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.
The Dominions pried my fingers off Demetra’s hair, dragged me back, and pinned me in place. The other Dominion soldiers barked orders at the group, urging them to keep walking.
None of them wanted to attract a demigod’s attention.
I wasn’t proud of myself for pulling hair—I was more of a punch-you-in-the-teeth kind of girl. But I was too mad to care about my dignity or anyone else’s. The whole day’s frustration and the fear of what was coming all accumulated and accelerated.
Plus, when I faced bullies, I became an aggressor myself.
I took no shit, and walking toward death’s door wasn’t going to change my attitude either.
“I don’t give a fuck how thick a god’s blood is in your nasty veins,” I warned, not even struggling in Cameron’s and Marie’s grips. “Talk shit like that again, and I’ll beat the crap out of you.”
“You’re dead, you inferior human!” Demetra shrieked. “You don’t have an ounce of any god’s DNA in you. You should never have come here. You won’t come out of that building alive. You’ll suffer an agonizing death before the first rune—”
“What the hell is going on here?” a voice boomed, carrying potent magic.
Axel appeared at the top of the stairs we were about to climb, which led toward a magnificent yet intimidating red building.
Power rolled off him in an icy wind, crushing down everything and everyone in its path.
As one, everyone dropped to their knees, except for me, again.
Even the noises of the wind hushed.
The Dominion soldiers around us quickly straightened their outfits, which were already straight and spotless.
“Are you causing trouble again, Marigold?” Axel asked impatiently.
“Who? Me?” I asked darting my eyes around in innocent confusion.
“What did I say about the consequences of you not behaving?” he pursued.