Deidre's Death - Page 6/119

Neither a hero nor a Good Samaritan, Wynn found himself retreating to the far wall, in case the worst-case scenario happened, and one of the powerful creatures decided to act. Past-Death was far too arrogant for his comfort. The idea of watching Darkyn strike her down made him eager to see blood spill. No part of him wanted to see her spared a demon's mercy.

"You may want to take steps to prevent her winning," she suggested. "Just in case. You don't want to risk losing your blood monkey. It's a potential outcome, if this doesn't go my way."

"I don't lose deals," Darkyn replied.

"It wasn't your deal."

"She used my magic to seal your deal, just as you used Gabriel's to seal yours," he said with a slow smile. "Her win or loss is mine to enforce, if either of you chooses not to honor the terms. I do not lose. Neither will she."

"You won't want her to win," past-Death insisted. "Not if it means you lose her."

"How I plan to keep her is not your concern. Your outstanding debt to me is."

"There is no outstanding debt."

"I raised you from the dead-dead. As past-Death, I'm sure you remember. It creates a sort of obligation," he said mockingly.

Wynn watched their exchange, fascinated by the idea of seeing two bloodthirsty deities try to outwit one another. His own interactions with deities left him more than willing to shun them, if at all possible.

"You forget your new place. You are a deity without a domain or source of power, which means you have nothing I could possibly want," Darkyn said. He circled the small, blonde woman and stopped behind her, gaze on Gabriel's name, which was written across her back, along with the Immortal mating script. "But I will consider your obligation to me complete, on one condition."

"I'm listening," she said, frowning.

"You leave Hell a human in every way."

"Absolutely not."

"Then you don't leave."

"We had a deal," she snapped, facing him. "You bring me back, I provide you a mate, and you let me go."

"Who defines the terms to be completed for the reincarnated?" Darkyn snarled.

"The deity who brings one back," Wynn supplied, gaze on past-Death. "It's a separate obligation."

She shot him a glare.

"You will try to win the deal you made with my mate the same way she won him. Without your powers," Darkyn said. "These are the terms of you leaving Hell."

"If I win the deal, will you return my power?" she asked, face flushed.

"No," the demon lord said. "Gabriel or power? You choose."