Magic Secret (Half-Blood Academy #2) - Meg Xuemei X Page 0,61
whimpered inwardly. I’m not a demon’s spawn.
“I can prove it to you, cousin,” he said with an amused, sadistic smile, as he spotted the devastated look on my face. “But probably not here. We’re running out of time.”
My breath hitched as panic and terror iced over my veins. He was going to take me. I pushed my fire harder toward the orb.
“I’ve showed you courtesy since you demanded a proper overture,” he continued. “It might not be easy for you to accept the new truth, but your life is going to change, I promise. I’m bringing you home, where you belong, Princess Celeste.”
“No,” I said.
I wouldn’t allow anyone to drag me anywhere I didn’t want to go. I wouldn’t allow him to take me. I was no one’s fucking prisoner.
I would break this cage or die trying.
I gave all I had and blasted at the orb, my fire raging against the barriers around me.
“You won’t take what’s mine!” A roar boomed, sending the trees, bushes, and shadows into a trembling fit.
The Demigod of Sea stepped into the path of the demon prince. Hard waves crashed into Loki and his dark mages as ice spears flew toward them from every direction.
At the same time, Loki’s hellfire, which looked just like mine, surged toward Paxton.
It was dark, terrifying, and beyond powerful, like a dark star exploding and raining down fire on Earth.
An unwanted connection snapped into place between Lucifer’s heir and me.
A cold dread settled in my stomach and churned. That was why the ancient element had warned me never to use hellfire.
Loki was here, not because the demon captain had run back to his great master to rat me out. When I’d tried to burn Paxton with hellfire, I’d sent up a beacon to Hell. I’d summoned Loki.
Hellfire was the royal signature, straight from Lucifer’s house.
I swallowed and watched the forces of Hell and Heaven crash.
CHAPTER 17
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The Demigod of Sea had trailed after me all the way here while I’d followed a fake Axel, hellbent on driving my stiletto up his cheating ass.
Paxton had heard the eloquent prelude recited by Loki and probably believed I was what the demon prince said I was, considering the swimming boy wasn’t exactly a fan of mine. Another proof that could convince him was the hellfire that Lucifer’s heir had just demonstrated.
I’d shot him with the same fire.
A storm of icy current crashed into the sheets of hellfire, and the air sizzled with violent electricity at the impact. The tang of brimstone, sulfur, and ocean made the air reek.
The mages put up their own shields to diffuse the sea demigod’s onslaught of ice spears. Three of them with weaker shields went down under the spears, impaled. The rest of the mages closed in on Paxton, tossing all sorts of nasty spells at him.
No other Dominion soldiers were around, which was unusual. Had the mages killed the patrolling guards and then cast some shielding spells to make this area a null zone where no one outside could hear the sounds of our battle?
I could sense magic and power levels, but I hadn’t the nose for identifying spells. The headmistress had included Spells and Potions in my curriculum, but I hadn’t had a chance to attend the class.
Paxton pulled up a shield that emitted icy steam to guard his back while he prowled through the thick shockwave caused by the collision of his power with Loki’s. His silver longsword sailed toward his opponent’s neck.
Loki met him full-force. Wicked twin axes appeared in his hands and jammed into the demigod’s blade.
They each held their ground with seemingly equal strength before they pivoted around their crossing weapons, seeking any weaknesses. Then they broke off at the same time, only to hack at each other in the next nanosecond as they threw brutal kicks into the mix.
“How did you get into the Academy, demon?” Paxton demanded harshly.
“Your weak ward is nothing to me, demigod.” Loki snickered.
They lunged at each other again like two bulldogs.
Their duel turned more complex and vicious, and then they blurred into a flurry of movement, sword flashing and axes glinting the moonlight. When they separated again, red blood streamed from Paxton’s right shoulder and left thigh and black blood oozed out of Loki’s sides.
This was the first time I’d seen Paxton battle his real foe. Despite my hatred for him, I had to admit that he was a magnificent sight to watch. He fought spectacularly as a swordsman.
Desperation rolled off him in spades as he fought