Preorder Edition Bonus Chapters from Zodiac Academy #7
“Key word ‘once’,” I said, and she breathed a laugh.
“I was supposed to be a dancer on the stage of the Sunshine Theatre, but here I am, a shitty apprentice to a shittier act,” she sighed.
“Guess some people get starlight sprinkled on ‘em at birth, huh? We’re not the lucky ones. I’m Zena, by the way.
” She glanced at the big guy, then back to me.
“Don’t kill yourself out there, sweetie.
It’s worth tapping out before you start wetting yourself publicly. ”
“Great,” I muttered.
“Welcome to the Cirque de Sol-Fae! I am your host, Rusty Star. Gather around, we have a daring contestant backstage who wishes to take on The Numb Man!” Rusty called from the stage and a cheer went up from the crowd.
Zena headed out, and I pulled my shirt off, tossing it onto a plastic seat.
“Got any tips?” I asked as the big guy finished his burrito.
“Don’t die.” He chuckled as Rusty summoned him, heading out to get on stage.
“Thanks, asshole,” I muttered.
“Please give a warm welcome to our fearless contestant, Lance Orion!” Rusty cried.
I walked out onto the stage, hitching a smirk onto my face, knowing exactly how far I planned on taking this.
I took a seat in the metal chair that was waiting for me, glancing at the big guy who was already shackled tightly to his own seat. Zena locked me in place with a wicked smile brushing her lips, the metal cuffs icily cold against my skin.
I searched the crowd, and relief hit me when I found Darcy there, clearly willing to give me a chance so long as I proved myself to her.
She gave me a questioning look that said she hadn’t worked out what the game was yet, and I smiled wider as Zena stepped away and walked over to a huge red lever that jutted out of the stage.
“If our contestant can outlast The Numb Man in this dangerous game, he will win our incredible prize. The crown of glory!” Rusty pointed to a glass box suspended above us and it lit up in a shower of golden sparks.
“The Numb Man has a pain threshold higher than anyone who has ever stepped on this stage. No one has ever won the crown, so will our latest contestant be any different?”
Darcy looked to me with a flash of concern in her eyes.
“Are you ready, Diamond?” Rusty asked Zena – so I guessed that was her stage name. She nodded, taking hold of the lever, while Rusty gazed at the crowd with a manic gleam in his gaze. “Each chair is hooked up to an increasing flow of electricity. Whoever taps out first will lose the game.”
Darcy’s eyes widened, and I relaxed back into my seat, my gaze set on the beautiful creature before me.
“All you need to do is raise your hand and the electrocution will stop,” Rusty said, and laughter filled the air.
I flexed my muscles against the restraints holding me down, and they didn’t bend from my strength, telling me they weren’t going to bust easily.
Rusty tittered. “Alright, you can just say the words, Mr Orion.”
“You’re assuming I’ll tap out first,” I said with a dark grin.
An oooh went up from the crowd and Darcy mouthed, “Don’t,” at me, but I ignored her plea, waiting for the electricity to start flowing. She needed an apology, and I intended on giving her the best one I could.
“We have a very confident competitor, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s see how long his confidence lasts,” Rusty said with a vicious smile, gesturing to Zena. “Pull the lever!”
She yanked it back and electricity shot into my veins, making me tense up, my hands curling into fists to stop myself from using magic against it.
The sound of zapping and crackling energy filled the air alongside thundering music, building the atmosphere in the room and drawing even more of a crowd.
The Numb Man smiled broadly, having no reaction to the electricity at all.
“Higher!” Rusty commanded and Zena drew the lever back further.
My teeth ground together as the electricity coursed deeper and sharper through my body, setting my nerve endings on fire, but it was bearable.
“Higher!” Rusty called again.
A whole lightning bolt seemed to slam through me, and I released a gasp of pain. I wasn’t tapping out though, no damn chance. All I had to do was look right at my reason for being here and I could withstand it, even with my shoulders shuddering and my brain rattling in my head.
“You’ve proved your point!” Darcy yelled, but I wasn’t done. I’d take this as far as I could, because surely that asshole beside me had to break at some point. One glance his way told me he didn’t look remotely affected though, and I had to wonder if this entire game was rigged.
“Higher!” Rusty commanded.
I roared in pain, the electricity blinding me as I was subjected to fuck knew how many volts, and before I could even adjust to the new level of hell, Rusty shouted, “Higher!”
“No!” Darcy shouted, but her voice was like an echo in my head, dancing between the flashes of electricity that were tearing through my skull.
A bellow of pain sounded from The Numb Man, and a glimmer of hope cascaded through my head.
“STOP, STOP!” he cried, and Rusty looked around at him in alarm while I fought to stay conscious.
“Diamond!” Rusty snapped, and she pushed the lever to turn off the electricity. All at once, it was over, and I heaved in a lungful of air, slumping forward in my seat, my hands still balled up into tight fists as the lasting waves of electricity subsided.
Zena hurried to untether The Numb Man, and I heard him running off stage with a whimper. She moved to help me next, unlocking my shackles and leaning low to whisper in my ear. “Well, you didn’t piss yourself. Maybe you’re luckier than I thought.”
I released a breath of amusement, managing to sit upright and smiling in victory at her.
“Our first ever winner, ladies and gentlemen!” Rusty stuttered in obvious shock, and applause rang through the air.
I staggered to my feet, lifting a hand to heal myself, and the pain fell away just like that.
Rusty cast magic at the glass box to bring it down to the stage, opening it with a reluctant expression and holding the crown out to me.
“Congratulations,” he said through a false smile, apparently not a fan of people winning his little game.
I grinned as I took my prize. “And here I was thinking this thing was rigged.”
“Never,” Rusty said, clearing his throat.
I headed backstage to grab my shirt, pulling it on before heading back out to hunt down my girl and find out if she’d forgiven me at last. A line of teachers walked into the tent, and I spotted Darcy turning away from them, glancing around in search of me.
I slipped my Atlas from my pocket, tapping out a message to her, figuring I couldn’t be seen with her right now.
Lance:
Do you want a ride home?
I watched as she read the message, biting on her lower lip and making me think about doing that very same thing. My Atlas pinged, and I read her message with a smile hooking up my mouth.
Darcy:
Are you freaking crazy???
Lance:
Yes. For you ;)
Come with me.
She didn’t answer straight away, and I glanced over at her, finding her frowning with indecision, but in the next second, she answered.
Darcy:
Okay, where should I go?
Lance:
Behind the tent is a fence that borders the road.
Wait on the other side of it.
I shot out of the tent, unleashing my Vampire speed and racing away across the fair, making it to the parking lot in under five seconds. I slid smoothly into my Faerarri, tossing the crown I’d won into the backseat and heading for the road.
I circled the fair, getting stuck in the jam of traffic that was heading to and from the carnival before finally making it around to the quiet road that ran behind the circus tent.
Darcy was waiting beside the tall wooden fence, her breath fogging in the cold night air, and anticipation rolled through me at finally having her to myself at last. I pulled up beside her, dropping the passenger window and leaning across to look out at her.
She slapped the side of the door in a rage, and my eyebrows arched. “How could you do that? You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“To be fair, I nearly gave myself a heart attack, Blue, so can we call it even?”
She shook her head, blinking hard before kicking the front wheel.
My brows pulled together. “Can you stop attacking my car? She doesn’t like it.”
Darcy sniffed, turning her back on me and looking up at the sky.
Fuck, was she crying?
I shoved my door open, shooting around to her with a burst of speed, my expression taut.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” I said seriously. “I don’t apologise very often. It’s not a very Fae thing to do. Did I not do it right?”
She smacked my chest as a tear spilled down her cheek, and I caught it on the edge of her chin, wiping it away with my thumb, feeling like a complete prick for causing this.
“You could have just said the words,” she whispered, and I gave her a hopeful grin, inching closer into her personal space.
“I’m sorry.” I pressed my hands either side of her on the car and her breathing hitched.
“You smell like her,” she murmured, and I hated the whole mess I’d caused with Francesca tonight. I didn’t want her, I hadn’t wanted that kiss, and it could have cost me everything.
“Then make me smell like you,” I commanded, and she grabbed hold of my jacket, dragging me down to meet her mouth.
I tasted her tears, her pain, and I kissed her harder to chase it all away, trying to fix what had shattered between us. I felt it all fading away to insignificance, because this close, there was nothing else but us and the hungering of our souls for one another.
“Come on,” I said, stepping back. “This evening is still salvageable.”
“I wish we could stay at the funfair together.” She frowned, and it was a stark reminder of how few places we could actually go right now.
“Well...I hear another funfair has popped up in my bedroom for the night,” I teased to lighten the mood.
A laugh broke free of her throat, and I grinned at the sound, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear.