Katie's Hellion

"What do you feel?"

She knew what she thought and suspected he did, too.

"Doesn't matter if I'm sorta stuck with him, does it?" she replied icily.

"The answer's not for me. I know what happened."

"Daniela called him wild. I'd say that's true, but I don't think him capable of walking away from a duty so great."

"Then you'd be right," he agreed.

"Was he always so wild?"

"Hell made him worse. What shall I tell Kris?"

"Tell him to leave me alone."

She handed back the note, more determined not to give the white-haired man what he wanted now that she had confirmation --and somehow she believed Gabriel --that Rhyn hadn't destroyed millions. Her hand rested on her bandaged forearm. She'd peeked at the healing wound the night before and found the scar not just ugly but hideous, a jagged seam between two lumps of uneven flesh.

"Gabriel, who was the woman they fought over?" she asked. "Daniela said this was what spurred their fighting."

He was quiet. She thought he'd refuse to answer until he said slowly,

"A truly unworthy woman. She was the first Ancient's mate born and should've been Kris's mate, if she hadn't first promised herself to the Dark One. She played them against each other and betrayed them both to Sasha. Rhyn killed her to protect Kris and his brothers. Kris never knew and never forgave him for killing the woman he meant to take as his mate. Rhyn probably saved humanity by doing so but was sent to Hell and nearly lost his mind."

"Why didn't he tell Kris she was evil?"

"Rhyn's not a talker."

She stared at him, astonished.

"So he'd spend eternity in Hell because he couldn't sit down with Kris and tell him what happened?"

"It's complicated," he said.

"No, it's not!"

"There's more to the story. The woman, Lilith, was pregnant with Kris's heir. No matter what Rhyn would've said, the damage was done. To be quite honest, he was so abrasive anyway, even if he hadn't killed the woman, they'd have broken paths. Though all seven were constantly fighting, Kris and Rhyn were always at each other's throats."

"That's dandy, but it doesn't sound like he deserved Hell!"

"He's not exactly a pure angel, Katie. He did a lot of bad things, and his mother was a demoness, a powerful one who seduced his father. After they mated, she killed him. The brothers on the Council were looking for any excuse to expel or kill him, and Andre was his only advocate. Despite his demon powers, despite his wildness, despite his struggle to remain dutiful to their cause, he was a danger to anyone around him."