Page 84 of Destined for Dreams
Chapter 22
Bartol
Remiel deposited Bartol and Caius at a hotel in Frankfurt, Germany, promising he’d return in a couple of hours. He didn’t say what he’d be doing while he was gone or answer any of their questions. The archangel simply insisted they get cleaned up because they smelled terrible, and that they should eat something.
But it wasn’t that simple. Their team wasn’t whole anymore. Bartol was deeply worried about Tormod and what might have become of the nerou. Why had Haagenti separated them? Was it because the young man had demon blood and could be of some use? None of the possibilities he considered amounted to anything good other than the fact that Tormod was most likely still alive, somewhere. The archangels would have noted it if the nerou’s body turned up someplace. But what condition might Tormod be in once they found him, and would he be the same young man as before?
With those dark thoughts on his mind, Bartol took his time in the shower, scrubbing away the dirt, blood, and grime coating his skin. He’d lost some weight in the last week so that his muscles weren’t as defined as before, but that was no surprise. It didn’t take too long for starvation to affect a nephilim. As soon as he got out, he called room service and ordered enough food to feed an army. Bartol had nothing clean to put on and settled for wearing a hotel robe until he could muster up a change of clothes.
Caius knocked on the door right after the feast arrived, also wearing a white robe. “Wonderful. I was hoping you’d already gotten the food.”
They’d agreed to meet after cleaning up so they could eat and talk.
“We need clothes.” Bartol gestured at the other nephilim to take a seat at the table. “Any ideas that won’t require us breaking human laws?”
With their wallets and bags gone, they’d lost all the resources they had on hand. At this juncture, they could hardly return to their respective homes. The demon was escalating his attacks, and they had to find Tormod as soon as possible.
Caius sat, pulling one of the meals before him. “I’ve already taken care of that.”
“How so?”
“Luckily for us, Germany is a place where I’ve got quite a few friends. I called someone already. We should have a new set of clothes within the hour, as well as funds to spend for anything else we might need,” he replied, then took a bite of his food before continuing. “I know I’m going to need a new laptop, and we’ll both need cell phones.”
“Agreed.” Bartol worked on his meal for the next few minutes, ravenous after too many days without eating. But one thing plagued his mind. “I wonder if the demon remains in town, or if he’s moved on.”
Caius broke apart a piece of bread. “It’s possible, but if it’s been two days since his last attack, he may have left already—perhaps to London.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t come back for us before we woke.”
“There may be a reason for that.” The nephilim paused to eat a few more bites. “I talked to our contact in Prague, and apparently a lot of supernaturals went missing just before us. More than likely, we were one of many he used to fuel his powers, so it could be that we weren’t his top priority after he finished in Germany.”
Caius had certainly been busy over the last hour, while Bartol had yet to contact Cori. The thought made him feel guilty. It was just that he knew they’d be talking for quite a while, and he didn’t want to rush their conversation—not with Remiel due back anytime and the updates he’d have for them. When Bartol did finally call his mate, he wanted to give her his full attention without any potential interruptions. Cori might not love him yet, but he knew she cared enough that she’d be upset at his disappearance. Speaking with her would help bring peace to both of them. He needed to hear her voice more than anything and remind himself the world wasn’t entirely bad.
“So the demon kidnapped supernaturals in Prague, but he didn’t do anything else?” Bartol asked.
Caius shook his head. “Nothing else worth noting. He was building up his power base in Germany, though I still haven’t checked to find out what happened here yet.”
Bartol had resisted turning on the television, preferring to hear Remiel’s account. The newscasters wouldn’t have the full story, and half of what they did report would probably not be accurate. He’d found the media had a way of skewing the news in the wrong direction more often than not, especially when the supernatural were involved.
A bright flash of light lit up the room, and Remiel appeared near the door. Bartol and Caius started to get up from their seats, but the archangel waved them off.
“Continue eating,” he said, pulling out a chair at the table to join them. “I will be doing most of the talking anyway.”
Bartol gave the archangel a quizzical look. He’d never seen Remiel behave in anything other than a formal fashion before. It was quite shocking to see him sitting at their table and even eyeing their food with mild curiosity.
“Where did you go?” Bartol asked.
“First, I went to inform your mate and the others in Alaska that I found the two of you. They are relieved to hear both of you are safe and recovering, but they’re quite upset about Tormod, especially Emily.” Remiel worked his jaw, a hint of remorse there in his eyes. “That young lady has been through a lot this year, but I promised her we will not stop our search for the nerou until he is found. In addition to that, I assured Cori you would call her once you were able. She understands you need a little time to recuperate first.”
Bartol almost didn’t know what to say. “That was…very considerate of you.”
“Yes, well, you may very well change your opinion of me later in this conversation, but I did not want your mate or friends worrying any longer than necessary. They were quite insistent I track you down.” The archangel rubbed at his neck. “I’ve never seen a group of supernaturals more close-knit than the ones in Alaska.”
Neither had Bartol, but he found it interesting to see how that affected Remiel. He seemed more than a little perplexed by it. “Tell us about what happened here.”
“Unfortunately, I fell behind on current events while searching for you,” he explained. “But when I returned to Archangel Headquarters a short while ago, the others brought me up to date.”
“There’s a headquarters for archangels?” Caius lifted a brow. “I’ve never heard that before.”
