"She has to pay."
"Let me handle that. Her soul is destined for Hell anyway. This is my domain, and I reserve the right to reclaim it, which means you need to stop whatever you're fucking doing and step aside," he said firmly.
She gazed up at him, sorrow in her features.
"As a fellow deity, we are obliged to fuck with each other mercilessly, plot against one another and also to occasionally pretend to be interested in compromise," he continued.
Her eyebrows lifted.
"As friends, I'm asking you to step aside and let me handle this. I understand your stake in this. Trust me please, Deidre. I'll kill her, and you get eternity to fuck with her in Hell."
"That's more Darkyn's thing than mine." Her gaze went towards Harmony. "I want him back, Gabriel."
"Are you wanting to make me a deal?"
Deidre hesitated then nodded.
Excitement flickered through him, and he pretended to consider. "You do have something I want."
Deidre reached for the pouch at her waist and tugged it free. She dumped its contents - two green souls and one the shade of smoky quartz - onto her palm.
Fuck. "You've got two things I want," he said. "Whose is the third?"
"No idea. Fate gave it to me. Said to hang onto it."
Gabriel was quiet for a moment, pensive. Fate had reason to fear Darkyn was going to do something truly horrible down the road regarding the army of undead the demon lord had been building. To resurrect such an enemy was not going to earn him any points with others like Fate, who already liked too much to conspire against one another.
One look at the uncertain hope on Deidre's face, however, made him realize he couldn't say no, either.
"I've got conditions," he started.
"I'm listening."
"Darkyn is hell bent on destroying the human world or taking it over. There are … people who think he's got a good chance of doing it. Right now, being dead-dead, he's neutralized."
"I won't let him," she said firmly. "I've told him so."
"I believe you, but I need a stronger assurance. He's been collecting souls to add to his undead army. I want those souls back."
Deidre studied him. "Gabriel, I don't know where they are."
"His demons will. When you get back to Hell, you can find them and turn them over to me."
She was quiet.
"Second, I want past-Death's soul and mine." He nodded towards her palm. "If Fate thinks you should keep the third, keep it. Just don't turn it over to Darkyn."
Deidre blinked back more tears.
"What's wrong?" he asked more gently.