Page 6
Story: Seth
Aubrey grew silent after he asked her the question that had been a constant since she’d met Seth.Yes, she needed to take a risk, even if it didn’t work out in the end.As she met Cole’s eyes, she nodded.
“Great.Now, I’m off.I have a date with a man that I met online.Wish me luck.”
She pulled him into a hug.“Thanks.Be careful.I’m here if you need me.And remember, the offer still stands.I can make anyone disappear without a trace.Especially that last one.”
Cole’s ex, Mark, had turned out to be an abusive asshole.When Cole showed up on her doorstep with a black eye and a broken arm, she had taken Cole to the emergency room in Denver for care at Cole’s insistence that no one at the local hospital know, before she settled him into her guest room.As Cole rested, she tracked the abusive fucker down and instilled the fear of God into the man.She might have shattered his kneecap and broken a few of his fingers, but he would recover.She had made sure that he’d left town and never bothered Cole again.If he ever came back, he knew that she would kill him and make his body disappear.This was Cole’s first date in two years, and whatever happened, she would be there for him.
“I’ll be careful, sunshine, don’t you worry.”Cole winked at her as he headed toward the door.
In a serious tone that had Cole still as he held the door open, she told him exactly how she felt.“I love you, Cole.You are the big brother I never had, and if anyone lays a finger on you in violence, there will be no mercy for him.I protect those I love and I will always look out for you.”
Tears shone in his blue eyes.With one last smile that conveyed exactly what he felt for her, Cole stepped through the threshold and closed the door behind him.
She stood there until she heard his car start and drive away, and only then did she pick up the container that stored her dinner and breakfast.Pulling out the bag near the top, she resealed the pack, ensuring that the blood would be warm when she fed before sunrise.
She sat at her desk, smiling when Hades hopped up on her lap and settled there.He loved the warmth the blood would give her after she drank.As she waited for her laptop to boot, she sunk her teeth into the bag of warm blood and pulled.It took her a few minutes to drain the bag.When she extracted her teeth from the crinkled material, a drop of blood slid down her lip and onto her chin.She had never gotten the hang of drinking without making a mess, but at least she managed to keep the thick liquid from staining her clothing.
Full of the blood and feeling the warmth from Cole’s visit and Hades purring on her lap, she settled into transcribing the court documents she had received the day before.She had built a reputation when she completed the work in a fraction of the time normal transcribers would, and word had spread statewide.Because of her quick work and word of mouth, she had more than enough to keep her busy.But like all other nights since she first met Seth, her thoughts moved off work and onto him.
She wondered whether she should contact Seth, but she wasn’t brave enough yet to hear his voice.Determined to wait until the next class, she had decided that if he were to offer her another chance to get to know him, she wouldn’t hesitate this time.With that settled, she went back to work.
“Great.Now, I’m off.I have a date with a man that I met online.Wish me luck.”
She pulled him into a hug.“Thanks.Be careful.I’m here if you need me.And remember, the offer still stands.I can make anyone disappear without a trace.Especially that last one.”
Cole’s ex, Mark, had turned out to be an abusive asshole.When Cole showed up on her doorstep with a black eye and a broken arm, she had taken Cole to the emergency room in Denver for care at Cole’s insistence that no one at the local hospital know, before she settled him into her guest room.As Cole rested, she tracked the abusive fucker down and instilled the fear of God into the man.She might have shattered his kneecap and broken a few of his fingers, but he would recover.She had made sure that he’d left town and never bothered Cole again.If he ever came back, he knew that she would kill him and make his body disappear.This was Cole’s first date in two years, and whatever happened, she would be there for him.
“I’ll be careful, sunshine, don’t you worry.”Cole winked at her as he headed toward the door.
In a serious tone that had Cole still as he held the door open, she told him exactly how she felt.“I love you, Cole.You are the big brother I never had, and if anyone lays a finger on you in violence, there will be no mercy for him.I protect those I love and I will always look out for you.”
Tears shone in his blue eyes.With one last smile that conveyed exactly what he felt for her, Cole stepped through the threshold and closed the door behind him.
She stood there until she heard his car start and drive away, and only then did she pick up the container that stored her dinner and breakfast.Pulling out the bag near the top, she resealed the pack, ensuring that the blood would be warm when she fed before sunrise.
She sat at her desk, smiling when Hades hopped up on her lap and settled there.He loved the warmth the blood would give her after she drank.As she waited for her laptop to boot, she sunk her teeth into the bag of warm blood and pulled.It took her a few minutes to drain the bag.When she extracted her teeth from the crinkled material, a drop of blood slid down her lip and onto her chin.She had never gotten the hang of drinking without making a mess, but at least she managed to keep the thick liquid from staining her clothing.
Full of the blood and feeling the warmth from Cole’s visit and Hades purring on her lap, she settled into transcribing the court documents she had received the day before.She had built a reputation when she completed the work in a fraction of the time normal transcribers would, and word had spread statewide.Because of her quick work and word of mouth, she had more than enough to keep her busy.But like all other nights since she first met Seth, her thoughts moved off work and onto him.
She wondered whether she should contact Seth, but she wasn’t brave enough yet to hear his voice.Determined to wait until the next class, she had decided that if he were to offer her another chance to get to know him, she wouldn’t hesitate this time.With that settled, she went back to work.