Page 26 of Destined for Eternity
Emily let out an exasperated breath. “You’re such an idiot.”
Tormod swallowed his food and lifted a brow. “Why is that?”
“It’s not like you have a whole lot of friends, but we promised we’d always be there for each other. Remember?”
That was news to Cori, but they were young people who obviously weren’t going to tell the adults everything. Tormod might be fifty, but in nerou years—and especially being sequestered in Purgatory for most of his life—his maturity level wasn’t any greater than Emily’s. He didn’t seem like a teenager these days, though.
“Things changed,” he said.
Emily gripped her fork so hard it bent. “Not this. I won’t give up on you.”
“I’ve moved on.” He stared hard at her. “I’m not even a virgin anymore.”
Cori choked on her water, and Melena leaped up to pat her on the back.
Emily’s eyes rounded and she opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Bartol had told Cori about the brothel they’d visited while searching for the demon troubles in Europe. If nothing else, her mate had tried to be open about whatever he was doing since their relationship started, and they’d agreed to have honesty between each other. It was only Bartol’s past that she had a harder time getting more information. So she knew they’d had to meet with a brothel owner, but only Tormod had taken advantage of the services offered there. She just hadn’t expected him to blurt it out in front of a big audience.
“What? Like I was going to wait for you when we’re only friends, and you’re still getting over that other guy?” Tormod asked while the teenager continued to gape at him. “It’s not like you’re so pure, either.”
Emily’s last boyfriend, Hunter, had been killed a little over a year before in a battle in Fairbanks. It was a tough blow for her, and it had taken a while for her to get past the worst of her grief. While she enjoyed hanging out with Tormod since the nerou’s arrival on Earth, they’d never taken their relationship further. She wasn’t ready for that yet—a relief to everyone since they’d make quite an explosive pair. They each needed more time to find themselves, especially Tormod after what had happened to him recently.
Melena coughed. “Um, maybe you two should take this conversation outside? It’s nice out there.”
“Is that such a good idea?” Cori asked, frowning at Tormod.
The sensor lifted her chin. “If there is one thing I know, it’s that he won’t hurt her no matter what is going on in that head of his.”
“You have more confidence than I do,” the nerou said, pushing his empty plate away. The young man had eaten the chicken like it was the first meal he’d had in months, even while managing to hold a conversation with Emily. Cori was almost certain he’d inhaled most of it without chewing.
“Go talk, preferably not about sex.” Melena pointed toward the back door in the laundry room just off the kitchen. “Now.”
They grumbled but did as ordered. Cori was shocked everyone was fine with Tormod being alone with Emily in the state he was in, but she seemed to be the only one concerned. The back door shut and the kitchen went quiet.
Melena turned toward Lucas. “You know what to do.”
He flashed away.
“Where did he go?” Cori asked, glancing out the window but not seeing him.
“He’s close by in the woods.” The sensor shrugged. “I really don’t think Tormod would hurt Emily, but that doesn’t mean I won’t take any precautions. Of course, she’ll be able to sense Lucas, but she’s in on the plan.”
Micah smiled. “The idea is to make Tormod think we trust him. We’ve got to start doing something to get him back to a semblance of his old self and rebuild his confidence.”
Cori nodded slowly. “I suppose that makes sense, but he isn’t exactly being nice.”
“Emily can give as good as she gets,” Melena assured her.
No one seemed the least bit concerned. Cori peeked out the kitchen window again and found the teenagers had walked almost to the tree line. They were speaking in hushed tones too low to hear, even with enhanced senses. Both of them appeared tense, though, and Emily was gesturing a lot with her hands.
Olivia, Micah’s nerou daughter, came to stand next to Cori. “It will work out. Not right away, of course, and there will be a rough journey ahead for those two, but eventually they’ll manage to heal their wounds through each other.”
“How do you know?” she asked, turning toward the woman.
She was beautiful with shoulder-length blond hair, fair skin, and azure blue eyes that could penetrate to the heart of a person. The six-hundred-forty-year-old nerou could rock a spring dress with high heels well, too. Once she was out in the world, men would be chasing her and giving her father nightmares. But despite her gorgeous appearance, she showed no signs of vanity or snobbishness. An isolated life in Purgatory probably helped with that, but Cori got the sense this woman just didn’t have that in her personality anyway.
“I see things,” Olivia said, smiling gently as she glanced down at Cori’s rounded stomach. “Especially in relation to those around me.”
“You know the gender of the baby, don’t you?”
