of our friendship, shades of shame ate at me like moths.
I was a liar. I was a phony.
I laughed with my friends, yet I couldn’t be honest with them. I also kept my dirty secret from my mates, deceiving them and pretending to be the pure Marigold.
Sensing my dark mood, Yelena placed her hand on mine. She was perceptive and empathic.
“It’s okay, Mari,” she said. “We understand that some secrets aren’t supposed to be shared. We don’t need to know, and you don’t need to tell us. Ever. We trust you. We know who you are.”
Nat nodded and placed his hand on top of our hands. “You’re Marigold, and we took you under our wing when you complained about not being given panties during the trial.”
Yelena nearly spilled her drink. “That was hilarious.”
My hand trembled slightly, and my aching heart warmed.
But what if they knew the truth about me? What if they knew that filthy demon blood flowed in the veins underneath their hands? Would they still look at me the same and want to be my friends?
And what would my demigods do to me when they found out my true origin?
CHAPTER 11
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Early morning mist invaded Staten Island, where the Half-Blood Academy was situated.
I ran on the track, a squad of Dominion sentinels, including Marie, springing several yards behind me. They were my guards now and would follow me wherever I went from now on. No matter how I protested, the demigods wouldn’t cave in and release the security detail.
I looked up at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, half concealed in the fog under the overcast sky. The other end of the bridge led to Brooklyn, which was also the demigods’ territory. Queens and the Bronx belonged to the demons. Manhattan was a neutral zone and a warzone at once.
I circled the track twice. I used to be a runner and a hunter, but I hadn’t done either since I came to the Academy. I needed the morning run to clear my head.
Half of the world was burning, but Staten Island had been preserved, its old society and traditions continuing under the demigods’ protection. The Academy situated on this island had been considered to have airtight security until the recent two breaches.
Last night, after Nat and Yelena left, the demigods had received an urgent call. When we’d arrived at the cell where the dark mage had been held, there was almost nothing left of him. The Dominions were still investigating it.
Someone had killed the mage to silence him. The security tape had been wiped clean.
Axel had been livid. He insisted there was a mole inside the Academy and proposed a deep purge.
I’d stolen a quick glance at Paxton before averting my gaze.
“The dark mage put up a shield in his mind,” Paxton said, “a shield so strong even I couldn’t take it down when we captured him. I was planning to interrogate him and make him talk, but Ares showed up to harass Buttercup.”
Zak nodded his agreement. “So all of us had to leave the scene to aid Rosebud. The timing was convenient and suspicious.”
“You think Ares might be behind this?” I inquired.
“I wouldn’t put it past my father,” Axel said gloomily. “If he planned this, we now have two enemies targeting Cookie.”
“The portal the mage opened wasn’t to Lucifer’s realm but the otherworld,” Héctor said, gritting his teeth. He was trying to hide his fear, but I could sense it. He was terrified of losing me. “If my lamb had been taken there, she’d have been out of our reach.”
“We won’t let it happen,” Paxton said. “Loki made his intention known and didn’t cover his trail. So it was most likely Ares who sent his mage to grab Buttercup.”
“We haven’t even figured out why the demon prince wanted my lamb,” Héctor growled.
I kept my face blank, yet my heart pounded painfully. I dreaded this question, but it kept popping up like a repeating nightmare.
Maybe I should just confess to them and beg for a quick death.
“The entire world now knows what Marigold means to us,” Paxton said, covering up the truth. “Lucifer can’t get to us directly, so his heir must’ve wanted to use her to get to us. She’s our only weakness, and our enemies know that.”
“We brought danger to our mate,” Héctor said in sorrow.
And I was a fucking liar, a phony, and a demon princess.
I didn’t deserve their kindness, adoration, and protection.
I opened my mouth, again wanting to confess, but I swallowed it right down at Paxton’s warning