Page 4 of The Bound Zodiac

I rifled through my closet, pulling out the standard Imperium uniform—the crisp black button-down shirt, the black and gray plaid skirt that fell just above my knees, and my trusty black combat boots. They weren’t regulation. Not even close. The official dress code called for polished Oxfords, but I’d worn these boots every single day since I’d arrived, and not one professor had been brave enough to tell me to change them. I caught the stink eye from Professor Aldridge at least twice a week, but he’d never actually said anything. Smart man.

I dressed quickly, tucking the shirt in and adjusting the skirt before sitting on the edge of the bed to lace up my boots. Noodle watched me with that bored, unimpressed expression as the dead mouse made its way through his body to digest.

‘Are we going somewhere fun?’

“I need food. Are you coming or staying?”

He uncoiled himself, slithering across the floor and up my arm before I could blink. His cool scales settled against my neck, draping across my shoulders like a living scarf, his head resting just above my collarbone.

‘I require more sustenance.’

“You had a mouse ten seconds ago.”

‘I am a growing Noodle.’

I rolled my eyes but scratched under his chin the way he liked. He leaned into it, his tongue flicking lazily against my fingers.

The common room was quiet when I descended the spiral staircase, the late afternoon sun slanting through the tall windows and painting the stone floors in warm gold. A few of the Scorpio students were scattered around the room—Maren curled in an armchair with a book, Cassius and his roommate, Felix, hunched over mugs of coffee at the long wooden table by the fireplace. The scent of Earl Grey and freshly brewed espresso hung in the air.

And there, leaning against the mantle with a mug in one hand, was Theo. He was laughing at something Felix had said, his golden-brown hair flowing to his shoulders, those striking bronze eyes crinkling at the corners, looking too sexy for his own damn good if you ask me.

He spotted me the moment I reached the bottom step, set his mug on the mantle and crossed the room in four long strides, closing the distance between us before I could say a word. His hand found my waist, pulling me against him, mouth finding mine. His tongue traced the seam of my mouth, and I opened for him without hesitation, my fingers curling into the front of his shirt. He tasted like Earl Grey and honey, warm and sweet, and I could have stayed like that forever.

Someone, Cassius, I was pretty sure, let out a low, appreciative whistle. I broke the kiss just enough to flip him off over Theo’s shoulder without looking. The room erupted in laughter, and I felt Theo’s mouth curve into a smile against mine.

“Morning, beautiful,” he murmured against my lips.

“It’s now two in the afternoon.”

“Close enough.”

He pressed one more quick kiss to the corner of my mouth before releasing me, though his hand stayed at the small of my back. I glanced around the room, catching Maren’s knowing smirk and Felix’s poorly concealed grin.

“Don’t you have your own tower to loiter in?” I asked Theo.

“Yours is cozier.” He picked up his mug and drained the last of his tea. “Come on. Let’s walk. The guys are meeting us in the dining hall in twenty.”

We said our goodbyes to the Scorpios and stepped out into the foggy morning. The mist clung to the treetops of the grove, turning the world soft and muted, the air thick with the smell of wet earth and moss. My boots crunched on the gravel path as we walked.

I reached into my skirt pocket and pulled out a handful of mini marshmallows, the ones I’d swiped from the common room stash. Without breaking stride, I began dropping them one by one onto the ground, on tree roots, on mossy stones, tucked into the hollows of old oak trunks.

Theo watched me, and as I glanced up at him, his eyebrow climbed toward his hairline. “What the bloody hell are you doing?”

“Making friends.”

He blinked. “With whom? The squirrels?”

“Pixies, duh.” I dropped another marshmallow into the crook of a gnarled branch. “I’ve been trying to catch one since I got here, and I’ve had zero luck. So I’m changing tactics.”

Theo stared at me. Then he laughed. “You’re delusional. Gorgeous, but delusional.”

“If they won’t come to me, I’ll bribe them. Sweets, trinkets, the occasional shiny object. Eventually one of them will cave.”

He shook his head. “I’ve attended this school for three years, and I’ve never so much as seen a pixie for longer than a second before it scurried away.”

I straightened after placing another couple marshmallows on the root of a tree. “Well, I’ll be the first then. If there are creatures living on the grounds here, I’m going to find them and make them my friends. I’ll create an army of them and send them to your room at night to steal your underwear.”

Theo snorted. “Like I said; gorgeous, but delusional. Next you’ll be fishing in the pond for kelpies. ”