Page 92 of Destined for Eternity
Chapter 30
Cori
It was less than an hour before dawn, and everyone in the house was awake, except Sybil, who slept upstairs where Joy and Raguel watched over her. They were getting along quite well and enjoyed helping take care of their granddaughter. Cori’s mother had shown the archangel how to change modern baby diapers and, to everyone’s surprise, he was quite happy to do it. Sybil absolutely loved to watch her big, golden grandfather, and he could calm her down when she was fussy like no one else.
They’d needed the baby out of the way for the evening because they had a special project that would require all of Cori’s concentration. She’d failed to create daylight tattoos for the first few vampires, but they suspected it was because those had been criminals who’d killed humans. Her heart wasn’t in it, and that was key. This time someone she trusted and respected had volunteered. Still, it was nerve-wracking because if her design didn’t work, she’d end up killing a good friend. Nothing like life and death to push someone to try harder.
“How much longer?” Kariann asked, lifting her head from where she lay across Cori’s office desk.
The vampire had long, blond hair she usually wore loose to her waist, but she’d pulled it into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. Upon meeting her, most would think she looked like an Amazon warrior with her large, muscular stature, but she was as beautiful as any lithe woman—just more dangerous looking. Kariann had wanted her tattoo on her stomach around her navel, so the desk was the easiest place to use inside Cori’s home that had a flat surface and afforded some privacy to work.
“Give me ten more minutes,” she said, shading in the yellow sun. It also had orange swirls around it that needed a few final touches. The design wasn’t particularly unique, but Derrick had wanted it to be simple enough that if it worked, it would be acceptable for any vampire. He was all about uniformity.
Ginny and her two daughters sat in the room watching quietly. The girls had gotten up early because they’d insisted on seeing how it went. If they dared to speak at all while Cori worked, they knew they’d be sent out, so they’d been very quiet. Bartol was there as well, sitting by her side and lending moral support. Derrick would arrive soon to see how the test went. Cori was trying hard not to think about the ramifications of what would happen if she failed. She just couldn’t, so she focused with all her willpower to infuse the tattoo with her belief that the vampire would circumvent the daylight curse and walk in the sun.
She took a deep breath and let it out, then cleared her tattoo machine to switch ink colors. This was the last part. Everyone sat completely still as she worked the bits of orange into the swirls to give them a little more depth. She poured her heart into willing protection for Kariann, wanting her to live more than anything.
“It’s done.” She pulled away, set the machine down, and wiped sweat from her brow. The house was cool, but this job had taken a lot out of her.
Kariann rose onto her elbows and stared at the sun wrapped around her belly button. “Looks great!”
“Now we just have to see if it works,” Cori said, worrying her lip. “I gave it all I had.”
The vampire patted her shoulder. “I know you did, which is why I insisted on being your next guinea pig.”
“You’re insane.”
“I’m over six-hundred-years old.” She shrugged. “It’s not like I haven’t lived long enough.”
“This is still risky.”
She grinned. “Derrick made me update my will, so I’m all set if things don’t go as planned. You’re not in it, by the way.”
“Very funny,” Cori said, narrowing her eyes at her. “Like I care about that.”
Bartol took her hand. “This will work. I watched you, and I could feel the difference this time. You’ve never concentrated harder.”
His simple touch made Cori feel a little better. “Thanks.”
The sound of a vehicle coming up the road caught everyone’s attention.
Cori recognized the crunch of those particular tires against the gravel. “Derrick’s here.”
“Melena’s with him,” Bartol added with a cock of his head. His hearing was still better than hers, allowing him to pick up on things she couldn’t.
“Great.” Cori started cleaning up the mess in her office. “Because I’m not nervous enough as it is without more witnesses.”
“We’ll get the door,” Ginny said, taking her daughters out of the room.
Kariann hopped off the desk and helped clear the plastic from it. Bartol helped organize the ink bottles while Cori went to the office bathroom to clean her tattoo machine. By the time they finished tidying up, the newest visitors were sitting in the living room. Only ten minutes remained until sunrise, but even the early rays of dawn could be enough to burn a vampire.
“How do you think it went?” Derrick asked with a slight southern accent.
The alpha werewolf was a large, muscular man with shoulder-length brown hair he almost always kept pulled back out of his face. One wouldn’t call him handsome exactly, but he had a rugged appeal. It was his brown eyes that captured the most attention. They could change from hard and cold to warm and caring in a blink, depending on his mood. Mostly, though, he looked dangerous and ready to pounce on his next victim at any moment.
Cori tried to stay cool around him, but he had a way of intimidating her whether he meant to or not. “I feel more hopeful this time.”
“That’s…encouragin’.” He turned to Kariann. “You’re one of my best guards, so if you ain’t ready for this, say the word and we won’t test the tattoo.”
