Deidre's Death

Gabriel left his sleeping mate in her bed with a lingering glance. Her slender frame was relaxed, her breathing deep and peaceful. His skin smelled of her, and he breathed it in, loving her scent. He wasn't entirely certain what to think about last night, but he felt like he'd gotten somewhere. They'd taken a step together towards their future by talking openly on topics he never thought he'd be able to bring up.

She made love to him as if she'd waited her life for the moment. She cried as if she was losing him.

He didn't know what that meant or even if it was a possibility that she would one day trust him enough to tell him what was burdening her. He came to the conclusion that she, too, needed time to heal. Her own journey to reach this point hadn't been easy. She was hurting, even if he didn't know why.

He dressed then slid out of the room. It was just after dawn, and the fortress was silent. He walked down the hallway to the stairwell and down. He felt good after the night with his mate, and it was too nice outside to take a portal when he had the energy to walk.

The morning air was crisp and cool. Gabriel was halfway to the lake when Darkyn spoke to him.

Available at your convenience.

Gabriel almost stopped mid-step, having forgotten he contacted the Dark One yesterday. He considered cancelling the meeting. Deidre would trust him in time, and he didn't want to break the thin bridge of trust they'd established last night.

Then again, if she owed any sort of debt to Darkyn, Gabriel wasn't about to be caught off guard. He also wasn't going to let the Dark One hurt or threaten or even talk to his mate ever again. Meeting the Dark One so close to the fortress, then, was not an option.

After a moment, he responded to Darkyn. Deidre's old apartment. Five minutes.

Gabriel trotted first to the lake, curious to see how last night had gone now that they knew about the tears. The lake was placid. A few of Rhyn's Immortals were sparring on one bank under the watchful gaze of one of the death dealers.

Gabriel waved the dealer over.

"Update on the tears," he directed.

"All five are sealed. Landon issued orders to the dealers last night to seal the others in the lakes where we found the souls originally. They'll be back to collecting souls by noon," the dealer reported.

"Excellent." He glanced around the lake. When he didn't sense the dealer he sought, he summoned him silently. Landon.