Seth stands there, stiff, rigid, his chest squeezing with pain. He can't fucking breathe. That deep ache he's tried to forget the last few years seems to have returned with a vengeance, hell-bent on leaving a mark in his soul.
There was an innocence to Kate that used to drive him nuts. He couldn't figure out how she could be so hopeful, sometimes even naive after everything they'd gone through. It was both endearing and frustrating, but also one of the many things he loved about her. The woman standing in front of him, however, looks the farthest thing from the sweet, shy girl he remembers. Dressed in a blue dress that hugs her body in all the right places, she appears comfortable in her own skin, and - unlike him - knows with complete confidence she belongs here.
And holy fuck, she's hot as hell.
She's staring at him with the same level of intensity he's watching her; he wonders what she's thinking, how she's doing, why the hell she's even here and not off in college somewhere. He wants to rush over and hold her in his arms, tell her how much he's missed her, ached for her.
She was the only thing that kept him going after Richie chose Santanico. His brother's betrayal had burned a hole in his heart that Seth thought would never heal, and even though the pain never went away it became more and more bearable - because of Kate. She made him smile, gave him a reason to keep fighting, to not give up. And then he betrayed her in the worst possible way.
She's the first one to break eye contact, and it's a shock to see her turn to the old geezer standing next to her, smile at him like he's fucking Prince Charming. The douche whispers something in her ear, snakes his weasel arms around her waist, and plants a gross kiss on Kate's cheek. It takes all of Seth's inner strength not to run over and pummel the asshole to the floor.
"Seth?"
Tearing his gaze away from Kate, he look at Vanessa. She's watching him, worried. "Yeah?"
"You okay? You just zoned out on me."
He takes her glass of champagne and drinks from it, downing the entire content. "I'm fine. I just thought I recognized someone."
"Shit, that's not good. What if they call the cops?"
He turns back to look at Kate but she's not there anymore. He quickly scans the room but there's no sign of her.
"There are arrest warrants out for you both you and Richie, remember? If someone recognized you-"
"She won't calls the cops. Don't worry."
"She?" Right away, Vanessa's tone changes. "Who is she?"
"Some girl I met in Mexico," Seth replies, feigning nonchalance. Since sneaking into Texas a month ago and hooking up with Vanessa, he's been careful to keep her in the dark about everything that went down. Vanessa doesn't know anything about the Fullers, the Titty Twister, Vampires. Nothing. She's separate from the madness that consumed his life and that's the way he intends to keep it. Hell, it's not like she'd believe him anyway. Sometimes he has a hard time believing his brother is a fucking vampire.
"Some girl you fucked?"
"Are we really going to fight about this now?" Seth fires back. "We're here to work, remember?"
"For your sake I hope this chick doesn't rat you out to the cops."
"She won't." Seth puts down his empty glass on a table. "Ready to do this?"
"Hey, be careful," Vanessa says, leaning in to give him a gentle kiss.
He peers at her closely, tucking in a loose curl behind her ear. There was a time when he used to think the most complicated relationship in his life was with Vanessa, and now, well, he just wants to laugh at his own stupidity. Those were the good old times, when things were simpler before everything went to hell. "You too, babe. Keep these fuckers busy, okay? And stick to the plan."
"Got it."
Seth turns around and heads for the hidden staircase.
Few minutes later Seth is standing outside the room containing the suspected vault, and he pulls out the little compact tool box from the inside of his jacket pocket. After tinkering with the lock for several minutes he jams the door open, steps inside, and finds himself staring at Kate. She's holding a dagger in her hands, the same one he's after. "Hi," he blurts out, and realises exactly how stupid that sounds. Fuck.
She watches him, her face a blank stare.
"How are you?" he prods, taking a few steps closer.
"Peachy," she finally responds, her voice cold, nothing like he remembers.
"What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I want that dagger you're holding."
"You're not getting it." Her tone is firm. "I really thought I'd never see you again."
Guilt ripples through him. "I know."
"I was hoping you'd be dead."
Her harsh words sting, there's no denying that, but he also knows she has every right to feel that way. "Seems to be a popular opinion."
Glancing down at the dagger, she smooths her fingers along the edge. "Why do you want this?"
"Because Santanico's looking for it."
She looks up at him. The vacant expression on her face is gone, replaced with absolute disgust. "So you're working for her now?"
"Fuck, no! That thing can kill her, she wants to destroy it. We don't want that bitch to get her hands on it."
"We?"
"Richie. Me."
A bitter smile curves her lips. "Of course."
"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be-"
"Dead and sacrificed to the gods by now? That's why you took off, right? You didn't want to end up in the line of fire?"
"Why are you here, Kate?"
"How's that any of your business?"
Angry, he storms towards her. "You're smarter than this, you know better than to get mixed up in this shit." His heated gaze locks with her defiant one. "Shouldn't you be in college or something? Why the fuck are you here? And why was that old douchebag groping you?"
"Seriously? You think you have any right to ask me that?"
"I walked away to keep you fucking safe-"
"Safe?" She laughs, an ugly sound laden with rage. Her eyes gleam with hate, and it's a kick in the stomach to know he and Richie are responsible for that. "Is that what Richie told you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She advances forward, closing the distance between them. She's up in his face, glaring at him, and of all the goddamn things he should be concerned with all he can think about is how great she smells. Holy fuck, he missed her scent. Her lips are a fiery red, and he's suddenly struck by the image of Kate sucking him off with those lips. His cock hardens at the thought, excitement rushes through his blood, but he tells himself to snap out of it, to focus. "We had to keep you safe, and getting you away from all this was the only way to do it."
"If you really believe that, you're a bigger idiot than I assumed."
"Watch it, Princess."
"Or what, Seth? What are you gonna do to me you haven't done already?" She sneers at him, goading him to respond. "You ruined my life, you broke my heart, you dumped me like I was yesterday's trash and left me all alone to deal with the shit you and your brother caused. And guess what, I'm still here, I'm still standing. So what the fuck can you do to me now?"
Her words hit him like a bucket of cold water. "What shit? What did you have to deal with?"
She scrutinises him, eyes brimming with suspicion.
"What happened?" he demands, jaw clenched with frustration. "Tell me what's going on, Kate!"
"Richie did something to me, something that made me a bigger target. You say you sent me away to keep me safe? Bullshit. As soon as I crossed that border to come home, they came after me. Not just hunters, but also vampires. Every fucking night. It doesn't matter where I ran or hid, they always found me. Because of you and your brother."
For the second time that night Seth's left speechless, the wind knocked out of him. Overwhelmed with shame, regret, and a countless other emotions, he diverts his eyes from her. "I'm sorry."
"I don't care." She's cold again, her voice frigid. "I've always heard revenge is bittersweet, but I don't know. Feels more sweet than bitter, actually."
As soon as Seth looks up at her, he knows he's in trouble. He can hear footsteps approaching, and a second later three security guards burst through the door, pointing guns at him.
Kate raises her eyebrow, shrugs her shoulders. "I rang the secret alarm when you were apologizing."
"So this is how we're gonna play it?"
"Yup. Oh, and if you see Richie before you're locked up, tell him I said hi."
Seth starts fighting with the rent-a-cops but the big, beefy one throws a few mean punches across his jaw, his stomach. Kate's face is the last thing he sees before he drops to the floor.
