Page 18 of Destined for Dreams
The sensor coughed into her hand, smiling behind it.
The guardian was a large, hulking man who never seemed comfortable in his own body, as if it was too big for him. He claimed he could never get used to the gravity differences between Purgatory and Earth, which was why he was so clumsy and awkward. Today, he had his long, black hair pulled into a queue. It caused the low level lighting in the dining room to render his light olive complexion darker than usual and his features even harsher. Kerbasi could be a scary man to look at—if you took him seriously.
He cast his swirling silver eyes toward her. “Now that is just cruel.”
“And your point is?”
The guardian sniffed. “I do not understand why you begrudge a working man a decent meal.”
“Just consider yourself warned.”
He didn’t reply to that. Just glanced at Melena, who shook a warning finger at him. She’d been the one to do his initial rehabilitating that had made him a more tolerable person. It had been part of her punishment for breaking into Purgatory. No one had thought it would work, but after more than a year, some people believed she’d managed a miracle. Kerbasi had been showing signs of compassion over the last year that no one would have thought possible. He was still a work in progress with a long way to go in Cori’s mind, though.
She headed for the front door, reaching it just as a knock sounded against the solid wood. She pulled it open and smiled. For once, Bartol had come to her. Maybe her efforts were paying off after all.
He ran his gaze up and down her body before meeting her eyes. “You’re looking well.”
“I’m glad you came,” she said, stepping aside for him to enter. “We just started dinner if you want to go in and grab a plate.”
From the foyer, they could see into the formal dining room where the table was full of people. He glanced that way, winced at the crowd, and turned back to her. There was a note of apology in his voice as he spoke, “Actually, I came to see Lucas.”
Cori inwardly sighed. “Yeah, sure.”
“Give me a moment,” Lucas called out from the kitchen.
Melena’s husband did this strange thing where he rarely ate with the group when big meals were involved. Instead, he’d scarf down his food quickly outside everyone’s view before joining them at the table with a drink in hand. In other cases, he’d sit with them the whole time and eat later.
“I could fix you a plate if you want,” Cori offered.
She didn’t want to see Bartol go hungry, and the flare of his nose told her that the smell of the food was tempting him. Left to his own devices, his meals mostly consisted of potatoes or canned soup. It killed her that she hadn’t been able to bring him meals for the last few weeks, but the one time she’d left a container on his porch it was still there the next day, untouched and frozen solid. He probably didn’t ever bother to go through his front door in the winter since he could simply flash inside, avoiding the cold and snow altogether.
Bartol hesitated, glancing toward the dining table where Kerbasi chewed on a chicken breast, making a mess of himself. A flash of anger and bitterness entered her mate’s eyes before he covered it up and returned his attention to her. “What I’ve got to talk about with Lucas is important, but if you don’t mind bringing a plate to the den, I would appreciate it.”
“Sure. No problem.”
He leaned down and gave her a brief kiss on the forehead. “Thank you.”
It was the first time he’d ever made a gesture like that where others could see and even looked comfortable while doing it. Cori resisted the urge to touch him back, not wanting to push her luck. Bartol had a long way to go before he could handle that, and she had to be patient with him if she wanted his progress to continue.
Cori tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’ll bring your dinner over in a few minutes.”
He nodded, hesitated for a moment as if he wanted to say more, and then left for the den.
She passed Lucas along the way to the kitchen. He gave her an indiscernible look but didn’t comment on the unexpected turn of events. Cori just knew it had to do with Caius’ proposition. She wished she could listen in, but it was impossible to hear the men on the far side of the house with the boisterous conversation going on in the dining room. Instead, she did her best to concentrate on piling hot food on a plate and tried not to think about the reason Bartol had showed up tonight. Could he have changed his mind this soon about meeting Zoe? With the plan she and Melena had put together, they’d thought it would take at least a few more days, maybe a week. Cori wasn’t mentally prepared to see him go yet when they’d just started to make progress in their relationship.
Melena joined her in the kitchen a couple of minutes later, bringing her empty plate with her. The sensor could pick up on emotions, and no doubt realized Cori was upset and having doubts.
“This could be good for both of you if he goes,” she said, rinsing off her plate.
“Maybe.” Cori kept her gaze trained on the dish she was preparing for Bartol. “But I’d hoped we’d have more time. What if he gets out there and realizes I’m not worth the trouble, and he doesn’t come back?”
Melena narrowed her eyes. “You know that’s a little extreme, right? He’s mated to you, and you’ve been strengthening the bond again. Going away is only going to make him realize how much he needs you in his life.”
Cori spooned corn onto Bartol’s plate. “I know, but I’m only starting to make progress with him. It just feels wrong to let him go now.”
“Nothing is going to break you up,” the sensor said in a confident voice.
“You’re right.” Cori sighed. “I’m just worried—this could be really dangerous.”
