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“It really doesn’t,” Haziel murmured, earning herself a quelling look from Ramiel.
Wrath raised one eyebrow. “It makes perfect sense, daughter. It is our nature to make war.”
Eddie kept them going down her thought path. “So if it’s your nature to make war, could it be your nature to conquer some other prince’s demesne?”
When you put it that way, it was a distinct possibility. Standing, Shade shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. “I mean…yes. That is the reason we go to war with each other.” And now he got where Eddie was going. “Not that we expect to ever win another prince’s demesne.”
Uriel snorted. “War for the sake of war—how sensible.”
Shade studied Eddie for a long moment, and then asked, “Are you suggesting one of the princes might be causing this issue in order to change the status quo? What was it that demon of mine said to you, Wrath?”
Wrath frowned. “He said you were trying to end me.”
Hell fire give him patience. “The other thing. The thing about me having found a way to maintain the balance, end you and take over your demesne.”
“Well, if you already knew, why the fuck did you ask?” Wrath huffed.
Ramiel scoffed. “No hell prince could find a way to end another and keep the balance.”
“Why not?” Eddie held his disdainful gaze without flinching.
What Eddie was suggesting made a lot of potentially nasty sense. He glanced at Wrath to see if he was coming to the same conclusion. “I mean, it’s possible. Not likely, but—”
“Lucifer,” Wrath spat.
You never turned your back on Lucifer, particularly not when Eddie was in the room, and Shade whirled to face the door. “Where?”
“Lucifer.” Wrath slapped his palms on his thighs. “If any one of us had ideas above their station, it would be that turd weasel.”
“Lucifer helped us.” Eddie pointed out. “When we were escaping you.”
Lucifer had helped them, but Shade knew better than to trust anything that—what had Wrath called him?—turd weasel did. Like Michael being all brawn and no brain, you could always depend on Lucifer having ulterior motives. Could Lucifer be behind all of this?
“On that, daughter”—Wrath stood—“you were never in any danger.” He scowled at Shade. “This puny piss peddler however, I would have wrung his neck.”
“You would have tried.” Shade scoffed. Wrath was fucking delusional, and those insults needed serious work. “And really? Puny piss peddler?”
Wrath grunted. “I like alliteration.”
Haziel stepped between them. “If this is possible, and if Lucifer is the guilty party, what motive would Lucifer have for helping you?”
“The oldest motive in the world,” Shade said and caught another slight shimmer of energy as Haziel looked at Wrath. Oh now, that was just fascinating. “Divide and conquer. If he keeps Wrath and me at each other’s throats, he can act on the others without our interference.”
“It makes a valid point.” Ramiel jerked his head at Shade. “Shade and Wrath are the most warlike of the hell princes. Belle is…well…indolent. Ava has more interest in acquiring whatever she can by whatever means necessary. Zeb will only act if Levi is threatened.”
“Levi is a possibility.” Shade considered Leviathon. If ever there was a hell prince who played their cards close to their chest, it was Levi.
Eddie huffed and gave him an impatient glare. “Levi?”
“Leviathon.” Shade suppressed a chuckle. “Envy.”
Frowning, Eddie thought that over. “She sounds like she might want what you have.”
“It’s not in her nature,” Wrath said.
“She’s envy!” Eddie snapped. “I would say it’s very much in her nature.”
Shade hated to add to her confusion. Eddie had so much to absorb and process, and he wanted to help her with that. “It’s not that simple.”
