Chapter 17 #2
Then, finally, Draco’s eyes flew open. They were a clear hazel, ringed in violet magic, no longer rolled back, and he sucked in a massive breath, sitting up so suddenly he nearly knocked heads with Lucas. He coughed violently, spitting out the last traces of the toxin.
“What—“ Draco rasped. His eyes darted around wildly, landing first on Percy, then Aiden, then freezing when they found me. “Jupiter?”
The relief that flooded through me was so intense I nearly collapsed. I reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. “You’re okay. You’re okay now.”
“The fuck I am,” he croaked, attempting to sit up further. “What happened? How are you here?”
Before I could answer, Percy said, “Someone shot a poisoned dart through your window. If Jupiter hadn’t felt it through the bond and gotten here with help, you’d be gone.”
Draco’s eyes shifted to Lucas, who was still kneeling beside him, looking pale and drained. Understanding dawned on his face. “You’re an Aquarius. You pulled the toxin out.”
Lucas nodded stiffly. “Good for more than just party tricks.”
The tension in the room was suffocating. My old shield and my new... whatever they were, crammed into one space, with me at the center. I could feel the waves of confusion, jealousy, and gratitude crashing against each other and it was so fucking agitating. I wanted to crawl out of my skin.
Rowan broke the silence before it became too much. “We should get that toxin contained. It’s still active.” He gestured to the black puddle that was now slowly creeping across the floor.
Aiden, who’d been unnervingly silent, finally spoke. “I’ll get something.” He disappeared and returned moments later with a glass container, which he carefully used to scoop up the poison.
Percy stared at the open window. “This was a professional hit attempt.”
“Assembly?” Lucas suggested, rising to his feet and offering Draco a hand up.
I stared at the black stain on the floor. “Why would they try to take out one of their own warriors?”
Percy’s eyes narrowed as he exchanged a look with Aiden. “I don’t know.”
A spike of pain shot through the bond so suddenly that I gasped, doubling over. “Eris—“ I choked out.
We all moved at once, rushing back into the common room where Eris was still slumped against the wall. His eyes were unfocused, blood streaming more heavily from his temple now, matting his red hair to his skull.
“Bloody hell,” Rowan muttered, kneeling beside him.
I dropped to my knees in front of Eris, cupping his face in my hands. “Eris, what happened? Talk to me.”
He blinked slowly, his amber eyes finally focusing on my face. “Lass?” His voice was slurred. “You’re really here?”
“I’m here,” I said, my throat tight. “Tell us what happened.”
Eris swallowed hard. “I was in the kitchen. Heard Draco shout.” He winced as Lucas gently probed the wound on his head. “Ran toward his room, but someone stepped out from the hallway. Didn’t see their face. Hit me with something that felt like a fucking bat.”
“Two assailants,” Percy said immediately, his magic crackling around his clenched fists. “One for the kill, one for backup.”
“They were targeting both of you. And if Percy and Aiden had been here...” I couldn’t finish the thought. “We need to report this to Waverly. Now.”
Rowan crossed his arms. “Is that wise? She’s technically Assembly. If they’re behind this—“
“I trust Waverly,” I cut him off firmly. “She’s been nothing but straight with me, even when the rest of the Assembly was playing games.”
“You can’t be serious,” Aiden snapped, turning on Rowan. “You don’t get to waltz in here and start telling us who we can and can’t trust at our own fucking academy.”
“I’m not telling you anything, mate,” Rowan growled back, stepping closer to Aiden. “I’m looking out for Jupiter, which is more than you lot managed to do.”
The tension in the room exploded as Aiden lunged forward, only stopped by Percy’s arm across his chest. “Looking out for her? Is that what you call it? Funny way of saying you’re trying to get into her pants.”
“Enough!” I shouted, starlight flaring around my hands. “This isn’t helping anyone! Eris needs medical attention, and we need to figure out who’s trying to kill my shield!”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. My shield. I hadn’t called them that since before London. The silence that followed was utterly fucking deafening.
Lucas cleared his throat. “Jupiter’s right. This isn’t the time for territory disputes. Someone just attempted to murder two zodiac warriors on academy grounds.”
“Three,” Percy corrected, his dark eyes finding mine. “Someone was in the corridor, I sensed them right before you appeared. They must have run when you showed up.”
My blood ran cold. Three of them.
“Waverly,” I repeated. “Now. Aiden, help Eris. Lucas, Rowan, help Draco. Percy, with me.”
To my surprise, they all moved without argument. As we walked through the darkened corridors toward Director Waverly’s office, Percy stayed close to my side, his magic humming beneath his skin like a warning to anything that lurked in the shadows.
“I felt you,” Percy said suddenly, his voice very, very low. “With one of them.”
I almost stumbled. “Percy, I—”
“Don’t. I don’t have the right to say anything. Not after what we did to you. But...” He stopped walking, turning to face me. “Are you happy? With them?”
The question knocked the breath from my lungs.
“I don’t know what I am. But I know I’m not the same person who left here. And I’m not fucking sorry about it either.”
His lips tilted into a small smile, though there was pain radiating from every pore.
“Good. Don’t you ever be sorry, Jupiter.
Don’t you ever apologize to any of us. We’ll never deserve it.
We’ll never be worthy of you. I let my paranoia of my father’s manipulation and the Assembly’s agenda ruin the one thing I ever actually cared about.
The one woman I ever loved, and I will never forgive myself for making you hurt. ”
I stared at him, my heart in my fucking throat. What was I supposed to say to that?
As if reading my mind he said, “You don’t have to say anything.
I just wanted you to know before you leave that it was real for me.
I fucked it all up, and I’ll live with that regret for the rest of my fucking life.
But I still hope after everything you can find a way to be happy.
You deserve so much more than what you were given. ”
I wanted to cry, but I refused. Not here.
Not in front of him. So I just nodded, and we continued toward Waverly’s office.
The familiar corridors of Dominion felt both foreign and achingly familiar after my time at Imperium.
I’d spent weeks trying to forget these halls, and now here I was, walking them again with the men who’d broken my heart.
Relief flooded through me when we reached the office and found a light still shining beneath her door. Percy knocked, and we heard her crisp “Enter” almost immediately.
Waverly looked up from her desk, her eyes widening slightly when she saw me. “Ms. Black,” she said, rising from her chair. “This is unexpected.”
“There’s been an attack,” Percy said before I could speak. “Someone tried to kill Draco and Eris.”
Waverly’s composure didn’t crack, but I saw her shoulders stiffen. “Explain.”
We quickly filled her in on the poisoned dart, the neurotoxin, and the attack on Eris. As we spoke, Rowan and Lucas supported Draco between them, while Aiden helped Eris through the door. Both injured men looked pale but already stronger than they had been minutes ago.
“I’ll call for medical assistance immediately,” Waverly said, picking up her phone and dialing a short extension. She spoke briefly, then returned her attention to us. “The toxin has been neutralized?”
“Yes,” Lucas answered. “I extracted it from Draco’s bloodstream, but it was close. Another minute and it would have reached his heart.”
“And you were able to portal Mr. Bennett and Mr. Nightingale from London?” she asked me. “That’s extraordinary, even for an Ophis.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t really think about it. I just felt Draco dying through the bond and reacted.”
“It was the panic,” Draco said, his voice still hoarse. “The bond must have triggered a power surge in Jupiter’s abilities. Similar to how humans get adrenaline rushes in life-or-death situations.”
“That makes sense,” Waverly nodded. “The bond was created to protect the shield, after all.”
A medic arrived moments later, a stern-faced woman who immediately began examining Draco and Eris.
She checked their vitals, shined lights in their eyes, and applied some kind of salve to Eris’s head wound.
“They’re already healing remarkably well.
I’d still recommend overnight observation, but the immediate danger has passed. ”
“I’ll arrange accommodations for our visitors,” Waverly said, turning to me, Lucas, and Rowan. “We have a guest suite in the east wing that should suit you. I’ll have it prepared immediately.”
“Thank you,” I said, shoulders slumping in relief. “We appreciate it.”
“As for transportation back to Imperium. I’ll arrange for that tomorrow. I don’t think attempting another portal would be wise now that the immediate danger has passed.”
“Agreed,” Lucas said. “Jupiter’s already drained from the first one.”
“She can stay with us,” Percy interrupted. “There’s no need for separate accommodations.”
“Yeah,” Eris added, wincing as he shifted position. “She belongs with her shield.”
“Excuse the fuck out of me? I don’t belong anywhere I don’t choose to be.”
“Jupiter—“
“No,” I cut Eris off, turning to face them. “You don’t get to decide what I do or where I go. You lost that right when you chose to believe I was manipulating you rather than trusting me for even five whole minutes.”
The room fell silent, tension crackling in the air between us.