Magic Secret (Half-Blood Academy #2) - Meg Xuemei X Page 0,7
nuts if I saw them again.
Héctor stormed toward us in a jealous rage. “Leave my Marigold alone!”
A swirl of dark light and wind crashed into Axel, but the Demigod of War put up a defense with his own wind and storm while he shielded me.
I darted out of their path.
The two forces collided in the middle. Furniture flew in all directions, slamming into the glass windows, the walls, and the ceiling.
Things—expensive things—shattered and littered the floor.
“How dare you two show your faces here when you didn’t protect her from Paxton’s beating!”
Both Zak’s and Axel’s faces darkened, distorted by shame, guilt, sorrow, and rage.
I wanted to hurt Zak and Axel a little, but I also didn’t want to really hurt them.
“Stop fighting,” I called. “Zak and Axel weren’t around when it happened. They never would’ve allowed Pigston to hurt me if they’d been there. And I didn’t exactly lose in the end. I fought back and I fought hard.”
Zak sent me an astonished look, as if he hadn’t expected me to defend him and Axel.
I was merely stating facts, though.
“It was our fault,” Zak said in grief. “Axel and I arrived too late, and you suffered. We made Paxton pay for his crime. We broke dozens of his bones. We’d have broken every single one if we hadn’t needed to come find you.”
“Paxton didn’t even resist when we cracked his bones after you were gone, Cookie,” Axel said viciously as he tossed more energy blasts toward Héctor. “He knew he was guilty. We’ll beat the shit out of him again when we return to the Academy.”
The windows rumbled; the entire building shook from each impact as the two demigods fought.
A squad of heavily armed Dominion soldiers rushed in, but they stood by the glass walls, leaving a wide berth for the demigods.
When the demigods battled, no one wanted to get in the crossfire.
But enough was enough.
They could tussle all day, and no one would benefit. And I was starving.
I strode toward them, not caring if I got in the middle of their skirmish, which now had steered away from me and toward the far end of the suite.
They’d changed their styles. They now traded fists and kicks instead of throwing energy blasts at each other.
Zak zipped toward me, pulled me against him and held me back.
“Stop!” the Demigod of Sky thundered. “If you keep fighting, our Marigold will get hurt. Is that what you want?”
As if he’d dropped the magic bomb, Héctor and Axel instantly paused, and then they ceased fire. Faint electricity crackled the air before fizzing out.
“Sir?” a Dominion captain chimed in, waiting for Héctor’s orders.
The other soldiers darted their glances from the demigods to me, then immediately back to Héctor.
I didn’t blame them for trying not to stare at me. I looked ridiculous and out of place amid the demigods. Water still dripped from my bare legs, pooling at my feet, while I held the towel to keep it from dropping off my breasts.
I hadn’t had a chance to secure the towel tightly around me yet as I was too worried that either Héctor or Axel would get hurt.
Héctor waved them away. “There’ll be no more strife here.”
The Dominion warriors stood at attention before exiting the room like fast shadows. In an instant, they were gone.
“Did Axel, that asshole, scare you, lamb?” Héctor asked in concern as he strode toward me.
Axel dashed forward, placing himself between Héctor and me.
“You know better than to get any closer to her,” the war demigod snarled. “You know you’re lethal to her, to anyone, except us.”
“I can touch Héctor,” I protested. “We’ve tried.”
Axel wheeled toward me with narrow, displeased eyes, then his gaze involuntarily dipped from my covered breasts to my bare legs.
“You tried what, Cookie?” he demanded. “You should know better than to try anything with the death demigod.”
“It’s none of your business who I touch,” I said, my free hand bracing on my hip to show some attitude.
At the same time, Axel had turned to Héctor with a curse. “How dare you put my Cookie in danger!”
Héctor moved, faster than a flash. Before I could blink, he’d reached my other side and pulled me into his arms, away from Axel.
His lips kissed the crown of my head, which was still wet. But he didn’t seem to mind.
Axel’s amber eyes rounded at the evidence that I could live through Héctor’s touch.
Héctor’s smile was as broad as it was smug when he declared. “Marigold is my mate!”
Violence glinted in Axel’s eyes, like