Blood surfaced in my palm. Raven repeated it with on her own palm and then clasped their hands together in a tight bloody handshake. I tried to pull away, but it was like I was glued to Raven’s hand. Suddenly, the blood from their palms wormed its way out like it was alive and wrapped around both of our hands in thick red rings. An unpleasant coldness snaked its way up my arm, and I had to bit my lip in order not to scream.
This was a huge mistake! Whatever she agreed to was anything but good. She continued to struggle to free herself while Raven just stood still, smiling. After what seemed like an eternity, but was more like thirty seconds, Raven released me. It didn’t stop the coldness from spreading up her arm.
“What’d you do to me?!” I cried as I clutched my arm. Raven moved past me and knelt by Talon’s side. She watched him for a second before inserting the syringe into his neck. Almost instantly, the silver veins covering his face faded.
“The pain will pass, and Talon will be as good as new in a few minutes. Pleasure doing business with you, Kim Walker. We shall meet again.” And with that, Raven glided off in the other direction down the hall.
As the pain in her arm began to fade, and the color began to return to Talons face, I wondered what the hell I just gotten myself into.
My mind was screaming that I had just made a deal with the devil.
Chapter 42
The Execution
Cassius
The execution feast was in full swing. I stood in the grand ballroom, watching hundreds of the oldest and most powerful vampires mingle and feed. The two blonde vampires that I used for sexual fun eyed me from across the room. I ignored them and downed another alcoholic drink. My mind was clouded by one blue-eyed vampire that has yet to make her entrance: Ana. As bad as I wanted her, the conversation I had with my sister a couple of hours ago kept replaying over in my mind.
I waited until I knew Gwyn had taken Ana upstairs before I questioned my sister.
“Catalina, what do you really want?” I snapped, barely containing my anger. When Catalina was around, it meant trouble for everyone else. I knew there was more than just their mother’s awakening that she had to announce.
“Oh, I don’t know if you heard yet, but I heard snippetsof your mate’s meeting with Father and thought I should tell you that she is the daughter of Celeste.” She quipped.
“So what?” I snapped. It had always crossed my mind that my blue-eyed mate was of powerful descent. I just didn’t know it was that powerful.
“You know that means she has three mates, and just like her mother, she’ll choose the witch and reject the vampire. So, brother, you might want to say your goodbyes now.” Cata taunted with a satisfied smirk on her face.
I hissed fiercely while taking slow purposeful steps towards my sister. Catalina may be able to kill with one touch, but she wasn’t as strong of a fighter as me. She tried to hold her ground, but her smirk dropped at the sight of the deadly look on my face.
“You should mind your own business, little sister.” I snapped.
“I’m just the messenger.” She replied.
“Yes, and it’s always the messenger that gets shot.” I sneered before roughly brushing past her.
I shook the thoughts from my head and grabbed another shot from a passing server carrying a tray. Catalina had thrown me off with the news of Analise. I wasn’t one to compete for affection. I was a prince, and as a prince, I never had to fight for anything. Now, the question was if Ana was worth fighting for?
As the question lingered in my head, she entered the grand room. Right behind Gwyn, Analise strode in, looking more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. The suit she wore previously was gone; replaced by a metallic purple gown that looked almost silver when it hit the lights. It dipped low and curved around her body sexily. The top was tied around her neck, exposing her bare back, and the dress had a double split that showed off her toned legs.
I gulped down the lust that was threatening to take over. I wanted to mark her where she stood and taste that sweet powerful blood resting in her veins.
“Good evening, young Prince.” An older male vampire stepped up and politely addressed me.
I glanced at him for a second and then dismissed him with a wave, not caring that he was a high council member. Right now, the Prince only had eyes for one vampire.
Ana must have felt him staring because she suddenly turned and locked eyes with him; blue on red like fire and ice. I knew in that moment that I would do anything to have her as mine.
Even if it meant killing her other two mates Making me her only option.
***
Ana
I sat quietly while Gwyn put the finishing touches on my makeup. I hadn’t uttered a word while she dressed me, did my hair, or put six inch silver heels on my feet. Since she told me that all of this was for Marcos’ execution, I didn’t know what to say. Or how I felt.
It was no secret that Marcos wasn’t good. Hell, he abducted me for two years! He forced me to train and strengthen my power which I now realized was so he could use me as a weapon against the King. I’ve felt Ferox’s powers, and I’m not confident that mine were as strong.
But should Marcos die for this?
Should he die because he fell in love with the wrong woman?
I guess that didn’t matter now. By midnight, it will be over, and I would have to use his death as my means of escape.
“There, all done. Let’s go,” Gwyn said, walking away from the vanity table. I slowly stood, not interested in going but not having any other choice. My reflection caught my attention before I was able to completely move from the mirror. Gwyn had made me look like a whole different person. The makeup was dark and smoky, making me look sexy and mysterious. My blue seers called attention to themselves and my red lips begged to be kissed. It was a job well done to say the least. Too bad, I didn’t care.
I entered the ballroom trailing behind Gwyn. It was lavishly decorated and almost filled with vampires dressed in expensive-looking garments. Some eyes lingered on me, but for the most part, everyone mingled and laughed as if this was a normal party. Waiters carried trays with food and drinks around. One particular drink that caught my eye was dark red in color and smelled exactly like blood.
“Would you care for a drink, miss?” A young human waiter stopped to ask me. He held a silver platter full of the red drink.
“Is that blood?” I asked.
“Why, yes, miss. These here are the rare O negative blood types. We also have both A and B positive, if you prefer,” he said, offering a glass of blood to me. I just stared at him. The way he talked about blood like it was fine wine blew me away. Was he serious? But the expectant look on his face answered that question; not to mention all the fangers in the room downing the glasses. Just watching them made my throat ache with thirst.
Timidly, I picked up one of the flukes and drank it. As soon as the blood touched my tongue, I went into a frenzy. In seconds, I finished my glass and five more. The waiter gaped at me.
“What?!” I hissed, flashing my fangs.
He bowed his head, gave me another fluke, and scurried away. That was a tad mean of me to scare him like that, but I wasn’t in the mood for his judgment.
I wandered around for a bit, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. I got my answer after I turned and locked eyes with Cassius from across the room. Sparks ignited in the air. He looked charmingly handsome yet still bad in his all black suit with a shiny red tie. Cassius’ dark messy hair was neatly combed back, and I had the urge to run my fingers through it and mess it up.
It was hard not to want him. After all, he was my mate. But I already made my choice. Sadly, it wasn’t Cassius. Just the thought of rejecting him caused an ache to fill me, especially since my mother rejected his grandfather and caused this whole war that has rippled down through generations.
History repeating itself is what Ferox called it, and he was right. In some way, our situation would be very similar to my
mother’s and to his father’s, but I hoped I could spare Cassius the pain by not leading him on. That’ll be hard. Even now, it was taking all my effort to drag my eyes off of him.
I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to break his heart.
“Everyone! Can I have your attention please?” A vampire spoke with the microphone, interrupting my thoughts. I recognized him as Lord Henry. With vampires in the room, I wasn’t sure why he needed it. We’d all be able to hear him even if he whispered. “Thank you all for coming tonight. As you know, Marcos Bellicose had been charged with treason and for plotting to kill our King. He had been found guilty and sentenced to death. You will be witnesses to that death tonight.”
Lord Henry strode from the center of the room to a wall on the other side. He then pressed a button that was not noticeable against the wall. It opened like curtains, revealing another room. The next room was filled with velvet chairs facing a panel on the far end. It reminded me of an old court room.
Everyone began to walk in and took their seats accordingly. King Ferox sat in the center of the panel like a judge, and Cassius and his sister sat on each side of him. I hadn’t even realized that Cassius had left. Also, I noticed that Raven wasn’t clinging to Ferox’s shadow like usual.
Strange.
Even from his seat, Cassius’ eyes found me. However, my own couldn’t focus on him because there was another sight more demanding of my attention
Marcos.
Marcos was tied to a stake directly in front of the panel. He looked tired and weak. His body was covered in blood and bruises that were healing so slowly, it was if they weren’t healing at all. His clothes were dirty and torn. He had been tortured for days. All the other vampires were seated and patiently waited for everything to begin. Their faces showed no signs of sadness or even pity for the sight before them. I, on the other hand, was shaking. Yes, he was a bad man. Yes, he held me captive for two years, but seeing him like this seemed unjust. It seemed too cruel, even for Marcos.
His weak head lifted slowly and his black eyes found mine. So many emotions glistened in his orbs that I wasn’t able to interpret what he was feeling. If I had to guess, I would assume anger and regret.
“As some of you may know,” Lord Henry’s shrill voice cut in, “Marcos Bellicose was exiled from the kingdom because he tried to steal the King’s mate so we found it only fitting that she be here today to also witness his death. I welcome our special guest, Queen Acacia,” Henry said, gesturing to the back of the room.
Four guards approached from the ball room we previous occupied. In the center of them was a woman in chains. Her small body was hidden by the large guards, and I couldn’t get a good look at her until she walked up the aisle past me. Her clothes were old. Her dirty blonde hair was dull and lifeless, and her skin looked sunken and fragile. She looked hungry and weak.
Still, the queen held her head high and strode past us like we didn’t exist. Her eyes were only on Marcos. The guards stopped when Acacia and Marcos were only a few feet apart. When they locked eyes, so much passed between them; love, longing, despair, sadness, and defeat. It was like they were having a conversation without words. I knew then that the love they shared was real. And in a couple of moments, it would end forever.
Acacia tore her eyes from Marcos and met Ferox’s.
“My King,” She began in a surprisingly strong steady voice. At one time, this vampire Queen was a force to be reckoned with. That much I was sure of. To be standing where she is, after going through what she went through, took a certain type of strength, and she exuded it. “I place myself at your mercy as your wife and the mother of your children. Please spare him.”
“You are not my mother!” Catalina spat.
“Shut up, Cat!” Cassius jumped in, but he never looked at his sister, only at his mother. Something in his eyes told me this was hurting him even though his face remained neutral.
“You’ll be great King one day, my son. Sadly, your sister’s hatred for me will destroy you both,” Acacia said with so much sorrow in her voice.
“KILL HIM NOW!” Catalina sprang to her feet and ordered. The burst of anger shocked everyone. This girl had some serious issues with her mother. Ferox motioned for Catalina to take her seat, and after shooting daggers at her mother, she did so.
“Acacia, your disrespect to my daughter and your kingdom is astonishing. For that, you will be punished.” Ferox stated coldly.
“You have kept me starving in a tomb for centuries. Isn’t that punishment enough?” She asked with easy composure.
“No.” He replied simply. Ferox then waved his hands and two guards entered carrying thick platinum chains. They were the same ones that were used to beat me in my interrogation.
The tension in the room was so heavy, it was suffocating. There wasn’t a question of what was going to happen, but just knowing it was coming was making me edgy.
I had to do something.
This wasn’t right.
My feet moved slowly away from my seat and closer to the front, but a hand on my wrist stopped me.
“Don’t be stupid. There’s nothing you can do to stop this.” Gwyn whispered fiercely while staring at me like I was crazy.
The distraction lost me too much time to interfere. Turning my attention back to the front, the two guards whipped their chains gracefully through the air; clanging the sounds of death. The whips then drifted down and wrapped tightly around Marcos’ neck. His body stiffened.
“NO! PLEASE, NO! TAKE ME! MARCOS! MY LOVE!” Acacia screamed with deep sorrow as she struggled to free the chains on her wrist and legs to reach him. The pain in her words was like a knife to my heart. That kind of pain was something I’d never witnessed before.
With one forceful tug, each guard pulled in opposite directions and a loud cracked sounded in the quiet room.
For a breath, not a single thing could be heard.
And then Marcos’ head fell from his limp body and tumbled to the ground, stopping inches away from Acacia.
I vomited in my mouth.
All eyes were on the Queen now. Her teary eyes only stared at the decapitated head of the man she loved. Catalina and Ferox looked smug, and Cassius looked away.
He was dead. Marcos was dead… forever.
Suddenly, the temperature in the room began to change. It got colder.
I let out a breath to test how cold it was and was surprised that it came out in a white cloud. Why was it getting so cold? Slowly, ice began to form along the walls and seats.
“She’s using her ability! Stop her now!” Ferox ordered.
Everyone turned their attention to Acacia who was still standing and staring at Marcos’ head. The only difference was she was shaking, and her skin took on a blue tint. It was freaky. The thought didn’t cross my mind that she had ability. Clearly, she had and it was strong.
The guards charged at her. Acacia didn’t move until they were almost on her and that was when she attacked.
Long jagged icicles sprang from her wrists. She back-flipped and stabbed one icicle into the eye of the first guard to close in and another into the heart of the second. The room was so cold now that her chains crumbled to pieces as soon as she yanked them.
“I WILL AVENGE US, MY LOVE!” Acacia roared viscously. The Queen was nothing but pure rage now. A few vampires looked terrified and cautiously made their way to the door. Those were the smart ones because what happened next could have never been predicted.
More guards rushed in on Acacia but she looked absolutely fearless. Her red eyes burned with a fire ignited by grief. When they were in range of her, she opened her mouth in a high-pitched scream. But the scream wasn’t the worst part. White clouds filled with thousands of sharp icicles shot out from her open mouth, piercing the guards all over. She spun her head around, releasing her cold fury on everyone in the room. I expected that with a room full of vampires, they would all jump in and take her out, but instead, they began to flee; not taking the risk of getting killed by the
hyped out queen.
“Go! Now!” Gwyn yelled at me.
This was it. This was the moment of opportunity to get out of here. But I stalled, not able to take my eyes away from the queen. Acacia had now turned her blind rage on her family. She spat and threw icicles in quick forcefulness. But the King simply held up his glowing red palm and ice melted less than a foot away from them. Catalina continued to smirk and take pleasure in her mother’s wrath. Cassius only watched with guilt.
“You’ll pay Ferox! You are not the true King!” Acacia snapped, throwing more ice.
More guards came at her, but she stabbed and slit their throats like she’d been trained to do it her whole life.
“Since you can’t behave, I’ll just have to deal with you myself.” Ferox stood with his own red eyes glowing. Just like he did with me, a blast of red energy flew from his hand. Acacia was prepared because she met it with a blast of snow and ice.
They locked forces as the red heat and white coldness clashed together in a powerful collision. Pieces of ice and red flares flew in all directions, destroying the room and the retreating vampires.
But Acacia was exerting herself way more than Ferox, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before his powers overcame hers.
I needed to help her.
“What the hell is wrong with you?! Get out of here now!” This time, Gwyn actually grabbed and shoved me towards the exit.
Finally, I obeyed her advice and ran from the horrid fight. A part of me wanted to help the Queen. Another part of me knew it was useless. I went against Ferox already, and he took me down easily. Trying to help Acacia now will only result in my death. I couldn’t die today. I had to be smart. I had to protect my friends.
I zoomed through the halls, trying to make my way up the stairs and to Cassiuss room as instructed. But familiar scents hit me, and it halted my steps. The combined scents brought me so much pleasure and worry that I wanted to burst into tears.
I whipped my head back and forth, searching through the fleeing vampires, but I didn’t see them. I closed my eyes to focus on a scent and on which direction it was the strongest.
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 46
