Pure: A Paranormal Romance

by D. L. McKinsey

  I casually folded my arms across my chest and sat back in my seat, not replying to his preposterous lies. Ferox narrowed his red eyes at me.

  “You don’t believe me? Fine. But ask yourself this: why didn’t Celeste kill him herself?” Ferox hissed.

  This vampire clearly hated my mother by the way he spat her name, and that almost had me hissing back in response.

  But his question threw me off. Why didn’t she kill Erebus? Helia told me that she imprisoned him because she wasn’t strong enough to kill him. The reason she wasn’t strong enough was because she gave me her crystal heart that contained her kinetic powers and more. So she didn’t kill him to protect me. That made sense.

  Right?

  I shook off my doubts. Ferox was trying to get to me, and I wouldn’t allow it.

  “My mother did what she had to do to protect me.” I snapped back.

  “Yes, maybe she did. But I have a different theory. See, you were nothing more than a rumor a thousand years ago. As far as everyone knew, Arc was the only child. I believe your mother gave you her crystal heart so you could finish what she couldn’t.” Ferox hypothesized.

  I nearly laughed out loud but thought better of it. His crack pot theory wasn’t making any sense to me. But Ferox knowing about the crystal heart was enough to keep me listening. The King stood slowly and walked over to a glass bar to my left. The overly spacious room allowed for a mini bar to sit comfortably inside along with two large book shelves and other various office items. There weren’t many other chairs in the office, leading me to believe he was mostly in here alone except for the creepy black figure still standing behind his now empty chair. What the heck was that thing or person?

  Ferox reached under the bar and pulled out a shot glass. He then poured a dark liquid from a crystal bottle into it that he’d also gotten from underneath the countertop. He downed the alcohol in one smooth gulp. Even as a vampire, I was sure that hard whisky would burn. But the King was clearly unaffected.

  “How about I do you a favor by telling you how our stories intertwine?” Ferox offered. The way he said ours had my curiosity peaking.

  I stared at him as he poured another drink. The King was tall with broad shoulders. His modern expensive charcoal colored suit somehow made his red eyes seem brighter and his black hair even darker. The hard lines of his face resembled Cassius’ in more ways than one except the king looked as if he hadn’t cracked a smile in decades; unlike Cassius with his playboy grin and youthful charm. Ferox slowly made his way back to his gaudy chair. The seat was too large for any desk chair and the arms looked to be encrusted with red jewels while the seat itself was some kind of black suede.

  “Your mother and my father were married.” Ferox started, forcing my gaze off of his ugly chair.

  His words then hit me like a brick in the face. There wasn’t a chance that could be true. For one, if it was, Helia would have surely mentioned it.

  “More lies.” I spat in response. Keeping my cool was getting harder by the second. The King’s presence alone, for some reason, unnerved me. I had the urge to just jump from my seat and kill him right where he sat.

  “Whoever told you about your mother must have started at the end. I am telling you how it began. One more hostile interruption and I will rip your tongue out. Don’t forget for a second who I am.” Ferox’s cold threats rang loud.

  I knew he would make good on his words. But while he was thinking about not forgetting who he was, he should also be thinking the same about me. If things didn’t go well between us, I would not go down without a fight. Still, I played the part of a good girl and kept my mouth closed. For now. A small part of me wanted to hear his so-called beginning of the story.

  “Glad you’re going to corporate.” He replied, pleased by my silence.

  I pushed down an eye roll.

  “Celeste was the first immortal, and, therefore, the most powerful. She ruled over Nexus and tried to maintain peace and respect amongst the supernaturals. Sometimes, she was forced to use more aggressive actions; forced to use her powers. But using them came with a price. It would leave her drained and weak. The crone told her that she needed to mate to balance the abilities, and it feed her constant strength. But not just any mate. Celeste’s powers would mark three of the most powerful supernaturals of their kind. Of the three men, she would choose only one to complete her bond with. That would not only make her stronger. Her mate would be stronger as well. Her first mate was the alpha of those filthy dogs; Lycus. Celeste and Lycus became close friends, and he helped guard the kingdom, but even though he bared her mark, they just weren’t right for each other. Not long after that, she met my father, Erebus; a strong vampire with an even stronger will. It was love at first sight—or so my father thought―until she betrayed him.”

  Ferox stopped his story, and from the anger in his eyes, I could tell it was getting ready to take a turn for the worst. He had a faraway look about him as he clenched the glass in his hand and the shadow person behind him inched closer. An uncomfortable heat suddenly drifted over the room. I got the feeling it wasn’t because someone turned up the thermostat.

  “Celeste agreed to marry my father, and they spent twenty years ruling together. But she would never mate with him; would never complete the bond. My father thought she just needed more time, but she really was just stalling to meet her third mate which she eventually did. He was a poor witch named Theron who refused to use his natural magic for fear of turning dark. Instead, he trained to be a warrior and part of Celeste’s team of guards…”

  Ferox was still speaking, but I couldn’t hear any words other than one name he spoke; Theron. That was the name of my father. It was the first time I’d heard it, but deep in my bones, I knew it to be true. The name bounced around inside my head, and it comforted me in some small weird way.

  Theron. Theron. Theron. What had he been like? What did he even look like? And why didn’t Helia mention anything about my father to me and my mother’s marriage to the man that killed her.

  “…She left my father for the witch like their years together meant nothing.” Ferox continued in a more angry tone but not because I had just zoned out. “She told Erebus it was for the best and he was meant for another. He was forced to watch as she married and then mated with Theron within weeks of meeting the witch. My father tried to move on as well. He married my mother, and a year later, had a son; me. But it wasn’t enough. By this point, Celeste and Theron had a son too and named him Arc. Nexus was peaceful, everyone was happy. Everyone expect my father. Every day, he changed a little. Anger was consuming him more and more.” Ferox looked at me like he wasn’t seeing me at all. From the burning red eyes, I was certain it was my mother he was picturing. That’s when something dawned on me.

  “Erebus didn’t break his bond. When my mother mated, he had a choice to let her go but he didn’t. Did he?” It was formed as a question but I already knew the answer.

  Ferox nodded.

  “No, he didn’t. Erebus refused to let go of his love for Celeste; hoping to, one day, win her back. There’s a thin line between love and hate; one that my father was on both sides of. His love for her slowly turned into cold, seething hate. Erebus began ignoring my mother and me, choosing instead to focus all his attention on building an army and taking Celeste down. But he knew with her crystal heart, that would be impossible. Yet, he still wanted to try. Slowly. he started using the portals and recruited humans to join him. They eagerly followed for the chance to be immortal. When my father finally had the numbers, he launched his attack. And that’s how the war on Nexus began.” Ferox summed up; his red eyes burning a hole in my head.

  All the hate Ferox had for my mother was now placed on me; like it was somehow my fault his father ignored their family because of his crazy twisted obsession with my mother. The question I had to consider was: did I believe everything he’d just told me? I couldn’t deny that it made sense and fit into the gaps of the story. But could someone really go that insane over l
ove? Was Erebus more of a maniac than I originally thought? If so, then why had Celeste married him in the first place? There had to be signs of his mentally instability, right? I shook my thoughts and met Ferox’s cold, spiteful gaze. Seeing this vampire so full of hate only confirmed his words. Still, Helia had some explaining to do. After all, she had been there during this time even if she was only a kid then.

  “You know what I think?” I asked, getting tired of his hard relentless stare.

  The battle our parents fought had now trickled down to us, and I realized that was why I felt so on edge around him. My powers have been simmering below the surface since I first laid eyes on him; as if they wanted to lash out and end him before he had the chance to revive Erebus. I’d been shaking it off, but it was getting harder by the second.

  I stood and placed both my palms flat on the desk. “I think your father was nothing but a weak, pathetic coward who sacrificed his own family and thousands of innocent lives all because he couldn’t mend his own broken heart.” I sneered.

  Right after the words left my mouth, I realized that I went too far. Blackness blurred the red completely in Ferox’s eyes; making him look as sinister as I’d thought him to be. The King slowly rose from his chair. Behind him, the person dressed head to toe in black began to rise, too; levitating midair. I still couldn’t see the face behind the veil, but the flash of white skin at the ankles let me know it was humanlike and possibly a woman. My momentary distraction cost me big! In the next instance, Ferox raised his hand toward me. I caught a glimpse of a symbol imbedded in the center, but that was all I saw before a huge blast of red light shot out from it, slamming right into my chest,

  ***

  Jace

  “Is anyone going to tell me what’s going on here?” Bobby asked again for the hundredth time. We had left Mercy Heights nearly four hours ago and the ride was quiet except for Bobby constantly asking the same question that no one would answer. I could even see Kim through the mirror roll her eyes at the annoying jock. Lily was seated on the first bench in the back in the middle of Bobby and Kim while Simon and Marie sat behind them in the rear seats. I took the wheel and Seb took the front seat.

  “Dude, clearly, no one’s answering you so just stop asking.” Lily snapped, staring into her pink compact, putting on too much lip gloss that smelled like cherries.

  Bobby gave her a curious once-over and narrowed his eyes.

  “Glob as much of that crap on your face as you want, but it won’t make you look any better.” Bobby teased in response.

  I opened his mouth to say something. I’d stood by once while someone was being teased, but he wouldn’t allow it to happen again. However, Lily beat him to it.

  “Like I would take any advice from a soon-to-be has-been who cheats on his girlfriend with her best friend.” She snapped back while continually putting on lip gloss.

  I had to hand it to her. She handled herself pretty well. Beside her, Kim huffed but didn’t add anything. I wondered why she was so quiet. It was very unlike Kim. For the whole ride, my ex only stared out the window in deep thought. Something was up with her, but what she was planning is the question.

  “Look, somebody needs to start talking now! Is this some weird vampire cult? Am I being taken to initiation?” Bobby questioned.

  Everyone groaned at his persistence and crazy assumptions. Of course, he would think this was somehow all about him.

  “No,” I said, finally answering my former friend. The real reason I’d been ignoring Bobby’s questions was I wasn’t sure how much I should tell him. It seemed as if Bobby wasn’t going to let up so I decided to fill him in a little.

  “Ana has been taken by some very powerful vampires and we are going to get her back.” I summed up the point of this little field trip. Seb’s head snapped in my direction. The other object of Ana’s affections clearly didn’t want any information given to Bobby.

  “Whoa! So this is like a rescue mission? Okay, okay, I’ll bite. But when do I get to be a super kick-ass vampire?” Bobby had a sloppy grin on his face. The idiot had no clue what he was talking about or any real idea what vampires were. Ana may be in control, but most vampires are not. I remembered my grandmother warning me about vampires when I was little. She always made me promise that if one crossed my path, I’d kill it before it killed me. I would have too. That was until Ana came back turned.

  “Just shut up.” Simon mumbled from the back seat. The words were spoken low, but they could still be heard.

  Bobby flipped and glared at Simon.

  “What was that, nerd boy?” Bobby dared.

  Simon shuffled in his seat before meeting Bobby’s stare.

  “I-I said shut up.” Simon repeated; his voice getting a bit stronger towards the end.

  Kim let out a dry laugh.

  “Look who decided to grow a pair.” She broke in, speaking for the first time since they left the school.

  Simon fixed his gaze on her; his eyes lit up with animosity.

  “You would know something about a pair, seeing how you’ve seen half the football teams; by now.” Simon retorted.

  Lily choked out a laugh so hard, she dropped her lip gloss. Kim, however, had the opposite reaction. Slowly, her eyes bled black, and her fangs sprang out. She whirled around to face Simon full on. I was so busy watching the altercation that I swerved the car a little when it veered off the road.

  “Look, nerd boy, I’m very hungry, and I suggest you stay on my good side before I rip your fucking heart out and eat it!” Kim snapped venomously.

  Not a second later, a very distinctive click sounded in the fully-packed van. Marie had pulled out a gun from her bag and expertly aimed the weapon at Kim’s chest; right at a kill shot.

  “Try it bitch, and I’ll unload every one of these bullets into your freaking heart.” Marie promised.

  The small girl didn’t bat an eye nor did her grip on the gun waver. I snuck a glance at Seb, hoping to see a hint of a bluff from her brother, but Seb actually had a smile playing on his lips; as if he was proud of her.

  I couldn’t believe it. More importantly, I couldn’t let Marie kill Kim. We still neededed her.

  “Everybody, just calm down!” I ordered from the driver’s seat, trying to break the heavy tension. “We are almost to the ocean, and I would like it if we all got there with all our hearts intact.”

  Lily was unsuccessfully hiding her laughs with coughs, and I shot her a glare through the mirror. After a few more intense seconds of the battle of wills, Kim finally gave Marie an evil fanged smile before turning back around. That wasn’t the end of it by far, but at least it stopped for now. The focus needed to be on getting Ana out of that palace. There was no telling what the King planned to do with her, and the longer it took them, the worst her situation was becoming.

  The other problem was getting into the place. It was surely to have too many guards, even with Seb’s fighting ability and my magic. The two of them bounced some ideas about breaking in on the way to Mercy Falls but came up with nothing concrete. According to Seb, the only way we could make it in and out safely with Ana would be to enter and exit quietly. Still, it was a huge risk but one that we were both willing to take. We hadn’t told the others yet, but Seb and I planned to enter the palace alone. There was no need to endanger the lives of the others, seeing that little mission was practically suicide.

  Surprisingly, the final two hours in the van was silent except for Lily’s loud snores. Bobby had also shut up after he saw Marie holding a gun. It may not have been the most subtle way to hush him, but no one was complaining because it worked.

  I swiftly parked the van in a grassy section a few hundred yards from the beach. After I met with Ana, I’d narrowed down the areas I figured the kingdom was located. Right now, they were near the coastline in California. Most of the beaches were flooded with tourists but not this place. Due to its location, there were lots of jagged rocks and boulders littering the golden colored sand. It was not ideal for beachgoers. On top o
f that, there were reports that sharks frequented the waters here, making it more less appealing.

  Seb, and Kim and I simultaneously opened the doors and exited the vehicle as soon as the ignition was cut. In the back, Simon was sleeping with Marie nuzzled into his chest. He had an arm protectively wrapped around her while she clutched the gun in her small hand. Lily and Bobby were also asleep in a similar way but were definitely lacking the peaceful grace. They were, instead, a tangled mess of arms and legs. How Kim tolerated sitting next to them was lost on me.

  The three of us took a few steps toward the beach before coming to a stop side by side. The sun was beginning to set, bathing the sky in an orange-ish purple light. We all silently stared out onto the vast ocean. I noticed a strange expression cross Kim’s face, but before I could interpret it, she smoothed it back into nothingness.

  “So,” Kim began, turning to face the guys, “This is the place?”

  I nodded and Seb folded his arms.

  “Just so we’re clear, once this is over, Talon and I are coming for you. All of you.” She added, obviously still pissed about the incident in the car.

  I opened his mouth to reply but Seb stepped to her.

  “Or could be the other way around…” Seb responded with a strange light in his eyes. With that, he turned and walked back to the van to gather his weapons.

  This was it.

  They were here now and there was no turning back.

  I only hoped they could all survive what lay ahead.

  Chapter 39

  Careful Who You Trust

  Cassandra

  Drowning in a sea of men would be the only way to describe Cassandra’s current state. I lay perfectly still as one of my men brushed my long red locks, another painted my toes while another did my fingernails. It didn’t stop there. Two more massaged various parts of my nude body. It was a good thing I recently purchased a massive bed to fit my many servants.