“Sophie,” he said softly as he closed the door behind him. He wore his usual black suit, but no tie. He and Drake looked a lot alike, from their swept-back hair to the piercing blue eyes. It was obvious they were brothers. They’d been turned about the same time, so they practically lived their entire lives together. Well, besides a couple hundred years due to sibling disagreements.
“Hey, Roark. What can I do for you?” I asked, picking up my pen and tapping it on the desk nervously. Realizing what I was doing, I dropped it and rested my chin on my hand, trying to appear as calm as possible.
He didn’t bother to sit down, which made me even more nervous. I gestured to a chair, but he shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. Finally, he glared at me.
They know we have Drake.
“I guess you know why I’m here.”
“Not really,” I replied, resting back in my chair as I steepled my fingers.
Roark chuckled, but there was no amusement behind it. “Don’t play coy. I know you have him and demand his release. Otherwise, you force me to report to the Vampire Council, and we both know you don’t want that.”
“How do you know I have him? Why would I hold your brother?”
“Because your Witch told me! She let me in on the secret because she felt I should know. He’s my brother, our leader, and it’s my job to take care of him.”
I furrowed my brows. “What Witch?”
“Jenna...” He waved his hand around, “or whatever her name is.”
My mouth dropped open. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Looks like you can’t trust all of your people.” He smiled, obviously finding the entire thing funny.
I stood, grabbing my cell phone off the desk. I had no choice but to release Drake. If Roark planned on reporting this to the Council, we were in deep shit. It was definite grounds for war. That was the last thing our people needed after the massacre that took place on campus not too long ago.
“I’ll take you to him. We had to be sure the demon was gone before his release,” I explained.
“You should have called me the instant he came into your custody,” Roark growled, irritated.
As we made our way through Allison’s old office and the main hall, we nearly ran into Ethan as he came in. He looked at Roark, examining him carefully, before putting a possessive arm around me.
Roark snorted. “Unbelievable. You move on so quickly, Sophie.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Your brother is married, Roark.”
He looked away from me. “I didn’t realize you knew about that.”
“So you were just going to let me fall in love with him knowing this?”
“It’s none of my business. I told him he should let you know about it before it backfired, but he insisted it remain a secret until he could divorce her.” Roark shrugged his broad shoulders. “He is a complicated man, but it seems you are also a complicated woman.” He motioned for me to continue down the hallway. “Please, take me to him.”
Ethan moved quickly, blocking our path. “You can’t be serious. We haven’t approved him for release yet.”
Both men were around the same height and build. I wouldn’t hazard to guess who’d win in a fight, but it was scary to think about. They were inches from each other’s face, glaring, waiting for the other to back down. Finally, I pushed myself between them, a hand on each man’s chest, and looked at Ethan.
“We’ll release Drake. We have no choice. If we don’t, Roark will report this to the Vampire Council.”
Ethan curled his lip in disgust as he glared at him. “You would risk the people out there for the sake of your brother? Do you have no soul?”
Roark rolled his eyes. “Right now, my only concern is Drake.”
We all fell into silence as I led the way down the hall. We turned right, then walked down the stairwell that would take us to where the prisoners were kept. The Magicteers greeted me when I entered, knowing who I planned to visit. They led the way, making sure my path was safe and secure. I heard Roark mumble something about imprisoning his brother like some kind of animal. He had no idea what we were up against. I was afraid if Drake wasn’t completely cured of the demon, Roark would eventually find out. Maybe even die at the hands of his brother because of it.
We finally made it to Drake’s cell. He lay on his cot, reading a book. At least I had managed to get him some clothes so he was more comfortable. Roark stood there, an unreadable expression on his face. Finally, he turned to me.
“I can’t believe you did this to him!”
Drake whipped his head in our direction, then got to his feet, appearing confused. “Roark? What are you doing here?”
“He wants you released immediately or he goes to the Council,” I told him.
Nodding, Drake gathered his things, then waited patiently by the cell barrier. I was disappointed that he didn’t agree with us holding him, but what could I do? I just hoped he didn’t turn into the same psycho who killed nearly fifty people in a week’s time.
Ethan took in a deep breath and slowly pulled at the magic weaved into the barrier of the cell. There were so many layers, he had to pick it apart in order to release him.
Roark shook his head in abhorrence. “You left my brother for a fucking Mage.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow as he glanced in Roark’s direction. “You’d better start talking to her with more respect.”
“Roark,” Drake warned, shaking his head.
Nodding sharply, Roark backed away so Ethan could complete his work. When the final layer came off, Drake stepped through the cell doorway and smiled at his brother.
“Thank you for coming.”
The men started down the hallway, patting each other on the back. Drake stopped in front of the Magicteer who stood by
