"I imagine an eternity of punishment as only the Dark One can devise. Same for the dealer who hurt you today."

"But I'm okay. He didn't hurt me," she said, looking at Darkyn. "An eternity? For one mistake?"

"Even I won't go to bat for him," Gabriel said. "Either of them. Mates are sacred."

"But it's my fault," she said. "Darkyn, I never should've come here. I don't want him paying for something I did."

"He will pay for drawing your blood," the demon lord growled in a tone that made her jump. "Anyone who raises a hand to my mate also raises a hand to me and will be dealt with accordingly."

"For once, I agree with Darkyn," Gabriel said, staring at the Dark One with no small amount of surprise.

Deidre was quiet, her features troubled.

Deal? Darkyn asked Gabriel mentally. No other terms.

What you did to Deidre cannot be undone, Gabriel replied.

What I did to both Deidres cannot be undone was the unsettling response.

Gabriel was quiet for a long moment. His eyes went back to the girl who had been human just a few days ago. Her gaze was on Darkyn.

"Has he hurt you?" he asked, unable to fathom how she survived h.e.l.l so far.

"No," she replied. She was agitated to the point of distraught. The Dark One lifted his chin in subtle command.

Deidre crossed to him, unafraid of the creature whose appearance often made grown Immortals quake and grovel. She leaned into his side, and Darkyn rested a hand on her hip. The Dark One's touch calmed her air instantly.

What the f.u.c.k had Darkyn managed to do in four days that Gabriel hadn't been able to in the week he spent with her? Removed her tumor, immortalized her and now, could comfort her with a single touch. Gabriel had never felt inadequate in his life until that moment.

"Agreed," he said. "Harmony for the dealer you have."

"I'll have him brought to the shadow world and summon you," Darkyn said.

Deidre was watching him, her gaze troubled. Gabriel wanted to say something to her, to apologize, to rationalize what happened ... He felt like he was on the verge of snapping, unable to settle the turmoil of his emotions.

"You don't deserve to spend your life in h.e.l.l," he said, pacing. "G.o.ds, if I could send her home with that demon in your place, I -"

"Gabriel!" Deidre exclaimed.

"Would you consider a trade, Darkyn?" Gabriel asked with a bitter laugh.

"She did what she did because she loves you, Gabriel," Deidre said. She moved away from Darkyn to stand in front of Gabriel, searching his gaze.

"After all she did to you, how can you say this?" he demanded, glaring down at her. "She'll be lucky if I let her survive the day."

"I was angry at her," Deidre admitted. "Maybe I still am. But you can't kill her! She deserves a chance."

"To what? Turn on me again? To make my life h.e.l.l?" Gabriel shook his head.

"To have a second chance with you," Deidre answered softly.

"I knew something was wrong. Her story just didn't make sense." He looked away, towards the window, hands on his hips.

"When you thought I was dying, you weren't willing to take a chance," Deidre added sadly.

"Deidre, I "

"No, wait. You weren't, Gabriel. You did exactly what she did. You hurt me to protect yourself," Deidre said with emotion that made her face flush. "I had to make a choice without knowing what would happen or even if you would be there for me in the morning."

He was quiet, unaware of the depths of her hurt until now. Everything he did was to help her, or so he thought. Did he ever tell her that? Or did he simply push her away, leaving her to interpret his rejection in the worst way possible?

"I don't want you to apologize, Gabriel," she said with a sigh. "I want you to see what I do. You both made selfish choices. You both have a chance to make it right."

"And leave you in h.e.l.l with him?"

"I made a choice, too. I chose to live, no matter what the consequences. That path lies in a direction I never would've expected. But I accept that, Gabriel. There's a greater purpose than myself. You and she never understood that, when it came to caring for someone else. You have that chance now."

He studied her.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is..." she drifted off.

"You're breaking up with me," he said, smiling faintly.

"Oh, G.o.d," she mumbled with a look at Darkyn. "Deidre gave up everything to be with you. You weren't willing to do that for me. Maybe you can set aside your pride for her."

"You're too nice to be involved with any of us."

"The only innocent soul in h.e.l.l, I've heard," she said and rolled her eyes.

"If Darkyn ever, ever hurts you, you have a place to go."

"Thank you, Gabriel."

"We're done here," the Dark One said smoothly. "Send my regards to your mate."

Gabriel didn't trust himself to respond. He called a portal and left, needing to escape then realizing the emotions he didn't want to feel went with him.

He went to the lake near Rhyn's. Unable to function from shock, he sat down on a rock overlooking the lake. His death dealers were around, ever-wary for signs of demons.

The morning sun felt hot, and Gabriel was soon sweating. He suspected it was the feeling that he was about to explode and not the cool morning. He stripped off his shirt and flung it then tossed all his weapons in a pile at his feet before seating himself once more.

It didn't help. His head was still reeling to the point he was fevered. It was worse than the morning after he slept with human-Deidre and awoke to discover whom he spent the night with.

What exactly happened? Why did Darkyn choose to keep the human over the deity? What other deals were in place that Gabriel didn't fully know about?

"How's life?" Fate's tone was casual.

"You are the last person who should be around me right now," Gabriel snarled.

"Peace, friend," Fate said, approaching. He stopped a safe distance away, his multi-hued eyes on Gabriel. As usual, he appeared the least affected by anything that was going on. He was dressed as if he'd just come from some club, all in leather with his blond hair in a braid.

"Peace," Gabriel snorted. "You knew."

"I even told you."

Gabriel thought back. At one point, Fate had told him a story about how he tricked the G.o.ddess into a series of agreements that landed her out of a job. He did it by pushing the only b.u.t.ton that seemed to work on the deity. He told her that she was destined to be the mate of the Dark One. In desperation, the G.o.ddess made a series of deals with the former Dark One, Fate, Darkyn and others to alter the series of events that might see her with anyone but Gabriel.

At the time, Gabriel had laughed at Fate's manipulative story, not realizing that Fate's alleged lie held more truth than not.

"I'm beginning to see why she hates you," Gabriel muttered.

"It's for a good cause."

He stared at the nonchalant Fate.

"What is one life in the bigger picture?"

"Everything," Gabriel said.

"Believe it or not, I'm less a fan of Darkyn than I am of your G.o.ddess," Fate said. "The good news: now that the Deidres are in their right places, you may find life a little easier."

"I refuse to believe this is the way things were meant to be. Why f.u.c.king give her to me then take her away?"

"You're taking it personally. Don't."

Gabriel glared at him. "Have you ever been human?"

"Of course not," Fate said quickly.

"Have you ever known what it was to love someone?"

"Does it matter?"

"Answer the f.u.c.king question."

"Relax, Gabe," Fate said with a smile. "Not that it matters but no."

"Then you have no idea how personal it gets," Gabriel snapped.

Fate simply gazed at him. Gabriel was reminded of the many times he'd expressed something human to the G.o.ddess he'd loved for thousands of years. Before she became a human, she never understood him or what he felt and thought.

"I am not incapable of emotion," Fate said, as if reading his mind. "I am not like your predecessor."

"Every last one of you is a sociopath."

"I have emotions," Fate said more clearly. "I've checked on your little human almost every day to ensure what I planned for her was not altered by Darkyn's bloodl.u.s.t."

"Now you'll convince me you care."

"I do care," Fate replied. "I cared about you and the humans enough to interfere and give you a second chance. I cared enough to make sure Darkyn's little fruit bat is okay. I cared enough to let Darkyn strip the powers of a G.o.ddess when every other deity in the worlds wanted her dead-dead."

Gabriel hated it when one of the deities made sense. Fate's plan was as flawed as Gabriel's. He saw the logic, even though he didn't want to. What he didn't understand: why. Or what exactly his mate had done.

"We'll have this talk again when you've got a mate," Gabriel said. He was calming, though it had nothing to do with Fate's presence. "Can you see your own future?"

"Parts of it. Nothing impressive. Many more years of ... this," Fate said, glancing around. "Mentoring other deities, manipulating the destinies of innocent humans, reminding you how not to destroy the universes."

"You said things will get easier. Does that mean the opposite?" Gabriel asked.

"I mean, you're about to find a way into the underworld. When you do, you'll make things right."

Except for Deidre. No matter who a.s.sured him the woman he fell for was okay, he couldn't help but blame himself for all that happened to her. Or might have happened, if things broke bad. He couldn't help feeling angry with the G.o.ddess who set this all up or escape the emotion he felt knowing his mate was the woman he'd loved for thousands of years.

And hated for just as long for pulling s.h.i.t like this stunt.

But she was human now, capable of being what she wasn't before. Capable of loving him the way he'd craved for the entirety of their existence together. Capable of happiness and sorrow and compa.s.sion. She demonstrated that last night.

He had always wanted this. Not at all costs, however. He was nothing like the deities who didn't mind sacrificing a few humans to get what they wanted.

"She didn't deserve any of this," Gabriel said, frustrated. "Why is she even in the picture?"

"That question is for your mate."

Gabriel looked at Fate. "I don't like the sound of that."

"You saw the human. You know she is well."

"I don't know how you can be so optimistic. She's in h.e.l.l."

Fate shrugged. Gabriel guessed the deity considered his work done and was no longer concerned. He prayed to all the deities he never, ever grew aloof and callous towards the humans. He had to remain a compa.s.sionate Death, one who understood what it was to live.

Where the f.u.c.k did this leave him with his mate?

"Landon," he called. "Get lost, Fate."

"A few more days, and I can go on vacay," Fate said with a wink.

Gabriel ignored him. The death-dealer he summoned appeared.

"Time for a mind check," Gabriel directed him. "Afterwards, go get the death dealer Darkyn has and apply some pressure. It's time we figured out what the f.u.c.k is going on in the underworld."

His second-in-command nodded and trotted into a portal. Fate was gone, and Gabriel couldn't help thinking the cheerful warning he received was a bad omen. His thoughts went to human-Deidre.

Fate's mention of him gaining access to the underworld made Gabriel wonder if the deity was referring to Darkyn's mate. Darkyn would slaughter Gabriel in a deal, but human-Deidre ... would she do it, if he asked? For the sake of his soul, if nothing else?

Gabriel pulled on his clothes and weapons again, pensive. He tried hard not to think about his soul being kicked around in the underworld. He hadn't been sent to h.e.l.l yet, indicating no one had found his soul, but the thought lingered in the back of his mind.

It wasn't exactly hidden. He'd left it in a jewelry box in the bedroom he'd shared with past-Death. He needed to get home. Soon. Before it was too late.