“I’d give anything to be called Cookie, Rosebud, or even Buttercup, you know,” Yelena said with longing.
“And I’d appreciate being someone’s lamb,” Nat echoed.
I hissed. “It’s not funny.”
Nat and Yelena raised their hands in surrender, yet they couldn’t stop laughing.
We ended up eating more dessert as we relaxed and chatted.
It was amazing to have friends like them; friends brightened our existence.
Yet beneath the joy of our friendship, shades of shame ate at me like moths.
I was a liar. I was a phony.
I laughed with my friends, yet I couldn’t be honest with them. I also kept my dirty secret from my mates, deceiving them and pretending to be the pure Marigold.
Sensing my dark mood, Yelena placed her hand on mine. She was perceptive and empathic.
“It’s okay, Mari,” she said. “We understand that some secrets aren’t supposed to be shared. We don’t need to know, and you don’t need to tell us. Ever. We trust you. We know who you are.”
Nat nodded and placed his hand on top of our hands. “You’re Marigold, and we took you under our wing when you complained about not being given panties during the trial.”
Yelena nearly spilled her drink. “That was hilarious.”
My hand trembled slightly, and my aching heart warmed.
But what if they knew the truth about me? What if they knew that filthy demon blood flowed in the veins underneath their hands? Would they still look at me the same and want to be my friends?
And what would my demigods do to me when they found out my true origin?
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CHAPTER 11
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Early morning mistinvaded Staten Island, where the Half-Blood Academy was situated.
I ran on the track, a squad of Dominion sentinels, including Marie, springing several yards behind me. They were my guards now and would follow me wherever I went from now on. No matter how I protested, the demigods wouldn’t cave in and release the security detail.
I looked up at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, half concealed in the fog under the overcast sky. The other end of the bridge led to Brooklyn, which was also the demigods’ territory. Queens and the Bronx belonged to the demons. Manhattan was a neutral zone and a warzone at once.