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Chapter
Twenty-Nine
And on that, thank fuck, everyone seemed to agree. Shade despised gatherings but the breaking of the seals demanded nothing less. And the damage was not limited to Wrath’s and his demesnes. All the hell princes were reporting missing demons and damaged seals.
The meeting broke up shortly thereafter, with the hell princes going back to check the status of their seals and to see if they could discover where the demons were disappearing to. The angels went off to do whatever Gabriel had on her list for them to do.
Shade made sure to shoulder check Michael as he passed. Fucking war archangel, always blade happy and quick on the draw. And hell princes got the bad rap?
Michael glared back at him. “Watch yourself.”
“Or what?” If Michael had been his counterpart, they would have ended each other millennia ago. “You going to take out your little sword and wave it about?”
Ava grabbed Michael by the front of his breastplate. “Come on, big guy. Let’s go terrify a few guardians.”
Shade winked at Ava. Avarice amused him, and with a real name like Mammon, he respected her right to call herself Ava. He wouldn’t turn his back on the tricky prince, but she was quick and funny.
The guardians slouched off, grumbling and shooting dagger looks at everyone, but they also subsided in the face of a much greater danger.
The look Chris shot Eddie as he left got Shade’s fighting blood pumping. That man did not like Eddie and was looking for a way to show her how much. Well, the shithead would have to get through Shade first. And judging by the glower Wrath was wearing, Shade had backup.
Finally, it was only Uriel and Ramiel with a smiling Haziel pouring wine for everyone on one side of the greenroom, and Wrath and him on the other.
Eddie stood in the middle and drained her first glass of wine. She was pale but composed, and Shade wanted to hold her and also cheer for her. She had a spine of steel and had rolled with the huge shitfest that had been dumped on her with incredible resilience.
Popping up behind Eddie, Haziel refilled her glass with a smile. “It helps.”
Haziel was a true sweetheart and Shade’s favorite kind of angel. As a seraph, she was one order below an archangel and served Ramiel with a lot more loyalty than the arrogant prick deserved. For that, Shade truly pitied her.
Uriel was the only archangel he could tolerate.
“Right.” Eddie took another slug of wine and pointed to him and Wrath. “You two need to talk. Both of you are convinced the other one is trying to end you. You don’t have to be Lassie to work this out.”
Who the fuck was Lassie? Shade gave her a blank stare.
“Dog from a human movie,” Haziel whispered to him. “Super smart and saves her humans.”
Well, it beat Eddie’s other descriptors for him, and he was taking it as a sign she was warming to him.
“Is it possible that there is a third party creating the conflict between you?” Eddie frowned, her aqua gaze shifting from him to Wrath.
Wrath surged to his feet. “Who?”
Typical Wrath! Act first and think later. Shade rolled his eyes.
“I don’t know that,” Eddie snapped at Wrath, not in the least intimidated by the fucker’s bad temper. Damn, she had pluck. “We are just now exploring the possibility there could be a third party.”
“It makes sense.” Shade got on board with the conversation. Both he and Wrath were convinced the other was the aggressor. A third party would explain that. He glanced at Wrath. “I vow I never attacked you first.”
Bristling, Wrath said, “Are you suggesting I attacked your first?”
Eddie sighed and held up her hand. “Shade is not suggesting anything of the kind. He merely said he hadn’t attacked you first.”
“Yes, daughter.” Wrath sank down into the sofa. “And I vow on your life that I was not the aggressor either.”
“See. Now we’re getting somewhere.” Eddie spread her hands, and smiled at them as if they’d made her proud.
As a supernatural being who had spent most of his existence pleasing himself, Shade wasn’t sure what to do with his overwhelming need to please another being.
