Zodiac Academy: The Awakening (Supernatural Beasts and Bullies #1)(64)

They glared at each other for several seconds as the promise of violence danced on the cool wind before fading away.

“You know how much I care about this,” Orion bit out. “I just don’t want us to fuck it up when we’re so close.”

“So why are we waiting? We know where they are. We could go there now and find them while they’re sleeping - end this once and for all,” Darius pressed, his voice low with anger which seemed ready to burst free at any moment.

“Not yet. If we’re wrong we could end up taking innocent lives,” Orion insisted. “It’s too hard to be sure with the information we have. Just give it a few more days. I’ll see her again, I’ll confirm our suspicions.”

“In a few days they could be even more powerful. You’ve seen what’s happened since the start of term. The longer we give them to adjust to their power, the more chance we have of them figuring out how to harness it and turn it against us. If you’re afraid that you aren’t up to the job then let me call on the others for help. You know they want to destroy them almost as much as we do.”

Orion ran a hand over his face, shaking his head. “It’s too risky. Seth can’t keep his mouth shut, he’d tell every member of his pack before sunrise and Max’s powers soften him to others no matter how much he might deny it's true.”

“What about Caleb then? Or is your petty rivalry too keen for you to look past, even with the threat we face here?” Darius demanded. He started pacing and I shrank back as my heart pounded. Were they talking about us? It sure sounded like it but why were they so threatened by two girls who didn’t even know how to harness our powers yet?

“It’s not about rivalry,” Orion spat. “It’s about strength. You know him better than me but I’d judge him to be too impulsive for this. If he were to strike too soon then all the work we’ve done to get to this point will have been for nothing. The same goes for if we try to kill them now. While we still aren’t sure. What if we fail and they manage to escape us? Or we succeed but we miss something vital and it sets something greater in motion-”

“You’ve been consulting with those damn bones again,” Darius snarled.

“I have,” Orion agreed darkly. “And though they aren’t revealing many answers to me, one thing is clear. This is not our moment.”

Darius fell still, releasing a long breath through his nose as he fought to rein in his temper. “Sometimes I wish we didn’t live in a world where everything was mapped out for us as if our lives are nothing more than pieces in some greater fucking puzzle and we get no say at all.”

Orion sighed, moving closer so that he could place a hand on Darius’s shoulder. “Is this about your father? Is he still putting pressure on you to-”

“Of course he is. It’s all he ever thinks about. It’s like he hasn’t even noticed that the world we live in could be teetering on the edge of chaos.” Darius shook his head before shrugging Orion’s hand off of him. “Don’t worry about my father, I’ll bear the brunt of his wrath as always. Once the other Heirs and I sort out that situation, he’ll back off anyway. You just focus on confirming everything so that we can act.”

“I’m meeting with her again in a few days. I’ll do a reading. Make sure that we have every piece of the truth,” Orion replied with a firm nod.

“And then?” Darius pressed, seeming to need an answer before he’d allow himself to be turned from the path he’d pictured.

“And then... well then we'll do what we have to before anyone finds out it was us.”

“Good,” Darius replied and his face lit with a smile sharp enough to cut glass.

He didn’t bother with farewells before turning and striding away from Orion. My heart leapt as I recoiled further into the shadows but thankfully he chose a different alley and I waited as his footsteps beat a path away from me.

Orion stood there in the moonlight for several seconds, his gaze locked on the alley Darius had taken long beyond the time when he must have moved out of sight.

Eventually he released a curse beneath his breath before turning and marching away too.

I let the minutes tick by as I hid in the shadows. There was only one way back to the Academy from here and I wasn’t going to risk bumping into Darius on the way. If he found out that I’d followed him, he’d probably incinerate me on the spot.

By the time I eased out of my hiding place and crept back into the woods, Darius was long gone. I hurried back along the twisting paths as quickly as I could, aiming for my bed and my Atlas so that I could call Darcy. I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d just overheard but one thing was clear. Darius and Orion were keeping secrets. And if there was even the slightest chance that they involved my sister and I then I intended to get to the bottom of them.





I WAS JUST drifting off to sleep when my Atlas starting pinging. I took it from the nightstand, finding Tory calling me.

My heart beat harder as I tapped the screen to answer, fearful that something had happened to her.

“Tory, are you alright?” I asked.

“Yeah, I'm good. But can I come stay with you tonight? I heard the Heirs plotting to jump me in the morning and...well there's something we need to talk about too.”

“Sure I'll meet you outside Aer Tower,” I said, sitting up with a yawn.