Page 2 of Destined for Dreams
“Where is she?” The older nephilim ran his gaze around the workshop, likely glad for the distraction from his own woes. “Surely you haven’t let her too far out of your sight this early in the relationship?”
Bartol stiffened, unable to curb his protective instincts even though he knew Caius would never hurt his mate. “She is close enough. Why don’t you tell me what you’re doing here?”
“Zoe of Chalcis sent me.”
That wasn’t good news at all. Bartol clutched the paint brush in his hand, on the verge of breaking the wooden handle. Zoe had a lot of nerve sending one of his oldest friends after what she’d done recently.
“That woman is nothing but trouble,” he growled. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay as far away from her as possible.”
Caius gave him an ironic look. “I wish that I could, but the message she has for you is too important to ignore.”
“What message?” Bartol asked. Was it another ploy to interfere in his life?
“Zoe wants to talk to you in person in Russia.”
He ground his jaw. “If she thinks I will travel that far to hear her lies, she’s a fool. I’m content to stay right here in Alaska.”
“She told me to tell you she’s not the only one who has obtained Gregorian Stones, and that someone far more dangerous than her has many more.”
“You mean the power-leeching rocks that caused me to nearly lose my mate?” Bartol cursed. “I’ve never harmed Zoe in any way, and yet it was Cori who almost died because of that foolish woman’s plans. I’m not going within a thousand miles of her if I can help it.”
“She claims she had no idea her messenger was going after a woman you had mated with and that she is sorry for what occurred. But what you saw last month was only a warning to get the attention of the supernatural community in Alaska because there is a far greater danger looming than her. Zoe is not the threat. Rather, it is someone much more powerful.”
It sounded like lies to Bartol. “I don’t care. I want no part of her and her latest scheme.”
“I would not be here if I thought she was lying.” Caius rubbed his smooth head. “There is truth to what she says.” His voice came out weary, as if he knew far more than he was saying.
“Such as…”
The older nephilim’s jaw hardened. “Just before I received a letter from Zoe asking me to come speak to her, the mystics in Athens were portending doom for us all. When I questioned them about it, they claimed some sort of demonic energy was on the rise.”
“We have mystics here, and they’ve claimed no such thing,” Bartol argued.
Caius frowned. “Perhaps they’re too far away to sense it yet.”
“The mystics in Athens have always been overly dramatic. If demons are rising, the angels—or at least the sensors in the region—would know. They would say something.”
“Would they?” Caius spoke with venom in his voice. “The sensors in Europe have been in hiding for centuries since the Supernatural War. They know many of us would kill them if they dared show their faces. Only a few have come out of hiding, and they use human hunters to do their dirty work.”
Bartol had a feeling there was more to what Caius was saying, but he would not push the point for now. A sensor had the ability to detect any supernaturals, including demons, within a half-mile radius from them. They could also pick up magical spells and signatures at closer ranges. And while most of their kind were mortal and easily killed, they were immune to all forms of magic and could even nullify spells and curses, which made them formidable adversaries.
It was easy to forget how different things were in Europe since some of the sensors in America were actually working with supernaturals these days and others were coming out of the woodwork all the time—for better or worse. Cori’s closest friend, Melena, was a sensor, but she wanted peace among the races, not trouble. She was also mated to a powerful nephilim, which gave her a certain amount of standing within the community.
Still, tensions ran high whenever the topic of the rare race came up. In the Supernatural War near the time of The Inquisition, sensors joined forces with the angels to rid the Earth of as many vampires, werewolves, witches, nephilim, and other “offending” races as possible. It was a terrible time of cleansing. No one had an official body count after it ended decades later, but some estimated more than ten thousand supernaturals died and much of the sensor population as well due to retaliation against them. The angels finally backed off and only stepped in if the trouble involved a nephilim. Bartol and his kind were subjected to higher standards because of the angelic blood running through their veins. They weren’t supposed to abuse their powers, but many of his kind did.
“If you truly believe there is a demon behind this,” Bartol began, meeting his friend’s gaze, “then you should know better than to ask me. I cannot risk coming into contact with one ever again.” At least, not a full-blooded one.
“You’d be the best man for this job, and you know it,” Caius said with a pointed look.
Bartol stiffened. “Did you tell Zoe about what happened...before?”
“Of course not!” The nephilim appeared offended. “I swore I’d never tell anyone, and in all these centuries I’ve kept that promise, but you know I’m right. If this demon turns out to be powerful…”
Bartol took a step closer. “Do noteven say it. I suggest you contact Lucas and Melena. They would be better equipped to handle this sort of thing and might even care enough to want to step in.”
Caius shook his head. “It won’t work.”
“Why?”
