That was news to Eddie, and it unsettled her. She had assumed with his ability that he would have plenty of beings ready to take up his offer.

He caught her looking at him and winked. “Surprised?”

“Yeah.” There was no point in verbal evasion when her face was doing the talking.

“Shade embodies lust,” Sophia says. “That does not mean he indulges.”

Shade gave her a roguish smile. “And what does that say about you and chastity?”

Giggling, Sophia went all shades of red and slipped out of the dressing room.

Eddie turned off the lights and followed her and Shade downstairs.

They got to the outside door and stopped.

“I’m concerned about Wrath,” Sophia said. “He seems very sad.”

Groaning, Shade shook his head. “And that’s going to make him grumpier than ever.”

“Is that even possible?” Sophia grinned and then slid through the door into the parking lot. “Good night, Eddie.”

“Good night.” She didn’t like to think of Wrath being sad. “Is it even possible?” She turned and looked up at Shade. He was closer than she’d thought, and her body reacted to his proximity. She wanted to lean into him, stand on her toes and press her mouth to his. She remembered the taste of him—honey and musk. Words made themselves impossible to catch in her mind, and she had to breathe deep. “Is it possible for Wrath and Haziel to be together?”

“Anything’s possible, Eddie.” Shade shifted closer, and her breasts brushed against his chest. The heat and want in his gray eyes made her pulse pound. “Just because a thing hasn’t happened before, doesn’t mean it cannot.”

Were they still talking about Wrath and Haziel?

He cupped her cheek with his palm. “Hell princes can fall irrevocably and completely in love.”

“Is Wrath in love with Haziel?” Her voice went deeper and raspier. Her heart raced.

“You’d have to ask him.” He leaned closer and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

Disappointment soured in her belly. For a moment there, she’d been sure he was about to kiss her. Properly kiss her and not a chaste peck on the forehead. “Shade?” She didn’t know what she was asking, but the moment felt heavy, and she needed clarity.

“Would you like me to check on Wrath for you?”

“Please.”

He nodded and stepped back. “I will leave in the morning.”

Checking on Wrath meant he would be gone from her. “Won’t it be dangerous?”

“Eddie.” He flashed a grin. “I am a hell prince. I am well able to take care of myself.”

She remembered several occasions when that hadn’t been true. “Maybe, but take the hounds with you.”

“No.” Shade’s face hardened. “They stay here to watch you.”

“I wasn’t the one who was stabbed the last time we were in hell.” She didn’t want to play dirty, but she would feel much better if he took Xerxes and Cronus—as much as she would miss them.

“But you were abducted.” Shade crossed his arms. “The hounds stay, or I don’t go.”

“Ugh!” He could be so frustrating when he got his hell prince face on. “I have Sophia here to watch over me and Dee and Daniel.”

Shade merely stared at her.

“You’re saying you won’t go unless the hounds stay here?”

He nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Then I could go and check on my father.” Dee was back. The theatre would be fine without her.

“You’re not going to hell.” He glowered at her. “Need I remind you what happened last time you did?”

“We could go together.”

He didn’t move.

“You’re such an asshole.”

Not a twitch.

“I don’t want you to go and get hurt.”

His face softened, and he walked back to her and slid his hand to her nape. “Eddie, I will be fine. I can move faster without you, and I am on my guard now. I won’t be caught out again.”

The image of Shade after he’d escaped hell with a mortal wound flashed in front of her. “I take it back; I’ll call for Wrath and see how he is.”

“Let me go.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “It will be quicker, and I can check my demesne and my seal while I’m there. And keep the hounds here because I will be distracted with worry if they’re not with you.” His eyes twinkled. “And if I get distracted, I might get hurt.”

That was him playing dirty, and she glared at him. “That’s not fair.”

“Maybe not.” He straightened away from her and dropped his hand. “But that’s the way it’s going to be.”

He strolled away from her into the night and suddenly it hit her that he wouldn’t be around tomorrow. “How long will you be gone?”

Turning, he walked backwards as he said, “A day or two at most. Will you miss me?”

“Maybe.”

He grinned. “That’s a definite improvement. I’ll take it.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The impact of his weakening seal hit Shade as he crossed through the hell gate into his demesne. Lust pounded through his system like a steady heartbeat reminding him he needed to find a way to stabilize the seal.