“It’s not my problem anymore.” Dee sniffed, but her objection lacked weight as she frowned in thought. “But if it were my problem, I’d have to agree with Sophia. You don’t summon a hell prince for shits and giggles.”
“For nobody to notice this witch, she would have to be someone familiar,” Daniel said. “Someone who is free to move about the theatre without raising any questions.”
Dee raised her chin. “We have over four hundred members in the Paradise Players, not to mention our regular audience members.”
“But an audience member wouldn’t be wandering backstage.” Daniel dug into his parmesan chicken.
“How would you know?” Dee snapped. “You’re not familiar with how we do things here.”
Daniel stopped chewing and stared at her. “You’re right. My bad.”
Dee huffed and went back to her dinner.
Sophia really liked Dee, but where Daniel Lee was concerned, Dee had a blind spot. She was determined to dislike a thoroughly likable young man. Dee’s barriers wouldn’t last much longer, but for the sake of all their digestion, Sophia changed the subject. “I imagine Haziel has caught up with Wrath by now.” She didn’t approve of Ramiel sending his second to track Wrath, and she’d told him so. Hell wasn’t a safe place even for archangels, and a seraph would draw all the wrong kind of attention. As per usual, Ramiel wouldn’t listen to anyone else’s opinion and smiled and waved away any objections. According to him, Haziel was very powerful and could take care of herself. Sophia hoped he was right about that.
“But there’s more bad news,” Daniel said, and forked mashed potatoes into his mouth. That he ate with such gusto was in itself a miracle. Dee was a lovely woman, but her cooking was not a leading skill. “Word from HQ is that the other hell gates are also experiencing power fluctuations.”
“Dammit.” Dee added another piece of chicken to Daniel’s plate.
Sophia grimaced inwardly on his behalf. The chicken was as dry as old boot leather, and the parmesan a burned offering on top.
“That means demons are coming through.” Dee started and then wiped all expression off her face. “Not that it’s anything to do with me.”
Sophia hated to be the voice of doom at their cozy little dinner. “If demons are running amok on this plane, it’s all of our problem.”
“What about your lot?” Daniel chewed a mouthful of chicken and turned to Dee. “This is fantastic, Dee.”
Dee hid her pleased smile and scoffed.
He looked like he meant it as well, and Sophia nearly laughed. “What about my lot?” Sophia had a nasty suspicion she already knew what he was about to ask.
He turned back to her. “It seems to me that if the hell princes are needed at the seals, the archangels should be trying to do something about the demon infestation.”
Sophia couldn’t agree more. “They are trying not to get involved.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dee dropped her fork on her plate with a clatter. “How can they stay out of this?”
“Archangels are…” Sophia tried to put it politely. “They see their role as staying neutral.”
Dee gaped at her.
Shaking his head, Daniel said, “I think the time for neutrality has come and gone. I have been watching the news, and it’s not looking good.”
“No.” Depression settled on Sophia’s chest. “And the other archangels are researching how to repair the seals. Since Eddie tried and was missing the heaven element to enact a full repair, we are trying to find something that might help.” It was little enough in the current spiraling situation. She had been watching the news as well, and humans were definitely reacting to the weakening seals. Combine that with a stronger demon presence on this plane, and things were only going to get worse.
Gabriel had sent her a not so polite request earlier today for her to return to the heavenly realm. Her fellow archangels saw no reason for her to linger here.
She’d sent an equally not so polite response. Shade was still on the plane, and that meant she was staying. Hiding out on the heavenly plane and pretending what was happening on earth and in hell wasn’t going to impact everyone was unmitigated stupidity. The weakening seals and busy demons on earth meant humanity was in trouble, and they were going to need all the supernatural help they could get. A spot of research was hardly a proportionate response. “I sent a message to Michael,” she said. “I stressed the importance of us getting involved.”
Dee cocked her head. “Why Michael?”
“He is not always in favor of Gabriel’s policy of wait and see.” She sipped her wine and was relieved that not needing to eat to sustain herself had saved her from Dee’s cooking.
Daniel held his plate up for more.
“Michael is more of a fighter than a politician or a archivist. If I can impress on him how serious the situation is getting on this plane, he’s the most likely to act,” she said.
“Good idea.” Daniel nodded and went at his second helping with gusto. “Have you heard from Shade?”
Dee stopped eating and stared at her intently.
“Not directly.” Sophia touched her temple. “But I can sense him on this plane. He went north and is continuing to travel in that direction.”
Dee’s bravado crumpled. “He has to find her.”
“He will.” Sophia took her hand and squeezed it. She prayed she was right. Eddie’s disappearance bothered her, and not only because it was gutting Shade, or that she liked Eddie, but more because it didn’t make a lot of sense. “I thought maybe an archangel might have taken her,” she said, voicing a fleeting suspicion. “But I checked with all of them, and there is no sign of them or their host having gone through any of the hell gates.”
“But a demon took her.” Dee frowned. “Ashe.”
“Yes.” And that was the part that made no sense to her. “But archangels can also be rather stubborn, and I wanted to cover that base. Eliminate the possibility.”
“Fuck.” Dee shook her head. “And we humans think archangels are the good guys.”
Shade parked his dusty pickup in front of his cheap motel room. With the hounds, he’d chosen not to fly and had glamoured his power signature down to almost human. The hounds lay in the covered back, concealed from nosy humans who would, no doubt, freak out if they saw them. Three days of traveling and nothing.
Wrath was in hell, and if there was any sign of Eddie there, he’d pick it up. Unfortunately, the hounds didn’t have their full power in the earth realm, but they were still the best option he had.
