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I circled the track twice. I used to be a runner and a hunter, but I hadn’t done either since I came to the Academy. I needed the morning run to clear my head.
Half of the world was burning, but Staten Island had been preserved, its old society and traditions continuing under the demigods’ protection. The Academy situated on this island had been considered to have airtight security until the recent two breaches.
Last night, after Nat and Yelena left, the demigods had received an urgent call. When we’d arrived at the cell where the dark mage had been held, there was almost nothing left of him. The Dominions were still investigating it.
Someone had killed the mage to silence him. The security tape had been wiped clean.
Axel had been livid. He insisted there was a mole inside the Academy and proposed a deep purge.
I’d stolen a quick glance at Paxton before averting my gaze.
“The dark mage put up a shield in his mind,” Paxton said, “a shield so strong even I couldn’t take it down when we captured him. I was planning to interrogate him and make him talk, but Ares showed up to harass Buttercup.”
Zak nodded his agreement. “So all of us had to leave the scene to aid Rosebud. The timing was convenient and suspicious.”
“You think Ares might be behind this?” I inquired.
“I wouldn’t put it past my father,” Axel said gloomily. “If he planned this, we now have two enemies targeting Cookie.”
“The portal the mage opened wasn’t to Lucifer’s realm but the otherworld,” Héctor said, gritting his teeth. He was trying to hide his fear, but I could sense it. He was terrified of losing me. “If my lamb had been taken there, she’d have been out of our reach.”
“We won’t let it happen,” Paxton said. “Loki made his intention known and didn’t cover his trail. So it was most likely Ares who sent his mage to grab Buttercup.”
“We haven’t even figured out why the demon prince wanted my lamb,” Héctor growled.
I kept my face blank, yet my heart pounded painfully. I dreaded this question, but it kept popping up like a repeating nightmare.
Maybe I should just confess to them and beg for a quick death.
“The entire world now knows what Marigold means to us,” Paxton said, covering up the truth. “Lucifer can’t get to us directly, so his heir must’ve wanted to use her to get to us. She’s our only weakness, and our enemies know that.”
“We brought danger to our mate,” Héctor said in sorrow.
And I was a fucking liar, a phony, and a demon princess.
I didn’t deserve their kindness, adoration, and protection.
I opened my mouth, again wanting to confess, but I swallowed it right down at Paxton’s warning look.
“We must work faster,” Zak said. “Our enemies are a few steps ahead of us.”
“First, we’ll need to get Ares away from this Academy,” Héctor said. “Let’s create chaos in Paris to drive him back.”
“He won’t leave even if Paris sinks to the deepest pit of the ocean,” Axel said. “My father never gives up a hunt. He won’t leave without Cookie.”
“Then we remove Rosebud from the Academy,” Zak said. “We’ll activate multiple plans at once, as we discussed.”
“We must make our new safe houses absolutely secure before we move my lamb,” Héctor said.
“Hey dudes, I refuse to be on the run my whole life,” I protested. “I have friends here. Let’s just try to drive away the asshole first.”
My overprotective demigods hadn’t been thrilled to let me stay, but at least they hadn’t immediately dragged me off. And now I was running on the track, preparing to be on the run if none of our plans worked. But that would be the last resort.
A swirl of icy wind wheeled around me, and my hair flew up in every direction.
My glare fell on the Demigod of Sea, who touched down beside me and ran without missing a beat as a thin mist fenced us in.
At the demigod’s motion, the guards pulled back to give us a wide berth, but I bet Marie would text Axel right away if Paxton so much as raised his voice at me.
