Read Online Unseen (The Heights, Vol. 1) by Lauren Stewart - Free Book Online Page B

to see. “But don’t get too excited, because there are a
few more.”
    “Then you will have time to finish your
tale.” He probably wasn’t even listening to the story, but was
distracted by the words. Hopefully, he’d get the point by
osmosis.
    “Turned out, the lion had a splinter in his
toe.” She removed the shards one by one as she spoke, putting them
on the nightstand. Some were definitely silver. The wooden stake
had been pimped out to be as painful as possible in the millisecond
between puncturing the vamp’s heart and dusting. Somebody must
really not like him. The silver was also probably the thing that
slowed his healing.
    She continued her story. “So, this cute
little mouse is the only one who will help the ferocious lion,
because he’s been a total jackass to everyone else. After the mouse
takes the splinter out, the lion is absolutely thrilled that he
didn’t eat her. So they lived happily ever after… and never saw
each other again.” She got as close as she could, checking to see
if she’d missed any. Nope. “All done.” She sat back and felt her
adrenaline turn down a few notches.
    “Do you think I am an imbecile?”
    “What?” she asked, her adrenaline going right
back up. “No, I mean it. At least, I can’t see any more in
there.”
    “Not about that. You did well. I can feel the
difference already. I meant about your fable.”
    “So you’ve heard it before?”
    “Never. But I know a similar one. About a
scorpion. Have you heard it?”
    She wished she could remove the sarcasm in
his voice as easily as she’d taken the wood from his chest.
    “I can tell by your expression that you
have.”
    The scorpion and the frog. Sure, she knew it.
Scorpion needed a ride across the river and promised the frog he
wouldn’t sting if he took him over. Scorpion stung frog and then
they both died tragically because the scorpion couldn’t stop what
was in his nature.
    Bastard. “Why’d you have to do that?”
she whined. “I just helped you and you thank me with another
threat. Do you even know how to speak without them?”
    “There are two scorpion tales, Addison. Shall
I tell you the one to which I was referring?”
    “If I don’t like it, can I shove one of these
back in?” she asked, glancing at the splinters.
    “I would like to sit up.”
    “You’re on your own there, scorpion.”
    “And I repeat: you are a terrible host. It is
important you understand what I am. My story makes a more direct
point than your sad attempt at allegory.”
    “I like allegory.”
    “Do you like honesty as much? I am a vampire.
I became the Prime for a reason. I am nothing like your lion
because if a lion is badly injured by its enemy, it will run away.
I do not run away, nor do I let my enemies do so.”
    “I wasn’t the one who staked you.”
    “Of course you were not. You are too
weak.”
    “‘Thanks,’ said the person who just saved
your life. Twice.”
    “You are not the enemy I seek. When I find
them, I will successfully do to them what they tried and failed to
do to me.”
    “Or they could try again and be successful
the second time.”
    He almost laughed—the sound was there but not
the smile. “If you put a scorpion in the ring with a dog, which
walks out? Especially if that scorpion is immortal? It simply waits
until the dog gets close enough, maybe even until its body is in
its jaw. And then the scorpion stings. Over and over until the dog
is paralyzed. And again until the dog dies. Then the victorious
scorpion frees itself—regardless of how much of its body must be
left between the animal’s teeth. Because it knows it can regenerate
whatever it has lost. That is how I war. That is how I kill. And
that is how I conquer.”
    “So…what you’re saying is you don’t like
dogs?” It just came out—she didn’t know why. Probably the ongoing
near-death experience she was having.
    “What?” He paused in frustration. “I imagine
your kind would find that funny.”
    “Some