Magic Trials (Half-Blood Academy #1)(31)

Goddamnit, the Demigod of War wasn’t much older than me, and I’d thought he was ancient, like the other demigods.

Next time he pissed me off, I’d tell him he ranked as the least hot demigod in the Academy because of his baby face. I bet it’d leave a big bruise on his oversized ego.

The number three crown went to Paxton, who was mostly feared.

“Getting on his bad side is like having a death mark branded on your forehead,” Jessica, another first-year, whispered with a shiver. “But he’s so hot. I could just watch his rippling muscles move all day long. Last time when he strode toward me with those powerful legs, I almost passed out at the sight of him.”

Poor Zak was listed as number four, probably because he kept the most distance from the recruits and was way too serious. He never smiled.

According to my bunkmates, he was eons old and the most powerful of the demigods. He was one of the first-born demigods and had just returned to Earth a century ago when the gods’ war with the demons summoned him here.

With a life that long, who wouldn’t grow apathetic? I kind of felt sorry for him. Immortality could be a curse.

Paxton had been born when the war between Lucifer and Ares had just started. He was basically the product of war. No wonder he was the nastiest of them all. There was probably nothing but violence surrounding him when he grew up, which definitely would shape his worldview and personality.

So, this was academy life?

During daytime, we attended classes and beat the shit out of each other; at night, the girls gossiped about hot boys—practically drooling over them, especially the demigods—without any filter.

I wondered what the male students talked about in their bunks.

When the girls’ discussion circled back to the lonely hotness of the death demigod, I snuggled under the blanket and rolled my eyes.

I wondered how Jasper and Circe were doing and if they’d settled down well.

I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring me, but after only a day in the Academy, I wasn’t looking forward to it.





CHAPTER 9




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I wasn’t sure if this was a dream or what—it felt more real than anything in my waking life. But I had no idea how I’d gotten here.

I was in an opulent apartment in a skyscraper. Through floor-to-ceiling windows, I looked down on a lush park of green and pink. Opposite that window was another overlooking a bustling city under my feet.

Parts of the city had burned. Clusters of fire still smoldered in some buildings, their smoke trails whirling into the windy sky.

It must be the war zone, but I hadn’t spotted Dominion soldiers fighting horned demons down there. Maybe it was too far away for me to see the battle unfolding, or maybe both sides were in a recess.

Everyone needed a lunch break, right? Except the scavengers who dashed out of broken buildings and stores and scattered through the streets, collecting what they could find.

I trained my sights on the intact part of the city where people went on with their lives—crowds in the prosperous commercial districts and streets—strolling, shopping, skateboarding, or burying their faces into their phones, probably texting or something.

I’d never in my life used a phone—nobody in Crack did—but I’d heard that social media was still a thing in the parts of the world controlled by the demigods.

The Olympian gods wanted civilization to continue on, while, according to rumor, Lucifer didn’t care much about it, particularly not social media. He wasn’t exactly a popular guy in any non-demon city. He wasn’t even popular in Crack, but neither were the demigods.

I swept my gaze around the apartment, and my breath caught when I spotted the most stunning view through glass doors that led to a spacious balcony. A pair of massive, black wings spread to their glorious, full length, soaking in twilight.

As they slowly, lazily folded and then vanished, I found myself staring at the bare torso of a giant male who perched on a chair custom-made to accommodate his wings. Taut muscles rippled across his bulging arms and beautiful back as he ran a hand over the thick mane of his dark hair.

I hadn’t met anyone more mesmerizing than this specimen, even though I hadn’t yet seen his face. Unable to resist my need to take a quick peek, I snuck up to him.

At my first step, he wheeled toward me.

His gaze fell on me, so intense it froze me where I stood.

A swirl of dark stars came alive, brightening in his sapphire eyes.

“You came back,” he said, his voice deep, silky, and rich, wrapping me with its potent seduction. I could orgasm just by listening to him talk a little longer. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

A smile floated to my lips. “That’s flattering, but I think this is the first time I’ve met you. Uh, do you have a name?”

Maybe I should also ask for his number and then get a phone.

“You don’t remember me?” he asked.

My face sank a little. I would curse the universe if it had created such an utterly gorgeous man but made him a loony or a creep or something worse.

“Maybe you’ve mistaken me for someone else?” I asked before a new swirl of dismay swelled in my chest. If he mistook me for another girl, then I wasn’t the one he was waiting for and eager to see. Then I had no business here.