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“Right.” Dee pulled back and cupped Eddie’s face. She took a shuddering breath. “Right.”
“Let me buy us a moment more.” Uriel grabbed Dee’s crowbar and gave Chris another head whack. That put Eddie’s potential blasphemy in perspective. She crouched next to Dee. “First things first, where is Shade?”
“They stabbed him with one of those sparkly knives and threw him back.” Eddie glanced at the gently swirling hell gate.
“Bugger!” Uriel stared at the hell gate. “I was worried about that.”
Eddie had worries of her own. “Dee?” She looked into her grandmother’s eyes, searching for the truth. “They said I’m…” She couldn’t say that word.
Dee swallowed, her eyes softening behind her pink leopard print glasses and nodded. “Nephilim.”
“It’s true?” The foundation of Eddie’s world quaked. Dee would never lie to her. Except, hadn’t she lied by omission all this time? All this time, like her entire life, and Dee had never mentioned a word.
Dee slumped and the corners of her mouth turned down. “I’m sorry Eddie-girl, and I never wanted you to find out.”
“But, Dee.” Eddie tried to put the right words together. “You told me nobody knew who my father was. That he was one of the men Rosabella dated.”
“I couldn’t tell you, darling.” Dee cupped her face. “Knowing what you are puts you in danger.”
“Especially from this lot.” Uriel flicked her fingers at Chris. “If you think our lot are intolerant of Nephilim, we’re a welcome party in comparison to these fuckers.”
Eddie’s head reeled. “Rosabella got freaky with a hell prince.”
“Well.” Dee pulled a face. “You know your mother.”
“Hmm.” Uriel pursed her lips and sniffed. “Not discriminating I take it.”
“Hey!” Dee rounded on Uriel before Eddie could respond. “That’s my daughter you’re talking about.”
Uriel held her hands up. “Sorry, Deandra.” She wrinkled her nose. “But a hell prince.”
For some crap alone knew why reason, Eddie felt the need to defend Rosabella. “They’re hot. At least, Shade is…was.” For all they knew he could be in a thousand pieces by now. And that really bothered her. “We need to get him back.” She gave Uriel her best no-bullshit look. “You’re an all-powerful archangel. You get in there and get him back.”
“I can’t.” Uriel grimaced. “I mean, technically I could, but if I go through that portal”—she blew a breath—“pardon the pun, but all hell will break lose.”
“I don’t care.” Eddie needed Uriel to get some perspective here. “Shade could be dead.”
“He’s not dead.” Uriel tapped her chest. “I would know if he was.”
“How comforting,” Dee drawled. “Would you know if he was in trouble?”
Uriel shook her head. “No. I would only feel the catastrophic shift in the balance if he ceased to be.”
Catastrophic shift in the balance seemed a good enough reason for Uriel to get her shiny ass through the hell gate. “You need to save him.”
“It doesn’t work like that.” Dee gave Eddie’s hand a comforting pat. “If Uriel arrives in hell, it will be seen as an attack, and war between heaven and hell will ensue.” She cleared her throat. “And earth would get caught in the middle of the battle.”
Eddie was tired of information being parceled out. “Maybe heaven and hell should work together, if everything I’ve been told is true.”
“There’s a lot you don’t understand, Eddie-girl.” Dee glanced at Uriel. “There is a sacred compact in place between heaven, hell, and earth. Any break in that compact would be terrible.”
Uriel nodded. “Like apocalyptic terrible.” She waved her hands—elegantly, of course. “Like end of existence as we know it terrible.” She patted Eddie’s shoulder. “Besides, even if I did get permission to journey to hell, I have work to do here. Those guardians will need managing if any of us are going to make it out of this in one piece.”
Eddie looked from Dee to Uriel. There was a lot of existence ending threats hanging around. “Well, if you put it that way.” And yet Shade was stuck in hell, not at full strength, with Wrath trying to end his ass. “But if Wrath gets to Shade, won’t it be the same kind of terrible?”
“It will be.” Uriel nodded. “And that’s why we need you.”
Chapter
