Seth

* * * *

Seth

Copyright © 2015 by Alisha Basso

All Rights Reserved

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be re-produced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trade-marked status and trademark owners of various products, bands, and/or restaurants referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trade-marks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

License Notes

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To my family,

I love you.

Title Page

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Twenty-Two

Twenty-Three

Twenty-Four

Twenty-Five

Twenty-Six

Twenty-Seven

Twenty-Eight

Twenty-Nine

Thirty

Thirty-One

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

…Somewhere between Heaven and Earth

"He’s a good man."

Michael turned at the sudden snort of derision and lifted a brow. You disagree? he asked.

"A good man? I always thought you considered him a monster." Gabriel folded his arms, his long, white wings pressed tightly to his back.

Don’t be trite, Michael said, frowning as he watched the vampire fall from where Gabriel had just pushed him. He’s strong, intelligent, arrogant and best of all, he’s immortal.

He will fail us many times, you realize? Gabriel glanced down at the figure as he sped through the clouds toward the earth below. He couldn’t believe they were paying any attention to a vampire, regardless of what type of man he had been before. He was a killer now.

He will learn, brother, and that is what we must count on. He has potential.

You do appreciate the fact that we altered his mind, took his most treasured memories? Gabriel focused on his brother, his prince. You seem to be forgetting that no matter how you frost this, his nature is to kill.

Michael held up his hand. We altered his mind, yes. But what we took, we also gave. He moved close to Gabriel, He will know what is right and what is wrong. He had a soul not long ago, it will take a lot to get that taste out of his mouth.

Gabriel shrugged, turning his back on Michael. "It’s true, we have witnessed him sacrifice in the past, but that was in the face of love, Mike. He looked over his shoulder and met his brother’s eyes. We took that from him. His eyes narrowed. So the problem is, who does he have to be noble for now?

Michael considered a moment and then shrugged. Fine. If he fails, we end him.

Moonlight reflected off the clouds, carving crude shapes into the sky.

Where the Hell? he thought in confusion as he sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he could make out the tiniest gleam of headlights in the distance. Looking around, he shivered, more as a way to relieve himself of dirt than a reaction to his surroundings. But still, something was terribly wrong.

He stood. A crunchy layer of dirt gave way under his heavy boots as he moved toward the road.

His hair blew in the breeze as a terrible ache sliced into his stomach. He staggered on the uneven ground. Sucking in the cool air, he ran a filthy hand across his parched lips. He couldn’t remember when he had last had a drink.

In fact, he thought as he paused on a small, sage-covered rise, I can’t really remember much at all.

What the hell happened? Why the hell am I lying in the dirt in the middle of nowhere?

The ache hit him again and he doubled over; stumbling forward, he ground his teeth together in his mouth. A horn blared and he lurched from side to side, his feet carrying him in an erratic pattern right into the path of the oncoming car.

The pain was sharp as he was ripped from his feet. Sailing into the air, he felt the oxygen leave his lungs as his body came down hard onto the pavement. He lay there, slightly stunned. The scrape of shoes on asphalt sent a shiver through him. He could smell the acrid stench of cheap cologne applied too liberally to a body that he suspected objected to bathing.

Seth held himself still as the man ran his bony fingers down the side of his body.

You alive, you stupid, drunk fuck? the man whispered as he slid his hand over Seth’s hip. Mmm, oh yeah, you got some muscle on you. He groaned a little and began probing and stroking the skin underneath Seth’s shirt.

Seth smothered his urge to attack the human. To turn on him now would spoil the taste. Adrenaline from true fear was a seasoning he longed to savor. Hunger honed his instinct to kill, his teeth grew sharp inside his gums. He squeezed his eyes tight as the human continued to fondle him. Saliva collected in his mouth despite the filthy stench of the humans flesh.

Jesus, he’s cold as ice! Victor Baldi thought as he admired the injured man’s smooth, pale skin.

Shit, you trying to kill yourself? He removed his hand from the man’s thigh and then dug into his pocket for a tissue. He could tell the man was young and very well made even though it seemed he’d been sleeping in a ditch. Victor licked his lips and looked back at the long, empty road that lead from Las Vegas. The lights from the city were so bright that even after driving for almost forty minutes, he could still see well in the darkness. The only sounds were the crickets chirping nearby and the occasional wail of a coyote.

They were all alone in the darkness.

A thrill sent goose bumps along his arms as he turned back to the man. So what the fuck you doing out here, huh? He gripped the man’s shoulder and rolled him onto his back. Victor sat back, startled. "Oh, you are a pretty one. He leaned his face close to the man’s. I knew you would be. He admired the man’s fine jaw and full lips. He was pale under all the dirt. He used his thumbs to pry open one eye. The man’s irises were almost colorless in the darkness. Bet some asshole dumped you out here, huh? Yeah, bet you take it for money don’t ya, pretty boy?" He adjusted his cock in his thin trousers. No one around to watch him. Bet you’d take what I got for money, too. He felt down the man’s side, allowing his hand to caress each muscle. He had half a mind to drag him back to his place, dead or alive.

Don’t worry my friend, you won’t go to waste. Victor stood and swiped a hand down the knees of his trousers then, turning his back on the stranger, he moved toward his car. Maybe if I fold the seat down? He thought as he reached for the handle to the driver’s side of his car, but then something had him pausing, his hand hovering just above the handle.

The night sounds had died.

He lowered his hand to his side and stood straight. Victor’s stomach dropped and his skin prickled with a sudden fear.

Where are the crickets?

You may wish to ask your maker for forgiveness, came a voice, cold as steel, although, for a blunder like yourself, I doubt he’ll be interested.

Seth could almost taste the man’s adrenaline as it surged into his blood stream, he could smell it as it pumped into his muscles.

Fight or flight. Seth inhaled and closed his eyes in rapture.

Victor turned. You’re not dead, he sputtered stupidly.

Seth narrowed his silvery eyes. Sorry to disappoint.

Victor felt the blood drain from his face. What the fuck man? He squinted at the thing in front of him. Something was not quite right with his face. His skin was pale, while his eyes glowed like lamps in his skull. The thing smiled and Victor felt his heart stutter as his mind recognized the impossible monster before him. It fed the information, revealed everything to him regardless of the complete impossibility of it all.

Tonight he would die.

Seth stepped closer to the man. You have a sickness, but lucky for me it’s centered in your fucked-up head. He took another step. I’m happy to say your blood is free of your mind’s rapist taint.

Victor recoiled, his hands held up as though that act would prevent the vampire in front of him from tearing his throat out. He backed up until his hips met with the car. Please, whatever you are … don’t? He bent backward, halfway over the top of the sports car.

Oh come now, let’s not pretend. You know exactly what I am. Now, I will give you a chance. Seth cocked his head to the side as if considering. Would that be fair? Then he grinned in such a way that his fierce teeth gleamed in the faint lights of the distant city. Victor’s eyes widened and Seth was hit with the foul scent of a human with no further control of his bladder.

Don’t hurt me. Please? Victors whimpered, his knees going weak.

Oh, no you don’t. Seth let his eyes bleed to black. He was so hungry. He lowered his chin and forced the foul scent of the man’s urine soaked clothing from his mind. I want you to run, little rabbit. He licked his lips and Victor screamed.

Seth gripped him by the arm and gave him a shake. Tell you what, he said, lifting him by his sleeve. Get into your car and drive. If I can’t catch you in a mile, you live. He let go of his arm.

Victor felt the monster release his grip and with a squeal, he twisted away and scrambled into the car. He pushed the ignition button and then reached for his gun. He swung the gun toward the horrifying thing, but the door was already being thrown open once again. Victor saw stars as his arm was ripped from his body. His neck burned with the feeling of teeth tearing flesh and then the pain became so great that everything went black.

Seth knew the disgusting bastard would do something utterly stupid and so, of course, he did. He was disappointed but, oh well, some things could not be helped. He hummed to himself as he dug his strong fingers into the hard desert dirt. His body was alive with power and more blood than he should have consumed. Oh, how he had been ravenous. The body of his eager rapist lay in large, wet chunks next to the deepening hole. A dead coyote lay next that. Seth jumped up and out of the hole and moved to the body. With his booted foot, he kicked the pieces down into the darkness. Once he had all the bits inside, he filled the hole in several feet with splattered, blood-soaked earth and then he tossed the dead coyote in. He figured the animal may help mask the scent of the human rotting in the ground. Once he had the remains covered he scattered bits of sage and sand on top until it looked no different than the ground around it.

Seth picked up the few things he’d kept aside and moved to the car. Once inside, he opened the wallet, first removing the ID.

Victor Baldi, thirty seven years old, five foot nine, brown hair and eyes, from California.

Seth flipped through the cards, most of which were business cards for strip clubs with numbers scribbled on the backs. He found a key card for a place called The Midnight Inn, and he slipped that into his pocket as well as the cash he found, which was an appalling nine dollars. The credit cards, he assumed, would be useless but he pocketed those as well.

Seth hit the ignition button and the car hummed to life. The clock on the dash read four thirty and Seth knew he would be in trouble if he didn’t get to shelter soon. He slammed the car into gear and spun it around towards the bright city ahead. He reached up to look into the rearview mirror. His pale face was a crimson splattered-horror and his hands were even worse. He had to clean up and get a room. He’d be damned if he was going to sleep in the ground like the corps he had just buried.

Sin city was just ahead. What a wonderful name, he thought as he smiled to himself and pressed the accelerator to the floor.

Dying in the arms of a vampire is like an orgasm. Drunk sex. Blindness in a cloud of sensations that tingle, slide and suck. Writhing while unabashedly aware that something dangerous holds you in its arms. Spinning in the euphoric embrace of impossible beauty. A high so incredible that no drug could duplicate it. No drink. No touch. But then, when the spinning stops and the truth hits you? Well, that is when you truly know death.

Ryan closed the book and held it to her chest. Pulling in a deep breath she blew it out in a sigh. Life is a bore, she whispered to herself while glancing at the librarian. The old woman lifted a brow as though Ryan’s words had somehow carried the length of the room to her ears.

Something had to change. She looked at the people milling about. Not too many, she was sad to observe, but finals were over and reading was the last thing most students wanted to do. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. The tattered novel in her hands was her only outlet these days. A story of an innocent woman and an evil vampire whose desires were nothing more but to possess the female he hunted. It was as romantic as it was tragic. The woman was all too ready to toss her successful life and everything she’d worked for out the window to spend eternity with a monster. Granted the monster was pretty much the living embodiment of lust and desire all wrapped up in a brooding, complicated devil who only needed to be saved. She snorted and slipped the book into her pack. It was her personal copy but she had chosen to read it in the library so no one would bother her.

A cell phone rattled across a stack of magazines as it vibrated, breaking the silence and jolting her from her thoughts. She watched it as it traveled across the back of an ad for a local bar. She watched as a good looking guy grabbed the phone and began texting madly. Ryan shook her head. He hadn’t even looked at her. She glanced down at the magazine and then twisted it around so she could look at it. Ryan frowned at the picture and snorted, everyone in her dorm would be drunk by now.

Damn, she thought. Going back home made her feel ill, but it was almost time for the library to close. She ran her hand along the design on the ad and sighed. The last thing she wanted was to deal with drunks.

Ryan stood and gathered her things. She slipped her bus pass from her wallet and then tossed it back into her pack next to her paperback. She ran her hand across her forehead anticipating the heat once she left the climate controlled library. Taking the stairs at a jog, Ryan pushed the glass doors of the library open only to be pushed back several steps by the dry heat of an early Vegas night. Hefting her bag onto her shoulder with a grunt, she took off toward the bus stop. Walking at a slower pace, Ryan could feel the sweat building under the strap of her pack. She stopped to switch shoulders when a man ran straight into her knocking her bag to the sidewalk.

Pardon me, he said as he rushed by.

Ryan barely got a look at the man before he was vanishing around a corner. She bent to pick up her bag and noticed a paper on the ground. She picked it up and just blinked at it.

Huh? she thought, looking at the spot where she’d watched the man disappear. She looked back at the paper. It was a flier for the very same bar she’d seen advertised on the back of the magazine in the library.

Ryan shoved the paper into her pocket and continued on