Read Unseen (The Heights, Vol. 1) for Free Online Page B

emotion, staring
not at him but through him. Ignoring a being who was never, ever ignored. And it bothered him to no end.
    Rhyse’s skill with anticipating the actions
of others was one reason he was the Prime, but this one refused to
act predictably, as if she deliberately went against her own best
interests. It created a sense of curiosity he had never believed
he’d feel again, and was as unexpected as his physical
weakness.
    He was at her mercy. Vulnerable. Yet instead
of using his weakness to gain power for herself as any rational
being would, she seemed to truly want to heal him. As if she valued
his life at the expense of her own. Very soon, he would kill her
with a lift of his hand, a touch, yet she didn’t seem to care
enough to kill him now, as she should. Being unable to determine
her motives made him far more uncomfortable than the silver chains
or the lumpy mattress. He greatly disliked being uncomfortable.
    “Do you often strap males to your bed, or am
I the first?”
    “Be quiet.” When he hissed at the command,
she held up her hands. “ Please .” Better, but far from good
enough. Her tone held too much sarcasm. “I need to think.”
    He didn’t need to read her mind to know what
she was thinking—her body gave her away. The way she leaned towards
him one moment then rocked back as soon as she realized she’d moved
closer. Her inner struggle apparent on her face, the darting of her
gaze from him to the stake on the nightstand to the drapery on the
windows. But always back to him.
    She wanted him to die, but wouldn’t do it
herself. She wanted him but wouldn’t let herself. The latter
was common—particularly in humans. The draw of pleasure, the
yearning for death. Long ago, Rhyse found he had no desire to give
them what they longed for—a taste of damnation and immortality.
There were other females to fulfill his physical needs who were not
as bothersome.
    This one had seen him weak, kept him captive,
and spoke to him as if he wasn’t who he was. It was not amusing,
and he had no desire to be here any longer than absolutely
necessary. Yet she was different, intriguing. Her scent for one.
Perhaps he would wait before putting her down, just until he knew
what she was.
    She was simply as all lower beings were, and
although Rhyse had never considered or cared about what that meant,
he did now. She was nothing of importance, nothing more than a
servant, who despite her tongue had to understand that every
supernatural race would stop at nothing to keep her from stepping
out of her place.
    “When you find out who tried to kill you,”
she said, her eyes shining, “kill him once for me, too. If it
wasn’t for him, I’d still have a life. A shitty one, but at least
it was a life.”
    Rhyse didn’t respond, focusing instead on the
beginnings of a plan. He could use her to investigate the attempted
coup and reveal the enemy he sought. Any other being would be
noticed, suspected, but not a seer. He almost laughed at the
perversity—she was now the most trustworthy and important ally he
had.
    The seer stood, sighed, and walked away.
Under her awful clothing was something truly beautiful. It would be
a shame when her life force left that body. First he would recover
and, if she didn’t free him, he would free himself. Then she would
aid him in discovering which of his people had done this to him.
Then she and his enemy would die.
    “I’m gonna go freak out in the living room
for a little while,” she said from the doorway. “Wanna watch a
movie until you do the coma thing?” She seemed to miss the
absurdity of the question, making him wonder about her sanity. If
he had any intention of exchanging blood with her, he could heal
her mind of that.
    But of course, he would not exchange blood
with her—he would take blood from her.
    “Is that a ‘yes’?” She went to the bureau and
set a laptop computer on top of it, aiming the monitor so he could
see it. “I only have Netflix, but they have a