Several hours after Deidre walked through the portals back to Atlanta, Gabe’s soul radar began working again. He felt the subtle shift and stopped on the stairwell down to the gym. With her taste in his mouth and scent on his skin, he was about to go insane, especially after walking away from her.
He tested the portals to see if his door to the underworld was back. It wasn’t. He crossed through anyway to the soul on the list to be claimed. It was dark where he emerged, but the body was where it should be.
Along with two demons. Gabe’s weapons were out before his second foot was out of the portal. He hacked down one, and the other managed to get in one strike before it, too, fell.
They’d been struggling to beat the demons to the souls, and Gabe stood over the dead demons, furious. How did they beat Death? Granted, Death’s soul radar just kicked in. There was no telling how long this soul was waiting.
“Come on out,” he told the soul, kneeling over the body of a dead human.
The green fog appeared. Gabe had never been so relieved to see it as he was now. He watched the emerald form then placed it in his pocket before returning his attention to the demons.
He searched their bodies to find another twenty souls they’d already claimed. He knew he wasn’t collecting fast enough, but the amount left him horrified to imagine how many he was missing. Disconnected from the underworld, he had no way of knowing.
Gabe shook out the jacket of one demon. Something fell with a clunk to the ground. He tossed the coat and froze.
Soul compass. Gabe swiped it off the ground and studied it. It showed no wear of time. None of his dealers reported one missing, which left two options, neither of them good. He debated which he trusted less: the Ancient Immortal that made the compass or the death-dealers that carried them.
He went to Tamer first.
It was too early for the silver shop to be open. Gabe knocked then took a portal inside, to the foyer he’d walked through last time. He sensed the wards he tripped and waited for the Ancient to appear.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” Tamer called from the third floor balcony.
“I just need a minute,” Gabe replied.
The Immortal sighed and trotted down the stairs. Gabe assessed him. Tamer hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt, appearing as if he’d leapt out of bed the moment the wards alerted him. He wore silk pajama bottoms and was barefoot, his muscular upper body on display. He was irritated but not wary, unarmed and relaxed. Gabe knew without touching his mind that Tamer wasn’t the one who had betrayed him.
“What is it?” Tamer asked.
“This is one of yours?” Gabe asked, holding up the compass.
Tamer took it then handed it back. He nodded immediately, recognizing his own magic.
“Are you numbering or logging them or anything?”
“Nope. Your people are handling all of that. I oversee their creation then seal them. Why?” Tamer’s gaze sharpened. “I know it didn’t break. I’m too damn good at what I do.”
“It works,” Gabe said grimly. “That’s all I needed.” Dread pooled in the base of his stomach for more than one reason. There was a traitor among the fifty-odd death-dealers he had above ground, and he’d assigned twelve-hour shifts to keep an eye on the apartment where he sent Deidre.
“I heard a rumor,” Tamer said. He crossed his arms. “Wynn?”
“He is back,” Gabe confirmed.
“You brought our father from the dead-dead?”
“You can thank my predecessor for that one.”
Tamer appeared conflicted. Gabe suspected he knew why. While not privy to the Council’s business, he assessed the appearance of their father at a time when Rhyn was struggling for control did not bode well for any of them. The Council had been on the verge of splitting for years, severing the effectiveness of their ability to combat Darkyn’s demons.
The three eldest sons on the Council were dead. None of the remaining were old enough to remember how Wynn had run things, and no other Immortal in the human world had been around when Wynn was in control. Gabe distrusted the Ancient father of the Council as much as he did Darkyn.
What happened was outside of Gabe’s official purview. Personally, he wasn’t about to let Wynn hurt any of the people he cared about.
“Thanks,” he said and tucked the compass away. “Send all of these to me from now on.”
“Will do.” Tamer said, distracted. “Hey, you got time to see something?”
“Is it important?”
“No, I wanted to have a fucking tea party.” Tamer started towards the locked door on one side of the foyer, behind which were the historical treasures. “I figured out a few of the symbols on your compass. I’ve been working twenty hour days for you, Gabe.”
“You’re welcome for keeping Rhyn off your back.”
Tamer shot him a look. The Immortal led him down the hallway to a familiar library. A notebook lay on the table next to a few scrolls, an ancient manuscript and another block of stone with carvings too faint for Gabe to read.
“The symbols in the strictest interpretation are largely related to nature,” Tamer started. “Snow, rain, one is a tree stump, another a ravine. Of the twenty symbols, I’ve figured out five.”
He flipped the notebook open to show a neatly sketched diagram of the compass with the ones he’d interpreted highlighted. Gabe took it.
“It seems too easy that these are locations,” he said.
“I thought so, too,” Tamer said. He carefully opened the massive manuscript with a petrified wood cover. “Everything in my library that can be scanned is on a computer. The records I alone can read with my magic are in this hallway, which is a pain in the ass when it comes to searching for things. I have to look by hand.” He muttered. He turned a few of the crisp pages carefully.
“I don’t have much time, Tamer,” Gabe said. “Just summarize what you think it is.”
Tamer straightened. “Bear with me. This will sound crazy,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Measures of a soul’s goodness. I think the compass tells you what kind of soul it is.”
“Interesting. Unless they’re headed to Hell, I don’t need…” He drifted off, mind on the demons. He’d wondered how they were choosing which souls to take and assumed his dealers were beating the demons to some.
What if the demons were choosing which souls they wanted, based on the compass readings? Darkyn was old enough to read the compass.
“Quick notes on what I think I know,” Tamer said, scribbling on a piece of paper. “I’ll keep working on it.”
“Thanks.” Gabe tucked the note in his pocket. “I’ll check in later.”
Tamer gave a salute.
Gabe left him for the lake near Rhyn’s. Rather than dread at what lie ahead of him, he felt nothing but anger. Reaching the lake, he tossed the souls he’d recovered from the demons into it and lingered.
Deidre had knelt near here and unknowingly touched a soul. Her reaction – and what he’d read in her mind – left him unable to deny an uneasy truth. This Deidre and the one he used to know were two different people. Same body, different in every other possible way. This Deidre was everything he’d loved about his ex-lover: her spontaneity, sense of humor, beauty combined with the purest human heart he’d ever known.
She really was perfect. She really was dying a death he couldn’t stop.
Gabe’s fury rose again. He located the nearest death-dealer and approached. The man melted from the shadows, awaiting his orders.
“Mind check,” Gabe told him.
The man bowed his head without hesitation. No sense of nervousness, no indication he had anything to hide. Gabe knew it wasn’t him before he rested his hand on the man’s head. The brief touch filled Gabe’s thoughts with a lifetime of visions. He pushed them aside to rifle through the man’s mind as he sought specific memories and indications the man was a traitor.
He was loyal, if concerned about being trapped on the mortal plane. Gabe dropped his hand.
“Go he
re on assignment. You are authorized to kill any threats to the woman you’re protecting. Demons are after her. Send the dealer you replace directly to me,” Gabe ordered. He held out his fist. The assassin bumped fists with his, and Gabe conveyed the location of Deidre’s apartment.
The death-dealer obeyed. He called a portal and strode away.
Gabe waited a few minutes for the assassin being replaced to appear. The small woman was one Gabe had known for years.
“Mind check, Cora,” he said.
She, too, bowed her head without hesitation. A quick search yielded nothing, except similar worry to the first man. His death-dealers didn’t doubt him, but they weren’t exactly convinced they’d see their home again.
“Keep this quiet, okay?” he said. “Any issues with your ward?”
“No, Gabriel. You could’ve warned me,” Cora said, grinning. “I almost ran when I saw her.”
“Yeah. That happens to me every time I see her.”
“She’s been exploring the area today. She hasn’t gone far. No demons, a couple of Immortals. I take it Rhyn has an eye on her?”
“He does. Does she seem … well?”
“Distraught mostly.”
Gabe nodded, uncertain if he should be relieved she wasn’t rejoicing to be away from him or worried that she was unhappy. She needed to be unhappy, he reminded himself. He’d done what little he was willing to do to his own mate to keep her upset. And out of his reach, because he was unable to keep the distance between them without her spearheading the effort.
Gabriel was no closer to figuring what to do about the woman meant for him than when he was when he saw her mating tattoo at the bungalow.
“Soul radar?” he asked.
“Broken.”
“Alright. Take up guard here,” he said, moving away. Mind on Deidre and the fact he still didn’t know how to undo what Wynn had done, Gabe went onto the next death-dealer at the lake then the next.
The fifth death-dealer hesitated to submit. Gabe gave him no chance to run or fight but snatched his neck. The man resisted, but Gabe pried his mind open and found part of what he sought: a deal with Darkyn. The death-dealer before him was newer, with less than a few decades in the service of Death. While not surprised past-Death had taken this man to her bed as well, Gabe was surprised he’d folded so quickly to Darkyn’s offer of spying in return for a guaranteed trip to the underworld. He had a handler who passed messages from the demons to him. Unfortunately, the man didn’t know who his handler was.
Gabe snapped his neck. It was a much kinder death than he deserved. He dropped the body and retrieved the soul. He gazed at it in the palm of his hand. He saw past-Death handle traitors but never expected he’d have one in his midst, a few months on the job.
With some regret, Gabe crushed the gem in his hand. It turned to green dust. He dumped it on the ground. Darkyn would see this man again soon in Hell.
“There’s always one,” Wynn said from nearby.
Gabe resisted the urge to behead the Immortal. One day, he’d be able to make love to his mate at will and kill the Ancient that almost killed her. That day wasn’t coming fast enough.
“Trust me. You want to check all of them. I led the Council long enough to know there’s usually more than one.”
“Sound advice,” Gabe replied. “If you’re here to ask where Deidre is, the answer is no.”
“You blocked her, not Rhyn. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“We both did, just in case.” Gabe glanced at the Immortal. Svelte, charismatic and cool, Wynn was the opposite of Rhyn in every way except for looks. There was no mistaking father and son on that level. “What do you want, Wynn?”
“I came to see if you wanted to negotiate yet.”
“I didn’t think you had anything wanted, now that I have Deidre safe and secure.”
“It’s a tiny secret, one that may not alter much of anything.” Wynn shrugged. “Or, it might, given it means more to you than it does to me.”
“You tell me, and if I find it worthy, I’ll tell you who wanted you brought back,” Gabe said, crossing his arms.
Wynn studied him. Gabe didn’t know which way the Ancient would go. Wynn’s alliances and motivations were mysterious, but there was one thing they had in common: Deidre.
“She was born with a tumor. Based on her medical records, the tumor didn’t grow until she hit puberty and didn’t interfere with her ability to function before a few years ago,” Wynn started. “What is of interest to you: the tumor in her head is formed around a soul. I discovered it during surgery.”
Wynn gave him a knowing look.
“Of interest to the Keeper of Souls?”
“You know it is. Whose soul would that bitch put in Deidre’s head?”
“My first guess would be hers. It’s what I’d do,” Wynn said. “Deities are different but they have souls. Our Deidre is a mix of human and immortal.”
“Meaning the soul of the deity we know is likely somewhere else.” The information was beyond valuable, and on a level that further altered Gabe’s perception on Deidre. Adding another layer of separation between past-Deidre and his mate settled some of his turmoil.
Darkyn. The Dark One’s mysterious search for something past-Deidre left behind began to make sense. What would Darkyn want with past-Deidre’s soul, unless he intended to add it to the Army of Souls?
Controlling a deity would bring incredible power to the demon lord at a time when Rhyn was struggling to battle demons already. The Immortals were vulnerable, and Darkyn’s hunger for power and control of the mortal world was not something Gabriel questioned.
Grimly, he realized he should’ve taken up Wynn’s first offer to barter for the secret. The information was beyond valuable. It might be all that stood between the Dark One and the human world. As nonchalant as Wynn was being about it, he knew what it meant.
“I knew you’d find it worthy. The magic I used to kill her, I also used to seal the tumor. My thought was that it was a like a time bomb, awaiting the right moment for our dear deity to reemerge,” Wynn said. “I’m beginning to believe she didn’t want me to find her after all, that it was Fate who pushed our paths together.”
“Fate has been active lately,” Gabe said, pensive.
“Indeed. Summoned me a few days ago. He’s scheming.”
“Deities always are,” Gabe said. “The answer you seek: Darkyn.”
Wynn’s eyebrows shot up. “She made a deal with him?”
“Apparently.” Distracted, Gabe began to think about how he might be able to save Deidre using the powers of Death. All souls – even those of deities – came to Death eventually. Would the soul in her head respond to him? “You couldn’t get it out?”
“A few years ago, I could have. Now, it’s not removable by human medicine or by Immortal power,” Wynn added.
“I’m assuming the only reason you told me is because you think I can do something about it,” Gabe said.
“If anyone can coax an unwilling soul out of a human brain, you can. I’ll still kill her to get what I want, if I must,” Wynn said with a cold smile.
“I expect nothing less from you.”
“Good. You’ll keep her out of my way and make sure Darkyn doesn’t stumble upon her or the treasure in her head.”
Gabe eyed him. From any other Immortal, it wouldn’t have been a threat. Wynn was as likely as past-Deidre to make a deal with the Dark One. Gabriel began to see the Ancient’s plan as well. Whoever had the soul of past-Death, had immeasurable bargaining power.
“My part here is done. You’ve been warned. I don’t need to tell you that any further assistance I provide you will not be by my choice.”
“Understood.” Gabriel tossed his head in dismissal.
Wynn left.
“Harmony, pull in all the death-dealers to the lake in an hour,” Gabe whispered the order. His gaze settled on the body at his feet.
Will do. She responded mentally.
Gabe opene
d a portal and strode into the center of the shadow world.
“Fate. I need a moment.”
This time, there was no waiting. One of the portals beckoned him before he’d finished the sentence. Gabe stepped into an apartment. He glanced around the penthouse decorated in dark colors with flashes of burgundy and brown, attention settling on the familiar skyline visible through the window.
“You chose an apartment beside hers,” he said with a shake of his head.
“What can I say. She’s always had good taste,” Fate said from his seat on a couch. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, he resembled a college student on break.
“Just when I think things can’t get weirder …” Gabriel crossed to the living area without sitting. “You’ve done a lot of interfering for someone who believes in free will. Wynn, Deidre, me.”
“You are still thinking like a death-dealer and not like a deity,” Fate chided and motioned to the couch. “Gabriel, what made you hate your predecessor also made her very good at what she did.”
“She regarded the world as a chessboard. I know this.”
“What made her good was that she was able to work around the Immortal Code that has you by the neck.”
Gabriel listened. He didn’t like not understanding what to do. He didn’t like not being self-reliant. The Code had always been his foundation in a world that adopted him despite his origins.
“You don’t follow the same rules you used to. You work around the rules, between them, on top of them, beneath them.” Fate nudged him with the top of his foot. “Are you listening?”
“Yes.”
“But you’re not hearing.” After a moment, the deity continued. “View the Immortal Code like a woman and what I’m telling you to do like ...making love to that woman. She’s more than a body, and the things you can do are only limited by your imagination. Did I dumb it down enough for you?”
“Yeah. That I understood,” Gabe replied. He wasn’t expecting humor at such a time, not when everything was wrong. But he found himself smiling at the enigmatic god’s explanation.
“The underworld wouldn’t have accepted you if you couldn’t do this. I’m pushing you to broaden your perspective.”
Gabe sat back, eyes on Fate, who looked little more concerned than any other college kid on spring break. The only real difference: the ancient intelligence in the deity’s steady gaze, which seemed out of place in such a youthful face. Grimly, Gabriel realized he was still missing too much, even on the mortal world.
“Ask me what you came to ask me,” Fate directed.
“Darkyn wants Deidre.”
“And you’re running out of time.”
“I know.” Gabe rubbed the back of his neck. “Wynn told me what he did and about the soul encased in her tumor. If Darkyn wants it, it’s gotta be past-Death. I … can’t …get to it without killing her.” Admitting the truth out loud was worse than he expected.
“Then you’re both fucked.”
He looked up.
“First things first. Darkyn wins now if you don’t figure out this simple truth.” Fate shrugged. “Like making love to a woman, Gabriel.”
He’d finally found a deity who used an analogy he understood. Thousands of years of experience rendered Gabe intimately familiar with both a woman’s body and the Immortal Code. He’d never viewed the Code in this light, as more than his master. He’d obeyed the Code and his predecessor without question, until forced to choose between them and his conscience. He broke with both to save Rhyn and Katie.
That the Code was malleable, flexible, alive … like a woman.
Deidre’s bucket list came to mind, distracting him from interpreting Fate’s cryptic comparison. He’d enjoyed himself that night, more so than ever before, because he let go of the side of himself that viewed sex as either a test by a dictatorial goddess or a necessary release for pent up frustration.
How the fuck did he translate a night of fun, passion – not to mention the most meaningful connection he’d ever made – into his job? The Code? That night, he’d done more than try to please someone else. He shared his need and pleasure with someone else for the first time in his life.
Fate leaned forward, studying him intently.
“Are you saying …” Gabriel paused. “The Code enslaved me as an everyday Immortal. But as a deity …”
“C’mon, Gabriel. It’s gotta click here and now, if you are to create a sustainable chain of events. You understand. I see it.”
“The Code is not an absolute for deities but a relationship. One I can determine,” he said at last.
“Determine. Influence,” Fate said, smiling slowly. “Control, if that’s your thing. The handcuffs never hurt, right?”
“Silk ties,” Gabriel replied.
“Jealous. She never used silk with me.”
“She didn’t trust you.”
“For good reason,” Fate admitted. “Same reason she knew better than to let me tie her. That would not have ended the way anyone thinks.”
Gabriel snorted, amused. They both knew past-Death wouldn’t let anyone place her in a compromising position. Fate was the single enemy that succeeded in cornering her and only after countless millennia plotting.
“Anyway, for you, those handcuffs will soon be falling away,” Fate continued.
Gabe tried to envision the Code as a woman, one that he could negotiate with. What if he approached the Code not as a slave but as an equal concerned about the greater good, a dynamic reality the Code had no way of knowing, due to its own static nature?
“I see it,” Gabriel said, frowning. “You’re saying a deity must look at the Code as one of many factor instead of the only factor.”
“We preserve it and the order of the worlds by any means necessary. If that means we break the Code to save it, then so be it.”
“Past-Deidre broke two rules and quit. Are you saying she didn’t have to?”
“There was much more to what she did. She broke the rules from the time-before-time, of which there are three: mates, blood, fate. No one can fuck with the bond each of those has to one another. The result of a deity breaking one of the three is basically the destruction of the world. She played the Code the same way she played each of us. We didn’t band together to stop her, because she had …dirt on all of us,” he explained. “Only the deities can force another deity to resign. No one wanted to cross her.”
“Except you.”
“You want to know how?” Fate’s eyes glittered as he rested his elbows on his thighs. “I revealed her mate to her. You’ve never seen anyone so angry.”
“You told her about me, and she spazzed. Great.” Gabe mumbled, infuriated by past-Deidre once more.
“You think I told her the truth?” Fate grinned. “She wanted it to be you. I lied my ass off and told her it was the Dark One. Learn a lesson from your predecessor. Don’t fuck with me.”
“That was the bet she lost?”
“Yep. Said she knew who her mate was supposed to be. I pulled her Sight, so she couldn’t tell I was lying, then asked what she’d wager on it. I lied. I set up the chain of events millennia ago and knew if I could push her enough in one direction, she’d go peacefully over the edge,” he said. “She made deals with a few people she shouldn’t have to try to outmaneuver a fate that didn’t exist, thereby breaking all three – mate-blood-fate – without annihilating the worlds as we know it. She was fucked, though.”
“The underworld cracked, and the demons came,” Gabriel guessed. “She knew she was done.”
“Exactly. I then called in the favor she owed me from the bet I actually lost.”
“You made her pay up?” Gabriel asked.
“Damn right I did. At that point, everyone was collecting, or trying to.”
“Can I ask what you won?”
“I told her to walk through the portals, and where she ended up, was up to me.”
Gabriel studied Fate. “You were kind to her.”
“No, I was kind t
o you and to the human Deidre. I’m a deity, not a monster, Gabriel, and I happen to see the Future. Sometimes I favor an outcome and nudge the chain of events to fulfill it. I restored the path she forsook so long ago, as I was obligated to do,” Fate said then added. “I am also the only deity, Immortal or human alive who ever crossed that bitch and won.”
“By losing.”
“Exactly.”
Gabriel found himself laughing.
“What are the lessons here?” Fate asked.
Gabriel’s smile faded as he thought. He saw first of all that he’d chosen the right mentor. Or maybe, the right mentor had chosen him. Fate was both vengeful and impassioned in his treatment of past-Deidre, and Gabe sorted through the tangled web that marked the tumultuous relationship between Fate and past-Death.
“Aside from not pissing you off,” Gabriel started. “Sometimes you make love to the Code and sometimes you fuck it.”
“Well-put. What else?”
“You’ve been much more …clear-sighted in how you dealt with her,” Gabe said regretfully. “You broke the Code out of duty and pushed her to do so out of emotion, which ultimately screwed her. I’m guessing if I break the rules, to do so out of duty.”
“Good. Get the point?”
“I had no idea she cared enough about me to break so many rules. This touchy-feely shit is giving me hives.”
“Me, too. You will have to cause me some trouble, so I have a reason to begrudge you,” Fate said.
“That can be arranged.” Gabriel chuckled. “Doesn’t explain why your apartment is next to hers.”
“Rarely do I get to see the Future unfold in person. I can see everywhere but cannot be everywhere. I chose to be here,” Fate replied. “I will not need to interfere, unless you reject all we’ve discussed when you leave.”
“No chance.”
“Go forth, and use your resources.”
Gabriel rose. He liked Fate, though after the story of how the deity took out past-Deidre, he knew better than to trust the godling completely. He didn’t expect his portal to the underworld to be waiting and wasn’t disappointed. No, it wasn’t going to be that easy. He still had the challenge of the mortal world to knock out.
This time, he knew the secret to succeeding in the human realm.
The Code was no longer his master. Neither, he decided, was his past. What past-Death and the Code had been to him - the one-way relationship they’d forced upon him – would not survive the day. Fate hadn’t answered the question he wanted, but he provided the response Gabriel needed to hear. Death didn’t live in the shadows as Gabriel had for the majority of his life.
Neither did Death sit back and wait to discover the information he needed to do his job. In all his years, he’d known one Immortal with the unrivaled gifts of not only tracking demons in the mortal realm but manipulating the minds of Immortals and mortals. The same Immortal would balance the damage done by past-Deidre when she raised Wynn and help Rhyn manage the Council and Immortals. Though the power of mind manipulation was far from brain surgery, he might also know how to help Deidre.
It was a long shot, but Gabriel was willing to bet that raising the dead-dead Immortal would pay off.
He was about to fuck the Code hard.
Gabriel returned to the lake. There was no way of knowing whose souls had crossed over to the mortal world, but he was going to trust that Fate was on his side, for the time being. Gabriel stripped off his shirt and weapons then his heavy boots, dropping everything into a pile while two of his assassins watched. He whipped off his belt and added it to the rest of his belongings, leaving a single knife strapped to his thigh.
He dove into the cold water. The souls sensed their Keeper and rose from the floor of the deep lake to hover around him like suspended, tiny green lanterns. Each spoke to him as he swam, filling his head with visions as they told him their stories. Gabriel slowed his movements, quickly overwhelmed by the voices. He stopped trying to sort through everything.
If you’re here, come to me, he ordered the soul he sought.
Nothing happened. He swam deeper into the lake. One of the gems touched his face. Images flashed through his mind. He snatched the soul and shoved off from the bottom of the lake, kicking upwards.
Breaking through the surface, Gabriel gasped in a few breaths before swimming towards the shore with powerful strokes. All five of the death dealers on guard had drawn near the lake. He hauled himself out of the cold waters and sat on the shore that turned to mud beneath his dripping body.
He placed the soul on the ground beside him and drew his remaining knife. He heard how to bring an Immortal back from the dead-dead from past-Death but never saw it done. Mainly because it broke a few thousand Immortal Codes. It didn’t break the triumvirate of laws he was required to follow, though it was likely to put him on the radar of the other deities, who were going to be cautious to trust him after past-Death’s antics.
Gabriel sliced his palm and squeezed blood out over the soul. If there were magic words, they were stuck in the manual he never got. He willed the magic out of his body and channeled it into the blood-covered soul, visualizing what it was he tried to do. And hoping it wasn’t like Wynn, who was reincarnated without even Darkyn realizing the soul was revived. Green power flowed from the souls in the lake, through him and into the gem. The lake blinked out for a second, the light gone completely, then blinked back on, this time much, much dimmer.
He’d always known the source of Death’s magic was the souls, but he’d never seen his predecessor wield the light of the souls. Shut off from the underworld, he could only hope he had enough soul power here on the mortal world to reincarnate one Immortal.
The earth beneath him trembled, which he took as a good sign. The soul sank into the ground. Gabriel grabbed at it, until he saw the shape of a man form beneath a haze of green. He stood and stepped back, breathing hard from his swim. His death-dealers were fading into the shadows of the forest as the ground shook.
Gabe sat down on a boulder, a thrill working through him. He’d been ignoring the extent of the power available from the souls for fear of violating the Code, which he now understood was not binding in the face of a threat like Darkyn.
If this worked, could he do the same for Deidre? Kill her, remove the soul and revive her? Gabriel’s gaze went to the lake. The souls were barely glimmering; there was no way he’d be able to pull the amount of power he needed to save Deidre.
He needed more than access to the underworld to save her; he needed the medical advice of someone like Wynn. From what he knew, if they brought her back, she’d be however she left the earth. He couldn’t have the tumor – or half her brain missing – when he revived her.
Gabriel shuddered at the thought of hurting her.
Was this why Darkyn hadn’t grabbed her? Had Wynn unknowingly protected Deidre by linking her life to that of the soul in her head?
The haze cleared, and the earth settled. Gabriel rose and approached the still form. The night-skinned Immortal appeared to be either dead-dead or sleeping. Squatting, Gabe shook him. Tanzanite eyes opened, the familiar blue-purple making Gabriel smile in triumph. He was going to win this round against Fate, Darkyn and anyone else who stood between him, the underworld and his mate.
“Welcome back, Andre,” he whispered. “A little reminder. I brought you back. I pretty much own you, at least temporarily.”
Andre sat, steady gaze on Gabriel. Gabe knew he must look half-wild: drenched, muddied and sizzling with power.
“It looks like a few things changed while I was gone,” the Immortal said with the calmness Gabriel remembered always admiring.
Gabe nodded. Soul power rippled through him and with it, the sensation of the invisible shackles he’d worn his entire adult life melting away. He was alive after a lifetime banished to the shadows. Things would be different from here on out.
Like Deidre, he was going to live on his terms.
“I need a drink and some clothes,” A
ndre said.
Chuckling, Gabe stood and offered the Immortal a hand.
Rhyn, can you drop by the lake and bring a couple sets of clothes? Gabe asked his friend.
On my way. Rhyn replied.
“What’s it like being dead-dead?” Gabriel asked.
“Much more peaceful than being alive,” Andre replied, looking around. He sighed. “If I’m here, it’s not because the world is operating smoothly.” His French accent rolled off his deep voice.
“Not in the least.”
“Holy fuck.” Rhyn’s curse made Gabriel turn. The half-demon paused a few feet away, and Gabe saw the emotion cross his eyes.
The eldest of the seven brothers, Andre was the only who supported Rhyn’s petition to be recognized by the Immortals who hated the half-demon. Andre was rendered dead-dead while Rhyn was stuck in Hell, killed by the same brother who held Rhyn prisoner.
Rhyn recovered quickly and tossed them both clothing. Gabriel stripped out of his pants and pulled on the new ones before striding back to the pile of the rest of his things. He figured Rhyn and Andre needed a private moment and snorted as he heard Rhyn start off.
“I’m not going to ask why you two are naked,” Rhyn said. “Or why Andre isn’t dead-dead. Or why Gabriel looks radioactive.”
“Hello, little brother,” Andre said with some affection.
Gabriel smiled to himself and pulled on his clothes, replacing weapons. He felt the wary eyes of his death-dealers from the shadows.
“We’re all here,” Harmony’s voice carried a note of uneasiness.
“Line them up. I’ll be quick.” Gabriel glanced up at her as he tugged his belt tight.
“Will do.” She hesitated. “You … changed.”
He met her gaze. While he didn’t want his death-dealers to fear him, he also recognized the look in her eyes and those of the assassins behind her. They no longer regarded him as one of their own after the demonstration of Death’s power. Gabriel mourned the loss of the community he’d belonged to for so long. But things had to be different from here on out. He had to preserve and protect the underworld, even if it meant stepping away from the comfort zone he’d existed in for millennia.
“I’m going to get us home,” he said gently and squeezed her arm. “There’s only one way I can do that. You’ll have to trust me.”
“About the other night …” she started. “I didn’t … I shouldn’t have …I’m sorry, boss.”
“Don’t be. I’ve been avoiding talking to you about us for awhile,” he said, aware he couldn’t push it off any further. “Harmony, I have a mate. I found out a few days ago.”
She frowned.
“I owe you an apology for not telling you sooner,” he added. “I wasn’t prepared for what that meant, just like I wasn’t prepared for my new duties. I’m taking steps to remedy those issues. If I hurt you, I’m sorry.”
Harmony was quiet for a long moment. Gabriel sensed her emotions, even if she tried to keep her face impassive.
“I understand,” she said at last. “You have a duty to your mate. I would never interfere.” She turned away, issuing silent orders to the death-dealers.
Gabriel watched her, not at all satisfied with the exchange. She was hurt; he was an ass. He’d fucked over both the women in his life, and neither deserved it.
The assassins lined up obediently. He went one-by-one, checking the minds of each with the occasional glance across to Rhyn and Andre, who were speaking quietly.
An hour later, Gabriel reached the last of the death-dealers in line, relieved yet troubled not to have found another traitor. The assassin he’d killed earlier had a handler, one that acted as a messenger between him and Darkyn. While the dead man hadn’t known who the handler was, he’d suspected it was another death-dealer. Gabe checked all of those in the mortal realm, except for …
He turned, realizing Harmony hadn’t been in the lineup. In fact, she wasn’t anywhere.
Harmony, he called over their internal channel.
No response.
Gabriel felt something heavier than dread in his stomach. He’d just told Harmony he had a mate. It wasn’t going to take much for her to put together who, especially with the ultra-secret assignments protecting Deidre.
Landon.
The death-dealer appeared at once. Second to Harmony on Gabriel’s list of the most effective, Landon was her back-up when it came to organizing the missions and personnel.
“The protective assignment,” Gabriel started. “Double it. Move them closer to their ward. I also need accountability on all of these.” Gabe handed him the soul compass he’d found on the demon’s body.
“Sure, boss.” Landon’s response was chipper despite his severe features.
“Send Tymkyn to find Harmony,” Gabriel said, referring to the top tracker among his death-dealers. “Tell him to bring her in. Alive, preferably.”
Landon absorbed Gabe’s word choice, recognizing the gravity of the situation without further explanation.
“Find me when you’re done,” Gabriel added.
“Alright, boss.” Landon disappeared through a portal.
Gabe watched him, rubbing his rough jaw. He’d never thought twice about trusting Harmony or any other death-dealer. Or about the Code. Or about pushing Deidre away when she needed to be by his side to keep her safe. Fate was right; the only thing in his way was him.
“I’m liking this new Gabe.” Rhyn pulled him from his thoughts. “Snapping necks, breaking Codes, bringing back the dead-dead.”
Gabe turned. The brothers were standing beside each other a short distance away. Rhyn was smiling faintly, Andre’s controlled expression reminding Gabriel of Wynn.
“I learned a few things recently,” Gabe replied. “I need to borrow Andre. We’ve got some demons to track. And Wynn. I’ll bring them both back.”
“Do me the favor and don’t bring Wynn back,” Rhyn said, anger flashing across his features.
“He’s our father, Rhyn,” Andre said.
“Don’t start that mediator shit with me,” Rhyn snapped.
“You have much to learn about diplomacy, little brother.”
“And discretion,” Gabriel added, unable to help but tease his rankled friend.
“Where’s your mate, Gabe?” Rhyn retorted.
Gabriel rolled his eyes.
“Children, if you’re done, I still need that drink,” Andre said smoothly. “Let us get whatever this is over with. As a man of fashion, I’m afraid I won’t be able to tolerate this clothing long.”
Rhyn eyed him, suspecting it was an insult, while Gabriel recalled how polished Andre was. The peacemaker of the brothers, Andre instinctively used his gift of mind control to counter the tempers of his fiery brothers. It was impossible to stand near him and not relax. Gabriel felt the effect of being near him, and Rhyn shifted away from the subtle magic.
“He’s yours for a couple of hours,” Gabe said to Rhyn. “I’ve got a rat in my ranks. I need to find her.”
“Harmony?” Rhyn guessed.
“Is it that obvious?” Gabriel complained.
“I have a knack for spotting traitors.”
The bitterness in his voice was not lost on Gabe. He slapped Rhyn on the arm. Rhyn lifted his chin in farewell before motioning for Andre to follow him through a portal. Gabriel waited until they were gone. He felt different. Centered. Clear-headed. He had a shit ton of work to do the next couple of days. With Andre’s help, he might gain some insight into Deidre’s illness and be able to counter the demons tracking and stealing souls.
“Thanks for the pep talk, Fate,” he murmured.
You’ll pay for it later, Death, came the deity’s amused response.
Gabriel smiled. “Bring it.”
As he started away, he realized Fate had told him something else this day. The godling promised to tell Gabriel about he bet that took out past-Death, only when Gabriel was on the right path.
For the first time in months, he had conf
irmation that he was headed the right way.