Page 69 of Destined for Eternity
Cori closed her eyes and took a breath before speaking. “You know I broke two of his fingers because I was in so much pain, but he never complained once. He kept me calm, held my hand, and made me feel safe. Sure, he’s been a terrible person in the past, but he is doing his best to make up for it.”
“He burned my face!” Bartol yelled, then blanched. He waited a moment to make certain it remained quiet upstairs. “There is no making up for that or all the other things he’s done. That man will never be redeemable.”
Lucas cleared his throat. “Well, he does make a good protector. He has done everything possible to keep Emily safe these last couple of years. I wouldn’t say he isn’t without some value.”
Bartol leveled his gaze on the nephilim. “You can’t be serious. The guardian tortured you as well, and you’re truly willing to forgive him?”
“Hardly.” Lucas wrinkled his nose. “I will never forgive him, but I have learned he is not the same person we knew in Purgatory. There are times he’s proven useful.”
“I cannot believe I’m hearing this.” He threw up his hands, thinking everyone must have gone mad. “Has he manipulated your minds as well?”
Melena scoffed. “He can’t do that to me—or Cori. You might have to accept the fact that Kerbasi isn’t as terrible as he once was and get over it.”
“Not in this lifetime,” Bartol vowed.
“I wish you’d seen how hard he worked to save our baby.” Cori put a soothing hand on his arm. “He would have done anything for her, I swear.”
It was getting easier to bear her touch, especially with the daily sessions Bartol spent with Eli. The psychologist had been coaching him through techniques to get over his fear of physical contact. Still, it didn’t reduce his anger.
He broke away and paced the floor. “You shouldn’t have allowed him to see you or touch our daughter.”
“He protected Sybil and me,” Cori said, her voice firm yet assuaging. “Hate that if you want, but at least give him credit. When you couldn’t be there, he did the best he could to look after us, and he did it knowing it would mean nothing to you.”
“I doubt that.” Bartol paused in his pacing. “He thought it would redeem him. The man is selfish and thinks of no one except himself.”
Melena sighed. “In a lot of ways, I’d agree, but not when it comes to innocent people and children. He would give his life to protect a baby—your baby—and he’d do it expecting nothing in return.”
“You’re all fools.”
A knock sounded at the door, and everyone turned their heads in that direction.
“It’s Raguel,” Melena explained.
Cori hurried over to let the archangel inside. Other than those staying at the house, they’d asked everyone to wait until that day to visit. It allowed them time with the baby and a chance to adjust to their growing family. They’d already had many guests come and go, but his father had been away somewhere and didn’t make it until now.
Raguel stepped into the living room. “I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation.”
“Surely, you agree with me, father,” Bartol said, hoping he’d found an ally.
The archangel lifted his chin. “I agree the guardian is contemptible for what he has done to you and other nephilim, but I have also heard he’s performed charitable acts since returning to Earth. Perhaps in this case, you should give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“I’m not letting him see my child again.”
“That is your decision, son,” Raguel said, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. “But I suspect as long as you hold a grudge against the guardian, you will never truly heal from your experiences in Purgatory. And that will affect your daughter.”
Eli had been telling Bartol the same thing. While the psychologist had never done anything worth getting imprisoned in Purgatory, he had volunteered to stay there once for a few days to try understanding the experience. That had been when he was treating Lucas and his psychological trauma. Eli had endured a few of Kerbasi’s tortures during his short sojourn there, but it hadn’t been enough to bother him long term. Perhaps if he’d been there for months instead, he might have understood better.
Bartol retook his seat on the couch. “I’m tired of everyone telling me to get over it as if it is that easy.”
“I know it isn’t,” Lucas said, giving him a commiserating look. “But the bonus to allowing Kerbasi in your life is you can make him miserable in return. When he’s annoying, we take the heater from his shack so that he freezes at night, or I give him a good beating until he’s bloody all over. You would be surprised how much that does for relieving stress.”
Melena rolled her eyes. “You’re cruel, Lucas.”
“Says the woman who shoots him once a week.”
“Only when he deserves it,” she argued, shrugging her shoulders.
“Your ways of dealing with the guardian are not mine.” Bartol gave them both an exasperated glare. “Hurting him will not make me feel better and only lowers me to his level.”
