Living Hell

by N. L. Hoffmann

  Chapter Fifteen

  Brian pulled up in front of the Vampire mansion. He looked up at it and smiled. “You ready for this?” he asked.

  I slowly nodded. “As ready as I can be. What’s the big deal?”

  “Well, the demon inside of him for one.”

  Shrugging, I reached to open the door. “Are you coming inside, or will you be out here?”

  “I think I should be inside, even if it’s in another room.”

  Nodding again, I climbed out just as the door of the mansion swung open. When I saw Drake walking out, I smiled, nervous about what his mood was like today. He came down the steps and reached out his hands, a big smile on his handsome face. My breath caught at his beauty.

  “I’m glad you came, Sophie.” Drake pulled me into a hug. “Though bringing your captain was unnecessary.”

  I didn’t say anything, not sure how to respond without pissing him off.

  The embrace warmed me instantly, my body molding to his. I breathed in deeply, taking in his scent. I missed him.

  He pulled away and looked down at me, cupping my cheek. Then he kissed my forehead, grabbing my hand. “Let’s go inside.”

  Brian followed close behind, stopping in the foyer. He sat in one of the chairs against the wall. He waved to me to show he would be okay for a while, holding up a book he brought. At least I didn’t have to worry about him being bored. It was nice knowing someone was there, just in case.

  Drake led me into the main dining area, the table full of food. Fruits, meats, vegetables of all kinds. The scent filled my nose, making my stomach rumble in anticipation.

  “This smells wonderful!” I told him, releasing his hand so I could investigate the food some more. Reaching for a few grapes and some cheese, I shoved them into my mouth, as if I hadn’t eaten in days. I moaned. “So fresh. I love it.”

  Chuckling, Drake came up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. He rubbed them for a few seconds before pulling away. “I know you love your food, so I made sure there was a variety. I want you to enjoy yourself.”

  Tentatively, he reached out, placing a hand on my stomach. I couldn’t stop my initial reaction of taking a step back, but he pretended not to notice, his hand warm on my belly.

  “I can feel them moving. It’s amazing how fast you’re going through this pregnancy. I have never seen a Vampire pregnancy before. We usually aren’t able to conceive due to the changes after becoming a Vampire.”

  He knelt and leaned in, kissing my stomach. I felt a pang of sadness in my chest. I ran my fingers through his hair, smiling when he tilted his head up into me.

  “I miss you,” he whispered, sadness in his eyes.

  “I miss you, too, Drake.”

  I pulled away, feeling like we were getting far too intimate. I also had Ethan to think about and didn’t want to confuse the situation further. As of now, Drake was unpredictable. I couldn’t give my heart to him so easily. And one fact still remained. He was married! So far, he hadn’t updated me on that situation yet. Though it seemed so minor compared to the demon problem we currently faced.

  Climbing to his feet, Drake looked at the table of food. “I’m starving. I decided against eating breakfast because I wanted to enjoy lunch with you. We have a lot to catch up on.”

  “Really?” I asked, taking a seat near the head of the table.

  Nodding, Drake walked to the seat nearest to me and sat down. “I wanted to let you know that Heather agreed to sign the papers. Soon, it will be official.”

  Surprised, I grabbed some chicken salad and some crackers. “Wow. I’m glad she’s finally agreeing to it. What has she been doing?”

  His eyes darkened. “She works for me now.”

  There was a moment of silence between us. It appeared he wasn’t going to expand on that.

  “How have you been feeling?” I asked.

  “You mean, has the demon shown up?” he asked, smiling slightly. “Might as well ask what it is you’re thinking, Sophie. You’re never one to beat around the bush.”

  I swallowed my food, suddenly very thirsty. Reaching forward, I grabbed the glass of orange juice sitting next to my plate. “I don’t want to upset you.”

  “I want us to be honest. No more lies or half-truths.” Drake grabbed my hand, rubbing his thumb over my palm. I shivered, trying to smash down the feeling of desire sweeping over me. “I can tell you still want me.”

  “Damn Vampire,” I growled.

  He chuckled, dropping my hand. “There’s no escaping. You can’t hide your desire from me, Sophie. You’ll always be mine, whether we are together or not. You know that, don’t you?”

  When I didn’t respond, he smiled, placing some food onto his plate. “That Mage stops you from being completely honest with me. I wish you would tell me what you’re thinking.”

  Confused.

  Every time Drake showed a bit of himself to me, it made me miss the times we spent together. The peaceful nights of lying in bed after an intense session of lovemaking. We’d talk about places we wanted to visit and things we wanted to do on our days off. Things were so perfect then. I thought our love would be impossible to break. In a way, it still was, but I couldn’t ignore all that had happened. I couldn’t ignore that I was the other woman.

  “I love you, Drake, more than you can possibly know. But you’re different. I don’t know the man you’ve become.” I played with a cracker before deciding to dip it into my chicken salad.

  “At least you still love me. That means there’s a chance for us.” He grabbed my hand, pressing his lips to my knuckles. He turned it over, kissing my palm. My lips parted slightly, watching as he kissed my wrist. If I wasn’t careful, I could easily fall right back into everything with him.

  “Drake...”

  Raising his eyes to mine, he smiled. “I miss the taste of your blood. I miss the taste of you, period.” When he sat up, I saw his fangs peeking out. He was turned on. The man wanted me, but we couldn’t go there.

  AFTER DECIDING TO GO straight to my office after lunch rather than see Ethan first, I sat down in my chair, ignoring Taco when he appeared. When I went to Drake’s, I forced him to stay behind because he always set fire to things. I didn’t need to worry about him and Drake at the same time.

  Furrowing my brows when I noticed a book sitting on my desk, I reached for it, seeing it was about love spells. I flipped through it, noticing some papers folded up. I unfolded one, seeing Jenna’s name on it, along with a lock of light brown hair. Then I unfolded another one with Mikey’s name, as well as a lock of red hair. Frowning, I read the spell on that page. It was one to make someone fall for another so deeply, marriage was basically guaranteed in less than a year.

  “I was going to talk to you about that.”

  I looked up in surprise, seeing Mikey standing in the doorway. “Did you do this?”

  He scowled as he walked in. “Seriously, Sophie? You think I would sink that low? Fuck no.”

  “I wonder who did.” I shook my head, examining the page some more. “It’s Daphne’s book, but what would she have to gain by making the two of you fall in love?”

  He sat down in a chair across from me, clasping his hands. “I don’t know. Maybe it was a test spell to make sure it would work the way it was supposed to.”

  Suddenly, fear hit my heart. “What if this is what made Drake and me fall in love?” Shoving the book away, I placed a hand on my stomach. “This could all be a lie.”

  Mikey shook his head. “You have the real thing with Drake.”

  “Do I? I thought you and Jenna were in love, too. The spell obviously works well!” I stood up, pacing the room. “I can’t believe this.”

  “There’s no evidence, Sophie. None at all. Neither your hair nor Drake’s is in that book.”

  “They could have gotten rid of the evidence. Maybe they did it somewhere else.”

  “Now you sound crazy.”

  “Our love was a lie.”

  He sighed. “You’re being drama
tic.”

  I spun toward him. “Am I, Mikey? Am I really? How would you feel if someone you thought you were in love with may have been a lie? You were relieved after you found out Jenna and you were under a spell.” I didn’t know what to do.

  “Sophie, calm down. Do you still have feelings for Drake?” he asked.

  Nodding slowly, I stared off into the distance. “Yes.”

  “That’s all that matters.”

  “What if it wears off, like yours and Jenna’s did?”

  Mikey stood up and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. “Sophie, if that day ever comes, I will be here for you. I promise.” He sighed, pulling back. “Now, I have to tell Jenna what I found because she’ll want to know who did it. Though I’d prefer to avoid her completely because she’s dating that damn assassin.”

  “Who? Kevin?” I asked, surprised.

  He nodded. “He’s here on campus. Apparently, his first stop was her. Makes me curious why he would seek her out. I mean, did they even have a connection before? Seems random to me.”

  I cocked my head at him. Mikey was jealous. He did have a thing for Jenna, just like I thought. Though I knew he would be quick to deny it. Mikey’s never been one to show his feelings. It wouldn’t surprise me if he just let it all go, ruining his chances with Jenna...if he ever had any.

  “If you like her, you need to tell her, Mikey, before it’s too late.”

  He snorted. “I don’t like her that way.”

  “Liar.”

  His expression hardened. “Seriously, I don’t!”

  Since he was getting angry, I’d let it go...for now.

  Mikey took a deep breath, looking away. “I have to go. I wanted to do some training with Carlos.” He walked to the door, pausing to look over his shoulder at me, eyes narrowed. “Don’t you dare tell Jenna I like her.”

  I pointed at him. “I knew it!”

  “You know nothing.” He left the office, closing the door behind him.

  Taco flew over and landed on the desk, staring at me, then turned to look at the clock. I frowned, knowing what he was trying to tell me. I was supposed to meet with Ethan to talk about going to dinner. Maybe I could avoid him for a while. My lunch with Drake had been amazing and I didn’t want to lose that feeling. Yet when I was with Ethan, I felt the same way. They both treated me as if I was something special. Well, except when Drake had one of his episodes.

  Deciding I couldn’t avoid him any longer, I held out my hand for Taco, then magically appeared at my house. Ethan sat at the kitchen table, already dressed to go to dinner. I smiled softly at him.

  “I can feel your distance,” he said, voice sad, glancing at me.

  “Sorry. It’s just hard.”

  “I’m trying not to be jealous. I really am. But the longer I’m with you, the more possessive I get. I want you to myself, Sophie.” He stood, walking to me. I allowed him to take me in his arms. The feel of them warmed me all over. I sighed, taking in his scent as I relaxed into him.

  “You never were jealous before, Ethan.”

  “Something’s changed. My feelings have changed.”

  I nodded, looking up at him. He lowered his head, kissing me softly. “Ethan, I’m trying to figure this out. I really am.”

  “Do you want me?”

  Again, I nodded. “Of course I do.”

  I pulled away. What I needed to think about was the fact that Drake could be taken over by the demon at any time. The Ancestors wanted him dead. The demon and he were one being now. You couldn’t kill one without killing the other. If he didn’t die, Ethan would. Suddenly, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I was overwhelmed. My shoulders slumped and tears began to roll down my cheeks. What was I supposed to do?

  Ethan pulled me to him, stroking my back. “Sophie, don’t be upset. I know there’s a lot on your plate, but I’m here. You will get through this. Things will work out in the end. Just know that no matter what, you need to think about our kids now. They come first. In the end, you will do what’s best.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Sophie, wake up!”

  Startled, I quickly sat up, looking around my room to find out what was going on. I was so tired, more so than usual. I didn’t understand why the haziness wouldn’t go away. Maybe it was because of the pregnancy.

  Turning to Ethan, I gave him a questioning look. He seemed anxious as he jumped out of bed. Naked, he darted across the room to where his clothes were.

  “What’s happening?” I asked.

  “Drake is on the move again. Roark just called your phone.” Ethan pulled up his jeans, buttoning them.

  Forcing myself to move, I grabbed my robe off the nightstand and swung it over my body. Moving was difficult. I felt like I was in water. “I don’t know why I am so tired. What time is it?”

  “Midnight.”

  “No wonder I’m exhausted. We’ve barely been asleep two hours!” I wanted to fall back into bed, but I knew I had to find out what Drake was up to. It was my responsibility as High Mistress.

  The babies started moving around. Probably pissed off I was already awake. They didn’t usually disturb me during the night, which I heard was a good thing. But it was comforting to feel them moving around in there.

  Ethan hurried over to me. “Roark said he was at another bar. He’s trying to pick up more than one female this time.” He handed me my shirt and jeans. Frowning, he looked at my face, then placed his hands on his hips. “You really are exhausted.”

  I shrugged. “I know this is important, but I just feel like I’m moving in slow motion. Like I haven’t slept in weeks.” Yawning, I stood, dropping my robe to the floor. Ethan’s eyes lit up and he smiled. I stepped away, grinning. “Oh no, you don’t. We have somewhere to be.”

  Once we were in the car, Ethan used my phone to call Roark. He asked questions about the location of the bar and what Drake was doing. Hanging up, he sighed. “Looks like he’s about to leave. We need to hurry.”

  Nodding, I stepped harder on the gas, wondering what was happening with Drake. Was he himself? Did the demon take over? He seemed fine at lunch. What if he was performing another ritual?

  It didn’t take long before we were at the bar, parking out front so we could see inside. Roark had parked farther down the street. We watched Drake through the windows, seeing him laughing with a couple women, touching their shoulders and hair. He seemed to be having a good time. It was nice to see him in such a good mood. Maybe this was the real Drake and he needed to get out and be with other people. He couldn’t just wait around for me. A being has needs, especially a Vampire.

  “You know the Vampire must die.”

  Jumping, both Ethan and I spun in our seats, seeing two people wearing cloaks sitting in the back seat, staring at us. Ethan relaxed, patting my thigh.

  “What are you doing here, brothers?” he asked.

  One had cropped blond hair and blue eyes. He glanced at me with a dark expression. “You are still with the Witch.”

  The other one had short black hair and dark, almost black eyes. He shook his head in disapproval. “You’re needed back at the compound. We can’t have one of our own gallivanting around with a Witch when he should be with us, protecting all kinds.”

  “Excuse me. I’m the High Mistress. I expect respect in return. You may be Mages, but I have the power of the Ancestors behind me,” I snapped.

  Ethan glanced at me in surprise, but he didn’t say anything.

  His brothers stared at me for a few long seconds. The one with black hair nodded once. “I apologize for the disrespect. We acknowledge your position of power and will give you the respect you deserve.”

  Pointing at the one with black hair, Ethan said, “This is Eric.” When he pointed to the other one, he rolled his eyes. “This one is Dan. He’s hard-headed.”

  I was surprised Ethan could even work with them. They didn’t seem like they would mesh well with his personality. Was he a different person around them?

  “The demon is wai
ting for the perfect opportunity to take over the Vampire,” Dan explained. “He’s patient and willing to take his time. We need to kill him now before things become worse.”

  I shook my head. “Drake can handle himself. I know he can stand up to the demon.”

  Eric laughed, shaking his head. I didn’t think he was the least bit amused. “There is no defeating that demon. We have centuries of research on him.”

  Surprised, I gripped the side of the seat. “You know what demon it is?”

  “The Ancestors didn’t tell you?” Dan smiled. “Not surprising. They always fail to inform their Witches.”

  I wanted to shake him. They may have apologized, but I could tell they saw me as someone who wasn’t very important. That they viewed themselves as a higher power. They were, but I was still the leader of my people. I deserved to be treated properly. They didn’t control me, so what made them think it was okay to treat me differently?

  “The demon is second-in-command of the Demon King, Bael. He’s been free in this world for a long time. He has been without his power the last hundred years, but has been here, plotting how to bring his master into this world,” Dan explained. “The only way he can is by rituals. Many centuries ago, leaders designed them to keep him trapped. Now the first ritual has been completed. The demons have been called to Heaven to begin the next series of rituals.”

  Shaking my head in disbelief, I glanced back at the bar, seeing Drake still hanging with the women. I couldn’t believe he would be the one to let the Demon King into our world. We had to stop him. I couldn’t leave anything to chance. There was no choice but to remove Drake completely. Relying on him to stop this demon takeover was too much to ask. The chances of him being able to keep control of his own body was slim to none. I had no reason to actually believe he could fight off this demon.

  Ethan watched me carefully. He could probably sense the thoughts swirling in my head. Grabbing my hand, he gave it a squeeze, offering silent support. I wanted to go back home and cry. Drake would be lost, all because of this damn demon. I was the chosen one of the Ancestors! I had to be able to help him. We couldn’t be this helpless.