“Threat?” The king questioned.
“Yes, my King. It's my brother, Marcos. He feels he has found a way to destroy you with a newly turned vampire.” I explained.
King Ferox raised a brow at me before running his fingers through his short dark hair.
“Marcos is trying to kill me? How does he plan to accomplish such a task?” King Ferox said, watching me intently. I didn't miss the iris of the King turning brighter red. I only hoped Ferox wouldn't use his ability on me before I had time to fully explain.
“My brother came to with a plan using a newly turned vampire to kill you. He believes this girl is kinetic.”
“Impossible!” Lord Henry shot out.
I pressed the blade further against his neck until a thin line of blood surfaced. Henry stiffened.
“I wouldn’t be here if it were a lie.” I spat out.
King Ferox regarded the situation for a moment, not saying a word. His eyes burned with anger, but otherwise, he was completely emotionless.
“What evidence do you have that this girl your brother speaks of exists?” The King asked.
“My brother and I haven’t spoken since the exile, yet a couple days ago he came to me asking for my help in tracking the blue-eyed vampire he turned. Marcos wouldn’t risk coming to me if this weren’t true,” I said, watching Ferox for a reaction.
“I’ll send some men after them immediately.” The king replied after a long pause.
“NO! My King, Maximus tells lies! This cannot be true! Kinetic vampires haven’t existed in millennia! Your father made sure to kill all the children of the creator; the only one being Arc!” Lord Henry argued. At this point, he would say anything to keep me out of the kingdom and in exile.
“A wise King doesn’t ignore threats, big or small. My men will find this girl and bring her to me at once.” Ferox stated.
The king began to turn away, but I wasn’t done yet.
“My King, I want to lead the team in the search.” I stated firmly.
The King rose a brow at me.
“I know I’m banished, but this is my way of proving my loyalty. Besides, I am the best tracker in the world. I could find her much faster than your men can.” I stared the King in the eye, willing him to hear my words.
“Very well. Lead my men and return with the girl and you can have your place back in the guard. Fail and I’ll kill you.” King Ferox warned.
“What?! Bu-but my king…” Lord Henry started.
“I suggest you brush up on your fighting skills, Henry, because if Maximus succeeds, you will have to battle him to keep your current position.” King Ferox stated before turning to leave the room just as gracefully as he entered.
I finally released Henry. The slit on his neck began to heal instantly. Henry spun around angrily and punched me in the face. The blow barely caused my head to move. It seemed as if Henry still hadn’t improved his fighting talents even after all these years. But when you’re a master manipulator, hand to hand combat didin’t feel like a priority.
I straightened up and face a very mad Henry.
“You know, old friend, I will enjoy killing you.” I remarked humorlessly.
Henry’s lip curled up in an ugly snarl.
“You won’t pull this off.” Henry snapped.
I just shrugged casually and brushed by my old enemy.
I was sure of two things. One, I would find that girl and bring her back. And two, my actions today may have gotten me back into the palace’s good graces, but after I complete my task, Marcos was a dead man
***
Ana
I stood there with a fake smile on my face and my hand outstretched. The whole parking lot had gone deafly quiet. Not even a cricket dared to chirp after my announcement. I looked around at all the shocked faces of my former classmates, waiting for someone to react.
Hm-mmm, maybe they didn't hear me.
When I glanced back at Kim, the rage in her expression was enough to confirm I was heard.
“You lying bitch.” Kim sneered “You may be a lot of things but my fat ass sister isn't one of them,” she said, looking satisfied with herself.
What fun I was going to have shattering her world now.
“Oh, you think I'm not Ana because I look better than you, right?”
“You,” she said, pointing a finger at me, “areAre not hotter than me!”
“Honestly, Kim, I could care less. But I am Ana. Would you like me to prove it?” I asked, gauging her reaction. Her expression changed; almost like she was worried.
Perfect!
“Hm-mmm, let’s see. You wet the bed till you were ten.” I began and held ten fingders in her direction. “You keep your diary under a loose floor board. When I was five, you broke dad’s golfing trophy and blamed me. You steal money from mom’s wallet every Tuesday. Shall I go on?” I asked, looking at Kim's beet-red face. Her anger skyrocketed, and she was shaking with rage. I must be hitting the spot which means I should keep going, right? Right.
“Ok, I’ll go on. You cheated on Jace with…” I didn't get to finish that sentence because Kim began screaming at the top of her lungs like a mad woman.
“ANA, YOU BITCH!” She shrieked seconds before charging. At least, she believed me now.
I stood motionless, waiting for the blow. Kim didn't disappoint. She hurled her body into mine and we both crashed to the ground. We rolled around on the hard pavement a few times before coming to a stop with crazy Kim on top of me, yelling and slapping me like a lunatic.
“I'LL KILL YOU!” She shouted, grabbing a fistful of my hair and slamming my head on the ground.
Ouch!
I swing my right fist out and punched her in the face. She fell off of me with an oomph! We both lay on our backs, panting for a minute, before she rose and attacked me again. Once more, we tumbled over each other, yelling and cursing.
“I hate you!” She hollered.
“I hate you, too. You slut!” I shouted back.
When our rolling stopped, I was straddling her. I took my hand and slapped the shit out of her. She gasped and stared at me for a second, completely stunned she was bitch-slapped. Not long after, she began swinging her fists at me. I dodged each blow easily. I lifted my hand to slap her again when I was forcible ripped away.
“Control yourself!” Seb whispered angrily in my ear while pulling me away. Two jocks had also intervened and held Kim back. The rest of the students were either laughing or filming it with their phones.
“I went easy on her Seb. You and I both know that.” I whispered to him while watching my sister try to claw her way back to me.
Her left eye was already starting to darken from the punch. Yeah, I went very easy on her. I could have easily broken all her limbs, but instead, I just slapped her around a bit. The maniac deserved more.
“You should have stayed gone, Ana! No one wants you here!” Kim threw the insults at me, still attempting to break the jocks’ hold on her.
I would be lying if I said her words didn't hurt. I looked around at my former classmates. Most of their faces were staring at me with a mixture shock, awe, and just-below-the-surface disgust. Even though I already had a new body, some of them still saw me as the old fat, loser Ana.
And it stung. I thought If I came back here, I would show them all how much better I was now. But was I? Had turning into a beautiful vampire essentially changed the loser inside? Or would I forever carry a piece of that insecurity with me.
“You’re better than this, Ana. Focus on the girl you became over the last two years,” Seb said softly to me.
I will never understand how he reads me so well. I wondered if he was one of my mates. What was I thinking?
Of course, he was! It was Seb. He always had a connection to me that I couldn't explain until now. He was right about one thing. I was different. And I won't hang my head and let these high school idiots intimidate me anymore!
I stood taller and hardened my gaze on all my tormentors. When they landed on Kim, I
almost smiled. Why? Because beneath that entire tough exterior, I could finally see it was her that was threatened by me! Imagine that.
“Hey, Kim!” I yelled “How does it feel?”
She gave me a confused face and I just chuckled “Let me clarify. How does it feel to see me now? You tried your best to keep me down because you were always afraid this would happen; that one day I would be better than you. But what you failed to realize was I was always better than you, and now I have the looks to top it off. Oh, and this, too.”
I yanked Jace to me and smashed my lips to his. His body stiffened, but I pressed my hand to the back of his head to keep him from moving. I had a point to prove.
Jace’s lips felt like silk against mine, and I tried not to get lost in this kiss and remember my anger towards him too. But it was hard.
I broke the kiss abruptly and freed Jace. Kim was screaming and doubling her efforts to get to me.
Two points, Ana!
I could see the evil glint in her eyes as she struggled, but I didn't care. She started this war over a boy, and I will show her I won't be easily taken down.
I sent her one last smile before I turned to walk away. The lousy hotel bed was calling me, along with the shower. My thoughts were interrupted by Bobby as he came to a halt in front of me.
“Piggy? Is that really you?” he asked with a confused smile. Oh, how I used to hate that name. I had to fight to keep myself from hissing at him and driving my fangs into his throat.
“Bobby, if you ever call me piggy again, I will rip your di…”
“Okay, enough. Bobby, why don't you run along now”, Jace said, stepping in between us.
Bobby looked Jace up and down for a moment before chuckling to himself.
“Always did have a soft spot for her huh, Thompson?” Bobby asked mockingly.
I couldn't see Jace’s face, but the tension in his body was enough for me to know he was pissed.
“Back off Bobby, or there will be another fight tonight.” Jace’s voice was deep and dangerous.
Even I wouldn't push him right now. Bobby held his hands up in surrender and jogged off.
Well, at least, that was over. That was until I tried to walk away and Jace’s strong hand on my wrist stopped me.
“Jace…”
“No, Ana, listen. Don't you ever do that to me again! I know you have your issues with your sister but never use me as a toy in your revenge on her. That's unfair to me because I have real feelings for you. Not to mention it's beneath you to act so childishly.”
Jace let go of my wrist. He looked sad and angry at the same time. My insides ached to see it. It was low of me to use him like that. That was totally wrong and so unlike me. Kim just really pissed me off, and I just felt like I had to hit her where it hurt.
“I'm sorry,” I said, but he only turned from me and walked towards the motel room.
Argh! I really messed that up.
“When I said you’re better than this, I expected you to show it.” Seb commented as he passed by me.
“Seb!” I called out after him. He also ignored me and continued walking. That was great! I managed to piss off both of my mates at the same time. I was doing such a great job with this. At this rate, they will reject me before I even had the chance to choose one of them. I wondered if I already blew it with the mysterious third mate. I didn’t even want to think about that right now. I just hoped for my sake I hadn’t met him yet. I stood there for a moment with my head to the sky, listening to the sounds of retreating cars.
“THIS ISNT OVER, ANA!” Kim shouted from somewhere behind me. I didn’t even dignify her with a verbal response and instead just sticked my middle fingers up. My emotions couldn’t take any more pressure tonight. I need to feed before I hyped out and rip everyone’s throat open. I was so drained that I couldn’t even feel my powers. I must be too exhausted to tap into them. The sound of more doors closing and tires screeching relaxed me slightly. At least they were leaving now.
“Hey! That was insane,” Simon said, bumping shoulders with me. The smile on my face at seeing him couldn’t be helped. His goofy grin, curly hair and witty comments always cheered me up.
“Yeah, you can say that,” I said, gazing back up to the night sky.
Simon laughed and headed back to the room. Marie offered a small smile before she, too, went inside. I was finally alone, or so I thought.
“That was AWESOME! You have such an exciting life,” Lily said as she bounced gleefully in front of me. Argh! When will I ever have a minute to just wind down?
“That girl was a bitch! I can’t believe she is your sister?! I am officially happy I followed you here,” Lily said, and I got the feeling she wasn’t picking up on my body language.
“Lily, can you head inside with the others? I need a minute.” I tried to sound as nice as I could, but I was really edgy. Luckily, she just nodded eagerly and pranced off. Gosh, what was I going to do with that girl?
My legs decided to give out on me, and I dropped to the ground on my knees. I knew my hunger was starting to catch up with me and fast. With everything that happened at Helia’s and then here, there had been no time to feed. I had so many things going on that keeping myself fed seemed like an impossible task. Out of nowhere my, fangs shot out of my gums. I could feel my pupils expand until nothing but darkness showed in my eyes. There was still a bag of blood in my duffel, but I couldn’t go into my motel while in this state.
I closed my eyes and concentrated hard on pushing my fangs back, but they wouldn’t budge. The forest wasn’t too far from here. I could hunt a deer or something. The only problem was animal blood made me sick. I shuddered at the memory of drinking it two years ago. I threw up blood so dark, it looked black for three days.
The sound of something hitting the groundcaught my attention. It was two bags of blood in front of me. I looked up to see who tossed them there and wasn’t surprised to see Seb standing a foot away with his arms crossed.
“Hurry and drink before anyone sees,” he said.
I quickly snatched the bags and savagely downed the contents in a matter of seconds. Every drop brought my body back to full force. I felt light and strong. Not to mention, it tasted wonderfully. If only Seb wasn’t watching, I would have licked the bags.
“Thanks.” I mumbled, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“You’re welcome. I thought you might need it. You looked a little off, and you didn’t hear me approach. Thats not good, Ana. You should always be on alert.” Seb lectured.
His rant reminded me of the hundred other ones he used to give me during training. I waved him off. Kim was lucky she was not fighting me now. Who knew how badly I would have beaten her with this renewed strength.
“Come on. You have something else to do,” Seb said, beginning to walk off.
“What else do I have to do at two a.m.?” I asked, half complaining.
He stopped and turned back to me with a serious face.
“You have to tell your friends you’re a vampire or leave them forever. Your choice, Ana.”
***
Kim
The next day
I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, more pissed than I had ever been in my entire life. My eye had a purple bruise around it, and my cheek was red from the bitch slap Ana gave me. I couldn’t believe my pathetic sister grew some balls and actually hit me! But the worst part was that Ana was back and she looked…looked…I couldn’t even finish my thought about my sister’s new figure. Because, then, I would have to admit that Ana looked good, and that was just something I would never do.
I hurriedly slammed on as much cover up as I could. Today, I didn’t want to be late for school. If Ana was there, I was going to beat her ass the second I saw her. Nobody made a fool out of me, especilly my loser of a sister that I had thought dead for the last two years.
The image of Ana and Jace kissing infuriated me so much, I almost fell while putting my dress on. I always wanted Jace to love me like
I loved him, but he was stuck on Ana. The blackmail didn’t really work. Sure, we kept up appearances like a couple, but I always knew Jace never truly loved me. And that only added gas to the fire. How could he possibly choose Ana?! She was a nothing; a nobody!
I finished getting ready and stormed downstairs into the kitchen for my morning apple
“Good morning…Oh, honey, what happened to your face?” My mother asked, all concerned.
I rolled my eyes.
“That would be compliments of your other daughter, Ana.” I sneered, snatching the apple from my mother’s hand. I watched my mother for a reaction, but when I didn’t get one, I knew exactly why.
“You knew she was back!” I accused.
She ignored me and went to the fridge ti pull out some eggs. I angrily strode up to her and knocked all the eggs out of her hand.
“Why are you always protecting her?!” She yelled in her mother’s face.
“I didn’t say anything to protect you both. Your hatred toward your sister is unnatural,” she said with sadness in her voice.
I didn’t care.
“What’s unnatural is loving one of your daughters more than the other!” Kim sniped.
“That not true! Or fair! I LOVE YOU BOTH EQUALLY!” she said, raising her voice for the first time in years.
I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Next time I see Analise, I’ll kill her. Now clean this mess up before I call dad,” I said venomously before walking out of the kitchen.
As I left the house, I could hear the small sounds of my mother sobbing. Like usual, I ignored it and hopped into my car, determined to get to school.
Once I was at school, I searched everywhere for Ana, but there was no sign of her. Well, she had to show up sometime or I would have to go back to that shitty motel for round two.
Grudgingly, I walked with Josie to first-period class. We took our usual seats in the back as people began to gossip about what happened last night. For once, I didn’t join in, especially when a few people started gushing about how gorgeous Ana was now. One evil look from me had them shutting up their mouths.
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 24