He studied her.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is…" she drifted off.
"You're breaking up with me," he said, smiling faintly.
"Oh, god," she mumbled with a look at Darkyn. "Deidre gave up everything to be with you. You weren't willing to do that for me. Maybe you can set aside your pride for her."
"You're too nice to be involved with any of us."
"The only innocent soul in Hell, I've heard," she said and rolled her eyes.
"If Darkyn ever, ever hurts you, you have a place to go."
"Thank you, Gabriel."
"We're done here," the Dark One said smoothly. "Send my regards to your mate."
Gabriel didn't trust himself to respond. He called a portal and left, needing to escape then realizing the emotions he didn't want to feel went with him.
He went to the lake near Rhyn's. Unable to function from shock, he sat down on a rock overlooking the lake. His death dealers were around, ever-wary for signs of demons.
The morning sun felt hot, and Gabriel was soon sweating. He suspected it was the feeling that he was about to explode and not the cool morning. He stripped off his shirt and flung it then tossed all his weapons in a pile at his feet before seating himself once more.
It didn't help. His head was still reeling to the point he was fevered. It was worse than the morning after he slept with human-Deidre and awoke to discover whom he spent the night with.
What exactly happened? Why did Darkyn choose to keep the human over the deity? What other deals were in place that Gabriel didn't fully know about?
"How's life?" Fate's tone was casual.
"You are the last person who should be around me right now," Gabriel snarled.
"Peace, friend," Fate said, approaching. He stopped a safe distance away, his multi-hued eyes on Gabriel. As usual, he appeared the least affected by anything that was going on. He was dressed as if he'd just come from some club, all in leather with his blond hair in a braid.
"Peace," Gabriel snorted. "You knew."
"I even told you."
Gabriel thought back. At one point, Fate had told him a story about how he tricked the goddess into a series of agreements that landed her out of a job. He did it by pushing the only button that seemed to work on the deity. He told her that she was destined to be the mate of the Dark One. In desperation, the goddess made a series of deals with the former Dark One, Fate, Darkyn and others to alter the series of events that might see her with anyone but Gabriel.