Gabriel's Hope (#1, Rhyn Eternal) (9 page)

“How many of my dealers made it here?” he asked after a moment.

“Five. I dragged them out here as soon as we found this.” Rhyn lifted his chin to the far side of the lake. “Want me to drain the lake?”

“Not yet. I have no way of getting them back to the underworld,” Gabe said.

Rhyn met his gaze, surprised.

“C’mere, Harmony,” Gabe said, using his magic to project the quiet order across the lake.

“I never thought I’d be the one to say this, but I think you have real issues, Gabe,” Rhyn said.

Gabe nodded, forced to admit he no longer had any idea how to fix whatever was broken in Death’s domain. Harmony appeared beside him.

“We’re shut out of the underworld,” he started. “How many made it up?”

“Forty three, five here, thirty eight spread among the Sanctuaries,” she answered promptly.

“Can you sense them?” He indicated the souls.

“Within a short distance. We sensed them from the castle but not much farther.”

“About five kilometers,” Gabe judged. “It’s something. Spread everyone out and have them start searching. We need to locate how many lakes are now possessed.”

Rhyn chuckled. Harmony didn’t get the joke. Gabriel wasn’t surprised.

“And then what?” she asked.

“For now, our mission is to protect the lost souls from the demons.”

“Very well.”

Gabe turned towards Rhyn, in sore need of a pep talk as only his best friend could provide.

“Gabriel,” Harmony’s voice was hesitant.

He looked at her once more. She considered for a moment then shook her head.

“Later,” she said. “I’ll catch up with you.”

“You’re doing good, Harmony,” he said, sensing her concern.

She smiled politely then opened a portal.

“Even I know what that was, Gabe,” Rhyn said, amused.

Gabriel suspected he did, too. A status check on their relationship, the one he hadn’t told her he couldn’t have, because he was trapped into mating with a formerly sadistic psychopath-turned-human he was trying hard not to kill. If he slipped and broke that rule, he didn’t have to break it off with Harmony. He hadn’t made up his mind about either woman yet.

“I have a bet with Katie,” Rhyn started. “She thinks you blew up the gym because Deidre is your mate by Immortal law. I said it’s because you slept with her.”

Gabe grimaced. “You’re both right.”

“That is not good, Gabe,” Rhyn said with a shake of his head. “You realize that means you can’t kill the bitch who tortured you for all those years?”

Immortal Code, Rule 10 & 11: An Immortal must regard the protection of its mate above its own safety. It cannot purposely kill its mate.

“I …no. Son of a bitch.” He was quiet for a moment, broiling internally. “None of my dealers can either, if I can’t be directly involved in her death.”

“Did you read the file?”

Gabe gave him a cold look.

“You couldn’t get past the pictures, could you?” Rhyn asked. “I didn’t think so. If I saw Katie with another man, there would be nothing left of this world.”

“I spent thousands of years and broke the Code twice. The past few months, I’ve come close to breaking it hundreds of times to keep the underworld from shutting down. Now, I
know
what I should do by Immortal law. I saw the mark with my own eyes. I knew what it meant. And I walked away. I didn’t even try. I have an obligation, Rhyn. To the lost souls, to the underworld, to a woman I want to hate,” Gabe finished. “I’m failing every one of them.”

“I did a shit ton of damage trying not to be Katie’s mate. She wouldn’t have survived, if not for you, Gabe. From the beginning, you were willing to do what I couldn’t,” Rhyn said. “You didn’t fail me. You won’t fail the underworld or
her
.”

Gabe listened. He’d watched over Katie every night for months while she and Rhyn struggled to find their paths. He’d helped build the bridge between the two who were sworn together as mates after they barely learned each others’ names. He’d talked Rhyn off the ledge a million times then defied past-Death to protect Katie. He’d done it for the people he cared about as much as out of his sense of honor. He did what was right. He always did, no matter what the personal cost.

“What is wrong with me?” he muttered, furious at himself. Somewhere along the past few months, he lost his way. He didn’t even know what the right thing to do was anymore. He’d caught himself creeping closer and closer to breaking Immortal Codes.

“She’s human now. She can’t do to you what she used to,” Rhyn said at the silence. “I mean, the deity we knew would never dye her hair the color of a water sprite’s.”

Or paint her face blue,
Gabriel added.

“She’s yours by Immortal law, which means you’re fucked. I know that much. I can’t help you much with any of these things.” Rhyn motioned to the souls. “I figured you’d freak out. I’ve got Immortals keeping an eye on her. The demons want her bad, but they’re waiting for something.”

“The demons are stealing my souls, too. I can’t figure out how they’re beating us.”

“Their activity is off the charts. It’s my responsibility to monitor and deter them in the mortal world,” Rhyn said. “I’m as fucked as you. The Council is a mess. My dear half-brother Erik went into hiding and hasn’t been seen in weeks, leaving his part of the world completely exposed. We’re still trying to recover from the demon raids last fall. We lost so many Immortals, Gabe. I destroy shit. That’s what I do. But even I can’t keep up with the demons. I’m the only one who can track them, and only when I’m close enough to kill them.”

“We’ve both got issues,” Gabriel said.

“Kiki keeps telling me Andre would’ve figured this out by now,” Rhyn continued. “You know how fucking annoying that is?”

“Oh, yeah,” Gabe smiled. “I get that a lot, too.”

“I know one thing for sure: the Immortal mood beast that is my mate is the only reason I’m making it through this. Pick your battles, Gabe. You won’t win this one, so give up now.”

Gabe sensed Rhyn’s words came from an enormous amount of thought. The Immortal had the temper of a demon, the power of a deity and the self control of a child. His bond to Katie tempered what was otherwise a disaster of epic proportions. That he’d grown a little more thoughtful and a little less reactive in how he handled adversity impressed Gabe.

It didn’t mean Gabriel was ready to swallow the reality of being bound to the woman who tortured him. Not yet.

“She’s human, Gabe.”

“I get that,” Gabriel snapped.

“This must be what it’s like when Kiki’s trying to school me,” Rhyn said with a laugh. “No, you don’t get it. You’re not hearing me. She’s
helpless
, like Katie was.”

“You’re calling me a piece of shit for walking away, aren’t you?”

“I’m saying, learn from the shit I went through and go get your mate. Dump her off here, if you don’t want to deal with her, then get your ass down to the underworld and fix that shit. You’re Death. The only person who can do it.”

Everything Rhyn said was right. By Immortal Code, Gabriel was obligated to protect Deidre. He didn’t have to love her or live with her or even talk to her. Past-Deidre controlled his life. Now that she was gone, she only ruled his life if he allowed her. He didn’t know how to shake off that yoke or his anger.

His thoughts went to the door in the corner of past-Death’s bedroom in the underworld. Would walking through it prevent more issues and fix those he had? Would it help him figure out how to deal with Deidre? What about Fate, who’d been hounding him for weeks? Would the deity shed light on what Gabriel was doing wrong?

“Alright,” he muttered. “There’s something I should’ve done awhile ago. I need to go do it now.”

“Go.”

“If the death-dealers give you any issues, talk to Harmony,” Gabriel advised. “This might take me a little while.”

“I already had a discussion with one of them,” Rhyn said. “They understand.”

Gabe snorted, knowing his assassins were unaccustomed to being challenged by anyone. If they backed down, it was because Rhyn did much more than talk.

He called a portal and walked into the center. The gateway closed behind him.

“You win, Fate. I’m coming to see you,” he grated. Turning in a full circle, Gabe waited for a sign the deity still sought him. It took two full revolutions before he saw it, a mortal gateway that pulsed brighter than the others, beckoning him. Uncertain what to expect, Gabe went through it.

Someone was waiting for him at the Sanctuary, seated on the beach. Gabe’s step slowed as he neared the man dressed in a white shirt held closed by two buttons and cream linen pants rolled to his knees, as if he’d been walking in the ocean. He wore no shoes and sat with his arms draped over his knees. His body was wiry and lean, his skin golden from sun. His eyes were white then black then changed from every color in between, his brown hair of medium length and wavy, ruffled by the sea breeze. He was stunning, ageless, as the goddess of the underworld had been, except this deity’s smile was genuine.

“I knew you’d come,” Fate said.

Gabe studied the deity gazing up at him. He wasn’t expecting Fate to crack a joke. Past-Death and Fate had been at each other’s throats for as long as Gabe could remember. He’d never met the enigmatic deity, but he’d heard past-Death go off about this man after every interaction.

“You didn’t find that funny.”

“I did,” Gabe said, allowing a trace of a smile to slip free. “I don’t know why I’m here.”

“Because you’re single-handedly destroying the universe. No pressure.” Fate patted the sand beside him.

Gabe lowered himself into a crouch a few feet away, recalling the last time he’d been on a beach. He wanted more of the woman he’d sat with yet guessed he’d kill her if he was allowed. Or make love to her again. Or both.

“I’m doing something wrong, aren’t I?” Gabe said.

“I’d say so. You’ve been fighting me since you took over.”

“Not on purpose.”

“That’s what they all say,” Fate replied. “Sometimes, you need to acknowledge the path at your feet and just go with it.”

“Fucking deities speaking in riddles,” Gabe muttered.

“Maybe it’s easier than you’re making it out to be.”

“Or maybe you all should consider making instruction manuals before dumping your duties and walking away.”

“You don’t need an instruction manual. The Code is flexible for us godlings,” Fate said, chuckling. “She was better than me at fucking people over. I warned her about crossing the line. It’s one thing to see the Future; it’s another entirely to try to change it. You fuck with the Future, you fuck with me.”

“I want to do my job. I don’t want to fuck with you or any of the others,” Gabe said firmly.

Fate studied him for a long moment. “Every chain of events starts with one push, a catalyst, the perfect mix of different elements that craft a path and make an outcome more likely. For example, when you ignored my first summons” - Fate glared at him - “you made the deterioration of the underworld eighty percent likelier. When you ignored my second summons, you forced me to make a choice and start off a new chain of events.”

“What choice was that?” Gabe asked, genuinely interested.

“To intervene or not. That eighty percent went to ninety nine. You forced my hand. The alternative was irreparable and too permanent for my taste. I sort of like the mortal world existing.”

Coldness trickled through Gabriel. He knew he wasn’t performing well in his new role, but to hear Fate tell him he was on a crash course with catastrophe made him sick to his stomach.

“I’m listening,” Gabe said. “Tell me whatever it is I’m screwing up, so I can fix it.”

“I did tell you. Stop fighting me.” Fate grinned. “Stop overlooking the resources you have at your disposal. For example, there’s a room in your palace in the underworld where you’ve refused to go. You know what’s there. You know why you haven’t wanted to visit.”

Gabe looked away. “I don’t know exactly what’s there.”

“You know when you cross that threshold, there’s no going back. It’s a one way visit, and that is what you fear most, the possibility you turn into what you hate.”

“Yeah,” Gabe said quietly. “That’s it, then. All these issues because I didn’t open one door?”

Fate shrugged. “It’s one of your issues. You’ll have to figure out the rest, first. You had access to that door and didn’t walk through it. Now, you get to earn your way back to that choice. Right now, I can’t trust you to set up what I’d call
healthy
chain of events.”

“Clean up my messes in the mortal world then you’ll let me go home,” Gabe summarized.

“Correct. Easy, isn’t it?”

Fate narrowed down his challenges to those he was able to handle. But only because he fucked it up so bad, there was no other choice. The emeralds in the mortal lakes, the uncollected souls, the broken radars, the demons stealing souls. His challenges on the mortal realm alone were overwhelming.

“Will I know when I’m on track?” Gabe asked.

“It will be so obvious, even you will see it. You now have a thirty five percent chance of succeeding. Isn’t that better than one percent? No need to thank me. Just doing my job.”

Gabe smiled. He should’ve known he’d end up liking someone past-Death hated. The deity managing the Future was wise in the way of an ancient immortal that had seen everything since the time-before-time, yet laid back and friendly, two traits Gabe didn’t expect.

“Why did my predecessor hate you so much?” he asked.

“Because I had the power to tell her no, and I did it often,” Fate replied.

“That sounds about right,” Gabe said, recalling how much she liked to be in control. “Why are you helping me?”

Fate winked. “I like having the last laugh.”

“Deidre.”

“Past-Deidre made a wager with me. I agreed and of course, yanked her Sight so she couldn’t cheat. She lost,” Fate said. “I’ve been sitting here all day, waiting for you and debating what I’ll say when I see her again.”

“What was the bet?” Gabe asked, amused to know the woman who fucked with him had herself been fucked with by the man beside him.

“Ask me again when you decide to follow the path at your feet,” Fate said. “Assuming you make it that far.”