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“It’s a good question.” Sophia giggled. “And as much as I’d like to get rid of all the hell princes, we do need them.”
To spread more of what Shade gave out. Eddie didn’t think so. “For what?”
“They keep the system in balance.” Sophia pulled a face. “Without Shade, there can be no me.”
As Sophia had lied to her, broken up her greenroom, and now knew her greatest secret, Eddie wasn’t seeing a total downside there either. “And?”
“Without heaven, there can be no hell. Without heaven and hell, there can be no earth.”
Dee had clearly been very skimpy on the details of what being a hell gate guardian meant, but what Sophia said did line up with Yesterday’s explanation.
“A deal was struck millennia ago,” Sophia continued. “The battle is for ascended souls, and human souls are the ones we’re guiding to ascension.”
“Why?”
Shade chuckled and folded his arms. “Another excellent question, Eddie.” He smirked at Sophia. “I look forward to your answer.”
“You’re an asshole,” Sophia snapped.
The whole angels swearing thing was messing with Eddie’s mind, but she tried to focus on the answer to her question.
“Nobody knows.” She gestured Shade. “Well, none of us in any case. We were created for a purpose, and we follow that purpose.”
Any moment now, somebody was going to pinch her, and she’d wake up in the middle of that fateful Wednesday bored meeting, and all of this would poof away.
“The universe is a constantly evolving thing.” Shade strolled closer. “Souls are created, they learn through a long series of lifetimes, and then they ascend.” He brushed his fingers over the buttons on her lightboard. “Over time, humans have distilled the explanation of that process into a simplistic good and bad equation.”
Eddie slapped his hand away. “Is this where religion comes in?”
“Yup.” He gave her an amused glance. “The mortal mind is limited by the notions of life and death. You are not capable of absorbing the breadth and enormity of the truth.”
“And you are?” She glared at him to let him know being patronizing was not the right tack to take.
“I have a greater understanding than you, little human.” He leaned down and put his face inches from hers. “I have been around for millions upon millions of your human years. I have seen the sun born and the creation of your species. I have watched every time your pathetic attempts have nearly destroyed you.”
“That is not helpful, Asmodeus,” Sophia said. “We all have our parts to play, and none is more important than the other.” She tilted her head and studied Eddie. “And she’s not human.”
“And there are no accidents or coincidences,” Shade said. “If she didn’t summon me, and I still appeared in her dreams, then I am here because she has some part to play in all of this.”
“Shade and I have been speaking,” Sophia said. “When he was injured, he came through the hell gate nearest to you. There is some connection between the two of you, and he responded to that instinctively.”
Eddie snorted to let them both know what she thought about that.
“It’s true, Eddie.” Shade grinned at her. “You dream walked with me, which is extremely rare.”
“Great.” She couldn’t have been born with a widow’s peak, or something else rare. Nope. She had to stalk a hell prince in her dreams.
“And those demons did try to end me.” Shade grew serious again. “That can’t happen, Eddie.”
“No, it can’t. For all our sakes,” Sophia said. “For now, we need to ask you to keep Shade here.” She pulled a face as if she understood exactly how much of an ask that was. “There must always be seven hell princes and seven archangels. There are also seven hell gates and seven heavenly portals. The guardians will not be happy either of us are here.” She glanced at Shade. “And we are going to have to ask you to also keep them from knowing.”
“Why seven?” Keeping shit from the guardians was pretty much the title of her autobiography at this stage. It was probably not the question she should be asking but she was spoiled for choice.
“Humans got that part right.” Shade sneered. “Seven deadly sins, seven virtues.” He motioned himself. “I guard the lust seal. Uriel over there is responsible for keeping chastity under control.”
“They’re all part of a soul’s journey.” Sophia took up the explanation again. “If a soul has too much of one—even the virtues—it gets thrown out of harmony and must reincarnate again. And again. Until it finds the balance.”
“Your soul, however.” Shade took her hand. “Neither of us can read.”
