Chapter 17
Cori
Cori stared at her cards—a king and a seven of diamonds—and debated drawing another. It was rather risky, considering she’d lost the last five games. She should have known better than to play against a fallen angel who still had her prescient abilities.
For several moments, she tapped her fingers on the table and pondered what to do. “I’ll hold.”
Ariel nodded. “Wise decision.”
The former archangel sat across from Cori in a small booth inside her luxurious camper. This was Ariel’s home for the time being until she recovered from her confinement in Hell. To look at her, one would think of her as soft and delicate. She had thick, long brown hair that ran all the way to her waist, fair skin with a hint of gold, and amber eyes. Her body was still frail, but that was likely because she wasn’t eating enough. She hadn’t needed food before and wouldn’t listen to anyone who tried to explain that falling from grace meant she would have to do some human things from now on. When Cori cooked, she ate, but otherwise, she rarely bothered. Even stocking food in her RV didn’t tempt her. There was still a hint of haughtiness in the way Ariel thought and behaved, which made her reluctant to do anything that would require excreting bodily waste—because of course, that was an awful thing to have to do.
Cori had decided to come by and visit that morning before work so she could check on the former archangel and keep her company. It was something she tried to do whenever she could, but it wasn’t easy now that business was picking up at the tattoo shop again. Derrick had put the word out a few days ago after the human trials were a success, which had made quite a difference at her shop. She was almost back up to the level of business she’d been at before her problems started.
“What about you?” Cori gestured at her opponent. “What are you going to do?”
Ariel studied her two cards for a moment, closed her eyes, and knitted her brows. A slow smile spread across her face and her long lashes lifted. She reached for another card, revealing a five. She set it face up next to a jack and a four.
This was the sixth win for her today—probably the fiftieth over the last month or so.
“Using your abilities is cheating, you know,” Cori said, narrowing her eyes.
“So you say.” The fallen angel rounded up the cards. “But you keep coming back for more. And, regardless, I merely ‘look’ to see what I will draw next, but I don’t cheat.”
“If you say so.”
Cori knew Ariel wasn’t stacking the deck in her favor because she’d had Melena—using her lie detector skills—ask the former archangel about it after losing for the dozenth time. There was no trickery other than peeking with her foresight. The deck was shuffled properly without using any special powers, and she swore she never rearranged it during a game. Still, the only reason Cori ever won was that sometimes the cards were naturally stacked in her favor.
“Try playing for even one day without using your abilities and see how things go,” she said, cutting the deck after Ariel set it down.
Cori was purposely baiting the fallen angel for fun because it helped them both get other problems off their minds. The time she spent with Ariel helped remind her that things could always be worse—like getting tortured in Hell for months. Cori might have barely survived being kidnapped by an ex-husband and nearly killed, plus she was suffering from the distance between her and Bartol, but those issues were small in comparison to what the woman across the table had been through. Ariel had lost her wings, her grace, her celestial home, and she’d suffered major physical and psychological trauma.
“You behave as if,” the former archangel began, pursing her lips, “you would not do the same thing if you had the ability.”
“I wouldn’t,” Cori said, defensive.
Ariel let out a delicate snort. “You’ve already developed one new ability and plan to use it for personal gain. What will you do if you gain more gifts in the future?”
Cori could get more abilities? Having the one had seemed liked a huge deal to her, but the former archangel almost seemed to be hinting more could come along. She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and leaned forward. “What do you mean by that?”
“When you become immortal, you’ll find out.”
Cori gritted her teeth. “I haven’t decided on that yet.”
“Well, there is no rush for now,” Ariel said, not looking up as she dealt the next hand. “But when the time is right, you’ll know.”
Cori checked her cards, finding she had a ten and a two. “You sound so sure of yourself.”
“You are in a state of denial, but events will happen to change your mind.” The former archangel stared at her own cards, frowning. “It is only a matter of time.”
“What could possibly happen to change my mind?”
“There are some things you must discover on your own,” Ariel replied curtly.
The damn woman had spent countless millennia acting as an angel who rarely gave direct answers to anything. Falling hadn’t changed that. “I must be a glutton for punishment to keep coming here.”
“You come here so you won’t have to think about your own life.” Ariel waited for Cori to draw another card—a four—and smiled. “And because you think keeping me company will somehow draw me into socializing again.”
Cori chose to ignore the first part of her comment. “Is it helping?”
The fallen angel pursed her lips. “I suppose your visiting me is better than keeping my own company. There are times when I grow bored, and that guardian is hardly as entertaining as he thinks he is, except when Emily is pummeling him with snowballs. She should do that more often.”
Cori got a kick out of that as well and sometimes joined in the fun.
“We could go to that new supernatural bar that opened up a couple of months ago,” she suggested.
She’d never gone before because it wasn’t a good idea for humans, but now that she’d changed and wasn’t quite mortal anymore, it couldn’t hurt to go if she had a friend with her. Anything would be better than her routine of going from Melena’s house to work and back every day while waiting for Bartol to return. She needed to find new ways to distract herself from her worries.
Ariel lifted a delicate brow. “What sort of entertainment are you looking for?”
“Anything that isn’t what my life has been lately.”
“After what happened with that vampire ex-husband of yours, I’m surprised you’re willing to go anywhere near his kind,” Ariel said.
Cori shrugged. “I know a few decent vampires who aren’t that bad—like Kariann.”
“Perhaps you should ask your mate to go with you when he returns.” Ariel drew a card, amber eyes lighting up as she set it on the table. “I’ve won again.”
Cori sighed and grabbed the cards to shuffle the deck. “Bartol is antisocial. You know I’ll never get him to go there.”
As much as she would have liked to think she could eventually draw him into going out in public someday for something other than buying groceries or demon hunting, she didn’t plan on holding her breath.
“He will get better with time if you are patient.” Ariel reached across the table and touched Cori’s hand. A look of surprise flashed across her face before she covered it up and continued speaking, “Believe it or not, it has bothered me to watch the two of you suffer after all you’ve each been through. I advise being there for him in every way you can and letting him know how you feel. It will help.”
Some of the weight lifted from Cori’s shoulders. As much as her phone calls with Bartol had shown signs of him warming to her again, she still worried how it would be when he returned. Sure, she still wasn’t ready to commit to immortality, but she also couldn’t imagine a life without him. It was like there was an empty spot in her heart only he could fill. It had taken this time of being apart before she realized how attached she’d become to him and not just because of the mate bond, but because they’d become good friends before that.
Cori started to deal another hand, but her cell phone rang. She grabbed her purse and checked the screen—Melena.
“Hey,” she answered.
“The cabin is ready,” the sensor replied without further explanation.
A thrill ran through Cori. “Really?”
“Yep. Hurry and get over here as soon as you can.”
Cori hung up and gave Ariel an apologetic look. “Gotta go.”
“Of course.” The former angel gathered the cards, expression turning serious. “Remember what I said about Bartol. He may be damaged, but he is not beyond repair. Support him in his current journey, and things will begin to work themselves out between you two.”
Cori stood, clutching her purse. “So I shouldn’t worry about him tracking this demon?”
“I wouldn’t go that far. What he is doing is quite dangerous, and the future is fluid, but let’s just say your mate has an ace up his sleeve if he can believe in himself long enough to use it.”
As much as Cori wanted to rush to her new cabin, she couldn’t leave after hearing that. “What ace up his sleeve?”
The former archangel gathered up her cards. “All I’ll say is your mate’s parentage is even more unique than most people know—or even he knows.”
“That’s it? You’re going to leave me with that?” What could she possibly be referring to that Melena wouldn’t have detected with her abilities? Never mind that Bartol’s aura matched that of all the other nephilim she’d met.
“I’ve already said more than I should have,” Ariel replied and made a dismissive gesture. “Now go.”
With a final scowl for her, Cori rushed from the camper and over to Melena’s house. She leaped over a cat sleeping in the middle of the stairs—who didn’t bother to look up from her nap, of course—and kept going. The feline shape-shifter loved lying in inconvenient places just as much as the normal, non-magical breeds. It didn’t matter that she had the intelligence of a human and should have known better.
Cori entered the guest room where she’d been staying for longer than she’d expected and started gathering her things. She’d packed her bags days ago when Melena and Lucas informed her that the cabin would be ready soon. There had been some delays due to certain building materials not arriving on time, but at least her wait was finally over.
It took two trips down the stairs and one near fall while trying to avoid the cat that never moved, but she finished loading her Chevy Tahoe. In addition to destroying her home, her ex-husband had caused her to wreck her truck to the point it couldn’t be repaired without spending more than it was worth. She’d managed to get enough insurance money to buy a ten-year-old vehicle for a good price. It had a couple of small dents and a loose rear bumper, but that didn’t bother her. The only thing Cori cared about was that it ran well and handled the harsh winters of Alaska without too many problems.
Fifteen minutes later, Cori pulled onto the dirt road that led to her cabin. She passed Bartol’s place along the way. Her chest tightened at seeing his home and knowing he wasn’t there. How long would it be until he returned, and how would they handle things once he did? More than anything, she wanted to rebuild the trust and confidence he once had in her.
The Tahoe bumped along the road, forcing her attention back to driving. It was more treacherous than the highway with snow still packed on it. Cori had to go slowly for what felt like forever before finally reaching her place at the end of the lane.
She stopped just before reaching the cabin and gawked at it. They’d said they would rebuild her home, but they’d never mentioned adding a second floor or a wide, covered porch to the front. The place had gone from a quaint two-bedroom to a rather large cabin a whole family could live in. The logs gleamed, freshly cut, and the windows shimmered. They’d promised her they wouldn’t spend more than the insurance provided after the fire, but she didn’t see how they could have stretched the money this far.
Cori shut her vehicle off and climbed out, slogging toward a smiling Melena who waited on the front lawn, snow up to her calves. Her auburn hair blew around her face, and her cheeks were tinged pink from the cold wind, but her blue eyes sparkled.
“This is too much,” Cori said.
“Nope.” Melena shook her head. “We did it within budget with a bit of bartering and deal shopping—barely—but the furniture inside is going to be your birthday and Christmas presents for the next three years.”
Cori’s jaw dropped. “You’re joking.”
Melena lifted a brow. “Would I joke about something like that?”
“No,” Cori grumbled, “but you shouldn’t have done it.”
“Well, it wasn’t just me.” The sensor took her arm and guided her up the slick steps to the front door. “Someone else pitched in, too.”
They stepped inside, entering a living room that must have gained at least twenty-square feet compared to the old one. The stairs were now set as a divider between the front and back of the house, partially blocking the view into the kitchen where her appliances and counters appeared similar to her old ones. She was glad to see the familiar design since she’d remodeled that part of her previous cabin to her personal preferences. When the place had burned, she’d cried the most over its destruction.
The living room, though, had changed quite a bit and had a lot more furniture than before. There was a small side table with two chairs, a larger entertainment center, and a huge burgundy rug that covered half the wooden floor. At the center of it all was a set of brown leather couches and a love seat set in a horseshoe pattern with coordinating throws and small pillows that Cori knew could have only been knitted by one particular person.
“Surprise!” Joy said, hurrying down the stairs in a pair of khaki slacks and a blue button-up blouse. Cori’s mother was in her mid-fifties and still quite energetic. She had curly, gray hair and a slightly plump figure. Their body frames were nothing alike, but she shared Cori’s hazel eyes and pert nose.
Her eyes rounded. “Mom, what are you doing here?”
“Making certain my daughter has everything she needs in her new home.” Joy hurried across the living room and pulled Cori into a tight hug. “After all you’ve been through, I wanted to do something special, and Melena was more than happy to let me help.”
“Traitor,” Cori mouthed to the sensor.
Melena shrugged and gave her an unapologetic look.
“We’ve also added a security system,” Lucas said, coming from a side room that appeared to be an office from what she could see through the doorway. It had a desk and a set of shelves in there. “With motion sensors and cameras.”
Cori pulled away from her mother. “Seriously, guys. This is too much. I really don’t need a lot to be happy, and I can’t imagine what you spent on all this.”
Melena gave her a soft smile. “If I recall, you went through a lot of trouble for our wedding even though you had almost no notice. This was the least we could do.”
“But…”
“And I spend plenty on your sister,” Joy added, waving Cori’s protests off. “This is the first time in years I’ve been able to do anything for you since you won’t visit and never tell me what you need.”
Her mother and other family lived in Anchorage. It was just a short flight away, but Cori rarely went there. The guilt she’d felt for years after thinking she’d killed her ex-husband had kept her from wanting to be near anyone who knew her from before. Now that Griff was dead by his own hands, most of that weight had lifted. She still had some regrets to work through, but she was slowly coming to terms with everything that had happened.
Cori took a deep breath, not wanting to upset her mother. “How long are you staying?”
“Well, that is something else I need to talk to you about.” Her mother cast a pointed look at Lucas and Melena before returning her gaze to Cori. “But we can discuss that later.”
The sensor cleared her throat. “We should get going. Emily should be home from school soon, and I need to make sure she does her homework.”
That was a big lie. Emily was in her final year of high school and dead set on getting into college so she could get away from home. The teenager didn’t need prodding to do her homework, but Cori wouldn’t debate the topic. They’d done so much for her with the cabin that she could hardly argue with them now.
“Thanks so much, guys.” She gave Melena and Lucas hugs. “I appreciate everything.”
Melena followed her husband to the door but stopped to wink at Cori. “I think you’ll like the rest of the place after you have time to check it out.”
She watched out the front window, waiting until her friends were halfway down the drive, before turning to confront her mother. “So why aren’t you saying how long you plan to stay?”
Joy edged her way to the kitchen. “I need to check on the casserole.”
“Mom,” Cori dragged the word out.
Her mother kept going, but raised her voice as she reached the kitchen. “I knew your cabin would be finished soon, and that you’d be stuck here all alone with Bartol away, so I thought it would be a perfect time for me stay for the month and enjoy a vacation with my daughter—through the holidays.”
“You can’t be serious.” Cori loved her mom, but she needed plenty of notice to brace herself for this sort of thing. “I’ve got work and other things going on.”
“Yes, dear. I’ve heard all about that.”
“From Melena?” Would her friend have betrayed her and told her everything?
“She didn’t give me all the details—she can be surprisingly close-lipped despite my best efforts to pry information out of her.” Joy paused as clanging sounds came from the kitchen for a moment. “Bartol called me before he left on his trip and suggested I come out once your cabin was ready. You would be surprised how many others thought it was a great idea as well.”
Cori was going to kill everyone she knew and loved. Bartol complained about her conspiring against him, and then he did this? She’d spoken to him half a dozen times on the phone since he’d left and not once had he mentioned it—the coward.
“You’re not staying until Christmas,” Cori said, entering the kitchen.
Her mother was making a mess of the place already with pots, pans, and mixing bowls all over the counter and stove. Joy turned to face her. “My house is being remodeled. I can’t go back for a while, so you’re stuck with me.”
“What about Brenda?” Cori asked, referring to her sister who lived within a mile of her mother’s house.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Joy ducked her head into the refrigerator. “She’s going with her husband and kids on a skiing vacation to Aspen for the holidays. Unless you expect me to spend Christmas with your uncle Earl, you’re all I’ve got.”
Cori was stuck, truly stuck. They’d all made certain there was no way out of this visit.
“Alright, mom. I guess you’re staying.”
Joy gave her a pleased smile. “I knew you’d come around.”