The Seraphim: Setheus

by Rene Lyons

  By the time they got to the scroll that told of Daniel’s death, Sabrina felt as if she were drowning in a sea of secrets and mystery. She barely held herself together as she read the last scroll. It had been written by Bath-Kol. Some of the ink was smeared, and if Sabrina was correct in her assumption, the smudges had been caused by tears.

  After she finished reading the scroll, she looked at Seth in amazement. “He gave his life for me.”

  “He did.”

  She shook her head and looked back at him. “I never knew. My mother never talked about him. Whenever she tried, she usually broke down and cried. She’d slip into a depression that lasted for weeks. Because of that, I learned early on not to ask about him.”

  “I’m sorry, Sabrina.”

  Sabrina clutched the scroll to her breast, as if holding it near to her heart would somehow bring her closer to her father. “Don’t be. Better late than never, right?”

  “Very true.” Seth took her hand and placed a feathery kiss on her knuckles. “He adored you even before you were born. His love for you reached Heaven itself.”

  “My mother told me he was a cop who’d died in the line of duty. I went my entire childhood bragging about how brave and wonderful my father was. It wasn’t until I was fifteen that it slipped out he wasn’t a cop. Still, she never told me anything more until she was on her deathbed.”

  Seth’s gaze was searching as he stared deep into her eyes. Sabrina had the distinct impression he was seeing right into her soul. “How did learning what Daniel was—what you are—make you feel?”

  “Truthfully?” Seth nodded in answer to her question. “It terrified me.”

  “What were you afraid of?”

  Sabrina swallowed hard as she remembered how she’d felt the night her mother confessed the truth and then died only moments after. “Everything, Seth, but most of all, I’m afraid of what I am.”

  “How can you be afraid of something that comes from God?”

  Seth looked genuinely confused. She imaged he would be. He was a creature of Heaven and she—well, Sabrina never had much use for God in her life and, more often than not, questioned His existence.

  “I barely believed in God before my mother dumped this secret on me. And then she was gone—dead—and I was alone to try to figure this whole thing out alone. I gave myself a crash course in Christianity and, let me tell you, Seth, some of the shit I read that people have done in the name of God scared the hell out of me.”

  His smile was sad and pulled at her heart. “It’s true people do horrific things in the name of God, but the Father is love, Sabrina. Trust me when I say it tears Him apart when His children kill one another. Especially when it’s done in His name.”

  She supposed so. It still didn’t make any of this easier for her to accept. “That doesn’t change the fact that He sat back and did nothing while I was left all alone and my life spiraled out of control.”

  “You were never alone. I was always there with you.”

  Sabrina found Seth’s admission shocking. “You watched me all these years?” At his nod, she threw her hands up and stepped back from him. “Why didn’t you ever make yourself known?”

  He had the good grace to look guilty. “I couldn’t. You had to discover what you were on your own. I was forbidden to interfere.”

  “Forbidden?” Sabrina shook her head in exasperation. “Everything is a secret. Didn’t it occur to God that it would have made things a lot easier for me—less frightening—if I’d had you at my side all these years?”

  “Sabrina…”

  “No, please. Just leave me alone. I need to be by myself for a little while.”

  Used to being on her own, Sabrina needed time alone to absorb all that she’d learned about her father and to make sense of things. Hell, she felt as if her head was going to explode from everything she’d read on those scrolls. Her life just kept on twisting and turning and, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t navigate through it. It all seemed beyond her control, and for a person like her—who’d had to hold things together while her mother fell apart—it was impossible for her to simply let go and allow fate to take her where it would.

  And yet, although things were now more chaotic than they’d ever been before, with Seth at her side, Sabrina knew a deep-rooted sense of peace that had always eluded her.

  Chapter Nine

  The other Seraphim arrived late the following night. Sabrina wished they hadn’t. They scared the hell out of her.

  Though Seth was mysterious and relatively on the quiet side, he seemed like an open book and downright talkative compared to the other two.

  Kael, tall and lean, had long brown hair and deep-set black eyes. He was handsome in a gothic sort of way. His voice was deep and rumbling, reminding Sabrina of a distant roll of thunder. Draped in all black, he was a moving shadow and a whisper on the wind.

  Bath-Kol was every bit as enigmatic as Kael. Gorgeous beyond words, she was a statuesque exotic beauty. Her sweep of black hair reached her waist, framing a face so perfect, Sabrina felt like a troll just standing in the same room with her. Her brilliant green eyes seemed to hold the secrets of the ages as she took in her surroundings with a quiet grace.

  She’d barely said two words since she’d arrived. When she did talk, her voice was musical. It was painfully obvious her self-imposed seclusion in her Romanian fortress had taken a toll. Every sound put her on edge, but not in a skittish sort of way one would expect. Sabrina noticed how her hand went to the hilt of the sword at her hip with every sound she didn’t recognize.

  The two fallen angels descended upon Halifax and brought with them an arsenal of weaponry. From guns to swords, they had it all. Sabrina didn’t have to wonder how they’d managed to get it all past airport security. They’d flown in on private jets.

  Having grown up piss-poor, Sabrina couldn’t fathom that level of wealth.

  Her car, with an engine that had seen better days, took her everywhere. If she’d lived in an area where there was mass transportation, she probably wouldn’t have even struggled to save for her car. The subway or bus would have worked just fine for her. Unfortunately, up here in the mountains, most places had no mass transit. That meant she had to have a car she could barely afford to keep insured and filled with gas.

  The upside of Bethlehem was that the cost of living was cheaper than in a big city. True the pay grade was lower as well, but Sabrina had always managed to find a way to survive. In fact, over the course of her teenage years, she’d made surviving into an art form.

  Surrounded by fallen angels was unnerving as hell. Worse, Bath-Kol came right up to her and sniffed her and then strode away without a word, as if that was the most natural thing in the world.

  Kael, however, was a tad more talkative. He at least acknowledged her with a murmured, “She’s the spitting imagine of Daniel.” He then walked away to join Bath-Kol wherever she went off to.

  Sabrina had hoped Seth would stay with her, though she knew that was an unrealistic wish. With the other two Seraphim here, she figured she’d see much less of him than she had. Casting a look around the den, with its state-of-the-art entertainment system and seemingly endless collection of DVDs, at least she’d have plenty to do while the Seraphim did their thing.

  The idea of them planning a way to deal with Bryce reminded Sabrina of one very important fact. “You know Bryce has a brother, right?”

  Seth nodded curtly. “We know everything about that bastard.”

  “Who? Bryce or Colin?”

  “Both.”

  So, Bryce wasn’t the only asshole in the Mathers clan. “I take it Colin is as obsessed with the stones as Bryce is.”

  An unreadable expression passed across Seth’s face. Sabrina had the weird feeling he was guarding something, though what it was she couldn’t say. “Yes, he’s as interested in the stones as Bryce is.”

  “That’s not good, is it?”

  Seth shrugged. The motion didn’t seem natural for him. “We’ve
known about Colin’s desire for the stones even before Bryce came into the picture.”

  That eased her mind a little. “So, you have Colin covered.” That wasn’t a question, but in fact, an assumption.

  “More or less.”

  Sabrina suddenly didn’t feel as at ease anymore. “Which is it? More or less?”

  Before Seth answered her, Bath-Kol returned to the den. “Setheus…”

  Sabrina frowned at the name. It had never occurred to her that his name might be something other than just “Seth”.

  “Get Kael,” Seth demanded of Bath, who stalked out of the room only to come back a scant minute later with Kael.

  Seth turned to her and Sabrina was weighed down by the intensity of his stare. “You can’t be present while we discuss this.”

  Sabrina nodded, knowing there were things she simply couldn’t be a part of. “I’ve been on my own since the day I was born. I think I’ll be okay for a little while longer.”

  He came at her in four long strides and kissed her long and hard. He walked away and Sabrina had to fight with herself not to drag him back and make him quench the thirst he’d awakened in her. It wasn’t right that he should turn her on like this and leave her hanging. Or was it not fair that he had the power to make her burn with nothing more than a touch of his lips?

  “What do you think needs to be done?” Seth’s question was posed to both of the other Seraphim as Sabrina left the room.

  Bath-Kol shrugged. “I say we just kill them both and be done with it.”

  The ice in the female angel’s tone made Sabrina damn glad she wasn’t on her bad side. She made a mental note to remember never to piss her off, lest she end up on the wrong end of the woman’s sword.

  ———

  Only after Sabrina was gone and her footfalls faded out of the wing did Seth address his fellow Seraphim. “You intend to use Sabrina as a lure, don’t you?”

  “Is there another plan?”

  Bath stepped up and shook her head. “No. This is perfect. They’ll take her as the weakness in our armor and strike.”

  Seth regarded both of them curiously. “We can’t kill them for attacking Sabrina. She’s not Seraphim. You both know this.”

  Bath’s grin was sinister, reminding Seth of why she’d been chosen. Of them all, Bath had a love of battle that put every other warrior to shame. “We can if they think to use her to get to the stones.”

  “We’ll have to take this to another level in order for this to work.”

  It was something he was loath to do. It would involve putting Sabrina in danger.

  Kael seemed to understand what Seth was suggesting. “She’s Daniel’s daughter. She’ll rise to this challenge and play her part well.”

  Seth sensed Kael’s pride. Kael and Daniel had grown close during their time on Earth. They had a bond that transcended being a Seraphim and entered the realm of friendship, something no other angel had ever known. They were beings who were bred for war, and thus, were supposed to know only a warrior’s sense of camaraderie. For them to have found a genuine friendship only proved Kael wasn’t as hard as he made himself out to be.

  “That may well be, but I don’t want her put in danger,” Seth countered.

  Bath stepped up to add, “If we fuck up and she gets hurt, you know we’ll never be forgiven for our failings.”

  Kael looked out the window, staring at the night sky. “If we fuck up, we don’t deserve to be forgiven.”

  ———

  Later that night, Seth, Kael, and Bath-Kol sat her down and presented their plan to her. Sabrina agreed without hesitation. Not that she was eager to play the part of bait. She knew she’d be risking her life, yet declining to be a part of this was the last thing on her mind—especially after Kael told her how proud Daniel would be of her.

  Sitting among the Seraphim, Sabrina finally felt a sense of belonging. She felt as close to her father as she figured she ever would. In fact, all the years of loneliness and longing seemed to simply fade the more she was with the Seraphim. Maybe it was how Kael and Bath-Kol talked to her about her father at length. Or maybe it was that they constantly referred to her as “Seth’s woman.”, which rang of medieval possessiveness and never failed to release a horde of butterflies in her stomach.

  Seth did his own part to help her fit in by openly showing his affection. Never one for public displays of affection, Sabrina found herself giving back as good as she got. No wonder Kael and Bath-Kol thought she was Seth’s woman. Neither she nor Seth did a damn thing to make them think anything else.

  Once she’d agreed to be the bait, the Seraphim basically kicked open the door to their world and shoved her in. She was sure there were things she’d never be privy to, and that was as it should be. Sabrina didn’t want to know the secrets of the universe. It would take the fun out of life.

  What she had learned was that once an angel fell they couldn’t be touched by sunlight. It explained Seth’s aversion to daylight. No wonder he’d been late on the night they’d met and why he rose at sunset and retired to his chamber at dawn.

  After being at Halifax for two weeks, Sabrina grew accustomed to the reversal of schedule. Her days were spent with Seth in the privacy of his chamber, where they explored each other, body and soul. By night the Seraphim prepared her for what was to come once she left Halifax and would be beyond their protection. They taught her what it meant to be a nephilim, bringing out abilities that had lain dormant until now.

  Strength and agility were something she’d always had and now she understood why. By having the Seraphim help her hone those skills, it would hopefully give her an edge over Bryce and his brother.

  Once they were alone, Seth helped her exercise the one ability that didn’t take strength of body, but rather of mind. Together, they sharpened her sense of perception. It would help her determine danger before it was upon her—or so Seth assured her. Sabrina had her doubts, especially since the entire situation was dangerous for her.

  By coming here, her life had taken another turn. This new path was leading her down an even more uncertain road than any she’d ever been on. And yet she wasn’t scared. In fact, things seemed remarkably clear to her.

  Since she was set to leave Halifax come morning, she and Seth remained hidden away in his room long after they’d awakened. Seth had made love to her, not leaving an inch of her body untouched. By the time he was finished with her, Sabrina knew what it was to be loved by an angel. Luckily, she found a reserve of strength and gave back to him everything he’d given to her.

  She made damn sure Seth knew what it was to be loved by a nephilim.

  Chapter Ten

  Bryce threw his pen on the desk and cringed at the bang of a door slamming shut. Damn. Colin had made good on his threat. He’d left Romania and returned to New York already. His presence was a dark shadow over Bryce, who now felt Colin’s watchful stare on him everywhere he went.

  Colin’s heavy footfalls sounded louder the closer he came to Bryce’s office. Shuffling the papers he’d been poring over into the top drawer of his desk, Bryce stood on shaking legs and wiped the sweat from his brow. He tried to slap an indifferent expression on his face but knew he failed miserably. His stomach was in a tight knot of dread as he came around from behind the desk. Colin came sauntering into the office and Bryce thought he’d vomit right then and there.

  “She’s here.”

  Colin hadn’t changed in the three years since Bryce last saw him. His brother was tall, muscular, and had a shock of brown hair that had a windblown look Colin worked to perfection. The scar that cut down his lips hadn’t faded, though it had been four years since Bryce had given it to him. By the cold gleam of hatred reflected in Colin’s blue eyes, it was obvious he hadn’t forgiven him for the accident.

  Actually, it hadn’t been an accident, but that was something Bryce would never admit to outside of the safety of his own mind. If Colin knew Bryce had cut him on purpose, there was no doubt he would kill Bryce for the disfigureme
nt.

  Colin had put him in the hospital for a week for cutting his face. As far as Bryce was concerned, it had been well worth it. His brother had been knocked off his pedestal—even if it was only for a short time. Now, the scar Bryce had given him only intensified the air of danger that surrounded Colin.

  “Who’s here?”

  Colin stalked up to him and slapped him. Furious, yet too afraid of Colin to do anything about it, Bryce swallowed a mouthful of blood. He also swallowed his pride, just as he’d done the night Seth had assaulted him. Humble pie left a bitter taste in his mouth.

  “Bath-Kol,” Colin ground out. “You fucked up in so many ways. Did you know Kael is here too? Tell me, Bryce, how do you expect to get past the three of them?”

  If Bryce had thought he was going to vomit before, hearing the other two Seraphim were here brought the bile up. It sat in the back of his throat, forcing him to swallow hard to fight it back down. “We’ll find a way.”

  “You fucking idiot.” Colin’s booming voice bounced off the walls as he stalked around the room. By the way Colin clenched and unclenched his fists, Bryce assumed he did it to keep from strangling him. “We’ll find a way? How stupid are you, Bryce?”

  The taste of blood provoked his temper. Bryce found his balls and met his brother’s fury with his own. “And how was I going to get to the stone before? Halifax is locked up tighter than Fort Knox and, in case you didn’t know, I’m not exactly on any of Setheus Raleigh’s guest lists.”

  Colin’s eyes narrowed into a threatening glare. “Whose fault is that?”

  “I’m not going to do this with you, Colin. You’ve made no more headway with Bath-Kol than I have with Seth.”

  Colin ceased his pacing and came right up to him. Toe-to-toe, Bryce couldn’t help but be intimidated by Colin’s towering height. “At least I haven’t made her my enemy.”

  “It was unavoidable with Setheus.”

  Right then, Colin reminded Bryce of their father, whose obsession with the stones had gotten him killed. “As usual, you’ve handled your end badly. Now I have to clean up your mess and hope you haven’t fucked this up beyond repair.”