It didn't mean Gabriel was ready to swallow the reality of being bound to the woman who tortured him. Not yet.

"She's human, Gabe."

"I get that," Gabriel snapped.

"This must be what it's like when Kiki's trying to school me," Rhyn said with a laugh. "No, you don't get it. You're not hearing me. She's helpless, like Katie was."

"You're calling me a piece of shit for walking away, aren't you?"

"I'm saying, learn from the shit I went through and go get your mate. Dump her off here, if you don't want to deal with her, then get your ass down to the underworld and fix that shit. You're Death. The only person who can do it."

Everything Rhyn said was right. By Immortal Code, Gabriel was obligated to protect Deidre. He didn't have to love her or live with her or even talk to her. Past-Deidre controlled his life. Now that she was gone, she only ruled his life if he allowed her. He didn't know how to shake off that yoke or his anger.

His thoughts went to the door in the corner of past-Death's bedroom in the underworld. Would walking through it prevent more issues and fix those he had? Would it help him figure out how to deal with Deidre? What about Fate, who'd been hounding him for weeks? Would the deity shed light on what Gabriel was doing wrong?

"Alright," he muttered. "There's something I should've done a while ago. I need to go do it now."

"Go."

"If the death-dealers give you any issues, talk to Harmony," Gabriel advised. "This might take me a little while."

"I already had a discussion with one of them," Rhyn said. "They understand."

Gabe snorted, knowing his assassins were unaccustomed to being challenged by anyone. If they backed down, it was because Rhyn did much more than talk.

He called a portal and walked into the center. The gateway closed behind him.

"You win, Fate. I'm coming to see you," he grated. Turning in a full circle, Gabe waited for a sign the deity still sought him. It took two full revolutions before he saw it, a mortal gateway that pulsed brighter than the others, beckoning him. Uncertain what to expect, Gabe went through it.

Someone was waiting for him at the Sanctuary, seated on the beach. Gabe's step slowed as he neared the man dressed in a white shirt held closed by two buttons and cream linen pants rolled to his knees, as if he'd been walking in the ocean. He wore no shoes and sat with his arms draped over his knees. His body was wiry and lean, his skin golden from sun. His eyes were white then black then changed from every color in between, his brown hair of medium length and wavy, ruffled by the sea breeze. He was stunning, ageless, as the goddess of the underworld had been, except this deity's smile was genuine.




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