Chapter 26: The Awakening: Chapter 25

ORION SPED PAST me in a blur, using his Vampire speed to outrun me. My heart fractured as he darted into the Lunar Leisure building ahead and I poured every last ounce of energy I had into chasing him.

Mocking cheers and cruel laughter rang out from inside and I knew in the depths of my soul, my sister was in serious trouble. I burst through the door and turned down dark corridors before practically falling over my feet as I arrived at the swimming pool.

A crowd of students stood at the far end of the swimming pool which had been turned to ice. Orion dove from the edge of it, casting a torrent of water from his hands which melted the ice before he hit it. He disappeared under the surface and my throat constricted with confusion and terror.

A huge fissure ripped up the middle of the ice and Orion burst from under it, his arm locked around Tory. She looked unconscious – or was it more than that?

My world slowed and dread built in my chest.

No, she’s not dead. She can’t be dead.

My mind finally kicked into gear again and I ran to the edge of the pool, reaching for Tory as Orion brought her near. I caught her arm as he placed her down on the tiles at the edge and silence fell. The kind of silence that preceded a time of death announcement.

“Tory,” I sobbed, gripping her freezing cold hand, every part of me trembling as I shook her.

Orion knelt beside her, dripping wet as he pressed a hand to her forehead. He shut his eyes and a deep red light glowed from beneath his palm.

I took a shuddering breath.

The room faded around me.

All that mattered was my sister and the magic flowing from Orion’s body into hers.

Tory’s eyes flew open and she coughed violently, throwing up water as Orion lurched aside just in time to miss it.

I fell onto her, hugging her close and Orion rose to his feet before I could thank him.

I spotted the Heirs walking along the edge of the pool, making a beeline for the exit.

Hatred tore at my insides as I glared at them, shaking from head to toe as I held onto my twin.

“IF A SINGLE PERSON IN THIS ROOM MOVES ANOTHER INCH, YOU WILL BE FACING IMMEDIATE EXPULSION!” Orion bellowed, the whole of the glass roof vibrating from his ferocious tone.

The Heirs stopped walking, falling silent. Darius scraped a hand down the back of his neck, looking riled for the first time ever. Seth was rubbing against all of them as if trying to soothe them and the sight of my hair poking out of his pocket made me want to scream.

“Face the fucking wall,” Orion commanded in a tone that made my shoulders tense.

I watched through blurry eyes as the Heirs filed into line opposite Orion. I’d never seen him so angry and I wanted him to unleash every drop of his rage on them for what they’d done.

The rest of the crowd grouped closer together on the other side of the pool, seeming uneasy.

I brushed the damp strands of hair from Tory’s face and she blinked up at me in a haze.

“Are you alright?” I choked out.

She nodded weakly and I fell forward to embrace her again, relief singing a song in my heart.

She shifted up to sit beside me and her deep green eyes dragged over my hair. Her upper lip peeled back as she hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head against my shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Darcy,” she said in a raspy tone and I locked my arm around her, shaking my head in refusal of her apology.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I whispered, my eyes falling on the four Heirs who I hated more viscerally than I’d ever hated anything in my life.

Orion stared at the back of their heads. They looked like they were lined up for a firing squad and I half wished they were.

The crowd of the Heirs’ followers started muttering between themselves and some made a bold bid for the exit.

“No one is leaving this room until I hear what happened,” Orion snarled at them and the straying students backed up into their ranks.

Orion prowled toward the Heirs, grasped Seth’s hair in his fist and slammed his head against the wall with a loud crack. “Do you have anything to say about what happened to the Vega Twins tonight?” he snarled as Seth let out a hiss of pain between his teeth.

“No, sir,” Seth said in a low voice and I ground my teeth as I shot daggers at him with my eyes.

Orion stepped toward Max beside him, pressing his face into the wall. “How about you. Rigel?”

“No, sir,” Max muttered.

Orion moved to Caleb, leaning in to speak in his ear. “Have you been fucking with your Source, Caleb? You know that goes against the Vampire code and I might just be in the mood to get your fangs ripped out for it.”

Caleb’s broad shoulders tensed in anger. “I’m aware of the code, sir. I didn’t do anything to her.”

“Bullshit,” Orion snapped as I stared at one of the monsters who’d tried to kill my sister.

Orion moved to Darius, resting a hand on his shoulder. Darius shrugged it off but Orion wrapped his arm tightly around him, pulling him close. “Are you going to lie to my face too, Darius?”

Darius shook free of him. “Can’t lie to your face when I’m facing a wall, can I sir?” His tone was mocking and cold, his posture as rigid as if his spine was made of pure iron.

Orion whipped him around, releasing him in the same moment. He wasn’t as rough with him as the others and I half wondered why. Darius was as bad as the rest of them and it made my blood chill to look at his expressionless face.

“One last chance,” Orion said in a low voice just for him. “Explain.”

Darius’s eyes slid from his face to Tory, his jaw ticking before he looked back at the Professor. “We want them out. We’re just trying to get them out – you know the pressure we’re under. Max found out their fears and well…we brought them to life.” He shrugged and my chest collapsed in on itself. Could they be any more cruel? We didn’t even want their throne and they were still willing to try and break us so we’d leave.

Orion shook his head, his face painted with disappointment. “I thought you of all the Heirs were better than your parents.”

Darius’s face contorted as Orion turned his back on him, which I’d gathered was one of the biggest insults he could offer as a Fae.

“Everyone present in this room bar the Vega girls is now in detention with me for a full week. Capella, Altair, Rigel and Acrux, you will take two weeks and you’re on a warning. One more stunt like this and I don’t care if you’re the sons of the stars themselves, you will be expelled from Zodiac.”

“You know what, Orion? Go fuck yourself,” Darius snarled, barging past him and marching straight out of the door.

Orion glared after him but didn’t make a move to stop him.

“Detention?” Tory wheezed. “Is that it?”

Orion didn’t answer and fury filled me. “How can you let them get away with this?” I demanded.

I noticed Marguerite and some of her vile friends pointing at my hair and giggling under their breath. My skin flushed hot and I turned back to Tory, wishing we could just disappear.

Orion crouched down before us and reached for Tory’s hand. “You need more healing.”

“Not here,” she hissed, her eyes whipping to the onlooking crowd. “I just want to go.”

He ignored her, pressing his hand to her shoulder and that strange red glow built beneath his palm once more.

I’d never felt so low, like the wind had ripped holes in the sails of my life and left them in tatters.

But I would fix them.

And I’d rise again.

Just not today.