“It won’t end, Buttercup,” he said fiercely. “It won’t end for you or any of us. I’ll promise that with my last breath.”
He inched closer, his trembling hand brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. His scent of male, ocean, and hot beach blanketed me, drawing me in. A deep longing for him that I’d repressed for too long coursed through my blood. He was no longer my enemy. He sure didn’t smell like one. He smelled like a cozy home over the mountains and across the ocean.
I held my breath and stared into his violet eyes.
He was a beautiful demigod even when cruelty etched itself into his every line. But right now, there was no viciousness in him. He looked young, maybe a couple of years older than Axel, and so vulnerable—a gorgeous male whose tender soul was revealed after he’d peeled off his hard layers and shown his true self.
But that vulnerable part vanished in an instant, and he returned to be the powerful, ruthless Demigod of Sea.
We started running again, and I didn’t look at him.
It shocked me that of all people, I’d confessed my fears to Paxton, and I felt lighter for it. He was showing me that I didn’t need to carry my burdens alone; he would carry them with me.
“Let me train you in secret, Buttercup,” he said, my pet name rolling off his tongue as if he savored it. “You’ll need me. I want nothing in return. All I need is for you to survive. And we both know a storm is coming.”
“Storms are always coming,” I grunted.
He smiled at me, as bright as sunlight glinting on the broad expanse of the sea, reminding me that the Demigod of Sea had domain over the oceans.
My heart stuttered and fluttered.
Stupid girl, I told myself.
Yet a swell of warmth swam in my middle.
My old sworn enemy had turned into my protector, and he wasn’t disgusted by my demon blood.
I looked over my shoulder just in time to catch the Dominion soldiers all drop their jaws at Paxton’s stunning smile, even though they couldn’t hear the exchanges between us.
I think the sun is shining out of the sea demigod’s ass this time, Marie mouthed.
I smirked and turned to look ahead.
“I don’t like to owe anyone a debt,” I said. “Even if you help me, you won’t get a piece of me. And I expect you could turn on me anytime.”
“I won’t turn on you,” he said, his smile morphing to a shark’s. “I can swear a blood oath to you if you want. And I won’t expect you to give anything back. I don’t even expect you to forgive me.”
“Did you notice what happened when Ares released his Glory on us?” I asked carefully.
“Of course,” he said. “You held your own. But your power is still like a baby’s compared to what your parents could do. We got lucky last time, as Ares didn’t use his full Glory, but we can’t rely on luck. If he strikes again, there’ll be causalities. So we must make sure to be ready next time. I’ll let my cousins train you on your Titan magic, but I’ll focus on your other powers. You need to merge the two kinds, and then you’ll be able to command every single fire.”
“How can you train me on the other power you just mentioned when you aren’t the same as me?”
“I have centuries of experience with it from fighting archdemons, but I’m not above you. We’ll learn, train, and experiment together. We’ll figure it out.”
A ray of light sifted through my mind. The elemental had mentioned merging my powers. I knew just whom I should go to and ask for advice. Even though the elemental had warned me not to return and not to seek it out, I needed to visit the ancient tree.
I had to. I had no choice.
I didn’t have an eternity to experiment with how to merge hellfire with the Titan fire. I was running out of time with both Hell’s and Heaven’s forces fixing their eyes on me, and both had sent minions to kidnap me.
Neither would stop their hunt.
And it wasn’t just my life in jeopardy. The God of War would hurt or even murder my demigods—humanity’s true protectors—and eventually destroy Earth. It was nothing but a hunting ground to him.
Only the elemental could help me with my brand of magic. I needed to grow into my power at the speed of light. I needed to cheat this game so my demigods, my friends, and Earth itself could all survive.
“Paxton,” I said.