Pure: A Paranormal Romance

by D. L. McKinsey

  I enjoyed watching her this way; weak and dying. But I was done playing. Slowly, I lowered myself until I was sitting on top of her. Straddling her, I leaned in close until my lips were next to Cata’s ear.

  “Please, please, please.” The Princess begged. It only made me want to kill her more.

  “I hope they torture you in the Hallow.”

  With those final words, I brought my sword up, preparing to drive it into Catalina’s cold dead heart.

  ***

  Cassius

  I grew bored with the fighting. Yes, I was killing my father’s men, but I didn’t need much effort to do it. Most of them I’d trained myself, and the others feared me and fought like it.

  I slit the throat of another elite guard member. The vampire dropped to ground. I yawned. There were other things I’d rather be doing right now like bedding a tribe of beautiful chocolate women, but being here got me closer to my goal. For now, I would play the part of an ally until I found an opening to leave.

  A high-pitched shrill had my eyes turning towards the sky. The image I found only surprised me slightly. I knew my father would find a way to cheat. What surprised me was the fact that he’d gotten a sphinx; not just any sphinx, but a hybrid if his eyes saw it correctly.

  “Once a cheater…” I said to myself.

  The King was sure to win now, and I wasn’t going to stick around and watch my father’s victory. It was time to get to the real reason I came here. I scanned the field, searching for the one person I needed to execute my plan to but came up empty.

  “Rex!” I called out. A vampire with ashy-blonde hair and unshaven beard met my eyes. “Where is my sister?”

  “RED HEAD CHASED HER OFF THE FIELD!” He yelled whilst breaking the neck of a guard member. Rex was one of the few who fought without armor. He looked out of place in his jeans and blood stained t-shirt. Next to me, he was one of the best fighters the elite guard had to offer. He pledged loyalty to his friend Maximus over the King and left when Maximus was exiled. Now that Maximus was dead, he’d pledged his allegiance to me. I was happy with that. I could use a loyal ally.

  “Let’s go.” I ordered, picking up his sister’s scent.

  Rex looked ready to protest but thought better of it. The vampire loved to fight but knew his place was lost cause. We vamp sped away from the screams of battle, following my sister’s scent through a couple of small towns. When the scent became its strongest, we found ourselves in a forest packed tightly with big trees.

  “I hope they torture you in the Hallow.” A feminine voice whispered.

  It was at least a mile away, but I heard her as if I was standing next to her. I zig zagged through the trees, stopping when I came to a bloody scene in a small clearing. Cassandra sat on top of my sister, sword bearing down. Catalina’s face was covered in blood. She was missing an arm, and the other was dried and shriveled like old beef jerky. My sister was in bad shape. I immediately reached into Cassandra’s mind, freezing her in place, her weapon an inch from my sister’s heart.

  “Well, well, well.” I said casually as I approached the women. “You’ve been busy.”

  Cassandra couldn’t move, but her eyes blazed at the sight of me.

  “Get up.” I ordered. Cassandra slowly rose to her feet.

  “Drop your toy.” I added.

  Her eyes narrowed, and the sword fell from her hands like it weighed a thousand pounds. Rex ripped off his t-shirt and used it as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding from Catalina’s missing arm. I didn’t understand why she wasn’t healing, but I didn’t care enough to ask. Rex scooped up my sister who was now unconscious.

  “Cassius. Stay. Out. Of. This.” Cassandra bit out. My eyebrow lifted. I was slightly impressed that she was able to speak. Mentally, she was a lot stronger than I gave her credit for. That and she really wanted my sister dead.

  “Sorry, little mouse, but I need her. After I’m done with her, you can do whatever you like, but today, you will not be killing the Princess.”

  I turned to leave but a snarl stopped me place. Slowly, I faced the red-haired vixen. Her rage was driving her. She had taken a step, then another. I stared in wonderment.

  “Impressive.” I stated with a clap. No one before could withstand my mental hold. Time to turn it up a notch. I added pain to her mind. Cassandra instantly fell to her knees, screaming. She clutched her head so hard, I thought it might pop like a grape.

  Slowly, I bent down, staring right into her hate-filled eyes. “I can ease your pain. In more than one way.”

  I stroked a finger across her cheek. Somehow, she found the strength to bite at my fingers. I laughed.

  “I’ll. Kill. You. Both.” She spat. My laugh turned cold. I was done with this. No one threatened me. She was merely an ant compared to me. I threw more force at her.

  Cassandra cried out, falling to her back.

  I smiled. I picked up the sword she was going to use to kill my sister and swiped it across her neck from ear to ear.

  Her eyes went wide for a moment before her head fell from her shoulders.

  “Guess you won’t be getting your revenge after all.” I said, tossing the sword.

  Time to move on to the next phase of my plan and capture a little necromancer.

  ***

  Jace

  Wet hands.

  All I could feel were slimy wet hands. They reached out and clung to me, scratching and pulling.

  I squirmed, attempting to rid myself of them but couldn’t. Every time I tried, it was like trying to grab ahold of a shadow; impossible.

  Worse than the feeling of the hands all over me was the fact that I was falling. I was falling so fast that I couldn’t make out my surroundings, but it wasn’t darkness that swirled around me.

  I tried to focus, but the sound of many voices screaming over each other made it harder to concentrate.

  I used all my strength to block out the chaos and focus on the glimpse of light around me. To my surprise, they were images; parts of my life revolved around me like scenes from a movie. It was from my childhood to me stepping on the field to face Ferox. I saw it all in an instance. Seeing it all play out didn’t stir any emotions of happiness, only anger. It was anger at not seizing the opportunities I had to be with the girl that I loved.

  The angrier I became, the louder the voices got. I couldn’t make out what any of them were saying. They drew in closer and closer, louder and louder. Then the clawed hands started attacking me; jumping into my body like tempestuous spirits. I screamed in fury rather than in pain. I screamed until I felt like I was about to implode.

  Suddenly, the images disappeared.

  Once gone, I realized I wasn’t free falling but drifting from the sky. The sun beamed brightly. Below, hundreds of tiny figures were moving all about. The closer I drifted, the clearer the scene became. I realized I was above the battle. My spirit drifted down until I hovered above my body. For the second time, I had to look at my dead self. It wasn’t any easier than the first.

  The mouth of my body opened as if it was inviting me in, and my spirit form was sucked inside like a vacuum. Once within, I began convulsing. My body thrashed forcibly as I began to lift from the ground. The blood I’d lost rose from the grass reentering my wrist. It was cold; unusually cold. The blood was black ice in my veins. I couldn’t help but cough and gag, my frosted breath coming out in clouds. It was a forceful pain as if trying to put two things together that didn’t fit. As cold as I was, I was burning deep inside. I knew then that this pain would end if I could reach the heat simmering in my core.

  I reached out with all the mental strength I could to grab the heat. Once my mind touched it, the coldness was instantly melted as I bolted awake, bursting into flames.

  I stared down at my flaming hands and arms in amazement. I’d been on fire before, but it hurt like hell. I understood now that was because I was controlled by the fire. This time, however, I controlled it. With a simple thought, I closed my fist and the flames quickly diminished. I s
miled proudly.

  It had worked.

  I was back with a power I’d never felt before.

  I tried to remember what happened after I slit my wrist, but my mind was a blank. I felt like something important was tugging on my memory, but I couldn’t recall anything other than the hands.

  Deciding to turn my attention to the battle, I took a step to leave the circle but stumbled. My heart jumped in my throat when I saw what I’d tripped over.

  “Simon.” I gasped.

  I dropped to my friend’s side. Simon was pale; too pale. So much blood had pooled around Simon that I knew he was already dead. I wasn’t going to let that remain a fact. I placed my hand directly over the gaping hole in Simon’s abdomen and closed my eyes.

  This wasn’t the way witches helped humans heal. We make them potions and herbs; the natural way one is supposed to heal. The right way as my grandmother would say. It was not our place to interfere with life’s plan. I didn’t care about any of that now. I’d already broken the most unbreakable rule, and I certainly didn’t do it to stand by while my best friend died. I concentrated harder on the power inside and channeled it to Simon. My palm began to feel hot, but I didn’t dare break my focus to see if it was working.

  “RUN!” Simon screamed, bolting upright. He’d woken up so quickly, he nearly headbutted Jace.

  “Wow. It worked.” I was astonished. Witches were not supposed to be capable of bringing back the dead, with the exception of my grandmother, but even she had never attempted it as far as I knew. So, how did I just do it without even using a spell?

  “Jace?” Simon blinked, confused.

  I watched a range of emotions pass through my friend’s face. First, shock as he stared at me, then panic as he searched himself for the stab wound that he wouldn’t find, and lastly, fear.

  “Wha-what happened to me?” Simon panicked.

  I paused, trying to find the best way to explain.

  “You got stabbed, but I healed you.”

  “Did I-did I die?” Simon’s eyes widened as he spoke.

  “No.” I replied quickly. “Just unconscious.”

  “But I…”

  “Simon, you’re okay.” I asserted. “But you need to get to Cora’s.”

  The fire inside wanted to come out more. Using my new power to heal Simon wasn’t satisfying. I was happy my friend was alive, but I was ready to destroy, not save. I started to stand, but Simon grabbed my arm.

  “Wait!” Simon said. “What are you going to do? What about the others?”

  I thought about his questions for a moment. I didn’t know exactly what I planned to do, but when he thought about the others, no emotion sparked in him. It was as if he didn’t care about any of them except Ana and Simon. I didn’t understand where this numbness came from so I just shook it off.

  “Just go, Simon. I’ll find them.”

  “No.” Simon snapped. “I won’t leave without our friends.”

  Anger began to boil in me. I took a deep breath to calm myself. I stood and faced the battlefield. My eyes caught sight of Marie fighting two vampires. She had skills even without a weapon, but they were much stronger and faster. They overtook her, and I knew they’d kill her soon. A part of me felt content to watch. Again, I shook off the detached feeling. I stretched my hand out toward her and pulled it back. Marie jerked through the air as if being yanked by an invisible rope. The small girl crash-landed into Simon.

  “There.” I said to him. “You have your little girlfriend. Now, go before you both die.”

  The fire inside me was so close to the surface now, I wanted to explode.

  I had to use more of it.

  I had to use it now.

  “I’m not going anywhere without my bro…”

  “GO!” I roared, not in the mood to argue with Marie. My magic responded to my command and both of the flew high into the air. I knew without a doubt they wouldn’t land until they’d reached Cora’s.

  Satisfied that they were gone, I surveyed the field. Most of the vamps on their side were dead. Cassius was gone. I searched but didn’t see Ana, Lily or Seb.

  That was until I heard a shriek in the sky.

  I looked up and saw something I never thought he would see: a sphinx. The long-thought to be extinct creature was larger than I would have ever imagined. It screamed again, and this time, I realized why. Seb was in full wolf form on the back of the creature, attacking. The sphinx tried to fling him off but it was of no use. Seb leaped and latched his rows of sharp teeth right into its neck. The sphinx cried out, opening its pair of inner wings. As it did, a body fell out. It only took seconds for me to see the dark hair and know exactly who it was.

  “Ana.”

  She was falling fast with no control. I assumed she was unconscious, most likely poisoned by the sphinx. I held my hand out, and she instantly froze. Slowly, I drifted Ana down. I was so focused on her that I didn’t see the vampire coming after me until it was nearly too late. A long blade soared towards me. I tried to dodge it but wasn’t quick enough as the weapon swiped clean across my face from my left jaw bone to my right eye.

  Blood dripped.

  My anger exploded and waves of flames engulfed me and the vamp. The vampire screamed as he burned, but I didn’t stop. I kept streaming more fire into him until he was nothing but ash. I took pleasure in watching him die.

  When I looked back up, Ana was no longer hovering in the air. My broken concentration must have dropped her, but with all the fighting on the field, I couldn’t see where she landed.

  “Time to clean up this mess.”

  I held my hands out, palms facing the grass. I pulled the power gnawing at my insides. It wanted to be used in the worst of ways. I was happy to oblige. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and shake. Within seconds, it split open and thick roots slithered out. Each one crawled menacingly across the field, wrapping themselves around the vampires, trapping them in place. More crawled up their bodies. The vines moved like they had a mind of their ownd; ripping apart the vampires limb by limb. Heads, arms, and legs flew about.

  I laughed. I threw out fireballs to some of the trapped vampires that were trying to break the hold of the vines. Hearing their screams was like music to his ears.

  I felt powerful.

  Unbeatable…

  Unstoppable…

  ***

  Ferox

  The tide had shifted.

  It was only mere minutes ago when I thought I’d all but won this battle. My beautiful pet had taken Analise into the air to kill her. That was until the human surprised me by shifting. I could not understand how this could happen. The wolves of Nexus had been nearly completely wiped out. The ones alive didn’t have a connection to their other half if they even knew they had another half at all. There are no alphas in existence to lead them out.

  “Uh, m-my King.” Lord Henry stuttered. I could smell the fear coming off of Henry so much so that I was ready to rip his head off. “It’s a shifter. What do we do now?”

  My eyes went red as I turned to him. “We kill it. One wolf won’t make a difference.”

  I wasn’t going to lose everything because of one wolf. A part of me wanted to capture it, and find out how it was able to turn, but a larger part of me knew better. Werewolves and vampires were never a good combination.

  My sphinx screamed. The wolf was vicious in its attacks. It dug its thick claws and sharp teeth into her back. My pet was in danger. The wolf wrapped around it, fatally biting into the neck of my sphinx. She cried out in pain. My creature dropped Analise, trying to throw the wolf off to no avail. This wolf was no normal wolf. It wasn’t until I saw the flash of a silver tail that I realized why.

  “It’s an alpha!” Henry croaked.

  I snarled at him. Henry would join the list of those to die today, but first, I had to deal with the wolf. I wasn’t going to let the wolf kill my pet. I’d worked too hard to have her created just to have her die here.

  As my sphinx came pummeling towards the gro
und, I held out my hand, set on interfering, when the ground began to rumble. It felt like an earthquake, but in this part of world, that was unlikely. The earth beneath my feet began splitting open all over the field. Dark inky tendrils moved up and across the surface. They crawled their way to my men and attacked; squeezing, choking, and ripping them apart like twigs. A hiss escaped my mouth. This wasn’t the work of a vampire. My eyes scanned the field. It wasn’t long before I found the source of this atrocity. I knew this was the work of a witch. What I didn’t expect was for it to be a witch less than two decades old.

  A boy stood on the far side of the battle throwing football shaped fireballs at my trapped, dying soldiers. It seemed the boy was enjoying himself. A fury ignited inside me. No boy was going to make a fool of me. I brought my hand to my mouth and bit. The blood pooled in the center and then circled the link mark.

  “Jo dic a la foscor.” I recited in the language of the dead. To fight a witch, I needed a witch. Raven, for some reason, decided not to make an appearance here. It was something she would regret later. For now, I would use the two-way link to call on her dark magic and kill the witch. The blood in my hand turned bright green and stood in spikes as if it were living. I could feel the power of the dark coming through. The spiky blood crept up along my arm, allowing the dark magic to sink into me.

  The young witch sent a mass of fire directed towards me. I didn’t budge. When the spheres were within inches from me, I held open my palm and absorbed all the fire. The power had a nice taste to it. It was fresh. I wanted more. I leapt from my horse, and in a flash, was standing face to face with the witch that took out most of my army.

  “So young, so inexperienced.” I said.

  The boy’s eyes hardened, and he burst into flames.

  “I’m experienced enough to kill you.” He threatened, the fire around him growing in a flashy display of power.

  I wanted to laugh. Instead, I shot my bare bloody hand into the flames and around the boy’s neck. His eyed widened in surprise.