Gabriel smiled, entertained as much by the story as he was by Cora's visible exasperation.
"We went to the other side of the country to find her more funnel cakes. It's all she wants to eat."
He listened, thoughts turning darker. Deidre made a deal with the Dark One, one good enough to bring her soul back from the dead, combine the two Deidres, cure the tumor of one and release the final product from Hell. It sounded far too good to be true, especially since Darkyn knew who she was and what he might extort out of Gabriel to have his mate returned.
It had to be the private deal, the one Gabriel found no trace of that Darkyn himself had mentioned to him. What were the terms? Did Deidre owe a debt? What of the deal made with Darkyn by human-Deidre? Was it, too, unofficial and therefore not recorded in the Oracle's book?
The instincts that warned him the night before were louder this night. Whatever happened, there had to be more to the story than what Deidre told him.
He gave her five minutes then started up the stairs. He knocked before opening her door and saw her wardrobe empty with clothes piled and stacked on the bed. She was leisurely sorting through everything.
"I mean now," he said.
"I'm not ready," she replied archly.
He crossed the room and snatched the gym bag at the bottom of her wardrobe. He tossed it on the bed and grabbed a handful of clothes then stuffed them in.
"Oh, no, I don't want that one," she objected and pulled out a sweater. "It's not soft like the others."
He grunted and stuffed another handful in.
"Gabriel, stop!"
She sounded so distressed, he did. Gabriel let her push him aside so she could squeeze between him and the bed to protect her precious clothes from his callous groping. She paused to consider her options again then dumped out what he'd started.
"You've got sixty seconds," he told her.
"No, Gabriel, I can't decide that fast," she said in the haughty, dismissive tone that used to infuriate him.
His gaze traveled her body as she bent over the bed and stretched for a maroon sweater. He resisted the urge to take her hips. She straightened and very carefully folded the sweater before placing it with similar care into the bag. The deliberate movements alone took a minute.
"Gods, are you trying to test me?" he growled.
"I'm going to do this my way."
Her way. It was how things always used to be with her. On her terms, her time, her way. Her way involved deals with Darkyn and lying to Gabriel. Something within him clicked, and he recalled his resolve not to let the woman in his life strangle him anymore.