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“So you were both convinced the other attacked first?” Ramiel snapped his fingers and held up his glass for a refill from Haziel.
Eddie stiffened, and Shade wanted to pound his face into the dust.
Uriel glared at him. “Keep up, Ramiel. And thank your angel. She serves you; she’s not a serf or a minion,”
See, that’s why he liked—okay maybe not liked totally, more tolerated—Uriel.
Coloring brick red, Ramiel turned to Haziel. “Thank you.”
“You are most welcome.” Haziel beamed at Ramiel.
The gossip mill had it that Haziel had warmer feelings for Ramiel. Shade opened his senses to the energy coming from Haziel.
Huh! Interesting. Lots of admiration and devotion, but low on the lust meter. In fact, Ramiel barely moved the needle on lust for Haziel. Of course, knowing how these things worked, Haziel might not be aware that her feelings for Ramiel were less carnal and a lot more cerebral. Being the sweetheart she was, Haziel was probably confusing agape for eros. Eyeing Ramiel’s rigid posture and buttoned up demeanor, he toyed with the idea of giving matters a nudge. But Eddie would have his balls for that, and he’d made a promise to her.
“Why did you attack?” Changing tack and focus to Wrath, Shade leaned his elbows on his knees. “I mean, what made you think I was attacking?”
“Your horde,” Wrath said. “I found your horde on my land. I captured one of them, and he confessed that you had a plan to end me and take over my demesne. He said you had a way to end me and keep the balance.” He shrugged. “Obviously, I could not allow that to happen. It is my sole purpose to keep the wrath seal safe. Even from the other hell princes.” He glowered at Shade. “A short time later, I was hunting you, and more of your horde attacked and almost wiped mine out.”
“Hmm.” Shade let that sink in. If he were not with the horde hunting Wrath, could either of them be certain the horde had been acting on his instruction. “But I was not with them?” His own information source had been very suspect. “And Yesterday came to me and told me you were hunting me.”
“Yesterday, again.” Sighing, Eddie nibbled her bottom lip. A bottom lip he wouldn’t mind nibbling, maybe sucking it into his mouth, but she didn’t trust him and, worse, she didn’t trust her feelings for him. He’d only used his lust influence on her twice. The other times she’d accused him of influencing her emotions, she’d been wrong. Her desire for him came from her, but again, her mistrust prevented him from taking things further. And they also had the current epic fuck up happening around them to deal with first.
“Stop looking at my daughter like that.” Wrath growled. “I do not accept it.”
“Hey.” Eddie blushed and glared at Wrath. “I get to decide what and who I accept. Not you.”
With a grumble, Wrath crossed his arm over his mammoth chest. “We will discuss.”
“No, we will—”
“Eddie.” Shade interrupted them before Wrath could screw things up further. Not that he cared about shielding Wrath, but Eddie deserved to get to know her sire. “Let’s focus on the more important issue for now.”
“Okay.” Eddie took a deep breath. “When you say the seals are cracking, what does that mean?”
Her question surprised him. “You saw what it meant. You were there at my seal.”
“Yes.” She waved a hand and looked adorably flustered. “I know what the actual cracking looks like. I was referring more to the effects and the results of those effects. Did either of you notice any discrepancies before you noticed the seals cracking. Maybe you two should compare notes, there might be similarities or differences.”
“She must get her intelligence from her mother.” Shade gave her a warm smile. She’d zeroed in on their greatest weakness as hell princes; the inability to cooperate.
Wrath snorted, and then shot Eddie a guilty glance.
With a head shake, Eddie got them on track again. “Back to the seals.”
Shade gave it some thought. The seal had existed for so long that he didn’t really pay close attention to it. It was just there. A constant in his existence. But Eddie was right, something must have made him check it and discover the problem.
Wrath sat up straighter and opened his mouth. With a humph, he subsided again.
As per usual, no help from that quarter.
“There must be something.” Uriel sat forward.
“Power fluctuations.” It came to Shade in a rush. “Before we noticed the cracks, there were a series of surges in power through the seals. That’s what made me check it.”
“Again!” Ramiel threw up his hand. “This was not reported to me. What is the point of having a system of counterbalances if there is no communication between us?”
Uriel shook her head at him. “So not the point.”
