Page 94 of Destined for Shadows
He was too weak to resist her, though, and she had a valid point. Bartol gulped down her blood until he felt the flesh in his legs and other parts of him regenerate. Then he shoved her arm away. “I appreciate your assistance, but that is enough.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied, rolling her eyes.
“I will be well in a minute. You must take shelter now,” he said, gesturing for her to leave.
Kariann frowned, staring down at his still healing body. “Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
She hesitated a moment before taking off.
He waited another few seconds for his body to recover and then began the trek back to the rest of the group. They were trying to talk Griff out of what he was doing, but the vampire didn’t appear to be in a listening mood. At least he seemed to be acting alone. They’d yet to see any sign of others helping him, which could have been a good or bad thing.
Bartol hit the perimeter, and his powers drained away again. It was bothersome that it could shield anyone from sensors no matter the distance, but it didn’t drain power until one was much closer. Bartol still couldn’t believe Griff had acquired something with such capabilities. No wonder they had not been able to find the vampire before, and why he’d been able to orchestrate such elaborate attacks on Cori. His movements might have been restricted to nighttime, but he could have come and gone from Fairbanks in disguise and no one would have been the wiser.
“If anyone else tries to come near this house,” Griff shouted, his gaze falling on Bartol in particular. “I will slit Cori’s throat.”
“Let her go,” Lucas demanded. “She has done nothing to deserve this.”
“Didn’t she tell you?” the vampire said, jerking his hostage closer. “My ex-wife here beat me to an inch of my life and then left me for dead in a pile of snow. She doesn’t deserve to live.”
Melena took a cautious step forward. “She was out of her mind with grief over your daughter’s death, and she told me herself that she regretted it. You’re not helping anything by killing her now.”
Griff’s face filled with rage. “If she had never left me, I wouldn’t have been drinking that night. She was the only one who could keep me calm so I didn’t do things like that. It’s her fault—all of it!”
Cori shuddered in Griff’s arms, grief and pain evident in her bruised and swollen face. At this range, Bartol’s connection to his mate was a lot stronger, making it even more difficult for him to watch her suffer. The magic draining his powers couldn’t affect their bond. It was on a metaphysical level that nothing except time and distance could weaken, but even then, it couldn’t cut it completely.
He could sense his mate was losing hope and the will to live. Every word Griff said was like a knife through her heart. The vampire knew exactly which points to hit to make her feel the maximum emotional pain. It was then that Bartol realized why she’d put up with the abuse for as long as she did. This man—or rather monster—had convinced her she was worth nothing and deserved no better than what he gave her.
Cori had spent these last few years finding her strength and rebuilding herself into the incredible woman Bartol met last summer. He could not let Griff tear her back down again. Somehow, they had to save her. She needed to know she was worth something and that everything her former husband said was a lie.
“The sun is going to rise soon,” Bartol warned, doing his best to keep his tone even. He had to keep calm for Cori’s sake. “Please let her go.”
“Oh, thank you for the reminder.” Griff dug into his pocket with one hand while keeping a knife at Cori’s throat with the other. He tapped the screen a few times, glared up at the sky as he waited for a satellite signal, and then put the phone to his ear. “I’ve done all you asked. They’re here, and everyone with angel blood is as weak as you suspected they would be—including the sensor.”
They held their breaths. Everyone who might listen in and recognize the voice on the other end of the line had lost their enhanced abilities. Only the werewolves, aside from Derrick, could still hear at full strength. Unfortunately, none of them would be able to identify the powerful players in the supernatural world to narrow the culprit down.
“Am I free to get my revenge now?” Griff asked.
A long pause.
“Thank you. It’s been an honor serving you.” The vampire hung up the phone. He took one look at the assembled crowd and grinned. “Looks like we’re about done here.”
Griff clutched Cori and moved forward off the porch and into the yard.
“What are you doing?” Bartol asked, his heart in his throat. They were getting far too close to the landmines, and Cori could not survive that kind of a blast. Had the person on the other end of the line been powerful enough to compel Griff to do this, or was it part of his own plan?
The vampire stopped about half a dozen paces from the house and kissed Cori’s swollen cheek. She cringed, but that just made him laugh. “Not long now, babe. You and I are going to be together forever.”
Impotent rage filled Bartol, but then realization struck him, and he glanced at the sky. Dawn was only a few minutes away. If the vampire didn’t take cover now, he’d burn and take Cori with him.
