The seers had lived within the confines of the system for hundreds of years, no one brave enough or stupid enough to step up and say, ‘This is how we’re going to do it.’ Time and a lot of dead rogue seers proved nothing would change unless they did. With an organized legion, working against and within the system, part of the prophecy might come true.
Logan was right about something else, too—she’d never led anyone anywhere. But that fucking oracle said this was Addison’s time. Even her mom said it. And she believed them.
“Addison?” Her name was said in stereo. Once by the woman on the phone and the other by the being she loved who stood buck naked at the top of the stairs.
“He’s…” she said to Parker. Then she looked at Rhyse and forced a smile. “No problem.”
Addison knew what she had to do, what she had to tell him, and that knowledge felt like a spear running through her heart and lungs. She set up a meeting with Parker and said a quick goodbye. Then she went upstairs and into Rhyse’s arms.
“Is everything all right?” he asked softly, a deep look of concern on his face.
“Take me to bed. Make everything feel all right.” Because afterwards, nothing would be.
He studied her for a moment. So intently, she questioned how strong her shield was, that he'd gotten through and knew what she had to do. He kissed her and carried her to bed. Until their bodies separated everything felt better than all right. It felt perfect. Sadly, being tucked into his chest, his arm around her, didn’t stop her mind from starting to churn. Pull away from him. Leave him.
Because this was her time. But it wasn’t theirs.
Sixty-six
“Rhyse?” She whispered because she was chicken-shit and speaking louder was impossible. Maybe he wouldn’t wake up at all and she could sneak out without saying anything. Coward. And she actually thought she could lead a war against the Heights?
“I should go,” she said to herself and to him.
“Get rid of that horrible apartment is what you should do. Get back into bed is what you must do.”
She slid out of bed and got dressed. This wasn’t going to go well but, as much as she dreaded the conversation, she owed him an explanation. All she could hope for was that he didn’t kill anyone after she left.
Once she was fully clothed, she sat next to him. His eyes were still closed, peace and contentment in the curl of his lips. She couldn’t wait until nighttime. It had to be now. So that if he refused to let her go, she’d have ten hours of sunlight to run away. Not that she had anywhere to run.
“Rhy—”
Only his arm moved. It flew out, wrapped around her, and hauled her down to him before she’d finished saying his name. Then his whole body moved—right onto hers. She pushed his chest, knowing it was the last time she would feel his strength covering and protecting her.
“Rhyse, stop!”
“I am unfamiliar with that word and will therefore ignore it.” He pulled back a bit more, his brow furrowed. “Was I too rough with you last night, my love?”
“No. It was…perfect.” And she would remember it forever. “But—Can you get off me, please?”
“What upsets you?” He rolled to his side, pulling her along with him as if he was physically unable to let go of her. “Is it a human issue?”
“Kind of.” She scooted back and took a deep breath. “I can’t stay with you anymore. I don’t mean here or my apartment. I mean, we need to break up.”
He was completely still, and she realized he probably didn’t know the expression. Who the hell breaks up with a vampire? “It means—”
“I know what it means.” His voice was low, guttural, from deep in his chest.
Fear pooled in her gut, tightening it. She’d never been afraid of him before, not like this. Not even when he was strapped to her bed and she thought he was going to eat her.
She didn’t move—if he wanted to catch her, she’d be caught. He would probably break her neck, so she wouldn’t bleed on him. Or he could suffocate her with a pillow. Or strangle her.
Am I actually thinking about this? Making a list of different ways he could safely kill her. Damn it. Were the same things going through his mind?
“I want to…I am without words.” He paused. Since there’d been enough time to come up with some a second ago, he probably was planning her death then. “What have I done to displease you?” He looked so lost, so confused. An immortal being, the king of his people, the leader of the races, brought to his knees because he thought she was rejecting him.
“You haven’t done anything wrong. You’ve been amazing.”
“And yet you wish to leave me,” he said flatly.
“I don’t wish to leave you. I have to leave you. Because…” Just tell him. He’d find out soon enough—maybe not about her part in it, but he’d know something was happening. “The system is—”
“You wish to leave me because of your involvement in the Rising?”
“You know about the Rising?” She’d told him in the witches’ barn, but thought he was too charcoal-ish to really be listening.
“Of course.”
“Does everyone but me know about the stupid thing?”
“Evidently.”
Stupid fucking oracles should keep their mouths shut. Then nobody would know about her—including her—and nobody would have expectations of her—including her.
“So you know I’m involved,” she said.
“Of course.”
“And you’re still sleeping with me.”
“I see no reason to give up something we both enjoy tremendously simply because of a prophesized war.” When she pushed against his chest, he caught her hands and held them over his heart.
“We’re on opposite sides! You’re my enemy! I’m literally sleeping with the enemy.”
He brushed a lock of hair off her cheek. “Do you know how long there has been war?”
“Since the dawn of man.”
He shook his head. “Since the dawn of men. Although, in reality, since the dawn of sentient beings. But there is no war if there is only one side.”
“Things can’t continue like this. Seers can’t be slaves anymore.”
“Seers have prevented the killing of millions. Without them, our world does not function. Without the Treaty, supernatural beings would have continued to decimate the human population and create more predators. The system provides balance, for the good of both worlds.”
“There has to be another way, a different way.”
“I am not new to this struggle, Addison, nor have I ever liked it.” His fingers threaded through her hair so delicately, so carefully. “It is why I choose not visit the houses or take human lovers, but without the system, so many more will die.”
“What if you made the supers stop? Write another treaty that gives seers more rights?”
“The Treaty holds a tremendous amount of power. It protects the fragile balance between races—a set of laws and requirements we dare not defy. Because of what I learned from you, I will do what I am able, but there is much that cannot be changed. Multiple races of beings, each with their own needs, desires, cultures, and leadership under mine. Yet my rule over them is nothing. A farce. If I move one pillar, everything will fall. I can no more create the change you desire than you can. I know you wish not to hear that, but it is true. Your Rising may end the lives of many higher beings, but it will not give the seers freedom, nor will it be quick. It will be slow and painful for all.”
“I have to try.”
“I understand that. Your heart is good, pure, therefore you should follow it.” He kissed her forehead and spoke with his lips still against her skin. “I want that for you. But what I want most is you.”
She tried to get away but was stopped by his grip on her arms. “I can’t organize an army if they know I’m fucking you every night. No one will trust me.”
“I will trust you. Forever.”
“Don’t, Rhyse. Please.” Tears tickled her cheeks a
nd temple as they fell. “Don’t say stuff like that, or I won’t be able to do this.”
“I do not want you to do this.”
“I don’t have a choice.” Her voice was so weak, she wasn’t even sure she’d spoken aloud.
After another moment, he nodded and released her slowly, as if it took all the power he had just to relax each muscle in turn. She slid off the bed and grabbed her stuff in silence, her hiccupping breath the only sound.
Can’t say goodbye. Can’t say it. She hoped he wouldn’t say it either, because the word would make this too real. Too permanent. Too awful. She could walk away if he didn’t say goodbye.
“Addison?” he called from the bed.
Please don’t. “I don’t need a ride. I’ll go the old-fashioned way.” A long, frigid walk down a mountain would give her time to think, to figure out what to do and where to start. Because right now, she had no idea—her mind hadn’t been able to get past this moment.
“Before you go,” he said, “I wish to tell you three things.”
She didn’t turn around.
“First, the most important thing you can offer your people is hope. It is your gift and your greatest strength. But never promise them an end to this war or a solution without compromise. You will lose their trust. They will look to you for strength, Addison. They will look to you as an ideal, so never make promises and never lie. And do not repeat the mistake I made—do not believe those who revere you, who treat you like a god or tell you that you are perfect. For no being is perfect.”
She heard the rustling of sheets and suddenly, more than anything in the world, she wanted to feel his body pressed to hers. To tell her she was forbidden to leave, that he would never let her go. But there was no other sound, no warmth at her back, no lips brushing her ear.
“Second”—his voice was softer than she’d ever heard it, a caress that carried itself across the room to where she stood—“we will never be enemies, you and I. Never. Even though I am not near you, I will protect you the best I am able.”
He paused. “And third, this is not the end of us—it is merely an intermission. Wherever I am, I will be waiting for you to return. Whether you come back for forever or for just one night, I will welcome you home. Because while no being is perfect, we are. What we have together is perfect, and I will never believe otherwise.”
She wanted to believe she could have everything she wanted, to find a way back to him. Someday. Because she’d not only found the place she belonged, she’d found two. But they were on opposite sides of the wall.
“You must be as strong as I know you to be, Addison.” He swallowed harshly. “And do not bleed on anyone.”
Addison turned towards him, saw the pain on his face, the red-tinged moisture in his eyes. Just like she’d seen in her vision. It tore a whimper she hadn’t wanted to release out of her.
“I’m sorry, Rhyse.”
“No more than I.” He looked away, shaking his head slightly. “Now fuck off if you are really going to. Do not prolong this.”
She laughed—a short, tight chuckle aimed towards the cruelty of life. She should go. Say the goodbye that refused to be said and then walk out his door.
Instead of goodbye, she said, “I love you.”
“And I you, Addison.” His eyes met hers, trust and love radiating from him despite what she was doing and the hurt she was causing both of them. “I will see you soon.”
~ ~ ~
The pain he felt watching her walk out the door was beyond anything Rhyse had ever experienced before. Beyond the stake in his chest or the sun on his flesh. It was one thing to have known the possibility existed, but quite another to live it.
He was wrong before—he hadn’t experienced everything. A centuries-old belief proven wrong when he’d fallen in love, and then again, right now. For he’d never felt heartbreak, the loss of something so much more vital than sustenance, shelter, and strength, something that would never be within his power to control.
He would remain the Prime, and he would protect her from his people. He almost wept at the irony—within the blood Rhyse had given her, he’d imbued his strength and confidence, so she would be strong enough for what her life was now.
But with that, he’d made her strong enough to lead the seers.
Strong enough to leave him.
Although, in truth, his blood was only the spark, igniting the fire that had always been inside her, part of her spirit, her soul, her being. And in return, she’d used that fire to give him a gift. Far beyond what a few drops of her blood were capable of, she had changed him, loved him, given him more than he could ever give her.
“I will see you soon.”
Because, between the two of them, they would change their entire world.
~ merely an intermission ~
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed Unseen, please consider leaving a review. Each review helps get the novel in front of other potential readers and is greatly appreciated. Seriously, for unknown authors such as myself, there is no greater gift than when you leave a review or tell a friend about our book. Well, okay, there might be a few greater gifts (convertibles, trips to Vegas, pool boys, etc.), but reviews and telling your friends about the book are right up there.
Unearthed
The Heights, Volume 2
Coming Late 2014
Davyn would risk his eternity for someone he shouldn’t want, but can he let her do the same?
Unearthed will continue Addison and Rhyse’s story, as well as others’, but its focus will be on Davyn and the woman he can never have. Because demons are forbidden to lay with humans for a very, very good reason.
About the Author
Lauren Stewart lives in Northern California with two of the most amazing children that the world has ever seen. She reads almost every genre so, naturally, her writing reflects that. With every book, every story, you'll find elements of other genres—fantasy, mystery, romance, paranormal, suspense, YA, women's literature, all with a touch of humor because what doesn't kill us should make us laugh.
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Other Titles
Hyde Trilogy
Hyde, an Urban Fantasy — FREE on most retailers
Jekyll, Book II
Strange Case, Book III
The Complete Hyde Series Box Set
Second Bite
No Experience Required, a Summer Rains novel
Coming Soon
Darker Water, Once and Forever #1
A Contemporary Romance
Unearthed, The Heights, Vol. 2
Acknowledgments
I have been lucky enough to get to know and work with some incredible people whose talents, skills, and attitudes eclipse mine ten times over. They support me and challenge me and piss me off occasionally. And I love them for it…whenever I’m not hating them for it.
A special, special thank you to Angie, Carrie, Christy, Dawn, Nadine, Paula, and Steph! And to Christina McKnight, Amanda Simpson, and Jen Blood for lots of other stuff.
Lastly, to my children who aren’t nearly old enough to read my books but who still put up with my crazy and help me with them:
To Mathis: Thank you for the awesome title. You are brilliant. Now go do your homework.
To Zoe: Unfortunately, the bacon joke didn’t make it into the final version, babe, but it was really, really funny. (She wanted Addison to tell Rhyse he smelled like bacon after
he was burnt by the sun. Funny, right?)
Key Characters in the Heights
~ ~ ~
Addison — seer, disposal technician…kind of
Rhyse — vampire, King and Prime of the North American zone
Logan — seer, works as a toy (diversion), is trying to move to the disposal department, and is Addison’s best friend
Dawn — seer, works at the Heights’ call center and is Addison’s friend
Tempest — vampire, works very closely with the Prime because of her far-above-average skill at wiping and reading minds
Graham — vampire, marshal of the Prime
Noah — seer-turned-werewolf, after being accidentally bit, is sent away by the alpha but isn’t told why
Micah — angel, guides new seers into the Highworld as children, in addition to his responsibilities in the human world
Parker — seer, works as an assistant historian and is privy to information all other seers aren’t
Davyn — demon, works freelance for Rhyse and, as a level-one demon, can move ‘topside’ freely
~ ~ ~
The Heights (Highworld) — the paranormal world embedded within the human world. Each zone has a Council led by a Prime who makes decisions for the entire zone, within the structure of the Treaty of All Races, and sees that the Treaty’s laws are being followed.
Treaty of All Races —a treaty signed by the leaders of each race three centuries ago. The Treaty stopped the wars between the races, the relentless slaughter of humans, and the uncontrolled creation of more predators.
Seer — a human who, as a child, died and then came back with the ability to see through the “glamour” that supernatural beings cloak themselves and their world with. At eighteen, they are required to join this world and are placed in jobs that allow the Heights to function and remain hidden. If they rebel, or go “rogue,” they are considered too great a threat to the continued secrecy of the Highworld and are killed on sight.
Unseen (The Heights, Vol. 1) Page 34