“I always know your location, lamb,” he said, “because you’re mine. I came to tell you that I can’t train you at the magic class today. I received a tip from my source. I’m searching for a particular weapon in Manhattan. Only after I possess it will I be confident that I can make the world safer for you. Demons are already at the location where we met, ransacking the place, and my team has engaged them.”
A memory rushed back. When I’d teleported to the abandoned street between Manhattan’s Chinatown and Little Italy, the demons who besieged me had mentioned that they’d been looking for the fabled weapon that a prophecy said would tilt the balance of the war.
“Let me go with you,” I said. “I have a knack for finding things. I used to be a great and formidable hunter.”
I didn’t want him to be surrounded by danger. In the Great Merge, we all lived on borrowed time. Our numbers could be up any second, and our lives could go out like the last flicker of candlelight.
Even the Demigod of Death could be killed. The priest had said so.
“I’ll never put you in danger, lamb,” he reprimanded me. “You should know better. The Academy is the safest place for you. And I have a few elite guards here watching over you.”
I darted my eyes around, and he laughed, indulging me.
“They’re all excellent at blending into the environment,” he said. “I handpicked them. And Axel and Zak had better be vigilant in your class.” His eyes darkened for a second. “If you lose or even break a hair, they’ll have to answer to me.”
“I don’t want any more people to watch me.” I squirmed and jerked a thumb at Marie, who stood frozen behind me. “I already have one, and I’ve already planned to ditch her.”
“She works for Zak and Axel,” he said. “I’m using my own people.”
That wasn’t the point.
“I’ll be the laughing stock of the Academy if anyone knows that guards follow me everywhere,” I said urgently. “I don’t want that!”
“Nonsense,” he said. “Your safety is everything to me. Last time when I saw you surrounded by those filthy demons, covered in blood...” His fist clenched, and his eyes burned with fury and fear. “I won’t let it happen again.”
It was utterly infuriating and frustrating to talk to a demigod lots of times. It was worse when they all got overprotective at once.
“This isn’t cool, Héctor!” I shouted. “All my life I’ve been good at kicking ass. I don’t need—”
He dipped his head and slanted his mouth over mine.
All of my thoughts, protests, and hot temper went out the window.
Pleasure ripped through me in waves, and I never wanted it to stop.
Mate with him.The thought, full of desire, buzzed in the chambers of my head.Need to fuck him. Right here. Behind the bush.
Héctor pried me off him, smiling at me with pure male satisfaction, while dark lust swirled like infinite galaxies in his sapphire eyes.
“I’ll return to you soon, lamb,” he said. “This courting is going well.”
And then he was gone.
I stood there dazed, the frosty wind unable to cool my flaming cheeks or the raging longing in my blood.
“What a world,” Marie said, jerking me back from my dazzling daydreams as she fell into step beside me. The Dominion soldier punched her palm in bitterness. “You’ve been in the Academy for only a few days, and you’ve landed three demigods no one else can have.”