Death didn’t come. Darkness fell, and Rhyn waited. He paced and stretched, imagining there would be some kind of a struggle. At long last, he forced himself to admit she wasn’t coming. No one could’ve overlooked the blow he dealt her underworld. The trees all around them had died off with a tear forming in the earth that led in the direction of the palace.
“How long are we staying here?” Kris asked at last. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company.”
Rhyn snorted in amusement. “The feeling is mutual. You’re the reason I spent so much time in Hell.”
“You earned your place in Hell, Rhyn.”
Kris’s confident response rankled Rhyn. He leaned his back against a tree and faced his eldest surviving brother.
“I promised Kiki I’d tell you something,” he started. “But I don’t want to. It won’t help you in your duties.”
“I do my best, but I’m as flawed as any Immortal. I just hope our brothers see that I’m trying.”
“They see it. And they know you’re wounded by this business with Jade and Andre. Anyway,” Rhyn said. “That’s not what I promised to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Lilith.”
Kris’s sigh of aggravation came out as a hiss.
“She was working for the Dark One,” Rhyn said.
“Let her serve out her eternity in peace, Rhyn. I don’t appreciate you dishonoring her more than you did.”
“I swear it, Kris. She was planted by the demons. I don’t know why they chose you, but they did, and you’re the one she came after. She reeked of demon, Kris. I’d be surprised if the hatchling she carried was yours.”
“Stop there, Rhyn. Whatever reason you have for talking about her this way – just stop.”
“Why would I lie about this now?” Rhyn challenged, irritated. “I served fucking lifetimes in Hell and kept my mouth closed. I killed her to protect you. Andre always taught me that loyalty was all that mattered.”
“You want me to believe you killed my lover to protect me, never told me she was a demon-spy, and you went willingly to Hell. It’s ridiculous, Rhyn, even for you!”
Rhyn clamped his mouth shut. He’d done what Kiki asked him to, and Kris didn’t believe him. He was ready to go silent on it again for the rest of eternity. He turned to leave then stopped.
“I saved your life twice, and you continue to treat me like shit,” he said. “You care more for the honor of a dead-dead woman who betrayed you.”
“While I’m grateful you saved me from Jade, you’re still half-animal, Rhyn.”
“I’m also half-Immortal. I have as much of our father in me as you do,” Rhyn said.
“Look, Rhyn, none of this matters. I’m willing to go ahead and forgive you for what you did so long ago. It’s still hard for me to think I could’ve raised a successor and not buried a son,” Kris said.
“I don’t give a shit about your forgiveness, Kris. Think about it. What do I have to gain by telling you about Lilith now?”
“Maybe you just want to hit me while I’m down.”
“Down?” Rhyn echoed and looked at Kris. “If this is what you call down, you need to spend some time in Hell. If you don’t believe me, I don’t give a shit. But I fulfilled my part of the deal I made with Kiki.”
“What does Kiki know about this?” For the first time, Rhyn heard a note of uneasiness replace the self-assuredness in Kris’s voice.
“He knows Lilith was evil.”
“He’s not here to defend himself from whatever you say about him.”
“Andre knew,” Rhyn said quietly. “Andre always knew. It’s why he didn’t kill me. You ever wonder why he let me live, even after what I’d done to you? I didn’t know it at the time, but he was doing me a favor. He was putting me some place safe. He knew I deserved a second chance, long before Katie, long before I realized it myself.”
Kris was silent for a moment before saying slowly, “Kiki said I always had a penchant for traitors.”
Rhyn could almost see him thinking. In the end, Kris said nothing else, and Rhyn shook his head. For the first time, he’d tried to reason with Kris. He’d never do it again.
“I’m sick of waiting,” he said.
“I have a feeling she’s waiting for you to come to her,” Kris said at last. “And she’ll never let us leave her alive.”
“Back to the palace,” Rhyn said with a glance towards the dark sky. It was the last day he could press Death for a favor. If they didn’t leave tonight, they may never escape with Katie alive. He took off running toward the palace, his demon vision guiding him in the darkness. Kris followed closely, and they burst onto the yards surrounding the palace.
Gabe and a few other assassins in black fought off hordes of demons. Surprised, Rhyn launched into the melee with his dagger. He slashed through several demons before the creatures realized he was there. Wanting to keep them off balance, he morphed into his demon form and shredded the creatures with talons and fangs as deadly as theirs.
Only when he reached Gabe did he return to his Immortal form. The death-dealer’s clothing was tattered from demon strikes, his body smelling of blood sure to incense the creatures he fought. Despite this, the assassin’s speed and strikes didn’t falter. Each was sure and powerful. Rhyn maneuvered until his back was to Gabe’s, and he reached back to snatch the knife Gabe kept strapped to one thigh. While Gabe showed no sign of slowing, Rhyn could feel the wound Kris inflicted slowing his movements. At least Kris hadn’t stabbed him with the enforcer dagger, or Rhyn would be dead.
“Thanks for … dropping by,” Gabe grunted with his dark humor.
“I’m always late, but I always show.” Rhyn flung one knife, catching a demon in the eye. The demon that had been ready to run Kris through dropped, and Kris shot him an angry look. “You’re welcome, jackass.”
“Still fighting?” Gabe asked.
“Where’s Death?” Rhyn demanded.
“Inside. Or wherever. She left us to deal with the demons. We’ve lost five assassins already. I hoped she’d recall more but …”
“She’s pissed at you.”
“Yeah.”
“She want you dead-dead?”
“She wants to make sure I suffer,” Gabe answered.
“An eternity of her nagging you wasn’t enough?”
Gabe snorted. “Kris! Form up with us. Rhyn’s slow on his left. Pick up his slack.”
“I’m slow because someone stabbed me.”
“You had that coming,” Kris snapped and joined them, following Gabe’s direction.
“Rhyn, Death’s got Katie inside.”
Fear made Rhyn’s chest seize. No sooner had Gabe spoken the words than the demons fell away. Coldness snapped over Rhyn, and his surroundings blurred. He blinked, uncertain what happened until he found himself standing in a dimly lit chamber. Kris and Gabe were still beside him, and instead of demons, there was only Death.
He heard a groan from nearby and lowered his weapons, the first to step away to see whose body lay before Her. It was Kiki’s. Rhyn smelled blood before he saw the soaked clothing of his half-brother. Ignoring Death, Rhyn rolled Kiki onto his back. The Immortal was alive, but barely. Satisfied, Rhyn rose, towering over the tiny woman with flaxen hair.
“Darkyn won this round,” she said.
“What did you do with Katie?” Rhyn demanded. A quick look around the chamber showed no sign of his mate.
“You led him here, Rhyn, a sin made worse by the fact my own weakness made my domain vulnerable. But, I’m going to remedy this.”
“I don’t give a shit! Where – “
Death held out two small emeralds, and Rhyn’s breath left him. She snapped them back up in her hand and put them in the pocket of her pants.
“You swore you’d free her!” he whispered, stricken.
“I can give her back to you,” Death said slowly. “But it means this.” She held out her hand again. A hologram-like image appeared in her hand.
Rhyn saw the demons pouring from the skies over major cities in the mortal worlds. He turned away, not wanting to care about the cost of getting his mate back.
“Look at it!” Death commanded.
His body obeyed her, and he found himself struggling against himself not to turn around. Death won the fight for his body, and he watched. Demons slaughtered humans and Immortals alike, razing the mortal world.
“This happened once before, long ago,” Death said and held out her other hand. “Gabe remembers. This is when I found him.”
Rhyn saw the young man he assumed was Gabriel fighting demons.
“It was stopped by the Dark One, who knew what I’d do if he didn’t stop it,” she said. “Darkyn led this assault without the Dark One’s permission. He was banished deep into Hell. This time, I can do nothing, and they know it. If you ask me, I will give Katie and your child back to you. The price will be this.” She held up the hand holding the scenes of demons destroying the mortal world.
Protect what’s left of good in the world.
Rhyn gripped and released the dagger, struggling between the tiny voice that reminded him of his promise to Katie and the vision before him. If he took back his mate and child, there would be nowhere safe for them to go. But he didn’t want to live eternity without her.
“Rhyn … “ Kris murmured. “You have a duty to protect all mortals, not just one.”
“Will you take my soul in exchange for Katie’s?” Rhyn asked.
“If she were alive, that might work. Once I claim a soul, the price climbs. And in this case, the price is beyond my control,” Death answered.
Rhyn stared at the scenes playing out in Death’s outstretched hands. His heart grew heavy as he watched demons kill humans by the hundreds. The promise he’d made to keep Katie happy made him feel sick, and duty would never fill the hollow part of him that would remain during a lifetime without his mate.
“Choose, demon,” Death ordered him. “Your mate or the fate of humanity.”
Maybe Katie had known this was how it would end when they’d last met in his dream. Maybe this was his penance for being what he was. Rhyn didn’t know, but he knew he couldn’t choose his own interests over those of humanity.
“Is she safe and happy?” he asked.
“She is,” Death answered. “I made certain of that.”
“As much as I love her, I can’t condemn her kind to the demons.”
Death lowered the hand displaying the end of the world scenario. The images of Gabe fighting demons switched to those of Katie on the beach under the moonlight. Rhyn’s breath caught at the sight of her. She appeared exhausted, tattered, and drenched from the underworld rain. She’d never looked as beautiful as she did, even if she looked as if she’d just left the underworld. Toby was with her, pulling her from the beach towards the Sanctuary.
“What the fuck is this?” he demanded.
“You let her go?” Gabe asked in surprise.
“You were right, Gabe,” Death said. “You’ll never hear those words again.”
“She’s not dead-dead,” Rhyn said, afraid to believe the images he saw. He searched Death’s impassive features.
“I had to know you could serve a purpose greater than yourself,” Death said to Rhyn.
He stared at her, certain he’d throttle her if Gabe didn’t eventually.
“But, that leaves us in a difficult position. There are four of you here. A contract was put out for two souls, and two souls were sent to my underworld. Unfortunately, they left before I could claim them. Which means, I need two souls to fulfill the contract.”
“I can’t believe you freed Katie,” Rhyn said. “Is this a trick?”
“I made you a promise, didn’t I?”
“You broke rules older than you,” Gabe said, moving to stand beside Rhyn. “Even you are not allowed to so without some sort of consequence.”
“I never should’ve interfered, Gabriel. I set things right. So what if I broke a Code or two to right things?” Death said with a shrug.
“You are sworn –“
“No time for a lovers' spat,” Rhyn interrupted. “Tell me what it’ll take for us to get the fuck out of here.”
Death turned her attention to him. “I told you. I need souls.”
“Easy. Mine,” Rhyn said.
“Not yours.”
“Mine is the most obvious choice.”
“I get to choose who I take, and I don’t want yours. Maybe the Immortal who issued the contract for two souls should step up,” Death said. “It would be a noble death for a good cause.”
“I don’t have time to track down whoever it was that crossed you,” Rhyn snapped. “Take mine, send everyone else back.”
“Even if I took yours, that’s one. Or do demons not know how to count?”
“Demons aren’t known for thinking,” Gabe said. “You’ve got a mate and child, Rhyn. Take mine.”
“It’s raining souls now,” Death said and pursed her lips. “I own you already, Gabe.”
“You own me, but I’m not dead-dead,” he argued. “If I’m not mistaken, the souls of your assassins are more of a personal collection than an official one.”
“Minor details.”
“Mine,” Gabe said, stepping closer to her.
“Fine. That’s one,” she said. “Another soul, or I can still claim Katie or her child.”
“Am I the only one who hears me?” Rhyn demanded. “Take. Mine. Be done with this nonsense. Leave my mate and my hatchling alone!”
“Not yours!” Death snapped. “You’re making me second guess myself, Rhyn. Don’t be so stupid.”
“There is no one else!”
“Mine.”
Rhyn turned, surprised. He’d forgotten Kris’s presence. The Council leader stepped forward.
“No,” Rhyn said. “You’ll take mine, Death, if you take anyone’s.”
“It’s my choice, Rhyn,” Kris said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
“The Council needs you.”
“The Council needs you.”
“As you and everyone else like to remind me, I’m the brawn, not the brains,” Rhyn said.
“I issued the contract to Gabe.”
Rhyn stared.
“It was for Katie and someone else, someone you killed. I didn’t know about your child. I didn’t know Katie would end up your mate. In truth, it might not have altered my decision, but it’s a little late for holding millennia-old grudges,” Kris explained. “You chose your duty over your mate. You are more fit to lead the Immortals than I’ll ever be.”
“Done,” Death said, pleased.
“Wait, it’s not done,” Rhyn said and approached Kris. “You can’t be serious, Kris. I’m the last person you want in charge of something important.”
“Andre always saw something in you that I never saw, until now,” Kris said with some difficulty. “You made a selfless choice, one I’ve failed to make more than once. Besides, I ordered Katie killed. I alone can make this right.”
“Kris – “
“I thought about what you said in the forest, about Lilith. Kiki said something before he left that makes me think you’re not lying. If what you said is true, you do deserve a second chance, Rhyn,” Kris continued. “Swear to me you’ll keep the Council together. Father and Andre always said we were stronger together than apart. I was unwilling to do whatever it took to keep them together. But you will.”
Rhyn saw the resolution on Kris’s face.
“I swear it,” Rhyn said.
“And, free Hannah from Hell.”
“I’ll march into Hell and confront Darkyn myself.”
“Don’t make me regret this,” Kris said and shook his head. “Just get her out.”
“I will, Kris.”
“Oddly enough, I believe you.” Kris said. He strode past Rhyn to stand before Death.
Rhyn watched, torn between defending his brother as he’d done before and letting Kris go. Even in Hell, Rhyn comforted himself with the knowledge that he’d protected his brothers.
“I’m happy to call you my brother, Rhyn,” Kris said. His gaze focused on Death. “I’m ready.”
His words made Rhyn’s throat tighten. He’d never acted in order to gain his brothers’ favor, but Kris’s words affected him more than he thought they would. There was a flash of light and Kris was gone. Gabe jerked, as if surprised to find himself still standing.
Death held out her closed hand to Rhyn. He crept forward warily and extended his. She dropped a small green gem into it.
“You can keep it,” she said.
He looked at it hard, not sure what to think about holding Kris’s soul in his palm.
“Why am I still here?” Gabe asked tersely. “You got your two souls.”
“I’m sure you noticed that my domain in overrun with demons,” Death said casually. “My … interference put the underworld – and all the little humans’ souls – at risk, weakened the barriers between here and Hell. You were right, Gabe. Even my actions have consequences.”
Rhyn lowered his hand, the strange note in her voice warning him the game wasn’t over.
“Darkyn won this round,” she said again. “I can dispel the demons, but they’ll return. As long as I am here, the barrier will remain weak. There are Codes older than me, older even than my predecessors. I have no choice. I interfered, and now I must relinquish my title. I’m leaving.”
“Leaving?” Gabe echoed, gaping. “What do you mean you’re leaving?”
“I’m going through the portal. Wherever it takes me, is where I’ll go.”
“And the demons and souls?” Rhyn asked as Gabe stood, speechless. “What about them?”
“I always thought Gabe’s humanity made him weak. It appears my inhumanity did me in,” she mused. “The underworld will still exist. It just won’t be my problem anymore.”
“Whose problem will it be?” Rhyn asked, his gaze going to Gabe.
“It looks like I’ll be promoting my best assassin before I leave,” Death responded. “Don’t make the mistakes I did, Gabe. And get rid of the demons.” And with that, she strode past them both, towards the door. “I’m leaving now. Rhyn, you’ll want to be gone before I cross through the portal, or Gabe won’t be able to send you back. Gabe can’t break that many Codes his first day on the job.”
Rhyn grunted as he pulled Kiki over his shoulders. He feared the palace would go down with Death, what with the nonsense she was spouting about leaving. He took in his best friend’s features, uncertain whether becoming Death was a good thing or not. Gabe looked the same, and hopefully, he wouldn’t turn into the riddle-talking sociopath that preceded him.
Gabe shifted finally and faced him. “What the fuck just happened?”
“Don’t change, Gabe,” Rhyn said. “I’m getting out of here. If what she says is true, you can come visit whenever you want.”
The death-dealer looked around, lost. Rhyn moved away and drew off his demon power to call forth a portal.
“Gabe,” he said, pausing before he stepped through. “You’ll make a good Death.”
“I fucked up this time, if this is what I get,” Gabe said, regaining himself at last. “Eternity at the day job I was trying so hard to leave.”
“No, I think she fucked you up.”
“She’ll be the first soul I hunt down.”
“If the Council can help, let me know,” Rhyn half-joked.
They gazed at each other, and Gabe shook his head, a smile spreading across his features.
“At least we’re a good match for Darkyn,” he said.
“Maybe that’s why things ended up this way,” Rhyn said, his humor fading as he thought of Kris. He looked at the emerald in his palm.
“You can’t save him, but you can save Kiki. Get going, Rhyn.”
“We’ll see you around, Gabe.”
“Yeah.”
Rhyn stepped into the portal. He crossed fast and leapt through the portal leading to the Caribbean Sanctuary. No sooner had he hit the sandy beach than the restraints of the underworld fled, knocking him off his feet. His body bucked under the influence of power. Sudden pain shot through him, followed by the sensation of his magic snapping back into a bond too strong for him to access.
Rhyn gasped and struggled to sit. Kiki’s still body lay a few feet from him, the ocean lapping at his brother’s feet. The Caribbean night was humid and warm, and the moon large over head.
“I told you that you needed me,” Toby grumbled. “You’ve got a couple hours until midnight.”
Disoriented, Rhyn glanced down and pulled the syringe out of his thigh, where the angel had stabbed him.
“Where are you getting these fucking things?” Rhyn gasped.
“Well … maybe you should get Hannah and Ully out before Jared eats them. I can tell you that stuff later.”
“Where’s Katie?”
“I brought her back!” Toby said, beaming. “She’s at the Sanctuary.”
“I want to see her.”
“No. Go get Hannah. If Death let you go, then Darkyn’s pissed. If Darkyn’s pissed then –“
“Hannah and Ully are in trouble,” Rhyn finished and rose. He looked at the wound in his chest. It might be tough taking on the demons of Hell, but he had a promise to fulfill. “Take Kiki back to the Sanctuary’s healer.”
“Me?”
“You see anyone else here?”
Toby looked at the unconscious Immortal twice his size and back up at Rhyn. Rhyn pointed. The angel sighed and crossed to Kiki. Rhyn opened a new portal, took a deep breath and crossed through to Hell.
He emerged outside the jailer’s door and readied himself for a confrontation. The sounds of activity were thick in the hallways behind him, and he listened, trying to determine if he could hear any sounds that the demons were victorious in the underworld. His instincts warned him to hurry, that he had a reason to grab Hannah and go instead of sticking around to see what was causing the activity.
Rhyn opened the door, surprised to find the jailer’s room empty. He’d expected Jared at least. He closed the door quietly behind him. He snatched the talisman hanging near the door, the one that freed inmates from their cells. He ignored the quickening of his pulse as he entered the familiar cell block.
He heard Hannah crying and smelled the unmistakable scent of human blood before he took a step onto the block. He strode down the block and paused in front of Hannah’s cell. She was curled up on the bed, sobbing. When he looked at the cell across from her, he saw why. Jared stood in the cell, covered in blood. The cell looked as if a human had exploded, and Rhyn saw a pile of bones Jared had gnawed clean then stacked neatly.
“Ully didn’t make it,” Jared said.
“I see that.”
“I didn’t touch the cupcake.”
“Good for you,” Rhyn said. He placed the talisman on the door frame of Hannah’s cell. The door opened.
“Are we still good? You taking me with you?” Jared asked.
“I’ll do you a favor,” Rhyn said. He grimaced at the pain in his chest as he hefted Hannah into his arms. “I’ll leave you right there instead of tearing you limb-from-limb.”
“Fuck you, Rhyn.”
Rhyn ignored the demon and left the cell block, returning to the hallway before opening a portal. He crossed through the shadow world to the beach of the Caribbean Sanctuary. Toby was dragging Kiki up the beach by one leg.
“What the fuck, Toby? Go get help if you can’t lift him!” he shouted at the young angel.
Toby dropped Kiki’s leg and took off for the Sanctuary. Rhyn strode through the loose sand of the beach and paused beside Kiki. He set Hannah down.
“Hannah, walk,” he ordered. “I can’t carry you both.” He hefted Kiki once again. Hannah sniffled and crawled to her feet. Rhyn hurried towards the Sanctuary, concerned for Kiki but even more anxious about making sure Katie was alive and well.
The convent members who managed the Sanctuary had replaced the wall Rhyn knocked down with a row of brown tents that matched their dresses. Rhyn eased between two of them, aware of Kiki’s fading pulse. He set his brother down on the ground and looked around wildly, hoping they hadn’t sent Katie’s Ancient Healer, Lankha, home to the underworld.
“You!” he yelled at a member of the Sanctuary entering the courtyard. “Where’s Lankha?”
“Sleeping. You’re not – “
“Go get him.”
The woman pursed her lips and crossed her arms, eyeing him.
“I’ll get him,” Toby shouted from across the courtyard.
Rhyn paced under the watchful gaze of the convent member, itching to leave Kiki to find Katie. Instead, he forced himself to wait. He’d lost one brother this night. He wanted to make sure Kiki was okay before leaving him.
Toby reappeared after a few minutes, tugging a reluctant Lakhna with him. The otherworldly creature ducked and covered his head from the moon and crowded Toby as they crossed the courtyard. Rhyn pointed to Kiki, and Lakhna cringed. Rhyn was about to demand to know where Katie was when he heard her agitated voice.
“You had to leave Hannah on the beach?”
Rhyn stopped in place. He’d never thought he’d hear her voice again, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard anything that stopped his world in place. He turned to see Katie supporting Hannah as they entered the Sanctuary courtyard. Katie wore simple jeans and a t-shirt. Her dark curls cascaded down her shoulders, and her face glowed. Her bright eyes locked on his. She stopped too far away for his comfort, struggling to support her sister.
“Toby. Get Hannah,” Rhyn barked.
“Rhyn, I’m too little!” Toby whined.
“You’ve got to the count of five to have you both out of my sight.”
Toby hesitated.
“One.”
The angel darted forward and clumsily took Hannah’s arms. Katie helped him stabilize Hannah then watched them walk away. Rhyn stared at his mate, heart beating fast. Of all the words in his head, none of them made it to his tongue.
“I see you made it back,” Katie said awkwardly.
“You look better than I expected.”
“Gee, thanks, Rhyn.”
“I mean, you look beautiful for a dead woman.”
She crossed her arms.
“I told you I’d get you back,” he said and took a step towards her.
“Toby brought me back,” she pointed out. “He said if you listened to him, you could’ve found me faster.”
“That little shit.”
Katie fought back a smile at the irritated look on Rhyn’s face. He was in raw form: bloodied, drenched with underworld rain, disheveled, in need of a good shave. His thick frame was still on edge, as if he expected one of the Sanctuary’s nuns to turn into a demon and fly at them. He looked every bit the muscular, powerful, glowering half-demon the nuns wanted to throw out of the Sanctuary.
She stepped closer to him as she had in their dream, gazing up into his molten silver eyes. He’d gone to Hell for Hannah and confronted Death for her. He’d killed demons to protect her and defied his family to find – and keep – her. Katie fought to keep the emotions tumbling within her from leaking out, instead reveling in the sight of her mate. While in the underworld, she’d lost all hope of ever standing next to him again. Part of her was convinced this was another dream, and Rhyn would disappear all too soon.
“It’s not a dream,” he said. “Not this time.”
“Doesn’t quite seem real yet, though.”
He hesitated and then held out a hand. She took it. His warm hands were rough and large. He squeezed hers. He led her away from the courtyard and lights into the dark night. They walked hand in hand for a few moments, alone under the full moon. She’d walked with him before, but this night, it was different. She felt the shift between them.
“The hatchling really is a girl?” he asked.
“She’s not a hatchling, Rhyn.”
“I hope she comes out better behaved than Toby.”
Katie laughed loudly, unable to help herself. Rhyn pulled her into his arms, swallowing her in his warmth and scent. Katie wrapped her arms around him.
“It’s really over, isn’t it?” she whispered.
“It’s just us tonight. I’ve gotta go kill some demons in the morning.”
“But you’ll come right back.”
“Every day. I swear it. We won’t be apart anymore. We’ll stay here until I can get the castle cleaned out and beat the shit out of my brothers. They’ll be moving in, even if they don’t know it yet. And that’s where Hazel will hatch and live.”
Katie’s eyes watered, and she squeezed him harder. The nightmares of the past few weeks seemed to fade away while she was in his arms. She’d been too afraid to think about what kind of life they might possibly have, but she found herself wondering how it would feel to wake up and go to sleep with Rhyn beside her.
“Our life together starts right now. Unless you want to send me away,” he added.
“Depends on how you behave,” she said, smiling up at him through happy tears.
Rhyn grimaced. “I’m not promising any miracles. We got a lot to do to prepare the world for Hazel.”
“I have faith in us.”
“Right now, I owe my mate a rowdy night on the beach under the moonlight,” he said. He swung her up into his arms and strode towards the water.
Katie laughed, happiness and hope bubbling within her. She took in Rhyn’s strong profile. If anyone could save the world, it was him.
In Hell, Darkyn stood before the hourglass perched on a window sill in his study. The black sand had run out. He’d missed his window. Rather, he missed this window. He looked over at the demon standing before him. At least one of his super-demons had survived. This one still wore half a face, that of Death’s favorite assassin, Gabriel.
“Chances are, the demons will be defeated this round,” Darkyn said. “And Death … you’re certain she walked away?”
“Yes, my lord. She quit and appointed Gabriel in her stead.”
“Interesting. A Death with a history as a mortal. Not any mortal, but one you say she was in love with. I’d heard rumor but never thought a deity capable of such a thing.”
“Rhyn’s mortal was convinced of this. She said Gabriel had been the lover of Death for thousands of years.”
“And now she’s gone,” Darkyn said.
“As far as we know. I didn’t see her enter the portal, but one of our spies was in her fortress when she entered the chamber you indicated.”
“Where would a deity in love with a mortal go?”
“To the mortal world,” the super-demon guessed. “She’s no threat to you, master.”
“True,” Darkyn said. “But the new Death is her lover. That makes her someone of interest to me.”
“The immunity blood worked. We can have the Immortal scientist make us more. We could slide right into the – “
“Ully is dead-dead, as you will be by the time the day is over,” Darkyn said. “I cannot have anyone else find out about the power of the immunity blood.”
The demon before him looked down but didn’t object, understanding his place. Unlike Immortals, demons obeyed their leaders. But maybe, next time, lack of discipline in his enemies would work for Darkyn. He’d failed to takeover Death’s domain or to kill her. It would take Gabriel a very long time to learn how to rule over the dead, and Rhyn was a loose cannon as a leader for the Immortals. In the meantime, all of Rhyn’s Immortals and Death’s assassins would be a disorganized mess.
All Darkyn had to do was wait and watch for his opportunity. While he did so, he had a new plan: To pursue a certain deity who’d left her position to her lover. In all his dealings with Immortals and mortals, Darkyn long ago learned the weakness Immortals and mortals had for a beautiful woman. Gabriel would be no different.
“Leave me. Report to the executioner.”
The super-demon bowed his head and left. Darkyn watched him go then looked again at the hourglass. He hadn’t expected Death to quit, but she was about to give him a new window of opportunity, one that might be more powerful. He might soon take over the underworld and its army of souls.