Zodiac Academy: The Awakening (Supernatural Beasts and Bullies #1)(3)

“They don't know where we live,” Tory said thoughtfully.

“It's the money though, Tor.” I flung myself on the threadbare couch we'd found down an alley – yeah things were that shit – and groaned. “How are we going to pay the rent?”

Tory perched on the edge of the couch, punching my shoulder in the way she always did to say she loved me. Tory wasn’t much for the feelings type, but that didn't mean they weren't there. And though I sometimes wished for a few more warm hugs, she always showed me she cared in her own way. “It's cool, Darcy. I'm doing a job tonight. We'll figure it out after that.”

“You are?” I glanced up at her with a hopeful look, my eyes anime wide.

“Yep.” She grinned, but I could tell she was still disappointed about the cash.

Dammit, if only I'd pocketed it. Why do I always mess everything up?

The rain was slowing to a drizzle as the evening rolled in and my stomach growled for a meal it wasn't going to get.

“Sorry,” I sighed as Tory stared out of the window to the street. “But one good thing came out of it.”

She glanced over her shoulder at me, giving me a curious look. “What?”

“I wiped Pete's toothbrush around the toilet bowl. The rim and all.”

Her mouth opened then she burst out laughing. My anger finally fizzled away as my own laughter joined hers and our hollow little apartment was filled with something good for once.





“SPARK,” I CURSED , glancing over my shoulder to make sure I was still alone out here. The night was dark, shadows thick and silence deep in my particular spot of the multi-storey car park but I could never be too careful. The beautiful silver bike beside me was hiding me for the most part but if anyone spotted me, the game would be up.“Spark, c’mon!”

I brushed the wires together again and still nothing happened. Was there an extra security feature on this model that I didn’t know about? I’d done my research but limited editions were prone to random upgrades.

I half considered cutting my losses and getting the hell out there.

A high-pitched laugh sounded somewhere between the cars, my heart rate spiking in response.

Can’t see me back here. Not yet. They’re nowhere near close enough yet.

I wrangled my frayed nerves into line, releasing a slow breath through my nose as I forced my heartbeat to slow down. One last shot before I gave up.

I ground my teeth together, picturing the little spark of energy that I needed so desperately. If I wanted it enough it would happen. One final try...

I brushed the wires together and the stunning creature beside me purred as life was breathed into its engine.

Oh yes.

I stood quickly, pulling the black helmet down onto my head and sliding the visor into place so that my face was completely hidden. I made sure any final strands of my long, black hair were tucked up out of sight and kicked my leg over the bike.

“Let’s go for a ride,” I breathed, anticipation stroking my spine like a feather-light caress.

My fingers tightened around the throttle and I gave it a little tug, letting the engine growl beneath me. I bit my lip, a smile splitting my face. I wasn’t clear yet, I had to get this beauty across town to Joey’s if I wanted this to pay off. But I couldn’t help but spend a moment bathing in my victory as I admired the sleek, silver beast I was about to ride off on.

“Hey!”

My head snapped up as a security guard stepped out of the stairwell to my left. He obviously knew the owner of this beauty and the fact that that wasn’t me. “You there, what do you think you’re-”

I kicked the bike into gear and released the throttle before he could finish that thought. I shot forward, leaning low as I guided the super bike down the steep, spiralling ramp as quickly as humanly possible. If anyone was coming the other way then I was dead. Splat. Gone. Bye bye Tory. But not today.

The ground levelled out and I shot towards the exit. The barriers were down but that didn’t matter; the pedestrian access was wide open and I had a huge six inch leeway to guide the bike through. With no time to slow down it felt a little hairier than it should have and I inhaled sharply as I shot through the narrow opening, my left knee brushing the wall.

My heart was pounding, adrenaline shivering along my limbs but I was out. Now I just had to keep going until I made it to Joey’s and hope the cops didn’t catch me first. Not that they stood much chance while I was on this bad boy. With a top speed of one-hundred and eighty-six miles per hour and the freedom to take back alleys and sidewalks, I was pretty much home dry already.

I zigzagged between the traffic, sliding through a set of lights as they switched from amber to red and swung a left.

The flash of red and blue lights came from my right a moment before I heard the sirens and I threw another left hand turn into the mix before shooting down an alley between two apartment blocks and skidding out onto the street on the far side.

With the cops officially lost, I let the throttle loose on the long stretch of road before me, weaving other vehicles and narrowly avoiding a collision as I ran a red light.

My heart was pounding even harder now but not with fear. This was it. Half the reason I took these risks. Riding these machines made me feel alive unlike anything else. I wished I could take my helmet off and let the wind race through my hair at top speed with nothing but an open road ahead of me. Unfortunately my disguise would be ruined if I attempted such a thing. The baggy jeans and oversized brown leather jacket were not, in fact, an indication of my terrible taste in fashion but were actually cleverly selected to make anyone who saw me believe I was a man. With my long hair and feminine curves hidden plus the fact that people just preferred to think of men as criminals, my cover was pretty airtight. So long as I didn’t get caught.