The portals were unlocked. Deidre tested them three times but was afraid of pissing off Gabriel by disobeying him so early in the day. Of course, it didn't matter, since he was already angry. Tell him the truth hurt more than she thought.
With nothing else to lose, all she could think about was what happened to the human she left in Hell. The news of their deal had infuriated Gabriel once more and driven him off, leading Deidre to believe that he had loved the human more than her. It was a brutal realization, one that left her devastated but also guiltier than ever.
She couldn't start to make things right with him, if she didn't start there. Gabriel had seen human-Deidre but said nothing about what shape she was in. Deidre needed to see Darkyn's mate herself, to face what horror she'd committed before she was able to understand the consequences of her actions.
Deidre entered the shadow world and summoned the human she'd left in Hell. After a moment, a form emerged from the black portal.
Darkyn's mate stopped as soon as she was through.
Deidre's heart flipped in her chest. She almost cried out in relief. The human was alive and well. Still wearing the garb of Hell, Darkyn's mate was sporting fangs with her pink hair and a heavy sultriness that made Deidre look twice.
"Hello," Darkyn's mate spoke first in a hushed voice.
"Hello," Deidre replied. "My gods, what happened to you? Darkyn turned you into a sex-demon?"
"I guess if you give a man the ability to build his own mate, he'll make her a tramp." The Dark One's mate rolled her eyes.
Deidre stared at her then gave a startled laugh. She didn't expect to find the human alive, let alone of a mindset to make a joke.
The moment turned awkward. Their first and only exchange hadn't been pleasant and resulted in a deal made under duress. Deidre didn't know what to say. Her perspective of everything was too different now for her to recall what happened with anything but regret.
Darkyn's mate ducked her head and crossed her arms.
"You called me?" she asked.
"I guess I wanted to see how you're faring," Deidre managed.
"Weird, but good," she replied. "You?"
"You're doing good." Deidre smiled. "I'm really glad to hear it."
"You mean surprised?"
"No. I mean, yes, I am surprised, but I'm also glad," Deidre said. "I, uh, know now what I did wasn't the best route to take. You must hate me."
"I don't."
An awkward silence fell. Darkyn's mate was gazing at her. There was hurt in her eyes but not the anger Deidre expected.