“But you’re just as powerful, aren’t you?”
“Oh, yes.” Sophia chuckled. “And in some cases, more so. You should speak to Ava about this.” She shook her head. “She has much to say about the patriarchy and her resentment of it.”
“Ava?” Eddie went through her mental files on supernaturals. “That’s Avarice, right?”
Sophia nodded. “Her real name is Mammon, but nobody dares call her that.”
“Who is her counterpart archangel?”
Sophia grimaced. “Michael, and he’s…a little backward in his attitude toward females.”
Michael hadn’t impressed her much when Eddie had met him. He seemed to do a lot of chest thumping and threatening.
“So.” Sophia squeezed her hand. “What would you have me help you with?”
“These powers I have.” Eddie rubbed at her chest instinctively. She didn’t know for sure, but her chest seemed to be the place they resided. “Help me understand them and use them.”
“I can certainly do that.” Sophia grinned at her, blue eyes dancing with mischief. “But I can do even better than that. Why don’t I teach you to fight as well?”
“Like fight, fight?” Eddie had sudden visions of herself dressed head to toe in kickass leather and handing out bitch slaps.
“Like that.” Sophia smiled. “You find yourself in a new reality, Eddie. And one where the stakes are incredibly high. It would be my honor to help you prepare for that reality.”
Eddie needed to get this straight before her imagination went wild. “When you say fight, you mean like you did with Shade that time?”
“That and more.” Sophia stood and brushed the seat of her pants. “Knives, swords, bow and arrow, whatever you like.” She leaned closer to Eddie. “When Wrath returns, you could ask him to help you as well. Don’t tell Shade I said this, but there is no finer warrior in heaven or hell.” She winked. “And whatever you do, don’t tell Michael. He’ll take it as a personal invitation to prove you wrong, and Wrath will hand him his ass.”
Eddie’s insecure little girl chose to put in an appearance. “Will Wrath help me?”
“Oh, Eddie.” Sophia’s smile was pure sweetness. “Wrath is desperate to be of use to you in whatever manner you will allow him. And he really is the best one to help you with your specific power.”
She hadn’t seen Wrath in a couple of days. “Where is he?”
“I’m not sure.” Sophia shrugged. “We’re not very good at keeping each other informed, but if I had to guess, I would say he’s gone to wherever Ramiel sent Haziel.”
“Really?” And who didn’t like a spot of tea. “Are he and Haziel a thing?”
“Not officially.” Sophia’s expression went mischievous. “But judging by the way Ramiel is looking like he wants to pee on Haziel’s leg, and Wrath disappeared shortly after she did, I would say there is something going on.”
Eddie had only met Haziel briefly, but the angel had seemed lovely. And it would do Wrath no good to pine after Rosabella. He deserved more than that. “How would that work, an angel and a hell prince?”
“I really don’t know.” Sophia frowned as she thought it over. “It’s not something that happens often, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
Not an overstatement judging by the tension that happened when the heaven and hell teams met.
“Back to you.” Sophia clapped her hands. “We will start your training immediately.”
“Now?” Eddie hadn’t gotten past asking the question.
Sophia looked at her quizzically. “Why not now?”
Why not indeed, and Eddie stood. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Haziel felt the horsemen’s power while they were still a hundred kilometers from their destination. It began as a low vibration at the base of her brain.
Wrath rubbed his nape. “Are you feeling that?”
“Yes.” She rubbed her own nape to alleviate her discomfort. “It feels very…other.” The vibration increased to a sharp drilling that set up base in her nerve endings. Her vision wavered, and a dull whooshing blanketed her hearing.
“Yeah.” Wrath looked at her. “Are you doing okay?”
“Not really.” She pulled the car to the side of the road. “I think perhaps you should drive.”
Leaning closer, Wrath cupped her chin and turned her to face him. “How bad is it?”
“Not terrible.” But not good either. Saliva flooded her mouth, as if she was going to be sick. Something tugged at her chest insistently, and she began to sweat. “But it would be safer if you drove. It’s going to get worse as we get closer.”
“Fuck this.” Wrath’s eyes went glacial in his fury. “You shouldn’t be doing this in the first place. Let’s turn back.”
“No.” She had made a deal with Ramiel, and he was already disappointed in her. “I said I would do this, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Wrath growled but threw open his door and stomped around the car. He pulled open her door and motioned her to get out. “I can see you’re going to be pigheaded about this, and if you’re insisting on going—”
“I am.”
