Unseen (The Heights, Vol. 1) (26 page)

“A dog.” Sure, a dog. Because this evening
hadn’t been weird enough. Confused by why it was here and where it
came from, Addison knelt next to it to check for signs of life. The
poor thing was breathing and didn’t seem to have burns anywhere,
but it looked battered.

“Hey, fella.” Did vampire blood work on
animals? When it opened its eyes, she groaned. Not a dog. Some of
the blood on his muzzle was hers. Stupid werewolf got what he
deserved, but Addison felt guilty anyway.

“You tried to kill me.” She stood. “Bad boy.
Bad, bad boy.” He must have hit the wall when Rhyse pulled him off
her. If he hadn’t, the wolf would’ve come back to finish the job.
He was panting, but nothing looked broken, so Addison moved on,
walking backwards just in case the were was feeling vengeful. Not
that he could have figured out the whole dat vitae thing…or too
much else anymore.

She wandered back to the middle of the room
because she had absolutely nothing better to do or anywhere to go.
Holy shit, was that pathetic.

“The female seers were left with a few others
in front of the hospital, as you requested,” Rhyse said, bowing
dramatically. Yeah, Addison got it—he did her a favor, and it would
never happen again. Hopefully it would never
need
to happen
again. And Parker and Dawn would be fine.

She bowed back with equal mockery. “Thank
you, my lord. Your greatness humbles me with its…humbleness.”

Micah glanced at her and then shot Rhyse a
knowing look. “Get her out of here before someone…”

Rhyse hissed a warning. “While I appreciate
your advice, Angel, it is both unnecessary and obvious.” He looked
at her from head to toe. “Take off your dress.”

“What?”

She glanced at Micah, at Graham, and then at
the few beings still milling around dazedly. Because
they
didn’t have a vampire who forced them to suck on his wrist and
almost have an orgasm in the middle of a catastrophe like
she
did. Lucky girl.

“
The dress is covered with your blood,
Addison
,” Micah said in her mind. “
It may be too old to hold
any power, but we cannot take that chance. You must take off your
dress
.” He knew. Shit. But Rhyse didn’t seem too freaked out
about it, so she probably didn’t have to be. She had plenty of
other things to freak out about, anyway.

“So sweet—different races bonding over making
me do shit,” she grumbled, reaching ineffectively for the ties at
her back. The dress wasn’t coming off without help. “Can one of you
please get me out of it?”

“The back is covered too,” Micah said.

“Great.” She tried reaching the ties again,
which didn’t work again, and then she tried spinning the entire
dress which also didn’t work. “I guess I have to walk home.”

Logan stepped forward, looking more angry
than confused, while Graham’s expression was the reverse. “She
doesn’t have to take off her dress.” Bless his big, protective,
misunderstanding heart.

“It’s not like that, Loge. They’re—”

“She’s hyperventilating,” Micah said with a
hint in his eyes. Angels were nothing like she’d imagined, but she
went along with the ruse, knowing his intention was to protect
Logan from potentially dangerous information.

“Then why are you all just standing there?”
Logan grabbed the dress’s tie and yanked before Addison could stop
him.

“No!” She spun as the dress loosened.

“Okay.” He backed off with his hands raised.
“I was just trying to help.”

Micah watched him, Rhyse glared at him,
Graham didn’t know where to look, and Addison felt terrible. If
she’d just nullified Logan’s ability to
see
, he wouldn’t be
able to avoid supers. Not that he could now. Was it better to see
the pain coming?

“Can you
see
me?” Micah asked him,
extending his gorgeous wings out.

“Yeah.” Logan looked to her for an
explanation she couldn’t offer.

“Show him your fangs,” the angel said, “using
your glamour.”

Rhyse had probably never followed an order in
his entire existence, but his curiosity was such that this time he
did.

“Can you
see
what he is?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“Can you
see
his fangs, Loge?” Addison
asked.

He looked at her. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Those who understood what was happening
released a collective sigh of relief. Then, Addison figured out the
reason Graham and Loge were staring at her and Micah was very
obviously trying
not
to: Because Logan had successfully
unwrapped her, leaving her in a silk corset, undies, and not much
else.

Until Rhyse made some kind of territorial
sound only males could decipher and gave her his jacket, so at
least her butt was covered.

“All clear, M.” Then, while she had his
attention, she thought, “
Can I ask you for a favor?
”

“
You will have to give me more information
before I can answer definitively
.”

“
I need to know if my shield is good
enough
.”

He looked at her for a moment without a yes
or a no. Then he closed his eyes, and she felt a brief pressure
shift in her head, like a headache that only lasted a few seconds.
“
It is adequate for most, but not all
.”

“
Meaning, you got through
.”

“
I could have
.”

“
Thanks
.” For the favor and for
respecting her privacy. Everybody already incorrectly assumed she
was sleeping with Rhyse, but somehow it seemed worse if an angel
knew exactly how much she
wanted
to.

“Sometimes the things we want are in direct
opposition of the things we
need
.”

“Huh?” She looked at him, her mouth ajar.
“
How’d you know I was…? You peeked, didn’t you?
”

His face lightened a bit. “
You asked for
it, Addison. Because of your…uniqueness, my curiosity got the
better of me. But it was just a little peek
.” Thankfully, he
didn’t seem surprised or horrified or judgmental, anyway.

“
It’s nice to know even an angel is
tempted every once in a while
.” She smiled. “
But you’re not
going to…
”

“
No, Addison. I won’t tell anyone. We are
forbidden from taking part in gossip, which I believe this
qualifies as. But it would be wise to stay away from demons and
other angels until your shield is stronger.
”

“
Yeah, I heard that
.”

He looked at her pointedly. “
You should
also stay away from particularly strong vampires.
”

“
I can’t. He’s…protecting me.
”

“
You must learn how to protect
yourself
.”

He was right. The only one she could count on
was herself, so toughening up wasn’t optional. Neither was staying
away from vampires, even Rhyse. Any thoughts she had to the
contrary were hormone-induced, idiotic romanticizing.

After an awkward silence, she pointed to the
dog. “He needs a new home. I thought—”

Rhyse shook his head. “We are not taking the
dog.”

“That’s—”

“We are not taking the dog.”

“That’s because
we
aren’t doing
anything.” She mumbled it just in case someone was paying attention
to how she spoke to the oh-so-important Prime.

Micah ripped off one of the chest straps on
his champion outfit. “I’ll take care of him.” The were watched the
angel intently and sat as Micah wrapped the strap around the
animal’s neck. He didn’t wag his tail, though.

After giving Graham some sort of instructions
and doing the kingly nod of thanks to Logan and Micah, Rhyse came
over to her.

“Make sure he finds a nice home,” she
said.

“He tried to kill you and yet
you
feel
guilt,” Rhyse said. “I will never understand your mind.”

“And I’ll never understand why you hate dogs
so much.”

“I love dogs.” Rhyse wrapped his arms around
her. “Now, say goodbye.”

“Wait, where are we—?”

“You are such a liar,” Addison shouted,
pushing away from him. “You promised me you would bring me home,
not back here!”

They would never be alone were they to remain
near the city. The snow provided the temporary isolation they
needed.

“Perhaps you should have been more specific
about the order of things. From my perspective, that promise was
trumped by the more recent one.”

She shrugged. “What are you talking
about?”

“I told you I would feel you come—” He tilted
his head. “After all the excitement, I have forgotten. Did I give
an exact number of times I would feel you come?”

A distinct blush filled her cheeks and chest.
“That wasn’t a promise.”

“Yes, it was. And I always keep my
promises.”

“What if I don’t agree to it?”

“You already have.”

“Oh, come on! I was bleeding out. No one can
be held responsible for a little head movement when they’re
bleeding out.”

“Your wound was healed, and my blood coursed
through you.” And in the midst of the fighting, all he’d desired
was to be with her. “How did it feel to have part of me inside you,
Addison?”

“Doesn’t count.” She backed up as he came
towards her. “I never agreed.”

“Your agreement was in the look on your face
and your moans as you took me in your mouth. The movement of your
hips and the arch of your back as you dug your fingernails into my
skin. The change of your scent from fear to desire. Those things do
not lie.”

“Nor do they mean anything other than your
blood tastes better than chocolate.”

He smirked. “And the quickening of your heart
and breath?”

“The room was on fire, what do you
expect?”

“I mean
now
, Addison. This room is not
on fire, you are not bleeding, there is nothing dangerous here. So
tell me why your heart pounds and your breath is shallow
now.
”

She put her hand over her heart as if that
would slow it down. “You’re a vampire.” She still tried to deny
this, but with each of his steps, she weakened.

“I am.” He stroked her cheek. He would be
gentle, savor every moment and every inch of her. Then, when she
was ready, he’d stop being gentle.

“Vampires are killers,” she whispered.

“When the need arises, yes.” He caressed her
lip with his thumb, then pressed down lightly. When her mouth
opened, a quiet moan was freed. “But I sense a different kind of
need right now.” He leaned halfway to her and stopped. She must
come to him, so both of them understood how much they wanted
this.

He watched her struggle, the war between what
she desired and what she feared. If she wanted this half as much as
he did, she would relent soon. “No decision made by any being on
Earth or beyond will lead us away from what you saw in your vision.
You know that.”

“I—” She swallowed her empty denial—she knew
it was inevitable.
They
were inevitable. “I don’t…I’m not
sure…”

A kiss would silence her. It would also
guarantee her fall. But he held fast to the idea that she must join
him without coercion, knowing it was exactly what she wanted. The
waiting was almost as horrible as being human had been. So he
considered another tactic, one that might prove more successful—one
he had never nor
would
ever attempt with another being.

“Addison, I do not mean to alarm you, but if
you do not kiss me soon I believe that I will die. And all your
hard work to make me well enough to leave you alone would have been
for naught.”

She smiled playfully, beautifully. “That
would be terrible.”

“It would be for
me
, but you might
enjoy it—to see me die at your feet because you did not give me
what I require.”

She lifted onto her toes, her mouth nearing
his. Far too slowly. He caressed the small of her back, forbidding
himself to pull her into him.

“I don’t think it would kill you, Rhyse.
You’re pretty tough.”

“Kiss me.” Not a beg, a request.

“Just one kiss?”

“It is difficult to say if one kiss will be
enough to keep me from the great beyond, but it is a good place to
begin.”

She brushed her lips across his lightly and
closed her eyes. “I know what you’re doing, and I know what’s going
to happen if I kiss you.”

“And what is that?”

“You’re going to pick me up, carry me over to
the bed, and ravish me.”

“I do not know what you are talking about. I
asked only for a kiss. We have kissed twice before and each ended
without any ravishing at all.”

She sighed unhappily. “I know.”

“Why do you deny this?”

She was silent long enough for him to wonder
if perhaps he’d erred in some way and she was now considering her
other options. “It’s just… I think it’s a bad idea to start…”

“Nothing will start. I will provide you
pleasure, and you will do the same for me. There is nothing to
fear, so say the words. Tell me what you want.”

“I want to… I want to kiss you,” she said.
“And then I want you to pick me up and carry me to the bed.”

“Sounds detestable thus far. Continue.”

Her lips pulled away as she smiled and snuck
a finger between their mouths to shush him. Or perhaps simply to
torment him.

“And then…” she said, “
I’m
going to
ravish you.”

Having been the Prime for hundreds of years,
he’d had countless females, but none had ever dared say anything
like that to him, and he’d never heard anything more erotic. Of
course, he would never allow it to happen as such. If he gave over
all control, he would not feel her in all the ways he desired.

“I would very much like to see you try,
Addison.”

As soon as her lips met his and her arms
wrapped around his neck, he stopped thinking of anything beyond
this moment. His fist burrowed in her hair, his other arm pulling
her closer, feeling her heat multiply his.