Page 79 of Destined for Dreams
“Remiel did say the treaty ties their hands in a lot of ways,” Melena said, putting away the ice cream after Cori stubbornly declined a cone. “I wish we could see a copy of the document to find out all the details.”
Lucas snorted. “They’d never share it with us.”
Emily finished the last of her ice cream cone. “Wait a minute. If Bartol is missing, that means Tormod would be too, or he’d have called us.”
“And Caius,” Melena added.
“Just a moment.” Lucas pulled out his cell phone and called someone. When that call failed, he cursed and tried another. He disappeared out of the kitchen for a few minutes while they waited for him.
“Anything?” Cori asked when the nephilim returned.
He shook his head. “Neither Bartol, Caius, or Tormod are answering their phones. In addition to that, my contact in Prague said they never checked into their hotel. He’s been waiting for them to reach out to him.”
That wasn’t good at all. The pit in Cori’s stomach tightened, and she had the urge to run to the bathroom. She probably would have if she had eaten anything that day.
“We’ve got to do something,” Emily said, hopping off her barstool.
Melena stared up at the ceiling with a look of concentration. “Remiel, if you’re listening or watching, we need you here right now.”
A full minute passed as they waited, but no archangel appeared.
Kerbasi, who’d sneakily gotten his own ice cream while they were talking and then proceeded to eat it while standing next to the kitchen counter, lowered his cone. “Has it occurred to you imbeciles that you’re currently in a circle of Melena’s blood and the archangel can’t listen in?”
“Oh, right.” The sensor shook her head. “Being able to nullify magic has its downsides.”
“I’m beginning to figure that out,” Cori said, sighing.
Melena took her arm. “Yeah, sorry about that. Let’s go outside and try summoning Remiel again.”
The others followed them out onto the front lawn. It was more than a little cold at this time of year in Fairbanks and a few degrees below zero. Everyone pulled their hats and gloves on since it could take a while to get the archangel’s attention, assuming he was listening at all.
“Remiel,” Melena called out. “Bartol and the others are missing. We need your help!”
The stars above twinkled at them, almost mockingly.
After a few minutes, Lucas stepped away from the group. “Remiel, get your feathered ass down here if you know what’s good for you.”
Nephilim had a love-hate relationship with angels. Under any other circumstances, Cori might have laughed, but she couldn’t find much of anything funny at the moment.
About thirty seconds later, a brilliant flash of light appeared on the lawn before them. Everyone shielded their eyes from it. An archangel’s appearance was always more blinding than a nephilim’s, and it took longer to adjust.
“You should be more patient,” Remiel said imperiously.
As usual, his white robes billowed about him, and his auburn hair was cut close to his head, looking like it was held stiff with strong gel. Cori had once seen him with a bit of scruff and longer hair, but that was during the period when Ariel was in Hell, and he was feeling guilty about sending her there. Since she’d relocated to Melena’s place, he’d gotten his act together again. The archangel gave a brief, forlorn glance toward the RV where Ariel was residing. She hadn’t come out or even peeked from one of the windows, despite all the noise they were making outside. Maybe she didn’t want to see or talk to him, which wouldn’t be all that surprising after what he did to her.
Melena took a step toward Remiel. “We are patient, but we never know when you’re listening—and this is an emergency.”
“The reason for your call is the same reason I could not respond right away,” the archangel replied.
“Or he was busy playing cards with his buddies and couldn’t be bothered,” Kerbasi muttered.
Remiel gave the guardian an imperious look. “Hardly. Some of us have real jobs.”
“Why you…” Kerbasi began but stopped when Emily grabbed his arm. The teenager had a way of controlling him like no one else, except maybe Melena, but even the sensor had her limits.
“Anyway,” Cori said, trying to keep her tone calm and civil. “Do you know where Bartol is now?”
The archangel shook his head. “We have searched, but he and the other two are nowhere to be found.”
