Seth (Dark Assassins #2.5)

by Valerie Ullmer

  Her brows drew down and she stared at him for a long while. “You want me to change you.”

  “Yes. I can’t live without you, Aubrey. You are my mate, and I am yours. I would be willing to sacrifice everything to be with you, so what’s a few days’ pain in the long run?”

  “How long have you been thinking about it?”

  He blew out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. She wasn’t rejecting the idea outright. He understood that she wasn’t going to overreact to his news, possibly because of the reaction and ease in which she drank from him.

  “Since the first moment I spotted you in class.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you are my mate, and I plan to be with you for the rest of our lives. That would be much easier if I was a vampire.”

  She contemplated his words for several long minutes. She never moved away from him, and he felt safe enough to thread his fingers through her hair. He wanted to tell her of his feelings for her, but he couldn’t influence her decision.

  “Don’t make a decision right now. I want you to meet my immortal family and you can think about what you want. I promise I won’t pressure you. I want you to know everything about me.”

  Nodding, she took him by surprise and leaned forward to kiss him, a playful brush against his lips. He deepened the kiss and as she opened for him, time lost all meaning as he savored each gasp and moan. Happiness shot through him, multiplied by his feelings and hers swirling together in his chest, until he could sense anxiety that wasn’t his own.

  “What’s wrong, gorgeous?”

  “Your family hasn’t even met me. How do you they know I wasn’t a threat to you?”

  “Because they trust me. If I was at all worried, Liv would have had Xander scour the Internet for any record of you, and you would have probably been surveilled by Jade or Gunnar to ascertain the danger you posed to me.” He laughed as he thought about his family, surprised that they hadn’t already done some of their own research. “Have you caught a scent around your place that you haven’t recognized?”

  “No. I can smell them on you and in your house, but they aren’t familiar to me.”

  “Good. Now on to more important things…are you sore from last night?”

  Her answering blush shot straight to his cock as it twitched at the thought of making love to her again. A breath escaped as she dropped the sheet and he caught sight of her hardened, dusky pink nipples. His gaze shot to hers, needing to make sure he didn’t do anything to hurt her.

  “No.”

  “Fuck, gorgeous. I need you again.”

  With agility and grace, she crawled over to him and straddled his thighs. Her hips glided closer to his cock and she sucked in a breath as her wetness brushed against his hardness. In the space of a heartbeat, she lifted her hips and lined his cock at her entrance, before she lowered herself slowly. It was torturous, yet exquisite. Their breaths caught as she squeezed him, but a loud groan escaped him as she lifted off his cock and slammed back down again.

  His hands gripped her hips, guiding her movements as he used the leverage of his position to drive up into her. Pleasure and need made his movements jerky, but neither of them cared as they strained toward the other, hoping to send the other over the edge. Caressing the soft, silky skin on her back, he pulled her forward as he aimed for a kiss that would leave them breathless. But she had other ideas. She nipped at his lip, moving to his ear, and when she licked a swath across his neck, he groaned in anticipation of what was to come.

  “Seth, may I?” she asked.

  “Please.” His voice came out deep and almost pleading.

  A low snarl escaped her throat, and he shivered as the sound caressed him. Instead of sinking her teeth in, she numbed the area several more times before he felt the pinch of her teeth on his neck. This time when she bit down, he could feel the slow slide of her teeth piercing his skin as erotic sensations exploded throughout his body. His back arched and his hips drove up, but he didn’t come until her lips pressed against his neck and hummed her pleasure.

  “Oh, fuck, Aubrey.”

  His body hadn’t given him any warning as the pleasure from her bite overwhelmed him. Her inner muscles squeezed him and when he felt her hot, wet heat wash over his cock, his arms clamped around her to hold her to him as he erupted inside her, the scream of pure satisfaction escaping his throat.

  It took him several minutes for him to shake off the intensity of their orgasm, but he smiled when he realized that Aubrey had only just finished drinking from him. She gently pulled her fangs from his neck and licked the area several times, closing the punctures. Seth experienced nothing but sated pleasure as she dropped onto his chest and he wrapped his arms around her to hold her close.

  “You should eat. I drank a lot from you this time.”

  He pulled her closer, not wanting to end the bliss that had been with him since he woke up with Aubrey in his arms.

  “Soon, after we take a nap.”

  Her laughter warmed him and when she made no move off him, he reached for the blanket and covered them both. He pressed a kiss to her lips before his eyes closed and the warmth of her body pulled him into a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  Aubrey

  The past week had been the best of Aubrey’s life. They’d sequestered themselves in Seth’s spacious cabin as they had gotten to know each other more each day. They had barely managed to drag themselves to class at the end of the week, and she hadn’t paid much attention.

  Emily had watched Seth walk in the classroom with his arm around Aubrey and for the rest of the lecture, she could feel the other woman’s glare. Seth had told her all about their so-called date, and found that she didn’t care about the woman anymore.

  The one thing that bothered her was when Seth waved off her concern about his other relationships. Although she loved their time together, she worried that she kept him from his family, but he reassured her that they would understand.

  “When Reaper found Ara, they would disappear for hours, days at a time, because when you find your mate, they are all that matters.”

  They had spent hours talking about everything that came to mind as they lounged in bed or curled up on the couch. Hades had adopted Seth and when they were talking, she could find him curled on Seth’s lap, fast asleep. Since they had first made love, she started to sense his moods but also when he needed her touch. Their movements seemed to reflect a natural closeness that she’d never felt with anyone other than Seth.

  When he needed to eat, she would go into the kitchen with him and sit on the counter as they talked, or sometimes when he challenged her cooking skills, she would cook for him and take pleasure when he praised her. When she needed to feed, he would sense her hunger and pull her into his arms and expose his neck. They were never far from the other and they hadn’t tested the boundaries of separation. The day after they’d made love, she needed to pick up Hades, her clothes, and laptop from her cabin. She asked him to go and visit his family and encouraged him by hinting that Liv might miss him considering he hadn’t been to their place in close to two weeks. But he wouldn’t hear of it. She felt relieved at his refusal, but guilty as well.

  Aubrey could admit to herself that Seth’s focus on her and her alone felt spectacular. She loved being able to touch him whenever she wanted, to kiss him before he wrapped her in his arms and devoured her mouth. In his arms, she knew that she was safe.

  Seth had even arranged his sleep schedule around hers. During the evenings and into the early mornings, they spent time together in all ways special to her. On colder nights, they would curl up under a blanket as they watched movies. As they both loved to read, he shared some of the mysteries he enjoyed and although he wouldn’t try to read one of her romances, he listened intently as she described her favorite books and why she loved them. It was a domestic life that she’d never experienced before.

  One evening, Seth had arranged a surprise for her. When she heard a knock
at the door, she thought that Kai and Liv, or another immortal, had come to visit. But when he opened the door, Cole rushed to her and picked her up in a hug that was so familiar, she could feel tears sting her eyes as she blinked to stop them from falling.

  “It’s good to see you,” she breathed.

  Cole pulled back from the hug and went to give one to Seth, who accepted it without a thought.

  “Well, Seth called last Saturday and told me that you didn’t need blood delivered any longer. We started talking and he invited me over. I’ve missed you, sunshine.”

  “I missed you, too.”

  This moment with Cole and Seth had her heart swelling until a lump formed in her throat.

  “How is it going with Simon?” She cringed when she remembered that Cole hadn’t told her his date’s name.

  With a hand on his hip and a narrowing of the eyes, Cole glared at her. “You checked him out before I even went out with him, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. After what happened with Mark, I check all the guys you go out with. Too bad asshole doesn’t show up on their profile. It would save time.” She folded her arms across her chest.

  Cole laughed at that and pulled her into another hug. His eyes lit up with what could only be described as love. He started to pace, as if he couldn’t contain the excitement that talking about his relationship caused.

  “Simon is great. We’ve been seeing each other almost every day. He cooks me dinner after my shift and we spend hours talking, about everything and nothing. I’ve never felt so electrified by a kiss before.”

  Seth wrapped his arm around her waist as he joined in on their conversation. “You seem happy, Cole.”

  “I am as happy as you make Aubrey, and I thank you for that, Seth.”

  “Can we meet him?” she asked.

  “Yes, I would like that.”

  They sat down to dinner—well, Seth and Cole did—and talked about all they had missed over the past few weeks. Seth told Cole about him knowing that Aubrey and he were mates and about his decision to transition into a vampire. Of course Cole had brought logic into the conversation, reminding her that forever is a long time to be without someone you love. Cole had left soon after dinner was finished, admitting with a smile that Simon had asked him to spend the night. Aubrey hugged her friend before she watched Seth and Cole hug, as if they had been life-long friends.

  Her eyes drifted over to her right and for a long moment, she watched Seth’s chest rise and fall with deep breaths as he slept. Aubrey had woken early and despite the warmth Seth provided, couldn’t go back to sleep. She pulled a book from her pile of to-be-reads and after making sure that she hadn’t disturbed Seth, lowered her eyes to the page and started to read.

  Minutes later, her head jerked up and she concentrated on the sound that had come from the front of the house. She choked back on the snarl that formed because of the threat. Setting aside the book, she moved soundlessly out of the bed and pulled on a sweatshirt and black yoga pants. Locking the bedroom door as she left Seth sleeping, she crept toward the alcove near the front door, slipping into the dark corner. She almost sucked in a breath when a shadow crossed in front of the windows and stopped right at the door.

  The door flung open, missing her face by mere centimeters. Aubrey took a deep breath. Something about the woman’s scent triggered a memory, the scent familiar to her from the first day of class when she had come close enough to Seth to scent him. She took a split second to run her eyes over the only other female vampire that she’d ever seen, and something about her calmed Aubrey. Amazed by the tiny vampire with long, curly brown hair, Aubrey missed the other woman’s movement as her hand shot out and caught the door before it slammed against the wall near the closet.

  Without thinking, Aubrey stepped from the shadows, surprised when the other vampire hadn’t noticed her movement. She watched in amazement as the woman slowly closed the door, locking it, before she blew out a relieved breath.

  “Hello?” Aubrey had tried to keep her voice low, not wanting to wake Seth.

  The vampire squealed, loudly, at Aubrey’s voice. She whipped around to face Aubrey while she pressed her back up against the front door, her eyes wild and searching. Not wanting to present herself as a threat, Aubrey locked down her muscles and lowered her gaze to the floor, cursing herself for startling the other woman. She opened her mouth to apologize, but the words stuck in her throat as she tilted her head up and watched the fear evaporate from the other woman’s features. The vampire sniffed the air and Aubrey watched, puzzled, as the vampire beamed at her.

  Even with her perfect eyesight, Aubrey couldn’t track the blur the smaller woman made as she rushed forward and pulled Aubrey into a hug. The hug encompassed her, and the scent of apples and lemongrass assailed her senses. Tears pricked at her eyes at the embrace. It had been the first hug she ever received that felt…motherly. Before she could sink into the small vampire, she pulled back and smiled at Aubrey.

  “Hi. You’re Aubrey, right? I’m Liv.” Her words were spoken fast and if she wasn’t a vampire, she would have missed it.

  “Yes, I’m Aubrey. It’s so nice to meet you, Liv. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Liv pulled Aubrey into another hug that relaxed the last of her muscles.

  “I knew that Seth was safe, but I’ve missed him, so I thought I would drop by and see him for a few minutes.”

  Liv’s words caused a stab of guilt. She apologized for keeping Seth away from his family. Liv waved her off, pulling back from the hug and giving Aubrey a glowing smile that had her relax further. Liv reached for her hand and led her to the table, and Liv grew quiet the longer they sat in silence.

  “Are you worried about me hurting him? Because I wouldn’t…I couldn’t, ever.”

  Liv’s laugh washed over her, settling some of the nerves that flared.

  “Did Seth tell you about his parents?”

  “He glossed over it.”

  “They weren’t cruel in the sense that they hurt him, physically. They ignored him all throughout his life. When he met Kai, he found a family for the first time in his short life, and he clung to his family. And I clung to him—we all did. But there was always a sense of loneliness about him, even surrounded by those who loved him. When he came by after the class the night he met you, we knew immediately that he found his mate, that he found you. It made complete sense to us that he would find an immortal to love.”

  Aubrey worried her bottom lip with her teeth before she voiced her worry from the past week. “I don’t know if I’m good enough for him. My mother was a horrible example of a person and I’ve only had one friend in my life up until this point.”

  “Because you’re worried about it makes you perfect for him. Let me let you in on a little secret. Once Seth makes up his mind, he’s never going to change it…ever.”

  “He wants me to change him.”

  Liv’s brows drew down as her intense gaze pinned Aubrey to her seat. “Is this relationship not as important to you as it is to him?”

  Aubrey reached for Liv’s hands and gently squeezed. “No, he’s everything to me. I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t remember my transition, other than waking up scared. Hurting Seth is the last thing I would ever do. And what do you think? You, Kai, and the rest of his immortal family—does anyone have concerns because they haven’t met me?”

  Liv giggled as she squeezed Aubrey’s hand. “I like you already. So will the others. But you have to remember that this is a decision that Seth has to make for himself.”

  “What if he regrets me turning him? What if I’m not who he wants?”

  “Aubrey, honey, Seth is the greatest judge of character that I’ve ever met and he’s never been wrong. Can you feel his emotions?”

  She nodded. “Although he can feel mine more acutely, for some reason.”

  Aubrey sat back against the kitchen chair, relieved that all of her fears that had been holding her back from what she most wanted in her life no longer mattered. She l
oved Seth, and that was all that counted.

  Chapter Twelve

  Seth

  Seth had woken the moment Aubrey had left the bedroom and locked the door behind her. He knew that their visitor had to be either Liv or Kai, because they knew how to disable his perimeter alarms and they had a key to his house. His suspicion was confirmed when he heard Liv’s startled cry, the one she gave whenever anyone snuck up on her. He chuckled. For a vampire, Liv had held on to her tendencies as a human, forgetting that she was stronger, faster, and had enhanced senses. But he loved her, as did Kai and the rest of the immortals.

  He opened the bedroom door and their voices drifted to him. Although they kept their voices low, he could hear the anxiety in Aubrey’s as she laid out her concerns about being right for him and her major concern, his transition. He hadn’t pressed Aubrey over the week they had spent at his house, wanting her to come to the decision based on her feelings for him. He should have known, based on their conversation, that she worried he might change his mind. But he knew that would never happen. He had fallen in love with the vampire and couldn’t live without her. And if he had told her, then she wouldn’t have doubts about his feelings.

  As Liv and Aubrey’s voices faded, he threw on a shirt and donned on a pair of jeans before he headed out to the kitchen. As he rounded the table, he leaned down to give Liv a kiss on her cheek. Her answering smile warmed him. Without giving her a chance to protest, he lifted Aubrey in his arms and settled her onto his lap. Her eyes widened at his boldness, but he pressed his smiling lips against hers for a mostly chaste kiss.

  Liv stood and smiled at both of them. “Come by tomorrow night. Everyone is excited to meet you, Aubrey.” And with that, Liv disappeared through the front door, leaving them alone.

  With Aubrey still in his arms, he stood and encouraged her to wrap her legs around his waist before he went to lock up the house. Without wasting any more time, he headed toward the bedroom and laid her on the bed. His lips found each inch of skin that he exposed, taking his time to savor her taste and the sounds he drew from her when he found the exact spot where she loved to be touched. Soon, they were both panting and she begged him to take her. Lifting himself on his arms, he looked down at her naked body beautifully displayed on his bed, her skin flushed from desire and areas reddened by his scruff.