"Gabriel will love me as he did you," past-Death returned. "I will make sure of it."
Something within Deidre snapped. She faced the goddess, rage streaking through her along with the terror of being mated to the Dark One.
"What are you?" she demanded. "Getting me assigned to Darkyn and taking Gabriel, who won't want anything to do with you when he cares about me? You can't just swap us out in his life!"
"We are the same person." Past-Death's eyes narrowed. "You don't want to piss me off, human."
"I don't give a shit! Whatever happened, whatever this is" Deidre gestured wildly at the tattoo on her back "Gabriel will find a way to fix it. Even if he doesn't, and I'm trapped here forever, you are too fucking selfish to understand that you can't make someone love you. He'll send you packing by day two."
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" past-Death shoved her.
"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Deidre shoved her back. "The woman who captured his heart in a week, something you barely did after millennia! And he still hates you!"
Past-Death appeared surprised. A flush of anger crept up her neck and into her face.
"If any part of you cared about him, you'd want him to be happy, not force him to love you!" Deidre cried. "Even if that meant sacrificing what you want or that he ended up with me instead of you."
"I created you and broke laws older than time to do it! You are nothing," past-Death shouted. "I sacrificed everything for the chance you would bring us together!"
"You didn't do it for him. You are throwing me away like garbage when I'm the one he cares about!" Deidre pushed her again. "There is nothing on this planet that will make him fall in love with someone like you. I'd bet my fucking life on it!"
"Would you really? Do you know what happens if you lose a wager to a deity?" past-Death challenged.
"It can't be fucking worse than being trapped with the fucking devil!"
"Fine. Name your bet!"
"Gabriel," Deidre said promptly. "If you can't do what I did in a week, he's mine."
"You cannot wager something you do not own," past-Death said scornfully.
"Then good luck and fuck you." Deidre whirled, tears on her face again. Her deal with Darkyn sealed her fate. The catch she'd discounted as simple was going to damn them all.
Mr. Checkmate was probably not smiling anymore.
"Cowardly humans," past-Death snarled and strode to the door.
Suddenly, past-Death's words about how Deidre became Gabriel's mate clicked. Would the reverse also work? If past-Death was dead again, was Deidre next in line to be Gabriel's mate?