"I may have to, if no part of you is interested."
A glance at him revealed he, too, was climbing out of bed. He appeared even more frustrated. She didn't understand it, not when he obviously had another woman. Her jacket was draped over a chair across the room. She went to claim it.
"Do whatever you want," she snapped. "If I'm stuck in the land of the living, I'm going to live a normal life. A human life. New apartment, shitty job, boyfriend I can't stand. The whole works."
He was silent. She tossed the coat over her arm and turned. He was frozen in place, bristling. The look on his face was dangerous. Deidre studied him, uncertain what she said that set him on edge. It didn't make sense that there was, especially after he'd admitted to having someone else on the side.
"Don't come after me," she added, striding to the door. "I'm done with this Immortal shit."
"Wait."
She found herself stopping, hoping. Deidre chided herself but didn't move.
Gabriel walked across the room to a dresser. He opened the top drawer and withdrew a key chain with a couple of keys and a tag. He tossed them to her. Deidre frowned.
"What do they go to?" she asked.
"Apartment in Atlanta. Address on the label."
"I can do it myself," she said.
"Unless you have more money than you're carrying in your backpack, I don't see you getting an apartment," he said, amused. "Or going back to the one with the dead body in the tub."
She gasped at the reminder.
"Take it."
"You'll know where I am," she objected. "Not exactly a clean start."
"I'll know where you are anyway," he pointed out. "There's nowhere you can go where I can't find you. The reverse is true as well. If you run into trouble, ask the portals to bring you to me."
She wasn't sure which baffled her more: that he happened to have an apartment in Atlanta or he wasn't trying to talk her out of leaving. Maybe it was his way of fulfilling his end of the bargain she'd refused by making sure she had a place to stay. Every day she spent in this world, she became more confused.
"Whatever. I'll consider this temporary," she said at last. "Until I find my own place." She waited for him to say something else. Shaking her head, she turned to leave again.
"How about a farewell kiss?" he asked.
"You have a lot of nerve."
"I'll consider it a favor. I'll owe you one. You don't know what Immortals would do for a blank check from Death."