Living Hell

by N. L. Hoffmann

  “We put them up in one of the campus rooms for safety. He still refuses to leave the city. He wants his child’s body.” Brian leaned against the wall, then immediately stood back up when he realized he was a mess. “I told him it was impossible since the examiner needs to look over the body first.”

  Nodding, I took a french fry and munched on it. I wanted to eat in peace, but that didn’t seem like it would happen. Maggie got up, waving at me to say she was leaving. I nodded, holding up my hand.

  “We need to plan something tonight. The demons must be eradicated.” Carlos started pacing, his hands clenched, determined expression on his face.

  “Have your friends arrived?” I asked, gathering up more fries. At the same time, Taco reached for one. We both tugged on it a few times, then I sighed, letting him have it.

  Nodding, Carlos took a seat. “An hour ago. According to them, waiting is a bad idea.”

  Ethan held out his arms. “We don’t have a plan. What do you want to do? Storm the Vampire mansion?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink. “We need something better than that. He is bound to leave his home eventually. Why don’t we take him then?”

  I didn’t like the fact we were talking about taking down Drake, but Carlos was right. We didn’t have many options. People’s lives were at stake. The longer I put off doing something about it, the more would die.

  Carlos clasped his hands together, glaring at Ethan. “The time is now.”

  “We wait. The mansion is spelled, so we would have to climb the walls just to get inside. It makes more sense to wait until he leaves.”

  Carlos mulled it over, then nodded. “Fine. I will tell the others, but I think we should prepare now. He could leave at any time.” He stood, taking a deep breath before looking at me. “After this is finished, I don’t think I can work with you anymore, High Mistress. Your decisions have been flawed, putting so many lives in danger.”

  Ethan shot up, getting into his friend’s face. “She’s thinking of Drake. You’re a demon killer. Of course your first reaction is to put down the demon. I think she’s doing pretty damn well for someone who is new to the position.”

  “As someone new to the position, she should rely more on the experience of others,” Carlos snapped.

  “She has all the support she needs. If you want to leave, leave.”

  Carlos grinned menacingly. “You need the blood of a demon hunter.”

  “Did you forget that Lancelot was a demon hunter?” Ethan asked.

  My mouth fell open in surprise. Ethan had demon hunter blood? Why didn’t he tell me that? It was probably in that damn book I had yet to read.

  Shaking my head, I took a large drink of my soda. It was kind of nice having Ethan battle Carlos for me. I knew he was right, I couldn’t help my feelings for Drake, but I was now determined to do what was right for all people. Drake had to go down, no matter what.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ethan pressed me up against the wall, devouring my mouth. I moaned, threading my fingers through his hair. I probably shouldn’t have told him that sex was amazing when I was pregnant. The man was willing to give me as much as I wanted.

  When someone cleared their throat, I peeked over Ethan’s shoulder, grinning at Mikey. He rolled his eyes.

  “I knocked on the door, but no one answered. Considering how things have been lately, I decided to let myself in, just in case. Good timing, seeing as you were just about to rip each other’s clothes off.”

  Straightening my shirt, I pulled away from Ethan, shivering when his fingers trailed along my waist. Damn Mikey for interrupting. I knew we had a lot to worry about, but sex was a good way to relieve stress. Plus, I liked knowing I was wanted even when I felt like such a failure. With Carlos looking down on me for my decisions, I had started to feel like maybe I wasn’t cut out for this job. Maybe I had failed my people before I could really get started.

  Pushing away the thoughts, I motioned Mikey to follow us into the kitchen. Hearing some strange noises on the TV in the living room, I went to investigate, finding Taco watching porn. I remembered Mary mentioned that he could turn into a human, but I had yet to see it. Maybe the little beast needed to get out more? Grossed out by the images assaulting my thoughts, I walked to the TV and turned it off.

  “Watch that in your room. We have company.” I glared at him and he glared right back, still lounging on his side. Shaking my head, I walked back into the kitchen.

  I saw Mikey bent over, his head in the fridge. I was surprised to find it was completely stocked. When I looked at Ethan questioningly, he shrugged.

  “I think Maggie did it at some point.”

  “Speaking of Maggie, I went to her house, but she wasn’t there. There was a note from the delivery company that said they were sorry they missed her.” Mikey straightened and opened some red Jell-O, reaching into my silverware drawer for a spoon.

  “Why would you go to her house?” I asked, though I was more concerned over her not being home and missing the delivery of her stove. She had seemed excited over that, so where the hell was she?

  Mikey swallowed a spoonful and sighed. “To ask her out. She left before I could.”

  “Is this your attempt to move on?” I asked. “Don’t try to use her for an easy lay, Mikey. I will cut you.”

  “I’m not!” he insisted. He scowled into his Jell-O. “I have respect for women, you know.”

  I sighed. “We’d better go to her house and figure out what’s going on. I’ll call first, just to see if she answers.”

  I looked around, finding my purse on the floor of the kitchen. I dug out the phone, finding seven missed calls from Maggie.

  Finding no voicemails, I began to worry. “We have to go to her house to see what’s going on.”

  “There’s nothing there, Sophie. I looked.” Mikey tossed his empty container into the garbage as he licked the spoon.

  “What the hell am I supposed to do now?” I demanded. “Was there any magical signature there? Did you sense anything?”

  Shaking his head, he frowned. “Nothing. Not even her own magic.”

  “I bet Drake took her. Or one of the demons.” I clenched my fists. “We have to find her.”

  My phone rang. When I glanced down at the screen, I blew out a breath. “Maggie?”

  “Hey! I’ve been trying to call everyone for help, but no one’s answering. My car broke down. I don’t want to call a tow truck because of the demons running around. What if one of them shows up?”

  “We were so worried! We thought something happened to you.”

  “No–”

  The phone went dead. I frowned, not liking the direction this was going.

  “Something’s wrong.” I ran to find my shoes. “We have to go help her.”

  “Where is she?” Ethan asked, following me around.

  I stopped. “I have no idea. We’ll just take the route to her house and see if we find anything.”

  Pounding on my front door had me growling. Ethan answered it, letting the two Mages in.

  “We are ready for the next part of the Trials,” they said.

  “We have to put that on hold until I find Maggie. What does the next part have to do with me anyway?” I asked, pushing past them to leave the house.

  Ethan looked at his brothers as they followed me. “I told you Sophie wasn’t to be harmed.”

  “Her blood is the only thing that can do it,” Eric replied.

  As I came around the corner to my car, I screeched in surprise. A body lay on the lawn. “What the fuck?!”

  Ethan came up behind me and frowned at his brothers. “I told you Sophie will not do this! Find another magical being.”

  “You’ve read the book, Ethan. You know her blood is the only thing that can revive the victim.”

  “Is this who I think it is?” I asked, grimacing, bending over to look at the shriveled body.

  “Heather,” Ethan confirmed.

  “Where did you get her body?” I paused, taking a deep brea
th. “You know what? I don’t care. This has to wait until I find Maggie. Someone just took her.”

  “We need to do the next Trial! That demon is almost ready to open the gates of Hell, yet you want to worry about some random Witch?” Dan shook his head in disbelief. “Carlos was right. Your priorities are fucked up.”

  Ethan swung, smashing his fist right in the face. He had put so much power behind it, they both fell to the ground. Ethan scrambled to his feet, kicking Dan in the ribs. “I’ve had enough of your shit! You’re a disrespecting asshole.”

  Eric just watched, letting the two fight it out. I sighed loudly, shaking my head. I didn’t have time for this. Walking around them to get to my car, I climbed in and started it, backing out of the driveway. Looking in the rearview mirror, I saw Ethan still towering over Dan. They didn’t even realize I’d left.

  It wasn’t long before I was out on the main road, searching both sides for Maggie’s car. As I stopped at a stop sign, I turned my head to the right, just in time to see something black fly in my direction. The car lurched to the side and started rolling. I cried out, trying to brace myself. My head slammed into the car window and everything went black.

  PAIN SHOT THROUGH MY entire body as I blinked awake. I groaned, finding myself lying on a cold floor. Where the hell was I? I glanced around. It looked familiar. Gods, my body hurt. There was dry blood on my arms and legs. It looked like the wounds were healing, which was a good sign.

  “Look who decided to wake up! You know, I thought it was rude you would take a nap while we had company.”

  I looked around. Drake stood next to Maggie, who was tied to a chair. She looked scared, tears running down her face. He knew I wouldn’t abandon any of my people, so he used her to lure me out. Getting angry, I tried to move, but found myself bound by magic strong enough to hold a Vampire. When I tried calling to my own magic, nothing came. Not even the necklace lit up.

  “Are you trying to use your magic, my love?” Drake asked. “Well, it won’t work. Just so happens I have a Witch who was able to block all magic in the area. At least the Witch kind. My demon magic works fairly well.” He held out his hand. Fire bloomed over it, flickering in the slight breeze. “Do you recognize where you are? This is the home for our children! When I saw Ethan bring you here, I knew this would be the perfect place to open the gates of Hell.”

  That was why I recognized it. The home Ethan bought. Why did Drake need me for his ritual? He could have done it without me even knowing. It didn’t make any sense.

  I looked around, seeing two bodies lying on the floor on the other side of the room. Recognizing Jenna’s hair, I gasped. Was she the Witch he had working for him?

  “Why do you have Jenna and...” I couldn’t tell who was next to her. “Who is that?”

  “Roark.”

  I gasped. “Why do you need them?”

  “I needed someone to spell the house and the bindings. Roark was the only way I could convince Jenna. When I threatened to kill her, he agreed to help. A brother helping a brother. It was considerate of him, don’t you think?”

  “You’re not his brother.”

  “You’re right. Which is why I’m okay with killing his woman.”

  Drake walked around Maggie, not taking his eyes off me. It was hard watching the demon do these horrible things in Drake’s body. I wanted to kill him for it, but what could I do? I had no power. I had nothing that would help me get free of the situation I was in.

  “You have me now, so why don’t you let everyone else go?”

  “Because the more blood I have, the better this ritual will go. My demons are due to arrive any moment.” He grinned. “Then the massacre will begin. But don’t worry. They won’t touch you. I need you safe. At least for now.” He walked over to me, crouching so he could cradle my face in his hands. “I need your babies.”

  Jerking away, I tried to sit up. “Why? What do they have to do with this?”

  Standing again, he clasped his hands behind his back as he walked around the empty room. “They are the last ritual. The one thing I need to finally open the gates. I thought it was you, but I was wrong. I remember Bael explaining that the light and dark must combine into one. Then I realized... One good child and one bad. How perfect! And they’re strong beings, my love. They are powerful already, despite how tiny they are.”

  I felt the babies moving, as if sensing the impending doom. I would not let him have them. No matter what, I would find a way out of this. When I glanced out the window and saw the sun starting to set, I began to panic. Odds were he was going to start the ritual when the moon was high, when the night was the most powerful. I tried to break my binds, but they were far too strong.

  I wanted to move, feeling the sudden urge to cry. This was my fault. I should have done something before it got this far.

  After what seemed like hours, demons slowly started to show up and filled the room. Most stared at me, grins on their faces. The Demon King was about to show up, and I was the prize offering.

  I saw Jenna and Roark start to sit up. Jenna looked angry, while Roark was distracted with trying everything he could to escape.

  Unfortunately, Jenna was the only one who could break the barrier on Witch magic. Drake probably made Roark command her to never break the spell, even if somebody asked her to.

  I thought of Ethan, wishing he could find me, but his magic was probably blocked from detecting us, too. I suspected that was another condition of the spell.

  Frustrated, I shifted around to try and get comfortable. It was completely dark out now, which meant the ritual would soon start.

  “Welcome to the last of the rituals, my demons! Tonight, we will welcome King Bael!” Drake shouted, a wide smile on his face. I didn’t think I would look at Drake the same again after this.

  As if he would survive.

  The demons cheered. I watched as Drake motioned to me, two demons coming over and hauling me to my feet. Drake crouched and used a piece of chalk to draw a white circle in the middle of the room.

  “Welcome Sophie to our ritual! Without her children, we wouldn’t be able to open the gates for our master.”

  Everyone cheered again, clapping as I was dragged to the center of the circle. Drake swept his arm in front of him, a magical wall forming around me so I couldn’t move. He stepped toward me, a wide smile on his face. The magical bindings released. I stood there, rubbing my wrists. Then he pushed his hand out in front of him. My body slammed back onto the floor, head bouncing off the wood.

  Drake kneeled on one knee, gripping my shirt with both hands. With one hard tug, he split it up the middle, exposing my chest. “So beautiful. It was nice when Drake fucked you. I experienced everything. I would love to do it again, but time is of the essence.” He sighed, running a finger between my breasts. “When I threatened to take Drake’s child from him, he decided to give up trying to fight me. I finally had full control of his body.”

  “But you are taking his child. You lied!” I tried pushing myself up, but I couldn’t budge.

  He smiled. “I’m a demon. Lying is what I do best. Plus, it wasn’t an actual deal, like signing over your soul or something. He should have known I would go back on my word. It’s too late for him to fight now. Once he willingly gave himself over, there was no going back.” The demon sighed, eyes sweeping over my body. “You are too delicious. I might just have a taste before we begin.”

  “Leave her alone, Drake, you sick asshole!” Jenna shouted.

  “Call me Desmos! I know you know my name by now.” He stood, unbuttoning his coat. He shrugged it off, tossing it to the floor a few feet away. “Let us begin!”

  “Wait! Don’t you need to wait for the moon to rise to its highest point?” I asked, trying to think of ways to stall him.

  Shaking his head, Desmos stepped outside the circle. “I only need a little bit of its power. The rest comes from your children.”

  He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the well-muscled chest. Winking at me, he started work
ing at his pants, letting them fall to the floor. Now completely nude, he walked over to me and leaned over my body. I wanted to kick him between the legs, but I couldn’t move. Seeing his fangs, I didn’t have time to react before Desmos bit down, not being gentle. I cried out in surprise.

  He pulled away, blood dripping from his mouth. With two fingers, he swiped blood from my wound, drawing symbols on his chest. “I call to you, King Bael. It is time for you to come to this world!” He laughed, throwing his head back.

  Candles suddenly lit up the entire room. I hadn’t noticed them there before. They cast a warm glow over the rest of us.

  Climbing to his feet again, I felt the magic in the air becoming stronger. It was so thick as to be almost suffocating. Desmos walked to one of the demons and held out his hand, a knife being placed into it. He strode back in my direction.

  “Say goodbye while you can, Sophie. Your children will go down in demon history as the ones who helped bring the Demon King into this world.”

  I continued to try and fight against the binds. How could I have been so stupid? Everything would have been on my terms if I would have acted instead of hoping Drake could be saved. I felt a tear slide down the side of my face.

  It only made Desmos smile wider. “Don’t worry. It will be over soon enough.”

  Raising his hand over my stomach, the knife poised to plunge in, Desmos suddenly jerked. I watched as his body fell back, bloody wounds appearing on his chest. Confused, I looked around, seeing Ethan and Carlos running into the room, several men behind them. Relief filled my body. When I tried to turn my head, I found that I could finally move. I quickly scrambled to my feet and reached out, finding the wall surrounding me gone.

  Some men rushed over to Jenna and Roark, helping them escape their binds. I wanted to run to Ethan, but he was fighting off a couple demons. Carlos moved like a well-oiled machine, swiping his sword across necks of some, jabbing it into chests of others. I felt powerless without my magic. When I turned to try and find a weapon, I came face to face with Desmos.