Pure: A Paranormal Romance

by D. L. McKinsey

  Where the hell was Seb? I’d been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes. My patience was dropping by the minute. Tonight was also the night I was going to pour my feelings out to him. Maybe, that was why I was so anxious. It didn’t matter. I had to tell him how I felt now. In case this didn’t work and I died, he needed to know that I lo…

  “Hey, sorry I’m late,” Seb said as he entered the room, cutting off my thoughts.

  Even in plain jeans and a sweater, he looked amazing.

  His eyes traveled over the form fitting dress covering my body. Lust lit up his beautiful face. He cleared his throat a few times before tearing his eyes away from me.

  He reached into his inside pocket and handed me a small gold pouch. Inside were tiny shards of platinum that glistened like glitter. This was what I was going to use to throw off my scent when I hit the forest. I smiled gratefully and tucked the pouch into the dip of my cleavage.

  “Ana, I think it’s time I tell you how Marie and I came to be here,” Seb said, his eyes tinted with sadness.

  I asked Marie this question before, but she said she was too young to remember anything. Seb grabbed my hand and led me to the bed. We sat in silence while he gathered his thoughts

  “My family wasn’t very wealthy, but that didn’t matter to us. We lived on a small farm outside of town. My father was a farmer like his father and my mother loved gardening. She was really beautiful. I remember her smile. It could bring out the sun on a cloudy day. Marie has that same smile. My parents were in love; real love. My mother used to sing to me in the garden. I remember running in the fields with her when she was pregnant. Those were the best days of my young life.

  Until he came…

  One night, a loud thunder woke me up. I went to find my mother. Only, she wasn’t in her room. The light in the barn was on, so I put on my little boots and rain coat and went to find her. I peaked inside the barn door, and there she was, but not alone. She was crying and yelling. A man stepped towards her and cupped her face. It was Talon. He kissed her gently all over her face. He did it as if he actually loved her. My mother pulled out of his arms. At the time, I didn’t understand what they were arguing about, but now I do. My mother was Talon’s mate. He wanted to turn her, and take her away from her family. She couldn’t do it. She loved her children and my father. She rejected Talon. If you think he has an ego problem now, you should have known him twenty years ago. Talon went into a rage, cursing and destroying the barn. My dad heard the noise and came rushing out to help my mother. Talon hyped when he saw him. My father didn’t have a fighting chance. Talon was on him too quickly. In one move, he ripped his throat out. My mother went ballistic. She wept over his dead body, begging him not to leave her. This further pissed Talon off; to see his mate chose another man over him. Talon snatched her off my father and sank his fangs in her throat. She screamed. Her eyes locked with mine and she mouthed “run” to me. Only, I couldn’t leave her. I ran inside and began kicking Talon to let go of my mother. He dropped her lifeless body and backhanded me. Everything went black. When I woke up, I was here…”

  I sat there, stunned. Blue tears dripped down my face. Seb and Marie had lost everything; from their parents to their freedom. All for what? Talon’s selfish desires? I didn’t know which I felt more: anger or sadness. Seb’s face was hard, and I knew he had murderous thoughts. Hell, so was I! He turned to look at me. Seb’s sad face changed slightly as a ghost of a smile crept up.

  “Your eyes are being creepy again. One is red and the other is blue,” he said with a chuckle.

  I laughed a little too. Sometimes, when I was feeling multiple strong emotions, things like this happened.

  “Seb, is that the reason why you wouldn’t let me kill Talon at the pit?”

  It would make sense that he wanted to kill Talon himself. He nodded. Now I understood. He wanted to kill Talon himself. I would do anything I could to make that happen. Seb stood to leave, but I grabbed his hand to stop him. I stared into his eyes for a moment, building up the courage to say the words that would change everything between us. Somehow, they won’t come out. He watched me patiently, waiting, but still nothing came out of my mouth.

  Do something, Ana! Come on!

  Acting before I could clearly think this through, I grasped his face between my hands and crashed his lips to mine. For two years, I daydreamed about this moment. I could honestly say my imagination didn’t do it justice. His lips were full and soft. He tasted so sweet, all I could think about was more. Seb surprised me by wrapping his arms around my body, pressing me against him. God! His warm, hard bod felt so damn good on me. Red hot desire engulfed my entire body. I wanted him in a way I’d never wanted him before. I needed to get out of this dress! Seb pushed his tongue in my mouth. I lost it. His hot tongue dancing with mine had my core soaking. I ripped his shirt over his head, stopping the kiss long enough to run my hands over the bulging muscles. He moaned and smashed his lips back to mine. I could kiss him forever. Damn, I loved him.

  Seb broke the kiss and pushed me at arm’s length. The look on his face had completely changed from lust to anger.

  “What did you just say?” he asked in a hard controlled voice.

  I tried to clear my hazy mind to think of what slipped out from my mouth when it hit me. I said I loved him out loud. From his current reaction, I didn’t want to repeat it, but then again, maybe he didn’t hear me. Fighting myself for a second, I decided to tell him. After all, I promised myself I would.

  “I-I think I lo-love you.”

  Geez, I was stuttering so much, I could barely understand myself. I lifted my bowed head to see his reaction. I wish I hadn’t. Seb had a steel mask over his face, not giving a thing away. What the hell? He continued to stare at me for a minute before shaking his head left and right. He didn’t utter a single word. Slowly, he bent down to pick up his shirt. He balled it in his hands, and turned to leave. That was it? I put my heart on the line for him, and he was just going to walk away?! The tears leaked from my eyes before I could stop them. Wind started to rip through the room. I could feel the tiny pops on my skin

  “If you walk out that door, it’s over Seb. No second chances,” I said, my voice borderline hysterical. He stopped his hand on the knob. He turned his head back slightly, and my heart blossomed with hope. But before his eyes could meet mine, he yanked the door open, leaving me standing there with a broken heart. The pain I felt choked me. The first guy I told I loved rejected me in the worst way possible. I fell to my knees and tears fell faster than the wind blew. My power cocooned me in a blue shell of madness as my sorrows drowned me.

  ***

  Ana

  11:30 P.M.

  I looked around the crowded extravagant ball room, fighting back a gag. Dozens of vampires were dancing, laughing and feeding. It was disgusting. This was one of the things about being a vampire I couldn’t relate to. I was seated at a table in the corner of the grand room with five of Marcos’ guards. Marcos made the mistake of thinking I couldn’t take them. After all, it was him who made sure my training was thorough. Another mistake.

  I felt a pair of eyes burning into me, and it didn’t take me long to spot Talon across the dance floor. He hadn’t made any attempts to speak to me tonight, but the glint in his eyes told me he was up to something. Too bad, that asshole didn’t know I was up to something myself. Using my time wisely, I repeated the plan in my head step by step. It served a dual purpose of keeping me focused and from running across the room to rip Talon’s throat out.

  Marcos disappeared about ten minutes ago with three women. Only one was a vampire. He promised to be back in time for the countdown which didn’t give me much time to get to the roof. I checked the digital clock and it was 11:40 P.M. Ten more minutes and the action would start. I could feel Talon still staring at me. Facing him again, I brought some power to the surface until I felt the sparks flash through my eyes. It was just a little reminder of who he was dealing with. His jaw ticked, but he turned away nonetheless. That was ri
ght, jerk. Tonight wasn’t the night to fuck with Analise.

  “I have to pee.” I announced. The guards all gave me strange looks.

  “Vampires don’t pee.” One responded.

  “Do I look like a normal vampire to you?” I asked, annoyed.

  He wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box as he pondered this for a full two minutes. Finally, the dummy nodded his consent to let me go.

  This part of the plan would be easier if all of them didn’t follow me to the ladies’ room. I expected I wouldn’t get out of this without killing anybody. As we made our way down the long corridor, I saw the exit stairs approaching on my left. Acting quickly, I grabbed the guard closest to me and snapped his neck. By the time the others noticed, I’d already killed another in the same manner. One guard raised his gun at me. I somersaulted above him and snapped his neck from behind. Seb gave me strict orders to keep the kills clean, quick, and quiet. I punched one guard in the face and simultaneously landed a back kick to the other. The kick, however, packed more power than intended and his body crashed through the wall. The alarms went off. Shit! I didn’t have time to make sure he was dead, so I headed for the exit stairs that lead up to the roof.

  I stepped on the edge of the roof, my flowing dark hair blowing in the wind. Glancing down, I waited for fear to coil inside me, but I was greeted with nothingness. For the last two years as Marcos’ prisoner, that was the main feeling I had been accustomed to—emptiness.

  “Don’t move!” It was a man that shouted. Turning gracefully on my heel yet still remaining on the edge, I glared at the hulking man pointing a gun at me. Then, suddenly, he wasn’t alone. Fifteen of Marcos’ other guards came pouring onto the rooftop.

  No Marcos.

  Guess the jig was up. They were well aware of my attempt to escape. I took a deep breath, still in an eyelock with the guard who was shouting orders at me. He was commanding me to come back down.

  To what, exactly; two more years of being forced to train and fight? To kill? No! There was no way I was turning back now. We worked too hard to get to this moment.

  Slowly releasing the breath I didn’t need to take, I stepped backward over the edge. As I began to fall, I sent a wink to the guards. Catch me if you can, boys.

  I plummeted toward the ground, back first. Rounds of gunfire were drowned out by the explosion of fireworks in the sky. The rush of falling was freeing. I felt weightless. The cool air surrounding me was welcomed.

  As the ground neared, I maneuvered my body and landed in a ground-splitting crouch in the alley. A homeless man in a party hat stared at me with wide eyes. The mangy cat in his arms screeched and jumped free.

  “Hey! You-you scared my cat!” He slurred.

  I ignored him and used the super speed of immortality to escape into the city. I zipped in between cars and crowds of drunken people cheering and kissing. I passed them as nothing more than a brush of wind; moving so fast I couldn’t feel my feet touching the ground.

  I pushed harder; running and running as the blur of the city lights changed into the greens of the forest.

  Freedom.

  The word bounced around in my head as I leaped into the trees.

  Leaves and branches poked my feet as I ran towards the top.

  But I didn’t care.

  I was free.

  ***

  Seb

  One hour earlier

  I finally told her the reason Marie and I came to be with these ruthless vampires. Its weight coming off of my shoulders felt good, but the anger I still held in my heart was crushing. Ana hadn’t responded yet, so I slowly gazed up at her. I almost laughed at the sight of her. Apparently, she was evenly split between the sadness and anger.

  “Your eyes are being creepy again. One is red and the other is blue,” I said with a chuckle. Ana laughed a little too but turned serious quickly after.

  “Seb, is that the reason why you wouldn’t let me kill Talon at the pit?”

  I only nodded. Of course, I couldn’t let her kill him. I had promised myself I would avenge my parents’ death once Marie was safe. Talon would pay for ending their lives. The silence in the room was heavy, and I decided it was time to leave. I stood, intent on doing that, when Ana’s warm hand reached out and grabbed me. I looked into the beautiful blue eyes I had grown to know for the last two years and waited patiently for her to speak.

  Taking me by surprise, she crashed her lips to mine. For a second, I didn’t know what to do, but the soft feel of her velvet lips spurred me into action. I quickly matched her pace, enjoying how amazing and right the kiss felt. Unconsciously, I pressed Ana’s body into mine; the need to have her closer overwhelmed me. I was in awe of how perfectly she molded to me; as if she was meant to be in my arms. I plunged my tongue into her warm mouth. I loved the sweet taste of Ana that welcomed me. She broke the kiss and ripped my shirt off. Ana slowly ran her fingers across my chest. It felt so good, I moaned in desire. I couldn’t wait any longer and immediately brought her mouth back to mine. I never imagined that kissing Ana would be like this; that it would feel so natural until I heard it. It was barely above a whisper. Had she said “Damn, I love him”?

  I froze. The words caused all the desire and heat to flee my body. I pushed her away from me, needing some distance. My only hope was that she didn’t say the words I thought I heard.

  “What did you just say?” I asked in a hard and controlled voice. Ana, looking slightly dazed, searched my face for the reason behind my sudden change. I instantly blocked off my emotions. I could see the contemplation in her eyes as she mulled over what to say.

  “I-I think I lo-love you.” Ana responded shakily as she dropped her head.

  Those were the words that I didn’t want to hear. I knew vampire love was dangerous. I watched what Talon’s so-called love did to my family. Even if Ana was different now, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t end up a monster like the rest one day. Part of the reason I wanted her to escape was so she wouldn’t turn into a vicious killing leech. But love? That was something else entirely. Vampire love can only destroy, and I refused to relive my mother’s fate. I shook my head, knowing that what I was about to do would hurt, but it was for the best. I bent, picked up my shirt and began to leave. I could feel the wind stir around me and hear the electric pops in the air.

  “If you walk out that door, it’s over Seb. No second chances,” Ana said, her voice filled with sadness.

  I stopped with hand on the knob. A part of me knew I felt something for her. But was it love? That, I would never know because I would never allow myself to see it. I turned my head back, almost enough to see her. At the last moment, I decided against it and jerked the door open, leaving Ana. I stood outside the closed door, listening to the sounds of howling wind and electricity while wondering if I just made the biggest mistake of my life.

  Chapter 13

  Welcome Home Ana, Part I

  Ana

  Don't look back. I kept repeating the words to myself. Just a few minutes ago, I jumped off the roof of a twenty-story building. Now, I was using every ounce of my strength to run through the forest as fast as I could.

  “Once you’re deep in the forest, start using the platinum.” Seb’s voice rang directions in my head. I reached down between my breasts and pulled out the gold pouch. I quickly took small pinches of the glittering specks, tossing them in the air behind me. Marcos was going to be so pissed when he realized I'd thrown them off my trail. I smiled at the thought

  “Before you reach the other side of the forest, there will be a duffel bag under a marked tree.” I mulled over Seb’s words as I continued running. I didn't know how I was supposed to recognize a marked tree. It didn’t matter. I was sure it would be easy once I was there.

  I dodged in and out of trees, picking up speed. I could hear rabbits underground scurrying and birds in the sky flying. Even though I was moving fast, everything looked crystal clear. It was exhilarating to see collage of colors and the full moon lighting the dark sky.


  I came to an abrupt stop. There was a scent that lingered in the air; a scent I was all too familiar with. I tilted my nose in the air, allowing it to lead me to where the scent grew stronger. When the scent was at its strongest, I stopped and opened my eyes. I was standing in front of a huge tree with draping branches. Underneath was a large black duffel bag. Seb was very clever to use his scent to lead me here.

  I hurriedly ripped off the end of my long dress. The material was too heavy. It would only slow me down. I also broke the heels from my shoes. Running through an unknown city in heels wouldn't cut it. The wind hit my bare legs, carrying with it the smell of the guards. Damn! They were gaining on me. I tossed the bag over my shoulder, threw some platinum to hide both our scents, and sprinted out of the forest.

  Once I was far enough from the woods, I stopped. I hadn't a clue where I was, but I did know where I was going: home. The mere thought of seeing all my tormentors again boiled my blood. I wondered if they would even recognize me.

  I continued walking, entering the crowded streets of an unknown city. All the chaos was due to the New Year’s celebration. People were crammed together, screaming and throwing festive colored items about. A group of teen boys wearing happy New Year hats stumbled to a stop in front of me.

  “Whoa! You’re hot! Cool dress.” The blonde boy wearing ripped jeans and t-shirt said to me.