We trekked down the riverbank. One moment the cliffs towered behind us, the monsters howling at the top and the river rushing by. The next, they all vanished.
In front of us sprawled a vast, well-trimmed lawn with a large, glowing silver tree in the center. A fairy forest of red trees lined either side of the green. Their shining leaves fluttered in a breeze, lovely as a poem. At the far end of the panorama rose an ivory tower.
“What the fuck?” Héctor said, spoiling the poetic moment.
“The mise en scène suddenly shifted,” I murmured.
I would have detected an illusion immediately, thanks to Esme gifting me her power.
We were still in the Void. It had simply changed.
“That’s probably how Axel and Paxton got separated from us.”Zak narrowed his blue eyes and surveyed our surroundings. “My father traveled to this realm once every thousand years to check on his Titan prisoners.”
I nodded. “The magic here is potent.”
“But the Void sucks out all magics,” Zak said.
“Not here, obviously,” I said.
Héctor simply stared at the ivory tower, assessing the scene. He couldn’t sense magic anymore, and I’d felt the hollowness in him where his demigod power used to dominate through our mating bond. His mortality didn’t sever our bond, which was my only comfort.
“Let’s go to the tower and face whatever challenge it might bring,” he said.
With Héctor holding my left hand and Zak holding my right, we crossed the lawn toward the tower. We’d get Axel and Paxton back if they were trapped inside.
As we neared the structure, I noticed it was surrounded by a formidable gate. A carved figure with massive wings adorned the gate. The golden archangel wore a diamond crown, her eyes shining. Her left hand gripped a flaming sword, and her right arm cradled a winged baby girl.
The archangel looked like my mother. Did the ivory tower belong to Mom?
I was relieved to see there weren’t severed heads spiked on the gate, which wasn’t an uncommon sight in times of war. But there were six armored guards posed outside the entrance, and at our approach, they lifted their longswords.
Zak and Héctor eased out the swords strapped behind their backs. I’d lost my demon sword above the waterfall thanks to Ares, so I pulled the dagger from my boot.
“If we can talk our way into their fort, we won’t need to get bloody,” I said. “We don’t need to fight every war. Let me do the talking.”
“It’s best I do the talking,” Zak said.
I gave him a hard look.
He smiled dazzlingly to disarm me, his dimple showing. “No offense, Rosebud, but you were trained in the art of provoking. You often shoot first with no questions asked even later. And if the dialogue doesn’t go your way, you usually boot the offender’s chest, or his temple, depending on your mood.”
“That’s not me,” I hissed. “I know how to sweet talk.”
Héctor chuckled. “You’re good at dirty talk, my lamb with fangs.”
“I’m serious!” I said.
“I know. So I’ll do the talking, love,” Zak said, raising my hand to his lips and brushing a kiss over my palm.
I shivered at the sensation, and an aching need for him swirled in my lower belly. All my mates had learned to use sex appeal to get their way, and it seemed to work like a charm every fucking time.
“Fine,” I grated. “If your talks don’t get us anywhere, we’ll behead a guard to set an example.”
“That’s my girl,” Héctor said in approval. “Forever sexy and fierce.”
I grinned at him, even though I was kidding. I never attacked first if I didn’t sense a threat. Well, most of the time.
As one, we halted in front of the guards, regarding them and ready to swing our blades if talking didn’t get us in.