Page 5
Story: Seth
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
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?”