Page 96 of Destined for Dreams
“I don’t understand.”
“Consider it a Hail Mary in human terms,” Remiel said, pulling his intense gaze away from the fallen angel. “It will drain Ariel of nearly all her powers to do it, but she can cast a protection spell on you that nothing can penetrate, not even the demon, for twelve hours.”
Cori shook her head. “Why are we only hearing about this spell now? There have been so many times in the past that it could have been useful.”
Ariel clasped her hands in front of her. “It is rarely authorized, and when it is, usually only when miracles are called for on a special human.” A sad smile crossed her face. “This child of yours is a second chance for you and Bartol, and though it may be the last time I have the power to manage it, I would give it as a gift to you.”
Maybe it was Cori’s hormones, but she’d never felt more honored or humbled. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
Ariel cast a light shrug. “It will make me feel important again—for a little while.”
“Are you certain my daughter and grandchild will be safe?” Joy asked the fallen angel.
She nodded. “As long as I’m alive.”
Micah spoke up, “And I will be staying near Cori as well since I must save my energy for healing any wounded after the battle. I will watch over your daughter until it is safe.”
“Maybe I should come as well,” Joy said.
“No, mom.” Cori put an arm on her mother. “You have to stay here where it’s safe, or else I won’t be able to do this.”
Joy gave her an incredulous look. “You’re actually considering this insanity?”
“If Bartol needs me, I have to be there for him.”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t be, but this isn’t the best time,” her mother argued.
“There is more Cori can do while she’s there,” Melena said, drawing Joy’s attention. “We think her new tattoo ability could come in handy for the task force to protect them from the demon’s influence.”
Joy gestured at Kerbasi. “And what’s that one’s purpose?”
The guardian lifted his chin. “Along with Lucas and Micah, I’ve gotten special permission to go as well, so that I can protect the sensors while they are nullifying the Gregorian stones.”
“But you’ve got angel blood,” Cori argued.
“True,” he agreed. “But I have range powers that work from far enough away that the stones will not affect me.”
It made sense, though she was surprised Kerbasi volunteered for the job. “You do realize you’ll be putting yourself in the demon’s crosshairs, right?”
“It is my hope…” he hesitated, darting a glance at Melena, who nodded. “That if I do this, it might begin to make amends for the horrible things I did to your mate. If I can assist Bartol in succeeding in this battle, I am willing to risk it.”
“Even if it gets you killed.”
The guardian worked his jaw. “Even then.”
Cori would have to see it to believe it, but maybe Kerbasi was finally coming around to being a decent person after all—or at least trying. She glanced at the assembled crowd. “So when do we leave?”
“Tomorrow evening,” Melena answered. “We should arrive in London by late morning the following day.”
They were going to lose a lot of hours traveling from Alaska. As much as it made Cori nervous to go right into the current most dangerous place in the world, especially being pregnant, she couldn’t wait to see Bartol again. It had been too long, and the mate bond was calling out to her.
“There is one more thing,” Lucas said, and the others cast nervous glances at him as if they knew what he was about to say. “You can’t tell Bartol you’re pregnant until after the battle is over. Even if I were in his place, I’d recognize the importance of focusing on the mission first. Otherwise, it will be a distraction to him.”
Cori didn’t like it, but she’d considered the same thing. “I won’t.”
The tension let out in the room. Melena took a look around at everyone assembled and moved to a central spot among them. “Okay, so we have a few more things to go over, but after that everyone needs to go home and get ready. There’s a lot to do before we head out.”
“Does Bartol know I’m coming?” Cori asked.
“He’ll be informed,” Remiel replied.
Something told her he wasn’t going to be happy—even without knowing about the pregnancy—but he’d have to get over it. She’d find a way to make it up to him.
