Playing with my new necklace, I glanced down at the clear stone. It turned red when demons were around, as did the demon’s eyes in response. Both were only visible to the wearer. This magic Maggie came up with impressed me, just like everything else she did.
Brian came over to sit by me, taking a break from sparring with some of his men. He was drenched in sweat. When I tossed him a towel, he smiled, wiping his face.
“I bet you wish you could be doing this, huh?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t remind me. Being on the sidelines sucks.”
“Unfortunately, it comes with the job as High Mistress.” He nodded toward my stomach. “And those don’t help.”
“Thanks.” I chuckled, shoving his shoulder, then immediately regretting it when my hand came away wet. Grimacing, I grabbed his towel to wipe it off. “You need a shower.”
Climbing to his feet, Brian grinned. “I have more sparring to do. Shower can come later.”
“Don’t get chafed.”
Laughing, he jogged back toward his men. He was a good guy. I was glad he led the Nightshades. If only I could get along with the leader of the Magicteers. That was another project. He was supposed to be a fantastic leader, but his communication skills were lacking. He acted like a crabby old man, even though he only looked to be in his late thirties.
Yawning, I rolled a new towel so I could rest my head on it when I lay back. I closed my eyes, trying to think happy thoughts. A nap sounded good. I hoped I didn’t pass any gas in my sleep. That would be embarrassing.
“You’re going to sleep on the floor? Seriously?”
I opened one eye to stare at Jenna. She had crept up on me without setting off any of my alarms. She was good. Really good. When I glared at her, she laughed, jabbing me in my side. I flinched.
“Quit being a grouch. You should just go home and sleep for an hour,” she suggested, turning to stare at the Nightshades.
“I have stuff to do today. As High Mistress, I should be supportive of my teams. By being here, watching as they train, they at least know I’m interested.”
“Pervert.”
I gasped. “Not even.”
Jenna nodded, rolling her eyes. “Right. You only have eyes for the Mage. I still think Drake is a better piece of ass.”
“Even with the demon?” I asked, surprised, watching her sit down next to me.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Seeing this new side of him was kind of shocking. I’m not sure he’s the same man anymore.”
“He’s not. The demon is slowly taking over. One day, I’m afraid we’ll wake up to no Drake at all.” Saying the words hurt. I clenched my fists, refusing to get upset. It was almost as if the marriage situation didn’t matter anymore. The demon was so much more important. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, and he was undeserving of it.
When Jenna stayed silent for a while, I glanced to see where she was looking. I found her staring at Kevin, who still hadn’t come to see me since he’d arrived on campus. It kind of annoyed me. Confronting him was on my list of tasks. Who would want their best friend dating an assassin? What if she pissed him off? What if she broke up with him and he went psycho? Not that I could picture him going crazy, but still, it was something to consider.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Kevin?” I asked.
Jenna looked at me in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t act coy. I know you two went out on a date.”
“Mikey has a big mouth.” Jenna frowned. “I didn’t want people to know until I was sure I liked him.”
“You had to like him a little bit to go out with him, Jenna. I know how you are about dating.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re practically a virgin.”
Jenna shoved my shoulder. “Whatever!” She grinned. “I like him...a lot. He’s really sweet once you get past the killing part.”
We both laughed, finding the entire thing amusing. I looked over at Ethan drinking from a water bottle. He was drenched in sweat, shirt off, skin glistening. I couldn’t get over his tattoos. I could spend hours tracing them with my finger. Who knew there were so many protection spells in just symbols alone? I planned on getting some of my own, but now I had to wait for the children to be born.
My phone buzzed next to me, rattling across the gym floor. Both Jenna and I looked down at the screen, seeing Roark’s name. I groaned, not looking forward to the conversation.
Picking it up, I pressed it to my ear. “Hi, Roark.”
“Sophie, Drake wishes to see you.”
“Why didn’t he call me himself?” I asked, suspicious.
“He’s afraid you won’t come because the demon made an appearance last night. I told him what happened. At least up until I left.” We were both silent. He sighed, growing impatient. “Will you come?”
“I don’t know. It could be a trick.”
“He’s panicking. I think you’re the only one who can calm him down.”
“You want me in the same room as a panicking Vampire?”
He snorted. “Please. You’re Vampire. What damage could he do?”
“Um... Rip my heart out?”
“Sophie...” His voice had turned pleading.
“Roark...”
“He feels like he has no one. You’re the only one who shows compassion for him. Well, besides me, but I only show so much.”
“Yeah, you’re a sensitive man, Roark.”
“I know.”
I grunted. “I was joking.”
Roark laughed, surprising me. “Will you come to the mansion?”
“I guess. I don’t know what you expect me to do. This sounds like your job as his brother.”
“You know I’m no good with feelings.”
Sighing, I looked over at Ethan, who stared at me. I
