Slowly, she walked away, allowing the snakes to continue their assaults for a few more moments before finally clapping her hands together once and ending it all.
I coughed and gagged uncontrollably long after the snakes were gone. It was a horrid feeling I would never forget.
“It was worth it.” I spat in between coughs.
Raven froze before her next step. The witch turned back to the prison cell where I lay on the ground. My words angered her. But before she could respond, I sat up abruptly, eyes wide with pain. Soon after, my body started to thrash violently.
“AHH!! What are you doing to me?!” I shouted. It felt as if the heart in my chest was being pulled out. A second later, the back of my neck began to burn and beamed a bright red light.
Raven tilted her head to the side curiously, watching me suffer even more.
“This isn’t my doing, sadly. But I know exactly who’s responsible for your pain now. It’s your mate.” She told me, enjoying the suffering I was being caused even if she wasn’t the one to cause it.
“What?” I questioned, confused. The ache in my chest was unlike anything I’d ever felt before; as if a pair of invisible claws had a hold of it and was squeezing as hard as it could.
“Looks like little Analise made her choice, and guess what? It wasn’t you. Now, you have a choice. Let her go or be as foolish as your grandfather, Erebus. Goodnight, young Prince. Enjoy the heartache.” She added with a shrill cackle only a witch could make.
Satisfied, Raven disappeared into the darkness as quickly as she appeared.
I was hurt; not in the physical way I could handle but in a heartbreaking way I couldn’t stand.
Ana chose someone else. The thought alone made me want to destroy everyone and everything!
“How could she do this to me? After all I risked for her!” I shouted to no one.
Ana mating just two days after escaping hurt me as much as it hurt to watch my mother die. I was tired of getting screwed over by everyone; Ferox, Catalina, Raven, and now, Ana.
I wanted justice and, one way or another, I was going to get it.
So I sat in my cell and dealt with the pain with a clenched fist and a black heart because I knew exactly what I had to do next.
***
Jace
“Grandmother, it’s been two days! We should go back for them.” I ranted for the thousandth time. We had all made it back to Cora’s small place yesterday evening.
Lily and Bobby were eating in the living room with Zara, while Simon and Marie were sleeping in the guest room. I was in the kitchen with my grandmother and Cora, trying unsuccessfully to persuade them to allow me to leave. I wasn’t thrilled about abandoning Ana with Seb, but my grandmother reassured me she would be safe.
Helia sighed, taking a sip of tea from her seat at the kitchen table and explained to me calmly. “Honey, like I told you before, she is fine. I projected to Seb and told him where we were going. As soon as she’s healed, they’ll be here. Stop worrying.”
I didn’t listen. I only paced the kitchen floor repeatedly doing exactly what my grandmother advised me not to do: worry. How long did it take to heal? It had already been days. Could it take weeks? I only grew more frustrated the more I thought about it.
“Is he still whining?” Lily asked, bouncing in the kitchen. She popped the last of her sandwich into her mouth before dropping her plate in the sink.
“Shut up, Lily.” I snapped.
“Whoa, calm down, Thompson.” Bobby said as he entered the kitchen shortly after Lily.
“Why are you even still here, Kennedy? Kim is gone so we don’t need you. No one likes you. How about I give you a running head start back to Mercy Falls.” I hinted, stepping up into my former friend’s face.
“If you can take me down without the magic, I’ll leave right now. Come on, Thompson, give me your best shot.” Bobby replied, opening his arms wide with a cocky grin.
“Children, stop it. Now isn’t the time for petty fights. You must stick together.” Cora interrupted, taking the steaming teapot off the stove.
“Oh no. Don’t stop them now. This is better than pay-per-view.” Lily chimed in, taking a seat at the table and gesturing for the boys to continue.
I rolled my eyes. This was not something I felt like dealing with, ever. Shoving past Bobby, I stormed out of the kitchen, and a few seconds later, out the front door.
Once outside, I kicked the dirt driveway, forcefully sending tiny pebbles flying through the air. This is ridiculous! I couldn’t understand why no one else was concerned for Ana. The last time I saw her, she wasn’t even moving. She looked dead. Sure, I’d heard about werewolf venom having healing components, but I didn’t trust Seb to know how to use it.
He just found out he was a werewolf for goodness sake! If only I’d been stronger, I could have saved her myself. But sadly, I wasn’t...yet.
“Grandson?” Helia said gently.
I didn’t even hear her come outside, but she was the crone so that was not surprising.
“I would like to be alone.” I snapped, turning my back to her. It was rude, but I didn’t care. Seb being alone with Ana was all I could think about.
Helia didn’t respond, but I knew she was still there. If my grandmother was anything, it was patient. I took a few breaths to calm down before turning back to her. I opened my mouth to apologize when an unspeakable pain overcame me.
I fell to my knees, grasping my chest. My heart burned! It literally felt like it was set on fire inside of me! The pain was so fast and intense, I couldn’t even scream. The heat then spread to the back of my neck where it was even worse.
“AHH! Wh-whats happening to me?!” I cried as I hunched over. From my peripheral, I saw a red light, but didn’t know where came from.
Helia rushed to my aide. She pushed the hair away from the backs of my neck and sighed heavily.
“Oh my dear, Jacian,” she said lowly.
I knew it was bad because no one ever called him by my actual given first name, not even my mother. Most of my friends didn’t even know “Jace” was only a nickname I’d always gone by. Helia herself only used it when she was extremely angry at me or had devastating news. I hoped it was the former.
“What is it?!” I demanded again, needing to know what was going on.
Helia sighed heavily. “Your mark that bonds you to Ana,” She paused and deeply sighed again, “Is being burnt out. Erased…”
“What? Why?” I questioned, ignoring the pain and whipping my head up to see her.
The look in her eyes said she didn’t want to say why, but I knew she would. Helia always told the truth no matter how hard it was to hear.
“This only happens when the mate of one chooses another. I’m so sorry to tell you, but it seemed Ana has already chosen a mate, and it’s not you, honey.” Helia spoke both sadly and softly, doing her best to break the news gently.
I just stared at her as if her words didn’t make sense; like it was some foreign language I couldn’t understand.
“No.” I whispered. “NO, NO, NO!” I yelled when I fully realized what she meant. I pounded my fist on the ground so hard, sparks flew.
Helia knelt beside me
“I know it hurts, but if you let her go, the suffering will leave you too. Close your eyes and accept her choice so that you may move on peacefully.” She coaxed me.
I would hear none of it. I jumped to my feet and screamed heartbrokenly up in the air. The scream itself was filled with so much grief and fury that tiny bits of steam left my mouth as well. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks, and I suddenly felt nauseous.
Ana chose Seb. It was a mistake. I couldn’t believe that she would actually do that especially given the state she was in.
“He forced her! That bastard took advantage of her!” I roared.
Helia rose to her feet to calm me.
“A mate cannot be taken by force. It doesn’t work. Mating is done with the free will of the heart.” She explained, but I just shook
my head. I refused to listen. Helia took my face in her hands. “I know you care for her, and that this is hard, but you must let go. You are my grandson, and soon, your magic will peak. Once it does, you’ll be such a powerful witch. If you don’t let Ana go, the ache you will constantly feel for her will drive you mad. And I’m afraid you’ll…” Helia stopped herself short, not able to say the ill-fated words out loud.
I balled my fist as I pulled away from my grandmother. The heat I felt in them wasn’t caused by Helia but by the fiery rage I was trying to suppress. What my grandmother was pushing me to do felt impossible. Yes, I was in pain, but it was the pain that reminded me of what was at stake: Ana. I’d vowed two years ago that if I ever found her again, I wasn’t going to let her go. That wasn’t going to change now.
“I won’t.” I announced, looking my grandmother in the eye. “I will accept the pain and keep my bond to Ana.”
I sounded a bit crazed. Both of my fists burst into orange flames. My natural magic was leaking out due to my uncontrollable emotions.
Helia shook her head, disappointed, and wiped away a single tear that had fallen down her face.
“Then you have sealed a fate worse than death.” With that, she walked back inside, leaving me alone in the dark where she was afraid I would forever remain
***
Ana
Seb and I made love several more times through the night. It was heaven. Now, we sat outside the barn watching the first glimpse of the sun rise. I sat comfortably in between his legs as he wrapped his arms around me.
“Does it feel different now that you know you’re a werewolf?” I asked him, gazing at the remaining bits of purple in the sky.
“Yes. I feel stronger. I can hear and smell everything. The wolf side of me is more animalistic and relies on instincts as opposed to my human side which heavily relies on logic.” Seb explained, tightening his arms around me.
I supposed that made sense. After all, a wolf was a wild animal.
“Are you hungry?” I asked randomly. We had been here for almost three days, and I was sure he must be starved. I was.
“Yes. I need to hunt. After I eat, you can feed from me.” He told me, kissing my temple.
The thought of his blood made my mouth water.
“Are you hunting as a wolf?” I questioned curiously.
“Yes. Now that we have mated, changing forms should be easy.” Seb said, standing up. He slowly took off his ripped up shorts, and I had to fight myself from jumping him. Hm-mmm, his body was a work of art, and I was not saying that because he was my mate. Seb’s tanned muscled body was envied by men and desired by women.
“Do I need to touch you again?” I wondered, also getting to my feet to rid myself of my dirty thoughts.
Seb shook his head no and dropped down on all fours. I watched interestedly. The first thing that changed was his eyes and teeth. They glowed yellow and his teeth sharped to deadly points. Then in one swift burst, his skin literally exploded off him, completely obliterating Seb the man and replaced with Seb the wolf; the beautiful black wolf with the silver tail.
“Wow, that was amazing. How do you feel? Oh, wait, you can’t talk.”
That would make things hard. Seb walked over to, me licking my face. Even on all fours, he was as tall as me.
“I can talk to you.”
My head whipped around at the sound of his voice because it wasn’t spoken out loud. It was in my head.
“What the he…How did you do that?” And here I thought nothing else would surprise me.
“You’re my mate, Ana. We have to communicate.” Seb replied, planting another sloppy wolf kiss on my cheek. I laughed.
“This is so cool! Can you read my thoughts, too? And how do you know this stuff, anyway. You’ve only been a wolf for like a day.”
“I can’t read your thoughts, but I can sense how you’re feeling in the same way that you can probably sense how I’m feeling. It’s through our bond, and I know this because my wolf instincts tell me so. Now, let’s hunt. I can smell deer.”
Seb ran off into the woods, and I followed after picking up his shorts. Once he changed back, I was sure he didn’t want to walk around naked. On second thought, maybe I should leave them behind…
Stop it. Bad, Ana.
Deciding to keep the shorts, I sprinted into the woods, catching up with my love.
Running with Seb was spectacular. He was just as fast as I was using vampire speed. Who knew a wolf his size could be so quick.
Seb leapt up to a tree with incredible grace before jumping back down, pulling ahead of me.
“Show off!” I shouted, increasing my speed. I caught up easily. Using my flexibility, I summersaulted over Seb’s massive body, landing perfectly on my feet a few inches in front of him.
“Now who’s the show off.” He chuckled in my mind.
I turned around, running backwards and gave him a sexy wink before gusting off again like wind.
This was the only time that being a vampire actually felt fun. My run is so fast that I feel like I was the wind. The trees and plants looked magnificent, and I could see every detail of the forest, even at this speed. I could also hear the sound of Seb’s beating heart close behind me. Its steady pumping was like sweet music only I could understand. The smile on my face was unwavering. I was happy. Even though I knew I had to deal with everything as soon as we get back, I was glad I had this alone time with my mate.
Seb suddenly slowed his run to a stalk, and I instantly knew why. A group of deers were obliviously drinking from a decent size lake a few hundred yards ahead. Hunting animals wasn’t my thing because animal blood wasn’t enough to sustain me. So I hung back in the shadows, cast by the trees, and watched my love work.
Seb moved without making a sound. Like the predator he was, he crept on his unsuspecting prey. Closer and closer he got, yet the deer still drank continuously as if everything was fine.
Then all of a sudden, he pounced. Seb didn’t go after the smallest and easiest kill. No, he went for the large stag with antlers that looked as long as my arm. He tackled the animal to the ground and sank his rows of killer teeth into its neck, holding on to it. The other deers sprinted off, and the stag kicked with all its might, but it wasn’t enough. The death grip Seb had, accompanied by his much larger size, gave the animal no fighting chance.
After a few minutes, the buck went still and Seb began his feast.
I watched him for a moment, but the light hitting the lake, made it sparkle in a way that enticed me.
I suddenly had the urge to go for a swim.
I took off my dismantled dress, dropping it on the ground with Seb’s shorts. Climbing the tree easily until I reached the top, I tip toed on a wobbly branch. It barely held my weight, but I didn’t plan on being on it long. I dove towards the water with a grace I didn’t have as a human. I used to love swimming as a child, but after I gained all that weight, the pool was the last place I felt comfortable going especially with Kim around.
Using a perfect arch, I hit the water, barely making a splash. The temperature was cool but not freezing like the ocean. I spent several minutes under just swimming and enjoying the fact that I didn’t need to come up for air. It felt almost freeing, peaceful even. I could stay under all day just following the tiny fishes and admiring all the shiny trinkets sitting at the bottom; items that people had lost over the years.
Several minutes later, I decided to come up and check on my love. Seb had finished his meal and was licking his paw clean. I used my finger to seductively motion my wolf to join me. His large tongue flopped out in what looked like a wolfish grin.
Slowly, he stepped into the water but instead of doggy paddling to me like I assumed, he dipped under, disappearing. I patiently floated until he reached me. When Seb broke the surface, he wasn’t in wolf form anymore but back in human form. He’d changed under water.
“Hello there,” he said in the sexiest voice I’d ever heard. The water droplets glistened off of his golden define
d skin, making my mouth water and fangs burst.
“Hungry?” He asked, amused.
“Very.” I replied, licking my already wet lips. But for more than blood.
Seb closed the remaining bits of distance between us, planting a steaming kiss on me. It made my core throb pleasantly. All too soon, he broke the kiss and pressed my head to his neck offering me nourishment that I gladly accepted.
Sinking my fangs into his soft warm skin had me bursting with need. His blood was vibrant. It made me feel so alive and strong, not to mention it tasted so good that I didn’t think I would ever drink from someone else unless I was forced to.
It wasn’t long before things heated up. Once I’d finished, we went after each other like animals in heat; Kissing, licking, moaning, and tasting. I could never get enough of him.
Seb surprised me by pulling me under the water. Everything slowed down then. He stared at me with glowing yellow eyes as his beautiful thick hair resembled a golden halo the way it gently floated around him under the water.
Time didn’t seem to be a factor now.
It was like we were in a world of our own.
We floated together, intertwining our arms and legs until we were so close that we felt like one. He kissed me. I kissed him back.
The water would probably be a problem for most couples, but we weren’t like most couples. I was a vampire, and he was a werewolf. And although it sounded crazy, it felt so right―so natural.
Seb grabbed ahold of the back of my head, looking directly into my eyes as he slid his huge manhood into me. I gasped. The liquid around me flooded into my mouth, but I didn’t care. Making love beneath the surface was as exciting as it was pleasurable. My body was literally humming. Even the water around us seemed to murmur with our love.
Seb began to thrust faster…harder. It was undeniably the most amazing feeling; being connected to him in this way―every way.
When our bodies naturally floated up, Seb took a breath, and we just pushed ourselves back down.
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 53
