Deidre's Death

At the time, Gabriel had laughed at Fate's manipulative story, not realizing that Fate's alleged lie held more truth than not.

"I'm beginning to see why she hates you," Gabriel muttered.

"It's for a good cause."

He stared at the nonchalant Fate.

"What is one life in the bigger picture?"

"Everything," Gabriel said.

"Believe it or not, I'm less a fan of Darkyn than I am of your goddess," Fate said. "The good news: now that the Deidres are in their right places, you may find life a little easier."

"I refuse to believe this is the way things were meant to be. Why fucking give her to me then take her away?"

"You're taking it personally. Don't."

Gabriel glared at him. "Have you ever been human?"

"Of course not," Fate said quickly.

"Have you ever known what it was to love someone?"

"Does it matter?"

"Answer the fucking question."

"Relax, Gabe," Fate said with a smile. "Not that it matters but no."

"Then you have no idea how personal it gets," Gabriel snapped.

Fate simply gazed at him. Gabriel was reminded of the many times he'd expressed something human to the goddess he'd loved for thousands of years. Before she became a human, she never understood him or what he felt and thought.

"I am not incapable of emotion," Fate said, as if reading his mind. "I am not like your predecessor."

"Every last one of you is a sociopath."

"I have emotions," Fate said more clearly. "I've checked on your little human almost every day to ensure what I planned for her was not altered by Darkyn's bloodlust."

"Now you'll convince me you care."

"I do care," Fate replied. "I cared about you and the humans enough to interfere and give you a second chance. I cared enough to make sure Darkyn's little fruit bat is okay. I cared enough to let Darkyn strip the powers of a goddess when every other deity in the worlds wanted her dead-dead."

Gabriel hated it when one of the deities made sense. Fate's plan was as flawed as Gabriel's. He saw the logic, even though he didn't want to. What he didn't understand: why. Or what exactly his mate had done.

"We'll have this talk again when you've got a mate," Gabriel said. He was calming, though it had nothing to do with Fate's presence. "Can you see your own future?"

"Parts of it. Nothing impressive. Many more years of … this," Fate said, glancing around. "Mentoring other deities, manipulating the destinies of innocent humans, reminding you how not to destroy the universes."

"You said things will get easier. Does that mean the opposite?" Gabriel asked.