Chuckling, he kissed her again, longer and harder this time, before pulling away. “Now get up, before we both forget our responsibilities.
As much as she’d love to forget those responsibilities, Haziel hurried into fighting leathers and strapped crystalline daggers to her hips and thighs. Hell was not somewhere you went unarmed, especially not at this time. “What’s the plan?”
Even in their short time together, she and Wrath already worked as a tight unit.
“Check my seal first.” He slid an onyx broadsword into the scabbard between his shoulder blades. “Then lust and pride. With Lucifer and Shade gone, those seals will be the most vulnerable.”
She’d guessed he’d say that. She tossed him an apple from the bowl in their sitting room as they strode through. “Then the others?”
“Yup.” He bit into the apple. “Fucking Ramiel.”
She pushed her still niggling guilt aside to focus on the bigger issue. They had cracking seals and no way of stopping it. “Will you send for Eddie to stabilize your seal?”
“No.” He shut her down.
As she’d known he would but had still thought it worth the try. Wrath’s seal was the most stable because of Eddie’s repair. But that repair had knocked Eddie out for an entire day and had only been a partial repair.
As she followed him down the stairs to the throne room, she chose not to voice what they both knew. It may be dangerous for Eddie to repair the seals, but they were rapidly running out of choices. If one seal still held, it could delay the end of days, and Eddie was the only being who could do that.
Pestilence rising had red-lined the situation into critical. Shade and Wrath protected Eddie and hadn’t allowed her to attempt the more difficult repairs to the other seals, but they may have to face the hard reality and let Eddie do her thing.
She took to the air after Wrath, admiring the red and gold filaments that made his wings glitter in the harsh morning light.
Apassionata was waiting for them at the entrance to Shade’s palace.
Typically Wrath, he didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “The seal?”
“Good day, Apassionata.” Heavens but Haziel’s male needed lessons in politeness and how to get beings to cooperate. “You’re looking well.”
“Seraph.” Apassionata gifted her his beautiful smile and bowed his head. “As are you. Word has it that you are a hell dweller now.”
“Word is correct.” She sent Wrath a quelling glance before he opened his mouth and said something brusque again. You could get just as much information out of beings by being courteous. “We’ve come because we’re concerned about the lust seal.” Apassionata had stayed loyal to Shade, and they were on the same side. “I’m sure you felt what we did this morning. We wanted to know if it had any impact on the seal.”
“It’s not good.” Apassionata chewed on his pillowy bottom lip. “It was weak before then, but it may not hold if another horseman wakes.”
“Fuck!” Wrath growled.
Cresting waves of lust rolled over Haziel, stronger than last time she’d visited Shade’s palace with Wrath. Perspiration slid down her sides, her core throbbed, and her breasts swelled.
Clenching his fists, Apassionata panted. “Something must be done, or what little control there is over this demesne will disintegrate. All lust demons will be affected.”
The grim set of Wrath’s features told her he was reaching a similar conclusion. They might have to let Eddie attempt the repair.
She touched his arm. “Wrath?”
“Don’t say it.” He shook his head. “Let’s check the other seals.”
They reached Lucifer’s palace as the sun was sinking. They didn’t need to go further than the courtyard to ascertain that the situation here was no better. Fights broke out amongst Lucifer’s remaining guards as waves of pride buffeted them.
Nighttime was dangerous in hell, but neither of them thought of stopping.
At the border to Ava’s demesne, Rapace allowed them immediate access. “She’s been waiting for you.”
Ava was pacing her throne room. It had been repaired since the fight between her and Wrath last time they were there. Ava’s normal beautiful gown had been swapped for fighting leathers. “Wrath.” She nodded before giving Haziel a brief smile. “And Haziel.”
“You felt it.” Wrath stepped in front of Ava.
Ava grimaced. “I don’t think any of us could have missed it.”
Haziel indicated her skintight leathers. “You’re going somewhere?”
Ava nodded. “Michael is up to something. He’s entered the earth plane.
As Michael avoided the earth plane like a case of boils, Haziel agreed that Michael might very well be up to something. “Do you know what?”
“Nope.” Ava shook her head, and her long, dark braid snaked across her back. “But when last I heard, he was researching historical reports of Nephilim.”
“He was?” Wrath frowned. “I thought they’d all been…”
Wrath wouldn’t finish that sentence and confirm the systematic annihilation of Nephilim. The practice could have cost him his daughter, who was ironically, now their one hope.
Needing to comfort him, Haziel slipped her hand into Wrath’s. “Did he find anything?”
“Who the hell knows?” Ava threw up her hands. “The cagey bastard wouldn’t tell me if he had.” Her lovely face tightened into a determined mask. “But I’m not going to sit on my ass while we all go up in smoke.” Her eyes glittered. “And that fucker is trying to hide his presence on the earth plane from me. That tells me I have to find out why.”
Wrath held out his hand. “Go well.”
“If Michael can locate other Nephilim, there’s a chance we can repair all the seals.” Haziel shared her thoughts aloud. Another Nephilim would take the pressure off Eddie.
