The beast was coming out.
Bones cracked…
My skin began shedding away.
The transformation was happening faster than I thought.
I roared and sprung into the air half man….
Half wolf…
Completely ready to destroy…
***
Lily
Everything was going to shit. We were fighting a losing battle. Ana had just gotten swept into the sky by some terrifying creature and I felt powerless to save her.
“LILY, COME. HELP ME!” Simon screamed.
I turned, and the sight behind me had me clenching my chest.
“Oh my god….no” I whispered. Jace lay unmoving while Simon gave him CPR. My mind couldn’t handle everything that was happening. How did this even happen? I saw all the blood, and it wasn’t easy to see where it was coming from.
“He slit his wrist. He killed himself, Simon,” I said, wiping away my tears. “How could he do that? Huh? HOW COULD HE?!!”
I screamed. I couldn’t contain myself as I dropped to my knees, slapped Jace across the face and cried. “YOU COWARD!”
“LILY, STOP!” Simon pulled me away. “There must be an explanation.”
I scoffed. Jace couldn’t possibly give a good explantion for killing himself in the middle of a battle.
“We are going to die, Simon,” For the first time, I felt hopeless.
Simon wiped my eyes.
“Be strong. We have to get to Cora’s house. With Jace gone, the protective circle is…” Simon’s next words were cut off by a sword piercing through his back.
“AHHH!” I screamed, falling to the ground.
Simon looked down at the bloody blade sticking out of his abdomen.
“Run.” He mouthed to me, blood dripping from his lips. The vampire that stabbed him yanked the weapon out, and Simon dropped to the ground beside Jace. I scrambled to my feet. I ran with everything I had knowing I wouldn’t be fast enough. The vampire caught up to me easily and blocked my path. His sudden appearance had me falling down once more.
I crawled back as he slowly drew closer.
My heart was lodged in my throat.
The vampire smiled as if he could smell my fear.
“Fuck you, bloodsucker.” I spat.
The vampire only smiled harder at my insult.
He lurched forward.
I could only watch in terror as the vampire attacked.
Only, he never reached me. He had stopped as if frozen in place.
Out of nowhere, the butterfly guy she saw in Nexus appeared. He still had his wings, but he wasn’t so tiny anymore. Standing an easy six foot, he used his handmade spear and drove it through the heart of the vampire. The bloodsucker wailed before exploding into ash.
“We must go now, Your Highness,” he said.
I was so shock to see him, I couldn’t say a word.
I never got the chance to because he grabbed my hand, and in a blink of an eye, we disappeared.
Vanished into thin air…
Chapter 55
A Storm was Coming
Jace
I opened my eyes to a different world. I was still lying on my back, the sight above me bright and blue. Slowly, I got to my feet and took in the rest of my surroundings.
It was an oasis of paradise.
Beautiful shining flowers about and water flowing from mountains. I was so enamored with my environment that it took a moment for me to notice that my feet were wet. When I glanced down, I realized I was in fact standing on top of water. I stomped my bare feet, amazed that water splashed but I wasn’t sinking. There were fishes swimming below the crystal clear surface. I even saw a whale burst out and dive back down.
I made it to the other side.
I walked along, kicking and splashing for what felt like hours enjoying the serenity. My mind was so free, I began to forget my purpose.
Then I came across something that caught my attention; something I could have never imagined.
It was a luminescent tree.
It pulsed with the steady glow as if a morning sun lived in its core. The odd shape and sheer size of it had my eyes bulging. It had to be as tall as the Eiffel tower. I had to strain my neck to see the top. The longer I stared at it, the more the shape took form. It was the shape of a woman. It had two long trunks as legs and a curved torso complete with humps in the right place. One branchy arm hung at its side while the other appeared to be shielding its empty face from an invisible sun. From the top, its hair flowed with never-ending waves of water littered in autumn colored leaves. I stood frozen as I gaped at the tree. I couldn’t decide if it was even a tree at all or some piece of art carved by a giant.
“Wow.” I gasped.
No matter if it was a tree or not, it was breathtaking.
I took involuntary steps towards it as if I was being pulled. The closer I got, the more peaceful I felt.
The tree itself exuded the power of tranquility.
Then suddenly, the higher branch began to move. The unexpected stir had me jumping back a few feet. The movement of the tree branch seemed too human; as if it were moving with a purpose. I spent too much time watching it before I realized it was coming right at me. Running was pointless, but I still tried. I’d barely made it a yard when I swept up into the air. I latched on to the woody fingers, holding my breath to keep me from screaming.
The figure lifted me all the way up to the top of it, giving me a direct look of its head. My body shook as I rose to my feet to take in the blank crown. The crown didn’t remain blank for long as two unforeseen forest green eyes as big as a house popped open. Their abrupt appearance had me stumbling backwards, nearly falling between the gaps in the branchy hand.
“Why are you here?” A voice asked.
I froze. I was certain the tree just asked me a question, and I was certain I heard the question in my mind. If I wasn’t already dead, I’d also be certain I was about to have a heart attack.
“I ,uh, I…” I gulped. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Are you the mother of light?”
No response.
“My name is Jace…”
“I know who you are. What I do not understand is why you chose death before death chose you.” The voice was raspy, nothing like what I expected to hear from a glowing tree. Then again, I never expected a conversation with one either.
It took a step forward. Waves crashed beneath its weight, and I stumbled but remained on my feet. I took a slow deep breath in the hopes of summoning some courage.
“I came here to ask for the chance to be given new life with all my magic.” I answered.
“That is forbidden.” The wooden figure responded, taking another step. It bent down to stick its branches into the water. Flashes of light shot out which the colorful fish chased playfully.
“I understand, but you are the mother of light, right? You can give me my powers and send me back.” I tried to remain calm as I spoke, but the tremble in my voice was clear.
“It is my job to guide souls. Sending you back would be misguided.” The figure stilled.
“Just listen to me, please.” I begged. “I have to go back or all my friends will die. Ana will die. I can save her with your help.”
“Save her?” It questioned. If I had to guess, I would say it sounded intrigued.
“Yes. Ana, she’s my mate. I have to save her. This is the only way.”
“It is not you that must save, Analise. It is Analise that must save herself.”
The response confused me. I didn’t have any more time to waste with riddles when Ana could already be dead.
“What do I need to say that will make you reconsider?” I asked.
It didn’t respond right away. I could only assume it was thinking.
“It is my job to guide souls. Sending you back would be misguided.” The figure spoke in finality.
The tree began to shake me off like an annoying bug.
“NO! WAIT!” I lost my balance, but luckily, I grabbed
hold of a branch. “No, no, no. It can’t end like this. Please send me back! I need to save her. I need her!”
My protests were met with silence.
I held on tightly while swinging my legs to reach another branch to pull myself up, but the shaking caused every attempt to be met with failure. I felt defeated as my fingers strained to maintain their grip. A single tear escaped my eye.
I couldn’t die this way. I couldn’t abandon my friends this way. I couldn’t leave Ana forever. That wasn’t going to happen. I had to fight harder.
“Stop! Stop!” I demanded.
The branch halted. I used the stillness to pull myself up into its hand.
“You said I chose death, but it didn’t choose me. So I can still make a choice, and I choose life!” I countered. “I gave my life as a sacrifice. It will not be in vain! Send me back!”
I waited and waited.
The tree didn’t move, and I took that as a sign that maybe it was considering its words.
Until it started to laugh…
It was unlike anything I’d ever heard. It was deep and bone-chilling.
I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
Suddenly, the beautiful paradise surrounding me melted away. It peeled back like old cheap wallpaper. The beautiful sky was replaced by flames. The trees’ laughter became louder and higher in pitch as it shook with strange human-like movements. As it laughed, its once beautiful glow began to turn black. From its core to its roots, the darkness spread throughout and into the water. The shimmering sea changed from clear waters to thick black mud.
“What the fuck?” I panicked.
The laughter died as the tree bent toward me with narrowed eyes.
“Stupid, stupid witch.” It spat from a mouth I hadn’t seen before. I noticed a nose and a few other more human aspects suddenly appear. It was scowling at me with a hatred I didn’t understand. Fear tickled the hairs on the back of my neck as a chill swept over me. Even if I wanted to speak, I couldn’t.
Tiny embers ignited in the tree’s eyes and expanded outward. As they moved, they disintegrated the face. The flakes of ash blew towards me and burned as they hit my skin. I shielded myself with my arms, but that only left me covered in blisters. The embers grew to flames, and I knew I had to jump now or burn.
So I jumped.
It took me a moment to realize that the screaming I heard was coming from my own mouth. But what else did I expect when I was falling over 2000 feet?
The water below was quickly approaching. I closed my eyes tightly, awaiting the impact.
But it never came.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on hot black sand, cowering like a scared puppy.
A child-like squeal drew my attention to the person standing barefoot in front of me.
When my eyes landed on her, I choked.
“Za-Zara?” I coughed.
“Surprise!” She yelled, jumping with glee. “Welcome to the Hallow.”
***
Cassandra
My thoughts were focused on nothing but killing Catalina as Kellan launched me into the air. I wasn’t leaving this time until the Princess was dead.
We crashed into each other. Upon impact, I jammed a small platinum shard into the Princess’ shoulder. Catalina punched me in the face, and I lost my grip on the weapon before I got the chance to push it in deeper. The Princess moved like a hawk in the air, and within moments, had my head pinned between her legs. We both hit the ground hard enough to leave an impression, yet Cata never loosened her hold. I tried to free myself but the Princess held tightly to one of my arms, and the other was broken from the landing.
“Didn’t think you’d be this easy to kill.” Cata snorted. “I actually hoped you-yooou b-bee…” She slurred.
The Princess tried to shake off the wave of dizziness that overcame her suddenly, but it was useless. Her body grew weak, and I used it to my full advantage. I threw my leg back, kicking her in the face. Then once on my feet, I sent another kick to the Princess’ chest. Cata landed in a heap a few yards away.
“You hoped I’d ba-ba-ba what?” I mocked. I snapped my arm into place while watching Catalina struggle to her feet.
“Need a little help?” I teased.
Catalina’s stare was venomous as she dug into her skin to rip out the burning piece of platinum. Once out, she tossed it with a laugh.
“Come all this way to fight and the best you can do is prick me.” She laughed humorlessly.
I didn’t bother replying. I bolted for the princess. Catalina took strides but wasn’t matching my speed. We met in no time, each throwing punches. The Princess had been trained by the best fighters, but her movements became uncoordinated and lacked their usual grace.
I easily ducked from the Princess’ next weak swing, simultaneously pulling a blade from my bosom and stabbing her in the back.
Cata shrieked, falling to one knee.
The irony of stabbing the Princess in the back wasn’t lost on me. I smiled.
“What’s the matter, Princess? You’re a little slow.” I taunted.
Catalina snarled, getting back to her feet and ripping off her gloves. The white mist emitted from one hand but not the other. My smile widened as I pointed to the Princess’ useless hand.
Catalina followed my sight and gasped. Her left hand wasn’t emitting posion, and it began to shrivel. It started taking on its human age. Cata flipped her hand over and over, chanting no, no, no, no, no to herself in disbelief.
“And you thought it was a prick.” I chuckled. I was savoring this moment. I planned this for such a long time. “Pure platinum from an alpha wolf blessed by a witch, or should I say cursed? Doesn’t matter. I went through great lengths to get that little present for you, old friend.”
The disbelief in Catalina morphed into rage. When her eyes met mine, they blazed with hatred.
“Time for you to join your mate, bitch.” The Princess spat.
Catalina swooped up her fallen sword and charged. I did the same. Fighting with one hand put the Princess at a huge disadvantage. I saw every move she was about to make and blocked it easily. The Princess grew frustrated, making her swings even sloppier. Our swords clashed. I spun, causing the Princess’ wrist to twist, her weapon dropping to the ground. I then took the opportunity to slash her across the chest, splitting open her cat suit.
Catalina hissed, falling back a few steps, holding her bleeding wound. Tiny beads of sweat began to shine on her forehead. The poison platinum from the shard was working quite well. I would have to remember to send a thank you note.
“Time to die, Princess.” I sneered.
I wanted to enjoy every last second of killing her. A swift death was too good for Catalina. Maximus suffered, and so would she. We locked eyes, and I saw the hesitation cross over my enemy’s face. Then the Princess did something I never expected her to do. She ran. For a brief moment, I was stunned. I expected the bitch to fight until her last breath. Guess not.
I took off after her.
Cata moved fast, using too much energy to widen the gap. I knew she would tire out soon. I followed her scent for miles and was led into a forest. Dense trees surrounded me. The Princess stupidly thought she could hide.
“CATALINA! Cooome out, little raaat!” I sang.
Not a sound could be heard in response. Any animals that were in the area fled as soon as they heard us coming.
Snapping of twigs had me spinning on my heels. Whatever was heading my way was coming fast.
Too fast.
I braced myself, ready for what I was sure was the Princess’ final desperate attempt.
A body came racing through the tree line. It was Kellan. He must have followed me as he always did. His loyalty to protecting me knew no bounds. I began to call out to him but stopped. A bad feeling came over me. Kellan in front of me like this felt wrong. Before I could convey the warning to Kellan, Cata descended from the treetops. She landed on his back, misty palm around his throat.
“NO!”
I screamed. I sprinted towards him.
Thick black veins began to roll across his face. He reached out to Cata, eyes filled with pain. She only flipped off of him, using her feet to kick him into my arms.
I caught my lover as he died.
“Kellan…” The words left my lips in a whisper.
I stared at his handsome pained face.
Anger flared in my chest. Catalina had stolen another life from me.
Another love.
My hype slipped long enough for me to feel the heartache.
A single tear escaped my eye.
I allowed the pain to ignite my fire.
Catalina must die.
I closed my eyes, concentrating on the retreating footsteps of the evil Princess. The poison had her running at human speed. I ripped off the switchblade strapped to my outer thigh. I became hyper focused, turning my head slightly in the direction Catalina was heading. Without opening my eyes, I launched the weapon. It soared through the air as if my thoughts propelled it, slicing through leaves and branches with ease. It wasn’t long before it found its target in Catalina’s shoulder, pinning her to a tree. The Princess screamed.
Satisfied I trapped my enemy, I looked back down at my Kellan.
He was more than just a lover to me. He was a friend.
I placed a gentle kiss on his head.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
A pang of guilt hit my core. Kellan didn’t deserve this death. It was time for Cata to pay.
I picked up my sword, ready to end this. In an instant, I stood behind the Princess, watching her struggle to free herself, but it was useless. She was too weak from the poison. I grabbed the back of Catalina’s head and smashed her face into the tree. Bones crunched and blood splattered, but it wasn’t enough for me. Catalina’s good hand was still emitting its poison into the air. I had had enough of seeing that hand. In one swift swing, I sliced off the Princess’s arm. My blade cut through the bone from her shoulder in one smooth strike. Cata wailed in agony. Her frantic thrashing freed her from the tree only for her to drop to the ground withering. Blood was spurting out uncontrollably. Cata tried to use her shriveled hand to contain it, but it did no good. Without being able to heal, she’d be dead in minutes.
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 65
