Darkyn's Mate (#3, Rhyn Eternal) (7 page)

“Do demons have emotions?” she asked.

“They are not of your understanding,” he
replied. “The blood bond is the greatest obligation a demon can
take to another. It is not based on emotion.”

“You did it to make sure
you win a deal. That doesn’t seem …”
smart.

“Smart,” he repeated, even
though she hadn’t spoken it. Darkyn lifted his head to study her.
“How would a human who lived a fraction of one life judge
my
actions as foolish?”
He tensed.

“You’re angry. That’s an emotion I do
understand,” she said. “It scares me.”

He said nothing for a moment then lowered
his head to nuzzle her neck. His body relaxed. Deidre took it as a
sign he was passing on the subject. She did the same, unwilling to
provoke him.

“Why me, Darkyn?” she asked, distraught.
“I’m nothing like you.”

“You see the stars and the moon instead of
how dark the night is.” He quoted, trailing hot kisses along her
collarbone.

Her whole body deflated at his mocking tone.
They were the same she’d said to Gabriel on the beach, the night
they met. She’d been on the verge of dying, discussing how her
impending death forced her to decide whether she wanted to live or
mourn.

“That’s so cruel,” she whispered.

“I made a deal for
you
. No one
else.”

She considered his words
anew as she heard her own. He wanted a mate. He wanted
her
. Darkyn was like a
housecat that dragged in beheaded birds and left them in the middle
of the floor for its owner. Was the offering a compliment or a
complaint?

She was too unsettled by the past two days
to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Can demons love?” she asked.

“No,” he replied. “We have no need for such
a human emotion.”

“Not even for affection?”

“I know pleasure.”

“That’s physical. Is there no demon
equivalent for … mental pleasure? Fondness?”

“There’s no difference for demons.”

Deidre had the sense of speaking a different
language, even though she understood his words. How did they not
have emotions when she saw signs of them?

“Humans are emotional,” she said.

“It’s a weakness I exploit.”

She frowned.

“Do you really kill five people a day to
feed?” she asked, a streak of raw fear going through her. She
couldn’t fathom the amount of pain he had caused over his
lifetime.

“Sometimes more.” He nuzzled her neck again.
“Now I’ll only need you.”

She was comfortable in bed with him – yet
silently panicking as well. Deidre didn’t understand how to balance
the two sensations, the physical need that made her want to drink
more of him and beg him to make love to her again, and the
inability to believe her fate was at the side of the Dark One. She
was saving lives, yes, but she wished there was a different way to
do it.

She sought a safer topic, one that wouldn’t
leave her ready to scream.

“I found Zamon yesterday, before uh, the
incident with the other demons,” she said.

“You do not
find
Zamon. He lures you
to him.”

“Hmm,” she said, troubled. “He’s not out to
eat me, is he?”

“No. He asked me if he should be talking to
you.”

“And you said …”

“You’re the mate of the Dark One. You can do
whatever the fuck you want.”

His irritated honesty startled her enough
that she started to laugh. The sound surprised her after the
intensity of their interactions. She choked it back quickly,
appalled she was able to find humor at such a time.

“The only thing he can’t do is teach you to
deal. I alone will do that,” he added.

“You’re not afraid I’ll learn something to
break the bonds?” she asked.

Darkyn pushed her far enough to meet her
gaze.

“You’re mine. There’s no going back.”

At the reminder, she looked away, uncertain
how to handle her newest foray into the weirdness that was the
Immortal world.

“The taste of a human and the stamina of a
demon. I want to fuck you like this every night,” Darkyn said and
nipped her neck.

“You only have a week,” she retorted.

“That reminds me. Someone lost a bet,” he
said.

She shook her head, emotions stirring one
more.

“You lost the deal.” He gripped her chin and
forced her to meet his gaze. Cold and merciless, this creature was
her mate for all time. The brutal reality was that he’d
double-bound her to ensure he didn’t lose – and not because any
part of him was capable of affection. She was stuck with the
creature behind the evil in the world.

There was no going back.

“Look at me.” His tongue flicked out to
taste her tears. “Say the words.”

She drew a shaky breath. Darkyn’s face
hovered next to hers. The ancient intelligence in his gaze
terrified her, and she couldn’t escape the scent of blood and sex
that left her feeling intoxicated and wanting more of him.

“I’m yours, Darkyn,” she whispered.

The predatory smile crossed his face. She
tried to twist away from him. He held her in place.

“You got what you wanted,” she objected.
“You win!”

“Say it again.”

She stopped struggling, overcome by
feelings.

“I’m yours, Darkyn,” she said.

“You don’t yet accept it,” he observed. “You
will soon, love. You will know before the week is out where you
belong.”

She rolled away from him, not wanting to cry
in front of him but unable to prevent the tears that were starting
to form.

Darkyn left her silently. Only when he was
gone did she let herself cry.

Deidre looked over her shoulder at the
reflection in the mirror displaying the two markings on her back.
She gripped the hourglass, a symbol of her hope at leaving, even
after learning that there was no real hope.

“That was one chain of events.” Fate’s
reflection moved into her line of sight. The blond deity with
multi-hued eyes and a quick smile was dressed for a dressage event,
complete with helmet and crop.

She sighed. “I want nothing to do with you.”
She tucked the hourglass into the small pocket inside her dress at
waist level.

“Love the fangs. Super sexy.”

“I’m one of those TV vampires.”

“More like a little fruit bat.
Harmless.”

Deidre faced him, face warm. The way he said
it made it clear he was making fun of her. He was studying her. He
offered a small smile, not nearly as large as the one he’d given
her the day he gave her the advice that ended up condemning
her.

“Didn’t go the way you planned?” she
asked.

“Yes and no,” he admitted. “I manage the
destinies of billions of the living. It always pains me to see some
preferred outcomes involving the innocent.”

“You knew.”

“I always
know
.”

“Then why did you tell me what you did?”

“To ensure this preferred outcome came to
fruition. Darkyn has been spinning out of control for many years.
Now that he’s the boss down here, it’s a dangerous combination. He
needed something to take that edge off.”

“So you kept me quiet long enough for the
marking to appear.” She wanted to slap him, more because he was
making it obvious how right Darkyn was.

“I kept you quiet long
enough for the bond to
stick
. For you, it was instant. For
a creature from the time-before-time, it’s not always the case,”
Fate said. “The mating bond has to take. The blood bond has to
take. Otherwise, he can kill you.”

“That sounds like a preferred outcome to
me!” she snapped.

“Silver lining, fruit bat,” he said,
grinning. “You always find one. You will find one here in Hell. It
will become all that stands between your mate and the human world.
Trust me.”

“No way. If I’ve learned anything, it’s
never to trust a deity or an Immortal or a demon.”

“Darkyn did what Gabriel should have,” Fate
mused. “Made you face the truth before the first day was out.”

“Funny how the devil is the one who’s
deceived me the least. He taught me how to kill someone, by the
way,” she added.

“The danger with Darkyn is dealing and you,
my dear, are harmless,” he replied. “A creature that powerful has
no need to lie, until he wants to lure you to Hell. You’re already
here.”

“Was that how he became the Dark One? He
out-dealt the other Dark One?”

“Yes. It didn’t hurt he’s old enough that
he’s had time to build his power as well. When the timing was
right, he had the advantages of strength and negotiating without
the hindrance of mercy or a conscience.”

She shivered. Darkyn didn’t have compassion.
He hadn’t killed her, because of the bonds and a deal she made
without knowing how important it was. An eternity with someone who
was unable to care for her?

“If it helps, you are the only pure soul in
Hell,” Fate said, reading her expression. “If anyone can make him
less … him, it’s you.”

“Great. I have no purpose but to make
others’ lives easier. Why is any of this happening?” she asked,
throat tight. “Did I screw up somewhere along the line?”

Fate gazed at her for a moment. “Have you
ever seen the web of a black widow?”

She shook her head.

“It’s a disaster. Other spiders weave these
beautiful, symmetrical, ethereal webs whose designs have been the
inspiration for art and mythology for as long as there were
spiders,” he explained. “That is what people think of when I tell
them about the chain of events. In truth, destiny is like the web
of a black widow. Take all the webbing of a normal spider, wad it
up and tangle everything together then attach it to random points.
It’s more of a cluttered box than a web. That’s the real chain of
events. I can follow the threads, but no one else can, and there’s
always the chance that something unexpected gets caught up in them.
Sometimes it’s even a surprise to me.”

“Was I unexpected?” she asked.

“No. It’s just an example. You were one of
the first threads in this web.”

“Then you admit to lying to me to make sure
I was stuck in your web.”

“I did what I had to in order to ensure the
web never crashes down around the spider,” he said. “This is what I
do. Imagine trying to monitor zillions of these webs.”

“Who is the spider in my web?” she
demanded.

“Who says there’s a spider? Those fangs are
so sexy.” His gaze was on her mouth. “You’ll want to be careful
when you go to the human world.”

“Is that general advice or forecasting?” she
asked, frowning.

He winked.

“You are so frustrating. Like every other
deity I meet.”

She wanted to ask him more, like what
happened when her bet with Past-Death was up. It didn’t matter,
since she was bound to Darkyn, but she found herself wondering
anyway. She didn’t think she could trust anything he told her.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Fate sounded
sincere. “Now I know you’ll remain that way.”

“You said something similar two days ago,
before I became the mate of the Dark One.”

“I mean it this time.” He chuckled. “I’m
okay with you hating me, now that I know you’ll be okay. One last
tip. Three doors down on your left.”

Deidre almost cringed at the thought of
leaving the chamber after her first venture out that landed her not
only in trouble but also in Darkyn’s bed. She twisted her hair into
a bun and felt the warm energy of Fate fade with him.

When she was done, she studied her
reflection. The sultriness was present, along with the calm
steadiness of her blue gaze. She felt centered and refreshed this
morning, the newfound hunger for the blood of her mate sated for
now. She was surprised to find the idea of tasting him didn’t
repulse her, as if the intimate bond with him was natural.

She should be disgusted. Deidre shook her
head in frustration and left her room. She lingered outside her
door, waiting for someone to attack her. When no one did, she paced
three doors down and paused.

Fate had a way of setting her up. She wasn’t
so sure she wanted to know what was behind that door.

She was also tired of being afraid.

Deidre knocked. A moment later, the door
opened, and she gasped. The Immortal who posed as her only friend
and surgeon for years – who also nearly killed her – stood before
her. His dark skin was offset by brilliant turquoise eyes, his
noble carriage and cold features giving him the appearance of an
ancient prince.

“Wynn!”

He raised an eyebrow in the only sign of
surprise. His eyes settled on the fangs resting on her lower lips.
Self-conscious, she felt her face grow warm and crossed her arms.
She pressed her lip together to hide her fangs.