"Back from the dead-dead," past-Death said. "Raised by the Dark One, the only other deity capable of reviving a dead-dead soul. Heading home to my Gabriel."
"Home," he repeated.
She turned to display the marking on her back. The immortal mating script clearly read, Gabriel.
"I don't want to know what you did to rewrite the mating laws," Wynn said. "Let's get the fuck out of here, before Darkyn changes his mind."
"He's busy with her right now," she replied then snapped her fingers at a demon. "Portal!"
"Lord Darkyn says you will await him," a demon delivered the same message Wynn received a few minutes before.
Wynn's jaw clenched. Darkyn was ruthless. The demon would leave nothing to chance, especially not the claiming of his mate. In the meantime, Wynn was trapped in a room that felt way too small with the deity he meant to kill instead of the human he almost succeeded in killing.
No matter how he looked at things, he'd fucked up worse than he initially thought.
"You came out better as a human," he said without heat.
"She's beautiful, isn't she?" past-Death's smile was genuine. "I didn't expect her to turn out as perfect as she did."
"What made her beautiful had nothing to do with your tinkering," he snapped. "Or mine. She was naturally good. If anything, you and I nearly broke what was too good to be real."
"You're still in love with me, after all I did to you," she murmured. "How can that be?"
Wynn eyed her. He suspected she was taunting him. The look of consternation on her face, however, told him differently. She was curious.
"Emotion is a weakness, one we cannot always control," he replied. "You will find much of your power diminished, especially among those who used to bow to you. I've learned this altogether unpleasant lesson myself."
"You mean Gabriel."
"I mean everyone," he said with a smile. "You and I were at the top when we became dead-dead. We are at the bottom now, hated by all, without the resources of power to which we were accustomed."
"Interesting," she said. "You will help me relearn."
"No, I will not."
"You will, Wynn. As the deity who brought you back from the dead-dead, you are obligated to me," she reminded him. "You will do as I say."
His jaw clenched. He almost spoke, then stopped. If she hadn't learned anything yet, she would soon. He was happy to sit on the sidelines and wait for those hard lessons to start.
"You can start by telling me how my replacement acted," she continued. "What she did. How she won over Gabriel. If I am to become her, I need to know more."