Page 101 of Destined for Dreams
Chapter 27
Bartol
He’d spent the first two hours after dawn working with his father to rid more humans of their demon hosts. It was more effective than exorcism since Bartol was actually killing the spawn and preventing it from ever returning to Earth. How Raguel was able to pull them from around the city, he had no idea, but the archangel didn’t lack for candidates to use for training. Estimates had it that Haagenti was bringing his minions into the London area by the hundreds for whatever he had planned next.
Most humans were too damaged for Bartol to save, but out of the dozen he’d ridden of their inner demons, two had survived. Caius took them to the hospital right away since both were in a coma. Raguel had promised it was simply shock, and they’d come out of it with time.
Bartol finally took a break from practice to await Cori’s arrival. She’d called from the airport, letting him know that she, Melena, and the others would be arriving soon. Remiel had allowed a surprising number of the Alaskan contingent to come to the United Kingdom for this battle, despite their usual travel restrictions. Caius’ house was about to become rather full, but at least there were plenty of bedrooms in the place.
Two SUVs pulled up to the front of the house. In the first, Lucas and Melena got out of the front with Kerbasi and Ariel coming from the backseat. Bartol stiffened at the sight of the guardian, resisting the urge to attack him. After battling demons all morning, he was still in a fighting mood.
“I am impressed by your restraint,” Raguel said, coming to stand beside him.
Bartol dragged his gaze from the guardian to his father. “He is not worth my anger.”
“Discipline such as that will help you go far.” The archangel cast a menacing look at Kerbasi, who saw it and cringed. “He is worth neither of our time.”
Caius joined them. “Not to worry. The guardian will be staying in the smallest room on the ground floor. It’s little more than a closet with only a bed and nightstand. With luck, you won’t have to see him any more than necessary.”
“Good.” Though if Bartol had his way, the former torturer would sleep in the garden in the cold.
More people began getting out of the second vehicle. Micah was first, followed by Patrick, then a woman Bartol had not met before but had been informed ahead of time that her name was Honor, and finally Cori. His heart skipped a beat at finally seeing her again.
She smiled and waved before turning to grab her bag. He hurried toward her and took it. A part of him wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss her, but he wasn’t quite ready for such a public display of affection. Actually, he wasn’t certain how he was going to handle her while she was in London. Bartol had planned to take things slow upon his return to Alaska and let things continue to build as they had through their phone conversations in recent weeks. Except with so many guests, it was expected that he would share his room with his mate. How could he explain the difficulties of such an arrangement? While he’d managed to sleep in the same bed with her not long ago, it hadn’t been easy. He’d suffered nightmares that woke her, and she’d jarred him from sleep every time she accidentally touched him.
“You should not have come,” Bartol said, repeating what he’d already told her over the phone. He was trying very hard to hide how pleased he was to see her.
It must not have worked because she shot him a saucy grin. “You’ll get over it.”
That smile was too much to resist. The woman practically glowed when she looked at him, and he found it intoxicating. Bartol leaned down and whispered in her ear. “You’ll pay for your crime, rest assured. I kept my end of the bargain, but you failed to keep yours.”
“I’d say I’m scared, but I’m really not,” she said, light breath tickling his neck.
Any doubts Bartol may have had that this woman couldn’t bring him back from the brink of berserker madness were wiped away. He wouldn’t say she was the light to his darkness since she had her own grim past, but she was the other half of his soul. Even in his weakest moments, he would always recognize that.
“Come, I’ll show you to our room.”
A throat cleared behind him. “Perhaps you could introduce me to your mate.”
“Is this…” Cori’s eyes rounded. “Is this your father?”
The archangel stood there, imperious and imposing, though he had attempted to soften his features. “I am Raguel.”
“Damn, you’re rocking some major power vibes there.” His mate blushed and covered her mouth. “Sorry, my mouth tends to run away with me sometimes.”
Raguel gave her an amused look. “You would not be the first human I’ve met with that problem.”
“She lacks a filter between her mouth and her brain, but I find it amusing—usually,” Bartol said, pulling his mate into his side. Some primal urge made him want her close, despite his aversion to touch. Cori relaxed against him, making him feel even more secure. Perhaps it was the mating bond needing them to reach out to each other.
“Your mother could be outspoken as well.” Raguel studied Cori, angling his head. “You weren’t born a sensor, but you are very nearly one now. How did such a thing occur?”
“It’s only been a couple of months.” Bartol explained how his mate had ingested Melena’s blood and what that had done to Cori. It was a rather complicated story under the best of circumstances, but the archangel took it in stride.
“I’ve never heard of such an occurrence,” Raguel replied after Bartol finished.
Melena walked up to them. “So, uh, I hate to break up the reunion, but we have a group of SAS soldiers coming in about an hour to get tattoos from Cori.”
“That soon?” Bartol asked, perplexed. Surely his mate needed more time to get settled after such a long journey.
