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He tossed his glass over the balcony and stomped over to her chaise. It was all rather thrilling with his dark, broody good looks and delicious muscles.
“We are leaving,” he said. “In the morning.” Leaning down, he put his face close to hers. “And don’t mistake me for Ramiel. Next time you look at me like you want to touch, I’m going to take you up on the offer.”
Chapter Fifteen
Sophia wanted to share her good news, but with Dee so worried about Eddie, she was forced to hug it to herself. She’d auditioned and been offered the part of Cecily. Peter had said she was a natural, and even Lillian had admitted she had talent.
If she’d known she would love acting so much, she would have done something about it centuries ago. All that time and all those wonderful parts that she hadn’t played. But she was going to make up for lost time now. Gabriel would have a shit fit, but Sophia didn’t care. Other supernaturals broke the rules with impunity and got nothing more than a slap on the wrist. She was going to act, and the rest of the heavenly host could get twisted about it.
“Uriel—I beg your pardon—Sophia.” Daniel hurried down the corridor toward her. His clean-cut, handsome face wore a worried expression. “I’ve been monitoring the seals.”
“You can do that?” The guardians had never admitted to being able to monitor what happened in hell.
Daniel flushed. “Yes, I’m not supposed to tell you but, in the circumstances, I think some of the rules need bending.”
Exactly what she had been thinking. “The news is not good?”
“No.” Daniel held up his phone and showed her seven bars of light. All of them either red or orange. “Each bar is one of the seals. Wrath is the most stable, lust still the worst, but avarice and pride aren’t looking pretty either. I have a theory all the disruptions in hell are only adding to the problem.”
“The red means danger?” Sophia studied the flickering lights.
“Yes.” Daniel pointed. “The hell princes are going to get more unpredictable the more the seals deteriorate.” He put his phone away. “Have you heard from Shade?”
“Not for a couple of days.” And he was out there in the earth realm, broadcasting unadulterated lust as he searched for Eddie.
Daniel stared at his phone and frowned. “I understand what he’s doing and why, but the situation is getting more precarious.”
“Oh, dear.” Her news took a definite back seat to Daniel’s.
He put his phone away and looked at her. “Can you do anything?”
“I could find him and see how he’s doing.” Shade hated being checked on. “However, we need to get him back to hell where he can cause the minimum amount of damage to humans and try to contain his seal.”
“Will he go?” Daniel chewed on his bottom lip.
“Not without Eddie.” Sophia shared a concerned look with Daniel. She understood how Shade felt, but it was time to insist he went home.
Daniel nodded. “Maybe try to talk to him?”
Not that it would do much good, but she nodded. “I can sense him on this plane. I’ll find him and see what I can do.”
“Thank you.” Daniel smiled at her, a nice smile, warm and inviting. “Oh, and congratulations on your part. You’re going to be wonderful.”
* * *
Sophia found Shade in a crappy motel room with a bottle of cheap whisky tucked under his arm. He looked terrible with dark smudges under his bloodshot eyes. Actually, he didn’t look terrible at all. He looked desperate and dangerous, and it was all alarmingly sexy.
“Sophia.” He sensed her before she spoke. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.” She examined the bedspread for vermin before perching gingerly beside him. She needed to tell him about his seal, but her heart ached for him. Even though he was in this state over a female who was not her. “No luck?”
“The hounds are closing in on her,” he said and swigged his whisky. He grimaced before swallowing. “They sensed her before I last called Dee. But just when we think we’ve got a lock on her, it goes dark again.” He turned tortured gray eyes on her. “They’re torturing her, Sophia, and with all my powers I can do nothing.”
She pried the bottle from his fingers. Going full human in a crisis wasn’t going to help the situation. “You don’t know they’re torturing her.”
“Yes, I do.” He watched her put the bottle on the nightstand with a dull gaze. “She can visit me in her dreams.”
“Oh, Shade.” Her heart constricted in her chest. She hated seeing him like this. It would have been easier if he didn’t know how much trouble his Eddie was in. “Can I help?”
