Gabriel faced the demon lord. Darkyn stepped out of the corner where he stood.
"There were two who attacked my mate," the demon lord said. "I'm taking the dealer who hurt her."
Gabriel waited, sensing the Dark One wasn't finished.
"My … spies report that you can't keep dealers and have no idea what's going on in the underworld. The other dealer you can have."
"This sounds like a favor," Gabriel said with a frown.
"It is."
"What do you want in return?"
"Harmony. When you find her."
The instinct that Darkyn was protective of a mate rose again. Gabriel considered. Darkyn had gone through the process to blood bind Deidre; he wasn't going to let his only source of food go. Ever. He also wasn't going to let anyone else threaten his blood monkey.
Deidre glanced at Darkyn in puzzlement, and Gabriel realized she didn't yet understand the depth of the Dark One's obligation to her.
"By letting them attack you, Harmony made a personal affront to the Dark One," Gabriel explained. "I can't imagine that will go well for her."
"What does that mean?" Deidre asked uncertainly.
"I imagine an eternity of punishment as only the Dark One can devise. Same for the dealer who hurt you today."
"But I'm okay. He didn't hurt me," she said, looking at Darkyn. "An eternity? For one mistake?"
"Even I won't go to bat for him," Gabriel said. "Either of them. Mates are sacred."
"But it's my fault," she said. "Darkyn, I never should've come here. I don't want him paying for something I did."
"He will pay for drawing your blood," the demon lord growled in a tone that made her jump. "Anyone who raises a hand to my mate also raises a hand to me and will be dealt with accordingly."
"For once, I agree with Darkyn," Gabriel said, staring at the Dark One with no small amount of surprise.
Deidre was quiet, her features troubled.
Deal? Darkyn asked Gabriel mentally. No other terms.
What you did to Deidre cannot be undone, Gabriel replied.
What I did to both Deidres cannot be undone was the unsettling response.
Gabriel was quiet for a long moment. His eyes went back to the girl who had been human just a few days ago. Her gaze was on Darkyn.
"Has he hurt you?" he asked, unable to fathom how she survived Hell so far.
"No," she replied. She was agitated to the point of distraught. The Dark One lifted his chin in subtle command.
Deidre crossed to him, unafraid of the creature whose appearance often made grown Immortals quake and grovel. She leaned into his side, and Darkyn rested a hand on her hip. The Dark One's touch calmed her air instantly.