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  MAGIC SECRET

  Half-Blood Academy # 2

  Meg Xuemei X

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Magic Secret

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  Author’s Notes

  SNEAK PEEK: THE DRAGON QUEEN & HER MATES

  More Books by Meg Xuemei X

  About the Author

  Half-Blood Academy 2: Magic Secret © 2019 by Meg Xuemei X

  Copyright notice: All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  The novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence. Novel intended for adults only.

  Cover art by Jay R Villalobos

  Edited by Jax Garren

  Proofread by Jane Beyer

  Half-Blood Academy 2: Magic Secret

  I hate myself for craving the panty-melting demigods.

  But my awakening power is volatile and destructive. Only they can prevent me from turning into a ticking bomb.

  When Lucifer's heir breaches the wards of the Academy to kidnap me, the sea demigod, my sworn enemy, uncovers my hidden origin.

  Instead of exposing me, or, worse, leading the Dominion army to hunt me down, he leaves a trail of dead bodies behind to protect my dangerous secret.

  Magic Secret is the second book in the Half-Blood Academy series with a badass heroine, four deadly, striking demigods, heart-pounding action blended with super steamy love scenes, and great romance.

  CHAPTER 1

  __________________

  “You can touch me, lamb,” Héctor whispered in joy.

  The Demigod of Death kissed me, searing me like a dark, burning star. The ground pulled away from my feet, not because I was so dazed from his scorching passion—well, I was dazzled, but who wouldn’t be when she was kissed by a death demigod?

  He flew me high into the sky, one arm wrapped around me. His other hand slid into my lush hair, where he anchored it at the base of my skull to secure a kiss.

  My legs sneaked around his waist. The hard head of his erection pricked against my bottom, making me giddy with expectation.

  Finally I was going to have a break. I was going to get what I wanted—a dream love come true.

  Rigid air currents rushed by my ears as the noise of the wind picked up. The earth sprawled far beneath my feet.

  A sliver of worry sank into the back of my mind. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Héctor, but shouldn’t he pay attention to flying?

  Shouldn’t he take more care about which direction we were going?

  Though I was flattered by his passion for me, I hadn’t lost my senses.

  Héctor was different than his brethren, but he was still a demigod. And from my dealings with the other demigods, I’d say they were ruthless and they didn’t take anything other than themselves seriously.

  They were notorious for acting on a whim.

  I tore my lips from Héctor by sheer will and immediately regretted it. Residual pleasure buzzed over my skin, and my body screamed in protest against leaving the sensational source, demanding I lock lips with the smoldering-hot man again.

  It hadn’t taken long for my body to get addicted to the Demigod of Death.

  Héctor peeked down at me, his sapphire eyes flashing with dark light. He didn’t approve of the empty, cold air that filled the distance between our lips.

  “Lamb, what’s wrong?” he asked softly, but a dominating will underlined his every word.

  “You’re flying blindly while you have a passenger,” I blurted out. “So I’ll keep an eye open for both of us. I don’t like always taking on more responsibilities than everyone else. But it seems to be my lot in life!”

  His disapproval turned to faint amusement, the corners of his sensual mouth tugging up.

  I gazed at his lips, mesmerized.

  Just like that, I wanted to taste and savor him again. Let the consequences be damned, even though we were in the air.

  I leaned toward him, but pulled back the moment before diving in.

  “I see. My lamb has some trust issues,” he said, his voice deep and silky, and my sex clenched in desire at the sound of it. “I’ll have to earn your trust first. It’s my fault that I didn’t explain to you that I’d never take your safety lightly. But I’ve flown across New York so many times I could do it blindfolded.”

  “What about distracted?”

  “That too,” he said. “And you never need to worry about responsibilities or chores. I’ll take care of you.”

  “You will?” I asked. “How?”

  He smiled. “You’ll see.”

  I gaped at his massive wings that rode the wind. The afternoon sunlight glinted off his raven-black feathers.

  “My lamb likes my wings,” he said, noticing the rapt look in my eyes.

  “They’re okay,” I said, not wanting him to know how engrossed I was with his magnificent beauty.

  If I kept watching the graceful movements of his obsidian wings, I might have an orgasm right in the air.

  And that would be anticlimactic.

  I turned my glance down to earth.

  Sparks of fire and trails of smoke twirled among the buildings in Upper Manhattan. A small battle between the demons and the Dominion soldiers raged in the streets of Harlem.

  Héctor followed my line of sight. He didn’t appear concerned about the fight, which meant that sort of battle was normal in the warzone.

  Peace was an impossible dream, forever out of humanity’s reach. Yet midtown Manhattan was devoid of any violence, bristling with vitality and activities.

  Humans of various nationalities strolled down the streets. Cars prowled by, fighting for the right to the road against the pedestrians, and a group of civilians sat on the long stairs of a building across from a public library, feeding the pigeons while listening to music through their headsets.

  The Great Merge hadn’t affected every circle of life, partly due to the demigods’ protection of their realm. Many humans still lived inside their own bubbles, which could shatter anytime.

  They had no fucking idea.

  I returned my attention to my companion, the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. My heart ached, and longing filled my bloodstream.

  My knight watched my every move with doting fascination.

  “To ease your mind, lamb, we’re going to take another form of transportation.”

  “What do you mean?” I stuttered. “I don’t like surprises.”

  I wasn’t a fan of uncertainty either, considering past events.

  A whirlwind swept over us, light and shadow exploding in front of my eyes. Héctor enveloped his wings around me to shield me as if I was indeed his lamb.

  When the swirling light and shades vanished, glass spun around us, then stilled.

  Héctor stood on the solid floor, with me climbing him like a tree.

  “We’re home, lamb.” He chuckled at my expression, tucking in his wings.

  “Home?” I asked like an idiot.

  I’d been acting like that since the death demigod kissed me and took me to the sky. I hadn’t been able to think straight, and it was still an effort to gather any coherent thoughts.

  I needed to get my shit together.

  I took in my surroundings. The dream I had shared with Héctor rolled into the reality right in front of me.

  We were in an opulent apartment in a skyscraper, the view beneath our feet as stunning as it had been in that dream. On one side it was a lush park of green and pink; on the other upscale Manhattan streets bustled with life and riches.

  “You’re safe with me, lamb,” Héctor said, pressing me against his hard chest.

  We had landed, but he wasn’t willing to let me go.

  “This entire building is warded. The windows are like one-way mirrors. We can see outside, but no one from the outside can see through the glass. They’re also bulletproof.”

  “How can we be safe here? Isn’t Manhattan the worst warzone?”

  “Neutral zone,” he said.

  “But the demons and you guys fight even harder in the neutral zones than in the warzones.”

  “This part of Manhattan is off-limits to all parties,” he said. “Lucifer also has a
n apartment here. He stays in the east wing when he visits.”

  “What?” I shrieked. “I’m not ready to meet him!”

  Every demon, including the first one I’d encountered in the dark forest around Crack, had taken an interest in me, and not in a good way. I was not up to being mistaken as the “Lost One”—especially not by Lucifer, the great master of all demons—and being hurled to Hell.

  It was already bad enough to have been dragged to Half-Death Academy, burned, and beaten.

  “No one is allowed to touch you, lamb, not even Lucifer,” Héctor said. “You’re under my protection. Lucifer stays here a couple of days a year. Even if we’re unfortunate enough to meet him in the common area, I believe we can manage to be civilized. Our armies fight each other, but we don’t brawl like barbarians.”

  My lips thinned, ready to pull away from him. “So, you and Lucifer are buddies?”

  I hadn’t exactly lived under the devil’s thumb, but every citizen knew what he had cost our world and civilization.

  Héctor pulled me back against him and trapped me in his arms.

  “Never, lamb,” he said, his jaw clenched. “He’s my immortal enemy. We’re all awaiting the final battle.”

  My heart thrummed at his mention of the final battle. A sudden, cold fear pumped into my blood. What if Héctor perished on the battlefield? I’d just found him.

  “Worry no more,” he ordered, tracing his thumb over my tight jaw. “Let’s get you the bath you badly need.”

  I reeked of demon blood—and my own. It was a wonder Héctor had even kissed me.

  “I can do a bath,” I said, and my pulse spiked like shooting lava.

  Was he going to share a bath with me? He seemed to be hinting at it.

  While I peeked at him hesitatingly, Héctor scooped me up. I let my head loll over his broad shoulder and let him take care of me. I was bone tired.

  When he carried me upstairs, I took the liberty of surveying the open-plan apartment. A streamlined, modern kitchen led to a chic dining room and elegant living room with metallic walls, several white, flowery sofas, and a family entertainment set. Just his downstairs was larger than a football stadium.

  Up the stairs, we passed his bedroom. Next to it was a bath chamber. He strolled in and reluctantly set me down next to the sink so he could turn on the water in a Jacuzzi so spacious it could easily fit his massive wings.

  “Jacuzzi!” I cried in glee, my feet dangling from the golden marble counter. “I’ve never used one.”

  The water rose quickly in the tub.

  Héctor turned to me, and his heated gaze roved over me, cherishing me.

  “Do you want to wait for me to undress you, lamb?” he asked.

  Giddiness swelled in my chest.

  “You’re staying?” I asked, my eyes bright.

  “Where else would I go while you’re here?” he asked softly, desire making his eyes hooded. “I don’t mind helping you undress if you’ll let me, as I plan to bathe you and check your injuries.”

  “I can get myself started,” I murmured, my face flaming under the weight of his smoldering gaze. I might burst into flame if he kept looking at me like that.

  I shrugged off my tattered jacket, dropped it on the floor, and flashed him a sly smile to show him that I had my shit together.

  “You’re breathtakingly beautiful,” he said.

  He thought me beautiful even when I was half-covered in blood and dirt.

  Just as I looked up at him in gratitude, my stomach grumbled. Damn, I hadn’t expected that to spoil the mood.

  “You’re hungry, my lamb,” he said.

  “I haven’t eaten since this morning,” I told him.

  He frowned at me in concern. “Why not? Have you been fighting demons all this time?” A killing rage flared in his eyes. “I didn’t see other Dominion soldiers. Who let you fend off the demons alone? You were nearly killed.”

  If he hadn’t arrived in time, I would’ve been either killed or maimed and dragged to Hell.

  “It’s a long story,” I said. “Your cousin Pigston is the cause of all my misfortune.”

  “Pigston?”

  “Paxton, Pigston—same thing,” I hissed. “He didn’t allow me to have breakfast. He didn’t even let me sniff coffee, let alone grab a donut before he dragged me to the class on Olympian Glory. There was no glory in his mistreatment of me.”

  Héctor narrowed his eyes, a dark storm forming on his handsome face.

  “He dragged you?” he drawled.

  My eyes brightened at his menacing tone.

  Now was the time to drive a wedge between the demigods, since I’d just found one who wasn’t just smitten with me—he needed me.

  Not many females—no, I was the single woman who could touch the death demigod and still breathe air into my lungs. Though his touch was death to others, it was deliciously addictive to me.

  Because of the great pleasure touching me—and only me—could give him, it was in his best interest to be kind and to preserve me.

  How cool was that?

  I concealed a grin.

  “He manhandled me as if I were a criminal and yanked me with him for over a mile while I was dizzy with hunger,” I said.

  Rage coiled in his sapphire eyes.

  “In addition, he forbade me to have lunch,” I said, my jaw tightening as I recalled the sea demigod’s cruelty toward me.

  “How dare he!” Héctor snarled. “I’ll have a word with him.”

  When a demigod said he would “have a word with” someone, he meant “inflict violence upon” that someone.

  “He dared, despite your displeasure,” I said, fueling his anger. “Do you remember that dream we shared?”

  “Yes, lamb,” he said. His hard expression softened at my mention of the erotic dream, his eyes growing more hooded as pure male lust thickened in them. “I remember every detail. I’ve been cherishing and replaying it in my mind.”

  “That’s very thoughtful and romantic of you.” My heart fluttered, but my mission hadn’t been accomplished. I had more nasty things to say about Paxton. “Pigston barged into my bunk room uninvited while I was sleeping,” I said as I dropped my pants. Héctor’s eyes followed my moves. “He flooded my bed and thus hauled me out of the lovely dream we were having while I was still...on top of you.”

  I’d lied a little. My friend Yelena had pulled me out of the dream, but there was no need to get all the details right.

  Héctor pulled his lips back in a feral snarl. “That was why we didn’t finish our lovemaking. And I’ve been trying to get to you ever since.”

  “How frustrating! It was all because Pigston interrupted us,” I said, as I dropped my sports bra on top of the pile of my dirty, bloodstained uniform.

  I suddenly felt shy, but I pushed my shyness away. Héctor had seen me naked, and I looked the same as the dream version of me.

  “Paxton always was a cold-hearted dick,” Héctor said, his heated gaze glued to my breasts. “I tolerated him only because I was the same way.”

  “You’re different than him,” I cried in dismay. “You’re different, right, Héctor?”

  If Héctor turned out to be cut from the same cloth as Paxton, what were my chances of changing my fate from violence and despair to something better?

  A gentle glow softened his hard eyes as he promised. “I am now because I have you.” He paused as his rage returned. “Why did Paxton go to your dorm? A demigod never tends to trivial things like that.”

  “You tell me,” I said, my face hardening. “He didn’t go to the streets to fight the demons as you did but came to my dorm to harass me. Then he ordered Jack, his pawn, to beat me within an inch of my life. He made me pay because I didn’t bow down to him like all the others. Pigston marked me and promised to break me. I regenerated and escaped before they finished me off.”

  I sobbed a little now, but I felt no shame crying in front of the formidable death demigod.

  “That’s why you saw me covered in my own blood and wandering the dangerous Manhattan streets. If you hadn’t showed up, Héctor, I’d have been done with, all thanks to Pigston.”

  Death folded like a shadow around him, and blackness swallowed the beautiful sapphire color of his eyes. His fists balled. His ebony wings spread to full in aggression. In an instant, Héctor turned to the Demigod of Death in every sense.

  “Héctor?” I called in alarm.

  Darkness retreated from him slowly as he gazed back at me.