walk away but for some reason he didn’t.

He cleared his throat. “How about a dance?” he offered her before shooting a glare at me, Tory and Sofia. “Or a chat alone?”

I could see the Heirs growing impatient as they looked over at us and I caught Seth’s gaze unintentionally. He smirked, his eyes trailing over my costume with a dark intrigue. Darius was staring at Tory while Caleb was talking to a blushing girl with a drink in his hand and boredom in his eyes.

“No thank you, sea urchin,” Geraldine said lightly, wafting Max away like he was a servant in her own royal court.

When Max didn’t move, staring at her in complete disbelief, Geraldine sauntered away from him and we promptly followed, laughter escaping us as we put some distance between us and the Heirs.

We moved onto the dance floor and grouped together as we started swaying to the pounding beat. I took another swig of my drink and let its magic take over, raising my hands in the air and staring up at the colourful ceiling above.

I was aware of the crowd closing in around us and more than one guy tried to break our group apart and pull us away to dance. Geraldine was soon in the arms of a guy dressed like a Minotaur with massive horns protruding from his head and a fur cape hanging from his shoulders. Sofia danced with Tyler who was shirtless with brown wings strapped onto his back and a bird mask over his face. I guessed he was a Caucasian Eagle. It seemed like most guys at the party had opted for the half naked look to show off all their muscles. I wasn’t exactly complaining, but there was only one half naked set of muscles I really wanted to be looking at.

Tory and I were left together, dancing to the endless beat, each of us taking it in turns to fetch drinks from the fountain. My mind was a haze of happiness and I wasn’t even bothered when the Heirs seemed to ring around us, each of them sporting a pretty girl grinding all over them. Caleb slipped away from the girl he was with, drained the beer in his hand then made a beeline for Tory.

“Dance with me,” he basically commanded her and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m busy dancing with my sister,” she called over the loud music.

I wafted her away. “It’s fine, Tor, I’m gonna go look for some water anyway.”

“Are you sure?” she asked as Caleb wound an arm around her possessively.

“Yeah, I’ll be back in a bit.” I headed away and she moved into his arms with a look that said she was gonna give him hell for his bossy tone.

The throng of bodies was kind of suffocating and my mouth was parched by the time I reached the drinks table. I hunted for some water, replaceing an elaborate ice bucket at the end full of bottles. I swiped one out, drinking the whole lot in one go. I sighed my relief as I tossed it into the trash and my eyes fell on Seth as he exited the crowd, my skin prickling as he swept past me to grab some punch.

I strode away from him, heading back into the crowd but immediately felt a hand latch around my wrist. I growled, turning sharply, expecting to replace Seth there but instead I found a tall man with a thick black cloak and a psycho killer mask over his face.

“Having fun?” he asked and my heart fluttered at the sound of Orion’s voice and the scent of cinnamon sailing over me.

His chest was bare beneath the cape and I didn’t know what the hell he’d come as, but it was freaking hot.

“You’re not allowed to be here,” I tip-toed up to speak in his ear.

He turned me around, pulling me back against his chest to dance and I melted into the arc of his body. “I wanted to see your costume,” he purred and I grinned, grinding back against him as his hand slid around to my stomach, drawing me tighter to him.

“And what do you think?” I asked airily.

“I’m guessing you’re a Vampire, but I don’t see what the cape has to do with it.”

“I’m Count Dracula,” I said like it was obvious.

“Who?”

“The most famous Vampire ever,” I said.

“Makinos the Devious?” he asked in confusion.

“What?” I laughed and his grip on me firmed.

My heart stuttered as I gazed at the sea of students around us, knowing this was reckless but I was lost to the feeling of him so close to me.

I turned around to face him, linking my hands behind his neck as the press of bodies pushed us closer and closer together. I could feel him watching me beneath the mask, sending a delicious kind of heat deep into my belly. As our bodies moulded, I felt the hard length of him digging into my hip and a grin pulled at my mouth.

Need grew in me as I danced against him, my breathing becoming rapid as he rested his hands on my hips and guided my movements. His fingers were digging in harder and harder and I was starting to lose my mind with how much I wanted to kiss him.

I glanced up at him under my lashes and in an instant, he snatched my hand and dragged me off of the dance floor. I nearly tripped over someone’s long scaly tail as I hurried after him, but his grip was so firm that it kept me upright.

We emerged from the crowd on the other side of the cavern and my heart thundered an excited tune as Orion led me briskly into one of the passages which split off from the main cave.

The music fell to a distant drone as we hurried along into the pressing darkness. My breaths came in rapid pants as Orion’s fingers locked between mine. I was blind in the tunnel but with his Vampire sight, I guessed he could see just fine.

He halted me suddenly, throwing me back against the cave wall, the sound of his mask hitting the ground coming a moment later.

He pinned my arms against the cold stone and I moaned even before he kissed me, his mouth bruising as his tongue pushed between my lips. He crushed me to the rock with the hard plain of his chest, grinding against me so I could feel how much he wanted me.

His fangs suddenly sliced into my lip and I gasped as my blood spilled into his mouth and a heady groan escaped him.

“This is risky,” I said between kisses as he reached down to push his hand beneath the hem of my dress. “You’re always telling me to be careful, you’re such a hypocrite.”

“I know,” he growled as his fingers found my panty line and my thighs parted for him. “But I can’t help myself. I have a craving for you I can’t sate, but I sure as hell want to try.”

His hand dipped beneath my panties and I rolled my head against the wall as his fingers found me hot and ready for him. He pushed two inside me with a low growl and my cry of pleasure rang around the cave roof.

“Fuck, silencing bubble,” I gasped, choking away my moans.

He lifted his free hand, casting it in an instant along with an amber light orb above us so I was rewarded with the sight of his blazing eyes. He flicked his thumb over the sensitive flesh at the apex of my thighs and pleasure skittered through me once more. I clung to his shoulders, falling apart in his arms as he continued to torment me, but I needed more than this. I had to have all of him.

I reached for his waistband, stroking him through the material of his pants and he swore between his teeth. I unzipped his fly and freed him, curling my fingers around his smooth length and drawing a deep growl of desire from his lips.

He pulled his hand free from my panties, tugging them down and I immediately stepped out of them. He hooked one of my legs over his hip and my stomach clenched in anticipation a second before he drove himself into me. Another cry escaped me as pleasure punctured every nerve ending in my body.

I held on to the back of his neck as he laid siege to my body, my ass pressed firmly to the wall as he held me in place and pounded into me again and again.

I could hardly catch my breath as the friction between us grew hot enough to start a fire. I wrapped my other leg around him, my hips rocking in time with his as I met him thrust for thrust.

His hand slid to my throat as he angled my chin up to steal a kiss. His fangs sliced into my lower lip and I tasted blood as it soaked between our tongues, his hips moving faster as he drank from me, consuming me in every way possible. He groaned in ecstasy and the sound sent me haywire.

I fisted my hand in his hair, on the edge of nirvana as he wrung pleasure from every inch of me. It was only a second more before I came apart, pleasure washing through me like falling dominoes, setting off a chain reaction of pure bliss in every part of my being.

Orion followed me with a powerful thrust, filling me entirely as his fingers bit into my hips.

His mouth found mine and laughter rolled between us as I held onto him for support. My legs were shaking and I was pretty sure I’d fall right on my ass if he let me go.

He finally stepped back and I sagged against the wall, pushing my dress down as he zipped up his pants and gave me an infectious smile I simply had to return.

I moved to pick up my panties from the ground when the sound of someone clapping made my heart freeze and my lungs hollow out.

I twisted around as pure horror raced through every inch of me.

Seth walked up the tunnel toward us, looking like an angel in his feathery outfit, but a demon stared out of his eyes.

I stilled beside Orion, my mind going a hundred miles a minute as I tried to think of some explanation for this.

How much did he see??

Orion waved his hand to disband the silencing bubble around us, his rigid posture and bared fangs making my pulse quicken.

Holy shit what do we do?!

“I thought I was going crazy,” Seth mused, pausing a few feet away as his eyes swung between us then fell to my panties on the ground. “But I should always trust my instincts.”

“Seth it’s not what you-”

“Don’t lie to my face,” Seth cut over me in a vicious snarl.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Capella,” Orion warned in a deadly calm tone. His muscles flexed and Seth’s did in turn.

Reality hit me with a brutal punch to the gut.

He’s going to tell. He’s going to destroy Orion’s life and all because of me. How could we have been so stupid?

Seth broke a laugh that was anything but friendly. “Like what? Tell Principal Nova?”

Ice seemed to bind itself to my limbs as I stared at him, pulling me into a panicky state. “Please, Seth. Don’t tell anyone.”

Orion reached for my hand, his fingers wrapping around mine in a show of solidarity. I couldn’t bear to look at him because I could feel him accepting this fate. But I refused it. I would not say goodbye to him because of Seth fucking Capella.

“Why would I tell anyone?” Seth asked innocently and for a second I was sure I’d misheard him.

He stepped closer with a cruel smile, moving up into Orion’s personal space, a wolfish growl resounding in his chest.

An animalistic tension passed between them and I sensed it was taking everything Orion had not to strike at him.

“I own you now, sir. And I own your little bit on the side too.” Seth looked to me and my throat thickened. Venom slid under my skin and my Order form rose like a fiery beast within me.

Flames licked along my arms and lit up the chamber in blood red tones.

Seth eyed me impassively but when I stepped forward, he squared his shoulders to face me.

Orion tugged me back a step and Seth smiled in satisfaction as the flames extinguished along my skin. I couldn’t fight him, neither of us could. Because he was right, he did own us with this secret. We were bound to him by it unless we let the truth come out, but I couldn’t bear for that to happen.

“Maybe I’ll tell Nova myself and save you the bother,” Orion said coldly.

“Lance,” I hissed frantically. “You can’t. I won’t let you.”

Seth watched our interaction with interest before looking to Orion. “You’re bluffing. Because we both know there’s more at risk than just your job or even your reputation. Which is why I’m kinda surprised you’d fuck a student, Lance. Was a bit of Vega pussy really worth it?”

Orion swung at him in a blur of motion, pinning Seth to the wall by the throat. “Don’t you talk about her like that you piece of shit!”

Seth blasted him off of him with a powerful shot of air and Orion stumbled back with a snarl.

Seth flattened the ruffled feathers around his throat with a scowl. “Touch me again and I will fucking tell. It’s not sinking in, is it? You’ll both do what I say, whenever I say. Otherwise you can face the music, Professor.”

I glanced at Orion with fear in my heart. “What else is at risk?”

Orion frowned deeply, not answering me and I hated that my answer came from Seth.

“Don’t you get it, babe? You’re a Solarian Princess, a fucking Vega Heir.” He started laughing and it was a horribly callous sound that echoed off the walls. “Orion could go to prison for manipulating you.”

“But he didn’t,” I gasped, shaking my head in denial.

The way Orion was avoiding my gaze made me terrified and when he spoke, his voice was hollow. “It depends what the papers say and what the Solarian Court believes. Even memories can be manipulated with magic, a Cyclops couldn’t prove it for sure. So if there’s enough doubt…” He shook his head, not finishing that sentence and pressure closed in on me from all sides.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t face that happening. Not ever. I’d convince everyone in court that he didn’t manipulate me. I’d make sure of it.

But even then…he’d still be power shamed and from the little I knew about that, it was one of the worst fates in Solaria. A Fae stripped of rank, forced to the bottom of the food chain. In a world where everything was about power, how could Orion ever bear it?

I turned to Seth who was giving us the only other option; do as he bid and our secret would stay between us.

“What do you want from us?” I demanded and Seth smirked.

“The short answer? Anything I fucking fancy.”

A storm was rising around Orion but I placed a hand on his arm, begging him with my eyes. “We have to.”

“Blue,” he breathed, his gaze cracking with desperation.

“Please,” I begged, knowing he’d face the court instead, but this had to be better than that. Even if the idea of doing as Seth told us repulsed me, I’d rather that than let Orion take the fall for our relationship. “If he tells Nova, we’ll be ripped apart.”

Orion’s throat bobbed and sheer panic swept across his expression at my words. He squeezed my fingers in agreement and the tension ran out of my shoulders. “If he asks anything sexual of you, you will not fucking agree to it.”

My mouth parted in horror at the idea that Seth would even think of doing something like that and I turned to him in alarm.

“I’m not a monster,” Seth said with a taut frown. “Now fuck off back to Asteroid Place, Professor. Darcy’s coming with me.”

Orion didn’t move, our hands still locked together.

“Did I not rub the lamp right?” Seth mocked. “I wish for you to fuck off.” He snapped his fingers impatiently and Orion growled dangerously, bringing my hand to his mouth and laying a kiss on the back of it.

“You have to go,” I said softly, seeing the conflict in his gaze.

I pulled my hand from his and his jaw ticked as he remained standing there a few seconds longer. He strode up to Seth with his fangs bared. “If you hurt her, I’ll kill you. I don’t care if you’re an Heir or if I end up in Darkmore Penitentiary for the rest of my fucking life. I’ll take any fate for her, so just remember that when you’re playing your little game, Capella.” He rammed his shoulder against Seth’s then shot away with his Vampire speed in a blur.

My heart stuttered as I was left alone with my mortal enemy. His gaze dripped down to where my underwear still lay on the ground and my insides ripped to shreds.

“Put your panties on, babe. I can’t wait to hear you tell everyone how good it felt to fuck an Heir.”