Drake came around the corner, one hand on the wall, trying to support himself. I was right. He definitely looked worse. I ran over to him, trying to help him back into the living room to sit down. Why the hell was he worse? He appeared somewhat fine earlier. It didn’t make any sense to me.

  “He is fine without you. We were just talking about getting back together.”

  I looked at her. Heather was dressed like she was about to go out on a date.

  “Even after your little sexcapade with Zander today?” I asked.

  Drake raised his head at my comment. He seemed annoyed, but was too busy struggling to stand upright at the moment. I helped him sit on the couch.

  “Something’s wrong.” I looked around the living room for anything that appeared out of place. The object had to be close. It was the only explanation as to why he had fallen so fast.

  Heather grabbed me by the shoulder, spinning me around. She glared, hands on her hips. “What I do is none of your business. Drake and I have been through worse.”

  “Oh, my gods, what is wrong with you?!” I was angry, my fangs elongating as I hissed the words. “You and he should have ended years ago! Now you’re back, ruining everything! How dare you take advantage and string him along.”

  Both Drake and Heather stared at me in surprise. Sure, I might have been hysterical, but I was on the edge, barely coping with our breakup. All I wanted was everything to go back to normal. We were perfect together, then she had to come back for reasons unknown.

  Without thinking, I swung, punching her in the face. She cried out in surprise, stumbling back, covering her cheek with her hands. Witches usually fought with magic, so even I was shocked. Heather screamed and came at me, her hands claw-like, face twisted in anger. I sidestepped, watching her nearly fall on her face when she crashed into the couch. The woman was definitely not a fighter.

  As if she just realized she was a Vampire, she used her speed, grabbing me by the back of my head. Her fangs inches from my throat, I stared at her, realizing I may have reacted hastily. I was in the mood to fight, though. Sure, I could have used my magic, but I was filled with so much rage, I wanted to draw blood with my bare hands.

  Stomping on her foot, I shoved her away. She stumbled, attempting to attack me again, grabbing for my hair. I shoved my elbow into her stomach. When she bent over, I kneed her in the face. Her necklace flew off, falling to the floor. She screeched, both of us diving for it. Why I even bothered, I had no idea, but it was important to her, so I wanted it.

  As we both scrambled for it, she yanked back on my hair so hard, I cried out in pain. She slid across the marble floor, managing to grab it. When she attempted to climb to her feet, I ran at her, tackling her to the floor. The necklace flew out of her hands, landing in the fireplace. The flames instantaneously rose and crackled, like someone had thrown fireworks in it. Fire shot in different directions as a fire tornado began to form. We all stared in horror as it grew, exiting out of the stone barrier.

  “What kind of necklace is that?” I demanded, scrambling away from it.

  Heather started sobbing, her body hunched over on the floor. Then she turned to glare at me. “This is your doing!”

  Before she could come at me again, the tornado headed in Drake’s direction. He sat there, frozen, unable to move fast enough because of his condition. I shrieked, but by the time I managed to get to my feet, he was already wrapped in the fire, screaming. I’ve never heard somebody scream like that before. It was the worst sound imaginable.

  “Drake!” I cried out.

  When I glanced over at Heather, I saw her crawling toward the door. Deciding there was no way in hell I was going to let her escape, I ran over and kicked her in the face. She fell to her side, unconscious. I wasn’t sure how long that would last, considering she was a Vampire, but I hoped long enough so I could help Drake. Would he even come out of this alive? I felt tears rolling down my face as I called to my magic, demanding it gain control of the wind, but it was as if my powers meant nothing. They bounced right off, like the funnel was protected.

  I watched in horror as Drake’s body bent at awkward angles that shouldn’t have been possible. The sound of his bones breaking reminded me of branches cracking in an ice storm. I felt helpless. The closer I tried to get, the more the wind pulled at me, but I was stopped by the barrier. What the fuck was going on?

  The wind suddenly began to dissipate, the tornado disappearing as Drake’s body dropped to the floor. I ran over to him and kneeled.

  “Don’t move,” I told him, looking over his body. He groaned, but appeared okay. No broken bones or burns on his skin, which I found odd. He also wasn’t as pale and sickly-looking as before.

  “That bitch…,” he hissed, rolling onto his hands and knees.

  I started to stop him, but he pushed away my hand. The rejection stung a little, but I had no idea what he was going through right now. I wanted to hug him and see if he was okay, but I noticed something had changed. He appeared…different. As he stood, there was something strange about him. A power I had never seen before. Drake looked like a different man.

  “What happened?” I asked, getting to my feet.

  He glanced at me, then walked in Heather’s direction. Using his foot, he pushed her over onto her back. A groan escaped her lips as she opened her eyes, blinking several times. “Drake, please don’t. I know you’re angry with me.”

  Confused, I walked over and watched him stare down at her with hatred. I nearly reeled back in surprise, but I stood where I was. Whatever was about to happen wasn’t good. He was angrier than I’d ever seen him before. This new Drake was unpredictable.

  “Drake, calm down. What happened?” I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

  Looking at my hand, he growled, fangs descending. When I stepped back, he turned back to Heather, holding his hand just inches above her heart. That was when I saw it. Magic. How the hell was that possible?

  Heather started screaming, her chest rising. I could literally see something moving toward the surface of her body.

  Afraid of what he was about to do, I grabbed his arm, tugging. “You have to stop this, Drake!”

  Pissed beyond reason, the man wasn’t listening. “You took my power from me. All these years, I thought I just gradually lost it, but that wasn’t true, was it? You were sucking me dry. Now you’ve returned to take the last of it!” He closed his hand into a fist.

  “It was a mistake. I know it was wrong. I’ll do anything. I’ll divorce you and leave, never to be seen again. Just, please, let me go,” Heather begged, tears forming in her eyes.

  Drake roared angrily, fists at his sides as he released her. “You should suffer for what you have done. All this time… I can’t believe it! Did you act alone?”

  Heather didn’t answer. Was she working with someone else? Then it dawned on me.

  “Zander,” I whispered.

  Surprised, Drake turned to me, then back to Heather. If possible, it looked like his eyes had darkened with even more hatred. He reminded me of a feral animal. This was not the Drake I knew. Something had seriously changed, and I knew it had to do with that damn necklace.

  “Was it Zander?” Drake demanded, grabbing Heather by the throat, lifting her.

  She tried to speak, but his grip was tight. She clawed at his hands, trying to breathe. When he released her, she fell to the floor, head slamming against the marble. I almost felt bad for her, but whatever she did pissed him off enough that he wanted to kill her.

  “Enough!” someone shouted from the doorway.

  We both turned. Zander stood there, looking magnificent in his pristine black suit, his guards standing close behind him. He strolled over, eyes on Drake the entire time. “Get away from her.”

  “Did you have a part in her game? Have you been after me for my power all this time?” Drake demanded.

  “Like you have power I’d want,” Zander sneered.

  Drake started laughing, looking down at Heather, who gasped for air. “He doesn’t know, does he? He doesn’t know the extent of my power now. He has no fucking clue!” He threw his head back, swinging out an arm at the same time. Zander was thrown up against the wall, surprise written on his face. If he were involved, he was a good actor.

  Zander fought against the invisible restraints, fangs bared as he hissed. His guards tried to get him down, one pointing his gun at Drake. More than likely, it contained bullet-like stakes. He’d die if one of those pierced his heart.

  When the guard fired, I called to my magic, but Drake had already frozen the bullet in midair. He grinned, finding the whole thing amusing. This whole situation was surreal. I couldn’t believe everything taking place before me.

  “Did you think you could steal my magic and not get caught? Had it not been for Sophie, you would have killed me! That is why what I am about to do won’t hurt me in the least.” He raised his hand toward Zander.

  I leapt back as something flew out of Zander’s chest. It fell to the floor with a plop, the sound reminding me of a wet mop. I stared at it in horror. His heart. The Lead Councilman was dead.

  Chapter Nine

  What…the…fuck.

  I stared at the lump on the floor, a trail of blood leading to Zander’s body, which was now slumped on the floor. I glanced at Drake. There was more to the man than I thought. He didn’t seem like the type who would go to such extremes, but there was obviously a lot I didn’t know about him. He had more secrets than anyone I knew. What did I expect from a centuries-old Vampire? I probably didn’t even have enough time in my life for him to tell me every story he had.

  “Drake, what did you do? Oh, my gods! This is so bad. Bad. Bad.”

  Panicking, I walked around the mess. Even Zander’s guards stood in shock. They turned to Drake, not sure what to do. I knew Zander was one of the most powerful Vampires around, but Drake just took him apart like a stuffed animal.

  “He had it coming,” he said. He turned to Heather, who stared at Zander’s body, mouth open. She was paler than usual. I bet she now worried about what would happen to her. Drake was taking no prisoners.

  He pointed to the guards. “You! Cuff her and prepare her for transport to the mansion. She is to be imprisoned until her trial.”

  They hesitated, then realized they didn’t have a choice. Drake was a Vampire with Witch powers! Suddenly, he was the most dangerous Vampire in the world. There couldn’t possibly be anyone stronger.

  Moving quickly, the guards picked up Heather, then placed some special cuffs, probably infused with magic, around her wrists. Vampires depended on Witches in more ways than one. It was strange that we fought all these wars against each other. Was there even a real reason? At this point, did I care?

  I started pacing, not sure what to do. Too busy admiring his handiwork, Drake failed to notice Ethan materializing behind me. The Mage wrapped his arms around me and we suddenly spun, disappearing from my ex-lover’s home.

  Seconds later, we appeared in my house. I pulled away from Ethan, not even attempting to bitch at him. I knew he was just trying to protect me. Drake wasn’t himself…I hoped. If that were the new Drake, there wasn’t a chance for us. Or maybe we would have to relearn each other as if we were new. I prayed to the ancestors that he didn’t become a killer again. I knew his past was full of many regrets, but could he fall back into it so easily?

  Roark was my only option. He knew his brother best, so I had to talk to him about this before things spun even more out of control.

  Fidgeting with my hands, I walked back and forth from the kitchen to my room. Did this mean Drake was now Lead Councilman? How would the second-in-command feel? Did transfer of power come so easily? So many questions, no answers.

  “You need to calm down,” Ethan said, grabbing me by the shoulders.

  I looked at him, trying to calm my furiously beating heart. How did you calm down from something like that? Something had to be done! “I-I can’t.”

  “This isn’t a Witch problem.”

  “It’s my problem because of Drake. I can’t abandon him.”

  Ethan released me, frowning. “The Vampire has returned to full power. We have been watching for some time. The magic he now possesses also creates a darkness in him that hasn’t been seen in years. He’s not the same man, Sophie.”

  That was the first time Ethan ever said my name. I didn’t realize it until that moment. I liked it. I wanted to hear it again.

  I shook my head, trying to get my thoughts straight. This problem needed to be fixed. I had to save Drake before he destroyed others…and himself.

  His words sank in. “You knew about this and never said anything?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Why would I mention it?”

  “Uh, maybe because it deals with me!” I shoved him hard, disappointed when he didn’t budge. “Argh! Just leave!” Maybe I was on the edge of hysteria, but I didn’t know how to calm myself. I was unable to sit still, and everything he said only pissed me off.

  When I spun around to pace some more, I crashed into him. He lifted my chin, pressing his lips against mine. I tried to pull away, but his tongue dove into my mouth, forcing a groan out of me. I felt my body relax against his, desire sweeping through me.

  When he tried to pull away, I grasped onto his shirt, holding him there. I wanted him. I needed him to help me forget. He must have felt my desperation because he started backing me up to my bedroom. He slammed me up against the wall, grabbing my leg and wrapping it around his hip as he ground himself into me. My fingers dove into his hair, pulling. He growled, nipping at my throat. I felt my fangs descend as hunger took over. I wanted to taste him.

  Ethan bit down on my neck, causing me to hiss in pleasure as I raked my nails down his back. He groaned, pressing into me. His hardness had me grinding against him, insisting that he hurry up and enter me. That had to be wrong, right? As soon as those thoughts entered my mind, they quickly disappeared when Ethan tore open my shirt. His lips trailed a hot path down my throat to my chest. He moved my bra to expose a nipple that pebbled in the cool air. When his mouth covered it, I cried out.

  I grabbed his shirt, trying to raise it over his head. He pulled away and hastily yanked it off, throwing it to the side. I stared at the black tattoos covering his well-muscled body. I groaned, pressing my lips to his neck, hesitating over the vein. Temptation gnawed at me. The need to taste him, combined with the desire to fuck him, was so strong, I could barely hold myself up.

  As he pressed my head to his neck, I took that as an invitation. When my fangs pierced his skin, he cried out, then moaned. My mouth flooded with his blood, sending a shiver of yearning throughout my body. I hadn’t eaten in days, so tasting him was like heaven. I wanted more, and I wanted it while he sank his cock into me.

  As if reading my mind, Ethan lifted me up, my legs wrapping around his waist. I licked my lips, enjoying the taste of him. His blood was perfect. It was hard not to want more. Was it because I hadn’t eaten, or because he brought out the worst in me? At that moment, I didn’t care. He wanted me and I wanted him. Consequences be damned.

  Ethan laid me on the bed, staring down at me with a heated gaze. Something flashed in his eyes, but before I could ask him what was going on in that head of his, he started removing my skirt, revealing that I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. His nostrils flared, eyes darkening with carnal need.

  His fingers grabbed my thighs roughly, shoving them apart. I gasped in surprise, enjoying the bit of pain. He removed his jeans and shoes, then stood naked before me. We were about to cross a line from which there was no going back.

  When he sank down between my legs, I wrapped them around his waist, pulling him to me. He grabbed me by the hair, exposing my neck. He bit down gently, then harder, making me moan, arching my body into his. Slowly, he traveled down, sucking and kissing, coming close to my nipples. He moved around them, making me beg for him to touch them. He chuckled before closing his mouth over one. I cried out, rubbing myself up against his hard cock.

  I felt his hand between us, then his fingers slid into my wetness. I moaned, wanting him in me. He moved his fingers in and out as he rubbed my clit. I whimpered, unable to take anymore.

  “Say you want me,” he growled, staring down at me.

  I couldn’t talk, my orgasm building. Then he pulled his fingers away, waiting for an answer. I squirmed. “Please, don’t stop,” I begged.

  “Tell me you want me.”

  “Isn’t it obvious? I’m like a damn waterfall down there,” I hissed between my fangs.

  He chuckled, sinking his fingers into me once again. I raised my arms over my head, arching my back. Then I moved my hands over my breasts, pinching the nipples so even more intense pleasure shot through my already hot body. When he pulled his fingers out again, I whimpered. I was so close. Then he slammed into me. I cried out, gripping his shoulders as he pulled back out, then slammed into me again. The pain did things to me I never expected. I wanted more of it.

  With one swift movement, Ethan turned me onto my stomach so he could take me from behind. He propped my ass up and slammed into me again, going deep. He gripped my hips as he moved harder and faster. He then slowed down, leaning over me, pressing hip lips to my back. I shivered, feeling my orgasm building.

  He reached around and stroked my clit. I cried out, moving with him. I could hear him breathing heavily behind me as he got closer to his own climax. I felt it travel from my toes to my head and down to my core. I gripped the sheets, screaming, unable to stop my body from spasming from the orgasm.

  Seconds later, he shouted, slamming into me a few more times, digging his fingers into my hips.

  I fell onto the bed, exhausted. He fell down next to me, pulling my body into his. It was strangely intimate. I wasn’t sure how to react, but as he stroked my side with his fingers, I began to relax, closing my eyes.

  *

  When I woke the next day, I was alone. Stretching, I groaned, smiling at every ache. Gods, Ethan was incredible. Too bad he didn’t stick around. Wondering why he left, I climbed out of bed and grabbed my robe from a nearby chair. It was then that the moments from the night before came flooding back. Drake ripping out Zander’s heart was the first thing that popped into my mind.

 

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