Deidre's Death (#2, Rhyn Eternal) (20 page)

“I asked him.”

Gabriel snorted. “You make it sound
easy.”

“Well, it was,” she admitted. “I don’t
understand his motivation.”

“You were right yesterday about saying I
wouldn’t take a chance,” he started. “I want to clear the air,
though. There’s more to the story than what you know.”

“Gabe …”

“I have to.” He took a deep breath. “I
didn’t take a chance on you for the reason you think. It had to do
with the tumor. Wynn said your happiness made it grow. You were so
close to the end, we couldn’t take a chance. It had nothing to do
with you or how I felt.”

“Instead of making my last days happy, you
decided to make me miserable in the hopes you could find a
solution,” she said.

“Pretty much,” he replied. “I was going to
Darkyn myself to make a deal to save you.”

“Really?”

“You beat me to it.”

Deidre was quiet for a moment. “I think we
both did things imperfectly.”

He chuckled at her polite phrasing.

“Up until today, I wasn’t convinced that
this might have been destiny from the beginning,” she began. “This
will sound weird, but bear with me. Hell has a library, and the
librarian has been teaching me about the deities through these
little video tutorial things.”

“You’ve been sitting in Hell watching
movies?” He smiled.

“It’s like these books and when you open
them, these movies spring up,” she said, motioning with her hands.
“I don’t know how to explain it.”

“It’s called an Oracle. Hell has one, and
Death does as well. The book houses the spirit of a dead Oracle
from the time-before-time that records history, among other
things.”

“You mean it’s possessed?”

“Yeah.”

Deidre appeared taken aback.

“Voluntarily. The Oracles wanted to be put
in books,” he explained. “Though saying it that way does sound
strange.”

“It’s totally bizarre.”

He laughed.

“Anyway, I saw how Darkyn
was created from a lowborn demon scorned by others because he was
smaller. He had nothing but ambition. I saw how you were created
from a seventeen-year-old boy who wanted nothing more than for your
mistress to love you.” She paused. “I saw what was between you and
the original Deidre. Her plan didn’t just happen when I was born.
She really did
create
me. She waited thousands of years and worked with both Dark
Ones to make it happen. Fate played a hand, too, as did Wynn. I
don’t think she knew they were working as much against her as with
her. She had one focus: to be with you in a way you couldn’t be
together when she was Death.”

Gabriel listened, jaw clenched.

“I was meant to be …” Deidre cleared her
throat.

He glanced at her and saw the tears in her
eyes.

“Disposable,” she managed. “Basically. Or
would’ve been, if Darkyn hadn’t decided to honor the informal deal
he made with her.”

“Gods,” he muttered. “You were never
disposable.”

“Seeing the relative lack of consequence
your life has in the grand scheming of deities and Immortals kind
of makes you view things differently, Gabe.”

“Sometimes when you look at a grain of sand
in your hand, you forget that there couldn’t be a beach without
every one of them.”

“That’s sweet.” She smiled. “I guess what
made the biggest impression was watching you and her over the
course of thousands of years. There was never a day when you didn’t
love each other. There were days when you hated the fact you did
love her, and there were days when she almost walked away from you
for good, because she hated that she couldn’t control how she
felt,” Deidre continued. “But there was never a day when you didn’t
love her and she didn’t love you.”

The words were hard for him to hear. There
was too much truth in them for his comfort. He wanted to condemn
the horrible things past-Death had done that resulted in an
innocent human being thrown to the Dark One. Her actions disgusted
him, but he was angrier with himself for not being able to make
himself feel less towards her.

His gaze lingered on human-Deidre, and he
was troubled by the memories of the time they spent together. Time
he might have enjoyed, if he hadn’t pushed her away. Could he have
prevented this outcome? How could he ever forgive his mate for what
happened? He’d only learned the woman he fell for last week was
still alive and now he had to let her go.

Again.

“I’m sorry, Deidre,” he whispered. “You gave
me hope when I was numb to the world. You don’t deserve any of
this.”

“Silver lining,” she said softly. “I helped
Rhyn protect kids. I can help others. Darkyn is not an easy person
to understand or live with, and I’m still not certain at all what
to think of him at times. He’s been fair and brutally honest, and
he can’t hurt me because of our blood bond. I kind of like him,
even if he scares me.”

“Kind of like him.” Gabriel smiled. “Only
someone as sweet as you would say that about the Dark One.”

“Don’t get me wrong. He’s not normal. But it
makes me think that maybe things happen for a reason.”

“What reason is there behind falling for a
woman and watching her get shipped off to live with the Dark One?”
he asked bitterly.

“You did love me,” she said, smiling.

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got news for you, Death,” she said in
a lighter tone. “What you loved about me is present in your current
mate. You just have to give it a chance.”

“She sends you to Hell, and you go to bat
for her.”

“Not for her. For you,” she replied. “I want
you to be happy. I am out of the picture. I understand this. I also
forgive both of you, Gabe. I can’t say I want her to be happy yet,
but I don’t want her to be sad.”

He laughed. “That’s as spiteful as you get,
isn’t it?”

“Pretty much.” She was blushing. “I loved
you, too, Gabriel. I think a part of me always will. You gave me
the strength to take a step I wouldn’t have otherwise. You made me
want to live when I was ready to die. I’ll always be grateful to
you for that.”

Her eyes were shimmering with tears that
only heightened her seductive appeal. She meant what she said; that
much was clear. His anger lessened without him understanding why.
She accepted her fate with the Dark One. It should’ve made him
angrier.

Gabriel didn’t say what he thought, that she
might’ve been better off in the Lake of Souls than with Darkyn. A
part of him was relieved. Human-Deidre was alive and healthy. He
purposely didn’t let himself think about Darkyn being in her bed
instead of him.

“You’re welcome, I think,” he said with a
shake of his head. “My offer to hide you in the underworld is
always open.”

“I won’t need it.”

They sat in silence, both of them gazing at
the ocean. She shivered in the chilly ocean breeze. Gabriel
resisted the urge to wrap his arm around her the way he had once
before.

“You want something else from me,” Deidre
assessed.

He glanced at her.

“Darkyn said my weakness is being taken
advantage of by others. He shared some of his power or whatever
your deities do. I can sense that you have an ulterior motive of
some sort,” she explained. “I can’t see it, but I feel it.”

“Savvy demon,” Gabriel murmured. “You needed
that.”

“No more men like Wynn killing me slowly.”
Her features saddened.

“You’re right. I do need to ask you for
something.”

She focused on him in interest.

“I have to get into the underworld. The
dealers are rebelling, and they’ve figured out a way to out me from
my position. I have to be there in order to prevent it,” he said
carefully. “The only way into the underworld is through Hell.”

“Darkyn will make you a deal you probably
can’t live with,” she guessed. “I can’t make deals.”

“I wasn’t going to ask you to,” he said. “I
was going to ask you to help me get home.”

Her calm acceptance faded, replaced by
turmoil. He couldn’t read all the emotions crossing her face. She
ducked her gaze, and her breathing quickened.

“You’re afraid,” he said.

She shook her head.

“You’re not the only one who can sense
emotion in others,” he reminded her with a nudge. “It’s more than
fear. I’d say you’re still pissed at me.”

“You know what you’re asking me to do?” she
said at last.

“Yes. I have no other option, Deidre.
There’s something in my underworld that I have to find before they
do.”

“What is it?” she asked.

He grappled with himself. He trusted the
human, but dared he trust the mate of the Dark One?

“Only my soul,” he replied ruefully.

“Oh, god, Gabriel.”

“Just get me through Hell. What happens then
won’t matter.”

“Gabriel …” Deidre sounded distressed. She
rose and paced, the dress tracing her movements in a way that made
his eyes follow her body. “You shouldn’t have told me that. You
shouldn’t have asked me.”

“I have no alternative,” he said with some
irritation, rising. “I’m not asking because of what we had. I’m
asking because I have no choice. I’ll owe you.”

“You already do owe me one favor,” she
reminded him.

“I’ll owe you two.”

Deidre sighed. “I’ll try to help you,
Gabriel. God help me, I don’t know how.”

She paced. He watched her, resolute despite
how it made him feel to ask more of the woman he’d already fucked
over.

“I have to figure this out,” she murmured.
“Can I have a little time?”

“Whatever you need.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out way before
our deal is up,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“What deal?”

“The one between me and your Deidre.”

“You made a deal.” He crossed his arms,
unimpressed. He’d thought to ask Darkyn about any debts owed but
not about any future debts. “Do I want to know what it was?”

She hesitated. “No. Because it doesn’t
matter.”

“Your deal is sealed by the Dark One. Why do
I have the feeling he’s waiting to collect?”

“I can’t talk about it with you, Gabriel.
She shouldn’t either,” she said quietly. “Please just know I bear
neither of you ill will, despite the outcome.”

“Fuck,” he muttered. “That scares the shit
out of me.”

“It shouldn’t. I’m the only one in this mess
who isn’t out to hurt anyone else,” she retorted. “It’s strange,
but I’ve learned from Darkyn not to be ashamed of my nature. He
laughs at me for being unwilling to hurt anyone else, but he says
no one should feel shame about who they are.”

“He’s a living example of that,” Gabriel
remarked wryly. “Life lessons from a sociopathic demon lord. I
never expected him to be capable of treating you well.”

“He does, in his own way,” she replied. “Can
I get your soul from the underworld?”

“A demon of human origin?” he shook his
head. “Neither humans nor demons are permitted entry to the
underworld.”

She gave a sound of frustration.

“It would take all of five seconds,” he
said. “I’ll accept all risk and if Darkyn is angry, I’ll take you
with me.”

“Let me figure it out,” she repeated. “Thank
you for checking up on me and for the offer to protect me.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

Troubled, Deidre nodded. She nibbled on her
lower lip with the tiny fangs. Gabriel sensed someone else join
them and tensed. He knew who it was without looking.

“Romantic setting for two former lovers.”
The Dark One’s low growl made Deidre blink.

“We’re just talking. No need to be jealous,”
Gabriel said. Any gentleness he felt with Deidre dissipated at the
arrival of her mate.

“One might ask why you’re distressing my
mate,” Darkyn said.

Deidre sighed. “I’m not distressed. He
didn’t do or say anything bad.”

Gabriel watched her, wanting to verify that
she didn’t fear the creature she was trapped with. Deidre crossed
the short distance to her mate and paused in front of him. Darkyn
appeared unwelcoming as usual, his frame rigid and his growl loud
enough for Gabriel to hear. He half-expected Darkyn to snap or
scream at her. As confused as he felt, Gabriel would never let
anyone hurt either Deidre, no matter whose mate she was.

The demon lord did neither. Deidre leaned
forward until she was resting against the demon, who didn’t move
away. She nudged his chin with her cheek. Darkyn lifted his head in
what Gabriel took to be disapproval.

He almost smiled. In that moment, the demon
lord reminded him of Rhyn when the half-demon was trying not to let
his mate soften his mood. Darkyn wasn’t happy, but Deidre wasn’t
scared, a sign Gabriel took as good. His only hope was that Deidre
didn’t share what he revealed to her with the Dark One, who would
do whatever it took to beat Gabe to his soul.

She nudged him again. Without taking his
eyes off Gabriel, the ruthless demon lord that knew no mercy bowed
his head to his mate and nudged her gently in return. The subtle
nonverbal exchange was intimate and powerful, enough to tell
Gabriel that there was a side to Darkyn only his mate knew. It was
also a warning, one Gabriel understood innately, that Deidre
belonged to the Dark One. Darkyn was claiming his territory with
one small touch.

“This was where we met, Darkyn,” Gabe said.
No part of him was unwilling to bait the demon.

“Thus far, only one of us has managed to
hold onto her,” Darkyn replied.

“No fighting,” Deidre said softly. “Go home,
Gabriel.”

He smiled to himself. He didn’t want to
provoke the demon lord into a fight, not when he might need to deal
with him soon.

“Always a pleasure, Deidre.”

She turned to look at him without leaving
Darkyn’s body. The demon had yet to touch her aside from the nudge,
and she kept herself between the two of them as Gabriel called a
portal. He thought he saw a flicker of sadness cross her gaze
before he crossed into the shadow world.