Magic Secret (Half-Blood Academy #2) - Meg Xuemei X Page 0,48

of us. Right now, we don’t want to feed you too heavily in the beginning and tip the balance. We need to observe you carefully and closely if we don’t want to screw up this new dynamic. You’ll be with one or two of us during mating and feeding. We have to be cautious so you don’t take too much and drain one of us. It’ll be a disaster on both sides if we lose control in the throes of passion. Gradually your control will increase, and then you can take more of us—or all of us—at the same time.”

My face burned furiously. Pigston just had to make everything worse. The way he depicted me made me sound like a mindless, dangerous she-beast in heat. But then my thoughts turned to the prospect of having two or three of them at once.

What would it be like? How would that feel to have two cocks—

My pussy clenched in need, and I squeezed my legs.

Stop, Marigold. Stop! I ordered myself sternly.

“Like you’re some expert,” I shouted at him, suddenly very angry. “And stop calling me names!”

“I’ve studied you closely since you came to the Academy,” Paxton said, ignoring my outburst. He probably had gotten used to them. Considering that I’d tried to burn him to death a few times, yelling at him was like a breeze against his ear. “When you fucked Zak, I observed the whole mating process and took in every detail.”

“Pervert!” I roared, ready to toss my remaining coffee in his face.

“I thought you were a no-nonsense girl who wasn’t afraid of the raw truth,” he said leisurely.

I might be that girl, but he had no idea how hard I was trying to hang on to the old Marigold I was familiar with. But that Marigold was slipping away.

“Do not rile up my lamb again,” Héctor warned.

“Let’s focus on what’s important,” Zak said, sending me a caressing gaze that cooled my temper. “From now on, the four of us will have to train Rosebud in secret. No one can know her true heritage and powers.”

“Especially Ares. He can never know about her,” Héctor added, staring hard at Axel.

“Don’t worry about me,” Axel said. “I trust my father less than you do, and Cookie is more important to me than anything, than any of you, even.”

I turned to him and held his gaze, which was at once gentle and fierce. He indeed regarded me as his match. I offered him one of my best smiles before sweeping a harsh look at the Demigod of Sea.

“Pigston should not be in our ranks,” I said. “I’ll never trust him.”

This time he didn’t rebut my statement, just smirked a lazy, predatory smile at me.

“He won’t be so foolish as to betray you, Rosebud,” Zak said. “His own interests are on the line. And you know we’ll do anything in our power to stop anyone, even each other, from hurting you.”

Though I wanted to have nothing to do with Paxton, I couldn’t deny a magnetic pull also existed between us, which sickened me and aroused me at the same time. At least I was still able to smash that desire down and didn’t allow that heat or any spark to stay in my system.

Too bad my body often rebelled against my commands and reacted of its own accord. But whenever that attraction raised its ugly head, I bashed it down mercilessly. That was all I could do for now.

Besides, my hands were full with the three hottest, demanding demigods who were his betters in every way.

“If you drag me down, Pigston,” I said. “I’ll make sure you burn and rot in Hell.”

Axel chuckled. “That’s the spirit, Cookie. Keep it up. I like seeing this badass side of you.”

“Sweet lamb,” Héctor said and kissed the crown of my head indulgently, as if I could do no wrong in his eyes.

“Of course, Buttercup. I expect no less from you,” Paxton said, as if savoring the name Buttercup.

“I want to be perfectly clear.” I pronounced each word slowly and clearly. “Do not ever get the wrong idea when it comes to me. They might have a piece of me, but you never will.”

His face instantly hardened as he tried to rein in his temper. But he didn’t retort as usual. He wouldn’t win against me on this anyway.

“What about Theodore?” Héctor asked, looking at Zak. “You said that he suspected my mate’s origin. If Ares digs in and asks, the priest is going to talk.”

“It’s been taken