He was more confused than she was.
She changed into pajama boxers. Stretching out on the bed, Deidre was tired but not ready to sleep yet. She stared at the ceiling. Something wasn't right here. She'd ignored the instinct at her apartment, and that ended in disaster. She didn't want that to be true of Wynn, who had helped her for years.
Deidre didn't know what to do. She paced and rolled her shoulders to free them of tension. Wynn had always taken care of her, yet she'd felt safe at the Sanctuary and safest in Gabriel's arms. She flung herself onto the bed again, restless and scared.
She'd found her way here through the shadow world. Could she find her way back to the Sanctuary? What had she done to get to the apartment? Folding her legs beneath her, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"I really, really want to feel safe. Wherever that is, that's where I want to be," she said. A stir of warm magic, and she opened her eyes, almost screaming again at the cave yawning open in front of her.
As before, one of the yellow doors glowed brighter than the others. Scared, Deidre slid on her sandals and walked into the cold, clammy shadow world. She crossed more boldly this time, terrified of seeing the doorway close behind her before she'd made it through another one.
She entered the balmy Caribbean night. Sand challenged her first couple of steps. She faced the ocean, the moon dangling low and large in the sky before her.
"You learned to use the portals." His quiet voice made her turn.
Gabriel stood a short distance away. He lowered his sword and straightened from a sparring match with Rhyn, whose pewter eyes glowed unnaturally. They regarded her with wary curiosity.
"Is that what they are?" she asked at the awkward silence.
"Yeah. They take you wherever you want to go," Rhyn answered. He pointed, and one appeared where he indicated. "Later, Gabe."
Gabriel lifted his chin in response. She watched the cave swallow Rhyn, unsettled by the idea of moving between places via the shadow world. Her gaze lingered. She didn't want to look at Gabriel, afraid of what she'd see.
He tossed the sword onto the sand and seated himself on a boulder. From the distance, she felt the bond beckoning her to him. When it was clear he wasn't going to be the first to speak, she addressed him.
"Did you kill Logan?"
"No."
"No … what?" She waited.
"I didn't kill him."
"Who did?"
"The demon that took on his form. Shape-shifting demons."