Page 47 of Destined for Eternity
Chapter 18
Cori
She poured over her account books, trying to get them in order before she left. It was early morning, and the shop wasn’t officially open yet. Ginny stood next to her at the counter. Since the pixie had a knack for numbers, she was going to be in charge of keeping the business side of things going during Cori’s absence.
“I promise I’ve got this,” Ginny said, closing the ledger. “That baby is due in less than four weeks, and you’ve got dark circles under your eyes. You should be resting right now.”
Cori rubbed her face. “Sleep isn’t coming easy these days.”
“Something tells me the baby is only part of that.”
It had certainly become difficult to get comfortable in bed, and she had to get up at least three times a night to go to the bathroom, but her friend was right. The baby only made it more difficult to rest. It was her blowout fight with Bartol four days before that had made things even worse. She hadn’t seen him since, but he’d been having flowers delivered that came with short notes each day. The latest had said, “You are the love of my life. Please be patient with me.” She appreciated the gesture, but he’d gone too far and she wasn’t ready to forgive him.
“I just want to make sure things go smoothly while I’m gone,” Cori said, smoothing her hand over the account book.
Ginny took it from her and put it under the counter. “This isn’t the first time I’ve handled this sort of thing. Don’t worry.”
“But every business is different.”
“Not by so much that I can’t figure it out or call if I have a question,” she argued.
Cori knew she needed to trust her employee. It just wasn’t easy these days when she couldn’t even depend on her mate to do the right thing. He’d left for California again the day before, only sending her a text message that he was leaving. She didn’t bother to respond. He was going to miss yet another doctor appointment while he was out hunting demons, and she just knew he wouldn’t try taking time off to be there. The man wasn’t going to win her over with little messages when what she truly wanted was his solid presence in her life.
The bell on the shop door chimed. She glanced up to spot Melena heading straight toward her with a purpose. The sensor must have been on her way to work since she had on a black pantsuit and light blue blouse. Her long, auburn hair was pulled back in a neat bun.
Cori stiffened.Please don’t let there be anything wrong.“Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah, I just came to bring you something.” Melena dug through her purse and pulled out a white envelope with a golden seal. “Bartol, his father, and the nerou should finish getting rid of the demons in L.A. sometime in the next couple of days. They’re holding the graduation shortly after that, and you’re invited.”
Cori took the envelope and opened it to find beautiful engraved writing on the card inside. “I don’t know if I should go.”
“Of course, you should!”
She shook her head. “Bartol will be there, and I’m trying to avoid him right now.”
“Girl, that man is hopeless.” Ginny put her hand over Cori’s. “You don’t have to talk to him, but you should still go. Some of those nerou are your friends.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Melena smiled. “Don’t think—just go. This isn’t something you’re gonna get a chance to see again.”
She had a point there, though Cori still wasn’t convinced. “Will Tormod be graduating, too?”
“It’s conditional on a few things.” Melena worried her lip. “He’s been participating in the training exercises enough that he’s not far behind, but he has a few tests to pass first, and even if he gets to graduate, he’ll be on probation for at least six months. They’re going to assign a nephilim to work with him until he’s proven himself.”
“Not Bartol, right?” The last thing Cori needed was her mate sent somewhere else for a long stay. She might be angry with him, but a small part of her still held hope their relationship would eventually work.
“They haven’t said yet, but since Jeriel will send Tormod to Anchorage if he graduates, at least he won’t go far,” Melena replied.
Ginny nodded. “It’s good they’re keeping him close.”
She was still getting to know the supernaturals around Fairbanks and hadn’t met Tormod in person, but she knew most of what was going on within their circle. Cori had Ginny and her daughters over for dinner at least once a week. She fit right in with their group of friends and got along well with Kerbasi. And by that, she meant that the pixie could give the guardian a hard time along with the best of them.
“Tormod definitely needs a lot of supervision, and Anchorage will be a good place for him to work out his issues,” Cori said, feeling sorry for the boy and the extra steps he had to take if he wanted to be given a chance.
At least the city where he’d be assigned was full of elitist vampires who didn’t like other supernatural races. If Tormod killed a few of them, they’d hardly be missed.
“Just promise you’ll come to the graduation,” Melena said, giving Cori a pleading look. “I’ll even pick you up so you don’t have to drive.”
