Half-Blood Academy 3 Magic Fury an academy reverse harem fantasy romance - Meg Xuemei X Page 0,43

one-on-one. When she spoke Demonic, teaching us the demon’s language, she didn’t even have an accent. It was as if she’d been born in Hell.

I’d sniffed at her hard. There was no demon blood in her veins.

I could no longer doubt that part of my heritage; the demon tongue sounded like a native language to me. But I could never let anyone know that.

During the class, she checked on me a few times from the corners of her eyes. I kept my reactions in check, acting just like the other students—sometimes looking confused and sometimes disgusted at the guttural pronunciations.

The class was mixed in ages and ranks, attendants selected by Esme. It seemed that she planned to send the graduates from this class to either Earth’s other half or Hell as spies. No one looked eager, least of all me. The fact that she’d included me, a first-year, had set off alarms in my head.

Esme had lots of new ideas lately. Her newest one was to take the first-years to the border of demon-controlled Queens and demigod-controlled Brooklyn, so we’d have firsthand experience of what it meant to be living in the Great Merge, where Hell dwelled on the other half of Earth.

I didn’t like the idea of meeting any demons, but I might have to get used to dealing with and fighting off the species if I survived my dark secret. After all, I’d been brought to the Academy to be trained as a soldier.

Even though part of me felt uneasy, I looked forward to this trip because the first-years from the Other Academy would be joining us. I would see Circe and Jasper soon. I missed my old coven. I hadn’t had time to hang out with them because of the drama with Ares and my rigorous training schedule.

The demigods had eliminated the enforced separation between the two academies, and we were free to mingle with each other now. Based on that unprecedented reform, the headmistress had pushed it further and was sending the first-years from both academies on a field trip. So we’d learn to work together during the expedition.

Héctor would accompany me, but Axel would have to stay at the base.

According to the god’s contract with the devil, if two or more demigods appeared at the same warzone, Lucifer would send all his archdemons out to combat them.

“After the trip, I’ll need to feed you, lamb,” Héctor said with heat in his eyes.

I flushed as I gazed at them—all hot, gorgeous, and desirable.

Mates. The word rolled off my tongue like honey from the heavens.

CHAPTER 13

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Three armored military buses ran across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toward Brooklyn.

I was giddy—all of my friends from the Other Academy and Half-Blood Academy were sitting on the same bus as me. I bet that Axel and Héctor had arranged that to make me happy.

Héctor, of course, was with me. Even without his wings out, the giant demigod took up a lot of space. He’d claimed the last row and insisted on me sitting beside him.

Judging by the heat in his eyes, he very much would like to have me perched on his lap. I wouldn’t object to it either if this weren’t a military trip. None of the demigods cared about mortal propriety, but I’d been raised in human society.

Yelena and Nat had claimed the left row in front of me, Circe and Jasper the right. Their pack of shifters, witches, mages, and fae all sat near us. It’d have been cool if a couple of vampires could’ve joined the mix, but only master vampires could come out during the day.

The first-year Olympian descendants sat at the front of the bus. Though most of them had wanted to sit close to the Demigod of Death to try and leave a good impression, the seats near him had been reserved for my friends.

Yelena, Nat, and I joked with the group from the Other Academy. Circe shrieked a lot in excitement. She’d love to snag Héctor’s attention, but he never glanced at her once. He frowned a few times at her high-pitched voice but refrained from scolding her since she was my friend.

He wouldn’t be mean to any of my friends.

As the bus rolled on, he was more interested in bringing my hand to his lips and brushing a kiss or two on the back. All my demigod lovers liked to show public displays of affection toward me, mostly to indicate that I belonged to them and warn other males away. I was gradually