Magic Trials (Half-Blood Academy #1)(17)

What a wonderful plan!

Only if she didn’t open her mouth again and spew more haughty nonsense.

But then most guys didn’t care, as long as they got to sleep with a bimbo like her.

“You couldn’t even dye your hair properly, harpy,” Demetra scoffed. “Can’t afford a salon?”

“For your information, queen bee,” I said. “My hair color is natural. No offense, but you might need to get your eyes checked, or I doubt the Dominions will accept you into their elite ranks.”

“Really, Marigold?” Cameron said, grinning at me. “Your hair is natural? No kidding. I agree with the other girl. I don’t think you dyed it properly.”

He still held a grudge against me, probably because I’d booted him in the chest during our encounter, or more likely I’d hurt his feelings by turning down his offer of recruiting me for his team should I pass the ritual.

Demetra giggled, flicking her long blonde hair like a supermodel in appreciation of Cameron’s support and her own irresistible charm.

Who was I kidding? She held quite an ambition to take on the demigods and get at least one of them to have babies with her.

“You’re one to talk, lieutenant,” I snorted. “I expected better from you.”

“Stop pouting, Marigold,” Cameron continued. “It isn’t befitting an initiate to have that sour expression sitting on your face. Man up and be the soldier you were born to be.”

“I’m not a man,” I said. “So I don’t need to man up. And I wasn’t born to be a soldier under your thumb.”

“I can’t tell which gender you belong to,” he said.

The clique snickered, and Demetra giggled in an annoyingly high pitch.

Nat and Yelena threw me a sympathetic look. Everyone knew it was a bad business to get on the bad side of a Dominion, let alone an officer.

“Thanks, man,” I said to Cameron. “Look what you brought me into—a puberty drama, as if I need that shit on top of my other shit piles.”

“You brought yourself into that shit pile,” he said. “I’m only surprised that you refuse to appreciate us for saving you from an unproductive, wasted life.”

Now that irked me, and I became prickly as a hedgehog. “You Dominions forced me to leave my home and my team behind to come here. You took the good life away from me.”

“What kind of good life are we talking about, Marigold?” Marie from the van chimed in curiously, popping up near me.

Some of the clique appeared surprised and unhappy. The Dominion officers probably didn’t associate much with the initiates, even though these two were merely taunting and ridiculing me.

I hadn’t seen Marie since I was sent to the public bath chamber to have my one-minute shower. To my frustration, after I exited the stall I found that someone had taken away all my outfits and left me with only a robe.

I gave the Dominion soldier a glare, “A life of freedom.” I flapped the hem of the robe. “Not this life of wearing a robe without panties. They didn’t even leave a G-String, for gods’ sakes.”

If Marie had been there, I think she’d have the courtesy to find me underwear. I sensed she might actually like me.

Marie howled with laughter, and several escorting soldiers joined in, sending me glances as if they hadn’t seen me before.

The clique screwed up their facial expressions to show they were disgusted by my vulgarity.

“What?” I asked both Cameron and Marie. “No one has ever complained about this inhumane, no underwear treatment?”

“Nope,” Cameron deadpanned. “All, except you, considered it a privilege.”

“Pardon me,” I glared at him incredulously. “What if someone laughed so hard they peed a little?”

Or scared the literal shit out of themselves in the middle of the ritual.

“Stop! Marigold,” Marie wiped a teardrop, then another, from the corner of her eyes. “Just stop.”

In the background, Jack made a sniffing sound. I hoped he didn’t smell a whiff of pee.

“That rogue doesn’t smell like us,” he said, his tone positive. “I don’t think she’s a descendant. She won’t make it.”

“Jack has the magical ability to sense and detect the descendants of gods,” Demetra declared, gloating.

My heart froze as her statement hit me right in the bull’s eye. While the rest of the initiates walked to their glory, this might be a death walk for me.

I scanned the tight security around us and realized I’d have to take a chance with the ritual, if I didn’t want to be put down within seven feet.

“Then why is she even among us?” asked a clique boy with distaste.

“That harpy must want to take a chance,” Demetra explained, as if she knew everything about me, “since this is her only opportunity to rise above her pathetic status. A low class girl like her will do anything to move up the social ladder, though they all gamble and lose.” She made a disgusted sound with her nose. “I wonder how many soldiers she opened her legs for to get here. So sad because no matter how wide her legs spread, it won’t—”

I lunged at her, grabbing a handful of her blonde hair and pulling hard. She screamed as she stumbled back and struggled to break free. Jack charged at me, but Cameron and Marie stepped between us first.