The dining table was covered with many different foods, from ham to fruit to salad. Wine had already been poured into two glasses. Humming my approval, I picked up one and took a sip. I sighed happily, taking my seat when he pulled out a chair for me.
“This looks fantastic,” I told him.
“Thank you. Kevin arranged it when I told him I was having a guest over. The man has many talents.” He chose the seat next to me.
We started serving ourselves, passing the bowls and plates to each other. Once my plate was completely full, I began shoveling food into my mouth. Drake chuckled. Most of the women he dated only ate salad. With me, I was going to eat something of substance, which usually consisted of red meat.
“I had my assistant draw up contracts for our treaty. I think you’ll approve,” he said before taking a bite of ham.
Swallowing my food, I nodded. “I kind of figured. My assistant died when Finn infiltrated our campus, so I have been shorthanded.”
Drake winced. “I’m sorry about that.”
I waved him off. “Hardly your fault. He was going behind both our backs.”
“True.”
While we ate, we discussed the treaty between the Witches and Vampires. It was a surprise we talked about it so quickly. Maybe the dinner had been just for that. I couldn’t help the disappointment, but I shoved it aside when Drake led me into the living room once we finished eating.
This room was my favorite place in the whole house. It was large, but cozy, with plush, comfortable furniture that was easy to fall asleep on. I knew that for a fact, considering I fell asleep on the couch numerous times. As I looked around the room, I ran my hand over the wooden bar, the smooth surface clear of any blemishes.
“Sophie, I wanted to apologize for the way I’ve treated you recently,” Drake said, setting his wine glass on the bar.
“I know you were in a bad place, Drake. No need to apologize.”
I stepped back when he reached toward my face to brush some of my blonde tendrils behind my ear. I knew I looked good, especially in the blue dress I wore. My makeup was flawless, and I wore his favorite perfume. I just needed the reassurance that I could affect him just as much as he could me, despite our distance.
When his hand trailed down the side of my face, I couldn’t help but lean into it. As I opened my eyes, I saw him staring at me, a heated look in his gaze that I hadn’t seen in a while.
He swallowed hard, dropping his hand. “You should probably go,” he whispered.
I nodded. We were getting a little too close for comfort. As I turned to head out of the room, he grabbed my arm and jerked me into him. His lips crashed down onto mine with such heat, I gasped for air. This whole situation was wrong. We hadn’t even discussed his marriage or our thoughts about being together again.
I put my hand on his chest and pulled away. I stared into his eyes, his fingers trailing up my back making me shiver.
“Kiss me, Sophie,” he whispered.
My breath caught when I felt his hard length pressing against my stomach. He kissed me again, hands moving into my hair so he could take the pins out of it. I moaned, unable to deny him anymore. I bit his lip, loving the groan that came from him.
His hands weaved through my hair, yanking back and exposing my throat. His lips were soft at first, then I felt his fangs scrape over the vein. One of his hands began to work up the hem of my dress. When his fingers found flesh, I moaned, urging him to continue. He lightly brushed above my panties, causing my stomach to quiver, then walked me backwards and pushed my body up against the wall. I gasped as he lifted me, my legs wrapping around his waist. Holding me with one hand and undoing his pants with the other, he let them drop to the floor, then yanked my panties aside and drove his cock into me. I cried out in surprise, my nails digging into his neck as I held on.
Drake pounded furiously, my orgasm building. When he started panting, close to release, I reached mine, screaming out his name. With one last thrust, he grunted, spilling into me.
Well, that was quick.
Realizing what I’d done, I pushed him away and slid down the wall until my feet hit the floor. Drake watched me straighten my hair, then my dress.
“We shouldn’t have done that.” I blinked, trying to stop the tears from falling.
Drake pulled up his pants and frowned. “You wanted it as much as I did.”
“You seduced me.”
“It takes two people, Sophie. Are you worried about your Mage? Is that the problem? You were mine first!” he snarled, suddenly losing the calm demeanor he had all evening. “Mine! I did everything I could to please you, and this is how you repay me? By sleeping with a fucking Mage?”
“You’re married! How is this my fault?” I demanded. “I thought this was my home, but it wasn’t. Your wife has more rights to it than I do.”
I stomped toward the entryway, snatching my purse from the table. Drake strode to the door, holding it closed with one hand.
“I don’t want you to leave me, Sophie. I can’t stand not having you close. Don’t you realize how much I need you?”
“You should have thought about that before you hid the fact you were married from me!” I shoved his hand away and opened the door, then stopped, not looking at him. “Send over the papers tomorrow. I’ll have the Council review them.”
He swallowed. “Don’t do this.”
I sighed, still not looking at him. “Are you still married, Drake? Have your lawyers solved the problem?”
“I, uh... I have yet to send over the paperwork. I’ve been possessed, in case you’ve forgotten.”
I turned to him then, letting him see the tear sliding down my cheek. “We will talk about it once you have the paperwork filed. For now, we probably shouldn’t see each other like this anymore. At least not alone.”
He grabbed my hands, but let go once I stepped outside. I couldn’t look back. If I did, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to leave.
I TOSSED AND TURNED that night. All I kept thinking about was the feeling of his hands on me, how he slid in with such force that the pain sent a thrill through my entire body. It was good. I had to admit that. It was always good. But so was Ethan.
I was still sore. It was rough, but I enjoyed it. Still, I couldn’t help but feel it was a huge mistake. It shouldn’t have happened. We weren’t together because of something he did, yet I spread my legs like some pathetic whore.
Turning onto my side, I stared at the clock. I was glad it was the weekend, but that meant I would have nothing to distract me from thinking about Drake. I wouldn’t have Ethan to keep me in a good mood. Maybe I relied on him too much.
Covering my face with a pillow, I screamed into it. When my phone chimed with a text, I glanced at it, seeing a picture from Ethan. A picture of his dick. Laughing, I texted back.
I miss it more than you know!
I laughed when he responded within seconds. He was such a freak.
I miss your ass the most ;)
Chapter Six
Monday morning came far too quickly. I dragged myself into work, wishing I could go back to bed. I didn’t have the cheerful Mage waking me up, insisting we have sex in the shower. Maybe he was good for me.
I chuckled when I remembered the picture he sent me. It was the last text message I received from him, so I hoped everything was okay. Last thing I wanted was him to be in trouble with the other Mages. I didn’t know how things worked with them. I never asked him if he had to report to anyone.
I realized I didn’t really know anything about the man. I just knew he was from Avalon and his mother was Guinevere. He told me how my grandmother, the Lady of the Lake, had enchanted him to be a Mage so he could help me in the future. He even showed me a book that said he and I would eventually have a child who would bring all races together, from Vampire to Fae. Not that I believed the story because I didn’t plan on children. My lady parts were protected!
Sitting in my chair, I rested my forehead on the desk. My eyes slowly started
to close when someone flung open the door, making it bang against the wall. Startled, I jumped up.
“I’ve come for the assistant position,” the woman said.
Heart returning to a normal rhythm, I looked at the cup in her hand. “Is that for me?” I asked.
She nodded eagerly. “Yup! Coffee.” She held the cup out, an overly cheerful expression on her face.
The girl looked twelve. I started to ask when she slammed down her driver’s license to show that she was twenty-eight, almost like she knew exactly what I was thinking and wanted to prove her age to me.
“Human years?” I asked, eyebrow raised.
Nodding, she smiled. “Believe it or not, I’m actually a hundred and fifty.”
Impressed, I handed her back the license. I was fifty-three in Witch years, which was thirty-three in human ones. Gesturing for her to take a seat, I accepted the coffee, drinking it gratefully. It was even my favorite flavor. I hummed in approval, taking another sip as I stared at her over the rim of the cup. She sat patiently, twirling one of her dark curls around her finger.
“Truthfully, I don’t know if I’m ready to hire a new assistant,” I said with a frown.
The girl’s face dragged down in disappointment. “I thought you might need someone now that Allison is gone. She told me all about you.” At the confused look on my face, she gave me a small smile. “I’m her sister.”
My eyes widened. “Her sister? I never knew she had a sister.” Why didn’t I talk to her enough to find out these things?
“We talked on the phone every day. I didn’t move here until yesterday. I hoped you would still have the position open.” She gave me a hopeful glance.
Sighing, I sat back in my chair, debating if what I was about to do was a good decision. Finally, I said, “I usually have people fill out an application, but I’m willing to give you today as a trial. Show me what you got and we’ll go from there.”
The girl jumped up from her seat, a smile on her face. “Thank you!”
I smiled. “First, I need to know your name. It would be weird if I just kept calling you Allison’s sister.”
She rolled her eyes, as if mentally chastising herself. “Maggie. My name is Maggie.”
“Go ahead and look around the office to get acquainted. I’ll probably have you start sitting in on Council meetings to take the minutes,” I explained. “Right now, I need you to fill out an actual application for our records. You’ll need a physical and a copy of your resume.”
Nodding eagerly, Maggie smiled. “I’ll get all that organized. Allison should have the medical contact information on her desk somewhere. I’ll set up an appointment.”
I nodded, going back to my paperwork. “Welcome to the team.”
A few minutes after she left my office, I pushed aside the paperwork with a sigh. I was so tired. Worst of all, I missed Ethan. He always kept me company at work, even though he tried to get into my pants eighty percent of the time. At least I had a new assistant. Maybe Maggie’s peppy attitude would rub off on me.
Kicking off my heels, I put my feet up on the desk, hoping no one caught me being unprofessional. Not that I really cared. My whole life was unprofessional. Everybody who knew me had low expectations. I chuckled. None of them probably thought I would ever make it as High Mistress. I was the one leading them now, which meant they had no choice but to do what I wanted. Not that I was a heavy-handed ruler. I never thought I would be responsible for so many people. It was a hard job. One I would happily give away if I could. I even tried to convince the Ancestors I wasn’t right for the position, but they blew me off...like usual.
I had a feeling the Ancestors were working on something, but I obviously wasn’t privy to all the details. I just knew I had to bring the Witches and Vampires together somehow. They made it sound difficult. Little did they know that Drake was sending me the paperwork this morning.
Maggie knocked on the door to let me know Mikey was waiting. He usually just popped in, but after catching Ethan and me in heated moments more times than I could count, I guessed he figured he should announce his presence. Even though he knew Ethan wasn’t around at the moment. Shrugging, I looked up when Mikey stepped inside. His eyes were wide as he slowly closed the door.
“Is that your new assistant?” he asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs.
I eyed him suspiciously. “Yes... Why?”
“She’s fucking hot!”
I shook my head. “Don’t even think about it, Mikey. Keep your hands off. She just started today.” I gave him a pointed look to show I was being completely serious.
He sighed. “I haven’t been laid in weeks. And it doesn’t help Ethan and you keep throwing it in my face.”
I raised an eyebrow. “We are not throwing it in your face.”
He barked out a laugh. “You’re like rabbits. Is there a place you haven’t done it in?” he asked, his tone turning surly. I could definitely tell he hadn’t been laid in a while. The man looked like he was close to throwing a tantrum.
I sighed. “Look, I don’t need you breaking her heart because you couldn’t keep it in your pants. I know how you go through women like toilet paper.”
“Toilet paper?” He raised a brow, a slight smirk on his face.
Nodding, I put my feet down and placed my elbows on my desk, leaning forward. “You can talk to her, but be up front about your intentions. If I hear so much as wedding bells on her end, you’re in deep shit.”
He held up his hands. “I promise not to marry her.”
“That’s not what-”
I was cut off by my phone chiming with a text. Glancing down, I frowned at Drake’s message.
Jenna has one of my men hostage. I suggest you come over immediately.
MIKEY AND I STOOD AT the Vampire mansion gates, five Magicteers standing behind us. This was the first time in a while we’d been able to bring our own police into their territory. I didn’t know if this was something I should see as an accomplishment, or if it would totally ruin what we’d been able to achieve so far.
Did Jenna just ruin our treaty? What the fuck is she thinking? Why would she walk into a house full of Vampires and take one hostage?
Shaking my head, I watched the gate open. We climbed back into our vehicle to drive up to the house. I dreaded what we were about to face. Ethan would know what to do, but I had to rely on myself this time. It was my job as High Mistress. I also brought our top hostage negotiator, hoping he might be able to convince her to release whomever she had.
Drake met us at the door, a grim expression on his face. “She’s in the dining room. I’m not sure what her plan is, but I want it taken care of. I will not have Witches coming into my home to harm my people. We welcomed her and this is how she repays us?” He turned to go back into the house.
Mikey raised his eyebrows at me. This was a sensitive situation. One that could affect the relationship between our kinds. My stress level rose quickly. I braced a hand against the doorway and took a deep breath, blowing it out, trying to calm myself. Mikey gave me a look of concern, but I just shook my head and headed into the house.
When we walked into the dining room, my heart chilled at what I saw. Jenna aiming a stake at the Vampire’s heart. His eyes were wide, sweat pouring down his face.
I tried to speak in a calm, controlled voice. “Jenna, what are you doing?”
She gave me a quick look, frowning. Her hair was disheveled, like she had just gotten out of bed. “This bastard is what I’m doing. He’s going to die by my hands, even if it means my own death,” she hissed.
Drake glared, his hands gripping the back of a dining room chair as he leaned forward. “This man is an innocent! What is the point of this?”
“A couple weeks ago, this asshole came into my home and took advantage of me. He destroyed me in a matter of minutes. This is how I want my revenge.” She hovered her hand over his heart. He started screaming as his chest began to bow to the pressure of her magic.
“Jenna! Stop
!” I shouted. I knew we should use the negotiator, but I felt it was too late. There was no stopping her. I understood. I would want to kill the man myself, but the Vampires wouldn’t see it that way. They’d want a fair trial. Or so they’d claim.
Seeing the Vampire squirm under Jenna’s hold, I frowned. She shouldn’t have been able to hold him so still. She...
I gasped when it dawned on me. Jenna’s a Vampire.
Witches who were turned didn’t survive five years. No wonder she had a crazy look in her eyes. The man basically signed her death certificate.
“Oh, Jenna. Why didn’t you come to me? This is why you told them about us holding Drake. You wanted access to this damn Vampire,” I said in a soft voice, moving closer.
She snorted. “Please, Sophie. Come to you and say what? You were too busy dealing with your own problems. I’m just the best friend who gets ignored.” When she revealed her fangs, everyone gasped.
Drake stiffened, then moved, suddenly standing in front of Jenna and the Vampire. With speed faster than I had ever seen, he tore out the man’s heart.
Jenna scrambled up, her mouth hanging open. Angry, her eyes darkened as she hissed. “He was mine to kill! Mine!”
She shoved Drake hard, making him stumble back. When his guards rushed forward, he held up a hand to stop them.
“It’s better for you that I killed him myself. Had you taken his life, you would be forced to stand trial for murder.” Drake dropped the heart onto the table, then pulled out a handkerchief to wipe off his hand.
“But he did this to me!” She pointed at her fangs. “I had every right!”
“Well, considering your High Mistress has yet to sign the treaty...” He looked at me, “you didn’t. Had you done it after the treaty agreement was signed, you would have been well within your rights.”
My mouth dropped open. “You haven’t sent the paperwork to me yet!”
He shrugged, still wiping off his hands. “It’s on its way to your office and will be there once you get back.” When he turned to me, I saw his cold expression. “You’re lucky I don’t place her in a cell for invading my home. This is betrayal, grounds to cancel the treaty we have in the works.”
Living Hell Page 4