by Meg Xuemei X
I stole another glance at Héctor as a sudden thought occurred to me. As a mortal, Héctor could now touch any woman he liked.
Uncertainty and new sorts of anxiety twirled in my belly.
“Are my two other mates, Axel and Paxton, inside the tower, Crystal?” I asked.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Crystal said, her smile brightening as her gaze found Héctor. I couldn’t stop other women from gawking at my mates, could I? I shouldn’t be that petty, right? A lot of beings called me bitch already, but I didn’t like how she looked at my Héctor as if he was her candy and she wanted to lick him.
I snapped my fingers. “Look here, Crystal. You were talking to me. You weren’t talking to him.”
“Sorry, Princess.” Crystal had the nerve to wink at me. “Axel and Paxton are enjoying nymphs and succubi provided by Her Majesty.”
“Enjoy? What the actual fuck?” I cried.
A stab of jealousy impaled me from my groin to the center of my heart, and blinding rage beat in me like vicious wings.
Thanks, Mom! Thanks very much! That’s the way to treat your own daughter!
Should I find Axel and Paxton cheating on me, I’d stick my half-wet boots right into their unfaithful demigod asses before I dumped their sorry asses for good. They could stay in this realm forever, enjoying these loose nymphs and bimbo succubi for all I cared. I still had Zak and Héctor. They wouldn’t betray me. I’d lead the two of them out of the Void and we’d go see the world beyond.
But in truth, I did care. I cared with all my heart and soul, and the rational, cool part of me ordered me to cool my tits and reminded me how it had ended the last time I’d trailed Axel, believing he was going to do Brittney behind my back.
“I don’t need you to kneel,” I scolded them, waving for the handmaids to get to their feet. “Take me to my mates. Now!”
“You’re as mean as they said.” Crystal rose to her feet and smirked at me.
I had to control myself not to slap the smug smile off her pretty face. My mates’ virtue was in danger. How dared she smile at that?
She turned and swayed her hips in big, sexy swings, and I lost my shit.
I lunged and shoved her forward hard. “Stop fucking waving your big ass and hurry the fuck up!”
Zak blinked and Héctor chuckled.
Crystal whimpered, but she quickened her paces, not wanting me to do something worse than shoving her. Yep, I had a mean streak and a worse reputation. But I doubt any chick would be nicer than me when seeing other females trying to seduce her men right in front of her.
The rest of the handmaids trailed after us, keeping a distance from me.
“I didn’t expect our lost princess to be so…” one of them whispered.
“I heard you,” I said, turning to scowl at them. “Rude is my middle name. Crazy is another one. Get used to it. But if you make yourself fucking useful and efficient, then I don’t need to show that side to you.”
“She said fuck.” One of them giggled. “I like fucking. A lot.”
I’d seen how their seductive eyes roamed on Zak’s and Héctor’s hot bodies and glued to their groins.
“You won’t be screwing any of my mates unless you don’t mind losing a tit or both,” I said heatedly. “They’ve been taken for a while now. They’re all mine.”
I slanted a sidelong glance at my mates to see if they found this dominant, possessive part of me a turnoff.
“I like you defending us, Rosebud,” Zak said. “You’re the perfect mate for me.”
I grinned at him shyly. “If you say so.”
“Staking a claim on your mates is the right way, Lamb,” Héctor confirmed. “Show them fangs and don’t be afraid to tear a chunk of flesh. If you desire to kill a few to set an example like you did in Hell, you’ll have my full support, my love.”
Crystal started jogging and no longer swung her shapely hips in the slightest, and the other gorgeous handmaids peeled further away from us.
The guards remained motionless like stone statues and the golden gate with an archangel’s formidable image sprawling all over it closed behind us. I was less concerned about being trapped inside this fort than about the prospect of all the boobs bumping and rubbing against Axel and Paxton.
They wouldn’t choose to cheat on me willingly, but with all the temptation around them in my absence, I wasn’t so confident they wouldn’t slip once in a while.
Few men could resist the sexual advances of pretty women, and my mother had sent succubi—the most advanced seductresses of all species—to get into Axel’s and Paxton’s pants. If they had succumbed and gotten in bed with other women, what was I going to do with them?
And Paxton was at his most vulnerable state. We hadn’t finished mating, and the universe seemed to try to prevent our union. He was barely hanging in there and his need for a release was desperate.
With a horde of temptresses surrounding him, gorgeous and skilled in all things sensual, more than willing to quench his thirst and sate his burning lust, how could he not fall?
Images of Paxton tangling with other women between the sheets had me close to exploding, and I shook them off. If that turned out to be a reality, it would crush me. Paxton would break my heart a second time.
Anxiety, dread, and fury buzzed in me like an unceasing alarm. I could barely remember which grand hall I entered and what corridors I passed. My only thought was to reach Paxton and Axel before it was too late, before they chose other women over me.
And then I was climbing stair after stair toward the peak of the tower, following the handmaids. They stopped before reaching the top floor.
“This is as far as we’re allowed to go, Princess,” Crystal said, no longer smiling. She led the other handmaids toward a long hallway and vanished from sight.
I kept ascending, two steps at a time, shoving back my exhaustion. I needed to get to Paxton and Axel.
A full window came into view though I hadn’t reached the landing yet, the glass glinting with golden light from outside. I paused on the step and peered out at a fairy forest with blue blossoms that sparkled like stars. It was exactly the illusion I’d shown Lucifer to lure him into the Void. Only what I saw now wasn’t an illusion.
“This place can bend reality and defy the laws of physics” I said in awe. “Someone created—”
I turned away from the view to address Zak and Héctor, only to find they weren’t with me anymore.
Panic and apprehension washed over me, then rage. “Where are my mates?” I roared.
Echoes of my anger bounced off the walls of the ivory tower in response.
Remorse and guilt beat in me.
What kind of mate was I that I couldn’t even guard the mates by my side? Those months of being alone in Hell were the worst period of my life. I wouldn’t go through it again. I didn’t do well without my mates. I’d get all of them back at all costs.
The only option was to keep going, find Mom, and challenge her, since this was obviously her domain.
I ran up the stairs. Reaching the top, I shouted my mates’ names in uncontainable rage.
I stalked toward a large golden door. Carved on it was a paradise scene where beautiful beings enjoyed a picnic under the stars. It was exquisite and detailed, but in my current mood, I didn’t care for art.
I raised my dirty boot and kicked the door as hard as I could. The door swung open and I charged in, in my hand a machete I’d stolen on the way here.
I squinted at what I saw.
No mates. No looming danger in sight. Just an opulent sitting room with a plush sofa, two dragon chairs across from it, and a round hardwood table over a million-dollar floral rug between them. An elegant tea set waited on the rare wood table, steam still rising from one of the antique cups.
The scent of rose and rain and fire permeated the air.
On the four glass walls, a different scenario played—a live show of the ongoing worlds. On one wall, stars wheeled in deep space as ships sailed through the unknown
galaxies. Another displayed a primitive planet where a gang of alien beings hunted animals in untamed woods. The third wall looked like a movie of medieval times, overdressed nobility dancing in a king’s court.
This was a spyglass room.
Lilith arose from the handcrafted dragon chair and faced me. She wore an exquisite blue gown that hugged her gorgeous shape and spilled half of her perky breasts, exactly like the dress I’d shown to Lucifer in my illusion. A crown of stars, diamonds, and power sat on her silvery head. Her hair billowed in waves even though there was no breeze in the room.
Mom was humoring me.
“Mom?” I called, already forgetting to challenge her.
“Belle,” she answered in a dark, lovely voice, her silver eyes radiating delight and amusement. “Are you going to stab your own mother?”
“Uh? No. Why?” I asked dumbly, then I noticed the machete in my hand. I tossed it onto the sofa and turned attention back to my mother. “You can call me Marigold,” I said, feeling a bit awkward. Who wouldn’t when meeting their mother in the flesh after twenty-one years? “People call me all sorts of names. It’s getting confusing.”
“Look at you, my little one.” She smiled, which made her seem less predatory. “You’ve grown up. Come sit by me.”
She gestured for me to take the chair across from her. I crossed the room and sank into it, my hand rubbing my lower back to ease the tension, considering what I’d escaped from and that my mates were now all missing.
“Mom, are my mates all here?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said, regarding me with a motherly look that made me warm, shy, and nervous all at the same time. As an archangel and former Queen of Hell, she didn’t look one day older than me, except for her eyes. They glittered with the wisdom of someone ancient and brutal.
“Then shouldn’t you bring them here to join me?” I asked, picking up the teacup in front of me. I drained the cup and set it back on the saucer on the table. “They could use some refreshment, too.”
“You’ll see them soon, little one,” she said with an indulgent smile. “Don’t you want to spend some alone time with your mother first?”
“Yeah, of course. I just want to make sure my mates are safe.”
“They’re well taken care of. You’ll see.” Mom laughed. “They’re the demigods who lead men to wars. I wouldn’t worry about them. On the contrary, I should be concerned about my subjects being in danger in their hands.”
I swallowed, pondering if I should inform Mom that one of my mates was now a mortal and any wounds could be fatal. I decided she didn’t need to know, and the talk of danger reminded me of my immortal enemies.
“Lucifer and Ares are here somewhere,” I warned.
“Don’t mind them,” Mom said with a lighthearted smile. “They were delivered to the City of Wails and Bones after they escaped the monsters’ region. No one can come to the Realm of the Ivory Tower without my invitation.”
“But I thought you’d want to get revenge for Lucifer’s betrayal,” I said eagerly. “And since he’s in your realm now, you can rain down your wrath on his ass. You can take him down, Mom.”
Lilith let out a peal of laughter, her silver horns shivering. “That happened eons ago, child. I got over it. The past is like old clothes that you don’t want to wear again. I won’t give Lucifer a moment of my time. If I see him again in another place, I’ll gladly stab a dagger in his eye, but I don’t want him here to pollute the air in my realm, not even for revenge. And you already did a number on him.” She tossed my wild hair. “Good girl.”
“I still have a score to settle with him and Ares,” I said.
Lilith sipped her tea and smiled at me. “Then you can settle with them later if they manage to escape the City of Wails and Bones, one of the worst places to visit.”
“Excellent,” I said. As I peeked into the empty teacup to remind Mom that it needed a refill, I found the cup was brimmed with liquid of golden brown color. “Thanks, Mom. This is good tea. Soon I want my mates to taste it, too.”
It was full of exquisite flavor.
“I’d dreamt to see you in here, like this, for a long time,” Mom said.
“You could have kept me here with you,” I said. “Why did you give me up and send me to Earth?”
“Your life is beyond this ivory tower,” she said softly. “I wanted you to have the freedom to choose the life you want.”
My heart warmed. Mom had been the true leader who led the fallen angels to war so they could gain their freedom. She’d been punished, betrayed, and cast out of heaven after she lost the war. She’d wanted me to have the same gift of freedom that she cherished more than anything.
“Most important, the Void wasn’t safe for you at that time,” she said. “I was greatly weakened from giving birth, and you weren’t like any other baby. You were the most glorious little angel, with both archangel and Titan blood. But all the gods of all the worlds wouldn’t allow the existence of a superior being like you. They decreed someone like you as an abomination because they were afraid when you came to power, you could tear any god and world apart. You alone can shatter their rules and remake the world if you so choose.”
My mouth fell open. I knew I had power, sure, but remake the world?
“But as a baby,” Mom continued, “you were defenseless and innocent, and I wasn’t powerful enough to protect you. Every thousand years, the original gods—Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon—would visit the Void to make sure the Titans were still locked up in their eternal prison. If they learned about your existence when they came to the Void, they’d have killed you, and their visit was due.”
“Did they come?”
Mom shook her head. “They were delayed for decades. I have a feeling they’ll be here any time now. I do not wish you to meet them while you’re here. You’re powerful, Daughter, but you came to power recently. You aren’t ready to battle them yet. You’ll need more training. Given more time, we can meet them head to head and take them down. When the day comes and you grow into a great power, you’ll rock their every foundation. You’ll be the queen of all the gods and all the worlds. All will fear and worship you, my Belle.”
“Uh, Mom, I don’t want to rule the worlds or gods,” I said. “It’ll be too much work to keep the pricks in check. It’s not worth my mental health.”
“I can assist you, Daughter. I know how to rule them.”
“I’m not really ambitious.” I looked at her sheepishly for being such a disappointment, but I was also stubborn to have my way. “I just want to live peacefully with my mates. But Mom, when I met you in the Dreamscape, I promised you I’d come to the Void and get you out of here. I’ll keep my vow.”
She’d come to me when I was trapped in Hell, losing every sliver of hope and myself. And she’d taught me how to feed from Hell’s inferno.
She didn’t raise me like a human mother, but she’d done her best for me.
“Dearest,” Mom said, her eyes sparkling with amusement and her smile doting. “I need no rescue. I’m at home. The Realm of the Ivory Tower has the purest energy and magic in the universe. I don’t even need to travel in space to see the worlds. The universe unfolds before me in my tower. I can easily reach the end of the galaxies with my fingertips.”
The teacup in her hand morphed to a wine glass with red liquid inside. She twirled the stem of the crystal with her delicate hand.
“I’ve lived my life to its fullest, child,” she said daintily, and there was an almost untraceable melancholy in her darkly enchanting voice. “There’s nothing new under every sun and every star in the broad universe, except you. I can call no place home save the Void. There isn’t much life for me anywhere else anymore.”
Mom had grown weary of the outside world, but I could see her point. In this realm, she was the queen of everything. Magic flowed vibrantly here, tasting like the aged wine in her glass. Reality bent to her will.
“The Void stripped our powers and siphoned my mates’ energy,” I said. �
��How do you manage to keep yours, Mom? We need to get our powers back to survive whatever comes our way.”
“A reward.” She smiled at me, showing all pearl-white teeth. “I gave birth to the child of the Void. The alien beings don’t have their powers in this realm, but you’re the Princess of the Void. Your power isn’t gone, but on hold. You just need to be initiated properly since your power works differently in this realm. You commanded the beasts and stopped their attack before you jumped off the cliff. That’s your power.”
I had felt the stir of variant magic in my well. And the monsters had listened to me. Mom was probably right.
“I didn’t jump,” I said. “That asswipe war god dragged me with him and I almost sprained my ankle.”
“You need to stake your claim on your birthright in the Void to become more powerful, Belle,” she said. “But there’s a catch. If you become too mighty and bright and magnificent, the Void won’t let you leave. You need to manage the fine line. I’d love to have you here with me and take care of you, but I know it won’t be your heart’s desire. It’s not your path.”
“Did you see me sometimes through the spyglass?” I asked.
“All the time, daughter,” she said, her voice soft and lethal, and tears glistening in her silver eyes, “until I couldn’t bear to see you suffer. Those were the only times I felt powerless and helpless because I couldn’t go to you. I couldn’t bear your pain for you.”
“You came to my Dreamland, Mom. You helped me survive Hell when it mattered.”
“I should have done more.”
I traced my gaze to the glass walls.
“Can you show me Earth?”
A wave sailed over the glass wall, exploding into fire and smoke. And I watched the collapsing of Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the longest suspension bridge that connected Staten Island, where Half-Blood Academy was situated, and Brooklyn. Steel, concrete, and cables tore apart, plummeting into the ocean beneath. The scene changed, showing humans marching against humans with swords, guns, and missiles. War broke out in every corner of the world.