“I know that it has never happened in the past.” Sophia spoke quickly before he lost patience with her, and she went basement air surfing. “But there has also never been a living Nephilim, and the horsemen have also never stirred this strongly before. We have also never had a demon rebellion before.”

He scoffed. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Everything.” The cold look on his face was irritating her. “We are in uncharted territory now. Shade will stay here with Eddie, and the gathering has agreed to that. Why should Shade and Eddie be the only beings entitled to their happy ending?”

For a long, tense moment, she was sure Wrath was going to attack her, and then his shoulders slumped. “Even if that was true, you forget one pertinent fact.”

“What?”

“She went with him.” Wrath’s voice dropped to a low, tortured rumble. “I offered her sanctuary, and she chose him.”

The Wrath she had known for time beyond counting would never have been able to show his weakness like he did now. She risked her wings and put a hand on his forearm. “I don’t think that means what you think it means.”

He stiffened and glared at her offending hand on his person. “Speak plainly.”

“I saw Haziel’s face when she was with you. I was there in that moment, and I don’t think she went by choice.”

Wrath’s expression grew thunderous. “You are saying Ramiel forced her?”

“I am saying that matters are not always as they seem. And that you should not let your experience with Rosabella cloud your judgment when it comes to Haziel.”

Something painfully akin to hope flared in Wrath’s eyes and then disappeared behind his habitual ire. “Even if what you say is true, it merely proves that she will always be bound to Ramiel.”

“Ramiel is not all bad,” she said.

Wrath growled.

“Grant you, he behaved like a complete prick sending Haziel to the horsemen, but I believe it’s more a case of him behaving badly than a case of him being an unmitigated asshole.”

“Beg to differ.” Wrath shifted away from her light touch. “He will never let her go. Even if what you say about a different set of rules governing this time holds, it all means nothing, because Ramiel will never let her go.”

Sophia held his furious stare. “How do you know if you don’t ask?”

“I’m not going to ask.” He crowded her back. “Because even if I did, she went with him. She looked me in the face and chose him.” His voice dropped to a low growl. “You say I should not allow my experience with Rosabella to cloud my judgment. I would argue that I would be a fool not to. Two beings I have offered my heart to, and two beings have walked away. The trouble is not our rules, or even Ramiel and his possible motives.” He pounded his chest. “The problem is the heart I offer is a corrupt and vile thing that is worth nothing.”

He stepped through the hell gate before she could even shake her head in denial.

“Oh, Wrath.” Sophia sighed and walked back up the stairs to the theatre. Her own loneliness pressed down on her. Had she not also wondered if the reason Shade had chosen Eddie was because he had seen some flaw within her? She wanted to laugh at herself. The advice she had given Wrath was useless because she clearly was not using it herself.

“Sophia.” Dee stopped her outside the rehearsal hall. She held a brown paper package wrapped in a bright silver bow out to her. “This was left at the door for you.”

Sophia eyed the package. “For me?”

“That’s what it says.” Dee tapped the handwritten note on the front. She winked at her. “It looks like you might have a secret admirer.”

She waited until Dee had bustled off before she opened the package. The handwritten note was taped to the top of a small box of chocolates.

The love of chocolate transcends all barriers.

- Chris

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Eddie locked the front door of the theatre behind the last patron. Already the Paradise Player volunteers were clearing away glasses and coffee and teacups from that night’s performance. The buzz was unanimous: Macbeth was a hit. It was ironic how the patrons crowding the theatre night after night had no idea of the chain of events the play had set off. Which reminded her, that she still hadn’t gotten a clear explanation on the witch’s curse and how the entire thing worked. That little detail had gotten lost in the shit tornado that had followed.

She did her check of the bathrooms, calling out before entering the men’s. It was the sort of thing you made sure to do after you’d made that mistake once. To this day, she didn’t know who’d gotten the nastier shock, her or the octogenarian still taking care of business.

Footsteps sounded behind her as she checked the stalls. The low hum of Shade’s presence was like a warm stroke against her senses. “I’m in here,” she called.

“I know,” Shade replied. “That’s why I’m here.”

She didn’t know what to make of where things stood between them at the moment. Shade didn’t sleep in her or Dee’s rooms. In fact, he’d taken a room in the local B&B, in the room beside hers according to Sophia. No surprise that the two women who ran the B&B were twisting themselves like air puppets to make sure he had everything he needed.

She knew he wasn’t using his lust thing on them because he’d promised her he wouldn’t. Shade was many things, but he wasn’t a liar.

He helped her check the final few stalls. “Lillian makes an amazing Lady Macbeth.”

“She does.” Eddie shared a smile with him. With all that had been going on, they weren’t alone together often since her recovery, and she found herself feeling shy and breathless around him.

After the men’s bathroom, she walked across the foyer to the women’s.

Shade followed her in.

No point in telling him he shouldn’t be here; there was nobody around. They completed the check in silence.

Back in the foyer, one of the younger volunteers batted her lashes at Shade. “Hi, Shade. Did you watch the show tonight?”

“From backstage.” He returned her smile.

She leaned closer to him, her cheeks flushed. “Wasn’t Lillian amazing?”

“Amazing,” he agreed and took the tray of glasses from her.

The girl giggled. “I can manage.”

“Of course you can,” Shade said. “But I’d like to anyway.”

“Oh, okay,” she breathed.

Even without him doing the lust thing, people were drawn to Shade. Matt got so tongue-tied around him, he barely managed much above the occasional syllable.

It would take a being with a strong sense of self to be his partner. Could that be her?

She strode into the servery and loaded glasses into the dishwasher. The volunteers did their best, but they often forgot that last load for the night. Eddie wanted to leave everything clean and ready for tomorrow’s matinee.

“Is that it?” A young volunteer poked her head around the servery door. Gaze locked on Shade, she said, “Because I can stay and finish if you like.”