"It's time for my vacation," he said. "I'm happy to say, things are going well."
She gazed at him skeptically. "What if I get in trouble again?"
"Don't," he advised. "I'm not rescuing you, if you fuck with the wrong god or get caught killing humans. Got it?"
She nodded. "Can I ask you something, brother?"
"Ask. I reserve the right to answer."
"You gave Deidre something. A soul."
"I did."
"Why?"
He considered his answer for a moment. "Because there's no safer place in the universe for it."
Karma rolled her eyes.
He flashed her a smile and walked out of the room where the sacred Oracle lived. As he climbed to the top of the walls overlooking the teal waters of the Caribbean, he debated dropping in on Deidre one more time, perhaps with a reminder to protect the soul he'd given her before her kidnapping. He'd offered no real explanation, partially because there was little time to, and partially because he wasn't ready to admit what was coming.
On second thought, it might raise suspicions, he realized. No, it was better to leave the emerald with someone he knew he could trust. Someone who didn't need to know the inevitable outcome of a chain of events that had not yet begun.
"Some things are better left unknown as long as possible," he murmured, watching the tide ebb and flow on the white sands of the island's beaches. "Another win for Mr. Checkmate."
With a smile, he turned away and summoned a portal, ready at last for his vacation.
Rhyn Eternal Series
Gabriel's Hope (#1)
Deidre's Death (#2)
Darkyn's Mate (#3)
The Underworld (#4)
#5 - July 2015