The twelve Zodiacs all live together at a boarding school, but all that changes when Gemini claims she saw a magical airship hovering over the academy. The other eleven protested that there was nothing but despair and clouds in its place, but when t...
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Pisces POV
"You gonna do it or not?" I asked Archer calmly.
His Adam's apple bobbed and he chewed on his lip as he glanced at the eleven stones, laid out on the table. I could hear my heart pounding -- it was only Archer's fear of me that was stopping him from setting me unconscious or trapping me or something.
And I was about to get my friends back.
I couldn't stop the bubbles of happiness and relief that floated up in my chest when he sighed angrily and sent me a glare that was filled with daggers. "Which one should I do first?"
I didn't even have to think for my answer. "Easy. Zodiac order, other me."
Archer sighed angrily and picked up the red stone, clasping it in his fist. He looked at me out of the corner of his narrowed eyes. "I would prefer if you were out of the room when I released them."
I shook my head. "Not a chance."
Archer suddenly made a move as to lunge at me, but something seemed to hold him back and he leaned back into his chair, rubbing his forehead. Another sigh seemed to deflate him as he said flatly, "Fine. Go to the door, though. Aries is probably going to be unconscious."
Worry spiked up into my heart. "Unconscious?" I said quickly, gripping the hard wood of the desk. "What do you mean? She's not going to be hurt, is she?"
Archer glared at me, effectively making me lose my voice. My heart was still thumping, and I pushed my worries of Why hasn't he attacked me yet? I only beat him in the dream world . . . to the back of my mind as my gaze zeroed in on the slivers of red I could see between Archer's clenched fingers.
"Please," I said in a strained voice, gripping the desk harder. "Is she going to be hurt? Aries --"
"When someone is ejected out of a Soul Stone, their soul has been moved from the ethereal to the physical reality. They're going to be subjected to some pain," Archer interjected.
I widened my eyes at him. He narrowed his further. "The door, please."
My footsteps rang in my head as I took a couple of steps back, pressing my spine against the cold wood of the mahogany door. My hand groped for the knob, twisting it to make sure that it was unlocked as Archer set the stone on his desk and rubbed his temples.
Sleep was still tugging at my eyelids, but I refused to close them. Right after waking up, I remembered thinking that my sore limbs would keep me up after I'd arrived in Archer's office. A chink of dim light had been slowly sliding across his desk when I'd pushed open the door to find him pacing across the carpeted floor. He had looked up, and I had seen anguish flash in his eyes before he'd said emotionlessly, "You brought the stones, then?"
Archer had shown many signs of wanting to hurt me in the hour I had been here. The light had almost reached the end of his desk now, pale gold contrasting against the dark demeanor of the wood. But it always seemed like some invisible force was pulling him by the neck; I'd caught him wincing whenever he looked at me. Finally, after an hour of stalling, I felt anticipation rise up in my stomach as Archer opened his eyes.
