Deidre's Death (#2, Rhyn Eternal Series)

Day Four: Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Gabriel left his sleeping mate in her bed with a lingering glance. Her slender frame was relaxed, her breathing deep and peaceful. His skin smelled of her, and he breathed it in, loving her scent. He wasn’t entirely certain what to think about last night, but he felt like he’d gotten somewhere. They’d taken a step together towards their future by talking openly on topics he never thought he’d be able to bring up.

She made love to him as if she’d waited her life for the moment. She cried as if she was losing him.

He didn’t know what that meant or even if it was a possibility that she would one day trust him enough to tell him what was burdening her. He came to the conclusion that she, too, needed time to heal. Her own journey to reach this point hadn’t been easy. She was hurting, even if he didn’t know why.

He dressed then slid out of the room. It was just after dawn, and the fortress was silent. He walked down the hallway to the stairwell and down. He felt good after the night with his mate, and it was too nice outside to take a portal when he had the energy to walk.

The morning air was crisp and cool. Gabriel was halfway to the lake when Darkyn spoke to him.

Available at your convenience.

Gabriel almost stopped mid-step, having forgotten he contacted the Dark One yesterday. He considered cancelling the meeting. Deidre would trust him in time, and he didn’t want to break the thin bridge of trust they’d established last night.

Then again, if she owed any sort of debt to Darkyn, Gabriel wasn’t about to be caught off guard. He also wasn’t going to let the Dark One hurt or threaten or even talk to his mate ever again. Meeting the Dark One so close to the fortress, then, was not an option.

After a moment, he responded to Darkyn. Deidre’s old apartment. Five minutes.

Gabriel trotted first to the lake, curious to see how last night had gone now that they knew about the tears. The lake was placid. A few of Rhyn’s Immortals were sparring on one bank under the watchful gaze of one of the death dealers.

Gabriel waved the dealer over.

“Update on the tears,” he directed.

“All five are sealed. Landon issued orders to the dealers last night to seal the others in the lakes where we found the souls originally. They’ll be back to collecting souls by noon,” the dealer reported.

“Excellent.” He glanced around the lake. When he didn’t sense the dealer he sought, he summoned him silently. Landon.

His second-in-command appeared instantly.

“I’m going to meet with Darkyn. Stay available,” he directed him.

“Sure, Boss.”

Gabriel opened a portal and strode through the shadow world. Setting foot in Deidre’s old apartment again was surreal. The human lived here for a few years with a boyfriend that one of Darkyn’s demons killed. This very building was the one Gabriel dived off of in an attempt to keep the terrified human from trying to kill herself.

Maybe it was a mistake to come here. His gaze lingered on a picture of Deidre on one wall. It was her … but not. At least, not anymore. The Deidre he spent the night with and the Deidre who went to see Darkyn four days ago were very different.

On a mission to ensure there was a clean slate between his mate and Darkyn, Gabriel waited in the middle of Deidre’s old apartment for the Dark One to arrive. He glanced around the tiny place, unable to rid himself of the instinct that warned him he was missing something. He didn’t understand what. The sense of unease rose again, this time more strongly. He reminded himself why he chose this place: it was where Darkyn met him originally, before the Dark One had brokered a deal with Gabriel’s mate. If Darkyn had a connection to Deidre, he’d be affected by the place as much as Gabriel was. Gabriel just had to watch for the signs.