Full of the blood and feeling the warmth from Cole’s visit and Hades purring on her lap, she settled into transcribing the court documents she had received the day before. She had built a reputation when she completed the work in a fraction of the time normal transcribers would, and word had spread statewide. Because of her quick work and word of mouth, she had more than enough to keep her busy. But like all other nights since she first met Seth, her thoughts moved off work and onto him.
She wondered whether she should contact Seth, but she wasn’t brave enough yet to hear his voice. Determined to wait until the next class, she had decided that if he were to offer her another chance to get to know him, she wouldn’t hesitate this time. With that settled, she went back to work.
Chapter Five
Seth
Surprise. The one word didn’t even come close to what he felt. Seth was shocked. Every minute since he’d left class the week before, he wondered whether the next class would be the one where Aubrey agreed to get to know him. But he knew not to push. He wanted her to know that his interest wasn’t fleeting. The last thing he wanted her to do was run away because he’d pressured her too much too soon.
So when he arrived in class, he asked her about her week before they moved on to speak about the weather, although that seemed to amuse her when he’d brought it up. He barely heard a word his professor spoke, grateful that the man put all of his lecture notes online, and planned what he would say to get her to agree this time. If she didn’t—well, he could wait. He could be patient. He’d already determined that she was worth it.
The moment class ended, his careful plan evaporated.
“Would you like to come over to my place and talk?”
His voice had disappeared and he found himself nodding in agreement. He had managed to locate his SUV by chance and followed her to the outskirts of town. When he parked and hopped out, not wanting to waste a moment with her, she directed him to a chair on the porch. He watched as she unlocked her door and stashed her keys and bag inside, before she joined him.
The moment he sat on the padded rocking chair, a fluffy ball darted out of nowhere and jumped onto his lap. Seth smiled down at the little cat and held his hand out for inspection. Instead of sniffing him, the cat butted his head against his palm and purred when Seth stroked his back.
“What’s his name?”
“Hades.”
He lifted one eyebrow before he glanced down into the hazel eyes. Yeah, he could see the mischievous glint shining from the all-black cat, and understood that Hades was a perfect name.
“He’s usually not that friendly. Cole and I are the only ones he’s ever shown affection to. And now you, apparently.”
He stiffened as he heard another man’s name, but before he could ask her who Cole was, Hades chose that moment to butt his head against the bottom of Seth’s chin, pulling his attention back to the loving creature on his lap. Hades must’ve sensed the tension and offered what comfort he could. Smart cat.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thanks.”
Her brows drew down at his quick response.
“I would like to get to know you and time doing that is precious to me,” he explained.
“I would like that.” Her shy response sent heat down his spine.
Before he could speak, they were interrupted by a car pulling into the driveway. His eyes never moved from her face. When she smiled at the new arrival, something in his chest stalled as jealousy washed over him. His gaze darted over to the car; his eyes widened as he watched a handsome blond man step out of the car and smile at Aubrey, walking toward the house with a package in his hand. Seth actually growled, low and deep in his throat, when the other man pulled her into a hug, the affection plain on the man’s face.
“Evening, sunshine.”
“Hi, Cole.”
Before he knew his intentions, Seth gently placed Hades on his newly vacated seat and stepped close to Aubrey in a possessive way that wouldn’t have been mistaken as an accident. He watched as the other man’s attention pulled away from Aubrey and landed on him. Instead of surprise, the other man smiled at Seth and caught him off guard.
“Is this him?” Cole asked.
Aubrey nodded. “Yes, this is Seth. Seth, this is my best friend, Cole.”
Now that he had gotten closer, Seth could tell the man was older than him by close to a decade. He couldn’t help wonder at their relationship, but something in his mind understood that Cole wasn’t a threat, but a friend to Aubrey. Seth visibly relaxed.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Seth’s hand shot out.
“You, too.”
The side of Cole’s mouth inched up in a smirk. Ignoring Seth’s hand, Cole reached forward and pulled him into a warm hug. He stiffened in surprise, but it reminded him of Kai’s hug the other day, warm and comforting, so he found himself relaxing. Seth returned the affectionate embrace and with one last squeeze, Cole pulled back.
Cole’s beaming smile made Aubrey laugh. “I’m glad you took my advice.”
“And you—how was your date?”
“It was wonderful. More than I could have ever hoped for. He’s taking me out again tonight.”
Cole radiated happiness. Seth could feel there was a story there, but he didn’t want to embarrass the other man, so he kept his questions to himself. He glanced at Aubrey, and although he could see her happiness at the news, there was an underlying danger that radiated from her.
“If that changes, let me know.” Aubrey’s words were serious.
“You’ll be the first to know.” Cole pulled Aubrey into another hug before he turned toward Seth. “It was nice to meet you. I hope that we can get to know each other soon.”
“You too. I would like that.”
Seth stepped close to Aubrey as they watched Cole head back out the way he came, giving a wave before he disappeared around the corner.
He turned his attention back to Aubrey, taking a chance and reaching for her hand. As he interlaced their fingers, he could see her amazement at the simple action. Slowly, she closed her fingers around his hand and he smiled at her when she looked up, seeking assurance that she hadn’t hurt him.
“How did you meet Cole?”
He tugged her hand, leading her back to the chairs on the porch. Before he sat, he lifted Hades off the chair and settled the cat on his lap before he turned his attention to Aubrey, all while keeping a hold of her hand. She smiled at him, seeming more relaxed than she had in all the time he’d known her.
“It was soon after I turned.” She relaxed back into her chair, but her brow drew down in thought. “Though I suppose I should start from the beginning.”
“I would like to know everything about you,” Seth said.
“I would like to know about you, too.”
Seth nodded. “After, I promise.”
“When I grew up, it had been me and my mother, who had gotten pregnant with me by accident. She had no clue who my father was, and she couldn’t have cared less. My mother loved men, a lot, and wasn’t particular about who she took to bed. When she had me, she found no reason to stop seeing men. Well, when I was seventeen and close to leaving home for college, she made the mistake of bringing a vampire home.”
He couldn’t help his reaction; he tensed. Before he could reason with himself, he lowered Hades onto the table next to his chair, pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her head tucked against his shoulder and she breathed out a breath before she continued.
“I was finishing up my homework when I heard a loud snarl in the living room. I usually cleared out of the house before my mother arrived with her lovers, but that night I was running late. By the time I could realize what the sound meant, I was pinned to the floor, with a man on top of me holding down my arms and legs. He told me that my blood smelled sweet, enticing, and before I could say a word, he sank his teeth into my neck. I only remember pain and closing blackness, but before he drained me, he told m
e that killing me would be a waste. His teeth pierced me again, but this time I felt a tingle that started in my neck and traveled throughout my body. Distracted from the new sensations, he cut his wrist and dripped his blood into my mouth and I swallowed.
“I don’t know how many days passed, but I woke up in the same spot on the living room floor and I could sense everything. When I stood, my mother was sitting on the couch, cuddling with another guy, laughing when she looked at the blood on my clothes and face. I felt the thirst, but for a reason I couldn’t fathom, I didn’t want to hurt her. I went to my room and packed a bag with everything I had and walked to the front door. She didn’t say anything as I left and I didn’t care.”
Seth couldn’t believe that her mother didn’t give a shit about her only daughter. The callousness of it struck him, and the situation with his own parents seemed insignificant compared to what Aubrey had been through. He held her tighter against him and breathed her in as she burrowed her face against his neck.
“I couldn’t bring myself to feed off anyone after remembering the pain of his bite, so I found myself outside the hospital, debating with myself whether I could go inside and steal a couple of bags of blood. That’s when Cole found me.”
He absorbed the vibration as she giggled at the memory. Having her wrapped in his arms, on his lap, seemed as natural as breathing. Aubrey was his, and he would do whatever he had to to keep her close.
“I had forgotten that I hadn’t cleaned myself before I left the house, so I had blood on my face and clothes. My hair was matted with it, and I’m sure that I looked wild, but he didn’t hesitate to approach me. Of course, he was an emergency room physician and was used to blood. His hands were so warm as he checked me for injuries, and since he had come close to me without any hesitation, I found myself leaning toward him. I was thirsty and he smelled appealing, but when I realized where my thoughts had led me, I made myself step away from him. It was the first kind gesture I received from someone and I didn’t want to hurt him.
“When he couldn’t find any injuries, he asked me why I stood outside a hospital. I had no idea why, but I told him everything and watched as the look of horror morphed his kind face. At first, I thought I disgusted him, but when he pulled me into a hug, I knew it was my story that horrified him, not me. He led me to his car and sat me in the passenger seat, asking me to wait fifteen minutes for him. He wouldn’t leave until he was sure that I wouldn’t bolt, and then he locked me in the car and ran into the hospital. He came out with two bags of warm blood and drove me to his house, where he gave me a guest bedroom until I got a job and could afford to live on my own. Cole has kept me fed ever since.”
The respect Seth had for Cole had grown exponentially in the matter of minutes. The man walked into danger when he confronted Aubrey, and yet he did so because he thought she was hurt. And knowing that Cole could’ve left her in the parking lot after he’d fed her, but didn’t, made Seth feel small for his earlier reaction. He would have to thank the doc later.
Chapter Six
Seth
They had moved inside her house after Aubrey sensed Seth shiver from the plunging temperatures on the late September night. She filled the kettle and set it on the stove to brew him a cup of tea and he couldn’t stop himself from asking questions, wanting to know everything about her.
“Why do you have food in your house? Have you tried to eat?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, but Cole comes over, especially after a break-up, and the only way to cheer him up is by feeding him. I haven’t forgotten how to cook from all the years that I took care of myself, so I stock up just in case.”
“You both are the most generous people I’ve ever met.”
“I was in a spot when I first met him—it’s the least I can do.”
“So I take it his dates usually end in disaster?” Seth asked, curious about the man who loved Aubrey like family.
Aubrey handed him the hot mug before she took the seat next to him at her kitchen table. The humor left Aubrey and he nudged her into telling him what happened.
“Usually his dates are losers who discover that he’s a ER doctor who earns a well-paid salary. They come to realize that Cole is a people-pleaser and they take advantage of him. His relationships don’t last long after they get what they want from him, depending on the asshole.”
“Usually?”
“There was this guy, Mark. I didn’t know at first that he started to hit Cole. Cole later told me that it had been a couple of times and he hid the bruises from me, but one night he showed up with a broken arm and a battered face. I took him to the ER and he was patched up, but the emotional toll took longer to get over. Last Friday was his first date in years. I did a background check on his latest date, Simon, and it turns out he’s a nice guy. He started a children’s charity after his nephew died of cancer. He’s never been married, doesn’t have kids, and there’s no criminal record. But if he ever hurts Cole…”
“Do I want to know what happened to Mark?”
Her answering sneer said it all, but she told him how she had run him out of town after she’d taught him a lesson. After she’d described everything she’d done to the man, his only surprise was that the man was still alive and he told her so.
“Pain is something that lasts longer. If I killed him, he wouldn’t remember the fear and pain I caused.”
“Well, at least you and the assassins will get along.”
“What…assassins?”
“Fuck, yeah. Sorry. Maybe I should start at the beginning.”
He skimmed over his relationship with his parents; they weren’t an important part of his life and they could wait until later.
“I met Kai when I was twelve. He was my mysterious next-door neighbor; you know, never out during the day, stealthy, rich as sin. And when my curiosity got the best of me, he caught me trying to break into his house. I thought that he slept in a coffin or had humans chained up in his basement to feed from, stupid shit like that. Well, I didn’t get very far. I suck at trying to pick locks and he caught me.”
She gasped. “Were you scared?”
“I thought he was going to kill me, but he took me inside and talked to me like I was an adult. He let me ask any questions I wanted to and he answered them. He told me he was a vampire—he turned in the early 1800’s—but he wouldn’t tell me what he did for a living. It turns out he works as a government contractor, along with thirty-some shifters and several vampires, assassinating targets that their human counterparts couldn’t touch. I was seventeen when he met his mate, Liv. Liv was human, an immunologist. Her work was stolen and manipulated into making a bioweapon to kill immortals and she risked her life and career to warn Kai and the others. Liv watched out for me and we became close.”
Seth paused as he remembered what happened to Liv.
“What is it?” Aubrey reached for his hands and squeezed gently.
“The scientist who had stolen her work kidnapped her and tortured her. He sent a vampire, Kane, whose mate had been held in exchange for his cooperation to kidnap Liv. He couldn’t find a way into Kai’s secured house, but one day he spotted me as I was going to see her and forced me to open the door for him. Liv exchanged herself for me. She had been beaten within an inch of her life. The only reason she survived is because Kai had turned her while she’d been in a coma.”
“It’s not your fault. You were a kid. Do you think that Liv would’ve allowed you to be hurt in any way? She gave up her career to warn those she didn’t even know and from what you’ve told me, she would’ve done anything to protect those she loves.”
Coming from someone who’d never met Liv, Seth finally started to believe that Liv being kidnapped by Kane had been a set of unfortunate circumstances. He still felt guilty, but he never let it affect his relationship with Liv.
“How do you know the vampire’s name who kidnapped her?” Aubrey asked.
“Liv had dosed him with a sedative and knocked him out when she realized th
at Kane didn’t want to hurt her. Kane confessed all and learned the fate of his mate. It turned out that Dr. Ames had killed his mate, but pretended she was still his captive to manipulate Kane into doing what he wanted. Liv killed Dr. Ames with the same bioweapon he created, after she learned the fate of Kane’s mate. Kane decided that he needed a purpose in life, so when Ghost, the boss, offered him a job, he accepted. After some training, Kane is now an assassin.”
“Is Liv an assassin?”
“No, she uses her skills to find the differences between humans and immortals. I have worked with her over the past three years. I get college credit for work experience, which is why I’m graduating after this semester.”
He cupped his hands around the warm mug and took a sip of tea as he watched Aubrey process what he’d already told her. Although he knew that everything Kai, Liv, and the rest of the assassins had told him was to be kept secret, he knew he could trust Aubrey.
“The assassins work for an organization called the Dark Company, founded by Ghost, who is a white wolf shifter. There are more shifters than vampires who work for Ghost. They used to work individually, but when Kai met Liv, she insisted that she would feel better if Kai had someone to watch his back, so Ghost gave the okay for pairs to work together on all missions. It worked well, especially after Reaper met and turned his mate, Ara. Reaper is a timber wolf shifter and Ara—well, Ara is special. When she was human, she was telekinetic. Able to move objects, manipulate her environment and people. She was turned by accident and is now a red wolf shifter. Her powers have grown exponentially and she can heal and regenerate dead tissue. She brought Reaper back from death.
“You’ll meet Reaper and Ara when I introduce you to Liv and Kai, but the others who are usually around are Xander, Hunter, Gunnar, Ax, Jade—who are all shifters—and Thomas, Isaac, and Kane, the vampires.”
Aubrey was quiet for several minutes, processing everything he’d thrown at her, but he wanted her to be prepared. Hearing about them differed greatly from meeting them.
Seth (Dark Assassins #2.5) Page 3