“Did he tell you that? Because it most certainly is a lie.” Seb piped.
Kim narrowed her eyes at him, trying to figure him out. Good luck because I hadn’t even figured him out yet. She eventually just shrugged off his comment all together. Kim was in a delusion; one only she could save herself from.
“How’d you find me here?” I asked.
“It was easy really. Talon tracked your scents in the forest to the sewers. He sent me down to finish the job, but you weren’t in there. Then, I saw this wall that moved and waved like water. When I touched it, it sucked me in. After that, I followed the sounds of you being a whore in here. By the way, what kind of vampire are you that you didn’t even hear me?!” Kim taunted
“That won’t be happening again.” Seb jumped in, replying in a deep angry tone.
I knew this wasn’t the best time to think about this, but I couldn’t help wonder which part he was referring to: the distracted part or the actions that caused us to be so distracted?
“Look, Kim, it isn’t too late to put all this behind us and start new.” I tried again to reach my sister. I knew it seemed foolish after all she’d done to me, but if I didn’t have hope, then what did I have? After our last fight, I realized that I’d spent so much time being angry at her that I never offered her a chance at redemption.
“No thanks. Enough talking, too. I just want you to die so I can have Talon.” She ended with a sly smile.
I watched as darkness bled from her pupil until no whites could be seen. She hissed loudly, flashing her new fangs at me. Kim was challenging me to a fight. Seb took a step in her direction—always my protector—but my arm stopped him.
“No, Seb, I got this.”
“You should be warned that you can’t beat me,” I said as I took slow steps towards her. She laughed at the top of her lungs. Of course, Kim didn’t believe me, but I was more than willing to prove it to her. I let my own fangs elongate in an explosive hiss. Kim jumped a little, startled, but hissed back to cover it. I could see the contemplation in her eyes. She knew I didn’t fear her just like I knew I was going to show her why she should fear me.
She shrieked loudly before she came charging. Kim came at me fast, but with my enhanced vision, it was like watching her in slow motion. Her movements were quick but so uncoordinated. She swung her fist, but I caught it easily. I then pinned it behind her and threw her to the ground. My sister got up fast and tried again. This time, when she swung, I just ducked. She tried to punch me several more times, and I just ducked and swiveled from all of them.
I was going easy on her even though she was a vampire. Kim screamed in frustration, the sound almost making me laugh, until she decided to cheat. Kim flipped two pocket knives in her hands and charged me again. I grabbed on to both of her wrists to stop her from stabbing me in the face and then I headbutted her. She stumbled back, dropping the weapons in the process. I took the opportunity to send my knee smashing hard into her abdomen. It was just a little payback from interrupting my moment with Seb. Kim rolled on the ground, grunting in pain. Talon definitely didn’t train her to fight.
“What the fuck!” She shouted.
“I tried to warn you.”
She only hissed in response as she got back to her feet.
“You know,” she said, wiping a little blood from her forehead. The cut had already healed. “You may be a vampire, but I can still see fat, pathetic Analise under all that.”
I folded my arms, forcing myself to stand tall.
“No matter what, that’s what you’ll always be; a fat loser with only one equally loser of a friend. No one could ever love you. Mom always felt sorry for you. Dad didn’t realize you existed half the time,” she said with a laugh. “And Jace! He always knew you liked him!”
“Shut up,” I said in so low a voice, I barely heard it. I knew she was trying to push my buttons, and it was working. Her words were getting to me.
“Jace knew the whole time you were in love with him. We used to laugh about how stupid you were! To think the likes of you could get a guy like him? The thought disgusted him. Just ask. I’m sure he’ll tell you himself just like I’m sure this guy over here doesn’t love you either. How could he? You’re nothing.” Her venomous words had me shaking. I could feel my eyes water, but I refused to let any more tear fall. Kim had that triumphant look on her face that she used to have after our fights.
“Don’t listen to her, Ana. She’s wrong.” Seb whispered beside me, but I barely heard him. I was right back to feeling like that fat girl dying to be accepted. I was back two years ago with the whole cafeteria laughing at me. Was she right? Could anyone truly love me? Look what family I grew up in. How could anyone love me? My looks may have changed, but had the person within really changed? I looked back to my sister as she smiled evilly at me. She still knew how to hurt me without even using her fist.
Something inside me snapped at the moment. I knew my vampire instincts were taking over because my humanity was weakening me. I felt the separation of the two wash over me.
I was hyping.
Over the last two years, Seb had helped me keep my hype under control so I never lost myself in it. The only problem was he only taught me how to control my hunger and desire. Not my rage.
And that was what I was feeling right now—nothing but rage.
I cocked my head to the side and gave my sister a fang-filled smile. Her expression changed to confusion because she thought she had won. She was ready for me to fall on my feet and cry. Well, no such luck. I felt my powers bubbling in my core. I was starting to feel strong and dominant. The air began to snap and pop around us as wind began to pick up.
“Ana, don’t! You can control it!” Seb yelled over the now howling wind.
It was no use. My anger was all I could focus on. Kim began taking cautious steps away from me. Her face finally showed the fear I was counting on. My feet lifted from the ground as I began to levitate. Kim’s jaw literally looked like it got broken as her mouth dropped extensively. It brought me some satisfaction, but it was not enough. I held my hands out as blue blots danced around my fingers.
“Run.” I whispered, looking at my sister’s frightened face. She didn’t hesitate and disappeared from sight in seconds. I shot my palms out and two bolts sprang from my palms; each so powerful that it turned the tree it hit into ash.
Seb was yelling, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. I was too eager to chase down my prey. I lowered myself to the ground, preferring to run after her.
I could hear Kim’s desperate steps up ahead. With the speed we were going, we would look like a blur to human eyes. Just to mess with her, I threw another bolt out and hit the tree beside her.
“Shit!” She screamed, using her hands to protect her head. From the direction she was traveling, I realized she was heading right for the portal.
Oh no, you don’t. Kim had awaken the monster inside me. Now she had to face it. A few feet away from the portal, I tackled her hard to the ground. We rolled as she tried to escape me, but I wouldn’t allow it. Her fear fed my need to cause her more. When we stopped, I punched her hard in face and got up.
“Come on. Kim. That the best you got?” I taunted.
She wiped her bloody lip and glanced at the doorway behind me. She must have already realized it was of no use to fight me because she slowly rose to her feet and remained still.
Kim opened her mouth to say something, but I was in no mode to hear her voice again. Moving like the wind, I was on her in a second, wrapping my hand around her throat. She tried to pry it off, but that only made me tighten my hold as I levitated both of us off the ground. Her black eyes widened with the realization that she had pushed me too far.
Any second now, I could kill her.
Out of nowhere, a massive body tackled me to the ground. I lost my grip on Kim as we fell. I landed hard on my back with the weight of another on top of me. When I opened my eyes, a pair of glowing yellow ones were stared angrily back at me.
Seb.
I hissed at him, pissed that he had just stopped me, but he only growled at me in response while still holding me down. On a breeze, I caught the scent of the others approaching. Acting quickly, I used my strength and shoved Seb away. He flew back a few feet from me and skidded to the forest floor. Kim was making a dash for the portal. But just as I was getting to my feet, invisible ropes wrapped around my body, locking me in place. I couldn’t move no matter how hard I tried. Suddenly, Jace and the others broke through the trees.
“What’s happening to me?!” I screamed, struggling to break free of my invisible prison. Jace walked up to me, holding out his arms and chanting.
“It’s a restraint spell” he said then went back to chanting.
I hissed loudly, so irritated that it was him holding me back. He probably didn’t want to see his girlfriend killed.
“This has been fun! Until next time little sis” Kim teased before diving into the portal
“NO!” I yelled, doubling my efforts. I could feel the ties on me loosening.
“Someone calm her down! She’s too strong. I can’t hold it much longer!” Jace shouted, now using two arms and chanting even faster.
“What’s wrong with her? Why does she look so evil with those red eyes?” Simon asked, concerned and fearful.
“She hyped,” Seb said as he recovered from my throw and then walked towards me. “Ana, remember who you are. Calm down, please. This isn’t you,” he said gently.
I ignored him and continued trying to free myself.
“I hate to do this, but you aren’t giving me any other choice.”
I didn’t know what Seb meant, but I didn’t care. One of my arms was free now, and I could feel my power building back up like I was going to burst.
“I’m sorry.” Seb whispered as he moved behind. I held my hand out, ready to blast Jace when I felt a tiny prick in the back of my neck.
And then everything went black.
***
Ana
Slowly, I opened my eyes to five concerned faces hovering above me.
“What happened?” I asked, sitting up slowly. Simon reached down to help me.
“You almost killed your sister!” Lily exclaimed.
All the memories came rushing back at once. Kim was here and I was so close to ending her. But they stopped me. How?
Seb saw the confused look on my face. “Jace restrained you with, a spell and I injected a little platinum into your spinal column. It was the only thing I could do to stop you. You hyped out.”
He didn’t need to explain that part. I remembered how it felt to feel all that rage. I would have killed my sister had they not acted in time. No matter how angry I was, I wasn’t ready to take her life. She just got under my skin and I lost control.
“I’m sorry.” I apologized to all my friends.
Everyone seemed to understand what I was going through. I raised my head to the setting sun and was slightly surprised. Then, I looked to the ground and saw green grass beneath me. We were in an empty field, hundreds of yards from a dirt road.
“Where are we? There is only one moon,” I said, pointing to the sky.
“That’s because we are back on earth! Five days later.” Lily answered, grunting at the end.
I furrowed my brows.
“We exited the portal while you were unconscious. Since time on earth doesn’t move as it does in Nexus, five days have passed since we went in.” Jace explained.
Wow, that was insane! It didn’t even feel like we had been in Nexus for more than a day.
“So what’s next?” I questioned. I had no idea where on earth we were, but I assumed we were somewhere in the country.
“Well, I came up with a plan.” Jace started.
I was a little shocked to see him take initiative, but judging from the others’ expression, they had already heard his idea. “We have been running with no real direction. So, I contacted an old friend of the family. Her name is Cora and she could help,” Jace said
“Help how?” I asked.
“Cora is a level three psychic. She has what witches call foresight, meaning she can see the future. The future is always changing, but because she is a level three psychic, which is the strongest of the psychics, she can accurately predict the most likely future.”
“Okay. But why do we need a psychic?” I felt odd that I was the only one questioning it.
“We thought it would help to see if we were on the right path. I mean, just running around with no direction isn’t getting us anywhere.” Jace cleared it up for me.
I could see his point there. But I had this nagging feeling that this was also because I lost control, and my friends were nervous about what I was capable of. No one argued, so I just nodded. What was the worst a witch could tell me? I didn’t even want to know the answer to that.
“We have a car up the road that Seb got.” Marie chimed in with her small smile.
She was standing close to Simon, and the sight made me happy. I hoped it worked for them if they took it that far. My sister’s words still haunted me, and I wondered if I would ever truly be loved for the person I was, am and would be.
We all began to walk from the field to the road. Lily kept entertaining us by annoying Jace with questions of fortune tellers and crystal balls. I really wanted to talk to Jace about the things Kim said, but now wasn’t the time. For all I knew, she could have been lying. Not to mention, I needed to have a conversation with Seb about our heated moment and the mate situation. It was all too much, it was making my head spin.
We finally arrived to where the car was, and I had to hold back my laugh.
“A minivan,” I said, looking at the beat-up gray soccer mom car.
“Don’t blame me. I wanted a Porsche! But Mr. Bossy said no.” Lily whined, climbing in the front seat.
“It’s not practical,” Seb said defensively as he opened the side door. We all got in and Jace took the wheel. Lily began messing with the radio and then proceeded to sing loudly, further annoying the men in the car.
We drove for a few hours before finally arriving in a quaint property with a small country house. It looked homey from the outside with various beads, feathers and dream catchers adorning the tiny red home. After we all exited the car, Jace led us to the front door.
“Cora can be intimidating at first, but when you have her knowledge, it’s hard not to be.” Jace warned before knocking.
I started to get this uneasy feeling again. A part of me wanted to make a run for it. Slowly, the door creaked open. It was too late to run now. A woman stood in the doorway. She had long jet-black hair, and her skin was a deep tan. She looked like a Native American except one of her eyes was green and the other hazel. Her face was hard and strong. This woman had been through a lot. No wonder Jace said she was intense.
“Hello Cora.” Jace greeted
“Good evening, young Jace. It’s good to see you.” Cora replied in an unusually deep voice for a woman.
“I have someone for you to meet,” he said, reaching back and grabbing my hand. I wanted to dig my feet into the wood and hide behind him. But I couldn’t. Jace thrust me in front of her. I was able to get a closer look and saw some wrinkles on her face but not that many. I also noticed a black line, like a huge crease, in the center of her forehead
“No introduction necessary.” Cora replied, stepping closer to me. Suddenly, the huge crease in the center of her forehead moved up, revealing another eye! Cora had three eyes! I couldn’t help but jump back, startled by it. From the gasps behind me, I knew my friends had the same reaction. The black line wasn’t a line at all but lashes. And her third eye was a cloudy white like a blind eye. But I knew she could see just fine.
“Hello, Analise, daughter of Queen Celeste, and future destroyer of us all….”
Chapter 30
Witch Intervention
Kim
I was livid by the time I emerged from the tunnels. Killing Ana didn’t go at all like I expected. The worst
part was that Talon knew Ana was strong and had some type of power; one that I wished I had myself. Damn it!
I kept on cursing myself as I dashed through the woods of Mercy Falls. My goal was to go straight to Talon and confront him about sending me on that mission. Had those losers not shown up, Ana would have killed me. I knew I couldn’t let that happen.
Once I was out of the woods, I went right to the motel that Talon turned me in. The memories of the things we did in that room almost had my fangs exploding, but I held it in and tried to focus on my anger instead.
I kicked the door wide open, not bothering to knock. The sight in front of me only added to my already pissed off state. Talon was on the bed with nothing on and a naked red-head riding him like a bull. From the erratic beating of the girl’s heart, I knew she was human. Not even giving it a second thought, I zipped to the bed and yanked the girl off of Talon, tossing her to the other side of the room where she smacked the far wall.
“Hey babe. Did you finish your assignment?” Talon asked casually, putting his hands behind his head. He didn’t even bat an eye at what just happened.
“What the fuck! Who is that whore?!” I shouted, pointing at the girl who was moaning in pain on the floor.
“She’s just my little fun and none of your concern.” He answered with an almost amused expression.
I was shaking with rage and jealously. Now that I was a vampire, my emotions were haywire and I acted on impulse. The impulse I was feeling right now was to eliminate any competition. Without warning, I pounced on the unsuspecting girl, snatching her up from the ground by her hair. The girl began screaming and kicking, but her human strength could only be described as weak at best. I made sure to look Talon in the eye before I made my move. Once I had all his attention, I viscously bit into the girl’s neck. I savagely attacked her until I ripped out a chunk of her throat and dropped her dying body to floor.
“I wasn’t done with her yet,” Talon said, reaching for a cigarette on the nightstand.
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 31
