Page 19 of Destined for Dreams
Melena squeezed her shoulder. “It will be fine. If he takes the job, he should be there and back in a few days. Zoe wouldn’t hurt him, but even if she did, she can’t kill him.”
The female nephilim in question was more than thirty-two hundred years old. She was very strong, vindictive, and borderline insane. Cori didn’t trust her. Sure, nephilim couldn’t kill each other, but for all they knew, Zoe was in league with the demon. If a creature from Hell was strong enough, they could take a nephilim down. This one sounded like it might fit that description.
“I still wish someone else could go,” Cori said, feeling like a sappy fool.
This wasn’t like her at all, but she’d had an amazing night with Bartol and couldn’t get it out of her head. Making love with him and then falling asleep next to each other had been amazing. He’d even held her for a while before pulling away to his side of the bed. And in the morning, they’d had a nice breakfast together. For the first time, they’d felt like a real couple.
Cori finished filling the plate and set it on a tray, adding a napkin, a glass of water, and silverware. She might not control much at the moment, but she could ensure her mate had a decent meal.
“If it’s any consolation, I’ll be with you every step of the way,” Melena said, walking with her toward the den. “Whatever happens—you won’t be alone.”
Cori gripped the tray. “Thanks.”
They passed through the formal living room and into the back of the house where they found the two male nephilim in deep discussion. The furniture in the den was cozy and comfortable, decorated in earth tones of brown, beige, and green. There was a huge television on the wall, hooked to a surround sound stereo system. More often than not, this was where the occupants of the house ended up at night after work or school. When Bartol had first come back from Purgatory, he’d stayed in Lucas’ office next door. They’d rarely seen him come out except to eat his meals in front of the television. The den was one of the few places outside his own cabin where he seemed marginally relaxed.
“I will need to speak with Caius before we discuss this any further,” Bartol said.
Lucas pulled his cell phone from his pocket, unlocked the screen, and scrolled through his contact list. “I’ll call him now.”
A moment later, Caius answered on the other end of the line, voice clear to all those with heightened hearing. It wasn’t ten seconds after Lucas explained the situation and invited him over that Melena announced the nephilim had arrived on the front lawn. She left to answer the door.
“That was quick,” Cori noted.
Bartol looked at her, gaze dipping toward the tray she held. He took it and set it on a side table against the wall. “Thank you. I’ll eat this later.”
“Are you considering going to Russia?” she asked, unable to wait for an answer any longer.
He lifted a brow. “How do you know about that?”
Part of Cori and Melena’s plan was that she’d be the only one who didn’t bring up Caius or Zoe—at least, not unless the situation dragged out. It might have set Bartol off if he discovered the nephilim had visited her at her shop. Caius had mentioned that even saying Cori’s name seemed to cause problems.
For a man who’d done his best to avoid her until recently, Bartol sure was protective of her. Though to his credit, he still wasn’t as bad as her first husband, who’d hit any man who so much as looked at Cori the wrong way, and then he’d beat her for good measure once they got home. Bartol wasn’t like that at all, but it was good to know he wasn’t totally impervious to jealousy, either.
She nodded. “Melena and I talked about it.”
That much was true.
“Did you know last night?” he asked, gaze turning suspicious.
She shifted on her feet, fearing he wouldn’t like the answer, but she couldn’t outright lie to him. There were already enough secrets between them. “Yeah, I knew, but I figured if you wanted to talk about it then, you’d be the one to bring it up.”
Some of the tension left his face. “That is true.”
Melena led Caius toward them. With two other large nephilim in the den, adding a third practically sucked all the oxygen out of the room. Cori still couldn’t get over how different it felt to be around powerful immortals now that she’d become something not quite human. How could she have been oblivious to their strong static charge before?
“What else can I say to convince you?” Caius asked, posture open and ready for negotiation.
Bartol frowned in the general direction of the dining room where most of the guests were still eating, then gestured toward a door a few feet away. “Why don’t we take this into the office where we’ll have more privacy?”
Lucas nodded. “Of course.”
He and Caius went first with Bartol stopping in the doorway to turn toward Cori. “You may not like what you’re about to hear, but I need you to support me on this.”
She and Melena were practically at the door, ready to follow the men inside.
“I can handle it,” Cori said, steeling her resolve.
He hesitated before waving her inside. “That is what I’m hoping.”
