Fated Throne

We raced up into the clouds with Xavier flying alongside us and Dante released a mournful roar which I felt down to the pit of my soul. Tears blurred my vision for everyone lost today. And as we soared into the endless blue sky, I didn't know where we were going, only that we couldn't go back to Zodiac Academy. We couldn't go anywhere that Lionel would find us. The Heirs had stood against him, we'd all shown our cards. And the Dragon King would have every loyal Fae and Nymph in Solaria hunting for us by nightfall. We were all fugitives now. And if any of us were ever caught, the price would be death.

"A fresh start," the voice confirmed. "Every bond placed upon the two ofyou by the stars wiped away " "But all I get is a year?" My heart was thrashing desperately now, adrenaline begging me to do something to save myself, but this wasn't an enemyI could fight. It was destiny in the making. "A year to live the life you yearn for. A year to find out ifyou really are the man you wish to be "

Lavinia!" I bellowed. What have you done to her?!" Laughter rang around me, mocking me and chills spread everywhere through my body. I heaved in breaths, cuting through the shadows as I forcibly tried to get to my girl. She s not dead. She 's not fucking dead. "Calm down, it's just a litle curse," she said with a laugh that made my blood chill. What kind of curse?" I roared, whipping around as I hunted for her and finding nothing but shadow yet again. What has she done to her?

"But ifI do something right in there, the Vegas will survive?" I asked, needing to know it without any doubt. Gabriel hesitated, reaching out to brush his fingers over the stone door, making it quiver and illuminate with his star sign for a moment before he drew back. "Yes. You can save them by going in there. But I can't see any more than that. This is a test for you alone." "Then I'll be certain not to fail it." I swore, clapping him on the shoulder and stepping forward to look at the door.

Td expected to die, not to wake up cold and shivering in a damp, dark cell. My eyes cracked open and I groaned as I pushed myself onto my knees, my heart clenching as I found my wrists bound in glowing blue magical blocking cuffs. My Phoenix lay dormant inside me and there was a needle ncture wound in my arm that spoke of the Order Suppressant I' d been given.

"Im yours," she breathed, her mouth touching mine with her words. "Whatever you have to do...even ifMildred really does have your-" "I can't be with her like that," I growled. "I can't be with anyone but you. It would fucking kill me, Roxy." She smiled weakly, reaching up to hold my cheek in her palm as her other hand fisted my shirt over my heart. "You're mine where it counts, Darius. And I'm yours. Nothing can change that."

"Mildred?" I choked out, trying to make my thoughts align as they stayed fixed on my girl and the desperate need in me to get to her and save her from this fucking animal. "Yes. I don't care what you have to use for motivation to get your cock hard for that troll of a girl. but believe me you'll figure it out. Perhaps you'll get lucky and she will fall pregnant quickly for you and give you nine months reprieve before yoưll need to put another Heir in her belly," "Tm not marrying her," I hissed. "I won't. I love Roxy and I'm never going to be with anyone else.!" Father sighed heavily like I was testing his patience. "You will. Because every night that oaf isn't pregnant is another night your sweet Roxanya gets to spend like that."

"Turn around," he commanded coldly and I forced myself to swallow my complaints as I turned my back on him. the star filled sky beyond while I waited to find out what this was about. someone had blown it out and my Phoenix fell away from me into the dark. suppressant," he supplied, tossing the needle aside as I realised too late that I was in serious trouble. against his chest and I cried out in panic. My hands curled into fists which ached to burst into flame as I stood staring through the window at A sharp prick stung my thigh and I gasped in alarm as the fire in my body shrank away like I had to be certain you didn't have the antidote on you before I gave you a fresh dose of Lionel's hand caught my throat as I tried to lurch away, his grip tightening as he yanked me back

No!" I screamed, pushing to my feet. "We need the shadows to survive, we 're not like your "You will find a way," the Queen sneered, calling a retreat to her people, leaving the Nymphs A huge red Dragon swept towards us and my heart lifted as I saw Octavius coming to aid me But instead of charging in with tooth and claw to save me, he roared an Order to his army and "Octavius!" I cried in horror as the Dragons decimated my army, betraying me and his kind!" powerless on the ground. like he'd promised, backing me to the end and offering one final chance for us to turn this around. they turned on my Nymphs, burning them to soot with huge billows of fire from their lungs.

The vision changed once more and sickness filled me as I could still taste the iron tang ofblood in my mouth. I felt myself slipping into Lavinia's memory once more.

"Everything I did was for you. And I would do it again and again, because despite how much this fucking kills me, you're still on the right path to become a qucen of Solaria. And ifTd done anything diferent, you would have lost your place at Zodiac Academy. your name would be ruined by your relationship to me. I was going to prison either way, and I saw one way that wouldn't drag you down with me. So I took it. And if that makes me an asshole then I don't give a fuck. Ifyou hate me for the rest of my life, I will swallow it because I will not be the reason you lost your chance to claim the throne." Tears blurred my vision but I blinked them back as anger welled up in me. "You had no right to make that choice for me."

"I had a letter from my father. And you know it's more than that. The twins have been gifted visions from the stars. They've seen the truth. The Savage King wasn't who we thought. What Hail Vega did was because of Lionel's Dark Coercion. He's been biding his time all these years, he constructed it all."

Dont mind if I engrave this tonight and repurpose it, do you Lancey? I couldnt get holdo any on short notice, but she just gave me the best blowjob of my life, so Ireally need to make sure she doesn't put those pretty lips on anyone else. Another photo came in of him lying in Darcy's bed, one hand cupped behind the back of his head and the rose quartz held between his teeth as he grinned. “Motherfucker,"

"We have to go after them," he hissed. "We can't," I replied and my pulse picked up as I checked around to see if anyone was paying us Lionel just told that big motherfucker that he could have Catalina for the night," he growled My lips fell open and I shook my head, though I didn't know why I was trying to deny it. I knew any attention. urgently. *And then he Dark Coerced her to go with him and do whatever he wanted." exactly how much of a monster Lionel Acrux was.

"Im not abandoning her again," Darius growled ferociously and a stab of pain lanced through my flesh at the darkness in his tone. "Im sorry, man," Max said, turning to him and grabbing his face, forcing him to look his way. "But you being here is...it's hurting her. I don't know what Lionel has done but every time she looks at you she feels physical pain as well as terror. IfIm gonna have any chance of fixing this, you can't be here. I hate to tell you this, but the more you're around her at the moment, the worse you're making things for her."

again. the sea of faces surrounding me as my heart raced. sobbed. "She's freaking out and she's about to lose control of her Order form." "What did you do to me?" I gasped, scrambling back and crying out as I hit the bars of the cage My lips parted on a grunt of pain and I slapped a hand over the puncture wound, looking around at "Back up," Max growled, his hand landing on Geraldine's arm and tugging her back a step as she "Shit" Seth cursed and he caught Caleb's wrist as he pulled him back too. "Look at me, Roxy." Darius growled from my right and a shriek of fright escaped me as I found him too fucking close to the bars that contained me.

Memories of that stone room echoed around my mind. Of the jars of lightning and the metal tools that had carved into my flesh over and over. Darius had done that to me. It was all Darius. Every time I thought of him or woke calling for him in the night or screamed his name while begging for his help, that was what I'd gotten in return. He'd never come for me. He'd abandoned me to that fate. I couldn't let him take me. I woul dn't. I threw so much power at the cage that the whole thing shook and rattled while I jerked on my back until suddenly the darkness that surrounded me swept me up and devoured me whole. And I was finally freed from all of it as I fell into a void of nothing.

"l will send someone to come heal you in a few hours, Once you've learned your lesson." His voice was eager now and I took some comfort in that, knowing that at least my suffering would please him. "Thank you," I murmured, reaching out to pick up the jar. "Give me a moment to get somewhere private. I need to be sure you do everything exactly the way you promised," he commanded and I nodded even though he couldn't see me. Iwaited as the sound of his footsteps filled the speaker and closed my eyes as I listened to him breathing, drinking in the sound like it was giving me life. "Go ahead." Lionel grunted as a door snapped closed wherever he was and I bit my lip as a shiver of fear danced down my spine. Ireached for the jar, picking it up and feeling the power of the runes used to contain the bolt of lightning inside it as I unlocked them the way he'd taught me. This was what I deserved for letting Darcy and the others get close to me like that. For letting them try and take me from my king. I needed this punishment. It was the only way to set things right.

"I'm sorry, my king, I promised I'd call you if anyone tried to attack me," I said quietly. "Who attacked you?" Lionel growled, his tone changing to one of interest. "Darcy. The Heirs. And Gabriel," I said quickly. "I think they were trying to capture me but I managed to use the shadows to escape them."

"What about Darius?" Gabriel asked but I just shook my head. I wasn't supposed to talk to him about that. Not him, not anyone. Only my king and Vard and Clara. I wouldn't be coaxed into saying anything to anyone else. already taken too much." trees surrounding us were so thick that I could barely see between them. "He's the worst kind of poison," I breathed. "The kind you don't realise is killing you until you've "Darius isn't poison, Tory," Gabriel said firmly, coming to a halt at a turn in the path where the "He is to me," I replied. But that was all I was going to say on the subject.

"Then the stars offered me a deal. One which I felt duty bound to accept as it was presented by the guiding force of the heavens themselves. The true and divine beings who have given us all we have in this world. They gave me and those most loyal to the stars a gift - the Fifth Element." The silence in the crowd erupted into whispers of shock and suspicion but Father was more than ready for that as he raised his voice to quiet them again. "They offered me this and all the power that goes with it for the sake ofour kingdom. But they also pointed out that our kingdom isn't truly a kingdom at all because it is not ruled by a single monarch the way that they intended for it to be."

You're back," he rasped. How did you escape?" I managed to get out, pushing one of Darius's hands off her so I could get close again. I realised The Orb was utterly silent and one look to my left told me Max, Caleb and Geraldine were closing in on us and the rest of the students in The Orb were watching intently. "Come on, let's go somewhere private." Darius tugged Tory's arm but she yanked her hand free, straightening her sleeve where he'd rufled it with a pinched look of disgust. No thanks." she said, brushing past us and leaving us there in her wake. Iran after her, pulling her around to face me again, holding onto her when she tried to continue Mutering broke out but I didn't care, my heart was trying to climb out of my chest. T'd never Tory's cool gaze moved to my face, her expression bored. Im sorry, do I know you?" walking, Tory, it's me, it's Darcy. Look at me”

t's like...a crush on my friend," he said coyly and I swear ifhe' d been a Wolfright then his ears would be flattened to his head all cute like. "Oh yeah?"" I frowned. -Yeah... Caleb to be exact," he said shyly and my lips popped open. *No way,"I gasped. Way," he said with a lopsided smile. I mean, I always thought he was hot but lately, I dunno..."

*Holy shit." I breathed. He has three Elements !" Mom gasped and I turned my head to look at my family. Father's eyes were wide, a look of pride filling them that I'd never seen aimed at me in my damn life. "My son has three Elements !" he laughed, clapping his hands twice in quick succession and heat crawled into my cheeks. I still hated the asshole, but maybe I was a sucker because now he was looking at me the way I'd always wanted him too and it felt really fucking good. Darius was smiling his head off and the other Heirs looked awestruck.