1
Jupiter
I knewhow much a body could hurt. The bane had made sure of that. But this was something else entirely. This was soul pain, and it was so much worse. Flying over the dark ocean, I felt it like a fist closing around my heart, my lungs, my stomach, squeezing until I couldn’t tell the difference between grief and absolute, utter emptiness.
My body wanted to go back, even though my brain said‘absolutely the fuck not.’To turn around and race for Dominion, where my bonded shield waited for me to return. But I’d never been the kind of woman who let her heart lead her around on a fucking leash. No, I had too much respect for myself.
Every time I tried to sleep away the hours, I was hit with memories of being curled up on the floor of my bedroom, feeling the Nightfall men attempting to erase me from their lives. But they couldn’t, and a part of me was incredibly pleased about it. Call me petty, I don’t care. Despite how much it hurt to feel every time one of them couldn’t get their dick hard with some random chick, it only made me more smug.
I meant what I’d said to Aiden the night of the gala. I hoped they felt me under their skin for the rest of their miserable fucking lives.
I loved them.Truly, really, deeplyloved them. Maybe that was my mistake. Maybe I fell too hard, too fast. Maybe the bond connection clouded my judgement and made me believe that I could have love and keep it. I let myself lose sight of what was really important. I fell in love with four of the most emotionally unavailable men at Dominion.
It was pretty clear to me that they had some major trust issues that they needed to work on, but I refused to be their punching bag while they did it. It wasn’t my job to fix them with my magical vagina. They were big boys who made big boy mistakes and now they had to live with their big boy consequences.
I landed at Heathrow, where a car waited for me. A tall man from the Assembly held the car door open for me, bowing his head slightly as I was ushered in and my bags were loaded into the trunk. I kept Noodle’s case with me, and opened it once I got settled in the back seat.
‘Cold,’he hissed in my mind, sounding utterly unimpressed as he gazed out the window through the fog and the vast swaths of gray sky.
“I warned you that London was wetter and colder than the US, Nood, so I don’t know what you were expecting.” I patted his head as he slowly turned, leveling me a bleak stare. I laughed. “Imperium is way older than Dominion, so on the bright side you’ll have a bunch of rats to catch.”
I felt his pleasure through our mental connection as he said,‘I shall be the rat king.’
I shook my head. “Whatever you say, man.”
We drove for an hour and a half before we entered Epping, where the forest rose up in twisted, gnarled oaks, wadingthrough a sea of dense fog. It was admittedly gorgeous here. The driver rolled to a stop in front of Imperium Academy. The first thing I noticed was that it was much smaller than Dominion.
“We’ve arrived, Ms. Black,” the driver said, stepping out to open my door.
I held Noodle a bit closer as I got out, feeling the damp air seep through my jacket. The environment was rich with the scents of moss and old stone, with an underlying hint of magic that felt much stronger than what I was used to.
A tall woman with deep red hair hurried down the steps towards me, followed by a young man dressed in what looked like a uniform. Internally, I groaned, remembering that this academy required uniforms unless you were in a combat class.
“Welcome to Imperium, Ms. Black.” I wondered how much of her friendly smile was for show. “I’m Professor Winters, Deputy Headmistress. We’ve been expecting you.”
“Thank you for having me. I know the transfer came out of nowhere but… I appreciate it.”
“Thomas will take your bags,” she said, gesturing to the young man who was already moving toward the trunk. “You’ll be staying in Ophiuchus Tower. One of thirteen dormitory towers, one for each designation. It shares a common room with Scorpio, but you’ll find you have plenty of room to stretch your legs.”
“Thank you, Professor. Actually, I’m surprised you have thirteen and not twelve.” I thought back to Dominion, and how every inch of the school was covered in markings, etchings, runes and paintings that represented the twelve zodiac designations, but never once acknowledging the thirteenth.
“Imperium is much older than Dominion. We remember things the American branch of the Assembly has simply chosen to forget.” She checked her watch. “I’ll need to see you in my office before supper to discuss your schedule and a few othermatters. Thomas will show you to your quarters and help you settle in.”
I only nodded, offering the guy a tight smile as he beamed at me. He couldn’t have been much older than twenty, making me wonder if he’d even manifested yet.
“Until later, Ms. Black.” She gave me an appraising look, then turned and walked back toward the main building.
“Ready, Ms. Black?” The guy, Thomas, smiled, holding my bags. “It’s not far, but the grounds can be confusing at first.”
“Just Jupiter is fine.”
“Jupiter, then.” He smiled wider. “I’m Will, actually. William Thomas. Second year. Cancer designation.”
So he wasn’t as young as he looked then. Maybe it was something in the much less-polluted air here. We followed a stone path that wound ahead of us between oaks so old their roots had long since buckled and cracked the sides of the walkway, their bare branches interlocking overhead in a canopy.
“So, Will, are you my official welcome committee?”
“Sort of.” His cheeks flushed. “I volunteered. I’ve read about the Ophis designation. My grandmother would tell me stories of the home worlds when I was a boy. I find you fascinating.” He glanced at me, excitement barely contained. “And now you’re actually here. A real Ophiuchus in the flesh.”
