"Princess, why don't you rest for the day?" Casadin asked Evadne as he watched her change clothes, leaning against the doorway of the walk-in closet.
He was still worried that she did not truly feel well after everything they had learned from Hades' dream.
For most people, dreams were just dreams.
But for the three of them, dreams were never that simple.
So even if the information Hades received from his angelic counterpart, Caelithariel, felt impossible, they all knew they had no choice but to believe it.
"I'm fine, mate," Evadne said. She walked up to Casadin, slipped her arms around his waist, and tilted her head up to look at him. "Besides, Mommy and Mom are expecting me at the Foundation today. I don't want them to worry. And I need to keep moving, because if I stay idle, I'll go even crazier thinking about what Caelithariel said."
Casadin had no choice but to let out a sigh. Then he bent down and planted a kiss on her lips.
"How about I accompany you to the Foundation today? It's not like I have anything important to do anyway," he said as the two of them started walking out of the master bedroom.
"I'd love that," Evadne said with a smile, one hand still hooked around Casadin's waist as they stepped out into the penthouse.
Hades was already waiting for them by the elevator, and the three of them entered together.
Once they reached the parking area, Hades frowned when he noticed that Casadin's car was nowhere beside his own in the reserved space.
"Where's your car?" Hades asked.
"Nirvana," Casadin answered.
He opened the front passenger door for Evadne, helped her in, and made sure her seatbelt was properly fastened before taking the back seat for himself. Hades moved around to the driver's side.
"So you just commuted here?" Evadne asked, glancing over her shoulder at Casadin, who was already leaning forward slightly with one arm draped over the back of her seat and around her shoulders.
"I teleported," Casadin said.
That made Hades freeze before even turning the ignition.
"You did what?" Hades asked, unable to believe what he had just heard.
"I teleported," Casadin repeated.
"You teleported?!" Hades and Evadne blurted out almost at the same time, both immediately looking around the parking area to make sure no one else had heard them.
"You teleported?" Evadne repeated, now almost whispering as she turned back to stare at him in disbelief. "And you only decided to tell us now? Mate?"
Casadin raised both hands in surrender.
"Princess, first of all, with everything that was happening last night, I didn't think that was the right moment to say it. Then this morning we got another shocking piece of information, so it slipped my mind," he said. "And also, I can't do it again."
"What do you mean you can't do it again?" Hades asked. He still did not start the car. At this point, he had a feeling he was about to hear something else that would shock him, and he did not want to be driving on the road when it happened.
"I literally can't do it again," Casadin said. "I tried last night while Vee was sleeping, and I tried again this morning. Nothing happened. I stayed exactly where I was."
"Do you remember what might have triggered it?" Evadne asked.
"I felt your pain," Casadin said simply. "I almost blacked out from it. Then I went to my office, and when your pain got worse, I wished I could be wherever you were so I could stop it. Then I took a step... and suddenly I was in the master bedroom."
He paused, then added, "I tried doing it again last night and very early in the morning. You know, the way Nebyros taught you back in Noir Village... intent, focus, picturing exactly where you want to be. It didn't work. I stayed where I was standing."
Then he looked at Hades.
"Drop me off at Nirvana first. I'll follow you to the Foundation with my car."
Hades nodded, then finally started the engine and pulled out.
"You think it was because of our mate bond?" Evadne asked Casadin.
Hades answered instead.
"Caelithariel said that until you awaken the missing part of yourself and mark me, my angelic power will remain detached. So since you already marked Casadin, then it makes sense that his angelic power is waking up as well."
"I think so too," Casadin said. "My senses are sharper now. I mean, if I focus, I can see clearly from an absurd distance. And the voice in my head... I can hear him much more clearly today than I could yesterday."
"Does he talk to you?" Hades asked.
"In limited words," Casadin said. "But I can still understand what he's trying to make me understand. Last night at the bar, Flynn brought Seraphyne with him, and that buffalo wing kept trying to get into my head. The voice in my head kept warning me to stay away from her and not let her in."
Hades raised an eyebrow at that.
"Buffalo wing?"
"Yup. I'm calling her that," Casadin said, taking Evadne's hand in his. Then he looked at Hades through the rearview mirror. "And you need to be careful around her. I think she has a very dangerous power."
"Like what?" Evadne asked at once.
"I'm not sure exactly what," Casadin admitted. "But last night, she flirted with me openly, and none of our friends found it offensive. You know them... especially Bea and Amanda. They always protect me from girls who flirt with me because of you. But last night, they just… let it happen. Like whatever Seraphyne said and did was perfectly fine. Like they had been…" He trailed off, frowning because he could not quite find the right word.
"Like they had been charmed," Evadne supplied.
"Exactly. That's the word, Princess," Casadin said. "Like they had been charmed. And I felt it too. The whole atmosphere changed. It was like the air thickened, like it turned pink. God, it sounds ridiculously cliché, but I swear I almost thought I saw hearts raining around her. And if not for the voice in my head warning me, I really think she would have gotten into my mind too."
Evadne fell silent for a moment, thinking.
If her suspicion was correct, Seraphyne held a higher rank than the two warrior angels she had seen following her and Hades at the hospital before. And if that was true, then there was a very real possibility that Seraphyne had a much better chance of breaking into Hades' mind. Casadin had said himself that he might have fallen under her influence too if not for the voice inside him warning him away. Evadne believed Seradomiel was still not fully integrated with Casadin yet, which meant Casadin's angelic powers had not fully awakened. So, there was still a chance Seraphyne could overpower him.
And if she could possibly overpower Casadin, then there was an even greater chance she could overpower Hades... especially with how shaken and emotionally unstable he still was.
"Hubby, don't go to the house for now," Evadne said after a while, turning to Hades. "I don't want you accidentally crossing paths with Seraphyne. We still don't know what she might be able to do to you."
Hades nodded immediately. He understood.
Then Evadne turned to Casadin.
"Mate, instead of coming with me to the Foundation, go find Uriel first. If there's anyone who can help us figure out how to fully awaken your angelic power as quickly as possible, it's probably her."
"But Princess, can we really trust her?" Casadin asked. "Remember, we're on the opposite side."
Evadne paused.
Yes, Uriel had promised that if she ever intended to harm Evadne, she would look her in the eyes and tell her directly. But that promise did not extend to Hades and Casadin. That had never been part of the question Evadne asked. And Uriel herself had already admitted that while she could not lie, she could absolutely bend the truth.
"Wait," Hades said, keeping his eyes on the road. "We all agree that angels are taking human forms, right?"
Evadne and Casadin both nodded.
"And as far as we know, every angel we've encountered so far has been a Lightbearer," Hades continued. "So if they're taking human forms, is it possible that Blackhearts... like our angelic counterparts... are doing the same thing?"
Evadne and Casadin immediately looked at each other.
"We could look for a Blackheart instead," Casadin said, catching Hades' meaning at once.
Hades nodded.
"Yes. They might lie to us, or manipulate us, or make things difficult," Hades said. "But I'm pretty sure they wouldn't outright harm us unless they wanted to end up like the Damned that we are."
"But how would we even do that?" Evadne asked. "What... perform some kind of demon ritual?"
"We could totally do that," Casadin said with a grin that made Evadne grimace. "I mean, I've done theme nights at Nirvana before. I can absolutely do a Blackhearts theme night at the club. And I have a very good feeling that if we throw that kind of party at Nirvana, none of Heavensblade's little minions will even try to show up."
He grew visibly more excited as he spoke.
"We're not in an immediate rush anyway," Casadin continued. "So for now, I'll still go with you to the Foundation, and while we're there, I can plan the Blackhearts Theme Night at Nirvana."
"I can't help you with that, mate," Evadne said. "Mommy assigned me to handle event planning for the orphanage and for the animal shelter staff."
"That's fine, Princess. I'll do all the planning," Casadin said easily. "I just want to keep an eye on you. What if Heavensblade suddenly shows up at the Foundation while you're there alone? I heard from Dad that he's already starting business collaborations with our families, right?" he added, glancing at Hades through the mirror. "So it's not impossible for that rooster to suddenly appear at the Foundation under the excuse of humanitarian concern."
"Casadin is right, baby," Hades agreed. "We can't leave you alone. Michael is moving closer and closer into your circle. We cannot let our guard down. And I'll feel better knowing Casadin is with you and watching out for you."
Evadne let out a long sigh.
Then, in the end, she nodded and gave in to both of them.