Deidre's Death (#2, Rhyn Eternal) (6 page)

At least, it
appeared
that way. The
woman Gabriel touched today wasn’t the one he touched last night.
The mating bond present last night formed anew the moment he healed
her from the demon attack. She looked like past-Death. She had the
haughty edge of past-Death.

She was human like Deidre. Gabriel hadn’t
wanted to believe her story of Darkyn combining the two Deidres
into one, but it certainly seemed possible. The extent of the Dark
One’s powers on his home turf in Hell was beyond anyone’s ability
to know. It was said he had no limitations. Could he then merge two
souls together into a single body?

Why would he do it?

“Meanwhile he distracts us with a fucking
goose chase across the world chasing the demons raiding human
schools.” Rhyn’s gaze was stormy.

“Your brother found this place, right?”
Gabriel asked, focusing once again on his surroundings. The five
remaining death-dealers he brought with him were quickly extracting
souls.

“Yeah. No word yet on whether or not there
are more.”

“They are way too comfortable in the mortal
world right now.”

“No shit.”

At the half-demon’s frustration, Gabriel
glanced at him. “Not your fault, Rhyn. You’re doing everything you
can.”

Rhyn grunted in response, his fury clear. As
the head of the Immortal Council That Was Seven, Rhyn was charged
with protecting the human population from demons. In the course of
a few months, the old understanding between Immortals and demons –
that humans were off-limits – crashed to the ground. Rhyn’s
Immortals were struggling to recover from battles with the demons,
while he struggled to keep the Council together, let alone
focused.

Gabriel understood why the
old standard was gone. He wasn’t allowed to tell Rhyn, due to
Immortal laws governing the dealings between deities. The Dark One
that ruled Hell since the time-before-time had fallen to a ruthless
demon lord whose goal had long been to take over the mortal realm.
Forged by war and hardened by exile to the bowels of Hell, Darkyn
understood only violence, war and bloodlust. He honored nothing but
laws from the time-before-time, deals he made and the occasional
Demon Laws, which he authored. An
understanding
was not worth
acknowledging and definitely not binding to the new Dark
One.

The thought of the Dark One reminded Gabriel
that he lost three death-dealers to him in the course of a week,
not to mention the deal Deidre made.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ve got
another traitor,” Gabriel said in cold anger, motioning to the soul
compass the demon’s had obtained.

“Morale is low. The dealers think we’ll
never get home,” Landon supplied.

Gabriel and Rhyn eyed him. Gabriel bristled
at the reminder that his own underworld had shut him out.

“I’ll check in with the lake,” Landon
muttered.

“Take these,” Gabriel said, handing him the
souls he took from the bowl. “Then call everyone in. Looks like
I’ll be conducting mind checks morning and night.”

“Got it.” Landon pocketed the souls before
calling a portal.

“I need to move Deidre,” Gabriel said when
the death-dealer was gone.

“Something happen?” Rhyn asked.

“Yeah. She got attacked by demons
today.”

“Drop her off at my place,” he said,
referring to the Immortal’s stronghold in the French Alps.

“I thought being in Atlanta might help her.
It won’t work,” Gabriel said. He shook his head. “I need Wynn, but
he’s nowhere to be found this morning.”

“Haven’t seen the fucker,” Rhyn said, tone
hard.

Gabriel knew how much Rhyn hated his father.
Not many people thought differently of the first Ancient Immortal,
who had led the Council with six of his sons for many years before
being killed. Wynn was a brilliant surgeon, the only person Gabriel
knew to bring in and evaluate Deidre’s claim that she was
healed.

Not that he didn’t believe her. But, well he
didn’t. He pushed aside the nagging instincts he’d been ignoring
since seeing her earlier.

“Hey, boss,” one of the dealers approached.
“We got everyone.”

“Drop them at the lake and hang out for a
bit,” Gabriel said.

“Go get your woman. I’ll see you at the
castle,” Rhyn said, calling a portal.

Gabriel nodded. He looked around, furious at
Darkyn for earning the trust of people who didn’t trust him in his
new role as Death. With some dread, he returned to Deidre’s
apartment.

It was past dark, and she was dozing on the
couch. Cora waved from the kitchen. Gabriel sat down across from
his mate, studying her. It was hard for him to remain detached
around the beautiful woman with silver-white hair. She slept
peacefully, her delicate features and shapely body at ease as she
slept on her stomach. His eyes went over her perfect legs and
lingered on her ass. Their history made him want to touch her, to
feel the softness of her skin before waking her to gaze into the
huge blue-green eyes that were able to stop him in his tracks.

Both Deidres in one. He
rubbed his jaw. He didn’t know how it was possible. He barely
accepted the idea of being mated to a woman who only
looked
like his ex. Now,
she was at least half the woman he’d spent lifetimes loving and
hating.

She was human. No matter how many Deidres
were shoved into that perfect little body, she’d never have the
control over him she once had. He was Death, after all, a deity in
his own right. It was his turn to protect her the way she never
bothered protecting him.

“Deidre,” he spoke her name quietly.

Her face skewed a moment before her eyes
opened. She stared at him and sat up quickly.

“I’m moving you to Rhyn’s.”

“Why?”

“It’s safer there.”

She appeared lost as she looked around her.
She had the artless expressions of a human, an endearing trait that
made him want to wrap his arms around her.

“Why don’t we go home?” she asked.

“We can’t right now,” he said. “I’m locked
out of the underworld.”

“Locked out?” She arched an eyebrow at him.
“You’re the master of the underworld. It can’t lock you out.”

“Apparently it can,” he said dryly.

“What on earth did you do?”

That
was the tone of the goddess. Gabriel drew a deep breath and
stood. He motioned her up.

“Come on,” he said. “I’m headed to Rhyn’s.
I’ll take you.”

She frowned. “Gabriel, I want to stay
here.”

“No.”

“You never used to tell me no, either!” she
snapped and rose, marching towards the stairs to the second
floor.

“Get used to it,” he called after her.

He watched her angry walk, gaze on her
swaying hips. A smiled spread across his face. Maybe having the
former deity as a mate wasn’t so bad. He definitely liked the look
on her face when he told her no.

“Get your shit and let’s go,” he added.

She glared at him, the blue fire in her eyes
stirring his blood.

“Don’t forget shoes,” Cora yelled as Deidre
disappeared down the hallway. Her voice lowered as she faced him.
“Gabe, she needs a babysitter.”

“What’s wrong?”

“She doesn’t understand the human world
yet.”

Gabriel met Cora’s eyes. The death-dealer
was shaking her head in disbelief. There was something else in her
gaze, the knowledge that she’d figured out this Deidre wasn’t the
same one she was yesterday.

Gods, he had a headache already.

“You want the job?” he asked.

“I’m not sure I can keep up with her. She
tried on every piece of clothing today and took five baths to test
the different soaps. She discovered the toaster this afternoon. She
used it to warm up her socks. Nearly caused a fire.”

Gabriel smiled, entertained as much by the
story as he was by Cora’s visible exasperation.

“We went to the other side of the country to
find her more funnel cakes. It’s all she wants to eat.”

He listened, thoughts turning darker. Deidre
made a deal with the Dark One, one good enough to bring her soul
back from the dead, combine the two Deidres, cure the tumor of one
and release the final product from Hell. It sounded far too good to
be true, especially since Darkyn knew who she was and what he might
extort out of Gabriel to have his mate returned.

It had to be the private deal, the one
Gabriel found no trace of that Darkyn himself had mentioned to him.
What were the terms? Did Deidre owe a debt? What of the deal made
with Darkyn by human-Deidre? Was it, too, unofficial and therefore
not recorded in the Oracle’s book?

The instincts that warned him the night
before were louder this night. Whatever happened, there had to be
more to the story than what Deidre told him.

He gave her five minutes then started up the
stairs. He knocked before opening her door and saw her wardrobe
empty with clothes piled and stacked on the bed. She was leisurely
sorting through everything.

“I mean now,” he said.

“I’m not ready,” she replied archly.

He crossed the room and snatched the gym bag
at the bottom of her wardrobe. He tossed it on the bed and grabbed
a handful of clothes then stuffed them in.

“Oh, no, I don’t want that one,” she
objected and pulled out a sweater. “It’s not soft like the
others.”

He grunted and stuffed another handful
in.

“Gabriel, stop!”

She sounded so distressed, he did. Gabriel
let her push him aside so she could squeeze between him and the bed
to protect her precious clothes from his callous groping. She
paused to consider her options again then dumped out what he’d
started.

“You’ve got sixty seconds,” he told her.

“No, Gabriel, I can’t decide that fast,” she
said in the haughty, dismissive tone that used to infuriate
him.

His gaze traveled her body as she bent over
the bed and stretched for a maroon sweater. He resisted the urge to
take her hips. She straightened and very carefully folded the
sweater before placing it with similar care into the bag. The
deliberate movements alone took a minute.

“Gods, are you trying to test me?” he
growled.

“I’m going to do this my way.”

Her
way. It was how things always used to be with her. On her
terms, her time, her way. Her way involved deals with Darkyn and
lying to Gabriel. Something within him clicked, and he recalled his
resolve not to let the woman in his life strangle him
anymore.

He reached around her and tugged free his
favorite sweater. His hand settled on her back, and their bodies
brushed. Deidre stilled suddenly, her breath catching softly.
Gabriel glanced at her. She was trying hard to control her
expression and the flush moving up her features.

Amused, he dropped the sweater into the bag,
grabbed a few more and a pair jeans. He loved touching her and
loved even more watching her try to figure out what to do about it.
When he was satisfied, he lifted the bag and stepped away.

“Come on,” he said and called a portal.

“I have to just leave them?” she asked, gaze
on her clothes. “They’re so beautiful.”

“They’ll have more for you at the
fortress.”

Gabriel waited in front of the yawning
portal. Deidre sighed. She kept her distance from him. He motioned
her into the portal. With a look of dread, she went ahead of him.
He followed.

“You really are locked out,” she said,
stopping in the middle of the shadow world. The portal to his
underworld was grey; only yellow mortal portals and the black one
to Hell were visible. “How can that be?”

“Someone didn’t leave an instruction manual
when she walked out on me,” he replied calmly.

“Why would you
need
one?”

Gabriel stopped and turned, glaring down at
her.

“It’s not that hard,” she murmured as the
silence grew.

“Maybe to someone who’s been doing it for
tens of thousands of millennia,” he replied. “When you left, the
demons were pouring in, the Lake of Souls was bubbling and
everything else was falling apart. Guess who gets to clean up that
mess?”

He started walking again and waited for her
at the portal to Rhyn’s.

“I guess I didn’t realize you weren’t
ready,” she said as she joined him.

Gabriel said nothing, but it took effort.
She stepped into the portal, and he trailed. They emerged in the
chamber she’d been in before. Deidre gazed around her, eyes
settling on the green glow, visible through the French doors. It
was night on this side of the world, and the otherworldly glow from
the lake near Rhyn’s house reminded Gabriel that he was no closer
to getting those souls home yet.

“Why does that look like souls?” she asked,
puzzled.

“Because it is.”

Her mouth dropped open.

“You were here yesterday. You don’t
remember?” he asked.

She seemed to be thinking of how to
respond.

“I’m having trouble with memories in
general,” she admitted. “Maybe because everything was um, mashed
together. Almost everything feels new. It’s a little unnerving.”
She glanced around.

There was a vulnerable note in her voice,
one that bothered him.

Gabriel tossed her bag on the floor next to
the bed and strode to the doors, opening them. The night air of
spring was chilly in the mountains. He breathed it in deeply. Dawn
would soon break across the horizon on this side of the world.

Deidre trailed, eyes on the direction of the
lake near Rhyn’s fortress. Gabriel sat down on the railing to face
her, arms crossed as he took in her features. Shadows played across
the delicate, pert features. Her lips were full, a perfect bow, and
her large eyes steady and concerned. Her hands were rubbing her
sweater absently, her silver-white hair long and loose, hanging
almost to the small of her back. Narrow shoulders, rounded hips and
a petite frame were distinctly feminine.