Beasts and Burdens (9 page)

“You seem fascinated by her,” Cori commented after they were back behind the prison.

“She communicates with us empathically. Strong emotions she understands, but it’s hard to communicate to her the small ones. She doesn’t understand when she’s doing something wrong until it’s already done. Somehow Danato has to express to her that she can’t hurt you.”

“How do we do that?”

Belus frowned. “I have one idea, but Danato isn’t going to like it.”

23

“Absolutely not,” Danato grumbled across the small table from Belus. Cori looked between them, as did Marissa—a rather young, attractive nurse, with a robust hourglass figure, who didn’t get the message that her dinner date was canceled. She would have been more than happy to have left without dinner, but Cori insisted she stay, much to Belus’s dismay.

“So, Cori’s moving in indefinitely, then,” Belus suggested.

Marissa looked up sharply, apparently dismayed by that idea. Cori found a sudden need to itch her nose which conveniently covered the growing smile on her face.

“No.” Danato glared at Belus for forcing him into a corner with reverse psychology.

Belus was just as frustrated by the conversation. Cori knew they were both trying to protect her, but Danato’s instincts were to squirrel her away, while Belus’s were to face the problem head on. Danato was usually brave enough to take action, but the threat against her was making him freeze.

“So, what, abandon the house altogether? She won’t find that insulting as hell.” Belus violently scooped another helping of mashed potatoes on his plate, but didn’t touch them.

Cori wanted to mention that she didn’t want to give up the house, but at some point she had become unnecessary to the conversation. “How long have you been seeing, Belus.” She smiled warmly at Marissa and stuffed her mouth with grilled chicken and mango salsa.

“Oh, we aren’t…” Marissa stammered not sure what to say regarding their relationship.

“Cori,” Belus cautioned her quietly, but she just shrugged.

“We can find another way,” Danato continued. “I don’t want Cori back in that house, with or without me.”

“Instead you’ll just wallow in misery there by yourself as punishment?” Belus cut his chicken gruffly. “Just like before!”

“She just needs to settle down!” Danato opened the gate on volume.

“She needs to see that in Ethan’s absence, Cori belongs to you!”

“Excuse me!” Cori added to the volume.

“It’s empathic interpretation, Cori,” Belus defended, “it’s not literal.”

“What makes you think she cares about that?” Danato snarled. “It’s not like she doesn’t see I love Cori.”

“She doesn’t see, Danato, she only feels. She feels what you feel around Cori, and I know it’s not all love.”

“What does that mean?” Cori volleyed the question between them. Marissa tried to sink deeper into her chair.

“It’s not what you think, Cori,” Danato assured her.

“What do I think? I don’t know what to think,” Cori pitched in frustration.

“She feels the love,” Belus clarified, “but she also feels the sadness, and the pain, and the guilt. It’s a package deal.”

Cori dropped her fork. Apparently, Belus wasn’t the only one put off by her similarity to Olivia. “That’s it, I’m going to shave my head and get a face tattoo.”

“It’s not like that, Cori!” Danato insisted.

“Neither one of you can stand looking at me, because you see her.”

“Cori, don’t be melodramatic!” Belus said sharply, before Danato could defend himself. “Danato you need to take her back there. She won’t hurt her with you around.”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Danato asked.

“Because she loves you! Whether it be Olivia’s memories, or your years in that house, she is devoted to you. You’re the only one she caters to.”

“I thought you said the house was jealous of me?” Cori interrupted. “Won’t that make her madder?”

“That is a possibility,” Belus admitted.

“And a risk, I’m not willing to take!” Danato slammed his fist into the table.

“Maybe I am!” Cori yelled back at him and he stared at her in awe. She had stayed quiet long enough. “What is your plan, Danato? Tell me you have some other way to communicate with a non-corporeal being.”

“I want to give her time,” Danato reiterated. He was clenching his jaw trying not to raise his voice at her.

“You want to avoid the confrontation,” Belus murmured. Danato jumped from his chair, and Cori was up right after him.

“Stop!” She pressed her hand to his chest and she could feel his heart thumping. “He’s right.” Danato’s eyes widened at the betrayal. “Look, Danato, if this was a year ago, I would give you the benefit of the doubt, but since I told you about my pregnancy you’ve gone from elated to forlorn.”

Cori glanced back to Belus. “Theory number three. I get that this must be bitter sweet for you. I understand first hand, how you can love someone and resent them at the same time, but maybe the house can’t comprehend those differentiating emotions. Maybe all she feels is how many awful memories I’m dredging back up for you. Maybe, she is just trying to protect you.”

Danato looked to Belus with an unspoken question.

“That makes sense.” Belus shrugged.

Danato looked down at her hand pressing on his chest and scooped it up to kiss it. “You may be right on, Cori. In which case,” he bowed his head slightly to Belus, “taking you back with me, might help her understand.”

Cori hugged Danato and he leaned in close to her ear. “I do not resent you, sweetheart.” She gave him a somber smile and nodded as she pulled away.

“When do we…” Cori sat back down in her seat, and Danato followed. “…do that?”

“Why don’t we at least finish our meal?” Belus suggested with a hint of displeasure.

“Not that I would mind sleeping in your bed another night.” Cori bit back her smile as Marissa choked on her water.

Belus shook his head fully exasperated. “You can take her back whenever you’re ready, Danato.”

Danato smiled slightly, finding some amusement in her joke. “With pleasure.”

24

“I’m sorry I have to put you through this,” Danato said as they walked through the door to the house. Belus and Cori were in agreement that there was no time like the present to start working toward an understanding with the house.

Belus, along with a team of men, waited outside the house with axes, just in case there was trouble and they had to force their way in. No one had bothered informing them that a rescue attempt would be futile if the house decided to retaliate, but they had put Cori at ease and that was enough of a reason to bring them.

Danato wasn’t as confident that the house would treat him with any special care, but since he was able to convince her to release Cori the first time around, he hoped that Belus was right about that also.

“I’m not sorry.” Cori gripped his hand. “I only wish you had been honest with me about your past to begin with.”

“I know, it was foolhardy and dangerous, but...” They stopped between the table and the couch and waited for the house to respond to Cori’s presence. “I barely kept my sanity through it the first time. Reliving it wasn’t appealing to me.”

“I understand that, but you can’t expect pain like that to just go away.” She turned to face him. “You loved Olivia.”

Danato felt a pang of heartache at hearing Cori say her name. The lights flickered and he glanced around. Cori did the same. “Go on sweetheart,” he urged her. “Say what you want to say.”

“I love Ethan, and if he died, I would be beside myself with sorrow, but…” The temperature in the room skyrocketed, and Cori shifted uncomfortably. He gripped her hand and drew her in a little closer. “…I would tell my children how wonderful he was, not hide him from them.”

Danato knew the pain she was inducing was fueling the house, but he needed her to continue. It was the only way the house would understand the complexity of his love for Cori.

“You must have good memories of Olivia. You should be able to share them with us, so we can know her.”

The tears rolling down his face, seemed to spring from nowhere, but he didn’t wipe them away. He let the emotion overtake him. The grief, the pain, the sorrow. That was when the kitchen erupted in a burst of fire.

Danato pulled Cori away from the tentacle flames and sheltered her under his body, blocking the force of the blast that sent glass raining onto them. “No!” He yelled over the din of crackling flames and inhuman creaks from the house. “Don’t hurt her!”

The heat on his back eased and he looked up. The entire house had shifted slightly, making it appear malformed and offset. The flames of the fire twisted and writhed into a tornadic form at the base of the stairs.

“What is she doing?” Cori clutched him tightly.

From the whirlwind of fire, a body formed. It was only a flame shell, hollow on the inside, but it represented a human form as well as a shadow did. The figure pointed accusingly at Cori sending tendrils of fire toward her.

Danato pulled her back behind him and the reaching attack retracted. “No! Don’t hurt her!” He pushed every thought into the anger he felt at anyone trying to hurt Cori.

The figure stepped forward, tipping its head back and forth. It appeared to be trying to see around him to see Cori. The creature threw its fists to the ceiling, and the rafters cracked, sending the roof down on them.

After a shower of drywall, one of the rafters collapsed above them. The brace was directly above Cori and on its way to crush her. She moved, but her footing was tripped by a tendril that Danato couldn’t stop.

He flung himself over her just as the thick metal landed. He would have been lucky to survive the massive impact, but it never hit.

He leaned over Cori, and she hyperventilated and clutched her stomach protectively. The tears in her eyes were enough to make him regret coming there, let alone the scratches on her face and hands.

He glanced back at the beam, which had conveniently or intentionally gotten hung up on the table. The fire shadow behind him looked like a bobble head, trying to impress upon Danato, its confusion.

Danato touched Cori’s cheek, wiping away a tear and smudging her with dirt at the same time. “Are you okay?”

“Are you?” She sniffled, glancing back at their enemy’s face.

“I’ve had better days.” He smirked and she laughed tearfully.

“I don’t think this is working,” she said. “She’s just getting angry at you for protecting me.”

“Yes, she’s frustrated.” He brushed her hair away from her eyes.

“Ouch!”

“What’s wrong?” Danato searched her for broken limbs and shrapnel wounds.

“The baby’s kicking me. Adding punishment to misery, are you?” She scolded her belly.

“May I?” Danato looked her over, not sure what was kosher.

“Now?” Cori glanced back at the creature. Danato smiled and she gleaned his purpose. She grabbed his hand and pressed it to where the child had previously poked her.

He frowned and shook his head. “I can’t feel anything.”

“Poke it,” she said glancing at the creature, which as Danato hoped, was still watching the scene play out.

“Really?” he asked surprised that she would approve. She nodded. He pushed in on her stomach and bumped into something that could have been her rib, except that it pushed back against him. “What?” He looked up at her and she smiled. “Was that a foot? It just kicked me.” She nodded and he poked at her again.

The tiny body inside seemed perturbed by his intrusion and pushed back against Cori’s stomach to reposition away from him. He laughed abruptly and for a moment forgot the mortal danger they were faced with. “Oh, Cori, I can’t wait to meet your baby.”

“I’m kind of interested in getting to know it too.” She smiled.

Danato moved from under the beam and helped Cori out as well. He took her hand and marched forward, no longer afraid of the imagery of humanity before him. Cori dragged behind him not wanting to get any closer.

He stopped face to
face
with the projection. “Do you feel that?” he asked booming his voice through the room. “You will not hurt her! She
and
her baby are everything to me.” He pressed his hand to his chest. “I would sooner rip apart this entire prison, and leave you alone in this tundra then risk her life! Do you understand?” Danato pulled Cori close, and crushed her to his chest. She pushed him away slightly, but once she realized the body of flame wasn’t going to hurt her, she relaxed against him. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

The head of the projection weaved back and forth, trying to imitate looking between them. After the quiet observation, the head seemed to bow and the entire creation disappeared. The house creaked and groaned as the metal and glass re-manifested itself in proper order.

25