Living Hell

by N. L. Hoffmann

  Angry, Drake leaned against his desk. “I can’t believe the arrogant ass. He’s taking over my life, hurting the people in it. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to stop him, Sophie?”

  “I don’t know. I have no idea how to prevent his takeover.” I raised my hands helplessly. “I’m coming to realize there may not be anything I can do.”

  Drake hurried toward me. “Please, don’t give up on me. Not now. Not when I need you so badly.” He spun around, running a hand through his hair. “I will figure this out. My child will not grow up without a father.”

  Taking a deep breath, I nodded. There wasn’t much for me to say. I needed to get out of there before I started crying.

  Spinning, I hurried out of his office. When I made it into the foyer and Brian saw my face, he stood up in alarm.

  “Sophie? What’s the matter?” he asked, rushing over to my side, looking around for any danger.

  “I just want to leave. Take me home.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Closing my eyes, I sighed softly, enjoying Ethan’s light kisses on my stomach and chest. When he came up to my face, I opened my eyes, smiling. “I love when you kiss me like that. It makes me tingle.”

  Slowly, he brushed his fingers up my side, watching as I shivered. When he glanced down at my nipples, finding them pebbled, he closed his mouth over one, running his hand back down my side and cupping my ass. I moaned, lifting a leg over his hip to bring him closer. His lips moved up my chest to my neck. I tilted my head to the side to give him full access. He bit down sharply. I gasped, my nails digging into his bare back.

  “I need to feel you inside me,” I told him, reaching down to pull at his boxer briefs.

  Ethan chuckled, sliding them down his legs. I gripped him in my hands, guiding his erection to my opening. He was so large and thick, I knew he needed me just as badly as I needed him.

  I cried out when he slammed into me, my back arching. My gods, he felt good. It was like I couldn’t get enough of him. I whimpered, urging him to go faster by rocking my hips. His breathing got heavier as his face took on an expression of concentration. Slow wasn’t going to do it for me. I wanted it hard and fast.

  Sensing my desire, Ethan met me with each thrust. He kissed me, biting down on my lip so hard, I swore, feeling blood pool. I stopped moving when he licked it away. Pulling him in deeper, I kissed him with desperation. His tongue dove into my mouth as his hips rocked into me. When my fangs appeared, he moved his head so I could get access to his neck. Sinking my fangs into him, I hummed with pleasure as his blood filled my mouth.

  Feeling I was close, I pulled away from him, my eyes rolling back. “Oh gods!” I couldn’t hold it off anymore. It built so fast and strong, I screamed, digging my nails into him.

  He thrust a few more times, grunting as he fell over the edge.

  Once he caught his breath, he fell to the side of me, hand covering his forehead. “Wow, Sophie.”

  I gasped for breath and curled into his side, placing a leg over his. He rubbed my arm, closing his eyes.

  He wasn’t happy when had I told him what happened with Drake. The fear in his eyes was something I didn’t want to see again. We had more to protect now that I was pregnant. I couldn’t be so careless. Drake was unpredictable. After what happened earlier, I knew I couldn’t be alone with him again.

  Ethan wrapped an arm around me. I placed my head on his chest, taking in his scent and listening to his heart. Running my hand over his chest, I looked up at him. “You’re quieter than usual,” I said softly.

  “I’m just thinking about how in the hell we’re going to take down Drake. We have no plan. No one has information. There is literally nothing that can stop this demon.” He shook his head. “I need to meet with my brothers.”

  “Take me with you.”

  Shaking his head, Ethan looked down at me. “They’ll be less forthcoming if I bring you. Going alone will likely get me more information. We need all we can get.”

  Nodding, I looked away, staring at the doorway. I saw Taco flying around the kitchen, doing who knew what. He seemed awfully busy for a dragon that should have been watching his soaps. Suspicious, I debated about getting up to check on him, but instead decided to stay in bed. I pulled the sheet over me and Ethan, feeling less exposed. We should have shut the door, but completely forgot.

  I sighed, not liking to be left out of things. “Well, I guess I can look through the books in my office while you’re gone. Maybe there is some information on Bael and his second-in-command.”

  When my cell phone started to ring, both of us groaned. I reached over to the nightstand, picking it up and looking at the screen, then putting it to my ear.

  “Hey, Mikey.”

  “Something’s wrong with Jenna. She’s zoned out, calling me Sophie and talking about getting back together with Drake.”

  Confused, I sat up in bed, holding the sheet to my chest. “I don’t understand.”

  “Come to your office.”

  Without saying another word, he hung up, leaving me to stare at my phone.

  “We have to help Mikey with Jenna. Well, you don’t have to go.” I grabbed my clothes from the floor, throwing them on. Showering would have been preferred, but Jenna needed me.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  Taco flew into the room, landing on my shoulder. “I wonder what’s going on with her.”

  I glanced over at Ethan, who looked at the bathroom longingly. He probably wanted a shower, too. Placing a hand on my stomach, I felt a little movement. They were undoubtedly still asleep.

  Ethan came up behind me, running a hand over my ass as he kissed the side of my neck. “I hope nothing is seriously wrong with her.”

  “It sounded like there was.” I sighed, grabbing a ponytail holder from the nightstand and throwing my hair into a messy bun.

  When we were all set to leave, I told Taco to hold on and we disappeared, reappearing in my office. Jenna sat in one of the chairs, staring at the floor. Mikey stopped pacing, throwing his hands up.

  “There you are! Didn’t it sound like a damn emergency?” he asked, gesturing at Jenna, who didn’t bother looking up at us. She sat quietly, as if in some kind of trance.

  “What’s wrong with her?” I asked, squatting down in front of my best friend. I lifted her chin to look into her eyes. It was like no one was there. Her gaze was far away, breathing even, body completely lax. “Did you find her like this?”

  Shaking his head, Mikey shoved papers aside and sat on my desk. “She came to my house spouting off how you had to get back with Drake or things would blow up in our faces. She said you needed to be convinced. Drake was the one who was meant to be with you. The woman was going nuts. I didn’t even recognize her. You know how Jenna is usually quiet, yet opinionated? Seeing her like this was crazy. She shook all over, hardly able to hold herself up. Then she fell to the floor and started rocking back and forth.”

  Ethan looked at Jenna, then turned to me. “I believe I know what’s going on.”

  “Of course you do! Mages know everything.” Mikey rolled his eyes. “How the fuck did Witches last this long? As far as I can tell, we don’t know shit.”

  I stood, placing my hand on his shoulder. “Think about it, Mikey. You know what’s happening to her. Remember Daisy Humphrey back in ninety-five?”

  His eyes widened. “Fuck! Are you kidding me? It can’t be that.” He looked at Jenna. “You have got to be kidding! She’s a minion? Seriously?”

  Ethan shook his head. “Is he always this way? I’ve only ever seen him calm.”

  “He has feelings for Jenna,” I replied.

  “Sophie!” Mikey shouted.

  Ignoring him, I started gently slapping Jenna’s cheeks. “Jenna, wake up. Time to stop this.”

  “You act like she has a choice.” Mikey shook his head in disbelief. “You know the only way to get her out of the daze is to have her maker bring her out of it.”

  “Her maker is dead, remember?” I
sighed. “Plus, she acted weird before her change.”

  “A minion before being turned? That has to be agreed upon by Jenna and the person who made her. That means she was a human minion. That’s so rare. I’m willing to bet that isn’t the case at all.” Ethan walked to my bookshelf. After a few seconds of searching, he pulled out a book, placing it on the table. “This is a book about Vampires. There might be some information in here. I don’t know much about human minions.”

  Mikey bent over the book. “I doubt this one will have anything about minions in it.” He moved away, looking at the shelf again.

  “You have a human minion?”

  We all turned toward the door. Taco screeched, flying around in circles as he breathed fire at the two Mages standing in my office. I felt like it was a complete violation that they would show up unannounced, especially when they had no respect for me. If it weren’t for the information I needed, I would have blasted their asses off campus.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded, placing my hands on my hips.

  “We didn’t come willingly,” Eric grumbled.

  Realizing someone stood behind them, I narrowed my eyes. Merlin? He busied himself trying to light a cigar. When he saw me staring at him, he grinned.

  “Darling! My beautiful daughter, what a sight you are!” He walked toward me, arms outstretched. I almost stepped back, but stiffened, preparing for the assault.

  Merlin squeezed me, taking care to not push too hard on my stomach. He pulled away, putting a hand on it. I wanted to yell at him. Why did people do that? Why must they touch a pregnant woman’s stomach?

  Instead of blowing up at him, I forced a smile. “I guess this is the first time you’ve seen me pregnant.”

  “I can’t wait to meet them. Hopefully they turn out just like their dear grandpa!” He chuckled, not seeing the horror on my face. If either of my kids turned out like him, I didn’t know what I would do. There were stories about his crazy mind. Thankfully, he seemed to be sane each time I saw him. He would do strange things, but he always appeared to think clearly.

  He walked to Jenna and looked down at her. “Yes, a minion for sure.”

  “How can you tell?” I asked.

  Shrugging, he lit his cigar. “Somewhere on her body, you will find bite marks, if they haven’t healed already. That’s where he or she is feeding off her...and has been for a while. I’m sure she consented at first, but you know how it goes after that. It becomes an addiction. She can’t say no. Of course, the Vampire who did it to her purposely turned her into a minion.”

  “I’ve never seen her around any Vampires,” Mikey interrupted. “She’s never mentioned anything.”

  Merlin sighed, as if Mikey were stupid. “I’m betting Jenna is embarrassed to admit she has a Vampire lover. She doesn’t appear to be the type who would willingly go outside her race.”

  Nodding, Mikey ran a hand through his hair. “She would be secretive.”

  “She would at least tell me!” I said, getting angry. “Why hide this from me? It doesn’t make any sense. She knows I am the most open-minded person there is. Hell, I was dating a Vampire and now have a Mage.”

  I started pacing, suddenly exhausted. On top of that, I was hungry and really wanted a juicy burger from one of those fast food joints.

  Refocusing, I stared at Jenna. “What are we supposed to do with her now? It’s not like we can call up her master and ask him to fix her.”

  Eric cleared his throat. “We can figure out who the master is if we enter her mind.”

  Dan nodded, coming forward. “I’m the best one for the job. I have the most training and fewer casualties than Eric.”

  My head snapped around. “Casualties?”

  “It’s risky. The brain is fragile when it comes to psychic intrusions. With the electrical connections constantly zapping through, a new, unknown one can interrupt that, causing permanent brain damage,” Dan explain, his eyes never leaving mine.

  “Tell her the rest,” Ethan pushed.

  “There’s more?” I shrieked.

  Dan glared at Ethan. “Sometimes it can fry the brain so badly, it shuts down the body and the person dies.” He obviously wanted to keep that bit of information to himself, which made me dislike him even more.

  “Don’t you think I need to know all the details?” I demanded, my anger rising. I felt my magic seeping out, surrounding me like waves at a beach.

  Ethan came over to me and placed a hand on my arm. I shook him off, staring at Dan. Eric seemed okay, but there was something sneaky about Dan. My instincts told me letting him work on Jenna was a bad idea. If something happened to her, no one would be able to stop me from killing him. But it would be too late to save Jenna by then.

  Glancing over at Ethan, I tried to relax, but my power had started to swirl out of control. Papers fell off the desk and bookcases rattled, causing Taco to fly around the room in a panic. My black magic started to surround Dan, who narrowed his eyes at me.

  “I wouldn’t do that, little Witch,” he said in a soft voice.

  “Sophie, take some deep breaths. Let the magic flow back into you,” Ethan coaxed quietly.

  What happened next was unexpected. I felt a tingling sensation in my stomach, then a surge of magic shot through my body. My own magic began to move faster, twisting around Dan. It circled his neck, tightening, until he had to reach up with his hands, trying to pull it away. Gasping, he tried to use his own magic, but it wasn’t strong enough to compete with mine.

  Stepping forward, I placed my hand on his shoulder and pushed him down to his knees. “If something happens to my friend, you will die. If you hurt her in any way, you will die. If she screams in pain, you will die. Do you understand?”

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Eric demanded, stepping forward.

  Merlin placed an arm in front of Eric. “Son, if you want to keep your head, you’d better stand back. She has the magic of those babies now. Nothing can stop her.”

  Dan nodded at me, eyes wide, as he gripped the magic, unable to get a good grasp on it. When I pulled it back from him, he fell forward onto his hands, coughing.

  After a few minutes, he glared up at me. “Your friend is in safe hands,” he rasped.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ethan stared at me for a few minutes, almost as if trying to debate on my mental status. I didn’t usually blow up at people like that. Causing harm was always the last resort. Hell, I hardly thought about harming someone even when I was angry. I blamed it on the pregnancy. My hormones were all over the place and I had no control over my feelings. Had I not disliked Dan already, I might have felt bad.

  “Why did you bring us here, Merlin? Your daughter is unstable,” Eric growled, looking at my father.

  Merlin shrugged. “Her mother told me how much you two disrespected her, so I figured you owed her something. No one treats my daughter as lesser than she is. She holds a high position among the Witches.” He stood tall. “She is my daughter. That alone is enough to earn her respect!”

  Surprised by his outburst, every single person in the room took a step back. Taco flew to the bookcase, disappearing into a dark corner. No one was stupid enough to piss off Merlin.

  “How did Mom know about the way they treated me?” I asked.

  Taking a deep breath, Merlin reached inside his coat to pull out another cigar. “You know how she spies on everyone. The woman needs a hobby.”

  I smirked. Wasn’t that the truth? My mother was the nosiest person I knew. But I guessed as a ghost, you tended to spy on people because you could. When I became one, I knew that would be on my daily agenda. I’d be living my dream of being an invisible agent. Maybe the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

  Dan now stood by Jenna, his hands poised over her head. He glanced in my direction, licking his lips nervously as he began to concentrate. Closing his eyes, strong, warm magic began to fill the room, swirling around until it zeroed in on Jenna. He started to shake, as if it took more
power than he expected to get into her mind.

  “Something’s protecting her.”

  “Most minions have protection. You should know that,” Merlin said, coming up alongside him. “Concentrate.”

  “What are you doing, Merlin? You can’t pressure him when he’s in a fragile position!” Eric moved to protect his friend, but Ethan grabbed his arm and shook his head.

  Jenna started moving. Her eyes blinked vigorously as her back stiffened at an awkward angle. I clenched my fists, afraid he was hurting her, but I remained in control, despite the magic slowly slipping from my fingers.

  Ethan walked over to me, placing a hand on my back and rubbing in circles. “She will be okay,” he murmured.

  Jenna’s head suddenly snapped back, her mouth gaping open. She started making gurgling noises, blood splattering out. I pushed Ethan away, hurrying to Jenna’s side, but Dan had already moved away, Eric’s arms around him pulling him back.

  “What the fuck did you do?” I screamed. Turning to Jenna, I saw her breathing normally, blood splattered on her face. Once again, she was in a daze, staring at the floor. “What happened?” I looked at Dan.

  “I had to stop. All I could get was a face,” Dan said, panting.

  “Who?”

  “Someone who looks like the demon, but isn’t.”

  I frowned, then looked at Ethan. “Roark?”

  “Has to be.” He furrowed his brows. “Why would he do this?”

  Clenching my fists, I gritted out a smile. “I don’t know. But I aim to find out.”

  ROARK DIDN’T ANSWER my calls, which was strange. He wouldn’t be avoiding me, would he? Was there a way the minion could alert their master when you entered their mind? I guessed there could be. But why would he make her a minion? I didn’t understand what the hell was going on.

  Ethan watched me as I paced my office. We needed answers, coming up with none. Merlin went to explore the campus. I bet he just wanted to find people to mess with. Most were leery of him because of the rumors concerning his mentality.