"Darkyn said I was a horrible dealmaker. I think he's right. I know I should have my own conditions, but all I can think about is getting him back."
"You also know you can trust me," he reminded her. "I'm not asking for anything that'll hurt you. Losing the souls will probably piss him off, but you also know it's for the right reason."
She nodded, nibbling on her lower lip with her tiny fangs. "There are two things I want from you, Gabe," she said.
He waited. She appeared to be choosing her words carefully.
"For the first, I want to watch you take care of Harmony and to take her soul back to Hell with me."
"Easy," he agreed.
"For the second … every time there's a full moon, you have to meet me on the beach where we first met," she whispered. "An eternity is a long time. I think we need to remind each other regularly that we're still human. I felt that part of me slipping away today, and I can't … I won't lose it."
"I understand that feeling," he said in a hushed voice.
"If you can't come, send Deidre," she added. "She asked me once if we could be friends. I don't know yet for sure, but I want to give it a try."
The sweet Deidre was back. She had an edge now and a streak of confidence he didn't recall about her, but her heart remained as pure as the storm was evil.
Gabriel glanced up to make sure the black hole hadn't started moving on its own. To his astonishment, it was gone. The skies were cloudy, but this was the normal underworld grey, not the black fog of Hell.
"I really did cause it," she murmured, following his gaze.
"One of the downfalls of being a deity of human-origin: our domains respond to our emotions. A lesson I recently learned," Gabriel explained.
"Darkyn had to know that."
"Oh, he knew. You were the one person in the universe he'd give Hell to, probably because he knew you'd give it right back after you regained his soul. Am I right?"
She nodded. "I don't want Hell."
"There aren't many people who would pass up ruling the most powerful source of magic in the universe."
"I don't care about power, Gabriel. I've never wanted more than a cottage on the beach and someone to share it with me. Oh, and not to die of a brain tumor, which worked out." She cleared her throat. "Sort of."
"He trusts you."
A shy smile slid free. "I know. Don't tell Fate."
"No worries there. That man has issues."