by Lizzy Ford
They wrestled, fed and fucked until sheer exhaustion overtook her, and she slid into a short doze. She awoke to the sensation of him drinking from her. Darkyn wore her out enough to where her thoughts no longer spun out of control. Calm, she was able to focus. The image of Past-Death wouldn’t leave her mind. She’d felt that level of desperation before and didn’t wish it upon the woman meant to be with Gabriel.
“Is it wrong for me to want her to be happy, too, even after all she did?” she whispered.
Darkyn withdrew from her neck.
“I cannot see humans or Immortals or deities as you do. I see only the parts of them that hold depravity, weakness. I do not wish them well or happy. I evaluate them for opportunities,” he said. “I understand pleasure, not happiness.” As he spoke, he slid a nail down her hip, drawing blood. She shivered at the sensation.
“I know,” she murmured. “You see me differently now, but did you when we met?”
“I saw what I do with everyone: what it would take to bring you here,” he said. “You feared death, and I dangled hope in front of you. You made up your mind to deal with me, even if Gabriel was not part of your future.”
“When did you figure out I was your mate?”
“In the shadow world when you told me about your tumor. As soon as I touched you, I knew,” he said. “You remember what you were thinking when you turned down my offer the first time?”
She was quite for a moment, thoughtful. It was difficult to hear how easily he’d evaluated and cornered her to get her to Hell.
“You were the first person to give me a choice,” she murmured. “You’ve been reading my mind from the beginning, haven’t you?”
“From that moment, off and on. I had to be sure I even wanted you here.”
“You let me go the first time because you knew I was your mate. You could’ve killed me and taken the soul out of my head at any point.”
“Yes.”
She shivered, unaware just how close she’d been to dying by his hands.
“Is this what all demons do?” she asked.
“Love, what I do to you would kill a demon many times over.”
She gave a startled laugh. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
“A blood bound, deity’s mate is the only person who could keep up with you,” she guessed.
“Eternity is a long time to go unsatisfied.”
It was almost an admission of loneliness, if a demon had feelings. She understood a bit more why a mate might appeal to even the Dark One. Darkyn was ancient, according to the tutorial she’d watched, from the time-before-time. He’d never had a partner in all his time alive.
“Are you satisfied?” she asked.
“Very.”
“You aren’t going to ask me?”
“I already know you are,” he replied. “I see your thoughts like mine.”
“All of them?”
“Even the one where you planned to lie to me about Wynn healing Selyn.”
“Ah. Okay.” She waited for some sort of reaction. He was quiet. “Did I make a good deal?”
“You did,” he said. “Carte blanche never breaks bad for me. You were emotional, though.”
“Yeah. I forgave him, but I just …I think I’m angrier at myself for falling for all his lies than I am at him for lying,” she admitted.
“It will become second nature to know when one lies to you.”
“I felt it,” she said. “I was able to hear when he lied.”
“Private deal,” he said. “You make no deals with anyone aside from our private deals.”
“In exchange for…” She frowned, reluctant to give up the ability.
“A favor of your choosing, so long as it pleases me to grant it.”
Deidre sat up, staring at him. His cold gaze was calm and steady, his long fangs resting on his lower lip. The sight of them thrilled and scared her. He was relaxed, and it struck her how different he was with her in bed compared to outside their room.
“You’re serious,” she murmured. “You would do that?”
“Deal?”
“Yes.”
“I am physically satisfied for the fifth day in a row, for the first time since I was hatched,” he said. “I feel generous. Use it wisely, love. You may never get another. You can try by pleasing me every night.”
“I will try, and I’ll use it wisely,” she said. “You can trust me.” She looked at him curiously. “Do you trust me?”
“You have yet to be tested.”
“But you sense depravity and weakness,” she said in a mocking tone she hoped was similar to his.
“You are challenging me already.” He flicked his nail against the pad of his thumb. “I am always ready for a fight. Are you, mate?”
Deidre groaned. She wasn’t, but she doubted she’d have a choice. As if sensing she was tired, he didn’t tease her when she reached for his hand. She sucked his blood clean from his thumb. The demon purred, watching her. She settled beside him again, comfortable in bed with him.
“Selyn has asked to see you,” he said.
“I’ll be happy to talk to her,” she said. It was the first time Darkyn ever brought his daughter up. “Is she well?”
“Yes.”
His voice never conveyed emotion. Deidre wasn’t certain if there was any affection for his daughter, though his persistence in healing her was a sign of either care or obligation.
“Obligation,” he replied. “She is mine. You are mine. Hell is mine.”
“But you went to great lengths to help her. Isn’t there some part of you that can care?” she asked, troubled again.
“Not the way humans do.”
His quiet statement was difficult to swallow.
“Demons show affection. We are not capable of more,” he added.
She shifted to see his face, surprised by his confession. Days before, he’d claimed nothing existed beyond physical pleasure for a demon.
“I can live with that,” she said. “You show me affection in your own way, don’t you?”
He nuzzled her neck in response.
“Did you … can I ask if you sent Wynn home?”
“I keep my terms,” Darkyn replied. “He went home.”
“I don’t know how to feel about that,” she said, chewing on her lip. She was almost angry enough with Wynn to wish he’d stayed here just a little longer.
“A man like that will find his way back here,” Darkyn said.
“Probably. Speaking of difficult Immortals … what was Past-Death looking for?” she asked, puzzled. “I know there was more to why she sought me out but I don’t understand what.”
“Weakness. Willingness to negotiate. She knows she’s lost and is desperate. It’s common among those who deal. Another reason you won’t deal without me. Your heart is too soft.”
“I wasn’t too soft on Wynn!” she exclaimed.
“You offered him a deal when none was needed, love. You could’ve waited a day for him to fail then cured Selyn.”
“The thought occurred to me.”
“Yet you offered him a deal. Lesson five: when you have the advantage already, don’t deal. You will never deal outside of those we make in private. Your nature is too … pure.”
“Like I couldn’t …” she placed a hand over his heart “…even the first day, when I thought I had a chance to leave. You knew that though, didn’t you?”
He tipped her chin up. His dark gaze gleamed.
“Without a doubt,” he said with a cold smile. “I know what you are.”
“It’s not fair. It’s way too easy for you to read me,” she complained. “Don’t you like a challenge?”
“You fight me where it counts. I look forward to great battles with you over the fate of the humans and fucking you into submission afterwards.”
She blushed. Her breath caught at the idea of what he did to her, her blood quickening. He kissed her before pressing his bloody thumb to her mouth. Her body calmed instantly.
“You take no satisfaction out of seeing your enemies defeated?” he asked.
“Wynn and Deidre are not my enemies,” Deidre replied. “But no, I take no satisfaction out of seeing someone hurting.”
“They went to great lengths to hurt you.”
“I know,” Deidre whispered, frowning. “You and I are very different.”
“We are,” he agreed. “I do not understand how you feel as you do.”
“Sometimes I don’t either,” she said, mentally evaluating the discussions she’d recently had with Wynn, Gabriel and Past-Death. “Everyone has something to say about you turning me into a sex-demon. I wish you hadn’t done that.”
“For my pleasure, not theirs,” he replied, unconcerned.
“So you turn me into a seductress who isn’t allowed to seduce anyone,” she said.
If his sudden stillness wasn’t a warning, his purr turned to a low, lethal growl.
“Only mine.”
Deidre jumped. The sudden shift of power around him made her uneasy. She nudged his chin, partially to keep him from seeing her smile. He really did feel affection for her, if he was jealous. He lifted his head in blatant rejection.
“Don’t be angry,” she murmured. “I meant to tease.” She nuzzled his neck the way he did to her when she was upset. He didn’t move away this time, and she nipped him.
“Not about that,” he said after a tense moment. His hands moved down her body, and he nudged her head aside.
“Okay,” she said, relieved the danger was passed. He was irked. She wondered if it was because of the thought of her seducing someone else or because of her triumph at winning his affection, even if he beat her at every other thing. “That makes me happy.”
Darkyn was silent. She assessed that – for the first time – he wasn’t entirely certain how to react. His features were emotionless, his body not yet relaxed completely again. She took his face in her hands and traced his cheekbones and jawline with her fingers.
He kissed her then rolled away.
Deidre watched him, brow furrowed. He wasn’t angry, but he wasn’t himself either. She heard the rustling of clothing as he dressed. The light of the black fire was too dim for her to see much more than the outline of his form. Her eyes fell to the shape of the hourglass on her nightstand. With a glance at the demon lord, she stretched to grab it and rose.
He started to the door.
“Darkyn,” she called softly.
He paused. Deidre approached him until close enough to feel his body heat. She held out the hourglass. Her heart beat rapidly at what it meant to surrender what had been her one hope to leave Hell.
“I don’t need this,” she voiced quietly.
He accepted it. It dissipated into black smoke in his hands. Her breathing quickened as she realized what she’d done. She felt his gaze on her but couldn’t see him in the dim lighting of the room.
The demon lord gripped her neck. The action that once terrified her now made desire bloom in anticipation of what he’d do. Deidre waited.
The fire flared brighter, lighting up his body. When she looked up, he was watching her. He made no move to bite her or kiss her, simply studied her, his thumb stroking the pulse in her neck.
“You’re not changing your mind, are you?” she asked uncertainly.
His slow, cunning smile was not what she wanted to see. His hand dropped. He peeled off his shirt. Instinctively, she reached out to feel his warm skin and trace the ridges of his abdomen. Darkyn turned his other side to her, and Deidre stared.
The familiar demon blood bond script ran down one arm from his shoulder to his elbow. Except that, on his body, it was her name written in black.
D
E
I
D
R
E
Speechless, she traced her fingers down the letters then looked into his eyes. She had been over every inch of his body numerous times without seeing the marking. He held her gaze without speaking.
“How long has it been there?” she managed.
“Under a day.”
“So at any point up until then, you could’ve …” She swallowed hard.
“You were mine the night I let you drink from me. This is a formality of unwritten terms only,” he said.
Stunned, she was silent, trying to digest what he was saying. He was serious when he claimed to want her. She was more than an obligation, if he chose to keep her when he didn’t have to. She didn’t exactly feel grateful to him, though, not with the emotional trauma he put her through. But the idea he did want her was almost a relief, another sign he was capable of providing at least some form of affection. She wasn’t going to spend her eternity with someone who didn’t care for her.
Darkyn replaced his shirt. When he was finished, he pulled her into his body and bit her hard.
Deidre winced. The pain soon turned to pleasure, and she melted against him. He didn’t drink long, and she nuzzled his neck then found his lips with her own. This time, there was more than insatiable lust and need in his kiss. There was passion and a deep longing she innately understood only she was able to fill. Deidre felt tears on her cheeks once more. Incapable of human emotion, Darkyn was nonetheless expressing what demon emotions he had. His hands ran down her naked body possessively.
He withdrew and pressed his cheek to hers.
“Will you stay?” she asked, touched by the change in him.
“I cannot now. Later,” he promised. “You can run for me.”
She smiled. “Alright. I will.”
He sidled away. Deidre watched him leave. She wiped her face then dressed, too distracted to feel the warmth of a certain deity as he appeared.
“How is my little fruit bat doing?”
She turned. Fate lit up the corner in which he stood brighter than the black fire could her room. He wore jeans and a t-shirt that outlined his lean frame.
“I don’t know,” she said, a familiar tremor of uncertainty fluttering through her. “I’m trying to figure out how I can want to be with him but not stomach what he does as the Dark One. Why are these Immortals and deities so messed up?”
“Imagine all the baggage a human has after one lifetime and multiply that by a few thousand,” Fate replied. His multi-colored eyes swept over her. “You wouldn’t believe the amount of repressed anger most Immortals have.”
“I suppose. Why am I stuck in the middle?”
Fate glanced at her, amused. “Do you really want to be elsewhere?”
No. As much as it didn’t make sense, as much as his day job terrified her … She wanted Darkyn, more so now that she knew he had a side – however tiny – that was capable of caring for her and only her.
She shook her head.
“By the way, I’m mad at you,” she warned him. “You tricked me! Completely, totally, irrevocably tricked me into staying here to further your agenda and then lied about how I was safe when I had the demon marking.”
“No, I tricked you into staying alive to further my agenda,” he corrected her. “If Darkyn didn’t want you, he never would’ve let that mark form on you. His mark is inconsequential.”
“Then why not tell me that?” she asked.
He shrugged.
“You play with people’s lives every day. But this is my life, and I’m sick of it!” Her face felt hot at his nonchalance. She approached him, glaring up at him.
“You can hit me.” Fate gazed down at her, smiling. He opened his arms wide. “I don’t mind. It’s impossible to be angry at a seductress.”
She planted her hands on her hips, tempted but not about to do it, now the she knew he wanted her to.
Fate laughed.
“You are the soul to a creature who had none,” he said. “It’s the only deal I ever lost that I didn’t mind losing.”
Deidre’s anger deflated at the confirmation of Darkyn’s thaw.
“You people have such a warped sense of … everything,” she said.
�
��You’re one of us now.”
“Physically, maybe, but that’s it. Are you here for any reason?” she asked suspiciously. “You always appear when something bad is about to happen.”
“Keep that in mind,” he said wisely. “I brought you something.” He reached into his pocket and held out his hand. In it was a green soul, glowing faintly like an emerald under a jeweler’s lamp.
“Omigod. Whose is that?” she asked, stepping back.
“Let’s just say, you’re going to need this,” he replied. “When the time is right, you’ll know what to do with it.”
She almost refused but something about the look on his face made her hesitate. Cringing, she held out her hand. The only other soul she’d touched had told her its life story in a blink of the eye, terrifying her.
Fate deposited it into her hand. Nothing happened. She released her breath and placed it in the small pocket of her dress.
“I’m still waiting for my love tap. Or a bite,” Fate said, winking. “Darkyn’s not the only one who likes it rough.”
Deidre shook her head and spun away, fed up with deities for the day. She didn’t wait to see if he stayed or went but walked out of her room. Darkyn had mentioned Selyn. Curious to see how the girl was, Deidre walked three doors down and paused.
Her palms were sweaty at the thought of seeing Darkyn’s daughter, but she wasn’t certain why. Maybe because it made her stay here feel more permanent. Selyn was now a part of her world, her warped family.
She knocked. After a moment, the door cracked open. Selyn peeked out from the two inches she’d opened the door, her dark eyes identical to her father’s.
“Hi,” Deidre said awkwardly. “I, um, just came to –“
The teen’s face lit up. Selyn wrenched the door open fast enough to startle Deidre. She motioned for Deidre to enter then closed the door and locked it as soon as she did.
Deidre stayed by the door, uncertain. Selyn hurried across the room to a pad of paper and pen that Wynn had clearly left behind, if his tight writing on the back cover was any indication. Carefully, Selyn wrote out something then passed it to Deidre.
“I can’t really read … demon,” Deidre said, staring blankly at the geometric writing.
Selyn’s face fell.
“Is this how you talk to your father?” Deidre asked curiously.
The teen shook her head then tapped her temple.
“He reads your mind. I should’ve known.” Deidre smiled. “Can you do that?”
Another shake of her head.
“Did Wynn say if you’ll be able to talk again?”
Selyn nodded then blew out a breath. She pressed her hands together then pulled them apart about a foot.
“Um, after a while?” Deidre guessed.
Selyn nodded once more. She lowered the pen and paper, thoughtful gaze on Deidre. She nibbled on her lower lip with her tiny fangs. She was still too pale and her frame slender enough to indicate she needed some food to bring her back to a healthy weight. Deidre’s gaze fell to the table in the corner. She didn’t feel able to handle knowing what kind of food sat under a domed tray or what half-demons like Selyn did for blood.
Just the thought made Deidre feel ill.
The teen took Deidre’s arm and circled her. Her cool fingers ran across Deidre’s markings. She made a sound like a squeak.
Deidre faced her curiously. Selyn’s smile was lopsided because of the unresponsive, scarred half of her face. Her eyes, however, glowed.
“You’re happy about this,” Deidre said.
A look of pained yearning crossed the girl’s face, as if she wanted badly to speak but couldn’t.
“I can see that. Your daddy can be scary.”
Pride crossed Selyn’s face. Deidre gave an unsettled laugh. How long would it take her to adapt to a culture where the ability to cause fear and pain was so revered?
Deidre. She was almost grateful for the summons then anxious in the next breath. It wasn’t Darkyn, and the vision accompanying it was from the shadow world. Like when Past-Death summoned her.
She wasn’t ready to face the former goddess again.
“I have to go,” she said grudgingly. “Someone is summoning me.”
Selyn frowned. She tapped her chest. Deidre looked at her quizzically. The teen took her arm then nudged her to walk.
“You want to come?” Deidre asked.
Another nod.
“Okay. Are you allowed out of Hell?”
At the look of offense, Deidre almost laughed. Instead, she called a portal.
Deidre stepped through just as Past-Death did. Selyn crowded her, almost tripping them both by how close she was.
Past-Death didn’t look in any better shape than when Deidre saw her last. Her intent gaze was inquisitive, her eyebrows raised in a silent question. Deidre had the sense the woman was surprised to see her.
“Hi, Deidre,” Deidre said, puzzled. “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.”
“Um, I thought you summoned me,” Past-Death replied.
Deidre shook her head. She was almost relieved. Maybe someone had accidentally summoned her, and she wasn’t about to have yet another confrontation today.
Past-Death had frozen. A flicker of alarm went across her features, warning Deidre something was wrong.
“Deidre, I think we need to –” Past-Death started, backing towards her portal.
Alerted by Past-Death’s sudden tension, Deidre turned and took Selyn’s arm. She didn’t know what the former deity sensed, but she wasn’t going to stick around too long to find out. She pushed Selyn towards the portal to Hell.
Two forms stepped between them and the portal, blocking it. Deidre gripped Selyn’s arm more tightly, fear spiraling through her. She didn’t recognize the two men before her, but they were dressed much like the two death dealers that tried to turn her over to Harmony in her old apartment.
Deidre glanced over her shoulder and froze. Two people stood between Past-Death and the yellow portal leading back to the human world.
“Harmony,” Deidre said at the sight of the female death dealer.
It was a trap. Suddenly, Deidre wished she’d left Selyn in Hell. The girl had started to tremble, no doubt reminiscing about the last time she’d dealt with Immortals. Deidre squeezed her arm in reassurance, not at all certain what Harmony wanted. Last time, the death dealer wasn’t interested in her.
“What do you want?” Past-Death demanded of Harmony.
“You aren’t Death anymore.” Harmony punched Past-Death hard.
Deidre flinched as the small blonde woman went down. Harmony bent over her, saying something Deidre wasn’t able to hear. Gabriel’s mate was struggling to sit up.
“Deidre, are you okay?” Deidre called.
“Yes.” The response was more of a grunt. Past-Death managed to stand. She faced Harmony. “What’s going on?”
“Simple. Because of Darkyn’s bitch, I’ve got a price on my head from the Dark One. I didn’t betray Gabriel to be stuck in the human world,” Harmony said. She snatched Past-Death’s arm and hauled her closer to Deidre. “Who is this?”
All eyes fell to Selyn, who was shaking. The growl low in her chest sounded more like a rattle.
“A servant,” Deidre said, not wanting them to hurt the poor girl.
“Kill her,” Harmony said, motioning to one of the other dealers.
He grabbed Selyn and hauled her a few feet away. The panicked teen stared pleadingly at Deidre. She started forward when the dealer pulled out a knife.
“No!” Deidre cried, heart racing. “I lied. She’s Darkyn’s daughter.”
Harmony stared at her then at the teen girl. Suddenly, she smiled.
“Perfect. Even better,” Harmony said. “Darkyn’s bitch will get us into Hell. Gabe’s will get us into the underworld. Once we’re there, we’ll have all the leverage we need.”
Deidre looked from Harmony to Selyn, wishing she knew how to diffuse the situation in a way that Selyn
was able to escape. The girl didn’t need any more trauma, and Darkyn would unleash Hell if one of them disappeared and the other was dead. Her thoughts went to what Darkyn taught her about dealing.
“Will you leave her?” she asked. “I have the power of Hell at my back. I can grant you almost anything in exchange for her life.” She spoke carefully, aware no one knew about her private agreement with Darkyn that disallowed her ability to make deals. She didn’t know what happened if she tried to make one, but she’d do what it took to protect the terrified teen.
“I will, too,” Past-Death added. “Any deal I make will be sealed by Death’s magic.”
Harmony was quiet for a moment. Deidre exchanged a look with her look-alike.
“Darkyn made a deal with Gabriel for your soul, Harmony,” she said. “Whoever finds you first, Darkyn keeps you.”
The death dealer paled. Deidre guessed the death dealer knew enough about Darkyn to fear him. She definitely feared him, and she was shown mercy by the Dark One.
“Let the girl go, and I’ll make sure your soul goes where it should, right beside mine,” Past-Death said with calmness Deidre envied.
“Or you can risk an eternity with the Dark One personally overseeing your day-to-day … activities,” Deidre seconded.
Harmony appeared indecisive.
“The soul of a deity or former deity has special standing,” Past-Death continued. “Yours will remain right beside mine.”
Deidre studied her, hearing the carefully chosen words. Seeing Past-Death, it was hard to remember that the human with the mussed hair and tear-reddened eyes had spent thousands of years cultivating deals. She probably knew many of the same rules Darkyn did about creating terms.
Harmony couldn’t know that Past-Death’s soul was destined for Hell in a matter of days, or more specifically, to Deidre herself. Darkyn had bargained with Gabriel for Harmony, and Past-Death just sealed the deal for her soul. Deidre waited apprehensively. Right now, no part of her was willing to protect Harmony’s soul from Darkyn the way she planned to Past-Death’s.
Harmony tossed her head towards the death dealer holding Selyn. She held out a hand to Past-Death. Deidre took it, and they shook, the deal sealed with the magic of Gabriel. Deidre stared at Past-Death, wondering why the former goddess was trying to help the daughter of the Dark One that meant to crush her.
Whatever Past-Death’s reasoning, Deidre was grateful. She couldn’t stand the thought of seeing Selyn hurt, as much because of everything the girl had been through as the thought of hurting Darkyn. Even if he was incapable of feeling real pain.
The death dealer tossed the teen demoness through a yellow portal, onto the mortal plane rather than into Hell. Deidre gasped, stunned. She was about to demand to know where the girl was sent when Past-Death’s words jarred her.
“She’s alive.”
Deidre swallowed hard and nodded, reining in her panic. Selyn could find her way home. Nothing else mattered except that she was alive.
“If either of you summons your mates, I’ll kill the other. If you try to alert anyone or escape, I’ll peel your skin from your bodies and watch you scream,” Harmony warned. “Got it?”
Deidre nodded. So did Past-Death.
“Now, we’re going to Hell.”
One of the death dealers took Deidre’s arm and waited. After a moment, she realized none of them could see the portal to Hell the way she could. She pointed and started forward. The death dealer yanked her back against him, his one hand roaming down her side.
With a sickening feeling, she realized she’d never asked Darkyn what she meant to: how to turn off the seductress or at least, defend herself against those drawn to her. She gave a sidelong glance to Harmony as the death dealer joined them.
All of them had to know they’d just sealed their own fates. No matter what happened from here on out, neither Darkyn nor Gabriel would ever let them live after this.
For a moment, Deidre pitied them. As noble as Gabriel was, he wouldn’t hesitate to turn over anyone who hurt his mate to Darkyn. This much she knew.
She prayed for Selyn to find her way home safely then led them through the portal into Hell.
Rhyn Eternal Series
“Gabriel’s Hope”
“Deidre’s Death”
“Darkyn’s Mate”
“The Underworld” (2014)
