“You can’t go into the lion’s den alone. You’re likely to get eaten.”

  I rolled my eyes, pushing his hand away. “I was chosen by the ancestors for a reason. Handling myself is easy. If you come along, they might get defensive.”

  “How would they even know I was a Mage?”

  “You know as well as I do, they can figure you out by scent,” I told him. Vampires and Mages had a bad history, fighting against one another at one time. Mages were stronger and had the ability to take down hundreds at a time. I didn’t want Zander to think I was trying to make a move against him. The dinner was supposed to be about getting to know one another in the hopes of creating a friendship.

  “I promise to be on good behavior.”

  “Shouldn’t you be working on our problem? Why are you even here?” I walked past him, looking for the heels I wore to the last party. When I spotted the silver stilettos, I hurried over, creating more distance between us.

  “I’ve narrowed down the whereabouts of your rogue Witch. I plan on invading his hideout tomorrow when he least expects it. Do you want me to kill him?”

  Why did it sound like this was a regular conversation for him? There was no emotion, kind of as if it were just another day at the office. I sighed, walking out of my room and to the kitchen. It was a large room with stainless steel appliances. The last High Mistress, Daphne, had most of the place updated…just before she went insane and wanted us killed. The woman was psycho. Thankfully, the ancestors were dealing with her now.

  Shaking my head, I poured some wine into a glass. “No. I want to talk to him first.”

  Ethan seemed disappointed. “Years ago, something like this was punishable by death.” His eyes followed me around the kitchen as I paced, my heels clicking against the hardwood floor.

  “Well, I hate to jump right to death without finding out his problem first. Someone could have spelled him. Plus, death is a bit extreme, don’t you think?”

  “That’s not what you told the Council.”

  I set my glass down and glared at him. “Have you been spying on me?”

  He shrugged. “I just ask questions. People, especially women, like to tell me things.”

  Chuckling, I took a sip of wine, looking at the clock on the stove. It was almost time to go. “I can only imagine how you get those answers.”

  “Not like you think.”

  “No? Well, if the way you act with me is any indication, I’m pretty sure those women would tell you just about anything you want, including confidential information.”

  Ethan shook his head, taking the glass of wine from me. He took a drink, watching me over the rim of the glass. “You’re the only one I’ve done that to.”

  My breath caught at his words. I shivered. Pushing away the desire, I took the glass from him, rinsed it out, then set it in the sink.

  “Well, got to go.” I thought about Zander’s home and disappeared.

  When I appeared at the gate, I screamed. Ethan stood right next to me. The guard ran out of the guardhouse carrying a sword, fangs descended, looking around for the threat.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” I demanded in a low voice, moving away from him.

  Ethan grinned. “I do like when you swear. Such a dirty mouth.”

  Turning to the guard, I explained who I was, then he called for a car to take me to the house. I only showed up at the gate to be respectful. The guards by the main doors would have been angry. Who knew what their reaction would have been. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Shivering in the cool night breeze, I walked around impatiently.

  When the car arrived, the guard opened the door for me. I glared at Ethan. “You can go home.”

  He just smiled, not responding, which only left me suspicious and even more annoyed as I left him behind. The car crept up the driveway to an enormous three-pillar home. Two men stood at the large wooden doors, hands on the hilts of their swords. When the car stopped, one of them came down to open the door.

  Zander hurried out of the house to greet me, a large smile on his face. He was a sexy Vampire, his looks closely resembling Pierce Brosnan. Just as he came down the stairs, his pace slowed, a confused look appearing on his face.

  “You brought a guest?”

  “What?” I spun around to see Ethan standing there, as if he had just climbed out of the car. I stomped my foot in irritation. “I told you to leave!”

  “Is this man bothering you?” Zander used his Vampire speed to come down next to me. His nostrils flared, fangs appearing.

  Startled, I shook my head. “Yes, well…no, I guess not.”

  “Mage,” Zander growled.

  “Vampire,” Ethan responded, giving a quick nod.

  I took a deep breath, not sure what was going to happen next. Would they fight? Would Zander let my stalker in? Deciding to leave them to it, I headed up the stairs. The guards let me pass, keeping their eyes on the two men in the driveway.

  Entering the home, I looked around, trying to hide my expression at the décor. It was gold and white, reminding me of angels, which everyone knew Zander was not. He was a crazy bastard, used to getting his way. More often than not, when it came to interrogating people, he handled his own torture. I had witnessed his cruelness when they arrested Drake over the murders in Riverdale. He had been framed, so my main focus was to clear him of the charges, falling in love in the process.

  When I heard music and voices coming from down the hallway, I followed it. I passed a few doors, coming to a room where I saw a large table set with dinner plates. People stood around, chatting and laughing. Everyone fell silent as I stepped through the door, their nostrils flaring, probably taking in my scent.

  Zander appeared behind me with Ethan in tow. I rolled my eyes, not believing the Vampire leader would allow a Mage into the house. I had hoped their relationship wouldn’t allow it. Flashing me a smile, which said he knew exactly what I was thinking, Ethan came to my side.

  The Vampires hissed at him, then stared at Zander in confusion. He just chuckled, holding his hand up. “We’re all friends here. Calm down.”

  “You let a Vampire Witch and a Mage into your home? You disrespect us all by doing so,” a male Vampire growled. He slammed his drink onto the table, alcohol sloshing out of the glass.

  Zander found the entire thing amusing. I think he lived for conflict, loving when he could rile everyone up. He motioned the servant to bring him a drink. “I invited Sophie because she’s the High Mistress of the Witches. Since we’re trying to solve this constant warring between us, I thought this the perfect opportunity to get to know one another. Unfortunately, the Mage followed her.”

  Everyone started talking at once, shaking their heads in disbelief. I heard words like “filthy Witches” and “stupid bitch”. I was surprised they went against their leader, but they must be allowed to speak their minds as the representatives of the Vampire Council.

  I didn’t know what to do, so I walked to the server and grabbed a glass of wine, downing it. They all watched me, disgust written all over their faces.

  My stalker followed me, taking a drink for himself. He sat down in a chair, a smirk on his face, obviously loving the whole situation. Of course he would. He was as bad as Zander.

  I turned to both of them and frowned. “I should go.”

  “You are far too beautiful to leave. They have to deal with what I brought forth. We need to end this constant battle between the Vampires and Witches. It’s the only way we can bring our communities together.” Zander brushed a finger against my jaw. “I did want you to meet someone else.”

  When I followed him to the other side of the room, I saw a woman facing away from us, discussing something with a group. When she finally turned around, I stopped in my tracks.

  “Is this some kind of joke?” I demanded.

  Confused, Zander looked at me. “You two know each other?”

  “Oh! This is Drake’s lovely assistant.” She held up a limp hand, waiting for me to take it. I just stared, not bothering to accept her gesture.

  “I’m not his assistant,” I said through clenched teeth.

  Zander threw his head back, laughing. “My dear Heather, this is the High Mistress of the Witches.”

  Something flashed in her eyes, but she forced a smile. “Ah, so not an assistant.”

  “You know that. Drake had to have told you who I am.” I clenched my fists, trying my best not to take her down to the floor.

  “Yes, his play thing,” Heather sneered.

  Something glinted around her neck. I stared at it, noticing the stone had strange magic radiating from it. It was smoky, like there were clouds moving within it. When she saw me looking at it, she threw her drink in my face.

  I shrieked in surprise as the liquid soaked into my dress and ran down my chest. My anger grew, fangs appearing. I knew I could use magic, but I wanted to fight someone and she was the best candidate. Moving fast, I tackled her, not caring when my dress began to rip.

  Zander started yelling, but I was too blind with rage. I wanted to rip her hair out. My hand grabbed the necklace. For some reason, I was drawn to it. My own necklace hummed, bright light pouring out of it. Suddenly, Zander broke my grip, flinging me back on my ass.

  I grunted in surprise, scrambling to my feet to go after her again, feeling strong arms wrap around me. Spinning, I came face to face with Drake. He was all dressed up. I looked from him to Heather, then frowned.

  “On a date?” I demanded, trying to calm my anger.

  “No. Zander told me you’d be here.”

  “Yeah, right. Let go of me.” His face looked worse than before. I started to say something, then noticed Heather’s necklace again, swirling faster.

  Zander gripped my arm, nodding at Drake to let go, then pulled me into another room. My stalker followed, a smile on his face. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the asshole was enjoying it!

  “Had I known you two were enemies, I would have disinvited her. But it’s too late now.” Zander let go of my arm. I rubbed it, a scowl on my face. “Oh, don’t look at me like that.”

  “You probably had this entire thing planned.” I glanced inside the room, seeing Drake yelling at Heather. She just stood there, another drink in hand, a smile on her face. I wanted to go back in there and beat the crap out of her, but Zander watched me like a hawk.

  “You think I would be that low? I was trying to form a connection between our kinds, but it looks like the rift is larger than I thought. It may take a bit longer than expected.” Zander placed a hand to his lips, his other hand holding his elbow. “Drake looks terrible. What did you do to him?”

  “Me? I have no fucking clue. What did you do?”

  He chuckled. “You are too adorable for words.”

  Ethan came up beside me. “We should probably leave.”

  Zander nodded. “It might be best. This didn’t go according to plan. We’ll try again another time.” He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Come alone next time,” he whispered, lips pressed to my ear.

  Pulling away, I hurried down the hall. Stopping in front of the door, I glared at Ethan. “If you’re done following me, I have shit to do.” Without another word, I thought about my car and disappeared.

  Chapter Six

  I knew I should go home to clean up, but I was too angry. It seemed like things got worse as the days wore on. Now I had a freaking stalker who kept appearing wherever I went.

  Just as I thought about him, Ethan showed up in the passenger seat of my car. My plan was to drive it home, giving me time to think. But, once again, the Mage invaded my space.

  “I think you do that just to piss me off,” I said, squeezing the steering wheel.

  Ethan smiled. “Now why would I do that?”

  “Because there’s obviously something wrong with you.”

  I started the car, pulling out of the parking lot of the grocery store. Traffic was light, so I prayed to the ancestors that the drive wouldn’t be too terrible, especially if stalker boy planned on hanging out.

  “I like you, Sophie. There is something about you that just excites me, but I’m not sure what it is,” Ethan confessed.

  Raising an eyebrow, I glanced in his direction. “There’s plenty of women around for that. I don’t know why you have to come after me.”

  He looked hurt. “Am I that appalling?”

  I laughed. “You? Hell no. Listen, I just got out of a pretty heavy relationship and I’m not sure how I feel right now. I don’t know if I’m ready for someone else.”

  Ethan seemed to think about that. “I don’t think I can stop. Sorry.”

  “What?” I was surprised. “You won’t lay off?”

  “No.”

  “Come on!”

  “Sorry. You’re much too tempting.”

  I growled in frustration, about to give him a piece of my mind, but he was gone. That little jerk. He really knew how to piss a person off. Since he couldn’t seem to take no for an answer, I wasn’t sure what to do. I liked the chase, but my heart belonged to another.

  Drake looked terrible, which had me really concerned. Even though he betrayed me, I was worried about him. Was it because we broke up? Or was it something else?

  Deciding I needed to check on him, I turned around and headed toward his house. He lived in an amazing home in Riverdale. It was gorgeous, so different from the rest of the community he lived in.

  It didn’t take long to drive across town. The gate in front of his house was open, which I found strange. When I started down the driveway, something darted out in front of me and I screamed, slamming on the brakes. Considering the recent events, I was afraid to get out of the car. It looked like a person, but I wasn’t sure. Did I hurry up to the house? Did I check it out?

  Before I could make a decision, something tapped on my window. I turned my head, screaming. When I saw a grin, I realized who it was. “Fuck! Kevin!” I rolled down the window, glaring at the ex-assassin. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “I work for Drake now.”

  “Since when?”

  His smile faded. “Since he’s been sick. He thinks there might be a spell on him.” He glanced down at my attire, eyebrows raised. “Dressed up for him?”

  Shaking my head, I motioned for him to get into the car. “I just had a bad fucking night. Then you had to go and scare the shit out of me.” I was swearing more than usual, but my heart felt like it would pound out of my chest.

  When he got in, my nostrils flared. I felt my fangs descend immediately. I tried to cover it up with my hand, but Kevin noticed.

  “Sorry. I tripped in the woods and scraped myself against a tree,” he explained sheepishly.

  “No, I’m sorry. I haven’t eaten in nearly two days.”

  “Two days? What the fuck, Sophie? You need to take care of yourself.”

  “I’ve been under a lot of stress.”

  “Because of Heather?”

  Did everyone know about our problems?

  Nodding, I started driving toward the house. All the lights were on, illuminating the front yard. I hoped he didn’t have any surprise guests because I would probably tear her apart and no one would be able to stop me. But what right did I have? He was her husband. I was just the other woman.

  Kevin patted my thigh, invading my space. I glanced at him, noticing his blond hair had fallen over his eyes. The man was in great shape, larger than any male I knew. The part of him that unnerved me the most were his eyes. They were a pale blue and haunted, almost looking into your soul. He’d seen things most of us could only dream about in our nightmares. He used to be the ex-High Mistress’ personal assassin until I corrupted him. Daphne sent him to make sure my life was pure hell, then she had his sister killed. After finding that out, he came to aid me in taking her down before she could do any more damage. I now considered him a friend, even though he’d done a lot in life that might send him straight to hell.

  Parking in front of the house, we climbed out of the car. Hurrying up the steps, I regretted not taking off my heels, but I was too focused on making sure Drake was okay. Not bothering to knock, I opened the door. As I made it into the large living room, I saw Drake lying on the couch with his feet propped up. At least he came straight home instead of hanging out at the party.

  “Drake?” I called out.

  He didn’t respond. I looked around the room, finding it still looked the same. It had been a while since we stayed here. It was clean, but I knew he had a maid who came out weekly. There was a large fireplace in the corner, which was lit. His comfortable furniture sat in front of it, a long, expensive rug covering the floor.

  Hurrying to his side, I looked down at him. He looked like death. When I shook him, he barely moved. Tuning in my hearing, I listened for his heartbeat. It started to slow. Panicked, I called to my magic, trying to pull at the power in the necklace to bring him back to me. As I pressed my hands to his body, I forced my magic into him. He groaned, rolling onto his side and curling into the fetal position. That was an improvement.

  When all my power was gone, I fell to the floor, hardly able to lift my arms. Kevin ran over to my side. He tried to help me sit up, but I couldn’t support myself. Drake started moving, his eyes opening slowly. He looked a little better, but there still seemed to be something wrong with him. Something stronger than my magic.

  “What are you doing here?” he groaned, trying to sit up.

  Kevin helped him. Drake reminded me of one of those people in a nursing home. Needing assistance to move their legs over the side of the bed because they were too stiff or weak to do it. I wanted to hold him until he was okay again, but it was too hard to move at the moment. Plus, I didn’t know if I could forgive him. Did that make me a bad person? He was nearly dead and I still couldn’t forgive him.

  “I came to check on you. Something’s wrong. I just had to use all my strength to wake you up.” My arms started to shake from supporting my weight. I needed to lay down, but there was no way I would do it in this house.

  Whatever was happening was serious. Even though he betrayed me, I needed to find out what was going on. I could ask the ancestors for help, maybe they could give me some answers, but did I want to see them? The last time I went to their territory, I was afraid for my life. They kept warning me they were dangerous and I needed to stay behind an invisible barrier. It wasn’t something I wanted to do again, but I was willing to brave it for Drake.

 

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