Page 29 of Destined for Dreams
Chapter 9
Cori
Tomorrow, she’d be preparing the biggest meal of her life. It seemed like every time Cori turned around, someone informed her of more people planning to show up for Thanksgiving dinner. She was scrambling to make sure she had all the food and ingredients she needed beforehand, and she’d baked several pies that morning to get a head start. No way could she do it all in one day even with Emily’s help.
The teenager pulled a pecan pie out of the oven, pausing to inhale deeply. “I don’t suppose we could eat this one early?”
“No.” Cori wagged a finger at her. “And if I catch so much as a slice gone, it’s on your head.”
Emily set the pie on the counter with a sigh, then turned and put her hands on her hips. “What if Kerbasi sneaks in here? I’m not strong enough to stop him.”
Cori smiled. “That’s why you’re on guard duty tonight. You’ll have a Taser, so if he causes any trouble—zap him.”
Emily let out a huff of air, teenage rebellion in her blue eyes. “I don’t want to hurt him. He screamed and wailed like a baby last time, and I had to console him for fifteen minutes to calm him down.”
The teenager had no idea he did that solely for his own benefit. Kerbasi didn’t get love or positive attention from anyone else, so he took advantage of the fact Emily cared about him and felt sorry for him. He could handle more pain than he let on, as they’d seen a few times when Lucas laid into him. The guardian just didn’t like it very much since he was used to being the one who hurt people before coming to Earth.
“Melena said you could have your friends spend the night if that would make it easier.” Cori paused, considering. “And you can have one pie among yourselves if you promise to guard the rest with your lives.”
The teenager chewed her lip before responding, “Yeah, okay. I can work with that.”
“Good.”
Cori’s cell phone buzzed. An unknown number came up on the screen, but she was almost positive she knew who was calling. “Hello.”
“I’ve arrived in Russia,” Bartol said.
Even after not seeing each other for almost two days, he was still a little stiff with her. She hadn’t even been allowed to see him off at the airport. Lucas had been apologetic, but he hadn’t let her past the security fence no matter how much she argued with him. Bartol’s wishes had to be respected.
“Did…did everything go okay? No problems with the plane or getting into the country?” She was trying very hard to choose her words carefully and not sound like a weak, pestering woman.
“The flight went well.” Bartol paused, letting the silence stretch between them. “We had to stop a couple of times to refuel and deal with customs, but Lucas already had the paperwork settled with the officials. They didn’t give us any trouble.”
He stated everything as facts without much warmth behind his words. Cori paced the kitchen, wishing she could get some kind of emotional reaction out of him. It was hard enough to be far apart at a time when their relationship was at its weakest, but worse when it sounded like it tortured him to talk to her. She couldn’t fix their problems if they didn’t communicate.
“What about Zoe? How’s it going with her?” Cori asked, hoping that was a safe topic.
“As well as expected. She wants more time with her daughter, but we insisted on the two-day limit. As of yet, all we have gotten from her is a tour of the compound, and she showed us to our sleeping quarters. We’ll talk to her further tomorrow.”
Cori imagined Bartol alone in a bedroom and wondered what he was wearing. “What’s it like?”
“Cold,” he said, annoyed. “The beds are small, and the rooms have little heat.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It could be worse.” He paused. “Is Lucas helping you with your problem at the shop?”
A slight weight lifted from Cori’s shoulders. At least he was taking some interest in her or else he wouldn’t ask. There’d even been a hint of concern in his voice.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “He’s meeting me at noon and taking me to Derrick’s to talk to him about what we can do.”
“Good. That alpha better help, or I’ll strangle him.”
Cori almost laughed. How could Bartol threatening another man’s life for her sake actually sound endearing? She was getting so screwed up in the head.
“I miss you,” she blurted, then winced. Too soon, it was too soon for those kinds of confessions.
For three long seconds, he said nothing. “I’ve got to go. It’s getting late here and I haven’t eaten yet, but I will try to call again soon.”
