Deidre didn't let her gaze stray, just focused on her bloodmate, whose presence made her feel like she wasn't about to die for the first time since entering the underworld.
"Great fucking work, mini-demon," Rhyn exclaimed. "Not to break this up, but we gotta retreat. They're going to figure out what we did soon enough. Anyone else with you?"
"No," Deidre replied.
"Congrats, half-breed," Darkyn purred. "To touch Karma is to be judged. She's of the soul-eater class of deities, meaning if she doesn't like what she finds, there's a chance she'll make you dead-dead."
Rhyn eyed the goddess.
Soul-eaters? Deidre said nothing.
The goddess was not quite normal yet, with half her hair in tight, cheerful curls while the other was in long, snakelike threads. One eye was human and a pretty shade green, the other filled with black.
"I take it you and I were judged to be … normal? Not worth eating?" Rhyn asked awkwardly.
"Somewhat balanced," she supplied.
"Lead on, half-breed," Darkyn ordered.
Rhyn shook his head but obeyed, striking off in a direction leading deeper into the forest. Darkyn motioned for Deidre to go ahead of him, touching her cheek lightly as he did, and trailed, daggers drawn.
"It's okay, Karma," Deidre whispered as they walked. "Unless you implode or something from Darkyn being too close, you're safe."
"Not implode," Karma replied in a tight voice.
Deidre glanced back at Darkyn, whose attention was on their surroundings. They were in the middle of the underworld with countless foes pursuing them and her top thought was alone time with her ferocious bloodmate.
Karma giggled.
"Sorry." Deidre blushed, aware the deity was able to feel her thoughts. "Are you really okay?"
"As much as can be. Karma has been weak for so long …" Karma drifted off. "You help me, but I fears what happens when word gets out she's alive, and she's not yet recovered."
"Because you're a soul-eater." Deidre chewed her lip.
"Death, Dark One and Karma are all soul-eaters. We don't necessarily eat them. We just take them."
"What do you do with them?"
"I eats them." Karma giggled again. "But it is a better fate than they'll face in Hell."
Evil has too many layers to these people. They walked in silence, Deidre's stomach growling loudly while she kept a hold of Karma's hand.
They didn't go far but stopped when a death dealer popped up in their path.
Deidre froze, not ready for another battle so soon. To her relief, the half-demon ahead of her greeted the man with a wave of his hand.
"Landon! We found one. Two. Well, one and a half. Not sure what the half is yet," Rhyn said with a wary glance at Karma.