Suddenly, I noticed for the first time everyone was gone, and I was alone next to the ugly van.
Where’d everyone go?
I wasn’t left wondering long because Lily came stomping from the beach. The scowl on her face was an indicator that she was mad. However, when she looked up and saw me watching her, the frown faded, and she smiled.
“What’s up Simon? Finally done with your mom?” She asked in her usual Lily way.
Before waiting for my reply, she plopped on the ground next to the van and stuck a piece of gum in her mouth.
I didn’t get her. Not at all. She’d barely known any of them, yet she was always so relaxed; happy even. It didn’t make sense to me. Glancing around one more time, I decided to take a seat next to Lily and find out more about her.
“Can I ask you something?” I said tentatively.
Lily nodded and offered me a stick of gum which I declined.
“What’s the deal with you? I mean, why are you here? Really?” I didn’t know if my words offended her, but there was no other way to put it. What they were doing was dangerous, and I understood why everyone else was here, except for Bobby and her.
Lily looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged and blew a bubble. I continued to stare at her until she finally turned to face me with a much more serious expression.
“Ana saved my life. I’m sure you know that. But what you don’t know is how depressed I was until that night. I’ve never fit in, Simon. I never had any friends that I didn’t pay for or any boyfriends that liked me for…well… me. The one thing I did have was my mother. She was my best friend; my everything. She always there, always smiling, until cancer took her away from me forever right after my high school graduation last year. I was alone. My father became distant and started dating women half his age. Next thing I know, he’s getting married every three months to some new greedy bimbo, and he started treating me like I’m a bill that he has to pay every week. That night in the alley, I knew those men would kill me, and a part of me wanted it because I was so tired of being me. But then, Ana came. She had this fierce look in her eyes, and she took out those men like nothing. But that wasn’t what I saw when I looked at her. I saw a fighter; a girl that didn’t run from problems but instead faced them! Seeing her gave me some of my light back. In that moment, I knew I had to be a part of her life because she had just given me mine back in more than one way. My mother used to say “any problem besides death can be solved, so smile. You’re alive!” That’s what I’m embracing now: the happy spirit of my mom and the fighter strength of Ana. Besides, I’ve never had real friends before, and I was hoping that one day, maybe, just maybe, you guys would consider me as a real part of your group.” Lily finished with large hopeful glassy eyes.
I was at a loss for words. Never had I imagined that she’d been through so much. I felt bad for her. But now, I understood what Ana meant when she had told him Lily belonged with them, because she did. At first, Lily was more like Ana because of her quirky ways. However, understanding why she acted the way she did made me look at her in a new light. Lily was strong and more courageous than I was. Other than her reaction in the tunnel, she had been handling all this chaos the best, and I respected her for that.
“Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but I already consider you a friend.” I replied in all sincerity
“Awesome Sauce!” Lily screamed and punched me in the chest. I winced.
“Ooh, sorry. Crap! I thought that’s what friends do. Well, at least in the movies.” She added.
I rubbed the sore spot on my chest. The girl had quite a punch.
“Let’s agree not to punch anyone anymore.” I joked.
“Cool. So since we are friends now, it’s only within my right to ask when are you going to make a move on Marie?” Lily asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
I just gaped. I had no clue how she knew I was into Marie.
“Oh, come on! Don’t look at me like that! It’s painfully obvious you two are gaga for each other.” Lily added with an exaggerated eye roll and pop of her gum.
I had to give it to her. She was a great observer. But that didn’t mean she was right. Well, not completely anyway. It was true the more time I spent around Marie, the harder I fell for her. But I was bad when it came to girls, and the possibility of rejection frightened me more than getting a low score on the SATs. It was sad, but true. I’d thought about asking Marie on a date when this was all over, but even the thoughts made my palms sweaty and my heart race. Boy, I needed some help with this.
Lily watched me expectantly, waiting for my reply. I wanted to say something, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. What did happen was the sweaty palms. I started wiping them on my faded jeans while I thought of what to say. Geez, I really needed Ana’s help for this. She always knew how to make me feel at ease. Luckily, I didn’t have to answer Lily because the sound of arguing drifted to where they were.
Glancing up, I saw Seb, Bobby, and the lovely Marie coming up at the beach, heading right towards us. Saved by the bell! Or yelling in this case.
I couldn’t make out what they were fighting about, but judging from Seb’s angered face, I knew Bobby was the problem.
***
Seb
I never wanted to strangle someone who wasn’t a vampire. But, this kid, Bobby, was pushing my patience. We had spent the last hour searching one side of the beach for any signs of vampires. Unfortunately, this became a nearly impossible task with Bobby constantly talking. “When do I become a vampire?” “Are vampires allergic to garlic?” “Is Ana single?”
That last question almost caused Bobby his head. Lucky for me, Marie stepped in and prevented me from causing the boy harm. For now…
Not finding anything, I decided it was time to come back and check on the others before scouting the other side of the beach.
“I take it the two of you aren’t vampires?” Bobby asked.
They were walking up the beach towards the van, and this time, Marie huffed in frustration with the boy.
“No, we are humans just like you. And if you knew anything about vampires, you wouldn’t be so eager to become one.” She bit out through clenched teeth.
I smiled a little. Finally, someone else was feeling the same aggravation towards Bobby.
“Why? Can they not see their reflection?” Bobby gulped fearfully; as if not being able to see his face in the mirror was the most terrifying thing in the world.
“Ugh! If you don’t shut up, I will personally shut you up. And trust me when I say you won’t like it.” Marie threatened.
Bobby wanted to say more but thought better of it.
Good boy.
On the side of the van, Lily and Simon were slumped on the ground. Sy stood when we neared, but Lily just kept popping her gum and playing with her phone.
“Hey!” Simon said a little too eagerly and with high-pitched squeal. Then he realized his mistake and a flush crept up his cheeks. From the ground, Lily chuckled.
“Hey, Simon.” Marie smiled brightly, making the flush on Simon’s cheeks deepen. I looked around and noticed two important pieces were missing from the group.
“Where is Jace and Kim?” I demanded, an uneasy feeling settling in.
“Umm...” Simon began.
“They went to search the other side; over the boulders. Kim said it was your idea.” Lily replied, still engrossed in her phone.
I balled my fist.
“I never said that.” I objected. I knew bringing her along was a bad idea, but I was willing to do anything to get Ana back.
“What?!” Lily screeched, jumping to her feet, phone forgotten. “I knew that whore was lying! Ooh, the next time I see her, I’m going to stake the bitch myself!”
Before she even finished, I was already running at full speed to the other side of the beach. If something happened to Jace, I would never forgive myself. The two of us may not have been the best of friends, considering their love for the same girl, but that di
dn’t mean I wanted anything bad to happen to Jace. The sound of steps alerted me that someone had followed. I didn’t need to look back to know it was Marie. My little sister would follow me to the ends of the earth if I let her. The devotion we had for each other was unbreakable.
I suddenly halted; heart racing. We had made it to the cluster of mountain-like rocks and there, lying too still, was Jace.
“Fuck!” I cursed as I rushed to the witch’s side with Marie hot on my heels.
“Is he alive?” She questioned, panic clear in her voice.
I used my finger to feel for a pulse. I closed his eyes and focused. Before I felt the beating of Jace’s heart, I heard it, along with Marie’s, my own, and even a crab’s walking along the beach a few feet away. The sudden advancement of my heighted senses startled me and I jumped back like I’d been burned.
“What is it?! What’s wrong?” Marie questioned, even more afraid now than she previously was.
“No-nothing. Jace is alive; just unconscious.” I assured her.
Marie looked relieved, but she still eyed me curiously. I did my best to shake off the strange awareness I’d just experienced. More important things needed my attention.
My sister and I took some supplies from Marie’s backpack and started cleaning the gash on the back of Jace’s head and wiping the blood from his nose. The conclusion they’d drawn was, somehow, Jace had fallen while trying to climb the large boulder. That or Kim bashed him in the head from behind. I didn’t believe that though. From what I knew of Kim, I felt she would probably do something less sneaky. Still, I was glad she didn’t kill the witch. For her sake, she’d better hope not to cross my path again. If Kim did, she probably wouldn’t make it out alive.
Marie gently poured some water into Jace’s mouth. The action startled the witch, and he began coughing and waking. Jace shot up from her arms but instantly regretted it. The pain from the blow to his head had him clutching his skull and moaning.
“How are you feeling?” My sister asked slowly as we both stared at Jace. Jace looked at us both before swearing out loud.
“Kim betrayed us,” he said, defeated. “She kicked me in the face while I was climbing.”
I wasn’t too surprised by her actions; only surprised that Jace didn’t see it coming. The witch winced again, and Marie handed him the t-shirt she was using as a cloth. Jace tried to smile, but he didn’t take her offer. Instead, he shocked us both by opening the palm of his hand and then staring at it.
We didn’t have a clue what he was doing or why. I began to think maybe the fall was taking its toll on him. Out of nowhere, a green ball burst in the center of Jace’s hand.
Marie gasped.
The glowing ball actually looked like vines swirling together. We weren’t able to stare at the strange magic long because Jace took the sphere into his mouth and swallowed. Both Marie and I watched in shocked silence as Jace’s face lit up in the same green color, and the cuts on his nose and head instantly healed.
Wow.
“Just a quick healing treatment. Not something I’m supposed to use natural magic for, but I don’t have time to be in pain with Kim on the loose.” Jace explained, getting to his feet at full strength.
He was right, though. Kim was gone. My guess was she’d discovered the palace and wanted to go on her own, leaving us to fend for ourselves.
“What now? How will we find the place without a vampire?” Marie questioned.
No one replied. No one knew. It wasn’t like we had any vampire friends we could call up and meet them here.
I could just scream in rage! So close; we were so close to finding Ana, and it all crumbled in an instant. But, I couldn’t give up. Not now. Not ever. There had to be another way to locate it.
“Could you use a spell or something to find it?” I asked Jace.
“No, it’s cloaked by dark magic. Even if I could, my magic hasn’t peaked, and I wouldn’t be strong enough to counter it.” Jace informed us, looking sad and disappointed in himself.
“Shit!” I cursed angrily as I paced the sandy beach. “There has be another way to find the King’s palace! There has to be!”
I was never this out of control with my emotions, but the situation wasn’t looking good.
“And why would a group of humans be looking for the Kings palace?” A silky sultry voice asked.
The three of us instantly looked for the unannounced guest. Standing at the top of the boulder, was a woman. She was dressed in a long blood-red gown that split open from the upper thigh, leaving little to the imagination. The fabric hugged her body in a sexy way. Her long bright red hair was draped to one side in elegant waves, giving her overall look more class.
Her black eyes watched us with mild interest, but when she smiled, we realized she wasn’t an ordinary woman at all, but a vampire.
“Who are you? Why are you here?” I demanded, cautiously reaching for the gun tucked behind my back.
The vampire wasn’t alone, though. At least ten men stood behind her protectively, watching the scene. They clearly worked for her which would make her the first one to receive my bullet if anything happened.
“Me? Well, handsome, my name’s Cassandra, and as to why I’m here…” She trailed off, thoughtfully tapping her red nails against her red lips. “I’m here to raise hell.”
Chapter 41
Deal with the Devil
Seb
“Me? Well, handsome, my name’s Cassandra, and as to why I’m here…” She trailed off, thoughtfully tapping her red nails against her red lips. “I’m here to raise hell.”
The vampires leapt gracefully from the top of the boulder and landed directly in front of us. Her male counterparts followed her lead. I held my ground. I didn’t get this far only to get intimidated by a group of vamps. One male vampire stood out more than the others. He was taller, and his dark complexion allowed him to easily blend into the shadows. He stood protectively closer to Cassandra than the rest.
I sized him up. If things didn’t go well, I would have to take him out immediately after Cassandra.
“Why would a vampire want to raise hell in a castle filled with more vampires?” Marie questioned suspiciously.
Cassandra eyed her before smiling, showing off her fangs.
“I have my own vendetta against the King and many others inside that filthy palace.” She spat.
I opened my mouth to ask her more, but Lily, Simon, and Bobby came rushing around the corner. Guess they were tired of waiting.
“Hey! What’s going on? Did you guys catch Ki… Whoa! Who’s this? Jessica Rabbit?” Lily asked in her usual Lily way.
Cassandra just kept smiling, but it never reached her eyes; not once.
“Holy sweet baby Jesus! You are smoking hot! Damn! Are you religious? Because you are the answer to all my prayers!” Bobby swooned, stepping up to Cassandra like a love sick puppy.
The ebony vampire stepped in front of her, keeping Bobby away. Cassandra laughed and pulled him back.
“It’s alright, Kellan. The human was just paying me a compliment.” She said sweetly.
Kellan nodded and stepped back, but he didn’t look happy about it. Bobby did.
I knew it was time to steer the conversation back to where it began before things really got off-topic even more than it already was.
“Cassandra, if I were to tell you that we also want to raise hell on the King, would you be willing to help us find the castle?” I asked.
I was throwing my cards out and taking a chance. It had to be a sign for us to run into a vampire that had a vendetta against the King. If any other vampire had shown up, they were probably dead by now.
Jace gave me a questioning look, but I ignored it. If Cassandra wouldn’t help, then there was no need to waste time talking to her. We would have to find another way. I didn’t come all this way to leave without Ana. We were going to rescue her, no matter what.
“And what did the King do to upset some humans?” She asked curiously.
&nbs
p; Jace began to speak but I cut him off. “We don’t know what the King did to you, and you don’t know what he did to us. It’s not relevant. What is relevant is us all wanting to take him down any way we can. Now, will you help?”
I sure had authority to my words. For the past few weeks, an inner strength and innate leadership propelled to the surface whenever I needed it. Cassandra must have sensed my strength too because I could see the decision in her eyes before she spoke.
“Tough guy, huh? It’s very sexy.” She flirted. I dismissed it “Since you put it like that, of course, I’ll help you get in. But from there, you’re on your own. I have my own personal matters to attend to.”
She snapped her fingers. Two men came rushing to her side and began taking their black button-down shirts off. Once they were off, she handed them to me. “I can only take two of you, and you’ll need these to fit in for tonight’s event.
“Wait! You’re going with her? She’s a vampire, and we don’t know her! We can’t trust her!” Simon interjected.
“We knew Kim and see how well that went. Sy, this is the only option we have,” Jace said, gently placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
I put on the shirt, and handed the other one to Jace. I didn’t need to explain to anyone in the group why I chose Jace. The all understood. Jace was a witch and one of Ana’s mates. It was always going to be the two of them who would enter the palace.
They both changed into the shirts quickly.
“Uh, so are the two half-naked vampires staying with us?” Lily asked sheepishly.
Cassandra nodded.
“Sweet!” She fist-pumped before adding deviously, “I’m in need of some good eye candy.”
“Hey!” Bobby shouted. “I’m standing right here!”
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 44
