Gabe took a deep breath. “I know the underworld better than you. I’ll take you to where she might be.”
“Rhyn, you need to know something,” Ully said. “One of the shapeshifters took on Gabriel’s shape. I think Darkyn knew Katie was with Gabe, and they wanted to replace him.”
“Why? Gabe, where were you going?” Rhyn asked.
“There’s a secret portal in the underworld, similar to the one here in Hell that allows Immortals to come in and out. It’s how I could visit you when you were in Sasha’s zoo,” Gabe explained. “I couldn’t take Katie through the shadow world place, because Death and Darkyn had assassins waiting for me to step foot in there. The secret portal is in Death’s palace.”
“Wow,” Toby breathed. “You were taking her straight to Death.”
“Not straight,” Gabe said. “I was taking a route no one else could track.”
“And the demons grabbed you and replaced you with a shapeshifter,” Rhyn said. “But why?”
“Because your bond will reappear seven days after you broke it.” Toby’s voice was a whisper. “I’m not supposed to tell you that.”
Rhyn stopped in front of the dejected angel’s cell.
“I dreamt where Death told me about the seven days … “ Gabe drifted off and shook his head, as if to clear a bad memory. “You’re saying Rhyn didn’t break the bond?”
“I’m saying, the mate of an Ancient or any Immortal is preordained. No one can break that bond, not even Death,” Toby answered. “But since no one ever listens to me and I’ve failed at my duty as a guardian – “
“Stop whining, Toby,” Rhyn snapped. “Why seven days?”
“I don’t know.”
“Angels have a shared consciousness with all other angels. It’s how they pass on memories and human history,” Gabe said. “If Toby can’t find that answer, it’s not something any of the angels know. Or he’s too young to tap into it fully.”
“I know I’m a failure,” Toby said, blinking back tears.
“Darkyn said the shapeshifters only had to be effective for a few days,” Ully added.