Eddie’s orgasm built on the rising waves of lust from the seal. It crashed into her like a storm, and she hung suspended in the most intense pleasure of her life.
Shade shoved even deeper inside her and shouted as he came. He stroked into her through a series of aftershocks until he collapsed on her. His weight drove her deep into the bed, and his sweat-slicked skin clung to hers.
The moment was so intense Eddie wanted to say something profound. But her brain was fried, and her body so sated she might never move again. So, she just said, “Wow.”
Chapter Forty
Belle gritted her teeth as forceful, tenacious tentacles of power grasped for hers. She shrunk her hell powers into a tiny kernel, but still they sensed her and ravenously attempted to take her power.
A half-moon gleamed down over the arid landscape from a cloudless night sky. The southern hemisphere stars littered the firmament like sequins on a velvet ballgown. War would materialize in a matter of hours, and instead of tracking them down like she had Pestilence, Belle hoped to deal with them here. Unlike Pestilence, War wouldn’t need to come into contact with humans to spread their poison. If the human news was any indication, already War’s effect was being felt throughout the world.
Countries armed on their neighbor’s borders. Within cities and towns, unrest broke into running, bloody battles with authorities. War would plunge humanity into unprecedented bloodshed, which considering the violent history of the species, was a terrifying notion.
The hair on her nape rose, warning her she wasn’t alone, and Belle swung around to face the threat.
A dark-haired demon with finely chiseled features, whose skin the moonlight turned to silver, studied her. For a moment, he robbed her of thought. She had never seen anything so compelling or beautiful. His horns, curling from his ears to the back of his head, brought to mind a magnificent pagan being of power. She wanted to draw closer to him. Natural caution kept her back.
With his dark clothing, the demon blended seamlessly into the night. “Greetings, Lord Belphegor.” He bowed. When he rose to face her again, a disarmingly crooked smile softened his handsome features. “Or may I call you Belle?”
“Who are you?” His aura tasted of power and something unknown. His power signature was off the charts for even the higher order demon he was.
He pressed one hand to his chest. “I am Ashe of Lucifer’s court.”
That name she knew well, and she stiffened. The betrayal almost felt personal. She had wanted— it hardly mattered now that she knew who he was. “Shouldn’t that be formerly of Lucifer’s court?”
“Ah.” His regret looked genuine. “I see my reputation has preceded me.”
Ashe had controlled Wrath and Eddie through some sort of amulet that drained their powers. His hands were empty and resting by his sides. “You risk much by confronting me.”
She dared not reach for her power with the horsemen so near, but that didn’t make her unable to defend herself. She dropped a hand to her hip, close to the onyx dagger strapped beneath her shirt.
“We are guessing we have you to thank for Pestilence going silent.” Ashe shoved his hands in his pockets.
Belle watched those hands. He could be reaching for an amulet. There was no good answer for his question, so she reverted to what she did best—watch and wait.
“Yes.” Ashe raised one hand and ran his thumb over his bottom lip. “We were anticipating a far more noticeable affect to Pestilence rising.” He grinned. “We were unaware you were able to go this power dark. Impressive. I couldn’t sense you.”
“Then how did you find me?”
“Ah.” He cocked his head. “Torpidius. Remember him?”
A lazy, sly, malcontent demon she had nearly ended every time he’d come near her. She hadn’t regretted his defection to the rebellion. She had regretted not being able to recover his ability to track her before he’d snuck away. “Yes.”
“I was able to help myself to that nifty little trick of his.” He grimaced. “Unfortunately for Torpidius, he no longer has need of it.”
So, he’d ended Torpidius. No demon should have that power.
Belle palmed her dagger. That Ashe was dangerous she had no doubt, but he was a male presenting demon, and they always underestimated her. “You found me.” She shrugged. “What now?”
“Now,” he said in a cool, reasonable tone that put her even more on her guard. “I’m going to have to ask you to come with me.”
His audacity almost made her laugh. “No.”
“When I say ask,” Ashe spread one palm up to her in a conciliatory gesture. “It’s more akin to insist.”
Belle brought up her blade. They all forgot that her diminutive form concealed a hell prince. “Then I must, not so regretfully, decline.”
“Belle.” Ashe’s face looked grave. “You are coming with me. All that remains undecided is if you do so peacefully or by force.”
Lucifer ignored Wrath glancing at him for what had to be the hundredth time and kept his attention on the meeting. In Wrath’s council chamber, a fine, if rather medieval, looking war room, he, Shade, Ramiel, Raphael, Haziel, Vexia and peeping Wrath stood around the massive central table as Eddie spoke.
“I’m not asking for your permission.” Eddie glared at Shade. “I am the only one who can repair the seals.”
Raphael looked apologetic as he said, “She’s right about that.”
“Were you here when she tried last time?” Shade rounded on Raphael, fury flashing in his eyes. “Did you see what it did to her?”
“I was there.” Wrath folded his arms. “And there is no fucking way I’m taking a chance on the seals draining the life out of her.”
“With respect, Wrath.” Ramiel held up a sheath of papers.
Ramiel speaking to Wrath with respect was novel enough to keep Lucifer’s attention straying to Bianca and what he was going to do about the vexing situation.
Shade didn’t want to risk the woman he loved, and it stirred a strange, inexplicable feeling in Lucifer. If he didn’t know himself better, he would almost call it empathy. It couldn’t be empathy, however, because that would mean he related to how Shade felt, and in order to do that, he would have to be in love. He wasn’t in love. Far from it.
