Gabriel's Hope (#1, Rhyn Eternal) (19 page)

“Technically, they’re not kids,” Hanna replied.

Deidre’s head was pounding.

The girl in front of her began speaking. “Humans eat plants and macaronis and –“

“Meatballs!”

“Chocolate.”

“Oooohhh chocolate!” several kids echoed.

“The little angels have a thing for chocolate,” Hannah explained.

“Sure,” Deidre murmured, near fainting.

“Someone get Deidre a juice box!” Hannah ordered.

Three were thrust at her. Deidre took one and sipped. The cool liquid felt good on her throat.

She never should’ve left Wynn’s. In fact, if she’d stayed away from the beach this weekend altogether and had dinner with her doctor instead of causing her boyfriend to be eaten by a demon, she wouldn’t be facing an Immortal mood beast or teaching Immortal children not to feed humans rocks.

“Deidre?”

She looked up. Toby stood beside a plainly pregnant young woman with blue eyes and a tattoo across her neck that resembled the one on Deidre’s back in color and otherworldly script. While
Gabriel
was written at the center of the geometric designs on Deidre’s shoulders, the tattoo on the woman before her bore the name
Rhyn
.

Rhyn’s mate. Deidre almost understood why the portals brought her wherever this was. She was surprised to see Rhyn’s mate looked … normal.

“Yes,” she said at last, cringing for another bad reaction.

The woman smiled.

“C’mon kids, let Deidre up,” Hannah said to the little Immortals surrounding Deidre.

One of them claimed the doll, and Deidre released it. Hannah accepted the book and juice box. No one came for the cotton balls, and Deidre stood, putting them in her pocket.

“I’m happy to see you!” the dark-haired woman crossed to her and hugged her hard. “What’re you doing here? I thought you were dead-dead!”

“Um, not yet,” Deidre said, returning the hug awkwardly. “Kinda wish I was, though.”

“Mama, she’s human,” Toby said.

Rhyn’s mate withdrew, gazing at Deidre quizzically.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” she asked.

Deidre shook her head. “I’m happy to see you instead of an Immortal mood beast.”

“Immortal mood beast?” the woman addressed the boy. “Really, Toby?”

The boy’s face turned red. Deidre’s gaze fell to the woman’s protruding belly, and she suddenly understood.

“Sorry, Toby,” she said.

“I deserve it,” Toby said with a pitiful sigh.

The woman rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I’m Katie. You’ve met Toby and my sister Hannah. You really don’t remember any of us?”

“I’m sorry but no,” Deidre replied. “Should I?”

“Well, yeah. We spent time in the underworld together, though if you’re human, that might mean …” Katie drifted off then glanced at the children. “Hey, Toby, can you give her one?”

Deidre followed her gaze, not understanding.

“You can’t just assign one because she’s human,” Toby said.

“Oh no? And how did I end up with you?” Katie challenged.

“That was different.”

“Give me what?” Deidre interrupted.

“A basement angel,” Katie answered her before continuing with Toby. “They need homes, don’t they?”

“You want to give me a … kid?” Deidre asked, baffled.

“Yes, but she has to be screened and compatible,” Toby said.

“We know how well that screening worked out, now don’t we?” Katie retorted.

Toby rolled his eyes. “Mama, pleeeeeeeeease don’t make me pick one for her.”

At the end of her rope with the bizarre world and discussion, Deidre fainted.

Chapter Nine

When she awoke, it was to find the face of the boy, Toby, hovering over hers. Deidre blinked. He leaned back, and a recessed, marble ceiling came into view. Its edges were gilded with gold marking a lazy geometric design across the marble. Two brightly lit, massive bronze chandeliers dangled at even distances across the ceiling. She was on a huge, plush sleigh bed with dark wood and pastel coverings. Pushing herself up, Deidre was amazed at the size and furnishings of the room. It was like something out of a television show about castles.

“Where am I?” she asked.

“Didn’t you come here through the portals?” Toby asked.

“Yes, but I don’t understand how to use them yet.”

“French Alps. This is where the Immortals live,” Toby replied. “Gabe’s not dead-dead, is he?”

Deidre looked at him, surprised he knew Gabriel.

“Not that I know of,” she said with a shiver. “I have a headache.”

“It’s my fault. You hit the ground before I could catch you,” he said.

“No, I’d have one anyway,” she said, not wanting to admit she didn’t think the skinny youth could’ve caught her anyway.

“Why?”

“Long story.”

He reached out to her and placed a hand on her forehead. She was surprised to feel a strange zap of energy, different than Gabriel’s warmth but not unpleasant.

“You have a tumor,” Toby said, dismayed. “A big one. Does it hurt?”

“Um, I don’t know if
it
hurts, but I get headaches,” she replied.

“I can’t believe you don’t remember anything,” Katie said from the doorway. She pushed the door closed with her hip, a silver tray of cookies and snacks in her hands. “Hannah said you came here looking for Rhyn?”

“Yes. He’s the only one who seems like he’d tell me what’s going on. No one else will,” Deidre said with some frustration. Her eye went to the snacks. Katie set the tray on the bed then sat at the foot, leaning against the bed frame.

“So you’re not Death anymore?”

Deidre stared at her.

“You don’t remember that either. Wow.”

“We’ll tell you!” Toby offered. He climbed over the tray onto the bed with them and sat cross-legged.

“I don’t know the whole story, but I can give you the basics,” Katie said. “Do you really want to know?”

“I think so,” Deidre said uncertainly. “Does the tattoo mean you’re Rhyn’s mate?”

“Exactly.” Katie grunted. “Could’ve been a little more discreet, but it fits Rhyn’s personality.”

“Is it something you can undo?” Deidre hedged.

“God no. And I tried.”

“Immortal Code,” Toby said. “Even the angels can’t unmate someone.”

“Angels,” Deidre murmured.

“Wait, does this mean you have a tattoo, too?” Katie straightened, gaze sharpening.

Deidre nodded.

“Where?”

“On my back.”

“Show me!”

Deidre glanced at Toby. He sighed and flopped onto his stomach, facing away from them. Deidre twisted and pulled up her shirt for Katie to see.

Rhyn’s mate squealed loud enough for Deidre to jump. She dropped her shirt, startled when Katie flung her arms around her in another tight hug.

“Who! Mama!” Toby demanded.

“I knew it!” Katie all but shouted. She released Deidre and returned to her seat, face glowing. “I called it.”

“Mama!”

“Gabe, Toby.”

Toby’s face lit up. “I bet he was pissed.”

“Okay, I need to know what’s going on,” Deidre said, the buzzing back in her ears.

“Short version. I know this will be rough,” Katie started, sympathy on her features. “Once upon a time, you were an Immortal –“

“-deity,” Toby corrected.

“What’s the difference?” Katie asked.

“Deities are way older and more powerful.”

“Whatever. So you were a deity,” Katie continued. “Guess which one?”

“Death,” Toby supplied.

“Not you, Toby. Deidre, you were Death for let’s say, a zillion years. Somewhere along the line, you found Gabe and forced him to work for you as your number one assassin. He fell totally in love with you. You following so far?”

Deidre’s mouth was dry and her hands shaking, but she nodded.

“You fell totally in love with him, too, but you were uh … well, I guess deities are sort of…”

“You were a mega-bitch,” Toby said. “You took his heart and crushed it, like every day for thousands of years.”

Deidre gasped.

“That’s a little harsh,” Katie murmured.

“Then you dumped him,” Toby continued. “So then, one day you told him to kill Katie and her baby, because you were mad at Rhyn and the demons were coming.”

Deidre’s eyes went to Katie in horror. Rhyn’s mate tried to smile, but her gaze was haunted.

“Gabe wouldn’t do it. He went rogue and helped Katie evade you in the underworld. I was there, too! And Rhyn and Kris and Kiki,” Toby said cheerfully. “You made Kris and Gabe trade their souls for Katie and baby’s then you quit.”

“That’s um, the abbreviated version. You also broke immortal laws to let me go instead of killing me. You didn’t quit because you wanted to, but because you had to after breaking those laws to spare me and Hazel,” Katie added, patting her stomach. “You helped me escape demons through that awful underworld forest. That’s how I found out you really did love Gabe, even though you um …”

“Crushed his will to live,” Toby finished.

“Anyway, you must’ve been reborn as a human,” Katie said.

Deidre struggled to absorb the wild story, unable to comprehend most of it. That she was a deity, Death, who lived for thousands of years … None of that made sense. Nothing did, except that she hurt Gabriel. He’d recognized her the morning after their one night stand, flipped out and wanted to kill her since then. In that light, his reaction to her appeared less like that of a moody homicidal maniac and more like one of a jilted lover.  

“I did those things to Gabe?” she asked, upset.

“Yeah, you were really psycho to him,” Katie replied.

“It’s because he was originally human,” Toby said. “You hated that part of him, so you tortured him for like –“

“Toby!” Katie snapped. “Overkill.”

Deidre sat frozen, aware of their concerned gazes. Suddenly, she wished she hadn’t asked.

“That’s why everyone reacts funny to me,” she managed at last. “They think I’m coming to k…kill them?”

“Yeah. You should be able to see the Immortal markings, too. They’re reddish tattoos. I usually see them when I first meet an Immortal,” Katie said.

“I have seen those. I thought they were hallucinations,” Deidre murmured.

“Did Gabe flip out when he saw the mating tattoo?” Toby asked, giggling.

“Yeah, he did,” Deidre said. “But he told me he’d give me a choice about whether or not I wanted to be with him, even though he’s obligated by those laws.”

“Awwww,” Katie’s gaze warmed. “Gabe is the reason I’m alive. He’s the best man I know, aside from Rhyn. He risked everything to save me.”

“Really?”

“He and Rhyn are like brothers. They only had each other for a long time. Then I came along what? Six months ago?” Katie glanced at Toby.

“Seven.”

“I guess. I am six months pregnant.”

“Immortal mood beast,” Toby muttered under his breath.

“Oh, and there’s no walking away from an Immortal that’s claimed you,” Katie added. “I don’t give a shit what they tell you. Especially Gabe. He means well, but there’s no way he could let you go. He’s loved you for like, a million years.”

“He doesn’t act like it,” Deidre said.

“He’s hated you that long, too,” Toby said.

“Rhyn and I tried everything to get away from each other, and Gabe put the smackdown on it all. He’ll come around soon, when he realizes you’re not the deity who fucked him over,” Katie said. “That explains why Rhyn’s been checking up on him so often lately.”

“Am I different as a … as a human?” Deidre asked.

“Very. I can tell but it takes men longer to figure out that stuff.”

“I can’t believe this is happening.” Deidre rubbed her face.

“Tell me about it.” Katie was glaring at Toby, who grinned.

Their nonverbal exchange made Deidre smile. She liked Katie and Toby. The history they related to her, however, left her wanting to cry. No wonder Gabe hated her one day and tried hard to tolerate her the next. He was stuck with her by their laws, a daily reminder of someone who used to hurt him. If he was half the man they believed him to be – and if she was half as bad as these two related to her – he’d resent her for the rest of their lives. Being Immortal, that meant pretty much forever.

She didn’t want to live with someone like Logan, who resented her for something she couldn’t control. She wasn’t going to be some sort of obligation to someone who stuck around because he had to. It left her depressed, when she wanted to be happy the last few months of her life.

The strange Immortal world was so unwelcoming. Her brain tumor never seemed like a blessing before now.

“Are you okay?” Katie asked.

“Not really,” Deidre admitted.

“We can give you an angel,” Toby relented.

“What is this angel stuff?” she demanded.

“Toby is a guardian angel. They’re assigned to human mothers,” Katie explained. “He’s the one who dragged me into this whole mess with Immortals.”

“You mean those little kids are angels? Real live angels?”

“Yes!” Toby beamed. “They’re too young to take care of humans yet, so humans have to take care of them. Death …
you
used to take care of the really old angels, and Gabe visited the little ones all the time. Rhyn is supposed to find the basement angels new homes.”