“Accommodation would be appreciated,” Paxton said, his voice gravelly from lust. “Point the way and I’ll carry her to a room.”
Axel, Zak, and Héctor also pushed back their chairs and rose eagerly. They all knew that I’d ride them after Paxton, and then we’d go on and on until none of us could move. We all urgently needed release.
“So many demands.” Lilith rubbed her temples again. “I’m not used to demands or requests anymore.” She peeked at me ruefully. “For my Belle, I’d do anything. However, my dearest, you can’t mate in my tower. Once you do, you’ll never be able to leave. You’ll be bound to this realm, just like all the girls here.”
Paxton glowered at Lilith, his violet eyes going crimson for a fleeting second. He’d been pushed to the brink of madness by the mating fever. Then he slumped back onto his chair in defeat.
“I’m cursed,” he said. “From the moment I was born, I was cursed.”
“Unless you plan to stay in the Ivory Tower,” Lilith said delicately. “If you do, you will all be treated as royalty. The three demigods will be the princes of the Ivory Tower, mated to my daughter. Héctor will remain as a mortal until he dies peacefully in old age.”
“That’s unacceptable.” I squirmed, trying to tamp down my own raging lust.
Lilith sighed, sorrow shadowing her eyes, turning them dark gray. “Then you’ll need to be on the road as soon as you’re ready, Belle. I have all the power here, but even I can’t shield you. The Void will want to keep you. The longer your mates stay here, the weaker they’ll become until their demigod strength fades. And then none of you can get out.”
I swallowed. “How do we get out of the Void if I can’t deploy the flame, Mom?”
“The portal can be opened only in the Field of Forever—the edge of the Void,” she said. “You don’t need to use Living Flame to tear open a leyline and consume a tremendous amount of energy. The original Olympian gods—Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades—are coming soon. Try to slip out through the portal they open with their combined powers. I’m sure Zak will know how to get back to Earth from there. Hide from the sight of the original gods, daughter.”
My mates traded a look at their fathers’ possible appearance, complex emotions and alarm wheeling on their handsome faces. Septum, the ancient elemental entity, had also warned me that the gods would never give up hunting me if any of them learned about my forbidden heritage and magic. In turn, my mates clenched their fists and nodded, an identical determined look hardening their faces.
They’d fight their fathers to defend me if the gods came after me.
But I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I didn’t want to put my mates in a tough spot. For their sake, I’d be cautious and restrain from my usual ruthlessness.
“Mom, could you draw us a map?” I asked.
“You don’t need a map,” she said. “You’ll ride through the Eternal Prison to the Field of Forever after you see Hyperion. Don’t trust anyone except your father. Never let anyone toss you into the prison, or you won’t get out. And even if you manage to break out, it’ll be centuries later.”
And Earth would be in a hot mess, and my friends would all be gone.
A fleeting, haunted look in Mom’s eyes told me that she’d once been trapped in the Eternal Prison for centuries or longer. Was that how she’d met Dad?
“I still need you to point us in the direction of the prison,” I said.
“I have the convoy for you right outside the tower, as is proper for the Princess of the Void.”
“You sure you don’t want to come with us, Mom?” I asked anxiously. I didn’t want to leave her behind.
“Another life, another time. Don’t worry about me.” Mom kissed my forehead with a loving, sad smile and placed an archangel sword upon my palms. “Now, off you go, my beloved child.”
The air rippled in the patterns of waves, and the Ivory Tower’s magic deposited my mates and me outside the golden, archangel gate.
Mom wasn’t among us anymore.
CHAPTER10
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I squeezed between Paxton and Héctor on the front seat inside a magnificent carriage made of gold, diamonds, and rubies, driven by over a hundred howling beasts. My hands rested on Paxton’s and Héctor’s thighs.
Even my mates were a bit dazed at the grandeur.
I’d once seen photos of the Diamond Jubilee State Coach designed for an English Queen, which had been the talk of centuries. Mom’s coach was a thousand times more spectacular.
“Is this for real?” I asked, more to myself, and pinched Paxton’s and Héctor’s hard muscles to convince myself.
“Yes, princess, it’s real,” the lead female guard answered. She directed a dozen Amazon-like warriors to drive the beasts over the broad plains. “This is befitting the Princess of the Void, daughter to the Queen of the Ivory Tower.”