Chapter 9
Bartol
He only had to hold Cori in his arms for a few seconds, but it might as well have been a lifetime. His heart thundered in his ears, his muscles tightened, and he could hardly breathe. It was all he could do to keep his concentration on their destination.
Bartol had been rigorously programmed in Purgatory to find physical contact revolting no matter its purpose. Kerbasi had drummed that lesson into him repeatedly for decades using physical torture and mental manipulation. He did it by finding one of Bartol’s most pleasurable memories, scrambling it into something horrifying, and then carving up his body while he lay there believing one of his past lovers was harming him with malicious glee. By the end, Bartol was bloody and broken to the point the guards had to carry him back to his cell. It would take hours afterward, while he huddled in a haze of pain, for him to recall who’d truly tormented him. By that point, though, the memory Kerbasi had targeted for that session was destroyed and impossible to ever piece back together again.
Bartol suffered through those “treatments” almost daily unless the guardian had another prisoner on hand. Perhaps it was selfish, and he would never admit it to anyone, but he’d been grateful every time Lucas or any other nephilim came for a period of confinement. It was the only respite he ever got until Melena called attention to the wrongdoings going on in Purgatory. After that, the archangels stepped in and put strict limits on what the guardians could and could not do. They also forced Kerbasi to come to Earth so that he might learn humanity. He might have fooled the others, but he would never trick Bartol.
The years of mental programming by the guardian had inflicted their damage and changed him forevermore. If someone even came too close to him these days, he went into a panic. He hated that he’d become something almost feral. Despite that, Bartol resolved himself to hang on tightly to Cori no matter the cost. She was in danger, and he would help her regardless of how much it bothered him. No one deserved the torment her former husband had put her through already, or what he planned to do next. They had to find a way to stop him.
Bartol touched ground on Melena’s front lawn. Cori leaped out of his arms and fell to her knees, retching onto the grass. He stared at her helplessly. Touching her again so soon was beyond him, but he still had an overwhelming urge to soothe her and pull her hair back from her face. It was his fault she was like this, though he’d had no idea the effect flashing would have on her. It had been a long time since he’d transported a human.
“Go get Melena,” Cori said, wiping at her mouth and looking up at him.
He hesitated. “Are you sure you want me to leave you here?”
She let out a dry heave, then sucked in some air. “There’s nothing you can do, so just go!”
Guilt flooded him that his aversion to touching made him want to do as she asked despite the fact he knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. He should stay there and be supportive. But when she started vomiting again, he decided giving her privacy would be the more appropriate course of action.
He hurried to the front door and pounded on it. Melena must have already realized they were out there because it was a mere second later that she stepped out. He gestured toward the lawn. “I believe flashing made her sick.”
“Oh, God.” Melena gave him a horrified look. “I forgot how bad it could be.”
“You’ve flashed before?” he asked.
“A couple of times back when Lucas’ soul was tied to mine so that he could get around my immunity to magic.” She gazed beyond him. “It looks like Cori took it worse than I did.”
Melena hurried down the steps toward her friend.
Bartol stayed on the porch, debating whether he should wait there or flee into the house. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he narrowed his gaze into the darkness. A man with long, black hair and a large build came around the corner. Bartol stiffened. It had been months since he’d last seen Kerbasi, and even then he’d never come this close to him.
He considered flashing back to his cabin to escape the inevitable confrontation. When he’d had to stay at Lucas and Melena’s house for a few weeks after returning to Earth, he’d gone to great lengths to avoid the guardian and stay out of sight. Kerbasi brought back every painful memory of Purgatory until Bartol could almost feel the pain inflicted on him there. It left him weak and vulnerable even without the chains to hold him down anymore. The only thing that kept his feet on the porch was Cori. Would Kerbasi harass her at a time when she was vulnerable and ill on the ground? The man Bartol remembered would do exactly that.
Bartol’s vision colored as he watched the guardian cross the lawn toward Cori and Melena. For the first time, he didn’t feel fear while in the presence of Kerbasi. Even the memories of being tortured didn’t affect him the way they normally did. All he could think about was if the man dared get within arm’s reach of Cori, he would find himself thrown into the next century.
“Get the hell out of here, Kerbasi,” Melena shouted at him.
Cori glared, still gripping her stomach. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“I only wanted to check on you,” the guardian said defensively. “I could ease your dizziness if you like.”
Bartol let out a low growl, not liking that idea at all.
“Not in a million years,” Cori replied with venom in her voice. “I’d rather eat live snakes than ever ask for your help.”
Kerbasi’s shoulders slumped as if he was actually hurt by their words, and he turned away. It was then his gaze fell on Bartol. The guardian cocked his head, studying him. “Have you finally come out of hiding?”
“Go to Hell,” Bartol said through clenched teeth.
“I’ve been there, and I can testify it is quite unpleasant,” the guardian replied, taking a few steps closer. He turned his attention to the scarred half of Bartol’s face and winced. “When I burned you, I wanted to make a point. Back then you were so cocky and full of confidence that I thought nothing could break you.”
Bartol clenched his fists. “No one is unbreakable.”
“I know that now.” The guardian managed to sound regretful, though it had to be some sort of ruse.
“Somehow, I doubt that,” Bartol said.
Kerbasi sighed and lowered his head. “Ever since you returned, I’ve waited for an opportunity to tell you that if I had to do it over again, I wouldn’t have made it permanent.”
“Kerbasi,” Melena screamed from across the yard. “That is not how you make an apology! We’ve practiced this a hundred times, and you still managed to screw it up.”
The guardian shot her an annoyed look. “It’s not as easy now that I have to look at him. I’m trying.”
“And failing miserably. If you want to keep your shack in the backyard, you better try a whole hell of a lot harder,” she replied.
It still amazed Bartol that a woman who’d only recently become immortal and lacked any major power could get away with talking to the guardian like he was a child. Not only that, but Kerbasi put up with it and listened to her. How had Melena managed such a feat? What had she done to break through the guardian’s icy exterior and nonexistent heart?
“What I’m trying to say is…” Kerbasi began.
Unable to listen to another fake apology, Bartol leaped off the porch and sent his fist flying. His knuckles connected with Kerbasi’s jaw and sent him sailing ten feet through the air. The guardian landed on his backside and continued to slide for a few more feet before coming to a stop.
He rubbed his jaw. “I suppose I deserved that.”
Damned right he did.
“Come near me again,” Bartol growled. “And I won’t stop until there is nothing left of your face—maybe not even then.”
“I really am sorry,” Kerbasi said wretchedly, then flashed away.
Bartol let out a sigh of relief, then turned to find Melena and Cori gaping at him from the lawn. “What are you looking at?” he barked.
“A man who finally grew a pair,” Cori answered.
“A pair of what?” he asked, though he suspected the answer.
She grinned, climbing to her feet. “You know exactly what I mean. I don’t suppose there is any chance you’ll drop your pants so I can see how big they’ve grown?”
He decided he liked her better when she was ill. “You have vomit on your shirt.”
Her gaze dropped, and he took the opportunity to escape into the house. The damn women didn’t need him around to talk to each other. Bartol wouldn’t bother staying at all if he didn’t want to make certain Cori got home safely later.
Once he was inside, he headed for the kitchen, deciding Melena owed him food for all his trouble coming to her home. He and Tormod had been distracted from eating their dinner when they got the call about Cori, and he’d never gotten a chance to eat.
Bartol inspected the refrigerator, finding several slices of leftover pizza. While he warmed them in the microwave—one of the few modern inventions he appreciated—he sat on a stool at the kitchen bar. At least Emily and Tormod had not made it home yet so he could have a few moments of peace. Lucas was likely still at the nerou compound. From what Bartol understood, he had to work late there often. Micah—Lucas’ twin brother who also lived in the house—was nowhere to be seen either. He must have been with the nerou as well. It was Bartol’s luck that the only one with the night off was Kerbasi.
He was just pulling the pizza from the microwave when Cori and Melena came into the house, joining him in the kitchen. He pretended not to notice them as he sat down to eat his food. If they wanted to talk, they’d do it without his participation.
“So I talked to Derrick, and he said there have been at least a dozen young vampires who’ve shown up in Fairbanks in the last month, but only half of them have petitioned to stay in town. None of those fit the description of your ex-husband, though,” Melena said, taking a seat across from Bartol.
Cori sat down next to her. “How is he keeping track of the ones who haven’t checked in with him?”
“He’s got informants.”
“Could he ask them if they’ve seen anyone who looks like Griff?”
Melena sighed. “It would help if we had a picture.”
“And because I burned them all I don’t have one,” Cori replied, glancing at Bartol who had a piece of pizza halfway into his mouth.
He glowered at her until she looked away. If she thought he’d already forgiven her for that earlier comment about his appendages, she was mistaken. He intended to hold onto that for some time.
“Does Griff have any family in town who might have a photo of him?” Melena asked.
“I’m fairly certain his parents are still alive. Assuming they haven’t moved, their place isn’t too far from here, but there’s no way I’m going near his father.” Cori shuddered. “He’s worse than his son.”
Bartol looked up, wondering what she meant by that. There was so much about the woman he still didn’t know that it seemed as if new details emerged every time he saw her. “Is there any chance your former husband could be staying there?”
Cori shook her head. “I seriously doubt it. He doesn’t like his father much more than I do and only ever went there to see his mom.”
“I could go there,” Melena said.
“I suppose.” Cori frowned at her. “But could you convince his dad to give you the picture? His mom won’t do anything without her husband’s permission first.”
“I could always knock the man out and take it.”
“That wouldn’t work for two reasons,” Cori said, tucking a loose strand of her black hair behind her ear. “For one, I’ve never seen you hit a human unless they posed a physical threat to you. For two, Griff has an older brother who looks a lot like him. Jacob moved to Washington State not long after his brother and I got married—no idea if he’s still there—but you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between them while you’re looking through the pictures.”
“But if you went with me…” Melena began.
“Nope,” Cori said, tone brooking no argument. “I can’t go to that house…ever again.”
Bartol got tired of them missing the obvious. “Send me, Micah, or Lucas. Any of us can compel the man into handing over the photos and question him on what he knows about his son.”
“I knew we kept you around for a good reason,” Melena said, grinning at him.
“I’m just here to eat your food in exchange for bringing your friend to you.”
The sensor lifted her brows. “Don’t pretend you did it for me. I’d barely told you what happened and where Cori was before you hung up and flashed there.”
He set his pizza slice down. “You gave me a place to stay when I didn’t have one, and you helped me find a new home. I owed you.”
“Which is why you’ve started teaching Tormod and my daughter how to track people in the woods around Cori’s house?” Melena snorted. “You forget I can read right through your lies.”
He’d barely begun training them, and she’d already found out? Bartol stood. “I do not have to put up with this.”
“There’s ice cream in the freezer if you stay,” Melena said, gesturing toward the refrigerator.
He glanced across the kitchen, tempted by the offering. More than once, Bartol had thought about stocking up on ice cream for his own home. The trick would be staying in a grocery store long enough to do it. There were so many things he wanted to buy in there, but his aversion to people still gripped him too tightly. The most he could do was grab the bare essentials.
“I suggest you finish your conversation quickly,” he warned, glancing at both women, “because after I finish my ice cream, I’m taking Cori home…whether she is ready or not.”
“Wow, somebody is grouchy tonight,” Emily said, coming into the kitchen.
Tormod followed behind her. “We did a sweep around Cori’s cabin before we left, but we didn’t sense any vampires within a mile of the place.”
Bartol nodded at him. “Thank you.”
“I could stay with you tonight if that would help,” Emily offered, looking at Cori.
“No,” she said. “Once I’m in the house I’ll be fine, and even if Griff does show up outside, I can just call Bartol. I’d rather not put you in any unnecessary danger.”
“Agreed,” he said, pleased to see the woman had that much sense.
Bartol headed for the freezer and took out a couple of ice cream sandwiches, tossing one to Tormod. The nerou caught it deftly in his right hand. Despite his initial reluctance to work with Bartol, he’d done well over the past two days. The young man deserved a small reward.
“Thanks,” Tormod said, studying the package of ice cream as if he’d never seen it before.
Emily gave him an amused look. “Just take the wrapping off and eat what’s inside.”
“There are so many ways to respond to that.” He cleared his throat when Melena shot him a dark look. “But I won’t say them.”
Emily punched his arm. “Don’t be an ass.”
Bartol settled back on his stool and began eating his ice cream sandwich while Cori and Melena worked out the details for how to track down Griff’s father. It was possible he didn’t live in the same place, but the sensor could look him up while she was at her Department of Homeland Security office the next day. Emily suggested looking the man up on the internet—a reference Bartol still didn’t understand—but Melena said her database would be more up to date. He pretended to follow what they were talking about. Thankfully no one noticed his confusion.
He finished his ice cream. “It’s time to go.”
“Do your flashing thing outside,” Melena said, pointing toward the door. “Kerbasi pissed me off last week, and I made a blood circle around the house.”
Such an act would prevent any magic—to include flashing—from being done within the circle, and it would last for at least a month. Bartol could only imagine how frustrating that must be for Lucas. “What did he do?”
“Showed up in my bedroom unannounced while Lucas and I were having an intimate moment,” Melena replied, grinding her jaw. “Apparently there was a mouse in his hut.”
Emily snickered. “It was hilarious. He was completely terrified, and his hair was flying all over the place since he flashed straight out of bed.”
Bartol couldn’t help but find the story amusing as well. The guardian was over four thousand years old and more powerful than everyone standing there combined, yet it appeared Kerbasi had the maturity of a child now that his position as head torturer had been taken from him.
“Anyway,” Melena continued the story, “we sent Sable in there to root the mouse out. She got it, but only after ransacking his whole shack. I don’t think Kerbasi will be asking us to help with his rodent problems anymore.”
Emily shook her head. “I wouldn’t bet money on it. For always acting like such a tough guy, he can be such a wimp.”
Bartol cleared his throat. “As much as I’d like to continue this riveting conversation, it is time to go.” He turned to Tormod. “And you should return to the compound as well.”
“Right,” the nerou said, handing his empty ice cream wrapper to Emily and telling her goodbye.
Melena looked at Bartol. “I just want you to know you are welcome over here anytime to take another hit at Kerbasi. The only thing I ask is that you try not to break anything. I already have to replace the furniture and windows often enough from Lucas going after him.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” After striking the guardian once, he couldn’t say her offer wasn’t tempting. He only held back now because attacking Kerbasi only proved how much he was still affected by him. Bartol would wait and think on it before acting further.
He, Cori, and Tormod headed outside. The nerou flashed out of sight as soon as he was clear of the house, but it took another minute for Bartol and Cori to prepare themselves.
“This is going to really suck,” she said, grimacing.
It would for both of them. “At least you’ve nothing left in your stomach to lose.”
“I guess that’s true.”
Taking a deep breath, he stepped behind Cori and wrapped his arms around her. Chills ran up his spine and once again his throat swelled, but the panic was more manageable than the first trip. Perhaps if he did this enough times, he could develop a tolerance to the human woman—though that could be dangerous for many reasons.
Concentrating on the living room of her cabin, he flashed them away. After a few seconds of cascading colors flying by them, they arrived. Cori immediately lurched out of his arms and ran for the kitchen. He caught sight of her through the doorway dry heaving over the sink. There was nothing Bartol could do to help her, so he decided to do a sweep outside instead. He flashed from point to point, searching for any man who might be lurking in the woods. After fifteen minutes of searching and finding nothing, he returned.
Cori sat on the couch with a wet cloth over her head, but she opened her eyes when he showed up. “Can we try to avoid doing that again?”
“Don’t you have work in the morning?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then I will take you there.”
She shook her head, then winced. “I’ll call someone.”
“No, you will not,” he said, resolve filling him. “Your former husband has proven he plans to keep harassing you in a variety of methods. We don’t know what he might do next, but it could involve sending humans after you. I will take you anywhere you need to go, and there will be others checking in on you during the day. That’s final.”
She glared at him. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Your friends feel just as strongly about your safety, so don’t bother arguing.” Bartol flashed away. Cori could be a reasonable woman, but she needed time to let that night’s events sink into her mind. He was certain she would be more cooperative in the morning.