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His wicked blue eyes took shameless advantage of the opportunity she’d presented him, and his sneer softened into a sensual perusal that had her pulse pounding all over again. “Well,” he drawled, closing on her. “If the situation is not yet critical…”
“But it could be.” His interest delighted her into laughter. “And I need to deal with it this morning.”
“Pity.” He cupped her breast. “Go and shower so we can get this done and get back to more pleasurable activities.”
“We?” Haziel stepped away and put some necessary distance between her and the distracting hell prince. “You are not tasked with this. You should not be here.” And now that her brain was sort of working again, she added, “In fact, shouldn’t you be trying to locate Lucifer?”
“Mmm.” He trailed his forefinger between her breasts and down her stomach. “There have been developments with Lucifer, and I am going with you to assess the horsemen situation.”
“Developments?” Heat trailed the path of his finger over her skin.
He smirked and kissed the top of one breast. “I really don’t want to talk about my brother while I’m doing this.”
“Then you need to stop doing that.” Her breathy, needy tone didn’t convince either of them. However, Ramiel would definitely not be happy about Wrath being with her. His deal with her to help Eddie had hinged on her putting distance between herself and Wrath. Last night he had appeared without her having any prior knowledge, but if she allowed him to come with her this morning, it would be reneging on Ramiel. She steeled herself and stepped away from him. “You can’t come with me.”
“Can’t?” Up went one eyebrow, and his expression was pure, unadulterated arrogance. “Who says I cannot?”
“Ramiel.” She had to move carefully around the truth. Wrath would react badly if he knew all Ramiel’s instruction to her, and they didn’t need more discord between the two of them. “He sent me to do this alone.”
“And you will.” Wrath shrugged. “I too have come here alone to assess the situation, and we ran into each other.” His gaze grew slumberous. “Unless you’d like to delay our visit?”
It was ridiculous how much she wanted to do exactly that, and she hurried to the bathroom before her willpower broke. Wrath’s reasoning was sketchy, but it was enough to quiet her guilt, and she wasn’t about to look that particular gift horse in the mouth.
* * *
Wrath rented them a car to drive to the site where the horsemen had rested since way before humans had walked the earth, when the gas and dust particles orbiting a new sun had first formed a planet. They had been here before archangels and hell princes, and even before the old gods. No being she had ever encountered knew where they had come from or how they’d been formed. The horsemen just were. Everybody was clear on their purpose, however. They would bring about the end of days—meaning life as all current beings of heaven, hell, and earth knew it. Once they were roused, getting them to subside into their dormant state would be a monumental task.
She and Wrath could have flown to the site, but discretion was always the better option, and especially in this age where information moved at such a rapid pace. You never knew when someone with a cell phone was recording you. It also gave her more time to spend with Wrath, and she wasn’t about to argue against that.
Wrath—not surprisingly—suffered from road rage, so Haziel drove. It was a crisp, clear Southern Hemisphere winter day as they passed dormant savannah beneath an achingly blue sky.
“So, what exactly does Ramiel want you to do?” Wrath had donned a pair of sunglasses and looked like a remarkably handsome human man in his jeans and oatmeal colored sweater.
“Since we first caught that stirring on the monitoring systems, there hasn’t been further action. He wants me to ascertain how serious the threat is or if it’s merely an anomaly.”
Grunting, Wrath glared out his window. “And if it’s not an anomaly, what exactly are you supposed to do?”
“Report back to him.” And after that, she was to return to Ramiel’s demesne and remain there. No more humans, no more adventures, and no more Wrath. If she hadn’t known all too painfully well that Ramiel felt nothing more for her than familial affection, she would have thought he was jealous. Maybe he was jealous, but not in the way her foolish heart would have longed for. Ramiel saw her as his, a possession, a tool, and he did not share well with others.
“Hmm.” Wrath turned in his seat and studied her. “You do know that their power will affect you?”
“Of course.” She tried to keep her concerns hidden. As long as he didn’t ask the question, she wouldn’t have to admit her apprehensions. “That is why he sent a seraph. We are more sensitive to the powers of other beings, and if any being would sense more than a power anomaly or a temporary shift, it would be me.”
“He should have come with you.” Wrath’s jaw tightened. “The horsemen are the most powerful force we know of, and anything could happen. He should be here to assist you should you require it.”
“I assume he had other things, more important things, to do,” she said. She hadn’t asked Ramiel why he couldn’t do this task, because she’d known that her mission was more about separating her from Wrath than anything else.
Wrath stared at her, and then shook his head. “You always give him the benefit of the doubt, don’t you?”
“He is my archangel.” And that meant more than she could put into words. She had come into being from Ramiel’s power, created to serve him and do his bidding. His will was hers to obey, and she had always been happy to serve. Until a certain hell prince with a bad attitude and a beautiful smile had made her wonder if there were other ways to exist, ways that filled her aching, lonely heart and made her crave more.
“Fuck.” Wrath stretched his arm over the back of her seat. “Let’s not talk about that dickwad.” He gestured the area outside the car. “It’s a beautiful day after a great night.” He winked at her. “And I don’t want to be in a bad mood.”
And that was fine with Haziel. Soon she would have to leave, and she had no idea how long it would be before Ramiel allowed her near Wrath again. It made more sense to enjoy the time they had. “Perfect.”
Chapter Thirty
The next morning, Eddie managed to persuade Shade she was well enough to be up and about. He didn’t look happy about it as he trailed her through the theatre. He mumbled at her back about her needing time to rest and recover.
