It was one of the first things he'd change, if he ever made it back to the underworld.
Gabriel. Andre's summons came a little later than Gabriel was expecting.
"I'm out. Let me know if you get anything else," he said, standing.
"You serious about demons being after me?" Tamer asked.
"Talk to Rhyn."
Tamer shook his head at the mention of Rhyn. Gabriel returned to the study of the Immortals stronghold. Andre was seated, as if he'd never moved. Midmorning sunlight streamed in through the large windows at the rear of the study. Gabriel squinted, unaccustomed to so much light after all his years in the underworld. He sat with his back to the windows.
Andre was grave, the first warning things hadn't gone well.
"Do you want to clean up first?" the Immortal asked politely, gaze on the demon blood on Gabriel's clothing.
"No," Gabe replied. "I gotta go back out after this. The tumor?"
"Gone."
Gabriel nodded and felt himself relax. His mate wasn't going to die after all. He didn't need to stop with a kiss next time. He liked that idea more than he thought he should.
Except that Andre wasn't smiling. The Ancient Immortal was studying him hard. If Gabriel wasn't immune to the mind manipulation magic, he suspected Andre would be using it on him right now.
"This sounds like good news to me. What's wrong?" Gabriel asked.
Andre was quiet for a long moment. Gabriel sensed he was trying to balance his natural inclination to be discreet with his obligation to serve the deity that raised him from the dead-dead.
"There never was a tumor in the head of this Deidre," the Immortal said cryptically.
Gabriel waited for more. Andre smiled.
"You're certain there was one in her head the other night, right?" Gabriel asked.
"Yes."
Of course, it was possible that Darkyn combined the souls into Deidre's new body, after raising her from the dead-dead. Perhaps the other body hadn't been salvageable. Deidre hadn't tried to dye her hair pink or hide the fact she was different.
If it was so simple, Andre wouldn't be trying to drop a hint without betraying the confidence of Deidre.
"Do I need to be careful?" Gabriel asked uneasily.
"Careful? No. She's completely enamored by you and has no power, so she poses no danger. But" Andre paused, debating silently "I'd say you need to determine how much you are willing to trust her."
"I figured that much."
"Then you know what you need to know. Keep in mind there's more to the story than what there appears to be," Andre added. "I've said more than I feel comfortable saying."