Page 100 of Destined for Shadows
Cori was fairly certain he’d addressed the same guy who’d carried it away earlier. The werewolf took the box, keeping his gaze averted from the archangel, and ran in the direction he’d taken the stone.
“What are you going to do with it?” Melena asked Remiel.
“Destroy it.”
Lucas glared at the archangel. “And the others Zoe may also have?”
“She is not my jurisdiction,” Remiel replied, sounding as imperious as ever. “But one of my brethren will handle it.”
Derrick crossed his arms. “How can we be sure?”
Remiel pierced the alpha with his golden gaze. “You will have to trust that we will handle it.”
“Oh, sure,” Melena groused. “Because you guys have such a great track record with Zoe so far.”
The werewolf came back a moment later with the box in his hand. Everyone tensed. It took a moment for them to relax and mumble their relief that the stone no longer affected them. It appeared the container had some sort of mystical blocking power.
“Why hasn’t anyone heard about these stones before?” Cori asked.
“They were the work of a demon that once inhabited the Earth long ago,” Remiel replied, taking the box. It disappeared from his hand a moment later. “We thought we’d destroyed them all after eradicating him.”
“Leave it to Zoe to find the few he hid,” Melena said, then lifted a brow. “Are you going to punish her for this?”
“That is not your concern. For now, try to concentrate on keeping yourself out of trouble.” Remiel gave her a pointed look and flashed away.
The sensor stared at the spot where the archangel had just disappeared. “Dammit, he never sticks around to answer all my questions.”
Bartol rounded on Cori. “Why would you reject immortality if I offered it to you? It would keep you safer.”
She was surprised by how upset he seemed. They’d grown closer over these past few weeks, but it was like he took her choice personally.
“Come on,” she said, attempting to lighten his mood. “You can’t really want me around forever, can you?”
His expression turned intense, and he took a step closer. “What if I do?”
Cori swallowed, not liking where this was heading. “This isn’t the time or the place.”
“I don’t care.” Bartol gently took hold of her arms. “Tell me why?”
She pulled away from him. “Because I’m not ready for that kind of commitment. Not after all of this.” Cori gestured toward the house and Griff’s pile of ashes. “And if you were being honest with yourself, you’d know you aren’t ready, either.”
He flinched. “That is how you feel?”
“Yes.” She hated seeing the pain she was causing him, but it would be so much worse if they tried to force anything right now. “I need time to figure out what comes next. I’ve lost my home, my truck, most of my belongings, and probably half my customers. Never mind that it only took a matter of hours for Griff to reduce me to a suicidal state. I’m not…I’m not the woman you deserve right now.”
He backed away from her like a wounded animal. “How is it that you can come after me when I am at my most vulnerable, but you are unwilling to allow me to help you after all you’ve gone through? We are mates now.”
Cori could feel everyone’s attention on them. She hated having to discuss this while so many people watched, but it also told her Bartol’s state of mind to bring it up with an audience there. She had to make her feelings clear to him even if it hurt them both.
“I didn’t ask to be your mate,” she whispered. “I’m not ready for that.”
Bartol’s expression hardened. “Then I won’t bother you anymore.”
“But that’s not…”
He flashed away before she could finish, leaving a cold chill in his wake.
Cori crumpled to the ground. It had taken everything she had to keep a brave face for this long, but she couldn’t hold herself together a moment more. By pushing him away, she’d given up the last precious thing she possessed, even if it had been the right thing to do.
