Chapter Sixteen

Dante

Standing outside the Tribune had been excruciating. Dante felt useless given the constraints placed on him. He should have been walking into the building to get the memory card for Seth.

Once they dealt with the Doctor, they would be at the crossroads again. The moments they were apart now, gave him a brief taste of what it would be like after Seth moved on to his final resting place. Dante felt empty without Seth. The inevitable certainty of their separation left Dante feeling hollow; like a vital part of him was going to be removed. Dante wasn’t sure how much time he and Seth had left together. Even if he had, he wanted to make the most of every moment they did have.

A smile graced his lips as the memory of holding Seth in his arms surfaced. He had been solid in Dante’s embrace. Seth’s scent still surrounded him. Bowing his head, he could smell Seth on his jacket. It brightened his smile. At least he still carried a bit of the sweet young man with him. Dante hoped the scent wouldn’t dissipate. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on his part, but it didn’t stop him from hoping and dreaming.

Time passed slowly. Dante’s worry grew into overwhelming concern when Seth wasn’t back in a few minutes. That concern became overpowering the longer it took Seth to return. Dante had no clue what could have happened to Seth given he had already died. He imagined so many different potential problems that, while they were probably not a possibility, it didn’t stop him from imagining them.

Most prominent was the thought of Killian returning to force Seth to choose his path. Dante was well aware Seth was headstrong; he wouldn’t let anyone force him to decide until he’d finished what he’d set out to do. That didn’t stop Dante from imagining the confrontation.

When did I become such a worrier?

Dante already knew the answer. He hadn’t been this way until Seth became such a huge part of his existence. Dante loved Seth. He worried about him in ways that he wouldn’t have worried about another being.

Scenarios raced through Dante’s mind. Maybe Seth had simply been sidetracked. Perhaps he had to follow Nelson somewhere.

Dante needed to get to their meeting place—the bench where they had spent so many moments together before Seth’s murder.

Quickly making his way to the rendezvous point, Dante took a seat on the edge of the bench. Tension rolled through his body. Worry marred his features and caused his eyebrows to knit together. His lips pressed into a thin line from the apprehension coursing through his veins. Drumming his fingers on the wooden seat, he waited impatiently. His fear of what could have happened made him anxious.

A sudden feeling of warmth surrounded Dante. He lifted his head then glanced in the direction from where it emanated. Dante saw Seth floating toward him trying desperately to avoid not only objects but people who could have passed through him. Dante sighed in relief then stood quickly to make his way to Seth.

Dante opened his mouth to say something only to be cut short by Seth apologizing. His worry was for nothing. Seth had only needed to follow Nelson. He wished Seth would quit apologizing for what he needed to do. The need to soothe Seth’s concerns and worry overtook him. Reaching out to the man, Seth turned corporeal with his touch. Dante ran his fingers through Seth’s beautiful soft hair. The strands tickled his fingertips. The contact between them was all too brief before Dante forced himself to pull away. They didn’t need for someone to stumble upon them. If someone witnessed Seth, who was supposed to be dead, standing on the sidewalk, they would have issues they couldn’t rectify. Worse would be seeing him appear and disappear randomly.

They needed to get away and form a plan. More importantly, Dante wanted more time alone with Seth. It was a craving that refused to be sated. He could hear the struggling of words and the emotions behind them when Seth asked if there was someplace private that they could go, like the lighthouse. Dante’s heart began to race. Images of them together flashed before his eyes.

Dante was just about to suggest where they could go when a voice interrupted him. Shocked by Cal standing behind Seth, Dante looked at him intently. During his time watching over Seth, Dante saw quite a bit of Cal’s interaction with him. Those interactions confirmed what he already knew about the man. During the time Cal was in the military, he had his own guardian angel of sorts. An angel who belonged to the same caste on the angelic plane as Dante. This particular angel kept watch on Cal during the time he was in the service. While Dante hadn’t known Cal’s destiny was to become a cop, he did know that the guardian/charge relationship had pretty much ended when Cal retired.

The angel in charge of Cal had come to Dante a few times to discuss the events that had transpired. He’d been worried about Cal’s mental wellbeing. Having been told that Cal was a trustworthy individual who was a good person, Dante could understand why the other angel was concerned about his charge. War was a horrible situation. One that subjected good people to heinous events that could break a person mentally as well as physically. It was hard to maintain one’s humanity in a combat environment. Dante had seen a few of his past charges go through similar tragic events. They struggled with depression and other traumas. These were things that no angel wanted for their charge.

When the initial shock wore off, Dante realized Cal’s ability to see ghosts was related to the horrendous situations he endured during his service in the military—just one result of Cal’s ordeal. Now wasn’t the time to talk about Cal or give answers that he may or may not have. Seth needed to have a conversation with his friend—a man more of a father figure to Seth than anything else.

Following Seth and Cal into the vacant apartment building, Dante remained quiet while the two talked. The topic of Seth’s death hit Dante in the pit of his stomach. It appeared as though Cal had been as disconcerted with the passing as Dante had. Maybe not as bad given the connection he and Seth had, but he did appear saddened.

Shaking his head, Dante piped up at Cal’s assertion that he could have possibly helped. “There was nothing you could have done to prevent this happening.”

Dante was concerned enough about the investigation Cal was involved in, to have him step up to stand beside Seth. Under his arching a brow, Dante’s eyes narrowed slightly. Cal’s suspicions that Seth was involved with the mob grated. He wanted to argue with Cal—tell him that Seth didn’t just ‘turn up out of nowhere.’

His overprotective mode intensified each time Cal called Seth a kid. The excuse that he kept doing it because Seth was half his age didn’t sit well with Dante. Bloody humans and their constraints of age. He snorted quietly wondering what Cal would think if he actually knew Dante’s actual age.

With a rolling of his eyes at Cal saying they could be useful, Dante crossed his arms over his chest. What he wanted to say was considering all the cop had experienced, and the fact that he could see ghosts, Cal was pretty closed-minded about some things. Dante kept the thought to himself; he was already irritated and ready to escape somewhere he and Seth could spend some time together. The last thing he needed or wanted, was to upset Seth. Dante wanted to spend their time creating happy memories, not sad ones filled with negative emotions.

Finally, Cal agreed to help them out then left the building. Releasing a sigh of relief, Dante touched Seth’s arms to draw his attention back to him, enjoying the feel of his skin. His gaze dropped down to meet Seth’s eyes, and he smiled. The frown that tugged the corners of Seth’s lips down had Dante chuckling softly. Seth looked more confused at Dante’s laughter than he was annoyed.

“You need to see the sunrise with new eyes, Seth. There’s someplace special I want to take you. I promise you won’t be disappointed.” Stepping away, Dante mourned the loss of contact. Soon though, they’d have privacy so they can connect again. Making sure Seth followed, Dante whispered to him as they left the building. “We’re going to need to plane jump to get there in time. First, we’ll go to the crossroads where we were before. From there we’ll go to Mount Everest.”

“But how?” Seth asked.

“You’ve seen pictures of Mount Everest and know where it’s located right?”

“In the Himalayas, right?” Seth asked uncertainty. “Yes, I’ve seen images at school.”

“Good. Those are the images to keep in your mind when we travel. First, concentrate on the crossroads. Remember what they look like and imagine yourself being there again. I’ll be right with you. Once we get there, you’ll do the same to reach Mount Everest. It’s a hop, skip, and jump,” Dante answered. As long as Seth had a mental image of the place they were going, he could envision being there.

In a blink of an eye, Dante and Seth were standing on the top of Mount Everest in Nepal. Snow surrounded them, but Dante was unaffected by the cold and thin air. As an angel, he didn’t need to worry about those things. Luckily, Seth appeared to be unaffected as well. At least being a ghost had some benefits.

Stepping next to Seth, Dante slipped his arms around him. The night slowly gave way to the dawn. Twinkling stars faded as the ink-black sky grayed, and calm serenity flowed through Dante. Feeling Seth’s arms wrap around him, Dante was overcome with a peacefulness that he hadn’t felt before. Muted pinks, reds and oranges streaked the sky as the sun started to peek over the horizon. Darkness yielded to the brilliance of a new day.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Dante said quietly, his gaze shifting from the horizon to Seth.

The handsome man in his arms looked as though he were in awe. Dante smiled softly at the wonder. Speechless, Seth seemed unable to do more than nod in agreement, his gaze locked on the sunrise.

“Admit it; I was right. You hadn’t seen the sunrise at the right place before.” Dante couldn’t take his eyes off Seth even to look back to the dazzling sunrise. “Or with the right person.”

Turning to face Seth, Dante kept him in his embrace, the warmth of his body as real as Seth’s scent. Tugging him gently closer, Dante pressed himself against Seth. A quiet groan passed from his chest as he shivered in delight. Not wanting the moment to pass, Dante hooked his fingers under Seth’s chin. As he lowered his head, Dante’s lips met Seth’s. The soft kiss that lasted a mere moment before becoming more passionate. Every emotion Dante felt for Seth passed through that kiss. Seth tasted divine. His lush, full lips were soft as they parted to welcome Dante’s caress. He had worried that Seth would pull away from him. Instead, Seth leaned into the embrace. The reciprocation elated Dante. His heart soared. Tracing his fingertips along Seth’s jaw, Dante ran his touch down Seth’s neck then slipped his arm around him once more. Time stood still.