The Rising

by L F Seitz

  I listened to the melody as I took a deep breath and tried to enjoy myself. I was already here, after all. I should make the most of it. Hamon smelled like fresh rain. His musk was gentle but masculine as I breathed it in.

  “I should have let you heal me that night,” I whispered to him as we swayed.

  “Yes, you should have,” he said, smirking. “What happened when you got home?”

  “I passed out. Micah found me.”

  “So, he does know about her?” Hamon asked.

  “I couldn’t tell him,” I said. Hamon’s face scrunched together. “She’s one of his close friends. It will hurt him. Not to mention what would happen if word got out about her attacking me. It would be a mess for the entire compound.”

  “Your safety is more important. I know Micah would agree,” he argued. The conversation was not helping my nerves.

  “I don’t want to talk about this,” I said, exhaustion in my voice. When I glanced up at Hamon, he only seemed worried.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  I shook my head. “Don’t apologize for being my friend. I need one now more than ever.”

  “Why haven’t you told him, though?” Hamon whispered to me, and I couldn’t help my eye roll. Didn’t I just say I didn’t want to talk about this anymore?

  “I just said –”

  “Not that, about your feelings,” he paused. “It’s pretty obvious.”

  I turned and spotted Micah, who was staring elsewhere. I regarded him as he swayed with Laylah, watched her fingers curl around his shoulder and his arms circle her waist. I felt like I was peeking in on something private and forced myself to look away.

  “Because he is my friend, Hamon, and I am his,” I said. I lifted my head to meet his gaze. “And if he doesn’t feel the same, our relationship will be shattered.” I cringed at the thought. “I couldn’t live with that.”

  It was quiet between us for a moment as the music carried away my secrets. “If Micah doesn’t see it, he is much slower than I thought,” Hamon grumbled. I tried to be quiet, but his joke made me laugh, causing me to relax in his arms. I exhaled heavily, resting my temple against Hamon’s chin.

  “He doesn’t want to see it,” I said quietly.

  “Why?”

  “Let me count the ways,” I said, the sadness weighing on me. The softness of the music danced with the melancholy I felt. “I’m just not what he wants, and I don’t blame him for it.” My voice was brittle as the sudden sensation of heartache and frustration crashed over me. A moment later, Hamon’s embrace tightened around me, and I had to put all my will into not crying.

  “He’s an idiot,” Hamon said, his tone curt.

  “Well, don’t sugarcoat it,” I smirked as I pulled away to study him. It was difficult not to laugh.

  “You are amazing, better than any one woman I have ever met. I literally looked in your eyes after someone nearly killed you, and you asked me to pardon them. That is ... saint-like. You’re more Nephilim than any of us, Lamia.”

  His praise left me speechless, and his green irises held mine in a sincere reassurance. Could all this really be happening? Having two guys who barely knew me care for me this much? “Just don’t tell my mother,” he added.

  “You’re too sweet,” I giggled softly, leaning my forehead against his chin again.

  “And you’re too nice. Sometimes for Micah to get things, you have to smack him around a bit,” he said.

  I snorted, covering my mouth as a few people glanced over to us. Hamon’s chest vibrated as he laughed silently. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said.

  It was quiet for a moment between us as the song came to an end.

  “All I know is whether Micah has feelings for you or not, you’re incredible. The way you handled yourself at the assembly, it really showed your true colors. It takes tremendous strength to walk into a room full of people who are prejudiced toward you without knowing who you are,” Hamon said.

  I lifted my head to look at him when I saw Micah in my peripheral. He and Laylah had their faces so close I swore they were about to kiss. His expression was something I’d never seen before, and a moment later, she kissed him on the cheek. My body went rigid as I pulled from Hamon, his eyes following my stare to find them as well. The song ended. I turned wordlessly and made my way to the table. I needed to get away from them before I lost it.

  “That dance was pretty intense, thought you could use a drink,” Leo said. He gestured to the bubbly drink in front of my plate. I took a sip, then put the champagne to my lips and drowned the whole glass. The carbonation burned my esophagus but cooled some of that fire nipping in my throat. Leo’s mouth was agape as he watched me.

  “Can you get me another one?” I asked, handing him my glass. He left without another word. I saw his glass, left untouched in front of his plate, and then looked to Hamon. He shook his head, but I took it anyway, just as fast as my first. I gestured for him to give me his, which he handed over reluctantly. I drank his, too.

  “Trying to get drunk now? I didn’t think our dance was that bad.” Hamon didn’t seem to approve as he watched me spin his glass between my fingers. The familiar warmth of the alcohol was already spreading through my insides.

  “I need a reason to act like a bitch,” I admitted. I was wrong about the champagne cooling the flames. It seemed to only fuel them as the fire licked at the back of my teeth, itching to get out.

  “We’re going down that road?” Hamon asked, cocking eye eyebrow.

  “And we’re cutting the brakes.” I grinned and Hamon nodded.

  “You’re going to tell Micah?”

  I snorted. “No.” I handed him back his glass.

  Micah sat beside me and gave a small smile. “Done dancing with the gooey twins? And so soon?” He said sarcastically.

  “Someone had to captivate her. You weren’t.” Hamon poked fun, which I was grateful for.

  “You done dancing with the spawn of Satan? And so soon?” I played back with him. Micah’s face fell instantly.

  “What did you just call her?” Micah’s voice was like ice.

  “Just a joke, Micah,” I said smiling, but his piercing gaze wasn’t letting up.

  “Don’t be rude,” he said. “Jealousy isn’t becoming on you.” Hamon scoffed, catching our attention.

  “Defending the queen of jealousy. How ironic,” he snapped.

  “Hamon,” I warned heavily. He was growing bolder and less patient, and I was having a hard enough controlling myself. How was I supposed to keep Hamon at bay?

  “Excuse me?” Micah expression was a mixture of anger and confusion as he looked between us.

  “It’s nothing,” I fidgeted with one of the flowers on my dress. This was all going to end badly if I didn’t behave myself. As long as I behaved, I could keep Hamon at bay.

  Leo was back. He sat beside me with two more drinks in his hand. “I knew you were going to drink mine, so I brought one for each of us.” He smirked as he handed me another glass of champagne, and this one I decided to sip. There was a buzz at the back of my mind from all the bubbles.

  “Lamia,” Micah spoke through his teeth as I continued staring ahead into the crowd. Maybe I can treat him like a bear. I’ll stay very still, and he’ll leave me alone. “What’s going on? Talk to me,” Micah whispered stressfully in my ear. The heat of his breath forced me to look at him. He wasn't as angry anymore as his gaze shifted between mine. All I’d wanted since I got here was for him to look at me, to talk to me. Now that he was, I was being an asshole.

  “Micah I –” I began.

  “Lamia.” Leo elbowed me just as Zachriel and Laylah sat at our table. They caught everyone’s attention, including Micah’s. His attention beelined straight to her as she sat across from him. Laylah grinned at Micah, and he returned it. I wanted to vomit. I didn’t think it would be this hard to act normal around her. Part of me wanted to run away, and the other, champagne part of me wanted to crawl over the table and break her nose. Hamon�
��s eyes were on me, and the stress of it all was starting to crush me.

  “What were you going to say?” Micah asked, focusing on me again. I clenched my fists against my thighs as the memory of Laylah’s attack resurfaced in my mind. “You didn’t seem too concerned a moment ago when your girlfriend showed up, so don’t bother asking,” I whispered fiercely, setting my sights toward the dance floor as the dinging of a glass rose above the crowd’s din.

  “Don’t think you can get out of this one.” Micah tone was taut. I peeked at Laylah out of the corner of my eye. She was sitting looking toward the dinging, but she knew, she knew I watched her. I could see Zachriel glaring at me with obvious distaste. Micah spoke about the both of them having a hard time with my presence. Did Zachriel only follow Laylah? Or did he hate me for his own reasons? I felt a strange emptiness as I tried to concentrate on whoever was about to speak. Micah and I never had a chance, so why do I feel like I’ve lost him? I don’t have anything she has, and I knew she knew that, and I knew Micah knew it, too.

  “Welcome, everyone, welcome.” The man from the meet and greet was speaking again, his orange hair complementing his blue suit. “Tonight is about us, about our loved ones, and about our family. Let us be joyous tonight. Let us be happy. Let us love one another; our true strength is our trust and confidence in each other. As we all know what is to come, let us take tonight to cherish our friends, our families, and most of all ourselves. Be safe and be merry. The food will be out shortly,” he finished, and the room erupted with applause.

  Servers came out of the back to place artfully arranged plates of chicken, potatoes, and vegetables in front of each person. I couldn’t tell if it was my emotions, my stress, or the champagne, but I wasn’t hungry. As the food was set at our table, everyone began to eat, even Micah, who I never saw eat anything. It was almost weird he acted so formal, cutting his chicken just so. I sat there staring off into the candles at the middle of the table as everyone ate and commented on the taste of their food. I swallowed the last bit of my champagne as the warmth of the room finally got to me.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” Leo whispered to me. He was the first to notice I hadn’t touched my food. I glanced over to see Micah, busy speaking to Zachriel beside him. I was sick of all this drama.

  “No, I’m not. I’m actually really warm. I think I’m going step out,” I said, accidently meeting Laylah’s gaze, which was sinister, with a smile to match.

  “I’ll come with. You shouldn’t be outside alone,” Leo said, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

  I stood and patted his shoulder before he could stand. “No, no, you eat. I’m used to being alone. Besides, I’ll just be outside the door by the guards.” I walked in close proximity to the wall, avoiding the other tables, and made it to the door where we came in. I pushed it opened, and the winter air hit me like a wall. I sucked in a huge breath as I stepped into it, the two guards analyzing me as I stood between them. “Can I stand out here?” I asked, to which they nodded.

  I walked farther into the parking area, catching my breath as the drama blew away with the winter air. My hot skin cooled as the wind gusted past me. “Your walls are up, Lamia. He can’t hurt you,” I muttered, annoyed with myself. “This thing with Micah isn’t important. What’s important is The Rising. What’s important is finding out who you are. Stop it, stop caring, you’re doing this to yourself.” I chastised myself aloud, the stars were the only ones that seemed to be listening.

  “You all right?” I jumped at the sound. Jimiah leaned against a car on his phone, watching me as he blew out white steam caused by the cold night air.

  “Fine. How are you this cold night?” I asked, and he shrugged.

  Jimiah wore a dark maroon suit, with a black shirt and no tie. It was a very handsome look on him. He was more relaxed than when I saw him last week. Maybe he, too, was exhausted by the stress of it all. “Good. Just wanted fresh air. It was getting stuffy in there. I can see you had the same idea.”

  I nodded. “Actually, that’s the exact reason I needed air,” I said. My breath turned to steam, too. Jimiah focused on me as I tilted my head back to the sky.

  “If something’s bothering you, Lamia, you know you can speak to any of the Council about it,” he said. “Or someone.” He studied me.

  “Now why would you add that?” I asked. He gave a crooked smile as he shoved his phone into his pocket. There weren’t too many stars, but a few bright and beautiful ones were enough. “People just don’t like what they don’t understand,” I said.

  “Give them time. They will come around.”

  “I keep telling myself that,” my voice deflated. I felt hopeless about it. I didn’t think Laylah would ever come around. If she was willing to kill me because of my blood, something I couldn’t change, I couldn’t imagine her ever liking me.

  “I know making meetings mandatory for you seems like torture, but it’s for this exact reason,” Jimiah said. “Having you around the Nephilim makes them more accustomed to you. To speak on your behalf and your character when the time comes for the Divine Counsel to get involved.” That cleared up why I was supposed to attend these events, but still didn’t make being around the Nephilim any easier. Knowing it was for my benefit didn’t make their judgment any less painful. Especially when it came to Laylah. What if something happened tomorrow at the battle, and Laylah used the chaos to disguise another attack? I shoved away the thought.

  “Some people, I fear, are already set in their ways.” My voice was quiet as I focused on the concrete between us.

  “They’ll have to get over it when they’re fighting beside you,” Jimiah said, and my gaze snapped up to him.

  “Did the Council approve me to fight tomorrow?”

  “We’re having one last meeting tonight, but I think I can get it approved,” said Jimiah. “It’ll help when the Divine Counsel looks at your file.”

  “That’s awesome.” Despite all the drama inside, I was excited to fight tomorrow. Nervous, but excited. I got a taste of it when I fought those Cambions with Micah that night in the road. I didn’t have much time to process it since Micah was so horribly injured, but the sensation wasn’t something I could forget. Under the fear, it was exhilarating.

  “You think you’re ready. Micah says you’ve improved drastically.”

  “I am. I have.” There was no way I was going to tell him I didn’t really know if I was ready. I mean, I want to believe I am, but who really knows? I’ve never been on a mission or any assignment to fight demons.

  “Lamia.” Jimiah’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. “Speaking of some people, has anyone been more ... apparent about their opinion of you than others?” His gaze was already locked on mine, and I felt myself tense up. First Anastasia, now Jimiah, did they know something about what happened that night? Looking inward I realized how exhausted I already was from tonight, I was too tired to lie to Jimiah, but I wasn’t about to give him the truth – at least, not completely.

  “Yes, some have made it very apparent, but it's nothing I can’t handle. If I let it bother me, they win.” I squared my shoulders as I tore my eyes from his to watch the sky again.

  “Well, the day you can’t handle it,” he said, stepping from the SUV he leaned against, “come to me. I’m a good listener.”

  I gave a crooked smile as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Thank you, Jimiah. I’m grateful for your kindness.” The sudden stillness made my shivering more apparent.

  “Shall I escort you back inside? You shouldn’t be out here alone,” Jimiah said, and I nodded. We walked side by side to the doors. I didn’t look forward to going back to the table, though I felt better about the whole situation with Laylah after what I said. I could handle her, I was stronger than I realized.

  “Are you sitting with Micah? I’d like to say hello,” Jimiah asked. The warmth inside was comforting now as I showed Jimiah to our table. No one noticed our approach.

  “Hello, Micah. Having a good time, I hope,” Jimiah sai
d. Micah instantly jumped from his seat to shake Jimiah’s hand. Jimiah waved to everyone else at the table.

  “I was getting some fresh air when I ran into Lamia outside, alone. I decided to accompany her back to her table. Please, sit,” Jimiah said, pulling my chair out for me. I smiled warmly at his kindness as I took my seat and he scooted me in. He then patted my shoulder.

  “Keep in mind what I said, Lamia,” he smiled. I nodded.

  “I will. Thank you again.”

  Once he was gone, Micah stared at me wide-eyed, but I gave a reassuring smile, putting any weird ideas he had to rest. My meal, cold now, still didn’t look appetizing.

  “You need to eat something.” Micah’s voice was suddenly in my ear, soft and warm against my skin. “Get enough cold air?” Laylah asked, the sourness apparent in her tone. I could see Hamon glare at her as she grinned at me. Hamon’s face was red. I wonder what had happened when I left.

  “Yes, it was quiet invigorating. You should, too: you’re looking a little shiny,” I said, motioning to her face, which went still. Hamon and Leo tried to contain their laughter. Laylah cleared her throat and adjusted her sights to Micah as another soft song came on. I knew what was coming.

  “Micah, would you like to dance again?” She asked.

  “Actually, I was going to ask Lamia to dance. We have a few things to discuss.”

  I snapped my head around to see Micah already standing, his hand out waiting for mine. I stood and took his hand, warm compared to the winter chill that still sat on my skin. My thoughts could hardly keep up as we walked out to the dance floor, and I had a hard time believing he’d actually asked me to dance. Micah turned toward me and wrapped his arms around my waist, loosely compared to how Hamon had embraced me. Despite the small distance between us, I relished the moment. I couldn’t contain the elation humming in my blood. I finally peered up to find Micah there, and I could see questions already forming on his lips.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  I couldn’t look away. In the soft yellow light, his eyes twinkled. Part of me wanted to tell him everything, to have him hold me in his arms and tell me it was OK. That I was right, and that Laylah wasn’t to be trusted, but I couldn’t ignore the foresight of his pain. What it would do to him. Trusting someone with your life and then finding out they hurt someone you care about: I can’t imagine the devastation.