What a bastard.

  Shaking my head, I went back into the bedroom to grab my purse, smoothing my hair so I was presentable to the Council. We needed to discuss our next step. I just hoped Ethan showed up so we could figure it out.

  *

  Walking into the library, I saw the Council waiting. Jenna and Mikey sat near the head of the table, along with Tabby, who was busy writing something down. As I sat, Allison came in and set a cup of coffee in front of me. I wrapped my hands around it, breathing in the heavenly scent. I was usually on my second cup by the time I made it to work, but this morning, I had been…preoccupied.

  Mikey drummed his fingers on the table, looking between Jenna and me, as if sensing the tension. Then he looked behind me, surprise on his face.

  Glancing around, I saw Ethan standing there, his hands behind his back, observing. Everyone was silent, waiting for me to say something. What I really wanted to do was crawl into bed and forget this day. Unfortunately, running away wasn’t an option, especially with my position of power. How I wished I could give it back.

  “Bring me up to date on the situation,” I said before taking a sip of my coffee, Ethan taking a seat next to me.

  The Council members usually sat a few seats away. I wasn’t sure why. There were several moments I wanted to do a body odor check to see if that was the reason.

  As I fiddled with my pen on the table, I felt Ethan’s hand work its way up my thigh. I stiffened, surprised he was doing it in front of everyone. I swallowed hard, not sure what to do.

  Tabby opened a folder, taking out pictures of the man who went insane in downtown Heaven. They were photos of him hanging on the pole, bloody, his head lolling forward, his chest jutting out.

  “Did they torture him?” I asked, unable to tear my eyes away from the images.

  “There are Vampire bites all over his body. So yeah, I would say he was tortured,” Jenna said, taking the file from Tabby and digging through it. She slid over some close-up images of the bites. “Right now, he is with the humans. We had some Witches within the F.B.I. look at the body and put in a request for transporting it. Unfortunately, the chief of police is holding onto it.”

  “I can take care of that,” Ethan said, moving his hand to my inner thigh.

  Pressing my legs together to stop his progress, I formed a tight smile. “We need to further examine the body. For now, I will speak to Zander about the bites. Obviously, we have some rogue Vampires, as well.”

  “I don’t see why the Vampires would want to take this man out,” another Council member, Monica Sherrington, said from the end of the table. Her dark hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She always wore yellow, which was how I remembered who she was. We’d never gotten along. Eventually, I hoped we would be able to clean out the Council because she would be the first to go. I’d seen her exhibit some sketchy behavior in the past.

  I shrugged. “Maybe he was about to reveal information about the Vampires.”

  “Or maybe he worked for them,” Monica suggested.

  Oh, here we go. The love-hate relationship between Witches and Vampires was about to come up again. But she did have a point. Why else would they target somebody who was our problem? Something didn’t add up. I had to meet with Zander to find out what was happening.

  *

  “Zander, we have to meet,” I again insisted on his voicemail. He kept ignoring my calls, which seriously pissed me off. We were going on three days now.

  Deciding I had enough, I went to my room to put on more comfortable clothes. I was sick of wearing skirts and heels. Quickly, I changed into jeans and a double-layer tank top. Feeling better, I decided to just appear at his home, guards be damned. More than likely, I’d get in trouble, but enough was enough. We needed to find the killer.

  The one good thing was Ethan’s spell worked on the town, so there was no more reporting on the possibility of Witches. People who saw it online were told it was a hoax. So far, everything was going according to plan.

  Ethan had been scarce the past three days, leaving me confused. Did it bother me? Somewhat, but I would be the first to deny it if someone asked. Jenna hadn’t talked to me for a few days, either. She was too busy shaking her pom-poms for Team Drake. It pissed me off.

  As I was about to poof over to Zander’s, I spotted Mikey sitting at my kitchen table, a plate of spaghetti in front of him. That was my dinner last night. He must have raided my fridge, like he used to before I became High Mistress. I smiled as I walked over to the table.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, taking a noodle off his plate as I sat.

  “I was hungry and have no food at my place. You always seem to have something,” he replied before taking another bite.

  He was so handsome, it was ridiculous. Too bad I couldn’t ever develop a crush on him. We’d known each other since we were kids. He had even dealt with my evil sister, who had recently tried to kill us. One thing I could say about him was he always had my back. Jenna usually did, too, but Mikey’s loyalty never wavered.

  I sighed. “Do you happen to know what Jenna’s problem is lately?”

  “Other than being pro-Drake?” He shook his head. “That girl is on a warpath. She told me I’d better talk to you, but I think you’re old enough to decide what’s good for you.” He grinned. “Plus, after beating me up several times when we were younger, I’ve learned my lesson.”

  Rolling my eyes, I punched his arm. “I need time. She’s expecting me to just forgive Drake for the lies.”

  “He didn’t lie.” When I glared at him, he held up his hands in surrender. “Fine. He lied by omission. Geez!”

  “Anyone else would be hurt and angry. I don’t see why I should have to forgive and forget.”

  Mikey ate some more spaghetti and shrugged. “Do whatever you want, just not with that Mage.”

  “What?” I looked at him in surprise.

  “Come on, Sophie. I know you have the hots for the Mage. He’s dark and mysterious. Everything the rest of us aren’t. You want to tap that.”

  “I do not want to tap that.” I started to get up, nearly tripping over my chair. Straightening, I stuck my tongue out. “He’s interesting.”

  “He’s the only guy since Drake to really show he’s interested in you. I think rushing into anything is a bad idea.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

  I reached over to the paper towels on the island and handed him one. It was like having a toddler in the house. If he planned on visiting more often, I might have to childproof. I didn’t need him dropping things into the toilet and flushing. That would definitely be something he’d find amusing.

  “Since when are you worried about a rebound fuck, Mikey?”

  He started choking on his food, obviously not expecting me to say that. When he finally cleared his throat, he glared at me. “Would that be the case? I just can’t picture it. It’s usually all or nothing for you. Either you’re with someone or you aren’t doing anything at all.”

  I shrugged. “I’m a different woman now.”

  “You can’t change in five minutes.”

  “It’s been longer than that.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Whatever. A couple days then. You’re being ridiculous.”

  “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Want to make a bet? If you sleep with this dude and don’t fall for him, I’ll do anything you want.” Mikey raised his eyebrows in challenge.

  I smirked. “I need my shower scrubbed.”

  He smiled. “Other than manual labor.”

  “Shit. That’s not fair.” I leaned against the chair, trying to decide what my prize should be. I would win, so he had to suffer for doubting me in the first place. “Fine. When I win, you have to serve me for one night. That means making me dinner and making sure my wine glass stays full.”

  Mikey chuckled, wiping his mouth with the napkin. “Deal.”

  “So… You do have plans to sleep with the Mage?”

  Mikey and I both looked at the door to see Drake standing there. He still looked pale, so I couldn’t tell if there’d been any improvement in his health. At least he was standing and moving around. His condition didn’t stop me from getting angry, though.

  “Doesn’t anyone knock? What the hell? I don’t remember having an open-door policy to my home,” I growled, slamming the chair up against the table.

  “This is my home, too, Sophie,” Drake said, closing the door behind him.

  “For what? Five minutes? It was your home until I found out you’re married!”

  Drake flinched. He did look a little remorseful for what he did, but it didn’t look like he was going to back down. “I came to apologize for being rude to you when you were at my house. I appreciate everything you’re doing, deciding I would like your help in solving this. So far, Kevin and I have come up empty on finding the object.”

  “Well, that’s my cue to leave,” Mikey said, standing up.

  I grabbed his arm. “This concerns you now, too. I need you to put your ear to the ground and see what you can find out about an object that can steal powers. Maybe some of the underground people know something about it.”

  Underground people were ones who hid from the Witches’ laws. They had no problem breaking them. When they did, they tended to stay underground to avoid getting caught.

  “You think I have connections with those people? Please!” Mikey shook my hand off his arm and walked to the sink, placing his plate in it.

  “Mikey, I know you’re friends with a lot of them.”

  “I have no idea what you mean.”

  “Don’t make me come over there,” I threatened.

  He put his hands up in surrender. “Fine. I’ll see if I can come up with anything.”

  “And Mikey…,” I started, but he was already gone. Probably trying to escape before I asked him to do anything else. He hated to work if he didn’t have to.

  Turning back to Drake, I saw him leaning back in one of the chairs, legs spread in front of him, as if he were exhausted. He didn’t look well. If he truly felt bad about what he had done to me, it had to be taking a toll on him, too. I just didn’t know what to do. After being screwed over time and time again, I just couldn’t give in so easily anymore. Not with him. Not with anyone. That included the Mage who seemed anxious to get into my pants.

  “Do you seriously intend to sleep with the Mage?” Drake asked, his voice soft.

  “What I do is none of your business anymore.”

  “But I want to prove to you this wasn’t intentional and that I’m doing something about it,” he said, climbing to his feet slowly and placing his hands on my arms.

  “Time will tell if I can forgive you, Drake. I love you so much, it makes me sick. I don’t want to be taken advantage of. The only way I’ll even consider fixing this with you is if you get the divorce. I won’t stick around for the possibility of it happening. I want the bitch gone.”

  Drake stood up straight. “I will prove myself to you, Sophie. You’re the one I want to be with. The one I would do anything for. Just, please, don’t run off with someone else. Give me time to fix this.”

  I placed a hand on his cheek, staring into his beautiful blue eyes. Tears started to build in mine. I wanted him so badly, it wasn’t even funny. He had my heart, even though I didn’t want him to. With just one word, he could completely break it.

  “I can’t promise you that, Drake.”

  Nodding, he walked to the door. “I’ll show you. I’ll get everything done, and I promise to always be by your side. No more secrets.”

  “I hope not.”

  He nodded again and disappeared through the door, leaving me to break down in tears. Why did he have to come over? Why did he have to look so vulnerable? I just didn’t know if I could handle much more.

  Chapter Eight

  Appearing inside Zander’s home was risky. I knew if someone caught me, I’d likely be on the receiving end of his personal torture. Because he liked me, I had no idea what that entailed. Under normal circumstances, I could confidently say whipping would be involved, just like he did to Drake when he was brought in for questioning.

  The house was silent. Glancing around, I noticed security cameras everywhere. Good thing I cloaked myself in invisibility before showing up. If they saw me, my plan would be shot to hell. My goal was to get Zander to talk to me. I found it strange he avoided my phone calls and other attempts to contact him lately. Despite what his assistant claimed, I knew he was home.

  Creeping through the house, I had no idea where I was going. The plus side was all the doors were open, so I could peek in to make sure he wasn’t there. By the time I went down another hallway, I had nearly covered every room. Disappointed, I came to the end of the last hall, finding a closed door, strange noises coming from behind it.

  Should I chance opening it? Maybe he’s torturing somebody.

  Turning the knob, I pushed open the door slowly. There he was, butt naked, in bed with two women. One of them looked familiar. The farther I walked into the room, the closer I came to exposing myself. When she turned her head, I sucked in a breath. Heather. It looked like she and Zander were more than just mere acquaintances.

  Deciding I had enough, I turned to leave. Someone grabbed my shoulder, making me screech as they spun me around. Zander stood there in all his glory. My magic immediately seeped away, exposing me to him. He smiled, not at all amused with my presence.

  “Sophie, Sophie. You should have known I’d be able to smell you. Come to join the fun, love?”

  “N-No. I came to talk to you, but I-I’ll come back later.”

  He started walking closer, backing me up against the wall. “What could you possibly want that would be worth the risk of coming into my home unannounced?” he demanded, fangs descending. He was magnificent, even if a little crazy. Honestly, he scared the shit out of me.

  I felt my necklace pulse in warning, as if it sensed the danger I was in.

  “I’ve wanted this moment to happen for so long, Sophie. Join us.”

  When I glanced over at Heather, I saw she was pissed, her eyes dark with hatred. Her naked body was flawless, and she had no qualms about exposing it. All she wore was that creepy necklace. It swirled with gray, reminding me of the anger in her eyes.

  Not waiting for an answer, Zander kissed me, shocking me so much, I just stood there, unable to move. His tongue dove into my mouth as he clenched my jaw in his strong fingers. When he pulled away, he started laughing.

  “We may be friendly in some cases, but that doesn’t mean you are allowed in my home uninvited. Sneaking around here like some assassin… Did you come to kill me, Sophie?”

  I shook my head, tearing my chin out of his grasp. It hurt, but I wasn’t about to let on that he managed to get to me. Maybe stopping by was a mistake. Just when I thought we had moved forward in our relationship, he reminded me that his power was the only thing that mattered. That I was nothing compared to him.

  “I wanted to talk about the Witch who was murdered by Vampires,” I said, trying to slide away from him.

  He slammed a hand up against the wall, stopping me. “You’re here to talk about a Witch you would have probably killed in the end anyway?”

  “He wasn’t convicted. We had yet to determine his fate.”

  Zander chuckled, grabbing a robe hanging on a chair. “You expect me to feel sorry for a criminal? We did you a favor!”

  “It was murder. Plus, we didn’t ask for that favor,” I snapped, earning a surprised look from Zander.

  When he smiled, I wasn’t sure whether or not I should be frightened. The man was unpredictable. Whatever he wanted to happen would happen. That meant if he didn’t want to deal with this problem, he probably wouldn’t.

  “Get out of my home, Sophie. I will not tolerate another intrusion like this.”

  “Then answer your damn phone!”

  “I had guests.” He gestured to the bed. Heather and the other woman were now playing with each other. Heather touched herself in ways that made me blush. She seemed so comfortable doing it in front of others. The woman was twisted and had no shame.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Five minutes, Zander. That’s all it would have taken to answer my call.”

  The Vampire chuckled. “You are cute when you get all pouty. How about I start an investigation to see who killed your Witch? Will that please you?”

  “She’s just a Witch, Zander. Why cater to her?” Heather asked, rising to her knees.

  He glared over his shoulder at her. “We are working with the Witches, not against them. Sit back and shut your mouth.”

  I wanted to stick my tongue out at her, but knew that was immature. I had to act like an adult. When Zander turned back to me, my eyes widened. He suddenly looked very angry. The man went from zero to sixty in seconds. It was hard to gauge his mood.

  “When I find something out, I will contact you.” He gripped my hair, his face mere inches from mine. “Do not come into my home unannounced again. Next time, I may have you join us, willing or not.” With that, he walked back to the bed.

  *

  Later that night, I found myself outside Drake’s home, debating whether or not I wanted to go inside. I missed him. This wasn’t how someone was supposed to move on. Maybe it was because of Zander, or it could have been because Heather was in his bed, not even thinking about Drake. If she wanted to be with him, would she sleep with Drake’s enemy? Did she know they were enemies? It just seemed insane that she would sleep with Zander when she claimed to want Drake. I was becoming more and more confused, but I still wasn’t sure I could forgive him.

  Looking through the window, I saw Drake talking to someone. He appeared to be weakening right before my eyes, but I could have been imagining it. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door. Seconds later, it swung open, Heather’s red lips forming a sneer.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded, as if it were her home.

  “Checking on Drake.” I pushed my way past her, nearly knocking her over because of her extremely high heels.

 

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