Aubrey blew out a breath and ran a hand through her hair before she glanced outside, absorbing the silence that the darkness brought after the sun had set for the night. Something that she’d grown to love since becoming a vampire.
She smiled to herself as she caught the sound of the crickets starting to chirp right outside her cabin window. She would enjoy them while she could. Soon it would become too cold for them to survive the winter in the mountains of Colorado.
She left the house and after locking up, slid into her old, yet reliable car for the short trip into the center of Snowfall.
For the past week, she had awoken far earlier than her instincts told her was safe. But since class the previous week, she had been unable to sleep until dusk, grateful for the blackout curtains that covered the tiny windows of her home when she had awoken in the early afternoon. Her sleep patterns had changed because for the first time in her life, she had a craving that had nothing to do with blood.
Aubrey had been on her own for as long as she could remember. When she lived with her mother, the older woman had thought Aubrey was a bother and acted as though she had no daughter. Because of her mother, she had learned to take care of and keep to herself. Nothing changed when she had been turned into a vampire. Instead of seeking companionship, she became more of an introvert than ever.
After her first day of class, strange new feelings developed. She couldn’t identify them right away because she had never experienced them before. It took her some time to realize that she was curious about the tall, handsome man. But more important than that, she desired him in a way that sent her body tingling whenever she thought of him. She wondered how she could desire a man she had met for a brief moment, but logic fled when it came to her feelings for Seth.
From the moment she’d gotten home from class, she tried to keep busy. She had somewhat succeeded by getting plenty of work done, but she couldn’t go several minutes without her thoughts moving back toward the one man who made her feel more than she would’ve thought possible.
And every time she thought of him, a clear image of him standing casually outside of the classroom, waiting for her, would come to the forefront. When she felt truly desperate, she would close her eyes and replay every word he’d spoken to her and every natural movement he made. With her perfect recall, she remembered the way his lips curved into a gentle, yet breathtaking smile when his gaze caught hers. During the conversation, she told herself to keep her eyes locked on his, but she couldn’t prevent her gaze moving from his lips and farther down, to blatantly peruse his toned body, not even trying to hide her interest. She shivered as she thought about the broad width of his shoulders, his defined chest and stomach emphasized by his tight black shirt. But she couldn’t stop there; her eyes slid down to his narrow waist and down over the jeans that wrapped around his muscular thighs, leaving little to the imagination.
Seth was gorgeous and she couldn’t help but wonder why he looked at her with interest. When the brunette sidled up to him and hugged his arm in a familiar way, she didn’t miss the way his muscles tensed at the touch, but she was too inexperienced to know whether his reaction to the other woman was positive or negative. Something in her chest throbbed at the sight, taking her by surprise. Before she could think about reacting, she found herself near the door that led outside to her escape. She couldn’t prevent looking back one last time; when he met her eyes, she gave him a smile and left, determined then and there to drop the class and move on with her life.
But she shook her head when she entered the empty auditorium and took a seat at the back of the classroom, clear across the room from where the others had sat last week. She took a quick glance at her watch and cringed at the time. In her eagerness to capture a glimpse of Seth again, she had arrived fifteen minutes early. Although she had gone back and forth with her decision to disappear, she couldn’t help but want the opportunity to at least see him one more time. If he moved on to other interests, then she would know that he wasn’t worth her time and her decision would be made for her.
Taking out a notebook and one of her favorite pens, she opened to a fresh page and started to doodle. She didn’t need to take notes because of her perfect recall—one of the few benefits of being a vampire, in her estimation—but she needed to do something with her hands. She felt proud of herself for being brave enough to show up. It was against her nature to hang around crowds, but it didn’t stop her best friend from telling her that she needed to get out more, and he was the reason she had signed up for the class in the first place.
Cole had been the first person she’d met after she had been turned, and instead of ignoring her, he befriended her. Over the years, they had fallen into an easy friendship. She had no secrets from him, but he was under the impression that she needed more people in her life, even though the thought of social interaction terrified her.
But that fact didn’t stop Cole from dragging her to the club to act as his wingman, even though the results of the outings usually ended in abject failure.
The man had a horrible track record with dating.
He always managed to find the asshole in the club and proceeded to get his heart stomped on until he was sitting on her couch at three in the morning, crying into ice cream that she kept in her freezer in case of break-up emergencies. But each failed relationship didn’t stop him from trying again, as he liked to point out to her each time it happened.
She shivered as she inhaled Seth’s scent, bringing her out of her thoughts. Before she could lift her head to search him out, he slid into the seat next to her, taking her by surprise. The outraged murmurs that erupted across the room caused her lips to tilt slightly, but she schooled her features before she glanced to her left at Seth. She couldn’t quite meet his eyes, but as she focused on his lips, quirked in a smile, something inside her relaxed.
Aubrey wanted to turn and speak to him but something immobilized her. It had been a long time since she had spoken to anyone new, and she sensed that the conversation with Seth would be more important than a normal, everyday discussion.
“How long ago were you turned?” Seth asked.
“Ten years.”
“How old were you when you turned?”
“Seventeen.”
She watched as he slid his hands toward the edge of the desk and gripped it as she answered his questions. She heard his heart speed up and his sharp intake of breath; a giggle escaped her before she could contain it. But his next question wiped the smile off her face.
“Do you have family, or are you alone?”
“Alone. Well, not completely. After I turned, I left home.”
Her words were cryptic, but she didn’t know how to explain her situation without seeming pathetic. She had Cole and her work, and before she’d met Seth it had been enough for her. But as she glanced into his expressive brown eyes, she couldn’t hold back.
“When I was human, it was just me and my mother. She was my mother in name alone. Although we didn’t get along, I didn’t want to hurt her. The first days I remember that I only thought of blood and wanting blood, so I left. I haven’t seen her since, and I haven’t tried to find out how she’s doing. I have no idea why I’m telling you any of this.” She scoffed but couldn’t turn away from his gaze.
“Because you can trust me.” Seth turned to the front of the class when the professor entered and started to speak.
Could I really trust him?
It was obvious that although human, he interacted with immortals. She could smell the vampire and shifter scents on him again, so he knew about her world. That led to another question. How did he know so many immortals? Would it be rude to ask him?
While she pondered whether she could trust Seth, she absently listened to the lecture. She could sense Seth’s every move—when he glanced at her, when he shifted closer—and she felt warmed at his attention. His heart beat steadily in his chest, and she found listening to it comforting.
Too soon, class ended and they stood. She
sucked in a breath as he laid his hand on her arm.
“Would you like to go somewhere and talk? I would love to get to know you.”
Unable to speak, she shook her head, not quite ready to be alone with the human who affected her in ways she had yet to understand. “I…not yet, okay?”
He smiled at her and handed her a folded piece of paper. “I understand. I’ll see you next week.”
His hand slid down her arm, causing her to shiver, before he reached for her hand. He squeezed it, sending her heart racing, before he let go and stepped back. With one last quirk of his lips, he turned and jogged up the stairs to the exit. Before he left, he turned back and gave her a small wave, which she returned, and he disappeared.
Did I just make the worst mistake of my life?
Her hand tightened at the thought. When the paper crinkled in her hand, she looked down at it curiously. Flipping open the note with her fingers, she smiled. He had written down his phone number.
Chapter Four
Aubrey
As she replayed her conversation with Seth over and over again, Aubrey let herself into her tiny cabin in the outskirts of Snowfall and dropped the keys on the table next to the front door. Placing her bag and coat on the stand by the door, she smiled as a jet-black fur ball wrapped around her ankles. She picked up her cat and cuddled him in her arms.
“Hello to you too, Hades. Did you miss me?”
A loud purr reached her ears as Hades slid his head back and forth underneath her chin as a welcome home. She never tired of his loving response to her. She walked a few feet to her couch and settled onto it, knowing that Hades liked to cuddle with her anytime she’d left the house.
The cat was a wonder. He had shown up on her doorstep one night in the middle of October and scratched underneath it in order to get her attention. She had gone to investigate the sound and jumped back in surprise when the little fur ball darted into the house and settled onto a sofa pillow.
She approached carefully. Normally animals treated her as a predator and avoided her at all costs, but she froze in surprise when the cat rubbed against her fingers instead of recoiling. After a minute, she shook off her surprise and reached forward to search for a collar to see who the cat belonged to, but found nothing.
They had taken a harrowing trip to the vet to check for a chip to identify whether he had an owner, but nothing indicated that Hades belonged to anyone. In the meantime, he decided to adopt her. He was never far from her, choosing to sleep on his bed on her desk when she was awake during the night, and his favorite place to sleep had been between her shoulder and her neck during the day.
As she hugged Hades, her thoughts drifted back to the man she had actually spoken to during class and wondered, again, at her attraction to Seth. He was the first man she responded to, either human or vampire, and she didn’t think that she could pass up the chance to get to know him.
In the back of her mind, she worried that she might become her mother if given the chance. She understood that logically she wasn’t anything like her mother, but she couldn’t help overthinking the possibility when she felt an attraction as strong as the one she felt for Seth.
Although her mother had attracted and gone through men as though they had been disposable, Aubrey usually avoided men or even the thought of dating. Her mother had never been long without a man in her bed; Aubrey had never even kissed a man. And so she ended up the opposite of her mother, never letting anyone close enough to get to know her, and until a week ago, she had been fine with it.
Despite Aubrey settling for being alone, it didn’t prevent her from being a hopeless romantic. She voraciously read romance novels, loved cheesy romance movies, and adored happily-ever-afters. Because of the knowledge she gleaned from her books and movies, she could imagine kissing Seth and wondering what it would feel like, what he would taste like. Not his blood, though she was curious about that as well, but his skin. She had caught a trace of mint and citrus as he’d sat down next to her, the scent crisp and appealing, and she pictured herself running her tongue up his neck and nibbling on his jaw.
A knock on her front door drew her out of her thoughts, and she shivered as she felt a tingle in her core. Hades growled low at being displaced, and she chuckled as she strode around the couch to the front door. The moment she opened it, Cole had a comment.
“Why do you looked flushed? Did you have sex? Is he still here? Or better yet, is he hot?”
She laughed and waited for him to put the thermal pack on the floor before she pulled him in for a hug, snuggling into his shoulder as he surrounded her with his clean scent. His long arms tightened around her and offered her the comfort she sought. He was another like Hades. His instinct became muted where Aubrey was concerned and if she hadn’t sensed other humans’ hesitation to be around her before, she would have thought she was a failure as a vampire.
“I met someone, and no, he’s not here. I was thinking about him though.”
“You didn’t answer my last question.”
She paused for a long while before she answered. “Yes, he’s…hot.”
His laugh echoed around her living room. “About time, girlfriend. I’ve gone ten years thinking that you were defective. Sex is something to be experienced and enjoyed, and while you read about it, a lot, I thought that becoming a vampire had made your lady parts dry up and fall off.”
“Lady parts? Shit, you really are gay. No one calls them that.”
“Just making a point, sunshine.” He laughed and squeezed her tighter.
When she lifted her gaze to his, a fierce wave of happiness sparked in his eyes and she could hear his heartbeat accelerate. She dropped her eyes and caught his breathtaking smile. Not for the first time since she’d met him, she was glad that Cole was in her life.
“Where did you meet him?” He dragged her over to the sofa before he picked up Hades, placed him against his chest and ran his hand down the soft fur.
“My economics class.” A quick flash of her mother had her speaking before thinking. “But I’m thinking about dropping it. Just because you were right about getting out and meeting people doesn’t mean I should waste my time in a class I don’t need.”
The piercing look that Cole gave her had her drop her eyes to her hands, smiling when he placed one of his large hands on hers. He didn’t even have to speak in order for Aubrey to feel guilty. Although she had been brave and spoke to Seth, she was scared to see where it would lead.
“What are you worried about?” Cole’s question carried none of the censure she’d been expecting.
“I can’t get him out of my thoughts. I recall every word, every smile, everything about this man, and I have no idea what to do. I’ve never even kissed a man, and yet I find myself wanting more than a kiss from Seth. He knows what I am, and he’s told me about his family of shifters and vampires. Hell, I didn’t even know there were any other immortals in the area, but from what I’ve scented, there are at least a dozen shifters and several vampires.”
She knew that she was rambling so she paused for a long moment and told him exactly what scared her.
“What if I fall for him and he’s not for me?”
“Sunshine, look at me.” Cole waited until she had. “I’m the last person who can tell you there is such a thing as a happily-ever-after. I’ve had my heart stomped on more times than I care to remember, but giving up before you even start isn’t a way to live your life. Seth might not be the one for you, but knowing that is better than wondering what if. Life is about taking risks, and since I’ve known you, you haven’t taken one. Isn’t it about time you did?”
Aubrey grew silent after he asked her the question that had been a constant since she’d met Seth. Yes, she needed to take a risk, even if it didn’t work out in the end. As she met Cole’s eyes, she nodded.
“Great. Now, I’m off. I have a date with a man that I met online. Wish me luck.”
She pulled him into a hug. “Thanks. Be careful. I’m here if you need me. An
d remember, the offer still stands. I can make anyone disappear without a trace. Especially that last one.”
Cole’s ex, Mark, had turned out to be an abusive asshole. When Cole showed up on her doorstep with a black eye and a broken arm, she had taken Cole to the emergency room in Denver for care at Cole’s insistence that no one at the local hospital know, before she settled him into her guest room. As Cole rested, she tracked the abusive fucker down and instilled the fear of God into the man. She might have shattered his kneecap and broken a few of his fingers, but he would recover. She had made sure that he’d left town and never bothered Cole again. If he ever came back, he knew that she would kill him and make his body disappear. This was Cole’s first date in two years, and whatever happened, she would be there for him.
“I’ll be careful, sunshine, don’t you worry.” Cole winked at her as he headed toward the door.
In a serious tone that had Cole still as he held the door open, she told him exactly how she felt. “I love you, Cole. You are the big brother I never had, and if anyone lays a finger on you in violence, there will be no mercy for him. I protect those I love and I will always look out for you.”
Tears shone in his blue eyes. With one last smile that conveyed exactly what he felt for her, Cole stepped through the threshold and closed the door behind him.
She stood there until she heard his car start and drive away, and only then did she pick up the container that stored her dinner and breakfast. Pulling out the bag near the top, she resealed the pack, ensuring that the blood would be warm when she fed before sunrise.
She sat at her desk, smiling when Hades hopped up on her lap and settled there. He loved the warmth the blood would give her after she drank. As she waited for her laptop to boot, she sunk her teeth into the bag of warm blood and pulled. It took her a few minutes to drain the bag. When she extracted her teeth from the crinkled material, a drop of blood slid down her lip and onto her chin. She had never gotten the hang of drinking without making a mess, but at least she managed to keep the thick liquid from staining her clothing.
Seth (Dark Assassins #2.5) Page 2
