by Rene Lyons
After five millennia of boredom, Seth was more than ready to do battle.
Chapter Four
Sabrina flinched when she turned her face up to the shower nozzle and let the hot water stream over her. Her cheek was throbbing. Damn Bryce. He’d really done a number on her. He’d caught her good with a direct punch to the face. With a shiver, she knew she got away lucky. If Seth hadn’t shown up, Bryce would have done a lot more damage.
Never in her life had Sabrina needed saving. She’d always faced adversity alone and head-on. With her mother in and out of hospitals, Sabrina had been forced to practically raise herself as she was tossed around foster homes whenever her mother had one of her psychotic episodes. How ironic that she’d learned her mother wasn’t as insane as everyone believed. Oh, she’d been good and crazy, that was for sure. It just turned out that much of what her mother had been babbling about proved true.
Sabrina wrapped her arms around herself, unable to stop the shudder of cold dread that worked its way through her. Given what Bryce had said to Seth, it was obvious he knew there was more to her than met the eye. Damn. If he knew what she was, it was going to cause all kinds of problems. If being the target of Bryce’s obsession wasn’t bad enough, she was also out of a job. Not that working at the museum had paid much, but it had been a necessary evil.
Knowing the unpaid gas and electric bills were sitting on her desk, rent was due in two weeks and the phone would need to be paid any day now, she had every right to fear the repercussions of this one night.
The weight of loneliness suddenly bearing down on her, Sabrina felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She fought them back, knowing they were useless. Crying wouldn’t get her anywhere. It wouldn’t change her situation, and so she wouldn’t indulge in a useless endeavor such as wallowing in self-pity.
When her thoughts went to Seth, Sabrina couldn’t help but think of her father. She’d never met him. He’d died just before she was born. She’d grown up believing her father had been a cop who’d been shot in the line of duty. That had been a lie her mother had told her to keep the unbelievable truth from her. But on her deathbed, Sylvia had confessed the truth, and now that knowledge festered within Sabrina. It’s what made her seek out Bryce, beg employment in his museum and put up with his shit for the past year. It’s what brought her to Seth Raleigh and it’s what set her apart from the world around her, yet brought her closer to him.
Letting the water run down her body, Sabrina remembered the feel of Seth’s hands on her. He’d been amazing, bringing her to her first orgasm in a matter of moments when others couldn’t in twice the time. She knew his ability to affect her the way he had ran deeper than mere sexual attraction. There was an undeniable connection between them. It had been almost electric when they’d touched. If she’d felt it, it stood to reason so had he.
If anyone would understand what Sabrina was going through, it would be Seth, yet she kept her secret from him. She wondered if he’d seen through her deception. Most likely he had. Why he hadn’t called her on it, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she was grateful he hadn’t. She wasn’t ready to talk about what her mother had revealed. It was just so…bizarre. She hadn’t given voice to it yet, and honestly, she wasn’t sure she was ready to.
How could she talk about something she herself didn’t fully comprehend? Of course, she knew Seth was the one person who could make sense of her life. Still, she didn’t want to talk about it. Not yet—not with anyone.
Once she’d rinsed the last of the conditioner from her hair, Sabrina shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. She dried herself and donned a long T-shirt and a pair of men’s boxers. Not the most attractive of pajamas, but they were comfortable. After turning off the light, she crawled into bed, swearing that she still felt Seth’s touch all over her. It was as if he’d left a remnant of himself with her.
She closed her eyes and saw him. Only instead of looking like a modern man, in her mind, he appeared a fierce warrior standing on the edge of battle. His long, straight black hair billowed in the wind and sun gleamed off his armor. He wielded a sword that had to be as long as she was tall. But what caught and held Sabrina’s attention were the glorious black wings fanned out behind him.
Flanking him were two other angelic warriors. Behind him, legions of Heaven’s soldiers lined up, stretching out as far as her eyes could see.
Gasping, Sabrina opened her eyes and bolted up in bed. Had that been a dream? It had certainly felt as if she’d glimpsed something all too real—something she had no business seeing.
Pressing her fingers to her temples, Sabrina massaged her suddenly aching head. She didn’t want to be a part of this. She didn’t want to be caught up in a world that was as fascinating as it was frightening. Yet she knew that choice was out of her hands. She was at the mercy of God, who had plotted out her life long before she took her first breath.
Though Sabrina never believed in the expression “ignorance is bliss”, in her case, it proved true. She’d believed the lie her mother had told her about her father and had been blissfully ignorant of what he was and what it meant to her. Now, her life was turned upside down and inside out and she no longer even knew who she was anymore.
Before lying back down, Sabrina had the unnerving sensation she wasn’t alone. She searched through the darkness, almost expecting Seth to step from the shadows. Not that there were many places for him to hide in her sparsely furnished room. Nevertheless, she felt him all around her.
Settled back down, Sabrina closed her eyes and tried to do exactly what she believed Seth was doing—putting the events of the night far from his mind. Though, as hard as she tried, her dreams were filled with the glorious image of a black-haired, black-winged warrior of God.
———
All Seth could think about was Sabrina. A part of her was still with him, not that it surprised him. In fact, the lingering sensation of her managed to calm his fury. It quieted his need for Bryce’s blood in a way nothing else could.
Throughout the ages he’d had to endure this existence, he’d never known a moment of peace. That is, until Sabrina came walking into his office. Buried inside her, Seth had learned what it was to find a small sense of serenity.
Though he’d never once regretted his decision to fall from grace, there were times he ached to walk out into the sun. He burned to feel God’s light on him instead of being forced to dwell only in shadows. Five thousand years of moving through life alone, he wanted—no, he needed—what he’d found with Sabrina tonight.
Leaning on the hood of his car across the road from Sabrina’s house, he stared up at the window. After waking briefly, he sensed she’d fallen back to sleep, though it wasn’t restful. He heard her tossing and turning, felt her turmoil as troubled dreams haunted her.
It would be all too easy for him to steal into her house and join her in bed. He could take her body before she even realized it wasn’t a dream. He’d feel her warmth around him again as the tightness of her body hugged him. So much had he enjoyed her, the mere thought of having her again caused him to grow painfully hard despite his fury.
He cupped his cock and shifted, his pants suddenly uncomfortably tight. The night had been long and dawn was coming soon. He had to get back to Halifax Manor before the sun peeked over the mountains. Remembering the agony the one time he’d tested the power of the sun, Seth climbed back into his car. With one last glance up at the lightening sky, Seth drove off.
First thing he had to do after he returned to the manor was call Kael and Bath-Kol. They had to be told about Bryce. If it was as Seth suspected, Bryce was going to use any means necessary to gain possession of the stone—even going so far as to use Sabrina. She had to be protected at all costs. She was Daniel’s daughter, and the Seraphim were prepared to lay down their lives for one of their own.
Sabrina might not have realized he’d known who she was, but the truth was that Seth had been watching over her since the night she was born. It was the reason he’d c
ome here to Bethlehem.
After Daniel had been killed protecting Jerrod’s Stone, Kael had taken his place. Instead of Kael coming to Bethlehem, Seth took up residence at Halifax Manor. He alone wanted the responsibility of looking after Daniel’s daughter. The last time a nephilim had been born was over a thousand years ago. They were sacred beings, part human and part angel. While they possessed the heart and soul of a human, they also bore the power and wisdom of Heaven itself.
Once home, instead of going directly to his study to call Kael, Seth went down into the cavernous basement. If anyone dared come here, he was in his right to kill in order to protect the secret hidden in the dark depths of the mansion.
After disabling the state-of-the-art security system, Seth genuflected at the golden cross hanging on the far wall of the large vault. He touched a hand to his heart and whispered the Lord’s Prayer.
Only after he finished the prayer did he reach for the long wooden box beneath the shelf. It had been centuries since he’d brandished the sword encased within the box. He ached to wrap his hand around the hilt. Yearned to rush into battle with the blade held high, ready to strike down Heaven’s enemies. It was what he’d been bred for.
Opening the box, Seth carefully pulled the sword free. He kissed the blade, which had been blessed by God, before rising to his full height. He curled his hand around the hilt and smiled. The familiar weight of the holy weapon was welcome after the emptiness he’d felt for so long without it.
The pommel was fashioned into a cross and engraved in the crossbar was his true name. Setheus. Down the blade was Angelic script. The blade had shed the blood of Lucifer during the First War. It had been this weapon that had killed Hakion before God took his heart and imprisoned it in the stone nestled on a bed of black velvet, which sat nearby on the small metal shelf.
Seth well remembered that battle. Hakion, Jerrod, and Orien had thought to raise their father from Hell. The battle had sparked the Second War, which had lasted for two centuries and cost too many lives on both sides of the fight. Once the three disgraced angels were brought down and their hearts sealed in the stones, their followers were thrown down from Heaven. They now awaited the return of their three leaders to save them—and Balian—from Hell.
Leaving the vault, Seth brought his sword with him. He retreated to his study and sat heavily on the black leather sofa. He laid the sword across his lap, trailing his fingers over the engraving on the blade. With a long, drawn-out sigh, Seth set the weapon aside before pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He’d make the call to Kael that would set a series of events in motion that wouldn’t stop until human blood was shed.
Chapter Five
The harsh light of morning brought an end to Sabrina’s dreams. She woke to a throbbing cheek and a mind filled with the vision of warrior-angels.
As much as she wanted to stay in bed all day with the pillow thrown over her head and forget last night, she knew that was impossible. Bryce was probably constructing a devious plan to get his hands on her, Seth, and the stones. She could almost see him rubbing his hands together and letting out a shrill, scheming laugh, just like a bad guy in a silly B movie.
Only this wasn’t a B movie. This was her life, and it was becoming more complicated by the day.
God, how she hated drama, yet here she was, smack in the middle of a mess with no way out.
Bryce may be obsessed with the stones, but he wasn’t a stupid man. In fact, he was too smart for his own good. Since last night had been such an utter failure, it would only be a matter of time before he tried again. Only this time, he’d have the events of last night to build from.
Sabrina’s stomach twisted just thinking about the very real possibility that Bryce knew exactly what she was. That was why, as much as she didn’t want to have to, she’d take herself to Halifax Manor. At least there, she’d be protected from Bryce.
She climbed out of bed, praying Seth was right when he claimed he wouldn’t be easy to kill. She didn’t want a sleazy bastard like Bryce to get his hands on those stones, especially if the legend was true and, through them, Hell could be opened.
Moreover, given who Daniel was—or rather what he was—she felt a strange connection with Seth. If anyone could explain what it meant to be a nephilim, Seth could. And she needed to understand. She needed it with her whole self, because ever since her mother told her about her father, she felt fragmented and lost.
Nephilim.
After learning what Daniel was, Sabrina had started to research angels to learn all she could about what he was and what that meant in regards to what she was as well. That’s when she came across the word nephilim.
A nephilim was the child of an angel and a human. Finding this information fascinated and terrified her. That there was a name for what she was, and all the information she’d gathered about the Seraphim, reinforced the fact that her mother hadn’t been crazy. It had her delving even deeper into the world of the Seraphim. She followed the trail of information right to Bryce, who eventually led her to Seth. Now that she’d found him, she couldn’t just walk away without learning all she could about Seth and her father.
Getting out of bed, Sabrina went to the window. The day dawned hot and humid. Forgoing a shower since she’d taken one the night before, she dressed in a black tank top and faded jeans. Being back in her well-worn sneakers instead of those horrible heels from last night was a welcome relief.
As she made her way down to the kitchen, she pulled her hair into a ponytail. Once in the small eat-in kitchen, she put on a pot of coffee and checked the messages on her cell. One was from Seth, telling her he expected her at the manor today and that she should bring enough of her belongings to get her through the next few weeks. His deep voice was hypnotic even over the phone. Bryce’s number came up, but he left no message.
Sabrina slapped the cell phone down on the counter and made herself a cup of coffee. Sitting at the table, she looked around her kitchen, wondering if she’d ever come back here. She liked her little white house. Loved the white-picket fence surrounding the front yard. It was a dollhouse that she rented from old friends of her mother’s, who barely charged her rent. Though she hated the charity, she knew without it she’d be homeless.
This house was the first place she’d thought of as home. Having been tossed around the foster-care system each time her mother had a breakdown and ended up in a hospital for months at a time, Sabrina learned to never get too comfortable anywhere. Only once she was eighteen and no longer a ward of the state did she begin to find her place in life.
From the day after her eighteenth birthday until now, she’d worked nonstop in order to make ends meet. That relentless work schedule had also prevented her from dwelling on her life. But now, she was surrounded by everything she had tried to ignore since her mother died three years ago.
She wasn’t looking forward to abandoning her home—and her independence—even for a few weeks. Nevertheless, Seth was right in having her stay at Halifax. That was probably the only place Bryce wouldn’t be able to get to her.
Halifax was also the one place where her heart would be in jeopardy of being broken by a fallen angel.
———
There was no way Bryce was going to let Sabrina get away with siding with Seth. Not now that he’d come this far in using her to get to the stones. He’d been too arrogant and had underestimated Sabrina’s hatred of him and it had backfired on him. He wouldn’t make another mistake like that again. The outcome would cost him the power he believed he’d gain by being the one to set free a demon.
He was going to get all three of the stones. Of that, Bryce had no doubt. It was just a matter of time and he was really running low on patience. He’d come this far and was too determined to fail now. Seth—or whatever it was Setheus was calling himself—had Hakion’s stone. Kael was guardian of Jerrod’s, and that bitch Bath-Kol, Orien’s.
For all Bryce had done, all he and his family had sacrificed in their search for the three stones, he des
erved to walk the road of shadows and riches and reap the rewards of power and glory. Hell, he’d given up his own blood and soul for that right.
Wrapping the bandage around his right wrist, he was furious at last night’s unexpected turn of events. It seemed Setheus wanted to play. Well, Bryce would play, but he’d be the one to set the rules. It would be on his field that this game would play out—
and he’d use Sabrina as a pawn to gain the upper hand. The fool had made it all too clear the bitch was a weakness, and Bryce intended to use that to his full advantage.
Testing his wrist, which was now tightly wound with the long bandage, Bryce flinched. Looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he saw there were fingers marks all over his throat. The angel could have killed him if he’d wanted. Bryce had felt the raw power in his hold and a barely contained fury.
Seeing the damage done to him only reinforced the fact that he could not make the mistake of openly striking out at the angel. Such a move would be suicide. What he had to do was take down Setheus when he least expected it. Everyone let down their guard. It wasn’t a matter of if, but rather, a matter of when.
The moment Setheus did, Bryce would be there.
Leaving the bathroom, Bryce went over to the top drawer of his dresser. He removed the socks and underwear. Underneath the false bottom was a wooden box. Carefully removing it from the drawer, he opened the box and slid a finger gently over the blade of the dagger it held. The weapon was alive with energy.
With this, he could spill the blood of an angel.
The weapon had been forged in the fires of Hell. The handle was solid black and fashioned into a dragon’s head. The blade was long, double-edged and bore the name of Lucifer etched in angelic script. Bryce had bargained away his soul for this weapon.
