Magic Trials (Half-Blood Academy #1)(37)

“Marigold, look at you,” I murmured to myself as I threaded my hand through my lavender hair.

I was still here. I lived. I hummed a tune, almost happy again.

“I’ve never seen a soldier that narcissistic,” Paxton’s voice commented as he suddenly appeared in the mirror behind me.

I hadn’t noticed when he’d zoomed in.

“Are you spying on me in the women’s bath chamber?” I asked, frowning at him deeply. “Do you even have a concept of boundaries, demigod?”

“I am above all rules and boundaries,” he said arrogantly. “But you, the rest of you, are bound to all of them.”

I wanted to toss something at the asshole, but I had nothing in hand. It wouldn’t work anyway. He’d just give me a harder time. The Demigod of Sea sought to crush me.

As if he could hear my thought, his taunting gaze met my glare in the mirror, daring me to assault him.

“And what did I say about two minutes?” he asked.

“Sorry, mister,” I said. “But I can’t keep track of everything you said. You said a lot of things. Maybe you talk too much.”

“Get going. Now.”

I looked down. “I need to get my feet into my boots first.”

Then I noticed that I was wearing a pair of mismatched knee-high socks.

“Wait,” I said. “I need to change my socks.”

“No, you don’t,” he said, stalking toward me.

He grabbed my ankle and roughly inserted my foot into the ankle-high boot, not even bothering to check first if the boot fit. But he got the job done. Then he snatched my other foot.

“Hey,” I protested, laying a hand on his shoulder to keep my balance while he worked on getting my foot into the other boot. “My socks are different colors. Everyone will notice and laugh at me.”

“I don’t give a fuck if anyone laughs.”

“Of course you don’t give a fuck. I’m the one wearing them.”

“If you embarrass yourself,” he said, “you have only yourself to blame. And that will teach you a lesson about being timely and disciplined.”

He stood up, grabbed my elbow, and dragged me out of the public bath chamber, not even giving me time to make my feet more comfortable in the new boots.

I stumbled alongside him.

“Hurry up!” he scolded.

“But I haven’t had breakfast yet. Shouldn’t I at least grab a cup of coffee somewhere or get a donut or two? I hope the Academy serves donuts.”

“That reminds me,” he said. “For your tardiness, you’ll be punished by going without lunch. If you keep defying me, your dinner will be crossed out from today’s activities as well. Whoever gives you food without my permission will be punished alongside you.”

“That’s unfair!”

“Welcome to Half-Blood Academy, Princesa.”

He kept dragging me with him. The demigod walked so damn fast I had to sprint three steps to match one of his long strides.

“You should let me go,” I said. “I can walk beside you with my own feet.”

He snorted but maintained his hand on my elbow. I tried to shrug him off, but to no avail.

“Go ahead and fight me, Marigold, if you wish to take part in a public demonstration on how to punish an Academy student who doesn’t know how to follow the rules.”

I stopped cold. I didn’t want any of that.

I didn’t want any attention.

“You’re just trying to find an excuse to touch me,” I said. “Don’t you think that’s a bit desperate?”

“Nice try, Princesa,” he retorted. “As if your words have any effect on me.”

But my words had made him angry.

His jaw set as his dark eyes flashed. “I’ll go easy on you only when you’ve learned to be respectful and behave in a civilized manner.”

Dark fire swished in my eyes. The fucker demanded I have good table manners when he didn’t even know what that was?

He’d pay dearly one day. But I wouldn’t win against such a powerful asshole fighting him up close and personal. I needed to play dirty. I’d find a crack in him and then strike.

We reached the vast squares where the Dominion soldiers patrolled the campus. Groups of senior students practiced archery and magic in the training field.

They all paused in their activities to stare at Paxton and me, mouths agape. I supposed a student being dragged and manhandled by a demigod was a novelty on the campus.

No one dared to come to my rescue. My best hope, Axel, was thousands of miles away.

Paxton didn’t even bother to glance around or acknowledge that everyone gawked at us.

Just great!

Now so many eyes had witnessed this. The whole Academy would soon know all about my humiliation. Demetra and her goons for sure were going to add salt to this wound.

I couldn’t even snap at the asshole and tell him that I didn’t like how everyone was watching him humiliate me. If I did, he’d exploit it.

No one loved public embarrassment. Not even me. So, I held my chin high, as if it were an honor to be dragged along by a demigod.

Finally we left the square behind and trekked down a corridor.

“Let me go, please, Demigod Paxton,” I said in a low voice. There was no heat in my tone.