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CHAPTER 13
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Three armored militarybuses ran across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toward Brooklyn.
I was giddy—all of my friends from the Other Academy and Half-Blood Academy were sitting on the same bus as me. I bet that Axel and Héctor had arranged that to make me happy.
Héctor, of course, was with me. Even without his wings out, the giant demigod took up a lot of space. He’d claimed the last row and insisted on me sitting beside him.
Judging by the heat in his eyes, he very much would like to have me perched on his lap. I wouldn’t object to it either if this weren’t a military trip. None of the demigods cared about mortal propriety, but I’d been raised in human society.
Yelena and Nat had claimed the left row in front of me, Circe and Jasper the right. Their pack of shifters, witches, mages, and fae all sat near us. It’d have been cool if a couple of vampires could’ve joined the mix, but only master vampires could come out during the day.
The first-year Olympian descendants sat at the front of the bus. Though most of them had wanted to sit close to the Demigod of Death to try and leave a good impression, the seats near him had been reserved for my friends.
Yelena, Nat, and I joked with the group from the Other Academy. Circe shrieked a lot in excitement. She’d love to snag Héctor’s attention, but he never glanced at her once. He frowned a few times at her high-pitched voice but refrained from scolding her since she was my friend.
He wouldn’t be mean to any of my friends.
As the bus rolled on, he was more interested in bringing my hand to his lips and brushing a kiss or two on the back. All my demigod lovers liked to show public displays of affection toward me, mostly to indicate that I belonged to them and warn other males away. I was gradually getting used to it.
Their touches made my toes curl and my inner vixen purr.
A few times I caught Circe looking at Héctor and me with envy. It worried me that she seemed to want to test if she could touch Héctor, too. Circe had always wanted to prove to the world that she was the best at everything, even back when we’d lived in Crack.
I’d never been stern to her. I’d always spoiled her, no matter how many times she’d crossed the line as my ward, but this time I sent her a firm, warning look. It wasn’t just that Héctor was my man. If she touched him, she’d die an agonizing death.
I was the only woman who could touch him and live.
The buses sped over the heavily guarded bridge, the river and the buildings along both of its banks blurring by.
I turned from the window and beamed at my friends.
I’d lived an isolated life in Crack for twenty years. If Axel hadn’t dragged me to the Academy, I wouldn’t have met so many friends.
And I wouldn’t have a fabulous life with my demigods.
Basking in Héctor’s delicious body heat and utter devotion, I prayed this would never end.
“First years!” Cameron clasped his hands and shouted, jerking me out of my thoughts. “Shut up and pay attention!”
Héctor glared at him because I was one of the first-years.
Cameron stepped a pace back in the middle of the bus.
“This isn’t a vacation,” the lieutenant said, toning down his voice. “We’re heading toward the Queens-Brooklyn border. War breaks out there daily. You’ll get a firsthand look at what the demon-controlled areas look like, what the Great Merge means, and how the war impacts our civilization. As a rule, first-years don’t get this privilege, but the Academies are shaking things up for the coming battles that will decide Earth’s fate.”
Everyone sat straighter, either excited or nervous. Probably both.
Marie was on this bus with us. She sat in the front passenger seat, whispering something to the driver. I recognized him. He’d driven the van that had taken me to the Academy.
We also had two Dominion sentinels from Héctor’s team. They’d been the ones guarding me on the campus.
Esme was on a yellow bus with more first-years and a squad of Dominions. One-eighth was on the same bus as the headmistress.
