Page 9 of Destined for Shadows
“Sorry about the welcome committee,” she said, giving Cori an apologetic look. “No matter how many times I threaten to chop parts of Kerbasi off, he still has to bother our guests. And Sable, well, you know she does her own thing.”
“It’s okay,” Cori said, following Melena inside. “I’d be worried if I ever made it to your front door without any sort of reception.”
Melena laughed. “Emily says we’ve become a supernatural halfway house.”
“That sounds about right.”
They passed through the foyer where a central staircase was located, crossed the formal dining room, and entered the kitchen where everyone tended to hang out and talk. Melena offered her coffee, which she gratefully took. There was usually a hot pot ready to go in the early evenings since everyone who lived in the house was either immortal or something “extra.” Caffeine didn’t keep them up at night the way it did most people.
After they had settled on barstools across from each other, Melena gave Cori a concerned look. “Something is bothering you, and I suspect it has nothing to do with Kerbasi.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Not this time.”
“Tell me.”
Melena was a sensor. Until last year, Cori hadn’t known such a race existed. Sensors were able to detect the emotions of others, tell truth from lies, and they were immune to magic. Normally, they were mortal and able to get sick and die just like humans, but Melena had fallen in love with a nephilim. Through a long and arduous process that took over a year, Lucas made her immortal. She was the first of her kind to survive being changed by a nephilim because angel blood—even from half-breeds like her husband—was usually too potent for normal people to handle.
Since then, she’d given a dose of her blood to two other sensors. It didn’t make them immortal, but it did make them stronger, healthier, and longer-lived. Apparently, Melena’s blood was diluted enough to be less harmful or potent, but they still weren’t sure how it worked or if it was safe to give to anyone aside from a sensor.
Cori cleared her throat, realizing she’d been quiet for a little too long. “Do you believe in ghosts?”
Surprise flickered in Melena’s gaze. “I know they exist, but for some reason, they’re the only paranormal beings I can’t see or detect. Druids apparently have the monopoly on that one. Why do you ask?”
“I think one might be haunting me.”
“Who?” she asked.
Cori dropped her gaze to the kitchen counter between them. “Is it really necessary to get into that?”
“If you want me to help you, it is.”
Cori had figured as much. She took a deep breath and looked up. “My ex-husband.”
Melena’s eyes rounded. “I thought your ex was in jail.”
“I do have an ex in jail, but I wasn’t married to that guy. Just dated him for a while.” Yeah, she had a screwed up love life and never went after normal men. “My former husband is dead, or at least, he should be.”
“You never mentioned him before,” the sensor said, her brows drawing together. “How did I miss that detail?”
Cori was relieved Melena had never run a background check on her like she did to some people, or she might have put the pieces together a long time ago. “It’s not something I like to talk about, and we’d been divorced for several years before he died. He’s firmly in the ‘ex’ column.”
Mel laid a hand on Cori’s. “What happened?”
Pain seized her chest as old memories surfaced from a very different time in her life when she hadn’t been as strong, and she’d made many bad decisions. It wasn’t easy to open up about it, but she had to tell someone if she wanted help. “I killed him.”
Melena blinked. “Huh, I’d always figured there was something dark in your past that you were hiding. That explains a lot.”
“You aren’t bothered by it?” Cori asked incredulously.
“If I’m bothered by anything, it’s the fact this man drove you to it.” Her blue eyes filled with sympathy. “I know you well enough by now to be certain you wouldn’t have done it without a good reason.”
Cori couldn’t believe her ears. Sure, Melena had killed plenty of people in her life, but it had either been while she was overseas in the military fighting in a war or defending herself against supernaturals. She didn’t murder unarmed and unsuspecting people. The woman even had an evil family who’d done horrible things to her and others, and yet she’d managed to resist killing them. Cori had honestly expected judgment at her own less than noble actions.
“My situation was complicated, but that doesn’t justify what I did to Griff,” she said, swallowing hard. “It was pure revenge.”
Melena cocked her head. “What did he do to drive you to it?”
Cori took a few calming breaths before answering, “I met Griff during my second year of college. He was cute, sweet, and focused all of his attention on me. I fell in love with him despite the fact I could tell there was something not quite right about him. The first couple of years were great. I got pregnant and…” Cori paused and squeezed her eyes shut. “…and he was happy about it.”
