Unseen (The Heights, Vol. 1)

by Lauren Stewart

  “He’s not a vamp anymore, Rhyse.”

  “He does not need fangs to speak, does he? You do quite a lot of speaking without them.”

  “You seem better, but the attitude might need some work yet.” Addison knelt down next to him. “Did you get enough blood? I don’t think you got enough. She should come back.”

  “I will be fine.” He pulled her towards him. “And you are naked.”

  “I wasn’t sure how dry the blood needed to be, so I thought it would be safer to just take everything off.”

  “Appreciated on many levels. You look lovely.” Other than grimacing as he stood, he showed no other sign of being in pain. His skin already looked better. When she tried to help him, he shook his head. “You will have to be a bit more patient, my pet. But I expect quite a bit of touching once I am fully healed.”

  “Me, too.”

  The demon who’d appeared with Rhyse had reappeared, watching her out of the corner of predatory eyes. But he didn’t approach. He talked to the demon still stuck in the pentagram, shaking his head every once in a while and grumbling.

  “Will he let the other one out?” she asked Rhyse.

  “Davyn? No. Demons have no loyalty to each other, and level-ones work so hard to get here, they would never release one from a lower level.”

  Rhyse ordered Graham to drink from his wrist. Addison wasn’t sure he should be giving that stuff away, but Rhyse had been living in that body for a few centuries now and probably knew how it worked better than she did.

  When she approached the demon, she did so slowly, because she knew next to nothing about demons, and it looked hugely pissed off.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Davyn shouted as he reached out to push her away, stopping his hand an inch from her and yanking it away. “Don’t break the pentagram! He’s a level-seven.” He glared at her, staying back. “You sure about her, Vamp?”

  “Yes,” Rhyse called back, still with Graham.

  “So level-seven is bad?” she asked the demon.

  “You could say that. But feel free to let him go if you want to be responsible for a whole bunch of unsanctioned deaths and some serious mayhem. But I wouldn’t touch him if I were you.” Then he explained, “Level-sevens aren’t nearly as dangerous as eights or nines, but in certain circumstances, any demon is deadly. Even really, really extra nice ones like me.”

  Addison kinda doubted that.

  “And in this kind of situation—not that I’ve ever seen or heard of or imagined this kind of situation—our physiology makes our skin lava-hot. Too much stress is unhealthy. Too much demon stress is deadly, for everyone but the demon. If you touch him now, all of your pretty flesh will melt right off. Make what happened to your vamp look like a suntan. So I’d suggest you find somewhere else to stand until we send the seven back where he belongs.”

  “No!” the demon yelled in a panic. “Don’t send me back. Not yet.”

  “Calm the fuck down, and we can talk about giving you more time topside, okay? I’m sure we can come up with a timeline that works for everybody, big guy.” He turned to her and made a face, mouthing, “No fucking way.” He pointed to her. “Break the line in—” He held up three fingers, lowering them one by one. Addison jumped forward, sweeping her hands over the line at the same exact moment Davyn’s arm whipped out to grab the other demon by the throat and disappeared.

  Addison looked for some kind of explanation, but Rhyse was in a deep discussion with Graham.

  By sundown, things seemed at least partially taken care of and everyone outside of their immediate circle—if you could call it that—couldn’t remember anything about a being called dat vitae.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked Rhyse.

  “You do not want me to answer that question.”

  “Well, at least you have your looks back.”

  He drew her in for a kiss. “Thank the powers, because what other reason could there possibly be for you to enjoy my company?”

  “What gave you the idea that I enjoyed your company even with your looks?” She smiled. “When are you going to turn Graham?” He’d go back to being a newbie—little power, no control—but he’d been loyal to Rhyse and pretty much saved the entire zone, so she imagined Rhyse would want to keep him close.

  “I am not sure I will.”

  “You have to! This better not be some weird possessive thing, I told him to drink from me and he only agreed because, for some unknown reason, he worships you.”

  “It is his choice, and he has decided to remain human for a time. But of course I will turn him if, and when, he desires to return. I may imbue some of my power into him.”

  “Imbue your what?”

  “I forget how little you know about us. When a vampire shares their blood, he or she can choose to pass on other attributes with it. Strength, a particular personality trait, a talent. Things of that nature. But it is not common and can only be done by vampires of a certain power, age, and skill.”

  “Have you ever done it?”

  “Perhaps,” he said, smirking.

  What did the smirk mean?

  Sixty

  A few days later, Addison had recovered, physically at least. She barely left Rhyse’s side, only feeling safe when he was touching her. But this couldn’t be the rest of her life. Things had to change.

  So the next morning, she sat at the kitchen table across from a very irritated Logan. “You look a lot better.” Still a little pale and tired-looking, but a lot better. “How was your trip?” Nervous smile on her side, more irritation on his.

  “Great. Your boyfriend’s a hell of a snuggler. It would’ve been nice to have a little warning before he kidnapped me, though. Because nobody likes to be kidnapped twice in the same week. Once is totally normal, but twice? Shame on him for not knowing that.”

  “It was the only way to get you here.” She needed to speak to him in private, far away from any super, and the only place she could do that was at Rhyse’s mountain house. Rhyse thought Logan was here so she could say goodbye, and Logan had no idea why he was here. “You wouldn’t have wanted him to accidentally drop you somewhere along the phase, would you?”

  In the barn, Logan had been so weak and out of it he hadn’t been aware of what happened or the part Addison had played in it. But it was time to come clean with her best friend—her most trusted friend, a guy who’d been tossed around in the Heights more than anyone else she knew.

  “I…well, I…” Not the world’s most eloquent beginning.

  He sighed. “Are you gonna tell me what the fuck is going on, or should I just guess? Here’s what I got so far.” He held up his index finger. “Number one: The vamp knocked you up and you want me to be the kid’s godfather.” Then he tucked the finger into his fist. “Can’t be that because it would have to be a miracle baby, and we all know miracles don’t happen.”

  He held up his finger again. “Number two: They’re going to make you an angel because you’re so honest and forthcoming with your friends.” The finger disappeared into the fist. “Sure as shit can’t be that.”

  Before he gave her the finger again, she said, “I’m part of a race that has been extinct for a couple hundred years.”

  He shrugged. “Okay, we’ll call that number three. Why not? It’s as good as any I came up with.”

  “Except mine’s the truth.”

  “Is it the long-term exposure to the dusting powder?” he asked, laughing. “I knew that stuff wasn’t safe for the living. It’ll put you in the loony bin.” Then his smile fell and he grabbed her hand in his. “Oh, shit.”

  She sighed. He understood. “You’re not afraid of me or anything, right?”

  “Afraid? Fuck no. The whole thing with your mom seemed really weird when you told me because I’d never heard of it. So if it’s not the mind-scraping…” He squeezed her hand. “Is there any kind of medication that will help?”

  Okay, maybe he didn’t understand. “What are you talking about?”

  “Lo
ts of people with mental illness live normal lives, Add. I mean, not your mom, but you…” His lips clamped shut and ran both hands over his face. “I’m screwing this up. I’m sorry. What should I do?”

  “I’m not mentally ill, Loge, and neither is my mom. She was wiped too many times, and I was telling the truth.” She leaned closer. “Have you ever heard of the dat vitae?”

  “Is it something your mom gets?”

  “This isn’t about my mom! The dat vitae are a kind of super. But they were all wiped out a really long time ago. Because of what they—we—can do.”

  He pulled his hand out of her grip. “What are you talking about?”

  “Dat vitae means Bringer of Life.” She went through the list of each race and what would happen if they came in contact with her blood. “That was why M and Rhyse wanted to know if you could see them as they really are—because you touched the blood on my dress.”

  “I could see them.”

  “I know.” She couldn’t take his disbelief personally—she wouldn’t have believed it either. “Best guess is that the blood loses power with exposure to air. It worked on the were because he bit me.”

  “That dog…”

  “Was a were, yeah.”

  “The witches. You stopped them?”

  “Yeah. By taking away their magic.”

  “Take away mine,” he said quietly.

  “No! No, I can’t.”

  “Why not? If you take it away, I won’t have to go back to the box. Or to her. I can be human. Fuck, Add. Think of it—a normal life.” His smile grew from wonder to joy, and Addison had to take it away.

  “Never knowing that the person standing next to you is a demon or fae playing with your mind. Or a vamp who’s about to feed from you.”

  “Trust me, it’s no better if you know.”

  For a moment she considered it. Not because she thought it was a good idea, but because he wanted it. “I can’t. They’ll find out.”

  The witches had been explained away—a fire broke out in the barn they’d been celebrating the solstice in, and they all died, exactly like twenty years ago. Hopefully, whichever coven was here in twenty years would be smart enough to take a hint. But a seer shouldn’t have been there, and without a body, Logan’s boss would assume he’d run. He’d be looking for Logan. Because no one wanted to lose something that belonged to them.

  “So what?” he asked.

  “So, they’ll hunt you down, and they’ll kill both of us. Before I can do anything good.” She glanced at the door and then leaned in close. “Seers need to come together. We need to organize ourselves against the supers. The few of us who rebel are killed almost immediately because they are alone. It won’t happen without a leader.”

  “You’re not a leader, Add. You’re a keep-your-head-down-and-pretend-you-don’t-see-anything-er.”

  “Not anymore. Not with your help.”

  “I can’t do anything.”

  “Not directly, but…” She grimaced, regretting what she was about to say before she’d even said it. “The rogues almost always come from the boxes, right?”

  He hesitated, but eventually nodded.

  “I need someone I trust to point them in my direction. Even after you move into disposal, you still know people—”

  “I’m not moving into disposal.” His voice was flat and, after the week he’d had, she was shocked he could even speak. “She realized I’d be working at night and wouldn’t be available to her. So I’m staying in the box.”

  She—his patron. Addison’s heart clenched. “Oh, Loge. I’m so sorry.” They were silent for a moment. When she spoke again, it was quietly. “There’s safety in numbers, Logan. Power in numbers. If the seers who go rogue find me, I can support them. I’m no tactician, but I know where we can at least start and from there, with enough seers, we’ll stand a better chance at changing things. And then you and everyone else will be out of the boxes permanently.”

  Seers didn’t need power. They needed freedom, choice. Addison was the only one who could help them get it.

  “Why don’t you go ask your boyfriend to change things?”

  “It’s not that simple.” She’d thought about it. Oh yeah, she’d thought about it. And she’d come up with a lot of reasons. “He believes the system works better than it does because he’s never seen it from our perspective. I know he’ll come around eventually, but it will take time and proof to change his mind. But even after he comes around, it’ll be better if he’s still the Prime. He could take little steps until we’re ready for something big. It has to be slow, because if he started changing things all of a sudden, the other vamps and races would gang up on him and probably kill him.”

  Logan shook his head. “It’s not going to work, Addison. Nothing will ever change.”

  “Especially if no one ever tries.”

  “Are you still fucking him?”

  She paused. “Are you saying no because you think it’s a bad idea or because of who I’m sleeping with?”

  “You can’t be…working both sides simultaneously. People will find out. Anyone I send to you will find out eventually.”

  “I’ll deal with it then. But this is possible, Logan. You know how many of us there are. The numbers don’t lie. If we band together—”

  “We’ll all get killed.” He’d proven himself to be unbelievably strong by fighting the demons, being chosen as the seer champion, and living through the witch’s torture. But it was his life as a toy that had defeated him.

  She took a deep breath. “Okay. I understand, and I didn’t mean to put you in a shitty position. Take it as a compliment that I trust you so much.” She stood, disappointed and with nothing more to convince him. “Rhyse can take you back to the city.”

  Logan held her hand as they left the room. “It’s not a bad idea—it’s just a really fucking dangerous one. I’m not sure there are enough of us willing to take that risk.”

  “It’s okay. But you can’t tell anyone about me and the whole dat vitae thing. If they find out, they’ll hunt—”

  The thunder of Rhyse’s voice came from downstairs. “You told him!” And then he was right in front of them. Logan stumbled backwards, but Addison stood firm.

  “I trust him,” she said.

  “It does not matter if you trust him.” His anger knocked her back a step. “He is a diversion. A toy. Someone will read it in his mind eventually.” He bypassed her and went straight for Logan. “Say goodbye, because you will not remember her for long.”

  “What?” she shouted. “No!” She yanked on Rhyse’s arm, trying to turn his focus away from Logan. He couldn’t do it, she wouldn’t let him. “No!”

  “I wipe him or I kill him, but he cannot just leave. He is around other beings all the time, Addison. Someone will read him, and they will all find out. I cannot protect you from everyone.”

  “Stop!”

  “Do it,” Logan said calmly, centering himself and glaring just as hard at Rhyse as Rhyse was at him.

  “No!” She squeezed between them and pushed against Rhyse’s chest. “No, please. You can’t.”

  “I’m not your mom, Addison. I’ll be fine.”

  “I said no!”

  “Do it, Vamp.” Logan’s voice dropped by at least an octave, almost as if he was daring Rhyse. But this wasn’t a game anyone could win.

  “Teach him how to shield, Rhyse. Please, teach him and then it’ll be fine.”

  “He is a toy.” The word dripped off his tongue like something he couldn’t bear to swallow.

  “He’s my friend,” she whimpered. “You taught me, so teach him. Please.” She touched his face, making him look at her. When he did, the muscle in his jaw twitched as it clenched and unclenched.

  “I will not risk you,” he whispered.

  “Just do it,” Logan said.

  “Please, don’t. It doesn’t just wipe away memories. It wipes away part of the person, too. It would be different if you guys could tell how many times someone’s been wip
ed. But since no one can, one more time might be the one beyond what his mind can take.”

  Rhyse blinked as if she hadn’t been in focus before. “Who told you that?”

  Not now. She didn’t want to talk about it now. “It’s common knowledge.”

  “Not about the mind-scraping. Who said we cannot tell how many times it has been done?”

  When she paused, not wanting to get into this now…or ever, Logan cursed. “You’re sleeping with him and you can’t tell him about her?”

  “About who?”

  Two against one. Addison had already lost. And it was her fault…again.

  Sixty-one

  Addison spoke quietly, knowing Rhyse could hear her just fine. “Most seers cut all ties with their families when they turn eighteen and get drafted. I didn’t.” Her mom provided a bit of normalcy and a sense of belonging. To someone who didn’t belong to her. Not really.

  “One night, my mom followed me to work. She was worried I’d gotten into a bad situation because I worked at night and never talked about it. She saw two dead weres, and then she saw me dispose of them.”

  Why stop now? Why not just relive that night however many times she could? Because it hurt. Because she hurt. She’d been stupid not to say goodbye to her mom sooner, but her mom was the one who’d been punished.

  “We had to go in front of the Council.” Her voice dropped even further once her lip started shaking. “She was so scared, Rhyse. She didn’t understand, and none of them were using their glamour.”

  “We are forbidden to use glamour at Council.”

  Made sense but didn’t help. “They gave me the same choice you just did. I chose the wipe. I didn’t know she’d already been wiped. It didn’t take, and she remembers everything.” Something that was supposed to take away her memory, took her sanity instead. “So her reality is a continuous nightmare.”

  Rhyse didn’t move. “I was not there.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she answered anyway. “No.”

  “Who was?”