Page 55 of Destined for Dreams
“It does to me.”
“We were friends for a long time, and then we became lovers.” He paused, and she could hear his footsteps pacing across a wood floor. “Sofia wanted more than I could give her, so I broke things off. We didn’t see each other again until a couple of days ago.”
Cori took in everything he told her, feeling both jealousy and frustration. She wished she could see his face. Hell, she wished she could be in Bucharest at that very moment. “Is that what you’re doing to me? Pushing me away?”
“It’s not the same thing at all,” he said, disgruntled. “You’re my mate.”
“You still went through the effort to see if our bond could be broken.”
He let out a sound of annoyance. “That was for your benefit.”
“I don’t want it to be broken,” she admitted.
“Neither do I.”
Cori closed her eyes, relieved to hear that. “Whatever it takes to earn your trust and make this work—I’ll do it.”
“We’ll discuss that when I return. For now, I need to focus on what I’m doing here.”
“What about Sofia?” She cleared her throat. “Does she still mean anything to you?”
“She knows I’m mated and have no interest in her.”
Cori hated sounding like a jealous woman, but she couldn’t help it. “She hasn’t tried anything with you?”
“No, I assure you she has not.” Bartol was being patient with her, but his tone was beginning to take an edge. “Sofia already has a lover. She also understands lives are at stake, and we must focus on more important matters.”
Cori could take a hint. She had to let the subject drop for now and be grateful he’d at least opened up more this time around. He could have chosen not to mention Sofia at all, and she would never have known about the woman. Instead, Cori had gotten one more nugget into his past, and it made her feel better that he’d come forward with it rather than her finding out some other way later.
“Any idea where the demon went next, or where he is now?” she asked.
“This city was the last confirmed stop.” Bartol paused, and she heard the squeak of a mattress. Had he just sat on a bed while talking to her? “The other clues we’ve gotten on where the demon might have gone aren’t confirmed, so we’ll have to check all the possibilities one by one.”
Cori dropped her head. “This is going to take even longer than you expected, isn’t it?”
“It appears that way.”
She stared at the shop counter morosely. “I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”
“I made my own choice.”
“Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I will.” Bartol was silent for a moment. “Today is the day you’ll test your new tattoo abilities, isn’t it?”
Cori sat up straighter, having nearly forgotten while talking to him. “Yeah. Derrick will be here in a few hours after it gets dark.”
His voice softened. “You will do fine—I’m certain of it.”
“I hope so.” She sighed. “But this is all new to me, so I have no idea if I can pull it off.”
“I’d be there if I could,” he said.
Cori took a deep breath, fighting the emotions swirling through her chest. “Thanks. You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”
“I’ll call again soon.” He made a shuffling sound. Blankets, maybe? “I must get some rest for now. Tomorrow will be another long day.”
“Do you have any idea where you’ll go next?” she asked.
