Rowan growled, baring his fangs and glaring at her. He didn’t want her bad influence corrupting his innocent mate. If only he knew half the thoughts that ran through my head.
“So, you’ve encountered the void god before, Lady Marigold?” Cade asked, clearly impressed.
Marigold’s smile turned predatory. “More than that, mage.”
“We kicked his ass,” Zak stated. “That fucker ran from us.”
Now everyone on our side looked more than impressed—even Killian.
“How?” Silas demanded, his scheming mind already whirring.
“Standing before you is the famous Titan princess, the daughter of the Titan King and the Queen of the Void, children!” Isis chimed in, her voice carrying a newfound respect. “Her four mates are among the most powerful demigods, most of them second-born.”
“We’re galaxy explorers,” Axel said. Though the youngest of the demigods, he carried himself with an easy confidence. “We go where no one else has gone before.”
“We’re more like the Guardians of the Galaxy, if you catch my meaning,” Zak added.
All the heirs stared at the demigods from the other side with envy.
“That is one evil motherfucker you’re trying to smuggle into our world,” shescolded. “Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire!”
“Everyone lies, and our pants don’t catch fire,” Barbie shot back. “And since your mom is the Queen of the Void, this unwanted baby belongs to her. He crawled out of it, so we want him to go back.”
“He is not from our void,” Marigold stated firmly. “And even if he were, we don’t want another loser.”
Time for a different approach. “Do you live in the void, Marigold? In the world beyond this fog?” I asked, keeping my tone casual.
“Nope,” she said. “That is Mom’s territory. We’re just here checking on Mom and Dad. We’re from the other Earth. My birthday is coming up, so I’m expecting big gifts from them both. Then I’m off to Hell to collect a birthday gift from King Loki. He dreads it—he’s my stepbrother, and he’s cheap.” She beamed with delight. “Last time, Dad gave me an entire planet. The beaches have purple sand, like the color of my hair.”
I gave her hair an admiring look. “You have the best mom and dad, don’t you?” I said, unable to hide my envy. What wouldit be like to have parents who showered you with affection and entire planets instead of trying to eat you?
“Well, it’s complicated,” she said, her expression sobering. “I grew up poor in the most dangerous district. I only met them after one of my asshole mates kidnapped me and took me to the academy. I was almost killed a few times. So now they try to make up for it by showering me with expensive gifts.”
“Gotta take advantage of that,” Axel said with hearty approval. “The guilt trip always works like a charm.”
Marigold nodded, a bright smile returning to her face.
“You see, this is my evil father,” I said, deciding honesty was our best strategy. I kicked the baby-shaped bundle, sending him spinning twice before he stilled. “He was reduced to this after my sister returned all the magic and energy he stole from countless worlds. He consumed planets and ate us when we were children. Today, she sacrificed herself to trap him. Even frozen like this, he’s too dangerous for our Earth. The only place he can’t break free from is the void.”
After a long silence, broken only by the rustle of shifting wings, Hector turned to Marigold.
“Let’s take him off their hands,” Hector said. Despite appearing the meanest of the demigods, a flicker of something softer crossed his gaze. “We can put that evil infant in the cell next to Cronus to irritate him. It’s empty anyway.”
“And if he escapes?” Marigold asked.
“Then the wild hunt begins. Worst case, he finds his way back to the old Earth,” Hector said, pulling her close and kissing her with a passion that rivaled that between Rowan and me.
We waited patiently for them to break apart. When they did, her other mates took their turns, kissing, savoring, and cherishing her as if they had all the time in the world. When the marathon of affection finally ended, Marigold was flushed andglowing, her eyes radiating a faint violet light. Damn, she was extremely powerful, even with her power muted.
“Let’s say we take that old loser off your hands,” Marigold said, her eyes sparkling. “What’s in it for us?”
Shit, now she wanted a gift. Then again, we were asking her to take our cosmic toxic waste.
“What do you want?” Killian asked, his tone bored but his gaze watchful. “If it is within our power to give, it is yours.”
Marigold turned to her mates, batting her eyelashes in a way that had all four of them looking utterly smitten all over again.
A silent conversation passed between them, a language of looks and subtle shifts in expression that spoke volumes.
