Page 39 of Destined for Eternity
Chapter 15
Bartol
Bartol and Raguel spent the better part of the next day searching all the major tourist attractions around Los Angeles for The Trio. They sensed many demons along the way, but unless they were causing trouble, they didn’t bother with them. All their energy needed to be concentrated on hunting the ones who had opened the portal. They could hardly believe how many had fled hell and made it onto their plane already—at least hundreds if not thousands. It was going to take more time and energy than they currently had to clean up the mess.
For their latest stop, they’d come to Griffith Park. There was a lot of ground to cover in the place since it held a museum, caves, activities for kids, an observatory, and even a golf course. They’d been walking to conserve their powers, but it took longer to search that way. Both were wearing casual clothes so as to not draw any unwanted attention.
“Son, this is probably not the best time, but there is something I have been wishing to speak to you about,” Raguel said, gesturing at a bench.
“What is it?”
“Sit and then we’ll talk.” His father settled down first and patted the empty spot next to him. “I have hoped for a better time, but there is no way of knowing when that might come.”
This did not sound good. Bartol took a seat and waited for a family with two boys to pass. “What is it you wish to speak about?”
“Your mate.”
He cleared his throat. “My relationship with her is complicated.”
Raguel chuckled. “A blind man could ascertain that. My time with the two of you together has been limited, but I’ve noticed there are problems.”
The archangel had been sleeping in Bartol’s room at his cabin, but he’d eaten at Cori’s place for dinner a few times. He didn’t require much sustenance, but he enjoyed socializing with the two of them when they weren’t training. Most of the time, he didn’t say much, but he watched intently. Bartol had noticed it and wondered if his sire might be speculating about the odd relationship between his son and the mother of his future grandchild.
“She needs you, you know. You’ve found yourself a strong and independent woman, but like you, she has been scarred by life. She needs a partner who will stand by her side through the good and the bad,” Raguel said. There was no condemnation in his voice. He simply stated what he believed to be true in a clear and even tone.
Bartol ran a hand through his hair. “I know.”
“You must work harder to breach the distance between you two.”
“It’s not that easy.” He was nearly two millennia old, but his father suddenly made him feel twenty again. “I have problems getting close to anyone.”
“Try harder.” His father’s expression turned stern. “If you continue to neglect her, you will lose her.”
Bartol nodded. “I know, but you cannot understand the fear that overcomes me when I’m close to her or anyone else.”
“You are letting Kerbasi win.”
He gripped the bench, barely able to keep from breaking it. “You have no idea what he did or how it has affected me.”
“Perhaps not.” Raguel’s eyes glinted with a purer gold than Bartol’s. “But at some point, you have to find a way to push past your fears for the sake of your mate and child.”
“I am doing the best I can,” Bartol argued.
“Do you truly believe that?”
Cori’s hurt face entered his mind. Almost every time she reached out, he pushed her away. He took it for granted that she’d always be there. “No.”
“Fix it, son. I don’t care how you do it, but your time is running out.”
He didn’t want to talk about it anymore. “We have a job to do. We can talk about this later when we’ve stopped The Trio.”
Raguel sighed. “Very well, but I hope you heed my advice.”
There was a new tension between them that hadn’t been there before as they continued down the path. Bartol tried to ignore it, but he had no doubt his father disapproved of his ending the conversation before its conclusion. He didn’t care. All he wanted was to finish the task and then he’d worry about Cori. For now, at least she was safe and well protected. His priority had to be eliminating The Trio so that he could return to her and then he’d try to repair the relationship. How he would do that, he didn’t know. Every time he got close to her, things never went the way he hoped. His fears of intimacy got the best of him, and he hated that he allowed it.
The hairs on the back of his arms rose, and it became difficult to draw in a full breath of air. Bartol had a feeling they were on the right track. While there weren’t many demons in the area, a dark foreboding filled him as they continued down the path. Something was off.
“Do you feel it?” he asked his father.
