“I could make her leave,” Xerxes said.
A warm swell of appreciation washed over her. “No, it’s fine. I’ve found the best thing to do is let her have her say.”
Cronus eyed Rosabella. “And you are certain of this course?”
“Ugh!” Rosabella flapped a hand in front of her nose. “I’m sure these smelly beasts on your bed are not helping.”
“They’re helping.” Eddie put a hand on each ruff. Having them here was almost as comforting as having—Nope! She couldn’t think like that. The last few weeks all felt like too much, and she only had to close her eyes to see those metal walls closing around her, smell the astringent bite of whatever they had pumped through the air vents, feel the soul-tearing agony of that amulet draining the very essence of her.
Cronus put his mammoth head on her lap. “We are here.”
“I saw Wrath was back.” Rosabella tucked a shiny fall of hair behind her ear. “We chatted.”
“Right.” Despite all her questions, Eddie didn’t want to discuss Wrath with Rosabella. Of the two of them, only one had never lied to her—not that she knew of, in any case. As soon as the caveat popped into her mind, she dismissed it. Wrath was nothing if not brutally honest.
Rosabella pursed her mouth and tossed a hand in the air. “Of course, he hates me now.” She rolled her eyes. “I honestly don’t know what he expected me to do. I was alone, young, pregnant by a demon—”
“Hell prince,” Eddie said.
“What?”
“Hell prince. Wrath is a hell prince and not a demon.”
“Whatever.” Rosabella flapped her hand again. “Hell prince, demon, they’re all the same thing.
Xerxes growled. “I could show her the difference.”
A chuckle got away from Eddie before she could stop it.
Eyes gleaming, Rosabella assumed Eddie was laughing at what she’d said and leaned forward. “Am I right?”
“I’ll speak to him,” Eddie said, more out of a desire to have this conversation over than anything else.
Rosabella beamed at her. Her mother really did have a lovely smile. Broad and wide, a flash of white teeth and a crinkle around dancing blue-green eyes that invited you to share the joke. “Thank you, darling. Whatever Wrath thinks of me, I am still your mother, and the bond between mothers and daughters is a special thing.”
If a distant one in their case. Eddie gave her a vague nod.
“And as your mother”—Rosabella took a deep breath—“and a woman who has made the mistake you’re about to, I want to warn you.”
A knot tightened in Eddie’s belly. Rosabella was the last person she wanted to have a conversation with about Shade. “It’s all right—”
“No, Eddie.” Rosabella tilted her head and held up one hand, the sage voice of reason in a vortex of cray-cray. “I’m your mother, and I can see the way the wind is blowing. And if you’ll pardon the expression, you are farting against a thunderstorm with this one.”
“Eh?” All the wind metaphors were getting confusing.
“God knows they’re pretty enough.” Rosabella smoothed the lap of her sparkly maxi skirt. “They’re gorgeous enough to make a smart woman want to do really stupid things.” She pointed to herself. “And in my case, a smart woman did a really stupid thing.”
Hmm? Would we say smart?
Cronus chuffed and gave her a doggy grin.
“But he said he loved me.” Rosabella heaved a tremulous sigh and squeezed a tear out of her right eye. “And I believed him. I gave him my innocence and my trust.”
According to Dee, both of those had disappeared long before Rosabella had met Wrath. “It’s okay, I—”
“No, Eddie.” Rosabella gave her what passed for her best maternal expression of concern. “I need to have my say. I’ve not always been allowed to be a mother to you, but nobody can stop me from warning you from making the biggest mistake of your life.” She leaned closer. “Don’t fall in love with a hell prince.
According to Wrath, Rosabella hadn’t loved him, but the relationship between her parents was not one she wanted to wade into. “Shade and I aren’t…that.”
“Asmodeus is a demon.” Leaning forward, Rosabella went eye to eye with her.
Hell prince.
“A fallen angel.” Rosabella punctuated that with an eyebrow raise. “It’s in his nature to lie and deceive and take advantage of innocent women.”
Eddie didn’t see any of those in this bedroom, and her headache grabbed her head in a vice grip.
“Ah, Rosabella.” Shade strolled into her bedroom, every inch of him looking like the warning Rosabella had tried to impart. He smiled at Rosabella, but it was not the same smile he gave to Eddie. It didn’t touch the clear gray of his eyes. “There you are. Dee was looking for you.”
“What for?” Rosabella looked concerned.
Probably because Dee was an expert in getting Rosabella to do shit around the theatre.
“She didn’t say.” Shade shrugged and draped himself on the bed beside Eddie.
Cronus grumbled on a stink eye directed at Shade and shifted to the floor.
“But Dee is on her way up here.” Shade put his arm around Eddie.
