Page 59 of Destined for Shadows
Chapter 17
Cori
She drifted weightless yet heavy at the same time. Her body floated in a sea of hazy darkness broken only by a thin beam of light glowing on the horizon, telling her there was a way out. She simply couldn’t move to get there. There were no dreams in this solitary place, but neither was there fear, danger, or sadness. It was simply somewhere to rest. With each passing moment, her body grew stronger, and the pain she’d felt before steadily faded away. If only she could remember why she was here.
“Wake up, Cori,” a deep voice said, penetrating the fog.
It pulled at her like a lifeline toward the light.
“Cori.” The man dragged out her name slowly this time. He sounded familiar, but her mind was so muddled that she couldn’t think clearly or remember who he might be.
“Wake up!”
The light burst over her and she shot up in bed, knocking her head into someone hovering over her. She rubbed the sore spot. “Ow, what?”
“You were just as difficult to pull out of slumber as you were to put in it.” Bartol rubbed his temple and gave her a frustrated look. “How do you feel?”
Cori did a mental check of her body. Her shoulder didn’t hurt anymore, though when she moved her left arm, there was still some stiffness in the joint. A faint ache remained where she’d been sliced in her side, but otherwise it felt much better as well. She glanced at both wounds and couldn’t find any sign of them. The healing sleep had done its job. She suspected getting up and about would help dispel any of the lingering soreness.
“Better,” she said.
He narrowed his eyes. “Get up and walk around.”
She slid out of bed, noticing she still wore the same black camisole and underwear she’d put on before going to sleep. Bartol’s expression stayed blank. He didn’t appear to be affected by her near nakedness this time, which was a little disappointing. Cori stretched, testing her limbs. He didn’t even blink. She grabbed her robe from the bedpost closest to her and pulled it over her shoulders to cover her back and the tattoo there, leaving it open in the front. Then she strutted past Bartol to the other end of the room before returning to stop right in front of him.
“I’m okay,” she informed him with a satisfied smile. “Did anything happen while I was asleep?”
“You’re moving a little stiffly. It will take another day or two for you to be fully recuperated—which wouldn’t have been a problem if you’d allowed Micah to finish the job.”
She glared at him. “I’m fine. Now answer my question.”
Bartol worked his jaw. “Melena stopped by to visit.”
“Has she had any luck tracking down Griff?” Cori asked, unsurprised the sensor had come by to check on her.
“Nothing so far, but we’re working on it.”
Bartol was acting colder and more brusque than usual. Before he’d put her to sleep, there’d been concern and worry lurking in his golden gaze, but now she couldn’t see any emotion at all. Something had happened. Something he wasn’t telling her about. Cori wanted to know what had made him even more annoyed with her than usual, but she needed to finish waking up first. The sleep he’d put her under had been deep, and she wasn’t ready to match wits with him quite yet.
“I’m going to take a shower.” She cocked her head. “I don’t suppose you could make coffee while I’m in there?”
Bartol crossed his arms. “Do I look like a man who knows how to prepare coffee?”
“Absolutely. And if you don’t, then you should.”
“The pot will be ready when you get out.” He paused, shifting from foot to foot. “Be grateful Emily forced a coffee maker on me recently when she discovered I did not have one and made me learn how to use it. Otherwise, you would be out of luck.”
“Good for her.” Cori would have to remember to thank the teenager later.
Bartol spun on his heels and left without another word. Something was definitely up, but she’d have to wait to find out. She dug through her dresser drawers, gathering everything she needed so she wouldn’t have to return to her room in a towel. Once satisfied, she carried her bundle to the bathroom, overhearing Bartol moving in the kitchen along the way. Hopefully coffee would do him some good as well. He looked like he’d hardly slept since she last saw him. Had he been guarding her and doing patrols the entire time? When she’d asked him to watch over her, she hadn’t meant that he couldn’t rest at all.
Cori took her time in the shower, letting the hot water soothe away the last of her aches and pains. After she got out, she blow dried her hair and got dressed quickly. The scent of freshly brewed coffee had permeated into the bathroom, calling her name. After nearly two days without it, she wasn’t wasting any time getting her fix.
Bartol wasn’t in the kitchen when she entered, but he’d left a mug on the counter for her. She filled it with coffee, adding some cream and sugar for good measure. The brew soothed her when she took her first sip. For a few minutes, she stood in the kitchen and let herself enjoy it. It wasn’t until she heard movement in the living room that she finally grew curious enough to go out there. Bartol stood next to the couch, waiting for her. He hesitated for a moment when their eyes met, and then he reached down to grab something.
“Do you want to tell me about this?” he asked, lifting a portrait for her to see.
Cori lost her grip on the mug she held. It crashed onto the wooden floor, shattering into pieces and splattering coffee all over the place. She hadn’t bothered to put on shoes yet, so her feet got wet and sticky as well. Cori swayed and had to grip the kitchen doorframe to keep from falling into the mess.
