“The Vampire is leaving. We must take care of him before he completes the second ritual.”
“How many rituals are there?” I asked, turning back toward the building to see Drake wrapping his arms around the waists of the two women.
Dan motioned for Ethan to follow Drake. “There are only two more. He’s already performed one. This next one requires two sacrifices.” He hesitated. “There is more to it, but that is the gist.”
“Tell me what else,” I prodded.
“Sex,” Ethan supplied as he opened his door.
I forgot that he probably knew all of this. I just never thought to ask. Maybe it was because I was in denial. Or maybe he didn’t want to upset me further.
Ethan barked out a curse. “Is that Heather chasing after him? She might ruin this.”
“Wait. Ruin what? You weren’t actually planning on killing him tonight, were you?” Well, of course they were. He was about to kill two more people. What did I expect?
They all stared at me in silence. I turned to the window as Heather, wearing her ridiculous high heels, ran after Drake. How she was able to run in those was beyond me.
Drake stopped and turned around when Heather shouted at him, waving. She looked a little different from what I remembered. She looked...older.
“What the fuck is wrong with her?”
“She’s aging,” Eric replied.
I gasped. “How is that possible?”
Ethan’s eyes widened as he looked back at them. “You began the Trials.”
Confused, I continued to stare at Drake. “What Trials?”
“Brother, this is none of her business,” Dan snapped when Ethan opened his mouth to explain.
Waving him off, Ethan glanced at me. “The Trials are to get rid of demons, but to do it risks everything. There are deaths, exchanges of power.” He grew angrier as he spoke. Finally, he turned back to them. “If you harm Sophie, I will kill you myself.”
I turned to look at Ethan, brows furrowed. “What do I have to do with it?”
Ethan turned back to watch Drake, his face dark. “Part of it requires using all power of the Ancestors. In the end, they will be destroyed completely. This has been something Mages have been working on since before I came to exist.”
Shocked, I gripped the armrest of the door. “What does that have to do with Heather? Why do you need the Ancestors’ power?”
Eric growled at Ethan in frustration. “This is not Witch business. She can tell the Ancestors and ruin our plans completely. You will be punished for this, brother.” Eric’s staff began to glow.
Fear clenched my heart. I called to my magic, asking for more than only the necklace could provide, and shielded Ethan and me. Just as the shield closed around us, a blue lightning bolt shot out of the staff, directed at Ethan. When it hit the shield and bounced back, the Mages ducked, the bolt crashing through my car’s back window, the sound deafening.
Angry, Ethan scrambled out of the car, gathering magic in his hands. He watched as his brothers climbed out, slightly ruffled. “You dare endanger Sophie and my children? You want to come at me, leave her out of this.”
Dan glared. “As you wish, brother. Tell me, does she know why you’re really here? Why you have come to be with her? Does she know the truth?”
Ethan glanced through the door he’d left open. His face paled. He quickly looked away, glaring at his brother. “Come at me!” he shouted, magic rolling between his hands, forming glowing orbs of blue.
Eric and Dan laughed, looking at each other. “We will leave you alone. Your secrets have done enough damage. Now your Witch will want to know the truth of why you’re here,” Eric said, looking over to where Heather and Drake argued. “We’ll take care of the Vampire.”
Their cloaks swept around them and they disappeared. Ethan let his magic die down. His shoulders slumped and he turned in my direction. What the hell was he hiding? I thought we weren’t going to keep secrets. I thought he was here because the Lady of the Lake made it so? I was confused and angry at the same time.
I climbed out of the car. Ethan stared at me, his face expressionless. “What are they talking about, Ethan? What haven’t you told me?”
“Can we talk about this later? Drake is walking away.”
Glancing over, I noticed Drake’s arms wrapped around the women once again. He suddenly blurred, the three of them disappearing completely. Heather fell to her knees, sobbing. Her body started crumbling into pieces, falling in on itself. I saw Roark blur and appear next to her.
Heather groaned as he picked her up. We rushed over. He looked up at me, eyes wide with fear. She didn’t look like herself anymore. She’d aged at least thirty years in a few minutes.
“What is happening to me?” she choked out.
Ethan’s face was expressionless. “It’s the Trials. It took your Vampirism away and is beginning to age you to what you’re meant to be. You’ll soon die.”
“I don’t want to die! The Mages told me I would go on to live a natural life. That I would die as a human. After living a horrible life as a Vampire, I thought I could make amends, follow a better path,” Heather sobbed, tears spilling over her thin cheeks.
“The Mage’s failed to tell you that you would age to what you’re supposed to be as a human.”
“What are these Trials you speak of?” Roark demanded. “Your people did this? You can fix her!”
Shaking his head, Ethan took a step back. “I can’t. Once it’s begun, I can’t stop it.”
“What does Heather have to do with the Trials?” I asked.
Ethan frowned, running a hand through his dark hair. I almost felt bad for him. Then I remembered he was keeping a secret from me. I crossed my arms, waiting.
Finally, he sighed. “The first trial is reversing Vampirism. The victim has to be willing.”
“She’s dead,” Roark said, looking down at Heather, her body lifeless in his arms. He glared at Ethan. “Why the fuck did they do this to her? She thought she was going to live a normal life and die naturally. You withheld vital information!”
Ethan stepped forward, his magic sweeping around him angrily. “You’d better watch your fucking tone, Vampire! I didn’t know they were doing this!”
Wedging myself between them, I put my hands on each of their chests. “This is no one’s fault. The other Mages failed to give her the correct information or tell Ethan. If you want to be angry at anyone, it’s them, Roark.”
Heather still in his arms, Roark turned toward his car. “Someone has to answer for this.” He started walking, leaving us alone.
“Where did Drake disappear to?” I sighed, rubbing my temples. “I don’t even know where to go from here.”
“Doesn’t his car have a GPS or something?” Ethan asked.
“I wouldn’t have access to it. Wouldn’t he have removed something like that, though?” I stared into the darkness, squinting when a car drove by, the headlights seeming brighter than normal. “Plus, he didn’t bring his car.”
Ethan ran a hand through his hair again. His jaw clenched and unclenched. “If my brothers wouldn’t have shown up, we would be tracking Drake right now. Instead, they’re after him. Who knows what will happen now.” Suddenly, a grin formed on his face. “I can track them.”
“What? How?” He grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the car. What was he up to now?
Reaching the car, he took both my hands in his. “Now is the time to let our connection become one, Sophie. Remember when we first met and our magic combined? Do you remember how that felt?”
I remembered that it felt both amazing and strange. But what did that have to do with anything? Was he playing games? Could he be hiding more? Was he the man I had fallen for?
Did I just admit that to myself? Holy shit.
“Sophie? Are you listening?” Ethan asked, squeezing my hands.
I shook my head. “Sorry. What did you say?”
“Our magic needs to combine.”
“We can’t combine ma
gic. There’s no such thing,” I said, distracted. “It only happens if you’re–” I stopped, yanking my hands away. Why hadn’t I realized it? Why didn’t it click when our magic combined before?
“Sophie, now’s not the time to overthink. We can talk about everything later,” Ethan said softly. He reached for my hands again. “I know you’re confused.”
“Confused?! That barely covers it. Ethan, it’s a complete myth. Those are stories told to children because Witch’s need their own damn fairy tales.”
Ethan gripped my chin, staring at me. “We can discuss this now, but if we do, Drake might be dead by the time we get to him.”
Realizing he was right, I nodded, placing my hands into his. I relaxed, thinking about our magic combining. His was warm and welcoming, weaving in and out of mine, like the sun and the moon meeting for the first time. I sighed, closing my eyes. Then I felt like I was spinning. When I opened my eyes, we hovered several feet in the air, our magic swirling together. Then it exploded in a burst of light.
Chapter Seventeen
I was glad Ethan knew what he was doing because I had no idea how we got to our destination. We were in a dark area just outside of town. In the distance, I saw a barn lit up by the moon. Taco sat on my shoulder, digging his claws in. I had no idea how he managed to hitch a ride.
Ethan grabbed my hand as we looked around, trying to find evidence of life. There was a small light shining in the barn, but there was no sound at all. Where was everyone?
Deciding to creep up to the barn, I tugged on Ethan’s hand, leading him in the direction. He frowned, showing me he didn’t like my idea at all, but I ignored him. As we got closer to the barn, we heard footsteps and rustling. I peered through the window next to the doors, hoping I could catch sight of what was happening inside.
Standing in the middle of the barn was Drake, his arms outstretched, twenty people surrounding him. How the hell did they keep so quiet? They were like zombies, standing in a circle, swaying.
“Tonight, we perform the second ritual. We have more to offer Bael than we originally planned. He will be pleased with the offering. Lying before me are two women I will fuck in the blood of the Mages.”
Ethan straightened, wanting to go inside. I gripped his hand. If Drake was able to take down two Mages, dealing with us would be easy. Going in without a plan was a huge mistake. He had to know that. When I glanced at him, I saw helplessness in his eyes.
Maybe we could combine our magic to take Drake down, or at least stop him from completing the ritual. Looking at Ethan, I hoped he could read my thoughts. I sent out my magic, letting it sweep around him. Slowly, he nodded, understanding.
Just as we turned to step through the barn doors, someone placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder, making us jump. We turned to find Carlos behind him, shaking his head.
“Don’t. He is much too powerful, especially with those other demons in there,” he whispered.
“Where the fuck did you come from?” I hissed, staring at him suspiciously.
“Before you accuse me of gods know what, you already know I can track demons. I didn’t know you would be here,” he angrily whispered.
“Stop, both of you,” Ethan interrupted.
I wasn’t going to let them sacrifice Ethan’s friends and two innocent women. Shaking my head, I released Ethan’s hand and walked through the doors of the barn before either one of them could stop me.
“Drake!” I shouted.
Everyone turned to look at me. They parted to reveal Drake. Lying at his feet were four beings, all staring at me with different expressions on their faces. The Mages showed no fear, their faces expressionless. The women had tear-stained cheeks as they sobbed. I felt bad for them. They had no idea what was going on.
“Let them go. You can deal with me,” I told him, my hands out at my sides, magic ready.
Drake threw his head back, laughing. “My dear, Sophie. You don’t think you can actually stop me, do you? You need to be safe at home where those babies can remain protected. I have plans for them.” He took a couple steps closer, eyes dark and intense. This was not the Drake I knew. The demon was definitely in the driver’s seat.
Ethan and Carlos came up behind me. Both of them probably swore at me in their heads for jumping in without a plan, but they were ready to back me up. I had no idea what I was going to do. Drake was powerful. Hell, he took down two Mages without any difficulty.
“Let them go,” I said again, allowing my magic to come on stronger, the necklace lighting up to aid me.
The entire barn lit up. I looked around in surprise, realizing it came from the necklace. Then I heard them.
“Leave this place. Do not attempt to stop the demon,” the Ancestors hissed. It sounded like all of them were talking.
Drake stared at me, a huge smile on his face. It was one of the few times I actually wanted to punch him. How dare the Ancestors tell me to leave! These people were about to die at the hands of the very demon the Ancestors wanted dead.
“The demon is too powerful for you alone,” they hissed again.
“I have a Mage and a demon hunter behind me!”
I started advancing on Drake, my magic coming on more powerfully. Then it began to slowly dissipate. They were taking away the power of the necklace.
Getting angry, I stopped. “This is what you wanted!”
“We will not risk the children. We told you what has to be done.”
“Then get your crabby asses out here and help me!” I shouted.
Drake laughed, glancing at his demons. They started laughing, as well, no longer in a daze. “Your Ancestors know what’s good for you. You three don’t have a chance against me!”
“Your time will come, demon,” the Ancestors threatened. “It may not be now, but soon. We will have your head within our grasp, your blood on our lips.”
Still smiling, Drake continued to watch me, waiting to see what I would do. If I couldn’t have the support of the Ancestors, how was I supposed to defeat him? Would our power alone be enough?
Deciding to at least try, I accepted Ethan’s hand when he offered it to me. We were going to do this, Ancestors be damned. Ethan glanced down at my stomach, worry marring his handsome face.
“You will not defy us!” the Ancestors shouted.
The light exploded from the necklace, blinding me until I screamed in pain. I fell to my knees, pressing the heels of my hands to my eyes. Then I was moving, my body slamming against something. My vision dark, I couldn’t tell where I landed. I felt around blindly, finding myself in an area about the size of a box. Swearing, I realized they’d sent me to their white room.
“Take me back!” I shouted.
They didn’t respond. I wanted to cry. I left Ethan. Could he and Carlos get out unscathed? Panicking, I rubbed my eyes some more, hoping it would clear my vision. I tried to listen, taking in deep breaths. Only silence met me.
I put a hand to my stomach. The babies were moving. They could tell I was stressed. Trying to calm myself, I leaned against the wall. If I could make the Ancestors pay for what they did, I would. I thought about the Trials the Mages mentioned. It was supposed to get rid of them. Did I want that? Just because I was mad at them didn’t mean I should wish them harm.
Sighing, I lay my head back, briefly closing my eyes. I didn’t know how to get out of this. Drake seemed beyond help. I thought he had managed to get control of the demon, but obviously not.
Opening my eyes, I was able to see again. Surprised, I looked around, seeing I sat in the middle of my bed. I hopped off and debated on what to do. I had to get in touch with Ethan. But my cell was in the car, which was still at the bar. Even Taco was missing. Where the hell did he go? Did the Ancestors take him from me?
Just as I was about to disappear to go to Mikey’s house, Ethan and Carlos showed up in my room, looking worse for wear. Blood coated their faces and arms, clothes torn. Taco paced on Ethan’s shoulder, agitated, blowing fire.
“What happened?” I gasped.<
br />
Both men glanced at each other. Even Taco was silent. Finally, Ethan sighed. “Drake left. We barely scratched him. The demon is powerful, Sophie. I don’t know how in the hell we’re supposed to kill him.”
“If he’s who the Mages say he is, then the usual decapitation and heart removal will not work. If he’s the second-in-command to Bael, there’s only one way to kill him. Unfortunately, we don’t know it. It varies, depending on the demon,” Carlos explained.
“The Mages have to know. Why is it they know but you don’t? Aren’t you a demon hunter?” I asked, annoyed. There had to be a way to eliminate the demon. Then I realized I was considering solutions that meant Drake would also die. I sat down on the bed, gripping the edges.
What the fuck am I going to do?
Ethan left the room, returning seconds later holding a beer for him and Carlos. Looking at them, they obviously needed it. I wished I was there to help them. It infuriated me so much, I felt my magic seeping out. I had started losing control of it, which never happened.
“It’s okay, Sophie. We’ll get this figured out,” Ethan promised, sitting down next to me.
Carlos took a sip of his beer and started to pace the room. “I think he was just playing with us. He could have taken our lives so easily.” Shaking his head, he turned to me. “I don’t even think your magic would have helped. This demon is stronger than any I’ve ever encountered. Honestly, I don’t know why he disappeared. His demons even left us alone. We lay on the ground next to the other victims, too defeated to get up. They left all of us there, alive.”
I jumped up, eyes wide. “The others are alive? He didn’t kill them?”
Ethan shook his head. “He left everyone alive. He said we ruined the moment. The demon didn’t seem upset about it, either. Almost like he was expecting us the entire time.”
“Probably was. He’s bound to know we’re following him,” Carlos said. He took a long pull of his drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “We have no advantage, and he knows it.”
Living Hell Page 12