Page 19
Story: Seth
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 badassholedoesn’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.
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 badassholedoesn’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.