Bianca didn’t get it. “So, how is going back to your demesnes helping?”
“The seals are more unstable than ever,” Shade said. “We already know that the rebellion was undertaken to weaken them.” His face was grave. “We cannot risk them getting weaker or even being attacked.”
“And the best way to prevent that,” Sophia said, “is for the hell princes to be there to guard them.” She shrugged. “If Shade returns to lust, I can’t be here without him, so it frees me to take you with me and protect you and the children.”
“Michael is on this plane.” Raphael finally met her gaze. “Which means, so is Ava. We can’t have that many hell princes absent from hell.”
“Levi and Zeb are working to infiltrate the rebellion.” Shade took up the explanation. “And Belle is missing. We can’t leave Wrath all on his own to guard the seals.”
If Shade went back to hell, what did that mean for Eddie? Bianca looked at her. “And you?”
“Eddie is going with Shade.” Dee gave her granddaughter a stern look. “As she’s the only one who can partially repair at least Wrath’s seal, she needs to be there.”
Eddie frowned. “But—”
“Daniel and I will stay here,” Dee said. “All the hell gates need to be watched and closely guarded.”
“As soon as we find Leona, we will bring her to Sophia’s demesne.” Raphael gave Bianca a reassuring smile.
Nobody had answered her first question. In fact, they’d told her everything but that. “How will you find Leona without a tracking spell?”
Lucifer took her hand. “There is something we didn’t tell you.”
“Lucifer.” Raphael growled a warning.
Lucifer shot him a glare. “She’s a part of this. She deserves to know.”
He needn’t think he was winning any points with her for being transparent, however much she appreciated it.
Raphael threw his hands up. “She’s not coming with us.”
Now there were two assholes in the room. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”
“No, they don’t.” Sophia sat beside her. “But the gathering decided. We don’t know why that thing wants you. And we don’t know what the repercussions will be if it manages to get you.”
“Given the general shit show happening all around us, we can’t take any more risks.” Shade put his arm around Eddie’s shoulders.
“We need to know you’re safe.” Lucifer’s dark gaze bored into her. “I need to know you’re safe.”
She scoffed at him. “Our agreement is over, remember?”
“Setting aside your relationship with Lucifer”—Sophia gave Lucifer a hard look—“our backs are against the wall, and we need to make sure whatever and whoever the three are, that being doesn’t get its hands on them.”
“Or you,” Lucifer said.
She couldn’t trust a word coming out of his mouth. She’d done that before, and she wasn’t going to be an idiot for him again.
“I can protect you in my realm,” Sophia said.
“We also thought Emma and Ethan will need you there.” Dees tone gentled. “They know you and trust you. And considering what those two little people are going through, they’re going to need you.”
She wanted to be brave and fearless. Bianca wanted to be that feisty hero who defied objection and threw herself into the fray. But she wasn’t that person. She was terrified and so out of her league it was laughable. There were forces at work that would destroy her with a look. “What about the rest of my coven? My sister?”
Bianca had had a front row seat to what had happened to Christen, and for what they’d found in that steel bunker.
“Patty, Lynn, and your sister are already in my realm,” Sophia said. “We are rounding up other witches as we speak. We moved the children while you were out, but we didn’t want to risk moving you until you’d woken up.”
As Lucifer had already broken his promise to her, she looked at Raphael. “You’ll find Leona?”
“We will.” Raphael put a hand over his heart. “I vow it.”
“Haglette.” Lucifer’s tone was gentle. “After you passed out, there was a split second before the connection was broken, and we were able to see into Ashe’s mind.” Determination hardened his features. “We know where Leona is.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Lucifer relished a challenge. His haglette was angry and hurt. Not surprising, considering how they’d left things. He would need to make her understand that a being such as he didn’t relish having all their plans overset and his ordered world disrupted.
He’d spent centuries dealing with the demands of greedy, power-hungry witches. Even longer than that watching the evil humans perpetrated. She couldn’t expect him to be happy about having formed a disconcertingly compelling attachment to a human witch.
He’d explain it to her. She would see reason.
He waited until Shade and Sophia had taken themselves off and sent Raphael to prepare for their rescue mission. Time was of the essence, and Bianca had to see that he was taking extraordinary steps to reach a better understanding between them.
Slipping into Dee’s room, he locked the door behind him. He had neither the time nor the patience for interruptions.
The shower was running in the attached bathroom, and as the bed was empty, he made an accurate guess where his quarry had scurried off to.
