by Meg Xuemei X
Axel looked so awed. I stared at him and then back to the crawling runes in horror.
He pulled my robe down from my shoulders without my permission, and I was too freaked out and too busy watching the runes to punch him in the jaw.
“All twelve of the runes have imprinted on you,” Axel declared. “That’s incredible.”
“It’s impossible. She can’t be a descendant of all twelve major gods! No one can,” Theodore said, his silver eyes widening, but he was elbowed out of the way.
The demigods were in charge now.
The dagger in Theodore’s hand dulled, and the flame vanquished.
“My blade!” Theodore called. “Both the flame and runes are gone.”
“She absorbed all of them,” Zak said, lightning twirling in his royal blue eyes as he studied me like he’d just seen me, truly seen me. “She’s taken all of them as if they were her birthright.”
The runes still twirled all over my body as if trying to decide where they should settle down.
“Just make up your mind already,” I groaned.
Axel tore his gaze from the runes and smiled at me. “You live, Marigold,” he said. “Just as I believed that you’d prevail.”
He gave the impression he wanted to pull me into an embrace to congratulate me, but I was still so mad at him that I shoved him away, then I put a hand up to prevent him, or any of them, from getting closer to me.
I had no idea what these runes were going to do to me and was terrified they’d change who I was. I was comfortable with the old Marigold. But a primal part of me already knew that the blood runes had triggered something dark and dangerous, something that had been buried deep inside me.
“Remove the runes, please,” I said harshly. “I don’t want them.”
That was when the burn started.
Embers of fire sparked off my skin. Then the runes turned to leaping flames. In an instant, I became a human torch from inside out.
Agony tore through me, and I howled.
“What’s going on?” Axel shouted, face paling. “Ice, Paxton!”
The Demigod of Sea conjured icy currents and poured them onto me.
The fire burning inside me hissed and sizzled, turning hotter.
“Stop!” I screamed.
The fucker was making it worse.
“It’s not working,” Paxton said in dismay. “She’s burning from the inside.”
No duh, asshole!
“Help her!” Axel screamed. “How could this happen? Theodore, you’re the fucking priest. You know all the runes. If you don’t fix her, I’ll skin you alive!”
“I don’t know how,” Theodore yelled back. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. As I said, this has never happened before.”
Axel’s icy wind slammed into me as I rolled and writhed on the ground, tearing my robe off in agony and shrieking as the fire scorched me like hellfire from the inferno—not that I’d ever visited Hell.
This was Hell.
“Get out!” Zak shouted at the Dominion soldiers and the other initiates, and the hall emptied in seconds except for the demigods and their priest.
For a nanosecond, I was grateful to him for preserving my last scrap of dignity.
“Hang in there, Marigold,” Axel shouted, crouching beside me, devastation written all over his face. Like he cared! He’d brought me to this. “We’ll figure out a way to stop the burn.”
“She must have hidden power that we don’t know about,” Theodore diagnosed, as he and the demigods all squatted around me, peering down at me. “The runes are sentient, but they haven’t been this active for centuries. It must be her power calling the runes’ power. When they sensed the power in her, they jumped to her without me etching a basic rune on her.
“She insisted she was human, but you said she was anything but human, right, Demigod Axel? You must have sensed the power in her, too. I think you’re right. The runes have triggered or activated her veiled powers, as they were designed to do. I believe that she contains more than one god’s power, and the powers in her are fighting for dominance.”
“This makes no sense. How can all twelve runes choose her?” Zak said. “We’re the demigods, the most powerful beings on Earth. Even we don’t have all the powers. Even we have less than three dominant powers. I need to call my father.”
“By the time you get a hold of Zeus, Marigold might be dead,” Axel grated. “I’m calling my father now. At least he’s on Earth.”
“But Ares is in the battle zone with Lucifer,” Paxton said. “Aren’t they negotiating another treaty now?”
While the bastards kept debating, fire boiled every inch of my skin. At this point, I wanted only death. I couldn’t bear another second of this torment.
“Behead me,” I shouted as I clawed my skin to expel the fire or the poisonous runes. “End this torture now, Axel, and I’ll forgive you for this hell you brought me to.”
“I can’t,” he said. His hand touched my face. “I can’t let you die. Please, give me a bit more time and let us figure out how to save you.”
“There’s no saving me,” I screamed. “Give me a quick death!”
I lunged for the ritual dagger, still in Theodore’s hand, determined to slice my own throat and end this. But that fucker ducked away swiftly, and the force of fire dropped me on the ground again.
When a new wave of agony hit me, I lost my shit.
I cursed the demigods between my hoarse screams. “Fuck you! Who gave you the fucking right to decide who’s worthy? I had a good life, fuckers! At least I was free and had friends... and you had to rip that life from me and send me to this inferno.”
From the reflection in Axel’s grief-stricken eyes, I could see my eyes glowing red.
I saw red.
I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill them all.
“I’m a human. I can’t contain the runes, assholes,” I shouted in rage. “A human life means nothing to you. My life means nothing to you.”
“If you were a human, you’d have been burned to ashes by now,” Theodore argued.
What nerve he had! How could I pass this burn to him?
“Shush, Marigold,” Axel tried to calm me. “Your life means everything to me. I’ve opened a link to my father and called for his immediate assistance. He’s coming, and we’ll figure it out. We’ll save you.”
“Yeah, you just keep saying that, you lying son of a bitch,” I shouted and sobbed and screamed. And when I cursed, I felt a bit better. “All you want is to win the war against the demons, so you have to drag everyone you think can fight into your Dominion ranks. Five initiates died today. Actually six, since I’ll soon join them. I’m only twenty. I haven’t even really lived. And I’m still a fucking virgin! Damn you! Damn you all. After my death, I’ll come to haunt you as a ghost, a poltergeist, actually. I’ll be worse than the devils you fight. I’ll be your everyday’s fucking nightmare. Especially Axel! I’ll haunt you! You won’t have a second of fucking peace...”
“Blasphemy!” Theodore said. “I’ve never heard anyone curse so much. We should just give her what she wants and end her.”
“Shut up, Theodore,” Axel said. “Touch her, and I’ll end you.”
Then I was lifted off the ground while I thrashed violently.
The next moment, I was in Axel’s arms. “I won’t let you die,” he said. “Let me take the burn for you. If we die, we die together.”
The merciless fire leapt from me to him, eager to find a new host, even though it still roasted me.
Agony twisted the handsome face of the Demigod of War, but he suppressed a scream and only held me tighter.
Shock slammed into me, despite the awful fire still inside me.
I’d never expected anyone, least of all a demigod, to do this for me, even though he’d brought me to this stage in the first place.
A demigod would never sacrifice himself for a mortal. They were notorious for being the most selfish, self-serving bastards on the planet.
But Axel was ready to die for me—or with me.
“No.” I struggled in his arms. “Just kill me.”
“Perhaps with our combined powers, the fire will distribute among us instead of burning her alone,” Zak said, and he embraced me, too.
Then I felt the Demigod of Sea join us.
“What are you doing?” Theodore shouted. “You’re the immortal demigods, but you can still be killed. You can’t waste your lives for a girl you barely know.”
The demigods let the fire burn them as well as they kept pouring their power into me to shield me.
A stream of cool air coursed through my veins.
Then, all of a sudden, the fire vanished and the burning ceased.
I slumped in Axel’s arms, still murmuring about haunting them as a vengeful ghost.
“Stop babbling, Cookie,” Axel whispered. “You’ll live. You survived.”
Who was Cookie? Were there cookies around?
“Cookies?” I choked. “I want one. And where am I?”
“In my arms,” he said, and then he kissed me.
I didn’t know what had gotten into me, but I wasn’t in my strongest state or my right mind. I didn’t resist him, even though I still hated him.
The Demigod of War tasted me as if I was the most delicious thing he’d ever tried.
I liked his pure male scent, like the wind and the burning stars—even though I’d just gotten burned.
I stretched against his hard torso, threaded my fingers into his rich brown hair, and grabbed hold to anchor myself.
Our kiss deepened, and instantly, liquid fire twirled between my thighs.
I vaguely remembered that I wasn’t wearing panties, but I didn’t remember why I hadn’t put them on in the first place.
A new kind of desire seared me, unlike anything I’d experienced.
I arched my back and pressed tighter against my enemy, knowing that I wanted him more than the world.
A rough groan rumbled from his chest.
Axel’s lust slammed into me like hard steel and nectar at once. He was the Demigod of War, so even his desire was warlike, yet it turned me on like no one ever had.
I’d become a Marigold I barely recognized.
Axel pulled away from me, and I glared at him for depriving me of the carnal pleasure of his mouth and body.
He chuckled darkly, prying my fingers off the locks of his lush hair.
“We have to stop now, Cookie,” he said. “Or I won’t be able to stop. I’ll do wicked things to you, dirty and wicked things.”
I parted my lips and blinked at him incredulously.
Then slowly, common sense returned to me.
The vast Hall of Olympia was eerily quiet, my throat raw and hoarse, and I recalled that I’d almost burned to a pile of ashes.
Two other demigods and the priest stared at me as if I’d grown a demon horn.
I swept a shaking hand over my head to make sure I hadn’t.
Relieved that I might still be me, I turned my glare to Axel. “How dare you kiss me!”
My voice was harsh, even though my lips begged for another kiss.
I didn’t want to admit it, but his taste was as addictive as drugs.
There was magic in the demigod’s kiss.
He smirked at me. “You kissed me back.”
“I didn’t,” I said. “And even if I did, I wasn’t exactly myself.”
“Are you yourself now?” he asked gently. “Let’s get you settled down, Cookie. You need rest. You’ve had quite a shock today.”
His thumb wiped away my lingering tears. He slid his thumb between his lips, licking off my tears with a heated gaze, as if he wanted to discern if there was fire or magic in it.
Suddenly, another strong hand pulled me away from Axel, and I found myself in Zak’s arms.
The Demigod of War growled.
“I shielded her. I saved her, too,” Zak said. “So it’s my turn.”
His turn for what?
And he slanted his mouth over mine and kissed me as well.
What? Now I was their prize, a reward because I’d lived?
But the Demigod of Sky smelled really good, like sandalwood and sunlight and powerful sex. I should slap him to show that I still had some dignity and sense, but I wanted a bit more of him, too.
His sky power enveloped me, and a trace of his lightning fell on my skin, sparkling like tiny fireworks. It didn’t hurt, but sent a shiver of pleasure all the way from my breasts down to my toes.
My exhaustion faded, and my lust piqued like a beast at my new object of interest.
I grabbed his face to pull him closer.
I wanted him as much as I desired Axel.
My hunger for the demigods was so primal it stunned me.
The ritual had messed me up big time. I felt different now that the runes had sunk into my body. I couldn’t tell if I liked this version of me or not, but I felt powerful and liberated.
Something soul-deep within me wanted to merge with the Demigod of Sky, to be one with him and his power, to mate with him and claim him. Driven by a savage need, I kissed him with bruising force.
Zak chuckled against my lips at my possessive display, and Axel growled a warning.
The Demigod of Sea remained quiet, but his power refused to stay put; it crushed into me like waves, soaking me with his disapproval and dark need at the same time.
“That’s enough, Zak,” Axel said. “She’s mine. I saw her first.”
He shoved himself like a wedge between us and glared at the sky demigod.
Zak’s sky-blue gaze stayed on me, bright and awed and full of desire.
Axel didn’t miss a beat and wrapped around me, as if he was afraid that someone else would take me away.
“Be gentle with her!” he barked. “She’s still in shock.”
“She aroused all three of us,” Paxton said in a tone curling with dark anger. “No woman has ever done that.”
He said it like it was my fault. What was his problem?
“Haven’t you seen what the runes did to her?” Axel hissed. “It set her on fire from within! She can’t be responsible for her actions right now. I won’t let anyone take advantage of her while she’s vulnerable.”
“What about you?” Zak asked. “Who’s to protect her from you then?”
“I’d never hurt her,” Axel said.
Zak folded his muscled arms before his broad chest and snorted.
“She doesn’t seem fragile to me, even after what happened to her,” Paxton said. “She’s more like a she-shark that’s ready to bite.”
“I’m still here, in case you jerks haven’t noticed,” I hissed. “And is there even a she-shark? How can you know the sex of a shark? Do you flip it around and take a peek? I don’t think the shark will be so pleased at your poke.”
Axel laughed. “That’s my girl, as fun as ever.”
Paxton gave me a look. “I’m the Demigod of Sea. I know my shit.”
Zak chortled, running a hand over his cropped hair. “Marigold’s bite was actually delicious. I haven’t tasted the like for ages.”
“We’re done here,” Axel growled. “Marigold has had enough. She won’t put up with any more frivolousness.”
He put his trench coat over me and scooped me up, and I clung to him like a vine while gazing up at him expectantly, hoping he would grace me with another hot kiss.
I hadn’t savored him enough when he kissed me so briefly.
The old Marigold was thinking how crazy it was for me to have kissed two demigods. I barely knew them. But after the runes had jumped my bones and turned to nasty flames, maybe I deserved a little break with a big distraction?
“She isn’t yours alone, Axel,” said the Demigod of Sea. “Since you both kissed her, I demand the same courtesy. I did save her, too.”
I turned to him, licking my swollen lips—the result of being kissed by two demigods. Paxton was a knockout. His flowing silver hair framed a perfect, masculine face that seemed carv
ed out of the purest, hardest ice. His body—every defined muscle exuding power—was every woman’s wet dream.
I was slick between my thighs, and I lusted after him as well.
However, I was also pissed.
He hadn’t been remotely friendly toward me, even though he’d helped put out the fire inside me along with other demigods.
He demanded to kiss me. He hadn’t even bothered to ask if I wanted it or not. He thought he could stake his claim as he saw fit. I bet he was the entitled jackass type who had always taken what he wanted. I bet he’d treated women as disposable pleasures, barely appreciating them, like we were trash.
Some women might overlook his flaws and swarm to him because he was gorgeous and powerful, but I’d never date an asshole. I wouldn’t give him an inch.
I met his violet, bedroom eyes. The cockiness and dark hunger in them made my heart flutter for a second.
But I knew that if you played with a villain, you’d get burned.
I’d been cooked by the flame, literally, and the last thing I wanted was to be a stupid moth.
“I’m not a trophy, dude,” I told the Demigod of Sea. “I’m not kissing anyone anymore.”
“But you let them kiss you, didn’t you?” Paxton said, narrowing his eyes.
“I wasn’t myself,” I said. “But I’m starting to feel better. I don’t want to get involved with any of you.” I waved a hand in exasperation and tried to extricate myself from Axel’s arms. “Why am I even explaining this to you? Who I kiss is no one’s business but my own.”
“You do realize that by turning me down you’re making an enemy out of me?” the sea demigod asked. Menace rolled off him like a physical thing, rubbing and bruising my skin.
Fury shot through me.
I twisted in Axel’s arms, struggling to land on the ground and stand on my own feet.
“Deal with it, jerk,” I hissed. “Rejection is a part of life. And I don’t take threats kindly.”
He stalked toward me, violence in his eyes, but Zak stepped between us.
Axel moved me behind him, ready to go to war with Paxton.
The Demigod of Sea halted, slanting us a measured look, and an impish smile stretched his sensual lips.
