She blinked at him in shock, and Wrath took the opportunity to take the stairs up to the living quarters above.
In the kitchen, he found a half empty bottle of white wine and took a swig. Alcohol was another of those human inventions that supernatural beings had copied. On the fridge, a shopping list was penned in Eddie’s bold scrawl. Ashe had snatched her from right beneath his and Shade’s noses. And he should have stopped it. As her sire, he was no use to his child if he could not protect her. All this power at his fingertips, and he’d allowed Ashe to siphon his power and take his daughter. If this weren’t Eddie’s kitchen, he would tear it apart to get some relief from his rioting insides.
Where the fuck was she, and what was Lucifer doing to her?
He should have ended his brother millennia ago. The fucker was an arrogant, useless piece of crap who thought the sun shone out his ass. Fucking king of hell. Jesus! Only Lucifer could cook something that ridiculous up.
“Hey.” Shade entered the kitchen after him and took the wine from his hand. He grimaced when he saw what it was but took a swig anyway. “They don’t have anything stronger?”
“Nope.” Alcohol didn’t do much for hell princes other than soothe the sharp edges. It was extremely difficult for them to get drunk, and they recovered their senses quickly. Although, without his powers he couldn’t say how anything would affect him, and he took another, longer swig from the bottle. No power also meant no wings, and he missed the freedom and the mind clearing space of flying.
Shade propped his shoulder against the doorjamb and looked at him. “I have to find her.”
Eddie was his daughter, born of his body and his power. Having another hell prince interested in her, as Shade was, brought his simmering anger to a spitting boil. The only worse option would be if she had fallen for an archangel—Ramiel would be the shittiest case scenario. “She’s nothing to you.”
Shade gave him a long, measured look. “We both know that’s not true.”
“What do you want with my daughter anyway?” In the furor of the last three days, Wrath had almost forgotten Shade’s ridiculous infatuation with Eddie.
“Everything.” Shade shrugged. “I want everything she is prepared to give me.”
Rage surged through Wrath. He needed an outlet for all the fury churning inside him. “You stay the fuck away from Eddie. You’re no good for her.”
“You’re right,” Shade said. “I’m as much of an asshole as you are, but I love her, Wrath, and I’m not going to stay away from her.”
“Love?” Wrath nearly puked at the word. “What do you know of love? All you know is lust.”
Shade’s anger flashed through his eyes, but he took a careful breath. “Before I met Eddie, I wouldn’t have argued with you, but she’s different.”
“Give me fucking break.” He didn’t want this horny fucker anywhere near his daughter. Heaven and hell were littered with the broken hearts Shade had used and discarded.
Cocking his head, Shade folded his arms and studied him. “What would it take to convince you?” He raised a hand before Wrath could tell him to go fuck himself. “Not that you’re the one who needs convincing. This is between Eddie and me.”
“She doesn’t trust you.” It didn’t give Wrath nearly as much satisfaction to say as he thought it would. He knew all too well how it felt to pine for a human woman who didn’t love you. “And she doesn’t want you near her.”
“Then she can tell me that,” Shade said. “And I’ll respect it if it comes from her. But we’re not talking about Eddie now. We’re talking about you and me, and how you need to know my intentions are honorable.”
Wrath’s intentions had been honorable to Rosabella. He’d remade his castle to please her, would have hacked the wings off his back if she’d asked, even ceded power to his second and become human. But she’d said no, and then thrown the lacerating blow that she didn’t love him.
Shade watched him. “Whatever you ask, it shall be done.”
Well, if Shade was going to soft ball him in like that, Wrath was not above taking advantage. “Your obedience,” he said. “You do what I tell you, when I tell you. And you use every ounce of your power to find her until I get mine back again.”
“Done.” Shade didn’t even hesitate with his answer. “Just as long as one of the things you ask of me is not for me to stay away from Eddie. I’ve already told you I’m not doing that.”
Shade looked serious. Hell princes never gave up control to another hell prince. It didn’t matter. He still wasn’t going to stand aside while Shade toyed with Eddie. He didn’t trust Shade, but he was going to need help, and those useless fuckers downstairs were not going to do a damn thing. He didn’t trust the other hell princes, and the archangels and guardians would only try to end Eddie if they found her first. “Accidents” happened all the time and faster than one could blink. “I need to find my daughter and my brother.”
“You think Lucifer will be near her?” Shade looked doubtful.
Yeah, Wrath shared his skepticism. Lucifer knew Wrath would be looking for Eddie, and he wouldn’t risk being close when Wrath came to find her. As twins, they could vaguely sense each other. Although, now that he had no power, the bond was muted like it was covered in several layers of leather. That had to be why Lucifer had insisted Ashe take his power.
Another thing he needed to know. What the fuck were those amulets? He’d never seen anything like them. “You ever see an amulet like the one Ashe used on me?”
“No.” Shade shook his head. “I was going to ask you the same question.” He studied Wrath. “And your power is definitely gone.”
“Yup.” He didn’t bother to tell Shade that he could feel his power slowly regenerating inside him. It paid to have your enemy underestimate you.
“We should work together,” Shade said. “We can split up and cover more ground.”
It went against everything in him, but this was his daughter they were looking for. “I will take lead.”
“Of course.” Shade shrugged. “And you’re the only one I would allow to do so. You want to find her nearly as much as I do.”
Arrogant prick. “More than you.”
“Whatever you say.” Shade sneered. “And we find your fuckwit of a brother at the same time.” He held out his hand.
Wrath stared at it. He’d never shaken hands with another hell prince, but he put his hand in Shade’s. “Deal, but I get my brother when we find him.”
“We can discuss that when we find him.”
No way Wrath was giving up the pleasure of ripping Lucifer into pieces. “What happened to your vow to do as I command?”
Shade struggled with that for a moment before giving a stiff nod. “Very well. You can punish Lucifer first. Let’s find Eddie. She’s all that matters right now.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, neither of them prepared to turn their back on the other. “Okay then.” Shade nodded. “I’ll stay in contact.”
He turned, stopped short by a human woman standing in the kitchen doorway.
