Wrath of the Gods (Magic Blessed Academy Book 3) Page 9

  “Looks like as good a place to stop as any,” Merrick murmured, glancing around.

  “Good, because I’m dead on my fuckin’ feet.” Lach flopped to the ground, leaning against a boulder with his legs splayed in front of him.

  We were all dusty and sweaty, covered in small cuts and bruises. But we were all still alive, and as the sun set on our first day of this new Gods’ Challenge, that felt like a pretty damn solid accomplishment.

  I sank down beside him, resting my head against the rock. “A-fucking-men.”

  Trace and Merrick sat too, and for a moment, we all just caught our breath. Then Trace dug into his pocket. “I brought these. I wasn’t sure the gods would even put supplies around the playing area like they used to—why would they give us any advantages if they want to kill us all? So I figured we’d have a tougher time finding food than we did last time.”

  He pulled two small vials from his pocket, and when he passed one to me, I lifted an eyebrow.

  “Am I supposed to eat this?”

  He rolled his eyes at me, chuckling. “No. Drink it. Split it with Lach, I don’t have enough for all of us to have our own. It’s an energy potion. It’ll basically give you as much energy as a full meal would.”

  “Oh.” I looked at the little bottle with newfound respect. I’d rather it was a damn cheeseburger and fries, but if it could take the edge of the gnawing hunger in my belly, that would do just as well.

  “Yeah.” Then Trace grimaced. “The unfortunate thing is, it’s not actually food. So even though it’ll give us a boost of energy and keep us going, that effect is sort of an illusion. If we go too long without eating, we’ll still die, even if the potion keeps us feeling okay. So we’ll have to find food eventually.”

  “Hey, anything that keeps me from having to hunt godly realm bunnies right now?” I chuckled. “I’m all for it.”

  “Thought you might be.”

  He leaned forward, clinking his little bottle against mine. Then we both drank half before handing the bottles off to the other two.

  I didn’t exactly feel like my belly was full, but the hunger faded from my awareness, and the exhaustion eating away at me lessened. The sun was almost fully down by now, and although I wished we could light a fire, I knew it was a bad idea. A glow on the mountainside would be like a beacon to the gods and other students who were hunting us.

  As night fell, the four of us settled into our makeshift shelter, talking and joking amongst ourselves. It was strange, how these little moments of calm found their way into the chaos of our lives, giving us flashes of peace and normality even in what was inarguably an insane situation.

  I was grateful for it, and I couldn’t help the little smile that quirked my lips as I gazed around at the three men who had become my lovers and my best friends.

  Even in the dark, Trace caught me looking. His shadowed blue eyes softened as his gaze met mine, as if he could read each of my thoughts clearly in that moment.

  “We’re better with you, Snow,” he said softly. Merrick and Lach, who had been bantering about which one of them was more likely to be a better hunter, broke off, turning to gaze at me too as Trace spoke.

  “What do you mean?” Warmth spread through my belly at the way they were all looking at me.

  “We were friends before we met you, but we’re so much more than that now. These guys are my fuckin’ brothers, and the thing that brought us together like this is you. We’d die for each other,” Trace said, not a hint of humor or irony in his voice. “And we’d die for you.”

  His words didn’t exactly shock me. After all, I had thought similar things about all of them, about what I would be willing to do to protect them. But still, hearing it out loud? Seeing the sincerity in his face by the light of the stars and moon above us, and seeing that same sincerity in the other two men as well?

  It felt like the wind had been knocked out of me, but in the best way. As if I’d finally hit the ground after the long plunge of falling in love with these three men. But instead of killing me, the landing somehow made me feel more alive.

  These men were mine. I was theirs.

  I hated to thank the gods for anything, but if I did, it would be for this.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When I woke, the sky above was a purplish blue, bruised by the coming dawn. I shifted a little against the warm bodies that encased me, feeling Lachlan’s arm tighten around me as he pulled me closer to him.

  Memories of the first night we spent together in that cave came rushing back. Gods, so much had changed since then. That morning, I’d been embarrassed as fuck when I came fully awake and realized I’d been grinding against Lachlan’s morning wood like a stripper giving a first-class lap dance.

  This morning?

  There wasn’t an ounce of shame in me as I pressed back against his hard on, rubbing my ass against him as my pussy throbbed.

  Godsdammit. I don’t want to find any stupid gem. I want to stay in this little shelter and fuck these men until none of us can walk.

  Maybe he sensed my thoughts, because Lach’s deep chuckle rumbled against my back. His lips found the back of my neck, and for a moment, we just gave in to the desire the swirled between us, our bodies moving together as we each pushed each other higher.

  But before I could reach behind me and push his pants out of the way to free his cock, he sighed, his warm breath ghosting over my cheek.

  “We should wake the others,” he murmured roughly. “We need to get started searching for that fuckin’ gem. The sooner we find it and get the hell out of here, the better the chances of everyone makin’ it back to school alive.”

  Frustration barreled through me, but I knew he was right.

  “Dammit,” I muttered. “Why did I have to go and fall in love with such good fucking guys? All selfless and shit.”

  “Ha. Takes one to know one, Snow.” He rolled me over onto my back and leaned over me, his green eyes shining as he gazed down at me. “Ye’re the best woman I know.”

  Reaching up, I brushed my fingers over his broad chest. “You need to get out more.”

  He laughed again, making Merrick stir beside us. “I get out plenty, thanks. And I mean it. Life with my club taught me a lot, but one of the biggest things it did was teach me what true leadership means. My club president—that man is a fuckin’ leader. The boys and I would’ve followed him anywhere.” His gaze grew serious, his fingertips trailing down the side of my face. “And that’s the whole point. We would’ve followed him. Because he never led from behind, never gave orders and then sat back or hid away and let us take on the hard work. He was always right there with us. Just like ye.”

  Dipping his head, he kissed me, his mouth moving skillfully over mine. My hands threaded through his hair, and I pulled him down so that his body draped over mine as my tongue slid against his.

  When he pulled back, he brushed the tip of his nose against mine. “Ye lead by doin’, Ari. By bein’ who ye are. Fierce. Stubborn. Strong as fuckin’ steel.”

  My chest felt like it might burst. It was almost too much to bear—his faith in me, his complete confidence in me. But it made me want to be the person he saw when he looked at me. To deserve the pride shining in his eyes.

  Leaning up, I pressed one more hard kiss to his lips. Then I slapped his firm ass. “All right, sweet talker. Then let’s go kick some godly ass.”

  The other two had woken up sometime during Lachlan’s and my make-out session, and we all got to our feet quickly. Since we didn’t exactly have camping gear or food for breakfast, we were ready to head out in a matter of minutes.

  As we stepped out of our makeshift shelter, I held up my hand to block the early morning sun rays, staring out over the horizon. “Where do you think we should—”

  Before the final words were even past my lips, a flare rose up in the distance from the foothills to our right. I froze, my heart kicking into a gallop as my gaze tracked the trajectory of the flare.

  We hadn’t had any means
of staying in communication with the other groups of students who were on our side. But I had wanted to make sure we could reach each other if and when one of us found the gem. That flare that’d just been set off was an alert that one of our teams had located it.

  “Shit. We gotta go!” Spinning on my heel, I raced in the direction the flare had come from, tracing the smoke path downward as the flare hovered bright in the sky. It would stay like that for a while, magically sustained, before it petered out.

  The men were right behind me, all four of us scrambling and darting around low shrubs and plants as we hurried toward the gem’s location.

  By the time we neared it, I was out of breath—fucking hell, I should’ve spent more of the summer doing straight cardio—and the bright light of the flare in the sky was beginning to fade.

  Another team of students arrived almost exactly when we did, and it was a good fucking thing.

  Because four gods were guarding the gem.

  My heart seized in my chest as I took in the scene. A girl named Nadia was suspended above the ground, bright tendrils of magic wrapped around her limbs. It looked like she was fighting the god’s hold on her, but none of her efforts were making the slightest difference. As I watched, the tendrils of magic began to pull apart, and she screamed.

  Holy fuck. He’s going to rip her limb from limb.

  I didn’t even think. I just threw myself into the fray. The other students who’d been assigned to a team with Nadia were being similarly held by the other three gods, and I saw my men sprint toward the bound students. As I rushed forward, I threw out my hands and sent ropes of magic bursting forth. They wrapped around the god’s magic, and I pulled as hard as I could, trying to create slack on the lines that were slowly stretching Nadia’s limbs apart.

  “Help! He—”

  Her last word was cut off by an agonized scream, and fury rose in my veins. I dropped the magic I’d been using to try to free her and turned it on the god himself instead.

  He looked middle-aged, with beady eyes and a broad forehead, and his lips twisted unpleasantly as he spread his hands, about to rip the girl to pieces.

  Without even thinking, I hurled a bolt of magic at him. It hit him hard in the chest, knocking him off balance. While he was distracted, I ran toward the girl, leaping into the air and wrapping myself around her like a damn koala. She shrieked again, a mix of pain and fear this time, but I ignored it. This close to the lines of magic that wrapped around her, I was able to use my own to counteract them, slipping small threads of my power between the god’s magic and her skin.

  She shivered in my hold, shaking and crying as the god got to his feet again. Behind him, I could see the gem sparkling in the early morning light, but I couldn’t abandon Nadia until she was free.

  With a growl, the god sent new ropes of magic hurtling toward me. They began to slither around me, binding both me and Nadia.

  Motherfucker. This was not part of the damn plan.

  “Nadia,” I murmured, trying to keep my voice calm and ignore the fact that she was basically giving me a piggyback in mid-air. “I need you to help me. Do you feel what I’m doing with the god’s magic? I need you to do the same thing, okay? We need to break the hold.”

  She sniffled and gasped, but I felt her nod. Tentatively, her magic followed the same path mine had, creating even more space between the god’s power and our bodies.

  “What…?”

  The low voice ahead of us drew my attention, and I looked up to see the god regarding us with wide eyes as we slowly fought against his magic.

  Ha. That’s right, you fucker. This is why your leader fears wild magic users.

  With a final surge of energy, Nadia and I broke the binds holding us. We tumbled to the ground, landing in a tangle of limbs. I rolled away as she pressed up to her hands and knees, her limbs shaking so much it looked like she was trying to stand up in the middle of an earthquake.

  Shit. We’d managed to wriggle out of the god’s magic, but Nadia was out for the count. And the god was still pissed.

  I clambered to my feet, squaring off against him as my breath came hard and fast. From the corner of my eye, I saw Trace and another student break past the god they’d been battling, and my heart leapt.

  “Hey! You think you’re better than us, you dumb fuck?” Raising my hands, I created a web of magic between my fingers, taunting the god with the beady eyes.

  That’s right, keep watching me.

  I threw the net at him, but he raised an arm and swept it aside. Then he lifted one foot and stomped hard on the ground. A ripple of power spread out from where his foot connected with the earth, sending Nadia back down as she tried to stand. I nearly lost my footing, and I saw Trace stumble as he reached for the gem.

  Come on, come on…

  He righted himself as the student behind him was caught again by the tendrils of magic a god shot at him. The magic ropes pulled the other man back toward the angry god, but I could only focus on Trace’s hand as his fist closed around the gem.

  But then he stumbled forward, nearly going to his knees.

  The gem continued to hover about six feet off the ground. For a second, it looked almost transparent, as if it were a ghost of the real thing. Then it became opaque again.

  What the fuck?

  With an angry snarl, Trace turned to snatch at the gem again, but the god who had captured the other student released a pulse of blue light from his hand. It hit Trace in the chest and sent him flying backward.

  “Trace!”

  I ducked under a blast of magic that the middle-aged god sent flying toward me, sprinting over to where Trace was crumpled on the ground. He sat up as I reached him, coughing and gasping for breath.

  “Dammit.” He shook his head to clear it. “It’s real, Ari. I’m sure of it. I felt my fingertips brush it. But those fuckers cheated. They made it fade out as soon as I tried to grab it. They never meant for this to be a fair fight, and they sure as hell aren’t gonna let us win.”

  Anger made me clench my jaw so tightly my teeth ached. “Yeah. I don’t need anyone to let me win. Those assholes aren’t gonna get away with this.”

  A slightly pained grin split his face. “Fuck, I love you.”

  I grinned back, then helped him to his feet. The two of us wheeled to face the action again, realizing as we did that a third group had joined our efforts—the one led by Eden. Grim satisfaction filled me as I watched them hurl themselves into the fray. The gods might’ve thought that bringing us all here would give them more chances to kill us, but it had also given us the power in numbers that was so essential to combating the gods’ massive strength. And with more of us searching for the gem, it had only taken a day to find it, instead of a month.

  As Eden and her team hurled spell after spell at the gods, keeping them on their heels and distracted, I looked over and caught Lachlan’s and Merrick’s gazes. Without a word, they nodded, sprinting forward to join Trace and me as the four of us raced for the gem.

  It was eerily reminiscent of the first time we’d done this, after spending weeks in the godly realm fighting off unknown threats and getting to know and respect each other. In the final stretch, we had all had to sprint for the gem, pushing through a wall of magic that had slowed us to a crawl.

  Nothing was slowing us this time though.

  Lach, Trace, and Merrick all threw up shields as we dashed toward the gem, deflecting blasts of magic meant to knock us off course. The others were fighting the gods off, keeping them busy, but they couldn’t hold them much longer.

  Ahead of me, the gem flickered slightly—not a glint of sunlight off its faceted surface, but as if the gen had blipped in and out of existence.

  Motherfucker.

  Trace was right. The gods were toying with us. This was the real gem; the power radiating from it made me certain of that. But every time someone reached out to grab it, I was certain it would fade into nothing.

  That’s not fucking fair. This whole challenge isn’t fu
cking fair.

  The thought made a burst of anger flare inside me, hot and bright.

  Without thinking, I whipped my hand out, letting magic pour from my fingertips. As the gem flickered again, my magic wrapped around it. My body jolted, almost as if I’d touched a live wire. I could feel the power of the gem through my magic as the thing tried to repel the spell I was wrapping around it. But I held on tight, forcing more magic out as the men and I sprinted the last few feet toward the gem.

  I pushed off with my back foot, hurtling through the air toward the glimmering stone.

  My hand closed around it.

  For just a second, it felt like I had wrapped my fist around nothing.

  But then my magic gave a sharp tug, and the gem faded back into solidity, cold and hard against my palm.

  My feet hit the ground hard, and I stumbled slightly, one hand still clutching the gem. A victorious cry fell from my lips, but it broke off suddenly as I felt an invisible force latch on to me.

  Then, in the blink of an eye, the ether pulled me away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Shit!

  I remembered what Dean Frost had said. The winner, whoever claimed the gem, would be taken immediately to the gods’ palace for an audience with them.

  Desperately, I reached out with my magic as the ether sucked me away from the mountainside plateau where we’d been fighting. I felt it latch around the three men who had been standing near me, and I held on as tightly as I could as I flew through space.

  A second later, I was spat out in an opulent, airy room with white marble walls. It felt a little like I’d been dragged here by my hair, like I’d been turned inside-out on the way, and I worked hard not to barf as I stumbled and caught my balance. I heard noises behind me and glanced over my shoulder to see Trace, Lach, and Merrick tumble out of the ether as well.

  Thank fuck.

  Whatever I had done to bind them to me, it’d been enough to get them sucked into the portal the gods had created too.

  I wasn’t alone in this.