Living Hell

by N. L. Hoffmann

  I knew he was going to say that. It wouldn’t be the new Drake if he didn’t. Growling, I started to lunge at him, but Mikey grabbed my arm.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you, Drake?” I demanded.

  “Are you about to ruin what is left our possible treaty? It’s hanging by a thread already, Sophie,” Drake said, tossing the handkerchief onto the table next to the heart. “If you so desire, we can terminate our agreement right now.”

  Mikey squeezed my arm in warning. We had to tread carefully because it looked like Drake wanted a reason to walk away from our treaty.

  Defeated, my shoulders slumped. “We’ll sign the treaty. It’s the best thing for both our kinds.”

  Drake nodded sharply, then turned on his heel and walked out of the dining room. I glanced at Jenna, shaking my head. What happened sent her far into a black hole I wasn’t sure she’d make it out of. Who could blame her when she only had five years to live?

  Chapter Seven

  Screaming had me shooting up in bed. I looked around frantically, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. Then I remembered. Jenna was staying with me until she could cope with her change.

  Hurrying into my guest bedroom, I peered through the darkness, finding her shadowy form still on the bed. She screamed again, her back bowing, as if in serious pain. I turned on the light and rushed to her side. She was covered in a sheen of sweat, the bed soaked.

  I grasped her shoulders, gently shaking, getting her to focus on me. “Jenna... Jenna, what’s wrong?”

  “I’m dying. I have to be... Ahh!” She started screaming again.

  Running out of the room to grab my phone, I called the medical team, then Mikey. He appeared seconds later, Carlos with him. I didn’t bother to ask why they were together. I just hurried back into Jenna’s room.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Mikey asked, unsure of what to do to help.

  The demon hunter walked to Jenna’s side and examined her eyes. He opened her mouth, seeing the fangs. “She’s dying.”

  “How can she be dying? She’s a new change!” I shrieked.

  “I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem like her body is taking the change too well.”

  Tears stung my eyes as I pushed her damp hair from her forehead. “Don’t leave me now, Jenna. We need you here with us.”

  “I can help her.” Carlos dug into one of the bags attached to his belt loop. He had a dozen of them, like walking storage. It was kind of weird, but hell, I wasn’t about to tell him that.

  “How?” I demanded, eyes narrowed.

  Carlos chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill her,” he promised.

  He hummed to himself as he pulled runes from the bag, then knelt by Jenna’s side. “Hello, beautiful one. I will make the pain go away so you’ll never have to worry about it again.”

  “Don’t kill me,” she whimpered.

  He laughed again. “No. I’m going to save you. When I do, I expect you to go to dinner with me.”

  “I can’t make any promises,” she moaned, causing him to smile wide.

  Mikey rolled his eyes. “Please. Jenna dating? Yeah, right.”

  “Shut up, jackass,” she whispered.

  I glanced at Mikey, who seemed genuinely annoyed. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he started to pace, scowling at them.

  Is he jealous? Didn’t they refuse to date after the spell was broken? Hmm... Interesting.

  Carlos brought a knife toward Jenna’s throat. I gasped, but he held up a hand. Expertly, he cut her shirt to expose the top of her chest. He laid four runes across it while chanting something I couldn’t understand. Whatever it was sounded old and not from this world.

  He cut into his hand, allowing the blood to drip onto her chest. He smeared it across her skin, drawing symbols above the runes. Then he took his finger and wiped blood onto her bottom lip.

  It suddenly became hot, stifling. Mikey gripped the wall, obviously having the same issue.

  Astonished, I watched as the runes began to move, switching places frantically. They settled down and began to sink into her skin, symbols forming in their place. The blood disappeared, her skin soaking it up until only a faint line of pink remained.

  Looking up at us, Carlos nodded sharply. “It is done. She’ll be able to live a long life as a Vampire.”

  Jenna stared up at the ceiling and sighed, her body calm. She looked over at me and smiled. “The pain is gone.”

  Relieved, I threw my arms around her in a tight embrace. She was sweaty, but I pretended it didn’t bother me. Then I went to Carlos, giving him a hug. He stumbled back in surprise, awkwardly patting me on the back with one hand.

  “You saved my best friend. I owe you.” Tears formed in my eyes as I released him.

  “It was nothing, High Mistress.”

  “Hey now. Don’t you be hugging my friend like that,” someone said from behind me.

  I spun around to find Ethan standing there, his bag over his shoulder. Giving an excited squeak, I ran to him and hugged him fiercely, placing a wet kiss on his cheek, ignoring the groan from Mikey.

  “I’m so happy to see you,” I said.

  Ethan lifted me and squeezed me hard, then placed me back on my feet. “I came back a little earlier than planned. I’ll tell you about what happened when we’re alone.” He raised his eyebrows and looked at each one of us. “What’s going on?”

  “Maybe we should talk about it in another room so Jenna can rest,” I suggested. When I glanced over at her, she was already lightly snoring. Sighing in relief, I ushered them out of her room and closed the door. I motioned them into the kitchen where we could all have some wine. Well, they could have whatever they wanted, but I needed wine.

  We all stood around the kitchen island as I told Ethan what happened. His face went through several expressions, from amazement to anger to sympathy. I knew he wanted to kill Drake for what he was doing to me, but I pressed a hand to his chest and shook my head. I already had our people looking over the treaty documents and we would soon have it signed. Then Drake would have to abide by everything. That included any changes we made to the agreement. I didn’t think the Vampires had our best interests at heart.

  Ethan refilled my glass of wine. I accepted it, thanking him with a smile. Gods, I missed him. He always tried to take care of me. Which was shocking, considering how we began. I didn’t think he’d ever want anything but sex, but he proved me wrong. Or it could just be a ruse. Either way was fine. I enjoyed everything he had to offer. I smiled, earning a raised eyebrow from Mikey.

  “Jenna will be fine now that I placed the runes in her skin. They’ll be there permanently, and she’ll be safe from death,” Carlos said and took a drink from his beer.

  “If it stops death, why don’t more know about it?” I asked.

  Carlos shrugged. “I came across it during my adventures overseas. By complete accident, I met a man who was possessed. As a gift for helping him, he told me one of the secrets people have been looking for. He said it wouldn’t work on everyone, but those who possessed a pure heart could be saved.”

  Mikey chuckled, slapping a hand on the counter. “Jenna? Pure of heart? I don’t think so. That girl is wild.”

  Carlos looked at him. “Sexual desires have little to do with how pure your heart is.”

  “Sometimes. I know some pretty dark individuals.” Mikey waggled his eyebrows.

  Shaking my head, I set my wine glass down. “I think Jenna always has good intentions. This just seemed to really affect her, considering she was attacked in her own home and didn’t know how long she had to live. I can forgive her for everything that’s happened as a result. I don’t blame her one bit.”

  When his cell vibrated, Carlos glanced down and sighed. “I have to take care of another demon possession in Ohio. This is a new one, so maybe I can save him before it’s too late.”

  He almost said it like it was just another day in the office. We watched him leave. Soon after, Mikey left, albeit reluctantly, after
I told him he didn’t need to stay to watch over Jenna. He was really starting to stress me out. First Maggie, now Jenna. Though I thought he’d harbored feelings for her all this time. Maybe the spell just enhanced the ones that were already there. But he needed to act quickly. If he didn’t, Carlos might just swoop in.

  THE NEXT DAY, I WOKE with a nasty headache. Ethan was off doing who knew what, but considering the amount of pain I was currently in, I knew I wouldn’t be good company anyway. Deciding maybe fresh air would help, I took two painkillers, then dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I should head into work, but the papers on my desk could wait a little bit longer. I needed to relax and give the medication some time to kick in.

  Deciding to head to the beach, I put suntan lotion, a towel, a few water bottles and a book into a bag. It was a good thing I could disappear and reappear where I wanted; otherwise, I’d be stuck going to the river near Heaven. That wasn’t always the safest, considering there were a lot of homeless people in the area. Drug deals often took place there, and dead bodies had even been found. It wasn’t a place I thought of as relaxing.

  Checking on Jenna, I found she was still fast asleep. I left a note on the counter, telling her she could stay as long as she wanted, that I would be back in a couple hours.

  Taking a deep breath, I pictured the ocean around Florida. Seconds later, I found myself standing on the sand, staring at the water. There weren’t that many people around. I should have considered myself lucky that someone didn’t see me suddenly appear. I was usually more careful, but I hadn’t been in the area for a few years and didn’t want to guess my landing spot wrong.

  After laying down a towel, I kicked off my shoes so my toes could sink into the sand. The breeze felt good, the sun warm. It was a perfect day. Sighing, I sat on the towel and tilted my head toward the sky, closing my eyes.

  “Gorgeous day, is it not?” a woman asked.

  I opened my eyes and looked at her. Wearing a bathing suit that barely covered her body, she sat on a towel right next to me.

  I swallowed hard, trying not to stare. She was stunning! Her blonde hair whipped behind her in the breeze as her blue eyes focused on me. A pair of large sunglasses sat on top of her head.

  “Uh, yeah. Beautiful day,” I replied, looking away. I was tempted to pick up my towel and move farther down the beach, but I didn’t want to insult her.

  She started spreading some lotion on her already tan skin. “Sophie, I’m very concerned about you.”

  My head whipped toward her, eyes narrowed. “How do you know my name?”

  The woman smiled. “I’ve been watching you ever since you were a baby, my sweet granddaughter.”

  I gasped, then whispered, “The Lady of the Lake?” Was this some sort of trick? She just shows up after all these years?

  “Please, call me Mary.” She reached up and brought down her sunglasses to cover her eyes, staring straight ahead.

  “I thought you were dead or something.”

  I couldn’t believe this. Do I kiss her hand? Ask for a hug? I mean, she was my grandmother, even though she really didn’t look it. Plus, where the hell had she been all my life? My mother never even mentioned she was around.

  Mary threw her head back and laughed. “Me? Dead? I think not. It’s hard to kill me, and not many find a reason to do it anyway. I mostly stay in the background, enjoying life.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “The men are irresistible these days. It’s amazing what a shower will do.”

  I laughed, nodding in agreement. “Well, it’s good to meet you. I never thought I would ever get to say that. Mother never talks about you.”

  “I haven’t seen her in many years. She wanted to lead her life as she saw fit, so I let her, despite my visions.” She shrugged. “Your mother is stubborn and has a hard time accepting that there’s already a plan in motion.”

  And there it was. The path that had been written for me. I didn’t want to discuss it, but I knew she was waiting to see if I would act just like my mother. So I kept my mouth shut, allowing her to talk.

  “The book Ethan showed you is a grimoire full of prophecies. They were written by a man who was deemed my secretary at the time. As I had my visions, the little man would write them down. Many concerned you.” She glanced at me. “Have you looked at the book?”

  I shook my head. “I read the paragraph about me having a child with Ethan.” I scrunched up my face. “I don’t plan on having children any time soon.”

  Mary laughed, reaching toward me and placing her hand on my stomach. “Some things happen without you wanting it, but it’s always for a good reason.”

  Giving her a dirty look, I grasped her hand and lifted it away. As I opened my mouth to say something, my stomach became queasy and I had to take deep breaths to calm it down. Was the conversation getting me more worked up than I thought?

  “I’m on birth control. I would be a bad mother anyway, so it’s the last thing on my mind.”

  In fact, I was pretty confident I would let a kid down. It would be just as bad as living with my mom when I was little. She was hardly ever home, and when she was, there was no communication. No fun. No acknowledgment. Later in life, she became more active, more talkative, but I was already grown. The damage had been done.

  “Do you know the book is actually made from the skin of Witches? The Ancestors, to be more specific.”

  I groaned, picturing it. “I could have done without that tidbit of information.”

  “The book was made specifically for you. You have a connection to the Ancestors, so you’ll be able to read the entire thing. Everyone else can only see what pertains to them. If you want to be prepared for what the future holds, I suggest you read through it.”

  I recoiled. “I’m not touching dead Ancestor skin.”

  “You’re just as stubborn as your mother,” Mary grumbled, then took off her sunglasses to focus on me. “Do you not realize the future of all races depends on you? That your choices are what could possibly stand in the way of peace?”

  I looked away from her to stare at the ocean. “I don’t know what you want me to say. How would you feel if your life was already planned out for you?”

  “It’s not planned out for you. Things happen because you make choices, but do not avoid them just to spite me. I’m not here to force you into making decisions you don’t want.” She cupped my cheek. “I love you, child. I know you don’t know me, but I do care what happens to you. Please know that I’m here for you...always.”

  She smiled then, digging into her bag. “I have a gift for you.”

  When she pulled out her hand and opened her fist, I was surprised to see a tiny dragon. It walked around the palm of her hand, blowing fire from its nose, as if it were agitated.

  “This is now your dragon. He can protect you in ways that you can’t even imagine. He can also turn into a human.”

  I snorted. “This little thing is going to protect me? If someone needs a smoke, I guess I can pull out my dragon.” This had to be some kind of joke.

  Mary shook her head, tut-tutting. “You’ll see. When you need him, he will pull through for you.” She placed him in my lap, then stood. “If you need me, just call my cell phone.” She handed me a card containing just a number.

  Taking it, I looked at the dragon, then back at her. “Are you a spy?”

  She chuckled. “No, silly. I hand my number out all the time. My gentlemen callers like to choose a name for me, so I find it best to leave it blank.”

  My mouth dropped open. My grandmother was a whore? “Are you serious?”

  She bent down and tapped my chin with her hand. “Close your mouth, dear. I’ll see you soon.”

  Glancing down at the dragon staring at me, I frowned. This was the weirdest gift anyone had ever given me. When I looked up, Mary was already gone, along with her towel. The dragon blew fire at me, singeing parts of my shirt. I sighed, trying to pet him, but he kept running away.

  “I shall call you Taco.”

>   It glared at me, then blew fire all over my shirt. I gasped in surprise, patting down the spots. There were burn holes all over.

  “You must not like that name.”

  Deciding it best to get back home, I stood, placing the little dragon on my shoulder. He moved with me as I bent down to pick up my towel.

  “Well, Taco, we have shit to do.” I heard it grunt in response, so I chuckled. “Yeah, I feel the same way.”

  Reappearing at the office, I stopped short. It was a little brighter than when I left last night. There were yellow pillows on my chairs, flowers on my desk, yellow drapes hanging on my windows and... Was that an air freshener?

  What the hell...

  Taco jumped off my shoulder, flying around the room. He swooped toward the vase of flowers and spit fire, causing them to burst into flames.

  “Hey! What are you doing?” The little fucker barely glanced at me before he tried to burn the drapes. I grabbed him out of mid-air. “I’m guessing you’re not a fan of yellow.”

  It was hard to be mad at him. His tiny blue scales reflected the light of the room, making him appear really shiny. He was a cute little asshole, that was for sure.

  Just as I started putting out the flower fire, Ethan entered the office. He blinked a few times at the change in décor, then noticed the smoldering flowers and scorch marks on the drapes.

  “Whoa. What the hell happened? Was the yellow so bright it burst into flame?”

  Shaking my head, I gestured to Taco and frowned. “Apparently, he hates yellow.”

  He eyed the dragon with a raised eyebrow, bending to look at him walking around my desk. “Where did he come from?” The dragon raised its wings in warning as he walked in front of Ethan.

  “Watch out. He spits fire. Just look what he did to my shirt.” I gestured to the holes in one of my favorite shirts. “My grandmother stopped by while I was at the beach. She gave me this little dude as a gift... I think. She says he can protect me.”