Gabriel summoned a portal and returned to Deidre's room. She was seated on the bed, folding and stacking the clothes he'd packed for her. He watched her for a minute. Without the senses of a deity, she was unaware of him. Her concentration was on the clothes, and he tried not to smile as she spent a minute petting a sweater.

He hadn't thought about how different the world would be for her. Human-Deidre was enamored by the world; it was one of the traits that drew him. She found beauty in everything. This Deidre shared that trait. She was just as entranced, just as easily pleased by the world.

He liked that. No, he loved that. The G.o.ddess never appreciated anything around her, or anyone. To appreciate, one had to feel, and those born deities were somehow numbed to the world. He needed the reminder of the good in the world, because he saw none of it from the shadows where he spent his life. The human-Deidre was able to do that. If their souls were smashed together as Deidre said, he was glad this part of the human remained.

"Deidre, I need to ask you a couple of questions," he said.

She jumped and faced him. The raised eyebrow expressed her disapproval of his sudden appearance in a way that made him want to touch her and remind her that he did what he wanted now.

He moved to sit on the trunk at the end of the bed, close enough to see the details of her features without being too tempted to take her in his arms.

"Long story short, there's a rebellion brewing in the underworld. My expulsion hasn't gone over well," he said. "The dealers stuck below are flipping out. They're tearing apart our home, trying to find something they think can remove me from my position."

Her mouth was agape again, as it had been when he told her he was expelled. She shook her head, clamped her mouth shut then opened it to speak. Gabriel held up his hand.

"I don't want a lecture," he said firmly. "Tell me if there is something there I need to be concerned about."

"Lecture," she muttered, eyes flashing. "Clearly you found the compa.s.s. As long as you took the soul with it, there's nothing they can do."

f.u.c.k. Gabriel thought back to the three items he'd discovered in her jewelry box: the compa.s.s, a soul and the tarnished ring he gave her hundreds of years ago. He took the soul compa.s.s only.

"And if I didn't?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't you? It was your soul."

"My soul?"

"You can't rule the underworld if you have a soul. It's a conflict of interest," she said with some exasperation.

"What the f.u.c.k kind of sense does that make?" he demanded.

"I don't remember why. I only have twenty-six years worth of memories, thanks to Darkyn." She frowned fiercely. "But I didn't make that rule up. How do you think I had my soul to plant in human-Deidre's head when she was born? When you become Death, your soul is rendered unnecessary. You were supposed to place it in with the souls of the other deities."

"Which was ..."

"In the closet in the corner of my bedchamber, the one I told you to go through."

"You did not tell me to go through it!" Gabriel rose, furious once more, and began to pace. One minute, he was admiring the light of anger in her eyes. The next, he wanted to kill her.

Like old times.

"Of course I did. I told you, if you wanted to be exactly like me, to walk through that door," she said. "Isn't that clear enough? Please tell me you got your soul and put it there."

He glared at her.

"You didn't, did you?" she stared at him in a cross between dismay and amazement. "And you wonder why everything is in shambles."

"Don't go there," he warned.

"Do you have your soul at least?"

"No."

"Then you have to fix that, Gabriel," she said and rose, concerned. "How could you ever think you'd rule the underworld, if you didn't take it seriously? Yes, there is a way to kick you out of your position. It involves them taking your soul and sending it to h.e.l.l." She neared him as she spoke, pausing close enough that she had to crane her head back to meet his gaze. Her hands were on her hips.

"If you'd left me instructions or told me what to do, I would've done it," he said through clenched teeth.

"Did you ask?"

"You left me," he hissed. "If you'd given me a f.u.c.king day or two advance notice, I might've had a chance to ask."

"You had tens of thousands of millennia to ask!" She jabbed him in the chest.

"Then tell me now!"

"I ..." She blew out a breath. "I can't. Darkyn took most of my memories."

Gabriel growled at her, the brief touch enough to stir desire. His blood was already humming with desire; he forgot how much of a turn on arguing with her was.

"You are this close from me kissing you," he said and held up his index finger and thumb an inch apart.

"That reminds me. Don't touch me without permission." She whirled away.

"Oh, f.u.c.k no. We're not going back to that." Gabriel took her arm and spun her back. She glared up at him.

He kissed her. He expected her to push him away and slap him, and he was prepared to leave and remain furious at her for the next week or two.

She froze as their lips met. When she didn't reject him, Gabriel deepened the kiss, nibbling at her full lower lip. Deidre responded timidly at first then leaned into him. Gabriel's arms went around her. She tasted sweet and saucy, like the woman herself, her heat, scent and silky skin filling his senses in a way that left him wanting more of her. All of her. Her lips were soft and warm, her body molded against his. She'd gone from defiant to yielding in the s.p.a.ce of a single kiss.

Gabriel. Landon's summons irritated him.

Gabriel trailed kisses down her jaw line and to the sensitive skin of her neck. She gasped.

"You don't get to tell me what to do anymore," he whispered against her ear. "I'll touch and kiss you whenever I feel like it."

a.s.suming she's not still dying of a tumor. Gabriel almost groaned. The whole reason he'd avoided her was because of Wynn's warning pleasure kills a reminder that Deidre's tumor was connected to her emotions. Happiness and pleasure caused it to grow faster.

He kissed her again, slow and deep, savoring her flavor, then pulled his head away. Deidre was breathless, her eyes glazed. He loved that look, where her lips were plump from kissing and her cheeks flushed. She wanted him; he saw it on her face.

"I like you this way," he baited her. "Not p.i.s.sing me off."

Her face flushed the way he knew it would. Gabriel chuckled and kissed her quickly again before she was able to object. He released her and left.

Landon was in the bottom floor of the fortress, waiting with a familiar face in the study. Andre, the eldest brother of the Council That Was Seven, had been recently reincarnated by Gabriel to help in the search for demons. Able to manipulate minds, Andre was also the much-needed calming force on Rhyn and the other high-spirited members of the Council. A diplomat by nature, he had long served in the peacekeeping capacity among his brothers, before he was rendered dead-dead seven months before.

"Good morning, Gabriel," Andre said in a smooth voice as deep as his skin was dark. His eyes glowed turquoise, and he held a gla.s.s of wine in one hand. Dressed in a mock turtleneck of some expensive fabric and slacks, the seated Immortal was relaxed and bright-eyed, despite accompanying them on the hunt that led them to the meat locker a couple of hours ago. Gabriel was envious of how refreshed the Immortal managed to appear without sleep.

Andre's calming magic had an effect even on deities. The tension melted from Gabriel's shoulders as he sat on the settee across from Andre.

"Good morning, Andre," Gabriel said then tossed his head towards the door. Landon took the hint and left.

"Were you pleased by our rather gruesome discovery?" Andre asked.

"Yeah," Gabriel said with a snort. "We rescued three hundred souls. I'm grateful, Andre."

"It's what I do." Andre dismissed the praise with an easy smile. "I'm afraid I have no good news on the other front. I visited dear Tamer and spent most of the day with him and his records. I didn't know he had such an extensive library. I plan on returning to see what my brother is doing with all those histories he's not sharing."

Gabriel hid a smile, hearing the gruff-but-gentle disapproval of an older brother in Andre's voice. Gabriel knew the secrets of all the brothers on the Council; there were things people told Death that they never revealed to anyone else. He was accustomed to hearing and safeguarding the secrets of others.

"In any case, Tamer had no information to share with regards to the tumor," Andre finished. His cultured accent made even bad news sound pleasant.

"We may not need the information anymore," Gabriel said pensively. "But I can't find Wynn to help verify. You were able to feel the tumor in Deidre's head the other night, right?"

"I was."

"I need you to look again."

Andre's eyebrows rose. "Of course," he said.

He didn't ask questions, which Gabriel liked. Having played the patient sounding board to the Council members for thousands of years, Andre was adept at discretion.

"She's here," Gabriel added. "Sometime today would be good."

"I will take her breakfast," Andre said with a smile.

"Appreciate it." Gabe rose. "Check in when you're done."

Andre inclined his head.

Gabriel left for the Caribbean Sanctuary, where the book possessed by a long dead Oracle was busy scribbling notes about the Present. He strode to the lectern where the ma.s.sive book was perched.

"Show me the deals past-Death and my mate made with the Dark One within the past year."

Two images sprang from the pages. One he'd seen before that of past-Death and past-Dark One agreeing on a deal that resulted in raising Wynn from the dead. The second was made two nights ago, after he left Deidre in the Atlanta apartment to help Andre research how to help her.

The Oracle listed the complete terms, but Gabriel was only able to see the portion concerning his domain. Deidre had bartered for Darkyn to remove the tumor and to do so without pain. Darkyn's end of the deal was hidden from Gabriel, but the deal was marked as fulfilled, according to the Oracle.

What had she paid for this favor?

More importantly, what was the deal that brought past-Death back to life? What had the two Deidres traded in order to be combined and let out of h.e.l.l? Gabriel knew Darkyn well enough to know the demon lord would exact no small fee for these favors.

And yet, he couldn't deny that Deidre was back or at least, a woman who had the knowledge of the G.o.ddess and the body and heart of a human. If not for the fact she was lying to him, she would be the perfect mate.

Gabriel rubbed his jaw.

The terms of their deal were over. If Andre verified there was no tumor, did it matter what she was hiding? What could be more important than being able to spend eternity with her?

Nothing was.

The thought eased his concern without completely removing it. Gabriel's gaze lingered on the images playing before him. Uneasy, he also realized he had to focus on mopping up the rest of his mess in the mortal world, so he could start to address the underworld.

Maybe this was the best solution: the two Deidres combined.

The more he tried to accept the idea, the harder it became to swallow.

It couldn't be that easy.

He was almost grateful he'd never trusted either Deidre completely. He'd be a wreck if he had.

Day Two.

Chapter Four.

Unable to sleep, Deidre paced, trying hard to shake the sensations clouding her head. Her body was on fire, her hands shaking, her thoughts so scattered, she wasn't able to think. All it took was a kiss from Gabriel, and the words that thrilled her.

I'll touch and kiss you whenever I feel like it.

She sighed dreamily then shook her head. She was exhausted but couldn't sleep. She didn't understand how humans could feel so much and still function when she was overwhelmed. She wasn't going to fall under the spell of Gabriel's strong body, his pa.s.sion, his taste. Her first kiss as a human obliterated any resistance she had to him. He tasted as good as he smelled. Those huge hands had started to explore her body in a way that left her feeling feminine, delicate, and willing to let him take control in a way she never permitted him before.

With a frustrated growl, she threw herself into bed. It was bedtime on her side of the world, but dawn was breaking the sky outside her windows. Her eyes went to the green glow of souls again. The sight dulled her desire. She walked to the French doors.

There had to be millions of lost souls to create that vibrant of a glow. She'd broken the rules from the time-before-time for a chance with Gabriel. What else had she broken to cause Gabriel so much hardship? Lost souls, shut out of the underworld, was the greatest nightmare for Death. The innocent were vulnerable to creatures like Darkyn.

Deidre struggled to remember if this had ever happened before and if so, how it was fixed. Her memory was stunted by whatever Darkyn did to her. Without them, she'd never know for sure. How did Gabriel get souls back to the underworld if he wasn't allowed there?

In the meantime, the lost souls were stuck in a lake in the mortal world. She'd taken her duty seriously, even if it caused everyone around her to hate her. But she protected her souls. They never once suffered because of what choices she made.

Until now. The underworld was cracked when she left; that much she remembered. It was the sign it was time to resign, for her power was nearly gone. Gabriel was the only person she trusted to take over.

Deidre watched the sunrise, awed by the colors that filled the sky. The verdant pines outside the fortress wall were beautiful, and she watched their long pine needles stir in an early morning breeze. When the sun was up, she retreated from the French doors, troubled by the lost souls and what she did to make Gabriel's life worse, when she'd hoped to make it better.

A knock at her door drew her attention from her thoughts. She waited. If it was Gabriel, he'd made it clear he'd walk in. When no one did, she crossed to the door and opened it, startled by who stood before.

"Andre!" she exclaimed.

The Immortal offered a polite smile. Deidre recalled dealing with him many times before without remembering exactly what they'd discussed. The only calm, civilized Immortal on the Council That Was Seven, she had sought him out rather than try to reason with the irrational leaders of the Council.

"I brought you breakfast," he said. His French accent rolled off his deep voice in a way that made her smile.