Determined to find the soul before someone found her, she circled the room again, this time pausing in front of a door in the corner. A crumpled letter lay a few feet in front of it.

Come on in and meet me.

Her eyes went to the door. Was it just her or did the edges of the door glow unnaturally? What was behind it? Who was the note for?

"Not me," she said. She knelt to get a better look at the floor.

Jammed under a piece of stone that used to form the bedframe was a plain wooden jewelry box.

Deidre crossed to it. Dropping to her knees, she pushed and pulled it until it began moving then worked it free.

She opened it. The contents were simple: a green soul and a tarnished ring, the only treasures the former deity had found worthy enough to safeguard.

"You've always loved him," she murmured with a touch of sadness. "I hope you can earn his love, Deidre." For a moment, she was struck by deep sorrow. There was a time when she found herself falling for Gabriel, too, only to have the rug yanked out from under her.

Darkyn was a different kind of man, a hard one to understand, and an almost impossible one to love. Yet she found herself yearning to be in his arms again, to see the look on his face she'd witnessed only once, when he last made love to her. He did love her in as much as a demon could. She was as much a part of him as he was of her, and the absence of his magic and presence made her ache with hollowness.

And hunger. The cramps were getting worse. Grimacing in pain, Deidre doubled over and gripped her stomach. She waited for the pain to pass before breathing deeply.

Voices in the hallway made her gaze fly up. She listened, assessing this was a search party by the shouts going back and forth. Deidre snatched Gabriel's soul and closed the box. She pushed it under the bed and rose, tucking the soul into the small pouch hidden in her dress to join the green gem Fate gave her before she was snatched by death dealers.

She went to the door and pressed her ear to it.

The shouts grew quiet. She waited a moment then eased the door open.

The large form of a death dealer was on the other side.

Deidre panicked and tried to slam the door closed.

He jammed his foot between door and frame then shoved it open.

Deidre stumbled back.

Darkyn! She screamed silently, knowing her mate wasn't able to hear her this time.




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