"What would you do if it cracked?"
"Fix it."
Gabriel suppressed his sarcastic response. The demon was agitated, as if realizing how fucked he was now that normal blood didn't quell his appetite.
He's not the only one fucked. Gabriel wiped his face. "The harder I fight, the worse things get."
"Then stop fighting."
"And what? Watch the world crumble?"
"You don't get it, baby god." There was a mocking note in Darkyn's voice, one that made heat climb up Gabriel's neck. "How do I explain to someone with your puny, human understanding of the world?"
Gabriel shook his head, ready to ignore whatever the Dark One planned on saying to bait him next.
"Your mate. Would you talk to her or treat her the way you do the underworld?"
Gabriel twisted, eyeing the creature.
Darkyn was licking one of his fangs again, focus on the forest, his head tilted as if he was listening.
"No," Gabriel said after he assessed that the demon wasn't fucking with him. "Would you?"
"A mate has to be won over and then, there is nothing she won't do for you."
"You said she had to be conquered before."
"Same thing."
"You see only the end game, don't you? I'm looking at the how."
"If you do your part, you only need be concerned with the end game."
I know I fucked that part up already. Gabriel grimaced. "So do your part and talk to the domain like it's a partner rather than a servant."
"Just a suggestion. I don't give a fuck what you do, except that the end game here concerns me."
"Can I ask you something?" Gabriel stood.
"I grow tired of this."
"I know. One question and I'll stop talking to you. Trust me, I'd rather not fucking deal with you, either."
Darkyn waited.
"Do you care for her?" Gabriel asked quietly. "I know demons can't love and human emotion is very different. But in as much as a demon can, do you care for her?"
"I think my mate is the least of your concerns, Gabriel." A dangerous note was on Darkyn's tone.
Gabriel nodded. Given what he knew of the Dark One, he sensed it was the only response he'd ever get from the demon on the topic. He'd hit a nerve, which was enough to tell him that what he suspected was true. Some part of Darkyn was here for a reason other than he was hungry.
The knowledge soothed away some of Gabriel's lingering guilt about Deidre ending up in Hell. He knew what she felt, that she had fallen for her mate. Now, he was certain it wasn't a one-way road.