Page 65 of Lust

Oliver sneered. “Don’t play dumb, Ms. Ward. Our records also indicate that you have never been to training camp. Got an explanation for that?”

She really didn’t, and Eddie shook her head.

“Could you call your grandmother?” Chris glowered at her. “She does need to be here to explain the recent activity and why it hasn’t been reported through official channels.” He sighed. “To be truthful, Edme, there are so many irregularities around his facility, I’m surprised we haven’t sent a team out to check on it before.”

She had no idea where Dee was, but then, neither did they. Eddie dug out her phone. “I can try.”

She kept the screen hidden from view as she pressed Dee’s number.

“Voicemail,” she reported as Dee’s message played. “I can send her a text.”

“And warn her that we’re here?” Oliver took a threatening step closer.

Eddie didn’t like the way he was looking at her, and she especially didn’t like the large crystal dagger he’d produced from his inner jacket pocket.

“Do I need to warn her?” Eddie kept her eyes on that sparkly, deadly looking knife.

“We have an issue here, Edme.” Chris gave her an apologetic look. “You appear to have access to information you shouldn’t. And as Oliver said, you have never received any guardian training.” He spread his hands palms up. “It really is nothing personal, but I’m sure you can appreciate the problem if some of this information escaped to the general public at large.”

“Umm.” Eddie stepped back. She wasn’t at all comforted by the fact that it wasn’t personal. With Oliver heading her way with that goddamn knife, it felt intensely personal. “I really don’t know that much.”

“You know too much.” Chris motioned the door to the hell gate. “You are clearly aware of what that door hides.”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t. Dee always told me never to come down here.”

“And yet you have shown no surprise at the mention of levels of activity around the hell gate.” Chris looked almost apologetic. In a homicidal kind of way.

Dammit. She knew she should have taken acting lessons. “That doesn’t prove anything?”

“Edme.” Chris shook his head. “Our understanding is that you have been unofficially operating this hell gate without certification.”

Operating the hell gate. How the hell did one operate a hell gate? “No, I haven’t.”

“You should listen to her,” Shade drawled from the basement door. “She’s fairly clueless if you want to know the truth.”

“Asmodeus,” Oliver hissed and rounded on Shade with the knife.

Shade kept his eyes on the knife. “A heaven forged weapon? Is that necessary?”

The conversation was mostly gibberish to Eddie, but she was relieved that Shade was there. That, more than anything, was a mark of how crappy this situation had become.

“And I prefer to go by Shade.” Shade straightened and sauntered closer to Eddie.

She resisted the urge to hide behind him. Shade was not a safe place for her to run.

“You know the rules, Shade.” Chris folded his arms. “You cannot be here.”

“I do know the rules.” Shade shifted his shoulder in front of Eddie. “And doesn’t that make you a little curious as to why I am here?”

“Irrelevant,” Chris snapped.

Oliver moved so quickly Eddie had barely registered it before the crystal dagger was sunk in Shade’s chest and he dropped to the floor.

“What have you done?” Eddie dropped to her knees beside him.

Shade’s eyes locked on hers, his hand twitched convulsively around the dagger’s hilt. “Don’t trust them,” he whispered. “Don’t trust them just because they’re human.”

“Hell princes are not allowed on this plane.” Chris stood over Shade with a dispassionate expression. “Neither are archangels.” He glanced at Oliver. “If Shade is here, Uriel can’t be far behind.”

---