Page 43 of Destined for Dreams
Chapter 12
Bartol
Bartol, Tormod, and Caius waited near the plane as Zoe gave her daughter a tearful goodbye worthy of an award. Rebecca took it with stoic grace, simply hugging her mother and telling her she’d consider seeing her again after training. It wasn’t easy to reject a parent, but the female nerou knew her mother wasn’t a good person. Bartol respected Rebecca’s maturity and self-control that she didn’t give in to the woman’s emotional manipulations.
“This is my cell phone number,” Zoe said over the roar of the plane engines, handing a slip of paper to her daughter. “You can call me anytime.”
Rebecca tucked the paper into her pants pocket. “Thanks, but…um, try to keep in mind I’m busy with training, so I won’t have much time to call.”
“Of course, but I’m here whenever you need me.”
Bartol had seen Zoe stressed and upset before, but he’d never seen her clingy. It was an entirely different look on her. She stared at her daughter like Rebecca was a lifeline, and she might drown if the younger woman got out of her sight.
“Goodbye, mother.”
The young woman took hold of her bag and climbed aboard the plane. She looked back once, but it was only to nod at Bartol and the others. Her gaze said she wished them safe travels, knowing the next step in their journey could be dangerous. She had offered to come with them, but they’d declined. While Rebecca had impressive abilities, they weren’t the kind that would help against a demon. It was best to get her back to her training in Alaska.
Zoe clenched her fists at her sides as the plane taxied toward the runway. Bartol would have liked to leave right away, but he couldn’t go until the plane was out of sight. As long as the female nephilim could see it, there was a chance she could flash on board and grab her daughter. He had to be certain the plane went beyond her ability to reach. Aircraft weren’t easy to board while flying at high speeds, but a nephilim could manage it if they could see it visually.
There was also one other matter left unresolved.
Zoe’s eyes misted as the plane entered the sky. Not once did she acknowledge the others waiting on the tarmac, watching her. She was a mother who loved her daughter unconditionally. It was too bad that meant she’d stop at nothing to bring her little family together, no matter who she hurt. Rebecca was going to have a tough time once they were both free to move around the world in a few short months.
“Well, that’s it,” Caius said after the plane disappeared in the sky. “We’ve got important places to be.”
Zoe continued to stand there, silent and rigid.
Bartol glanced at the other two men. “Go ahead. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Caius grabbed Tormod by the arms and flashed away. They were going hundreds of miles to reach Lepel, Belarus—their next stop. The nerou hybrid wouldn’t make it that far on his own. Bartol was also grateful he had an excuse not to transport Tormod, though his partners in this journey knew he’d avoid the task anyway. He’d seen the pitying looks they gave him when they thought he wasn’t paying attention. They had no idea exactly why he didn’t like to be touched, but they had likely made their own assumptions.
Only Cori knew the full truth.
Bartol’s chest tightened at the thought of her. The longer they were apart, the more they would suffer from the distance between them. He was already feeling the pain of it, and they had only begun their long journey. His anger over her recent actions was the only thing helping him to keep going and not return to her. He needed this time to figure their relationship out.
He startled when he realized Zoe was now standing close to him.
“I can’t decide who is suffering more at the moment—you or me,” she said, studying him closely.
Bartol gave her a hard look. “You asked for a few minutes alone to talk. Say whatever it is you want to say so that I can go.”
“I know you don’t plan to fight the demon, but it has to be you.”
He stiffened. “Why?”
Zoe reached a hand out toward his arm, but he stepped away. She knitted her brows. “Many of us have been tortured by Kerbasi, but why are you the only one sensitive to touch?”
“I asked a question first.”
“Because.” She sighed in exasperation. “One of my nerou sources says the demon won’t be stopped without you, though he couldn’t ascertain the full details. He saw several different versions of the future—most of them terrible with many of our mutual acquaintances dead, including angels. The only good outcome he envisioned showed you standing over the demon’s lifeless body.”
Bartol didn’t like the sound of this at all. It fed into his deepest fear that he wouldn’t be able to walk away from this mission once the demon had been located. “How long have you known that?”
“A few weeks.”
“Why didn’t you mention this before?” he growled.
“I couldn’t reveal all my cards at once in case you tried sending my daughter away early.” She glanced at the sky where the airplane had disappeared, took in a shuddering breath, and returned her attention to him. “And I thought you might want to hear the news without your friends around.”
