She studied him with a small frown. “How do you know that?”
“He’s my twin.” As much as that galled both of them. “And it’s what I would do.”
On one side of the path, Shade’s demesne sprawled in a fertile tangle. The other side belonged to Lucifer, all rigid lines and perfect symmetry. Perfection was an obsession with the urine-reeking obscenity he called a brother. It delighted Wrath no end to move things around and break the rigidly maintained order of Lucifer’s demesne. Sometimes, he marched his horde over there just to mess shit up a bit. Violence thrummed through his blood as he thought of Eddie and what Lucifer had done. When he found his daughter, he would devote his existence to ensuring Lucifer never got another moment of peace.
They reached the hills and crossed to the other side.
Ava’s demesne was a fascinating jumble of objects that resembled a giant magpie nest. The scenery was broken up by treasures Ava had managed to purloin from other realms. He had once spent months exploring the extent of her collection and barely seen a fraction of it.
Rare trees, rarer animals, geological impossibilities, and natural anomalies all clustered together in a fascinating tangle.
He’d been fond of Ava, and their time together had never been boring. She was sharp as a tack, endlessly curious, and impossible to predict. Ava was like trying to hold mercury in your palm. As they approached the border, a sizable group of upper order demons appeared on Ava’s side. They glanced at Haziel and then focused on him.
“You’re not welcome here.” Ava’s second and their leader, Rapace, squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest.
At first, Wrath thought he was talking to both of them, but Rapace’s orange eyes were fixed on him. Rapace had never been his biggest fan when he and Ava were involved.
“We’re here on important business.” Haziel gifted Rapace one of her sweet smiles.
“Doesn’t matter.” Rapace glowered. “If you’re with him, then you can’t cross the border.”
Wrath had no patience for this kind of crap. Rapace could go ahead and park his issues with him. He had a brother and a daughter to find, and an angel to get safely back to her realm. “Tell Ava it’s about the seals and we really need to speak to her.”
“Won’t matter.” Rapace shrugged and produced an obsidian sword. “Ava said we were to gut you like the miserable, lying worm you were if you tried to cross into her demesne. Whatever the reason.”
Rapace took great delight in informing him of this, and Wrath recalled Rapace having a bit of a crush on Ava way back when. “Look.” He gave reason a try. “I wouldn’t bother her unless it was of the utmost importance. We really need to see her, and I won’t be here longer than a simple conversation.”
More demons materialized out of the air.
Without his full power, and with Haziel to take care of, Wrath didn’t like the odds.
“Leave.” Rapace pointed his sword in the direction from which they’d come. “Or we’ll clip her pretty angel wings.” Rapace smirked. “And we both know you can’t stop us.”
Frustration writhed in Wrath. He hated being bested by a mere demon, and in front of Haziel. But there was another of those fucking technicalities that were cursing him right now. He couldn’t fight all those demons, and neither could Haziel. They couldn’t end him, even without his powers, but in the hierarchy of things, angels like Haziel were expendable, and obsidian blades made the most final of all cuts.
Haziel turned to him and scowled. “Now what?”
And Wrath was very much afraid that he already knew the answer to her question.
Chapter Nine
Eddie had never felt so exhausted. Weariness had sunk into her bones and resided there in a constant dull ache. Every part of her hurt after Ashe and Calix had been at her again with the fucking pendant. Every time they came to her with the cursed thing, she felt like they sucked part of her being into it and left her a wrung-out husk without will or strength.
The door opened and dread tightened in her stomach. She couldn’t handle it again, not so soon. She whimpered but didn’t even have the strength to turn her head and see who had entered her cell.
“Eddie.” Ashe crouched beside her cot. His voice was disturbingly gentle as he said, “This is tough on you, Eddie, and I’m sorry for that.”
Not sorry enough not to hold her down while Calix put that fucking pendant over her head though. Her mouth was too dry to form words and she didn’t have it in her to lean down and grab the bottle of water by her bed.
Ashe put a hand under her head and raised her. He pressed the mouth of a water bottle to her lips. “Here, drink. It will help.”
Cool, crisp water flooded her mouth and made her saliva glands tingle. “Why are you doing this?” she rasped.
“Your power.” Ashe gave her more water. “We can use your power to amp up the other demons.” He shook his head and dropped his gaze. “And your power, Eddie. It’s like a shot of purest adrenalin straight to the muscle. You’ve no idea how much power you really have, or how to use it. But we do.”
He offered her more water, and when she shook her head, he put the bottle down and lowered her back to her pillow. “There’s a war happening, Eddie, and it’s going to change everything we know and believe. You’ve become an unwilling participant in that war.”
She nearly laughed at the look of regret in his eyes. “Collateral damage?”
He grimaced. “Something like that.” He leaned closer to her. “But as bad as things get, Eddie, remember that you always have your dreams.”
“What?” She stared at him. Now he was offering her Hallmark slogans along with hydration.
Ashe stood. “We’ll see you soon, Eddie. Try to get some rest.”
The water had helped, and Eddie stared at the door, counting the four locks closing. First one lower down, next a deeper more resonant click higher on the door, then a bolt sliding, and finally a bass clank as the last lock slid into place.
Another vaguely ghostly looking demon would come back later with a meal for her. They fed her regularly and well, and Eddie tried to eat everything they gave her. She needed to build what strength she could, because if they made one mistake—just one—she was getting out of here. Lately, though, even the effort of eating felt too much.
Exhaustion crept up through her limbs and weighed her eyelids down, and she closed them. Ashe’s weird comment played back through her mind. “But as bad as things get, Eddie, remember that you always have your dreams.”
Fucking dreams! What use were dreams to her in this heinous place? She had dreamed of Shade in the days before he had crashed into her life. Those dreams had been vivid and so real. As if he really could see her, he had turned to her in those dreams and spoken to her.
Her heart skipped a beat. Dream walking.
Shade had spoken to her. Even Wrath had looked right at her in those dreams, as if they could penetrate her mind and speak to her.
