Darkyn's Mate

The calm of his blood offering kept her uneasiness at bay as the portal behind her closed. She hurried to the one waiting for her and paused. He could be sending her anywhere.

To Gabriel.

At least, if she saw him, she could determine which parts of what she felt were real and which stemmed from the bond. Deidre drew a shaky breath and stepped through the portal.

She recognized the surroundings. The Immortals' stone fortress. She was in the middle of an unfamiliar, tall hallway. She heard the sound of a weapon scraping a scabbard behind her and turned.

Red tattoos flashed on the arms of the two Immortals in the hallway. She didn't recognize them from her short stay there. One had his sword raised, the other's was down. They scrutinized her.

"Rhyn," she said, uncertain who else to ask for.

"Wait here," one said. "No quick movements."

She nodded.

The second put his weapon away and darted off down another hallway. Deidre waited nervously, uncertain what to think about the Immortal staring at her. His sword lowered as the time grew on. The light in his eyes was like that in Wynn's, one she couldn't place. It was almost the fire of desire, yet too raw.

It made her uncomfortable.

"Fuck."

Deidre recognized the growl of the half-demon and faced him. Flanked by the Immortal she knew as Kiki and two more, Rhyn stood several meters away. The silver-eyed half-demon was tall and muscular, the air around him rippling with power. It was the opposite of Darkyn's, whose was subtle and calming. Rhyn's energy made her edgy.

"You've been gone, what? Three days? And you come back with a double-bond to someone new?" He shook his head. He motioned for the Immortal behind her to leave. "Does Gabe …"

Her sharp intake of breath stopped him.

"Double-bond," one of those behind Rhyn said. "What is a double-bond?"

"It's what the Dark One does when he doesn't want his mate disappearing on him," Rhyn said. "I sensed you arrive."

He approached and circled her, pausing behind her. Self-conscious in front of Gabriel's closest friend, Deidre faced him, tilting her head back to meet his liquid silver eyes.

"Did you say Darkyn is the Dark One?" Kiki asked.

"Looks that way," Rhyn replied. "No one else can turn a human into a demon, and only demons blood bind."

"He is," Deidre confirmed.

"I thought you were in Atlanta."

"It's a long story," she replied. "One Gabriel doesn't know and probably shouldn't for another few days."

"We match." Rhyn bared his teeth to display canines similar to Darkyn's that would lengthen when he was hungry.