Page 70 of Destined for Dreams
“When I return, we will consider that option,” he said, tone gruff.
“Promise?”
He almost smiled. “If you behave yourself until then.”
She let out a light laugh. “I always behave myself, but that gives me good incentive.”
“Oh, I plan to give you plenty of more reasons to be good,” he said, voice husky. “Next time we speak, I’ll have a proposition for you—possibly involving us naked in your new kitchen.” Bartol could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth, but he couldn’t help himself. Cori was steadily bringing out another side of him, one phone call at a time.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
A loud knock sounded at his door, and Caius called out, “It’s time to leave, Bartol.”
His time was up. “I’m sorry, but I must go. The others are waiting.”
“Be careful,” she said, resigned. “And call me again when you can.”
“I will,” he promised.
They hung up. At the beginning of the trip, he’d dreaded contacting her. It was difficult to speak with the woman after she’d rejected him and then betrayed him. He’d found it painful. But with each successive call, he’d gone from having to force himself to speak with her to enjoying their conversations. In fact, without her physical presence, he found he could relax and say things that would be more difficult in person. Bartol suspected Cori found that advantageous as well, considering how much she’d been revealing to him over the phone recently. She’d said so many things he’d thought he’d never hear from her lips.
Tucking his phone in his pocket, he went over to the bed and grabbed his bag, leaving his room key behind. He opened the door to find Caius and Tormod standing in the hallway. “I’m ready.”
“Were you having phone sex?” the nerou asked, glancing down at Bartol’s tight pants.
He should have used his bag to cover up that little problem. “No.”
“I could have sworn that was what I heard when we…”
Bartol growled at him, “Don’t make me box your ears, boy. It’s none of your business.”
Caius laughed. “There was a time when he was proud of his conquests.”
“That was long ago.”
The other nephilim shook his head. “I’m glad you found a woman for yourself as I did with my mate.” Caius looked away. “Just take care to hold on to her.”
“Was it worth it?” Bartol asked, sensing the other man’s pain.
Caius had hardly brought up the loss of his mate the whole trip, but it was clear the nephilim’s grief was always simmering just below the surface.
“I wouldn’t take it back for the world.”
A wealth of meaning stood behind those words, enough for Bartol to seriously consider the implications in relation to Cori. Immortals spent much of their lives living one long, meaningless year to the next. They valued their longevity, and yet it also served as a curse because time never ended for them. Most often, they didn’t have a real reason to appreciate it.
Tormod cleared his throat. “We should get to Prague.”
The hallway was empty for the moment, giving them the best opportunity to flash away. Bartol looked at Caius. “Did you check us out?”
“I did.”
They tried to play by human rules as much as possible.
Bartol slung his bag over his shoulder. “Then let’s meet on Petrín Hill—in front of the Hunger Wall gate.” It was a place they’d met before in the old days that was easy for them both to find. “It’s still there, isn’t it?”
Bartol had discovered during his travels that a lot of the former landmarks he’d once known were destroyed during the world wars. He didn’t know what was still around after a century-long absence.
“It’s there,” Caius confirmed. “Even after all these centuries.”
