Zodiac Academy: The Awakening (Supernatural Beasts and Bullies #1)(14)
“It must be a lot to take in,” she conceded gently. “Of course you can spend a bit of time settling in before you have to make any choices about how you’ll handle your claim or anything else besides that. Perhaps we’ll hold the media off for a while so that you can get your bearings.”
“Great,” I bit out, not bothering to hide the fact that as far as I was concerned there wasn’t any choice to be made. I tried to step away but Principal Nova had her claws in my sister and I and she didn’t seem to be willing to let go any time soon.
A lump formed in the pit of my stomach as I realised she’d decided to make a spectacle of us on our very first day in front of the entire school and I couldn’t quite shake her off before she turned to address the crowd of students who filled the huge room.
“Can I have everyone’s attention?” Nova called and all eyes in The Orb swung to us as silence fell amongst the gathered students. I noticed several older men and women lining the edges of the room and spotted Orion amongst them which I guessed meant they were the faculty. Their eyes were on us too and I promptly looked away.
“I’d really rather not make a fuss,” Darcy muttered but the Principal continued as if she hadn’t spoken.
My gaze slid over the crowd and hooked on the group of guys sitting around the fire once more. They were looking at us curiously now and I tried not to let my gaze linger on them too long but it was difficult. Somehow, they commanded the room despite the fact that it was full to the brim with more people than I could count.
The guy on the right tilted his head to the side, his long, chestnut hair tipping over his fist as he leant his chin against his knuckles. There was something deeply animal in the way he eyed us and I found myself lifting my chin, refusing to cower beneath the challenge in his earthy brown eyes.
“This year’s attendees have been joined by two particularly important girls,” Principal Nova said, a wide smile pulling at her lips as I tried to ignore the fact that the entire student body of the Academy were looking at us now. “I am delighted to announce that we have recovered the missing Vega Heirs and brought them back under the protection of our great nation. For seventeen years the Vega Twins were lost to us, believed to be dead. But to our great surprise, with the surfacing of their powers on their eighteenth birthday we were able to track them down in the mortal realm and return them to their rightful place amongst us.”
No applause followed her words, though the long pause she gave suggested she was expecting one. Instead a pregnant silence had built in the room and I held my breath as I waited for someone to break it.
A high-pitched shriek of excitement broke the silence as a tall, broad shouldered girl with long, brown hair leapt to her feet. She started applauding so quickly that her hands were almost a blur and the wide smile on her face looked more than a little manic.
Her movement set off a little tidal wave of enthusiastic applauders who were dotted around the room, though there were still plenty of people sitting stock still and seeming less than impressed by my sister and me. I wasn’t sure which response was worse.
Slow movement caught my eye and I glanced back at the couch dominated by the four heartbreakers as the final guy leaned forward to get a better look at us.
He rested his elbows on his knees, his dark eyes crawling over my flesh in a way that made heat rise along my spine. He was broader than the others, his muscles tight beneath a maroon t-shirt which clung to the curves of his powerful frame. His hair was jet black, and just long enough to shadow his eyes as it spilled over his forehead. Ink lined his biceps, disappearing beneath the short sleeves of his t-shirt, the designs intricate yet powerful in a way I couldn’t quite name. His face was cut from my very own personal fantasy, as if someone had delved into my deepest desires and drawn them into strong angles and perfect temptation made just for me. My gaze caught on his muscular body, his mouth, the stubble gracing his jaw, his mouth again...
My heart raced a little faster as his eyes met mine for a moment and I felt like a lamb caught in the gaze of a lion. He was dangerous in all the right ways and I knew without doubt that the fire in his eyes would burn me up if I strayed too close.
The applause took way too long to run its course and our number one fan was the last to stop. She reclaimed her chair but didn’t tear her adoring gaze from us for a second. We were left standing there as a thousand pairs of eyes ripped us apart, curiosity ready to tear every secret from us.
I pulled my gaze away from the hungry crowd and found my sister’s green eyes instead.
The same nervous energy danced in her gaze as I felt writhing beneath my skin and I released a slow breath as I pulled my arm out of the Principal’s grip. She wasn’t so easily deterred and swiftly hooked her arm behind my back instead before pushing us forward so we started walking. Straight towards the group of guys whose faces were set in expressions that seemed anything but friendly.
“Gentlemen,” Principal Nova purred as she gave me a little shove so that I was forced to stand before them like a sacrificial offering. “These are the Celestial Heirs,” she explained to me and Darcy, naming them from left to right. “Max Rigel,” (the dark skinned demi-god). “Caleb Altair,” (the blonde haired beaux next door), “Darius Acrux,” (my sin-filled fantasy). “And Seth Capella,” (the long haired lothario). “This is Gwendalina and Roxanya Vega-”
“Those aren’t our names,” I interrupted, refusing to keep standing there like a lemon while the pack of muscle-filled daydreams assessed us like we were fresh meat. “I’m Tory and that’s Darcy.”