Pure: A Paranormal Romance

by D. L. McKinsey

  I bent down to check on my dramatic friend when, out of nowhere, Jace comes hurtling over. He immediately began to attend to Simon. His face showed genuine concern as he searched for a pulse. I could hear Simon’s heart beating just fine. I took a second to study his handsome face. It was just as beautiful as it always had been.

  Through the heavy rain, I could still catch his scent. It was mouthwatering. I haven't smelled anything that good since I last smelled Seb. Jace began to turn his head up towards me. I was not ready to face him. So, like a coward, I used my immortal speed to sprint off quicker than his eyes could see.

  I could feel my fangs press against my tongue. The scent of Jace was still fresh in my nostrils. The only person that ever made my fangs extend like that was Seb.

  Why did Jace do that to me too? This was so strange. My first day back, I beat up my sister, punched the school jock, caused my best friend to faint, and lusted after Jace. I wondered what else could happen today.

  I didn't stop running until I was back at my lousy hotel in the outskirts of town. It was then that I realized my key card was in my gym locker room with my clothes. This meant I had to see the sweaty front desk clerk. The poor guy just sat there with sweat all day. It was gross.

  Thinking I'd rather not be attacked by his stench, I decided instead to just break into my room. As I approached my door on the second floor, I noticed the door was cracked open.

  Someone was in my room.

  It better be the maid because, with the day I was having, if it was anyone else, I was going to snap their neck. Damn, I was grouchy. I think it was time I feed.

  I cautiously pushed the door open and stepped inside. Just in case there was a vampire here, I prepared myself and inhaled deep. My body locked up when I caught the scent.

  No, it couldn't be!

  I whipped my head around the empty room. I knew she was here somewhere. The scent was fresh. Just then, the bathroom door opened and she stepped out, staring at me with happy tearful eyes.

  “Oh, Ana, I knew you would come back,” she said before engulfing me in a hug.

  I was so shocked, I didn't hug her back. How did she find me here? She pulled back and held my face between her hands, watching me tenderly.

  “Oh my, you’re so beautiful.” She stated proudly. I still couldn't believe she was here in my motel room. And she recognized me?!

  “Mo-mom?” I stuttered when I found my voice.

  Tears fell from her eyes. She eagerly nodded and hugged me again. This time, I latched onto her, hugging her back. I was so happy to see her after all this time. She looked and smelled the same as I remembered. She looked like an older version of Kim.

  We broke the hug but continued holding hands.

  “Mom, what are you doing here? How did you find me? How did you recognize me?!” I fired questions at her.

  This was just so random! Definitely the last thing I expected. With my crazy life, I should have seen this coming.

  She took my hand and led me to the end of the bed. We both sat staring at each other in awe. I opened my mouth to ask her all the questions burning on the tip of my tongue. She put her palm up to silence me. I could tell she was fighting something by the torn look in her eyes. Suddenly, my worry disappeared; no longer did I wonder how she found me but why.

  “Analise...” She started but stopped, still giving me that sad, torn look. I could feel my anxiety intensifying as I waited.

  “I don't know where to begin,” she said.

  “Mom, just spit it out.” I responded, barely containing my rising curiosity.

  “Well, I guess I should start by telling you...” My mother paused, staring at the raindrops pelting against the window.

  This was hard for her, I could tell, but waiting to hear something you knew was important was hard as well. Still, I tried to be patient and gave her the moment she needed. When my mother turned back to me, I gasped. The sadness in her depths stunned me. I knew, without a doubt, her next words would change everything.

  “Ana, you’re not my daughter.”

  Chapter 16

  Meeting with Maximus

  “That new bitch is going to pay!” Kim yelled into the mirror. She was currently staring at the red mark on her face in the locker room.

  The moment she laid eyes on the new girl, she knew something about her was familiar. She just couldn't figure out what. At first, she just planned to ignore her like all the other losers at this school. But now, the bitch had to pay.

  The bell rang. Kim changed clothes, and went to stand by her locker to wait for Josie and the rest of the girls. Kim folded her arms and relaxed against the locker. Bobby and a few other jocks were passing by, talking excitedly about something.

  “Dude, she really punched you hard!” One of the other jocks with mocha-colored skin said to Bobby laughing.

  Kim raked her eyes over Bobby and saw that his lip was split. She peeled herself from the locker and stood in front of him, blocking his next step.

  “What happened to your lip?” Kim asked with a hard edge in her tone. Although she had an assumption of what the answers was, she needed to confirm.

  Bobby shrugged casually.

  “New girl sucker punched me.” He stated with a glint of anger in his eye.

  Kim raised a brow at his casual attitude towards being hit. Maybe he had a thing for her?

  “Leave.” Kim ordered the other boys that were walking with Bobby.

  They grunted but left nonetheless.

  Kim glanced around to make sure the halls were clear. Once she was satisfied, she stepped closer to him and ran a hand down his chest.

  “There's a party tomorrow. You going?” She asked seductively as she trailed his chest with her hands.

  “Only if you wear something sexy.”

  Kim smiled as he leaned down to press his lips to hers.

  “Hey guys!” Josie shouted from down the hall.

  Kim and Bobby quickly jumped apart. Kim immediately began putting her things in her locker to distract herself.

  “Hey, babe.” Josie purred when she caught up to them. Josie instantly pressed her lips to Bobby’s.

  Kim tried to suppress her gag. She chose instead to fish her black “water” bottle from inside her locker before turning around to face the happy couple. Bobby had an arm slung around Josie's shoulder.

  “I take it she got you too,” Josie said, pointing at Kim's red face. Kim rolled her eyes and took a long drink of the burning liquid.

  She didn't understand why Bobby wouldn't just dump Josie. It was not like she was as hot as her.

  “What's up with the bandage?” Bobby asked his girlfriend. Josie instinctively touched the white tape on her nose.

  Kim tuned out as Josie replayed the gym incident carefully, leaving out parts that would make her look bad. Kim took another long swig of her drink

  “I thought you were off that stuff,” Josie said, pointing at the bottle in Kim's hand

  “Don't judge. You drink it at every party.” Kim snapped back.

  “Yeah, but not in the school hallways.” Josie snipped, all high and mighty.

  It was times like these that Kim just wanted to knock the spoiled rich girl off her high horse. Instead, she just fucked her boyfriend behind her back. Kim smirked at Bobby as she thought about what would happen between them tomorrow night. Bobby did his best to look casual.

  Josie looked between the two suspiciously, but when Bobby flashed her his all American smile, the moronic girl melted. This caused Kim to take an even bigger gulp of her drink. The room spun a little, but she didn't give a crap anymore.

  “Josie, you’re not going to ask about your boyfriend’s lip?” Kim said to interrupt their kissing. She tried to stand taller, but she wobbled a little.

  “Oh babe, was it a football accident again?” Josie asked Bobby in a whiny voice that made Kim want to punch her.

  Sometimes, she questioned why she was friends with Josie. It was not like she liked her. Guess, it was the politics of
high school. Rich pretty girls stick together and made everyone else feel unworthy.

  “Oh, uh, the new chick hit me.” Bobby answered.

  Kim was sure she saw a little bit of pride in his eyes. What the fuck was going on with him?

  “Why would she do that?!” Josie screeched, flipping her blonde hair back.

  Kim had about enough of this. Class started about ten minutes ago. There was no point going now anyway.

  Kim pushed her body off the locker and wobbled on her feet. She was planning to just walk out of the building until she heard what Bobby said next.

  “What did you just say?” Kim asked, turning around to face them

  “What? Oh, that the new girl hit me because I sacked that nerd boy Simon.” Bobby stated clearly, not seeing the importance of it to Kim.

  Even in Kim's slightly intoxicated state, she saw a connection. The new girl’s first day here, she goes after the popular girls and defends the school loser? That didn't make any sense!

  Unless...

  Kim began walking away again. She needed to clear her mind to figure out what was going on here. Her mind told her there was something off about the new bitch.

  “Hey! Where you going?! It's only mid-day “Josie called after her.

  “Fuck off, Jos.” Kim stammered back as she stumbled to the main doors.

  She needed some air to put things together. However, she already an idea the new girl may be hiding something big or rather someone big. Kim thought as she laughed, looking up to the cloudy sky.

  ***

  Marcos

  I couldn't believe I was here.

  I stood tall in front of the iron gates shielding the large gray house. Inside it was a man I hadn't seen in three hundred years.

  A man I never wanted to see again if I could help it.

  A man that I used to call brother.

  A man by the name of Maximus.

  Talon had somehow convinced me that Maximus was the best resource to utilize in finding Ana. It had only been a few days since she ran off, but we had no leads. I knew that both Talon and Seb knew more than they let on. I just had to figure out a proper way to get them talking. If this ended badly with Maximus, I was going to torture that sister of Seb’s until someone confessed.

  “Ready?” Talon asked, stepping beside me. I looked around at the twenty best vampire guards I'd brought with me. None showed any fear but none had ever met Maximus.

  Talon had a gleam in his eyes that I couldn't decipher. I decided to worry about that later and deal with my brother first. At this point, all I could do was pray three hundred years was enough time for Maximus to cool down from the events that took place in the kingdom.

  I nodded to Talon who, in turn, sent the signal to the men. All at once, we leaped in the air and landed gracefully on the other side of the gates. This was the reason I couldn't risk bringing any of his human guards. Their weak bodies wouldn't be able to keep up.

  From the rooftop of the house, dozens of vampires descended around us. Maximus’ guards dropped down so quickly, my men barely had time to react.

  Chaos erupted everywhere.

  Maximus had twice as many men. It was almost two to one. I led the fight by zipping through the yard, ripping out throats and hearts in seconds. I noticed Talon laughing as he sank his fangs into one of the attackers’ neck. Talons reaction to violence still baffled me, but I enjoyed it as well.

  The speedy battle ended minutes after it began. All of Maximus’ men were dead. I was left with Talon and two other of my twenty guards. The wounds they'd just endured began to heal.

  Loudly, the front double doors burst opened. More guards came out. This time, they were armed.

  “What business do you have here?!” The man leading the armed guards questioned.

  “I'm here to see Maximus.” I spat. I hated it when lesser vampires tested me. I wanted nothing more than to rip that man’s tongue out.

  “Master Maximus isn't expecting visitors.” The guard spat back.

  I felt my eyes bleed black. This fledging was pushing me to the limit with his questioning.

  “I'm sure he'll make time for his brother.” Talon responded.

  I whipped my head towards my creation. If it were any other time, I would punish Talon for speaking on my behalf without my permission, but I was out numbered already.

  The guard spoke into his two-way communicator for a brief moment. After he was done speaking to Maximus, he put the device back into his holster and then aimed the platinum-filled gun at us. He fired two shots. Each hit the center foreheads of my last two men besides Talon.

  “You can enter now.” The man stated. Satisfied, he put his weapon away. Talon and I slowly walked up the front steps of the huge old Victorian-style house. Before I passed the leading guard, I stopped.

  “Before the sun falls, I’ll have your head for killing my men.” I stated coldly, putting five hundred years of power into my voice. I could see the vampire visibly shake. Talon laughed from somewhere behind me.

  As soon as I entered the dimly-lit home, I was forcibly yanked by my collar and tossed thirty feet across the room. My body slammed hard into a wooden door that shattered on impact. I was fast, but the vampire attacking me was faster. Before I could get to my feet, the vampire was on me. I was grabbed by the throat with one hand and smashed into the wall of a bedroom. Judging by the strength of my opponent, I knew, without a doubt, it was my brother.

  Maximus was moving with such speed and grace that I couldn't get a good look at him. Several punches swiped across my face while I was down. I laughed without humor, spitting out blood from the heavy blows

  “That all you got, Max?!” I yelled as I attempted to stand and fight. Maximus kicked his feet out from under me as soon as I stood. My body hit the floor with a loud thud. In a flash, Maximus was back on me, pressing his heavy boot against my throat.

  “Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you where you lay, traitor.” Maximus' deep voice was cold and hard. I tried removing his foot from my throat but it was of no use. Maximus was older and would always be stronger than me. Therefore, I decided to use a different approach.

  “Ca-Cassandra...” I choked out. Maximus instantly lifted his foot from my neck, only to use it to kick me five feet across the room. My body slid across the floor until it crashed into the far wall.

  “How dare you speak my mate’s name to me?!” Maximus roared, showing his long fangs. I was aware that would anger him, but what choice did I have? Vampires mate for life, so Maximus would always have a soft spot for Cassandra, no matter what she had become.

  I tried to stand as I watched my hulking older brother pace the room, punching holes in the wall. Of course, after all this time, he still looked the same with a slightly shorter ruffled hair. We always resembled each other. Maximus was just more of a ladies man than me. Until he met Cassandra.

  “Where is she, traitor?” Maximus questioned dangerously, stepping closer to my bloody self.

  “I'll tell you if you help me.” I bargained.

  Maximus gave a dry laugh. “Help you?! After everything you've done?!”

  “That was a long time…”

  “Long time ago my ass! You idiot! Not only did you seal your fate, you dragged my mate down with you!” Maximus’ voice was so loud, it could have rumbled the walls.

  I heard this all before. It wasn't my fault Cassandra joined my plan. She willingly agreed to be a distraction while I ran off with my own mate.

  Until everything went to hell on that fateful night.

  “Cassandra did what she did by choice.” I stated confidently.

  Maximus was on me in an instant. He had me by the throat, pressed against the wall.

  “She didn't know you were planning to kidnap the damn queen! She trusted you to keep her safe! As my brother, she trusted you!” Maximus screamed in my face before dropping me to the ground.

  I quickly rightened myself. I didn't care what anyone thought about my decision all those years ago.
The queen was my mate! That much I knew. We were madly in love, and she couldn't stand being with the King any longer.

  Queen Acacia came up with the plan to flee the kingdom. I, being lovesick, went along with it down to the last detail. It included using Cassandra as bait for the King.

  The plan failed, ending with the Queen’s imprisonment, and the banishment of Cassandra and I. Cassandra couldn't handle the consequence and hyped out.

  Maximus still blamed me for the loss of his mate.

  I still blamed Maximus for alerting the King to our plan.

  “If you didn't involve yourself, she would have been safe,” I said angrily.

  “If I didn't interfere when I did, you would all be dead! You, Acacia, Cassandra, and possibly even me just for being related to your traitor ass.” Maximus spat. “What type of moron thinks he is the mate of a queen that was already mated?!” Maximus continued, obviously still shook by the events of the past.

  My eyes darkened. The Queen was my mate! I would get her back as soon as that filthy King was dead. This brought me to why I was here in the first place.

  “I can fix all of it. We can have our status and wealth back. You can get Cassandra back. The version you fell in love with.” I added, taking a step in my brother’s direction. Maximus watched me with suspicion.

  “Don't speak in riddles, Marcos. State your purpose for coming here.” Maximus demanded.

  “Two years ago, I turned a girl. Not intentionally, but that's another story. When she rose as a vampire, her eyes were not black, nor red, but blue. Shortly after, we discovered she is also kinetic…”

  “Impossible!” Maximus cut me off.

  “I've seen it with my own eyes.” I informed him.

  “Kinetic abilities were only given to the first line of children born from the creator. There was only one, and the first King killed him during the wars. Therefore, this girl of yours is not kinetic.” Maximus countered back, looking at me like the idiot he believed me to be.

  “The creator? As in creator of all vampires?” I asked, confused.