Chapter Nine

Seth

When Dante made him temporarily corporeal and then caressed his cheek, Seth froze. He couldn’t do anything except stare into Dante’s azure eyes, as he felt the soft warmth of Dante’s fingertips against his... soul? Despite the pain flitting through Dante’s eyes, the angel’s touch felt comforting and right. That was the only way Seth could describe it, as he added the moment to the growing list of things that were leaving him confused.

He raised his own hand to touch Dante’s. Lacking substance, his hand slipped straight through Dante. Seth jerked back, horrified. He wasn’t sure why he’d thought that, upon coming into contact with Dante’s hand, his own would become solid. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to being incorporeal, or to not being able to touch and interact with anything.

“I’m sorry,” Dante said.

Did Dante think his touch had made Seth freak out? Seth didn’t want him to believe that. Dante’s brief caress had been the loveliest thing to have happened to him since he’d died.

“It’s not you,” Seth assured him. “It’s just... it’s...”

He hunched his shoulders. How could Dante understand? How could he even begin to explain how overwhelmed and frightened he was feeling? For half a second, he considered heading down the road towards the tall, white city. Perhaps there he would find peace. Except he couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t let fear turn him into a coward; not again. Seth tried to clench his fists, but his fingers passed through his palms, making him growl out in frustration. He hated being dead, hated being insubstantial. He wanted to stamp his feet and howl out his emotions, but neither would help.

“Can you take me back to earth?” he asked, instead. “I can’t do much about stopping the Doctor from here.”

“I can,” Dante said, his words slow and careful. “But do you have any idea how to go about stopping him?”

“Ten years ago, I took photos of him killing a man.” Seth smiled bitterly. “It’s why I ended up dead.”

Dante gave him a sad, tight-lipped smile. He wondered at Dante’s expression for a moment. Was he sad Seth had died, or for some other reason?

“When I realized the Doctor had recognized me, I mailed the memory card to Robert Nelson, the editor of the paper I do—did—a lot of freelance photography for. I can make sure he gets them and prints them. That should be enough evidence for the cops to investigate the Doctor and hopefully bring him to justice.”

It seemed like a viable and simple plan in his head. “I guess once the photos are printed, you can bring me back here and I can choose a path, like that other angel wants me too.” He couldn’t bring himself to say Killian’s name.

Dante’s expression darkened for the briefest of moments. “Choosing a path is your soul’s destiny.” His voice was so mournful that it made sadness settle over Seth like a shroud.

“Dante...”

The angel looked at him expectantly.

“You’ve been with me for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Longer than you know.”

“You were protecting me?”

“Yes.”

Seth looked down at the road, unsure what to do with all that information. “When I... when I was dying... you held me, didn’t you?”

Dante nodded.

“You didn’t want me to die.”

“No, but I couldn’t save you.” Tears gathered in the angel’s eyes, making them almost luminous. “I’m sorry.”

Questions swam in Seth’s mind, but he didn’t know how, or if, he should vocalize them. All he knew, was that the way Dante had held him when he was dying and touched him moments ago, had not been the actions of a mere protector.

Dante cleared his throat. “You wanted me to take you back to earth. We should go.” He held his hand out.

“Of course.” Seth stared dumbly at Dante’s hand for a few seconds, before tentatively reaching out to take it.

Instead of passing through Dante, Seth became solid, just as he had done when they’d been on earth. He felt a little pulse of energy run through his entire body from the point of their connection.

“Can you... only make me solid some of the time? I mean, I know it hurts you to do it...” He winced at his own rambling words and the mild look of pain that was creasing Dante’s brow.

“It’s a conscious act,” Dante confirmed.

“So when I tried to touch you a moment ago...”

“I wasn’t expecting it, and you jerked back too quickly for me to make you corporeal.”

“And the pain?”

Dante pursed his lips for a moment. “It’s not exactly pain I’m feeling.”

He began to run his thumb back and forth over the back of Seth’s hand as he spoke. It seemed to be an unconscious action, one that Seth was too dumbstruck to prevent. Besides, it felt nice.

“But try not to worry about it. I can make you corporeal, for a short while at least, but it takes a lot of my power and leaves me temporarily drained.” He smiled. “It’s nothing that can’t be replenished.”

Seth made a mental note only to ask Dante to make him solid if it was necessary. He didn’t want Dante to feel any pain or suffering because of him. Right now, he needed Dante to hold onto him and take him back to earth. He clasped Dante’s hand tighter, relishing the feel of the angel’s skin against his soul. As Dante unfurled his wings and wrapped them around him, he looked up into the angel’s perfect face. He was truly a beautiful creature. Even when Seth had believed Dante to be one of the homeless men he helped, he had been captivated by those eyes. Now, standing intimately close to Dante, Seth realized his soul had known Dante for a very long time, even if his mind and body had not.