“Good afternoon.” Gabriel clippity-cloppitied her way into the greenroom on her high heels. She pinned Levi with a headmistress lip purse. “And you are aware that a gathering would not have been called unless under the direst of circumstances.”
Levi stretched her long, leather-clad legs in front of her. “Super.”
As Wrath had suspected he would be, Beelzebub followed hot on Levi’s trail. He clocked her sitting beside him, and his jaw tightened. “Wrath.”
“Zeb.”
Zeb’s face softened, which in the case of this particular hell prince, was like granite easing into quartz. “Levi.”
“Hey, handsome,” Levi rasped.
Flushing, Zeb wedged himself on the sofa on the other side of Levi and draped his arm over the back.
Wrath grinned at him to let him know he saw his bullshit and didn’t give a crap.
The arrival of the other archangels chimed inside him, and he tensed along with Zeb and Levi.
Looking like a fucking Abercrombie & Who’s-a-little-bitch commercial, they strolled into the greenroom in a six pack. Michael headed the flexing and radiating prissy posse.
“Jesus.” Levi rammed a pair of Ray-Bans over her eyes. “Can you turn down the lightshow?”
Gabriel consulted her tablet. “We are still missing Belphegor, Shade, Mammon, and Lucifer from your side.”
“Present and accounted for.” Shade strolled into the greenroom, smelling like Eddie and looking like a being with a lot on his mind. As much as Wrath wanted to hate the thing between Eddie and Shade, he had seen the way she clung to Shade. He’d also noticed the way Shade didn’t want to be any place other than close to Eddie. And he owed Shade for doing what he hadn’t been able to: finding Eddie.
Still, he’d only just found his daughter, and it now looked like he might need to share her with another. The years he’d missed with Eddie sat like old porridge in his gut. Even with all the power in this room, they couldn’t turn back time and give him what he’d lost.
“How is Edme?” Zeb glanced at him.
And it gave the sweetest relief to say, “She’s recovering well.”
“Oh my.” Ava strutted in, her hips going like she had a pair of bongo drums laying down a slick track in her head. It was a good look on her. Even though he wasn’t going there again, he could see why he had. She let her gaze do the walking over Michael. “We should totally do this more often.”
Michael stiffened.
Shade chuckled. Yeah, they didn’t need the lust hell prince to read the play on that one.
He almost missed Belle cruising Ava’s wake and making herself small near the microwave. Easily the physically tiniest of the beings in the room, Belphegor liked to stick to herself and keep her opinions between her teeth. She reminded him of a tiny, sparkly sprite with her shiny waves of platinum hair and big blue eyes. Sending her a nod, he got a small smile in return.
“So.” Gabriel tapped at her ever-present tablet. Wrath was convinced that thing was fused to her soul as well as her hand. And speaking of fused, Raguel joined them, whispered something in Gabriel’s ear and then made like a ghost. Poor bastard. He’d really drawn the archangel short straw with that assignment. “Still missing Bel—I beg your pardon. Just Lucifer.”
“You know, you could look around the room instead of consulting that infernal device.” Michael shifted the broad sword between his shoulder blades.
Wrath’s spine crawled, and then Lucifer appeared in the doorway. “Am I late?”
Red washed over his sight, and fury surged through his body. He’d kill him.
Wrath lunged for his twin, only to run into the brick wall of Michael, Raphael, and Ramiel.
“No fighting,” Gabriel snapped. “We cannot afford to be divided at this time.”
Wrath didn’t give a fuck. Lucifer had been responsible for Eddie’s kidnapping, and the torture they’d put his child through. He would have his vengeance in flesh, sinew, and blood. “He ends now.”
“Stop,” Michael grunted. “We can’t let you end him.”
Through his wash of rage, Wrath noted that Michael didn’t deny his right to wreak his vengeance on Lucifer.
He threw his strength against the triumvirate of muscle between him and his target.
“Listen to him.” Despite panting from his effort of holding Wrath back, Raphael managed to sound calm and rational. “I have spoken with Lucifer, and you should hear him out.”
“Fuck off.” Wrath pulled on his power. His wings released.
Michael, Raphael, and Ramiel pulled their power to hold him.
The mirror shattered, faucets exploded, cupboard doors wrenched from their hinges and flew around the room. The furniture buckled and slammed into walls. The lights exploded.
“Nope.” Ramiel gritted his teeth, perspiration dotting his forehead. “Stop now, or I’m gonna have to shut you down.”
And only Ramiel could do it. His check and balance, his countermeasure.
“Breathe.” Shade touched his shoulder, then leaned closer and whispered, “Let’s hear him out first, and then we end him. When these fuckers aren’t around.”
He’d always hated how tricky Shade could be, but right now, Wrath appreciated it. As an enemy he could drive you to destruction; as an ally he was a cool, measured head.
“I’m good.” Wrath dragged a breath into his lungs.
Michael, Ramiel, and Raphael kept their hold on him.
