Page 56 of Destined for Dreams
“Most likely, Budapest.”
“Keep me updated.”
“I will,” he promised. “For now, take care of yourself and just do your best with the experiment. Text me with the outcome.”
“Okay. You take care, too.” She wished she could reach through the phone and touch him. “I miss you.”
Bartol cleared his throat, and his voice came out raw and barely above a whisper. “I miss you as well, Cori. More than you can possibly know.”
Before she could respond, he ended the call.
She lowered her cell phone into her lap and stared at it. That was the longest conversation they’d had since he left. He’d even admitted to things from his past and showed more emotion than she could ever remember. Did that mean he wasn’t angry at her anymore or was this demon search taking an even bigger toll on him than he let on? Cori didn’t know, but she wished she could be there. More than anything, she was beginning to realize she cared for Bartol far more than she imagined possible.
***
The next few hours passed slowly. Cori had hoped closing her shop for a week would mean more customers showed up on her first day back, but the only person who came was the delivery guy for a shipment she’d ordered weeks ago. Her only employee, Asher, came in for an hour. She finally broke down and told him some of the things that had happened to her and why they were losing business. She promised him she’d work it out, and then let him go for the day.
Asher needed money since he was getting married soon and had a baby on the way. Cori couldn’t afford to lose him in case things got better, so she gave him a check to help him get by in the meantime. Usually, he earned sixty percent of the commissions for the work he did, but in recent weeks, that hadn’t been much to live off of for him and his soon-to-be wife and their unborn child. They were getting married in two weeks, which added to the pressure. Cori would do whatever it took to help Asher since he’d been totally loyal to her throughout the craziness of recent months and had covered for her whenever she needed it. But if things didn’t look up soon, she was going to be in trouble and might have to let him go.
She was tempted to break something in frustration. Her father had always said he believed in her, which was why he’d left her enough money to start her business after he died. Now she couldn’t help feeling like she was letting him down.
The bell on the shop door jingled, and she looked up from where she sat behind the counter. Derrick walked in with four humans and Kariann in tow. Cori glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was ten minutes until four. It had been dark outside for nearly an hour, but she’d been too lost in thought to notice. Her worries over her lack of customers had distracted her even more than she realized.
“You’re early,” she said, getting off the stool.
Derrick met her in front of the counter. “I’ve got four people for you. Figured it was best to make sure you’ve got plenty of time to work on them.”
“We’re just doing small tattoos, right?” He nodded, and she went on, “Then it shouldn’t take long if the design isn’t too intricate.”
Lucas flashed into the room with a large man in tow, drawing everyone’s attention. Cori assumed he was the nerou that Melena’s husband had said he’d bring. She’d seen him in passing, but she’d never spoken to him.
“This is Ivan,” Lucas said, introducing him.
The nerou was probably the most muscular of all the ones she’d seen. He had dark hair cropped rather close on his head, sky-blue eyes, and pale skin. She knew Lucas stood at about 6’4” in height, and the guy next to him was only about two inches shorter. He reminded her of a Marine with the way he stood so still and wary, assessing the room around him like anything could appear and he had to be ready.
She moved toward the nerou and held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Ivan.”
“You’re mated,” he said, glancing down at her outstretched palm.
“Yes,” she said, trying not to be annoyed he was leaving her hand hanging. “And you’re a nerou, so what?”
He gave her a hard look. “We were told it is rare for two people to mate and that we should avoid touching anyone who is mated because it might cause jealousy between mates.”
This was a guy who took rules to the extreme.
“My mate is thousands of miles away and not returning in the near future.” She dropped her hand. “But that’s probably not bad advice.”
Even if she did think the idea was stupid. Then again, hearing about Bartol being near Sofia had made Cori consider all sorts of bad things—to include finding a way to murder the female nephilim. Melena had warned her that jealousy was a problem and especially in the early months when both mates were still adjusting to their new status. Cori had just been apart from Bartol for so much of their relationship that she hadn’t had to face the issue before.
Ivan nodded. “You are new to our world. I understand.”
He might be a big guy, but Cori was half tempted to pull the shotgun she kept behind the counter and shoot him with it. See if that took the arrogant look off his face. There was something about the nerou that set her teeth on edge, though she doubted he even realized how uptight and annoying he was being.
“We ought to get started,” Derrick said, breaking the tension.
Cori ran her gaze over the four humans—two men and two women. They were all quiet and stood unnervingly still with no emotion reflecting on their faces. “Who’s first?”
The alpha pointed at a pale red head. “That one. She’s the female who was attacked by a vampire the other day.”
