Page 110 of Destined for Dreams
Chapter 29
Cori
Cori and Ariel sat huddled in the downstairs bathroom where they’d been taking shelter. For the last hour, it had been uproariously loud, and they’d worried the house wouldn’t survive the onslaught. When it was clear the assault wouldn’t stop anytime soon, the former angel had insisted on them going to the innermost room of the house just to be safe.
First, the locusts had arrived, filling the air and blocking the sun’s rays. The buzzing of the swarms as they passed was enough to fill anyone with dread and visions of death by hungry bugs. Piercing screams rose up from outside as not everyone got to safety fast enough. Cori and Ariel had rushed around checking all the windows and doors to make sure everything was closed and locked. Meanwhile, Micah went out to save people caught in the maelstrom at Cori’s request. He hadn’t been happy about leaving her side, but he’d done as she asked.
Then about twenty minutes ago, firebombs shot down from the sky. They’d struck the streets and buildings at random, splintering the ground with every impact. Cori had been certain the apocalypse was upon them, but then everything had turned quiet just a few minutes before.
She slowly got up from her crouching position. “Think it’s over?”
Ariel frowned in concentration. “I believe so.”
Her powers were too far drained from the protection spell on Cori for her to use her prescient abilities, but she seemed confident enough. They opened the downstairs bathroom door and peeked out. To their relief, there didn’t appear to be any damage to the house. They hurried to the front window next and pulled back the curtain. Dead locusts covered the ground. Down the street, they noted a huge crater in the road. None of the homes near them appeared to be damaged, but a couple of places down the block had been demolished.
Micah came up the sidewalk, clothing singed and hanging in tatters. Had he done something to stop the firebombs from penetrating close to them? Cori hadn’t meant for him to do anything that could actually get him hurt when she sent him outside.
As he came into the house, she raced up to him. “Are you okay?”
He ran a hand through his ragged hair. “I’ve been better.”
“Did you stop some of the fireballs?” she asked, knitting her brows.
“There was a family with a child just getting out of their car when the attack started.” He sighed. “I couldn’t let them get struck.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s no need to thank me for doing what is right.” He gave her an amused look. “I will go change now,” he said, and flashed away.
Cori went back to the window, staring at the damage in disbelief. They’d all known the demon would do something major, but this was well beyond anything she’d imagined. Trees, bushes, and flowers were all stripped of their foliage. Dead locusts littered the ground at least ankle deep by her estimates. And who knew how many homes and businesses had been destroyed in the firebombs? If Bartol and his father didn’t kill the demon already, there would be no stopping him now. This kind of disaster had to provide plenty of fuel for the evil man’s power.
Her cell phone rang. “Hello?”
“Bartol stopped the demon, but you’ve got to get over here now!” Melena said urgently.
“I’ll grab Micah and be there as soon as possible,” Cori promised, hanging up.
Lucas’ brother appeared downstairs a moment later in a clean sweatshirt and pair of jeans. “Lucas just informed me...”
“I know,” she interrupted. “Give me a second.”
Cori turned around and took a deep breath, concentrating on lowering the walls that prevented magic from affecting her. “I’m ready.”
Micah grasped her shoulders, only moving as close to her as necessary for transport. She braced herself. The next thing she knew a vortex of colors flew past her at lightning speed. It went on for several seconds before they came to a sudden stop. The world spun, and the ground shifted beneath her feet. Cori had thought she’d gotten past the flashing sickness, but it was back with a vengeance now that she was pregnant. Bile rose in her throat, and she fell to her knees to throw up on the ground. The sight of locusts beneath her hands did not make matters any better, making her wretch even more. Time was of the essence, she knew, but she had no choice except to wait until the nausea passed.
Across the street, she caught sight of a broken fence and dead bodies littering the ground. A warehouse just beyond that had several large holes in it, and buildings all along the block were either demolished or still burning by what she assumed were the firebombs striking earlier. Almost no one was in sight except a few supernaturals standing at the perimeter. Cori took all this in while breathing the smoky air and attempting to regain her strength. When she finally recovered, Micah helped her stand up and guided her down the sidewalk.
He pointed. “Your mate is over there.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she got a better view of the damaged warehouse and the people standing in front of it. Caius, Remiel, Lucas, and Raguel were all working together to hold Bartol on the ground, but they were all getting thrown back as fast as they could pin her mate to the concrete. Every one of them looked like they were on their last leg. Horrible wounds covered them with the two archangels faring the worst damage. She cringed at the sight of Remiel’s damaged wings that appeared to have been nearly burned off. How many of the injuries came from battling the demon, and how many from Bartol?
Cori raced across the street, jumping over the downed fence. She got close just as Bartol sent Remiel flying a dozen feet past her. Raguel and Caius doubled down, putting all their weight on her mate. They managed to hold him for a few seconds, but then he punched both his fists out and sent them sailing. Cori stopped a few paces away, eyes widening as Bartol rose to his feet. His golden eyes were bright with madness, and he stared at her like she was a stranger.
“Bartol, it’s me,” she said.
He bared his teeth at her. “Stay away!”
His voice didn’t sound remotely human. Cori had to fight the urge to take a step back, or better yet, run like hell. There was nothing of her mate in those crazed amber eyes at that moment.
