Page 49 of Destined for Eternity
Chapter 19
Bartol
It was mid-afternoon and the grocery store parking lot was mostly empty. Bartol found it the perfect time to go on a shopping trip—with Tormod. They both had problems getting out in public with strangers, and it provided them an opportunity to work on that issue. Tormod needed to prove he was ready to graduate training, and Bartol needed to get himself together if he was ever going to make things work with Cori.
He hadn’t seen her in a week. Eli had suggested Bartol keep his distance at first and slowly warm Cori up with small gestures such as the flowers and cards he’d been sending. Since he’d had to go back and fight more demons, it was best not to come to her until he’d rested and recuperated from the darkness that filled him every time he executed one. Part of him had wanted to stop her from leaving that night, but the other part recognized their time away from each other was an opportunity. Bartol needed to get himself together. She might think he didn’t want her, but she was wrong. He wanted her more than anything in this world, as well as their child. He just needed time to work through his issues so he could be a good mate and father. Soon, she would see he was serious about her.
“Is this seriously necessary?” Tormod asked, disturbing Bartol’s thoughts. The nerou had driven since he was also improving his driving skills in anticipation of living on his own—albeit with some supervision. He tapped the steering wheel and gave Bartol a sour look. “I thought I did fine in public when we were in Los Angeles.”
“You were fine…when you were fighting demons,” Bartol replied, taking off his seat belt. Just because one was immortal didn’t mean one wanted to fly through the windshield in an accident. “But when we were at Disneyland, you scared those children half to death.”
“I can’t help it if my eyes glow when I’m angry,” Tormod replied, scowling.
They’d just returned from California the night before. It took them nearly a week to rid the area of the demons who’d come through the portal and to be certain no stragglers remained. During one of the first days there, they’d gone to the amusement park because they’d heard several rides were mysteriously malfunctioning.
As it turned out, a few of the operators had become possessed and took great delight in stalling passengers on roller coasters at the top of loops and rises. Just before they arrived, some of the employees had tried to put a stop to it, and the situation had turned deadly. Security officers were killed as well as some of the visitors who got caught in the fray. Bartol, his father, and the nerou had stepped right into the middle of a battle. People had been running and screaming with nearly a dozen innocents killed before their group put a stop to it. It had not been easy to cover that incident up.
Tormod had done a fine job capturing and holding one of the demons that day all by himself. The thing had been killing humans like a wild tiger who’d gotten loose from the zoo, but he’d managed to keep it contained until Raguel could execute it. His tracking skills were unmatched since he was part-demon himself, and he could put up quite a good fight, but the thrill of battle had put him into a different psychological state. He’d looked half possessed himself afterward when they’d freed the trapped people on the roller coaster. His crazed, evil smile sent a group of young children running and screaming.
Bartol glared at him. “Your eyes glow violet nearly every time you get close to people, during a battle or not. It has to stop.”
“But shopping for food.” The nerou gestured toward the store. “Really?”
“Sometimes it’s best to start simple. Now let’s go.”
The young man hesitated for a full minute before getting out of the training compound SUV, muttering curse words. Finally, he joined Bartol in the parking lot, and they began walking toward the store. An older man with a cane in one hand and grocery bag in the other was coming out and caught sight of them as they crossed paths.
Tormod tensed.
“Breathe and stay calm,” Bartol whispered.
The young nerou kept his pace slow and ducked his head down to hide his eyes. “This is ridiculous.”
“If you want to eat once you’re on your own, you will need to go buy food,” Bartol said in a low tone. “Think about it.”
The old man’s cane tapped rhythmically against the asphalt as he passed them. Tormod made a hissing noise like a snake. Bartol grabbed his arm, pulling him along more quickly.
“Let go of me,” the nerou growled.
The older man turned his head and gave them a startled look.
Bartol caught the human’s gaze. “All is fine. Continue to your car and forget you saw us.”
“Yes, okay,” the man replied in a monotone voice. He continued on toward an old blue Buick about a dozen paces away.
“He’s weak,” Tormod said after the man was out of earshot.
“The man is human, and it will be your job to protect him and others like him.” Bartol let go of Tormod’s arm. “If you want to live in this world freely, you must remember that.”
“I feel like a wolf and the humans are sheep.” Tormod’s expression hardened. “I don’t know how I’m going to protect them when they look like prey.”
“There was a time when you wanted to do it,” Bartol replied. “Remember the woman you healed and her husband who you compelled to never hurt her again?” It had been Cori’s former in-laws they’d gone to question when they were trying to track down their son, Griff.
“I was different then.”
So very different. The young man had been compassionate once, but the demon Haagenti had nearly ruined him. “You must find that part of you again, or the angels will not let you live.”
They reached the doors. They slid open, and Tormod went through first. “I hate the angels.”
