Darkyn's Mate

In a week, Deidre would be dead or back with Gabriel. At least, this was what she hoped when she made the deal.

"It is dangerous. You should not make deals, until you learn how," Zamon said sternly. "A bad deal by a deity or its mate will ruin the universe."

"Okay," she said, startled by his calm statement. "I'll be careful. How do I learn?"

"Darkyn."

She frowned. Since he was the one she wanted to learn to outsmart, in case things broke bad, she doubted he'd teach her anything. Another thought crossed her mind as she stood in Hell's library.

"Can you … teach me things about the Immortals?" she asked. "I don't know anything about this place. I was a normal human two weeks ago."

"Maybe."

Her gaze returned to him. He was concentrating on turning pages and recording things she was unable to read.

"If Darkyn agrees," Zamon added. "The Dark One likes to control those close to him."

"You mean there's more than me?" she asked.

"His daughter."

"Seriously?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "That … he's a father?"

"Yes. She was hurt by an Immortal and is in a coma of sorts."

Deidre stopped herself from pursuing. There was no way she was going to learn more. She had no intention of staying here. Worse, she wasn't about to give the creature that tricked her into Hell and turned her Immortal an ounce of compassion.

Her stomach growled again.

"I was looking for somewhere I could get food," she said, reminded of her initial reason for wandering out of her room.

"Human food?"

"Um, yes."

"You will not want to go where the other human blood monkeys are. Darkyn would not approve. You will have to ask him."

Deidre sighed. In a place that operated on rigged deals where demons didn't seem to lose, she was certain anything she asked Darkyn for was going to cost her. That he'd beat out the original Dark One in a deal did not bode well for her.

She was trying hard to keep her fear away so she could figure out this new world. First the unfriendly Immortal society, now this nightmare. She'd promised herself she wasn't going to cry today. Half an hour after leaving her room, she was ready to break down.

"I'm going to lay down," she said.

"If you ask him, and he agrees, you can come back," Zamon said. "I will make time for you."

"Thank you."

Zamon nodded once, attention on the book. Deidre retreated into the hallway and started back towards the stairs. There was no way a creature like Darkyn, who valued control over everything, was going to let her talk to Zamon. Or eat. Or anything else.