I know instantly that it ishim. The Unseen. It’s as if a cord runs from myself to him, linking us in a way that is new to me. It scares me. Excites me. Thrills and terrifies me.Later,I promise myself. For now, I have a role to play.
Ignoring the connection for now, I take a deep breath andstraighten my shoulders, pulling the doors open. My entrance into the room is immediately noticed, heads turning my way as I glide gracefully from one group to the next, greeting and complimenting, the fake smile plastered on my face like a mask. Fingers dip into my neckline, stroking my nipple. My ass is pinched and hair tugged. I sit on laps, food I don’t want pushed between my lips as more fingers work themselves up my thigh. All the while, I smile graciously and bear it, sending surreptitious looks at the industrial-style skeleton clock gracing the chimney.
You can do this, I reassure myself. Just two more hours.
Chapter 5
Trey
Fuck me. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Keeping hidden in the shadows of the far side of the room, my eyes watch her hungrily as she flits about, charming the men that are here to bid on her like she’s a piece of meat.
I want to rip out the eyes of every man here for daring to look upon her. She is a goddess amongst mortals, an angel deigning to grace demons with her presence.
My hands curl tightly into fists as I watch one man dip his hand beneath her dress. Are they idiots? Do they not see her mouth tightening, just ever so slightly, in disgust? Do they not see her back stiffening in outrage?
I have to force myself to stay where I am and not storm over there, gutting him like the pig that he is. At that moment, her eyes lift, catching sight of me. It’s impossible due to the mirrored mask I wear, but I swear I can feel her gaze on mine. She goes very still, head cocked slightly to the side, watching me back with an intensity I’m all too familiar with. Making her condolences to the men surrounding her, she moves towards me with the innate grace of a dancer, stopping just before me.
Having dreamt of this multiple times over the past few weeks, it feels almost surreal now that she is standing before me in the flesh, no screen between us. She runs her gaze over me, stopping at my mask. The long oval shape completely covers my face, the mirrored finish showing the observer a distorted version of themselves should they stand close enough to see it.
I wonder what she sees as she looks into it. A beautiful woman surrounded by fawning men, flickering in the candlelight?
Or does she see what I see when I look deep into her eyes? A lonely soul, damaged but still standing, the weight of the world on her shoulders? Is she aware of the monster within?
Once again, it’s as if she is looking into my eyes. Her small hand comes up, tracing the edge of my mask. Reaching out, I hand her the white rose I’ve been waiting to give her. The corner of her mouth ticks up into the first real smile she’s shown tonight. She inhales the fragrance, never keeping her eyes off of me.
Suddenly she turns, then glances back at me over her shoulder.
“I see you,” she offers, before making her way back, her suitors clamoring for her attention.
I can’t stop watching her as she moves away from me, her simple words striking me to my core.
I see you.
For an Unseen, those words mean the world. The Unseen are those who walk through life as living ghosts. Those who are never seen, never noticed. People's eyes slide right over me, a dismissal they don't even realize—but one that cuts me to the quick. Even my parents had mostly ignored me as a child, generally forgetting I was there, more than once being left behind on an outing or while shopping. Unless, of course, I was being punished or taught. It is a curse I have come to accept over the years. One that could, at times, come in handy. For if no one sees you, then they don't see what you do. The loneliness though—that is something that cannot truly be explained to someone who hasn’t lived it. The depths of it so crushing at times that I have considered taking my life. What’s the point of it all?No, no. Suicide is a sin. Forgive me, Father.
Although I’m fully aware of the monster that I am, and how undeserving I am of it, I’ve spent my adult life fruitlessly searching for someone to actually see me. And love me despite it.
That desperate hope led me to my obsessions; beginning with Madeline, followed by Tasha, Eve, and finally, Tessa. Each one proving my mother’s words over and over.No one will ever love you. You are a worthless boy, Trey.
Shaking my head to get that bitch’s voice out of my thoughts, my eyes are drawn back to Rebecca. Seeing her at a table surrounded by men, I melt back into the shadows and hunt down a bathroom. After finishing my business I head back towards the banquet hall, stopping abruptly when I see the white rose laying on the floor, its petals crushed and bruised as if trampled underfoot.
Sweeping my eyes over the room, my heart thuds sharply in fear as I can’t locate Rebecca anywhere. My steps quicken, dread sliding down my spine as I begin throwing doors open in desperation.
Slamming through the swinging metal doors leading into the kitchen, I storm past the chefs, who quickly get out of my way when they see the six-foot-three masked man approaching. Steam billows through the air, the scents of spices and herbs heady as I force my way through.
One of the chefs catches my attention, tilting his head to the left, and I decide to trust him, sliding my way down the hall. A partially open door reveals a storeroom with two men, Rebecca between them.
The one at her back has her pressed against him, one arm looped around her torso, his hand inside her dress, squeezing her breast while the other covers her mouth, muffling her screams. The second man is unbuckling his belt, chuckling under his breath, lust in his eyes and lips kicked up in a sneer.
“What’s two more cocks, eh, sweetheart?” one of them says with a sneer. “Nothing more than a fancy whore.”
A red haze lowers itself over my vision as a roar shatters the relative quiet of the room. The one with his dick hanging out stumbles backward, the whites of his eyes showing as he sees me bearing down on him. Falling to the floor, he tries to scramble away from me, and I stomp down with a vicious kick, a wide smile spreading across my face as I hear the leg bone snap, his howls deafening as he curls into himself.
A noise behind me has me spinning, and I watch in awe as Rebecca pushes the other man backward, hitting the wall with a loud thud. Whipping a hand out, the glint of steel flashes briefly before the man’s gurgling breaths fill the room.
Blood sprays out from the precise gaping wound in his neck, his mouth opening and closing in terror and shock as he realizes his life is over. Legs giving out, he slides down the wall, one last shuddering sigh as his eyes go lifeless and dark.
Rebecca turns, her eyes lit with the fires of hell behind them. Blood splatter decorates her from head to toe; small glistening rubies in her hair and upon her dress.
