Zodiac Academy: The Awakening(55)

“That woman on the news said a student found the body,” I said in horror.

Diego nodded slowly. “Yeah, they won't say who though. My guess is they're having their memory removed right about now. Who could forget a sight like that, you know? It would totally mess you up.”

“Memory removal is a thing?” I hissed, my chest tightening at the idea.

Diego glanced around again, lowering his voice even further. “Not exactly. It's advanced Coercion. Forcing the Fae to forget. It's completely illegal, but there's a lot of conspiracy theories about the FIB which say they do it on the sly.”

“And you believe them?” I guessed.

He grinned at me. “If you knew the dodgy stuff that went on in law enforcement, you'd believe it too. And not just the FIB, Darcy, this very school. There’s even rumours about some of the faculty practicing dark magic on the sly.”

My mind spun as we stepped out of the tower and the sun shone down on us, the air cool and the clouds sparse.

“Have you got tarot this morning?” Diego asked, changing the subject as we made our way to The Orb for breakfast.

I nodded, my gaze snagging on Seth up ahead. His band of followers were around him, brushing their hands over his back and nuzzling him – what was with the nuzzling?! - but he barely responded.

As we arrived at The Orb, he headed away from them, making a beeline for Darius, Max and Caleb who were already on their usual couch, surrounded by a ring of excited fans who were running back and forth from the canteen to bring them food and coffee. The Heirs barely took any notice of them, the four of them falling into a tense conversation the second Seth joined them.

“Darcy?” Diego nudged me and I dragged my gaze away from them. “You coming?” He pointed over at our new spot at the heart of the room. Geraldine had laid a wide spread of food across the circular table which looked fit for King Arthur and his Knights. I fought a groan at the sight of the Almighty Sovereign Society gathered there. Tory was actively trying to avoid a conversation with them by engaging Sofia in never-ending chitchat.

I nodded, following Diego over to join them and the guy sitting beside Tory leapt out of his seat and bowed low. “I kept it warm for you, your majesty.”

“Right, thanks,” I said, smiling as I tried to hide my discomfort at his display.

Geraldine swooped on me before my ass touched the chair. “The croissants were going cold so I had another batch sent from the kitchen.” She wafted a mound of them under my nose and the sweet, mouthwatering scent was too good to pass up.

I took one with a word of thanks and Geraldine hurried around to her seat opposite my sister and I. Diego had forced a chair in beside Sofia but his shoulder was firmly squashed up a brutish girl in the A.S.S who seemed intent on remaining where she was. He stole a croissant from Geraldine’s stash while she was talking to a girl beside her in hushed whispers.

“Did you hear about the Nymph attack?” Sofia asked, her eyes bulging as she leaned forward to look at me across the table.

“Yeah,” I said, glancing at Tory. “And have you noticed how weird the Heirs are acting this morning?”

“Everyone's upset,” Sofia said.

Tory glanced over her shoulder at the four guys, her brows pulling together. “No, Darcy's right. Something's going on with them.”

“They're Heirs,” Diego said through a mouthful of croissant. “They have to take an interest in Nymph murders, it's their job. Or at least, it will be when they rule.”

Sofia sounded her agreement and I nodded, figuring that made sense but wondering if that meant Tory and I would be expected to take an interest in them too.

The tension in the room was at an all time high as people discussed the mystery student who'd discovered the body.

The girl Geraldine was speaking to seemed to be getting herself in a complete state over the attack. “It’s happening all over again just like-”

“Shh!” Geraldine hissed, casting a look at us. She forced a laugh when I caught her eye then snatched her friend’s arm and dragged her away from the table.

“What was that about?” Tory asked me and I shook my head in confusion.

“Hey Vegas!”

We both looked up and I spotted the fire asshole with the unibrow, Milton Hubert, standing on a table surrounded by a group students, gazing at him excitedly. “Make out with each other.”

His Coercion slammed into me and I shrieked in horror as Tory and I angled toward each other. Diego sprang from his chair, forcing himself between us before we even got close to committing the vile act.

“For the Queens!” Geraldine sprang out of the crowd, launched herself onto a chair and propelled a rocket of water at Milton so quickly he wasn’t remotely ready for the impact. He flew halfway across the room and slammed into a group of freshmen, taking several of them to the floor.

The Coercion ebbed out of my body as laughter rang through the room. I shuddered, pulling back from Diego. “We’ve got to stop this from happening,” I groaned as Tory fixed Milton with a death glare as he walked sullenly back to his friends, dripping wet. The Heirs had barely looked up to acknowledge the drama, still stuck in an intense-looking discussion.

“I’ll teach you to shield yourselves,” Sofia piped up, her eyes shining. “We’ll start tonight and spend every moment we can until you’ve got it.”