The first sight was the days-old dead body of his first kill. He glazed over her body, remembering how he met her while leaving a bar. She was angry about something, but after a few kind words and vampire allure, she was more than willing to follow him anywhere. So, it was to her death he lead her.
“Master, look.” Talon’s request brought him out of his memory as his eyes landed on the reason he came back to this retched place. Lying on the floor in a state of paralysis was the fat girl. Only, she wasn’t fat anymore. She was on the final stage of the transition—the healing stage.
The transformation from human to vampire allowed for the most excruciating, unbearable pain one could ever feel. One lost all sense of time and self. Some begged for death and others had been known to rip out their own hearts, preferring to kill themselves than bare the pain any longer. Marcos barely survived his own 500 years ago. So, he was surprised that the transition of this young girl before him was nearly complete.
Her body was unmoving, and her clothes were thrown about the room; only a white tasteless bra and underwear remained. Right before their eyes, the blue veins coating her body began their descent, slowly disappearing from the surface of her skin. The once large girl was now a very well-toned one. Her pale skin was flawless; her new body shaped to perfection. The bald head she had started changing as well. Slowly but gracefully, hair as black as the night sky sprouted from her scalp, flowing around her like dark waves.
Her creamy skin, blood-red lips, and perfectly curled long dark lashes had turned her into the most stunning vampire he had ever seen. By the shock and lust-filled faces of his men, he could tell they were thinking the same.
“Stop staring! And one of you, check her eyes!” Marcos ordered, slightly irritated by their reaction to her as much as his own. Talon still stared while Seb sprang into action quickly; kneeling beside her still form and prying one of her eyes open. He gasped in shock and jumped back as if he’d been burned. Marcos and Talon instinctively took a step closer, confused by his actions. Seb looked back at the both of them, his face mixed with shock, confusion and awe.
“What is it?” Talon asked. Seb opened and closed his mouth a few times, at a loss for words.
“Out with it Seb, are her eyes black or red!?” Marcos demanded. He didn’t understand Seb’s unusual behavior. Seb had been around vampires his whole life, so their eyes should be the least he had to fear. At this point, Marcos didn’t care about anything else. He just wanted to know how powerful she would be. With new vampires, it was all in the eyes. Black eyes were typical, normal so to speak, for vamps. However, members of the royal family were born with red eyes, distinguishing their immense power from others. Although she was a turned, Marcos had a nagging suspicion that she was somehow connected with the royals he loathed.
“Enough of this!” Talon grew impatient with the still silent Seb. The guard shoved the human out of the way to have a look at her himself. Similar to Seb, he pried open her eye. The pupil that he saw caused him to gasp.
“No, it can’t be. It’s impossible!” He locked eyes with his master, silently asking him to look at her. Marcos walked over slowly to look at the eye Talon still held open. All three men stared in utter disbelief at the bright blue eye with spots of moving gold specks at the center. No one said a word as Talon continued to hold it open. The silence around them was deafening as they all pondered on the unbelievable occurrence before them.
Talon, however, had enough. The questions swarming in his mind about this girl needed to be answered. He gently let her go and stood back up, exchanging looks with the other men. Marcos was his master, but they were friends, as well. That meant Talon was one of the few people who could ask Marcos without having his throat ripped out.
“Marcos? What is she?” Talon had to ask the question that was all on their minds. He and Seb watched as Marcos paced the room, dragging his hands roughly through his hair.
This couldn’t be right. Marcos thought over and over again. Never had a vampire had eyes with a color other than red and black. He was trying to remember old legends of the first vampires, but his mind came up blank.
Damn! Now what? He could ask around to other vamps, but if she was as powerful as he thought she would be, he would rather keep her his little secret. Yes, Yes! An idea began to form in his head. He could research and study her while he trained her to help him destroy the royal family that exiled him. He stopped his pacing and turned back to the men, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“Grab the girl and let’s go. I have a plan.”
With that, Marcos turned; leaving the room so quickly, if one didn’t know what he was, he would have been thought of as a magician for how he disappeared. Seb bent to grab her when Talon shoved him roughly away, throwing her over his shoulder instead. Seb glared at him, balling his fists angrily. Talon laughed mockingly at the foolish human before flashing him his fangs.
“Careful, Seb.” Talon taunted with laughter as he, too, fled the room with immortal speed.
Seb punched the cement wall. He hated Talon and Marcos with a passion. He vowed to one day kill them especially Talon because he was the reason Seb was living the life of a slave guard. He needed a plan. Only, for the last twenty years, he couldn’t come up with one that wouldn’t result in his death or his sister’s. There had to be some way. He wouldn’t give up on his plan even if it took him the rest of his life.
He heard Marcos’ booming voice demanding him to hurry up. He ignored it, going over to the dead body of the innocent girl who fell prey to the evil creature. He knew very well what her family would feel if they found out how she died. After going through that heartbreak himself, he always found it better for the families to remain ignorant to the creatures of the night that stole and killed their children. With a final solemn look, he set her body on fire, hiding the evidence of her gruesome demise.
***
The six-hour ride back to the isolated manor was a silent one. Each man was lost in their own thoughts about the mysterious new vampire. Marcos sat in the passenger seat, concocting his plans. Talon was driving, smoking a cigarette as he wondered what Marcos was thinking. Seb, as usual, was in the back of the SUV. He looked down at her sleeping form, which was covered by his jacket, for the hundredth time.
For whatever reason, she didn’t repulse him like every other vampire. It was more than just her obvious beauty. He felt the need to protect her. He didn’t understand it, but from the moment he opened her eye, he knew she hooked him. What are you? He thought as he brushed a strand of hair from her face.
“Don’t get attached, Seb. She isn’t yours.” Marcos bit out venomously.
Talon gauged his reaction through the rearview mirror, but Seb wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how he felt. Like always, Seb put a steel blank mask on and stared at the road ahead. He had to be careful; the same way he was careful with his sister. Vampires enjoyed emotional torture as much as physical ones, so it was always safer if one didn’t show any. The less they knew about the feelings and loved ones of others, better. With their beauty and prolonged lives, Seb thought they had all the time to find happiness, but of all the parasites he had encountered over the last twenty years, none have displayed that emotion.
They arrived at the large house in the early morning hours. Marcos had already called the servants to make arrangements for the new arrival, so Seb wasn’t surprised at all to see multiple servants waiting at the front doors. Along the line was his sister. His heart pinched in his chest as he saw her looking so small and timid. Just two years younger than him, she had spent the majority of her twenty one years as Marcos’ feeder, and it was all Talon’s fault. Rage boiled in him as he watched Talon cockily lean on the staircase banister while smoking without a care.
“Talon, my office. We have things to discuss. Seb, take the girl. You can’t seem to let go. Take her to one of the quarters. You will stay there until she wakes up. If she freaks, calm her or tranq her. I don’t care. You are not to tell her about me ju
st yet. I would prefer to do that myself. And if she needs to feed, grab one of those disgusting girls to do it.” Marcos ordered before walking down the long corridor to his office with Talon on his heels. A few servants followed too, one being his sister who gave him a small sad smile before lowering her head and following her master. Seb clutched the new vampire tighter in his arms, using her warmth to calm him.
Wait, what? He placed his palm against her cheek, and sure enough, she was warm like a human. Impossible! All the leeches were cold. That was just a fact. What the hell was this girl?
One of the servants cleared her throat to get his attention. He tore his eyes away from the beautiful creature in his arms and followed the servant up the stairs. The room they prepared was decent compared to the basement quarters the slaves sleeped in. It was about as nice as the guards’ room. Seb thought it looked like a cheap hotel room—an average-sized bed, desk, chair, lap dresser, and mirror, all in dull earth tones. Marcos kept all the extravagant rooms open for his guests.
He gently laid her body on the bed and turned away when the servant began to undress her. Once she was done, she took her leave. She donned the girl with a white nightdress that made her dark hair and ruby lips stand out all the more. Seb pulled up the chair close to her bed and waited. If memory served him correctly, she should have woken hours ago, but her coma-like state hadn’t changed. He wondered briefly if it had something to do with the fact that, for some reason, she wasn’t a normal vampire.
Her body began to stir, and he leaned closer to see if she was waking. He watched in curiosity as her head moved from side to side. She looked like she was dreaming. She finally stopped moving, and a peaceful expression took over her face. What a pretty sight. Seb thought to himself.
The girl opened her mouth in a big yawn, surprising Seb when he saw the striking white fangs inside. They were so white, it was almost illuminating. Slowly, they receded, leaving her mouth full of straight perfect teeth. Seb really wanted her to wake up. So far, she just seemed perfect in every way, and maybe hearing her voice or seeing how she acted would help sort out his irrational thinking. No matter how different she appeared in slumber, she was still a blood-sucking demon.
Doing the unthinkable, he grabbed both of her shoulders and gave her a little shake. No response. He shook again; this time, a little harder. She didn’t move. What else could I do? He thought as he scratched the back of his neck. Slowly, he leaned down closer and closer until they were nose to nose. He didn’t understand why he was doing this. All he knew was he wanted to be near this strange girl. His eyes soaked in her features—travelling from her full red lips, up to her small button nose, then her bright blue—gold eyes.
Oh Shit! Her eyes were open!
The sight of her being awake and staring directly at him shocked him. If he were any other man, he would have screamed or stumbled back at the least. But the young woman beneath him barely gave him a second to take his next breath. Her small hand moved with lightning fast speed, wrapping tightly around his neck. He tried to gasp, but she only tightened her hold. Seb watched with fearful eyes as her once bright blues slowly turned to a vicious red. She snarled loudly and flashed her fangs. The lack of oxygen caused darkness to creep around the edges of his vision. He tried his hardest to fight through it while maintaining a strong eye contact with her.
His only hope was that there was still a part of her that could see he meant no harm. She snarled then launched him across the room. He smashed into the wall, cracking it. Seb laid on the floor, ignoring the pain in his back. Instead, he focused on taking all the air he could get into his lungs. Once his breathing was somewhat normal, he looked at the girl. She was sitting on the bed, staring at her hands with mixed emotions. He could see the shock and confusion on her face, but there was another emotion dancing in her bright orbs. She continued to flip her hands over and over, staring at them as if they weren’t hers. Seb slowly stood back on his feet but made no move to approach her. He didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. The girl leaped from the bed, and with slow graceful strides, walked to the built-in mirror on the dresser. When she saw her reflection, she jumped back with a frightening scream.
“Whoa, it’s ok. Calm down. You’re fine,” Seb said softly with his hands palms out in a non-defensive gesture.
She whipped her head back at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Seeing her like that caused an unpleasant ache in his chest.
“Wh-what happened to m-me?” She asked.
Her voice was soft and smooth as silk, almost caressing his ears. Seb shook it off and met her questioning gaze right as a single crystal blue tear slid down her face. He didn’t want to see her cry, but he was given orders not to give her answers. He pondered for a minute. Marcos only said to not mention him; he didn’t say anything about explaining her change. She continued to watch him while he battled on what to say without freaking her out. Finally deciding the truth was the best option, he met her gaze again. With cautious steps, he walked towards her until they were about a foot apart.
“There isn’t an easy way to say this, but you’ve transitioned,” he said, gauging her for a reaction.
She tilted her head to the side almost adorably.
“Transitioned? Into what exactly?” She asked.
Seb opened his mouth to answer but she cut him off. “Oh, no. I’m dead, right? I transitioned into someone else’s body, right? That’s why I’m some skinny bitch, huh? Oh god, why me! I should have never ran away. Now, look at me.”
Seb continued to watch in confusion and amusement as she paced the room, ranting about ghosts and something about an alternate universe. Clearly, her final memories hadn’t come back yet because she definitely had the wrong idea. He let her continue with her hysterical rampage a little while longer; just enjoying the sight of her. She acted so normal—so human—except for that initial moment they had. He forced himself to stop thinking about her as normal. She was far from that. She was one of them at the end of the day. Seb straightened his stance and squared his shoulders before loudly clearing his still sore throat. She stopped pacing, turning to look directly at him.
“You have the wrong idea. You’re not a ghost or in someone else’s body. In my experience, that isn’t possible.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
She watched then mimicked his action.
“Okay then, stranger-who-knows-everything, what happened to me, really?” She asked, sarcastically raising one perfect curved brow.
Seb narrowed his eyes at her. Fine, he thought. If she wanted the truth so badly, he would give it to her.
“You’re a vampire.”
Chapter 6
Memories
Ana
“Ha! That’s funny,” I said as I sat back on the ugly bed. It gave a little squeak when I flopped down. He watched me the whole time. Actually, now that I thought about it, he hadn’t taken his eyes off me. I wondered who he was, or better yet, why I was not afraid of him. Taking a moment to analyze his features, I came to the conclusion that he was hot. He was tall and muscular in an athletic way. The stubble on his jaws, coupled with his dirty blonde hair falling over his eyes, definitely added to the hotness. I could tell he was tough, and his expressions were guarded.
He slowly raked his hands through his hair, still keeping his light brown eyes on me. My stomach clenched with a desire I’d only felt for one other person: Jace. His name in my head immediately brought me back to the problem at hand. Oh, right, I was in a strange room with a hot guy in someone else’s body. Well, make that crazy hot guy because, after all, he just said I was a vampire.
“Okay,” I said, standing back up, breaking eye contact, “here is what I think happened. The last thing I remember is walking on that dark, creepy road. It was really bumpy, so I must have fallen and hit my head hard. Voila! Here I am now in some weird dream. Sounds good, right?”
I waitied for him to agree with my theory since his was ludicrous.
He stepped closer to me, shaking his head.
He didn’t stop until he was right in front of me. His strong masculine scent washed over me, making my mouth water and my eyes close in delight.
Hm-mmm, he smelled delicious.
“You need to feed.” His deep voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I took a step back to clear my head.
“You just said I smelled delicious, and your fangs extended.”
Oops, didn’t mean to say that out loud. How embarrassing. I caught the rest of what he said, so I touched my teeth, but they felt normal to me. What was with this guy on? He was totally loopy.
“Look, umm…” I said, holding my hand out to get him to offer up his name.
“Seb,” he said.
“Okay, Seb, I’m Ana, and you need to stop with the crazy talk. Vampires don’t exist!” I said, throwing my hands up wildly. Geez, this guy was going to give me a migraine in my damn dream.
“First, they are real. Second, your theory is wrong. And third, I believe because your transformation was so unusual, your memory of the incident is taking longer to come back,” he said, summing it up so nicely, he should have bowed at the end of it.
However, I was not in the mood to argue about this anymore, so I changed the subject.
“Seb, how about you smack me, so I can wake up and get my fat ugly body off the ground and figure out what's next in my runaway plan,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose to calm myself.
“Fat and ugly?” He asked with his brows furrowed in confusion.
I sighed dramatically. I forgot he didn't know what I really looked like.
“Yes, my real body is fat and ugly, so don't get used to this. Wait, why as I saying this? Once I wake up, you'll be gone anyway.”
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 4
