Eddie’s eyes shot open, and she frowned. “He’s here?”
“Fucker is hiding.” Shade let his senses widen. He regretted sending the hounds back to hell the night before to have a little nose around. Needless to say, they had not been happy about leaving Eddie, and would now be giving him shit for not being there to catch Yesterday.
“I need to explain first,” Yesterday whined. He had masked his presence, but not very well.
Shade lay still as he zeroed in on where the fucker was. He didn’t need to move a muscle to kill an imp.
Yesterday was cowering in the air-conditioning ducts. He yelped as Shade hit him with a blast of compulsion.
Eddie gripped Shade’s arm. “Don’t kill him.”
“Seriously?” He had to look at her to verify she wasn’t shitting him. After all the crap the asshole had set in motion, she was pleading for his existence.
She wrinkled her nose at him, which made him want to kiss her nose and cuddle her…aaaaand give her anything her heart desired. “Seriously,” she said.
The AC duct grate flew across the room as his power yanked Yesterday into the room.
“Eeeyooooow!” Yesterday slammed into the wall beside the bed, slid down, and dropped headfirst to the floor.
Shade towered over him, making no effort to turn down the menace. If this little asshole had led to Eddie being abducted in even the smallest way, Shade would end him and hand his ashes to Wrath. “Speak.”
Eddie was looking at him with an arousing mixture of impressed and a tad turned on. Wooing, he reminded himself harshly. Not seducing.
“That was very hostile.” Yesterday sniveled. “And after all I’ve suffered on your behalf.”
Well, he’d tried. Ending it was.
“What have you done on our behalf?” Eddie pushed herself to the edge of the bed and studied Yesterday.
Shade let the power fizzle in his palm but kept it active.
Yesterday threw her a pitiful look. “I am truly very hungry.”
Shade let his palms light with extinction fire.
“Not that hungry.” Yesterday yelped and leapt onto the bed beside Eddie.
He needn’t think that would keep him safe. The thing with wielding power for thousands of years was that your accuracy was pinpoint. “You betrayed Eddie to Wrath.”
“Would we say betrayed?” Yesterday scooted behind Eddie. “I mean, he was her sire, and he would never have hurt her.”
Eddie grabbed him by an ear and hauled him out from behind her. “I would say betrayed covers it.”
“What happened to you?” Yesterday’s eyes widened as he stared at Eddie. “You used to be so sweet and trusting.”
“And gullible,” Eddie said.
“Okay, okay, okay.” Yesterday held both palms out. “I did tell Wrath where to find you, but I already knew he was your sire.”
“And stole the heaven wrought blade.” Eddie locked her glare on Yesterday.
“That too, but I gave it back.” Yesterday nodded so vigorously it looked like his oversize head might snap his scrawny neck. “You have to understand I was desperate. Wrath was out to end me, and I needed a little something to keep me safe.” He sniveled. “And you went to hell. You saw how the demons are out of control. I’m just a little demon.” His lip quivered. “A small imp and so easy for the bigger demons to end.”
Eddie crossed her arms and gave Yesterday a no bullshit look that Shade found incredibly sexy. Mind you, he found just about everything about Eddie incredibly sexy.
“I could have been killed without that blade,” Eddie said.
“But you weren’t.” Yesterday held up a finger. “You were fine, and I gave it to you when you needed it the most.”
He had done that, and they wouldn’t have escaped with an incapacitated Wrath without Yesterday tossing Eddie the blade. Still, the imp irritated him. “I haven’t heard anything from you to dissuade me from ending you.”
“I’ve been spying.” Yesterday focused on the extinction fire in Shade’s hand and swallowed. “Gaining information for you.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew that you wanted to end me.” He whimpered. “And I knew I would have to give you something to persuade you not to end me.”
“I mean”—Eddie shrugged—“that is his consistent MO. He gave us up to Wrath to save himself.”
Yesterday threw her an adoring gaze. “I knew I could rely on you, Eddie.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Eddie snapped. “And you better have found something useful, or I’m going to ask Shade to teach me how to end a demon.” She leaned into his space. “And we’ll be using you as practice.”
“Lucifer is telling the truth.” The words rapid fired out of Yesterday’s mouth. “He was not behind your kidnapping. He has spent the time since you were taken trying to find Ashe.”
Eddie got there before Shade could. “And how do I know you’re not lying for Lucifer?”
Yesterday opened and shut his huge mouth, frowned, and then twitched. “I don’t know,” he said and scratched inside his ear. “I don’t have any way to prove that.”
