“Are there other types of Nephilim?” She headed into the bedroom to find he’d already laid out clothes for her.
“There are others, but those are the ones in my cell.”
“What about the Shem? Do they have different types?”
“Shem are angel-born, just like we are. But instead of trying to use their powers for good, they’ve chosen to feed off of humans, becoming monsters in the process. If you met up with an Angelus who is a Shem, you’d know him by his shadowy wings.”
She paused in the act of combing her hair. “The Shem who’s after me? Is he an Angelus?”
Seth sighed and pulled up his jeans. “No. A Chameleon. He can look like anyone, anywhere. He could look like your mother, or Bill, or Nancy, or a favorite customer.
“Or Doug.” She shuddered.
“Yes.”
“Why me?” It came crashing back down on her all of a sudden. This wasn’t some crazy, real-life paranormal romance. There was a monster, a real one, out to hurt her.
“Your terror. After what happened to you, you’re a prime target for a Chameleon’s appetite. Chameleons feed off of your fears until your mind breaks or...”
“Or?”
He stared at her in the mirror, and she could almost see his wings. “Or you die.”
“How do I fight that?” She set the comb down, her hands shaking.
“You don’t. I do.”
She met his eyes again in the mirror, read the determination in them and nodded. “Okay, Seth.”
The smile she got in return did little to ease her fears.
* * *
They had lunch by the shores of the lake, watching the gulls swoop over the water and simply enjoying a moment of peace. Seth deliberately kept the tone light, refusing to bring up the subject of her stalker. He went out of his way to charm her, feeding her grapes and bite-size bits of sandwich until she was stuffed. After they ate, Seth took her on a long, meandering walk along the beach, pointing out what parts Piotr had altered and which parts were natural. There were boats out on the lake, a few of them kayaks, and she shuddered at the thought of swimming in that cold water.
They walked along amiably for a bit, holding hands and pointing out boats to each other, when Seth suddenly stopped and stared out over the water. “What’s your dream house look like?”
Abby smiled dreamily. She didn’t hesitate a moment. “It’s a hacienda, of course, with breezy airways, pale yellow stucco outside with fountains and gardens. I want an in-ground pool, a gazebo overlooking a fish pond, and daffodils. Lots of daffodils, and roses. Inside would be decorated like my town house is now, all warm colors and character. And a gourmet kitchen.” She grinned up at him. “I love to cook, and I’ve always wanted an island. I want one of those dual ovens, too. I want a sun room I can use as a dining room so I can see my garden, and a huge master suite with a two-person bathtub. Four bedrooms for the kids I want to have someday.”
Seth whistled. “You don’t ask for much, do you?” He eyed her dubiously. “Four kids, huh?”
She grinned up at him. “Well, you did say dream house.” They rounded a corner, and the breeze picked Abby’s hair up and blew it into her face. She tossed her head and used her free hand to hold it back. Seth helped her dig out her hair clip and she clipped it into a ponytail at her nape. They resumed their walk, hand in hand.
“It sounds really nice.” Seth’s expression was suspiciously bland.
She laughed. “It also sounds expensive, doesn’t it? I could never afford it.”
“You’ll want some land, too, if you want a pool and a gazebo.”
“I guess so. I hadn’t thought about that.” She shrugged. Everyone had a dream house, and few people got to live in it. “Ah, well. Until I hit the lottery, I’m pretty happy with my town house. It’s home.”
“It’s warm and inviting, just like you.” Seth lifted her hand and kissed it.
She smiled up at him. “Okay, Mr. Architect, your turn. What would your dream home be like?”
“I’d like a front porch.”
She waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, she stopped and stared at him, laughter dancing in her eyes. “That’s it? A front porch? Won’t it get cold sleeping there in winter? Or will you build this front porch in Florida?”
He shot her a look as he tugged her along behind him. “I’m partial to porch swings.” She had a sudden, vivid image of sitting on a swing, watching their children play in the yard while they sipped coffee and discussed their day. “Other than that, I’d like it to be a place filled with laughter and sunshine, a good place to raise kids. I’m fond of modern, myself, but I’m flexible on the subject.” He shrugged. “Mostly when I think of a dream home, I think of family, and safety.”
She could understand that. She valued safety and family because she’d lost them. If he truly was some mystical warrior fighting evil, safety for family would come before anything.
She blinked. Oh. Oh, my God. That’s why he’d freaked so badly over what had happened with the fire. It made perfect sense now, and any lingering resentment faded to nothing. She got it.
They walked for a while longer, the feel of his hand in hers soothing and full of love. She looked down at his gloved hand, tangled with hers. It had gotten chilly out during their walk. She bit her lip, her heart pounding as she realized they’d forgotten to glove something else. “Seth?”
“Hmm?”
“Why didn’t you and Fiona have kids?”
He stopped, his expression solemn. “We tried. It just never took. We later discovered she couldn’t, so we started seeing a fertility specialist and talked about adoption. That’s when we discovered she was sick, and the last thing on our minds was kids.”
“Is that one of the things you regret the most? That you and Fiona never had children?”
Seth sighed and tucked her hand through his arm. He resumed walking as he said, very quietly, “Yeah, I regret that, but I try not to think about it too much.”
“That’s good.” She winced when a frown tightened his brow. “Do you want children?”
“Yes.” The utter conviction in his voice was reassuring.
“Um, soon?” She peeked at him through her eyelashes and hoped she wouldn’t have to spell it out for him.
His eyes narrowed, then went wide as realization hit. “Oh, my God. I don’t believe it.” He ran his hand through his hair with a distracted air. “And I promised to protect you.” He scrubbed his hand over his face and took a deep breath. “I gather you’re not on the pill?”
She shook her head, never taking her eyes off of him. “It wasn’t an issue before. I hadn’t been with anyone but Doug, and because of the medication they had me on for pain, my doctors took me off the pill. Blood thinners and stuff, and the pill has been known to cause strokes, so they were concerned.” She shrugged. “Besides, I’ve always been regular as clockwork.” She chuckled. “Trish hates me.”
“Okay then. If something happens, we’ll deal with it. And from now on I’ll protect us.”
“I don’t mind going back on the pill. I can talk to my doctor as soon as we go home.”
He ran his hands up and down her arms in a soothing motion. “It’s okay, Abby. It wouldn’t be the end of either of our worlds.” He kissed her softly. “You’re mine, remember? A pregnancy just gives me someone else to love.”
She swallowed sudden tears. “Of course.” Seth would never turn away from a child.
“It’s all right, Abby. I was angry with myself, not you. I knew you hadn’t been with anyone in a long time, and I should have remembered that last night.”
“And this morning.”
He pulled her closer, his hands gently cupping her rear end. “And this morning.” His voice was full of sensual memories as he leaned in for another kiss, but the wind coming off the water was too bitter for them to do anything more than that.
Seth wrapped his arm around her while they walked. Abby tried to drive the image of herself, round with his c
hild, from her mind, but it was so hard.
She hoped it would have his eyes.
Chapter Ten
“Bill wants you to contact him.”
Abby watched as Seth downed a blueberry muffin in two quick bites. They’d been in the mansion a week, and the daily fresh muffins were her favorite part of the day. She’d have to rethink the whole egg-white-omelet-breakfast thing. She picked up her own apple cinnamon muffin and took a bite before answering. Damn, these were good. “How do you know that?”
“I couldn’t sleep last night, so I checked my e-mail. He said he wants to make sure you’re okay. Just don’t tell him where we are. I don’t want anyone to know yet.”
“Okay. I’ll call him.”
They settled back into their quiet morning routine, and Abby made the call once they were done. Seth was in the room with her, working at his laptop. He seemed to be busy with some kind of design program, but every time she tried to get a closer look he zoomed in, or moved to an interior view that confused her. She shrugged. She supposed she’d have to get used to it. He was an architect. For all she knew there were privacy laws she was breaking or something.
“Abby. I’ve got some information on the guy assigned to your case.” He paused for a moment. “Is Seth taking care of you?”
“Yes, Bill. Seth’s taking good care of me.” In more ways than one. She winked at Seth when he glanced at her. “What did you find out?”
“They’ve got someone assigned to it, but I haven’t met him yet so I can’t tell you much. His name is Detective Jarvis.”
“You mean you don’t know everyone in the precinct?”
“I work homicide.” She could practically hear his eyes rolling.
“Pardon me, Sherlock. I forgot for a moment.”
Bill should have had some snappy comeback for that. “Don’t worry, I’ll hunt him down. Make sure he understands how important this case is.”
“Thanks, Bill.”
“Say hi to Seth for me, and remind him I know several different ways to dispose of his body if he doesn’t treat you right.”
“Will do. Love you, bro.”
“Love you too.”
She hung up, strangely cheered. She’d missed that connection with her family. She’d have to make sure she had dinner with Bill and Trish as soon as all of this was over.
She watched as Seth worked, the planes and angles of his face lit by the computer screen, his eyes intent and focused. She’d seen that expression before, and knew that she’d lost him for the next couple of hours. Once Seth got into his designs, he was in his own world, making art people would live and work in.
It was strangely hot.
“I’m going to go for a walk, Seth.” She started toward the door.
“Umm,” he replied. “Be careful, Abby. Don’t leave the vicinity of the house, okay?”
She nodded. Her safety seemed to be the only thing that pulled him from his designs. He’d explained that most of the Neph had careers, like himself and Dante. Some were entrepreneurs who could set their own hours, and still others ran their own businesses. Hunting Shem wasn’t a full-time gig and they each had to survive in the human world. The only difference was, about half the Neph lived with Gabriel, taking advantage of having the angel watching over them.
“I promise. I’ll see you at lunch.” She blew him a kiss, and he smiled. She hadn’t even shut the door completely before the building taking shape on the screen once again captured his full attention.
* * *
Seth waited until Abby was out the door before picking up the phone. He needed to check in with the police department and find out who had taken over Abby’s case. She’d finally relaxed again, and unless he had bad news, he had no intention of bursting her serene bubble. It couldn’t last, but for now, he wanted her to have some peace.
Twenty minutes later Seth was growling and ready to kick a cop’s ass. Yes, Detective Jarvis had talked to Detective Zucco, and yes, of course these things tended to escalate. He knew all about the incident in Hidden Springs and had already talked to the police chief there. He would get back to them as soon as he had anything. His tone was dismissive throughout the entire conversation, and Seth was livid. He called Bill and vented, and Bill promised to bitch to his captain. Other than that, there was little they could do until Dante returned to work. Damien was no lone warrior, and with the others trying to find the missing Rafe...
It looked like it would be up to Seth to catch Abby’s stalker.
Maybe it was better this way. If it was a Shem, Jarvis would be in over his head. At least Dante could handle a Shem. Jarvis was human, and would be toasted before he could react.
He leaned back in the chair and went over what needed to be done. Piotr and Andi were doing deep background research on Doug. It was something Andrea Hancock excelled in, one of the main reasons Piotr kept her so close. She was a wiz at finding information on just about anyone and anything, and as a result was invaluable to Piotr’s business. But, as important as that information was, it would take a while to gather. In the meantime Abby still wasn’t safe.
Time to call Dante. He picked up his cell and hit the quick dial for his brother.
“Dante Zucco here.” The detective’s deep, smooth voice was filled with fatigue.
“It’s Seth. I just had a talk with the man who took over Abby’s case.”
There was a long sigh. “Yeah. Detective Jarvis. Sorry about him. I didn’t have any input as to who got the case after the accident.”
“Are you okay? I’m guessing Damien went home.”
“Thank God. If he was any farther up my ass, he’d be a hemorrhoid.”
Seth chuckled. Damien could be just as overprotective as any of them, despite the fact that his particular powers weren’t as useful in combat as Dante’s or Seth’s.
“Stupid medicine has me sleeping most of the day.” Seth winced. If Dante was on pain medication still, it was a worse break than he’d let on. “Can’t wait until I can get off it. Anyway, what was the discussion with Jarvis about?”
Seth leaned back and propped his feet on Piotr’s desk. “He seems less than enthusiastic about pursuing Abby’s case.”
“Yeah. I got that impression when I talked to him. Seems he thinks the whole thing is a prank by some kids, and plans on looking at it from that angle.”
Seth’s feet hit the floor with a loud thud. “Kids? You’re fucking with me, right? Tell me this isn’t about the time I teased you guys over the Mafia names thing.”
“Nope. I wouldn’t fuck with you about your woman’s safety like that.”
“Shit.” No, Dante would never put any woman’s life in danger, especially someone Seth loved.
“I told him he’s an idiot. Showed him the photos of both town houses, but he didn’t want to listen to me. Even had him call your folks and the sheriff up there in Hidden Springs. Didn’t make an impression.”
Seth got up and paced toward the window. He pulled the curtain aside and saw Abby walking slowly around in the garden. “How did this man get to be a detective?”
There was a snort of laughter on the other end of the phone. “I have no idea. Sorry, Seth. I’ll do what I can once I’m back on my feet, but it isn’t going to be much at first.”
Seth watched as Abby bent to pick something up. He smiled softly as she twirled a red leaf between her fingers.
“You two decide what your next move is?”
Abby moved on, her eyes wandering around the garden. “We’re eventually going back to Abby’s town house. Not much choice, if either of us wants a job to go back to.”
“She determined to go back to work?”
Seth sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. If I had my way, she wouldn’t. But she loves her job and doesn’t want to lose it. If I know her, she’s already working out ways to talk to her boss without letting her know where she is.”
“Tell you what. I’ll call her boss and let her know what’s going on. You make Abby sit tight and not do anything. Got
it?”
“Good idea. Thanks. That should make her feel better.”
“I’m counting on it. Not much more I can do until I’m off the damn pain pills, but I can do that much. I’ll keep on Jarvis’s back until he comes up with something. If he hasn’t soon, I’ll do a little discreet inquiring of my own, okay?”
A vast wave of relief moved through Seth. “Yeah, thanks.” Seth took a deep breath. “She knows about me.”
Dante damn near choked. “How’d she take it?
Seth grinned. “Very well.”
“Lucky fucker. Hey, can you do me a favor?”
“Sure, what do you need?”
“Tell Abby to call off Rand.”
Seth blinked. “Okay, but I have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Don’t tempt me.” Dante chuckled.
“Who’s Rand?”
Dante grunted, exasperation clear in his voice. “Elizabeth Rand, private investigator, public pain in the ass. That Rand.”
“Never heard of her.” Abby was sitting on a stone bench, staring into space. The expression on her face was very solemn. He wondered what she was thinking about.
“Huh. Might want to ask your girlfriend, then, because she’s made a serious pest of herself.” The disgust in his voice changed to amusement. “Then again, since I’m not officially on the case anymore and Jarvis is...hmm. This has possibilities after all. Tell you what, don’t talk to Abby. I want to see just how crazy Rand can drive Jarvis. She might actually get him to move his ass on this case for you.”
“If she’s hindering the case, maybe I should talk to Abby.” Her friend was a private investigator. Now wasn’t that interesting? And since when had she asked said friend to work on her case?
“If she hinders the case, she’ll be removed. Trust me. Anyway, I’ll see what I can do on my end, you do what you can on yours. Okay?”
“Will do. Hope you feel better, Zucco.”
“Thanks. You take care of Abby. Oh, and tell Count Dracula I said hi.” Seth snorted in amusement. “Stay safe, my brother.”
All for You Page 21