Never mind.
“I told you witches don’t do that.” I replied, annoyed by her again.
“So that’s what they call you,” Kim said, walking closer to us.
I straightened up and Lily rolled her eyes.
“Yes, I’m a witch.” I replied defensively. I scanned the area, and noticed a few people missing. “Where’s Seb, Marie and Bobby?”
Kim shrugged nonchalantly. “Hulk guy said they were going to check out any sign of vampires, and Bobby was eager to join. He said you and I could check over those boulders.”
She pointed to a mountain of rocks a hundred yards down the beach. I wasn’t sure I could trust what Kim was saying, but I looked around and didn’t see any sign of Seb.
“Are you scared? Or do you need to wait for Seb’s permission?” Kim taunted with a smirk on her face.
I narrowed my eyes at her and hefted my bag of weapons over my shoulder.
“Wait, you’re not going with her alone, right?” Lily questioned, disbelieving.
“Jace never complained about being alone with me before.” Kim remarked offhandedly.
“No one asked you. So shut it before I get Marie and her shiny gun.” Lily countered with her own smirk.
Kim hissed, flashing her fangs. I stepped in between them before things got any worse.
“I’ll be fine, Lily. Tell Seb where we went and stay with Simon.” I said, thumbing a finger at my curly-headed friend who was still arguing with his mom. Lily looked like she wanted to protest, but she just gave Kim the finger and walked away.
“That mouth of hers is going to get her killed” Kim snapped as we watched Lily sashay away.
“Can it, Kim.” I snapped and walked off towards the rocks.
Not long after Kim, fell into step alongside me. The walk was silent; one thing I was thankful for. Once they reached the boulders, I realized they looked smaller from farther away. The only way to get a good view would be to climb over them. Dusting off my hands, I began climbing. Kim’s vampire abilities made climbing the slippery rocks look like a walk in the park.
“Why are you trying to save her?” Kim asked, breaking the silence.
I stuck my foot in a groove in the rock and lifted myself up.
“Because I love her.”
“I’m sure she hates you by now. I mean, you did date me and ignore her for years.” Kim recalled.
I was so angry with her comment, I almost lost my grip on the rock.
“That was all your fault!” I snapped.
Kim laughed
“Keep telling yourself that, but I never forced you to stay with me.” She moved up the rock and past me with ease
“Blackmail is force.” I spat
“You’re an idiot!” She laughed “What would I have told people? I saw you floating rocks and dirt when we were kids? Who would have believed me?”
Her announcement cut through me, making me stop my movements. All those years, and she was basically telling me she was bluffing the whole time! Unbelievable! And equally devastating.
“You bitch!” I shouted when I regained my composure.
All the suffering I watched Ana endure so I could keep my family secrets was all for nothing. Kim never planned to tell.
“Aww, don’t be mad baby. I had a lot of fun.” Kim teased.
She had made it to the top and sat, swinging her legs back and forth as she watched me continue to climb.
“You’re evil, and you’ll pay for this, Kim.” I sneered, trying to get to the top a little faster now.
“You trusting me then wasn’t the biggest mistake you made.” She whispered.
I was almost to the top now; just a few more steps.
“Your biggest mistake is trusting me now.”
I looked up just in time to see Kim’s foot hurtle right to his face. It was too late to dodge it or react properly in anyway. The force of the blow cracked my nose and caused me to lose my grip on the rock. The last thing I saw was Kim’s victorious smile as my body tumbled to the ground and everything went black.
Chapter 40
Before the Feast
Gwyn
I watched with mild interest as the human wait staff shuffled about the large dining area, decorating and setting the table with food only fit for a king. Tonight was the feast before the execution, and it was sure to be a grand one.
“What is that?!” I demanded when a male waiter tried to pass me quickly. The man froze in place, fear clouding his features. He was dressed the way all the servants were this evening; black button down and slacks with a bright red bow tie.
“Uh, its-its, uh, ba-bal.” The man was so afraid that he could barely speak.
I hardened my already cold features and pinned him with a death glare.
“Are those balloons?” I sneered, already knowing the response.
The poor human looked down at the multicolored unfilled bands in his hands shakily. I didn’t give him the chance to respond, and instead smacked the lot of them from his quivering palms.
“This isn’t a fucking birthday party! It’s an execution feast!”
By the end of her rant, the man was as pale as the moon that glinted through the large floor-to-ceiling windows. My fangs were exposed which probably only added to his fear. He tried to pick the balloons up quickly if only to get away from her.
“Someone’s in a bad mood tonight.” A very distinctively pitched and equally annoying voice spoke from behind. Gathering my cold calmness, I turned gracefully around to face Lord Henry.
He looked as he always did; creepy. The long dark beard and eyebrows stuck out tremendously against his fair skin. For this evening, he chose to wear a royal blue suit and matching tie. Henry was also a council member with a status almost as high as her own. Although, now that Maximus had returned, that may change soon. Lord Henry eyed me up and down with big lustful eyes like he always did. He happened to be one of my many male suitors who believed that they still had a chance with the icy vamp. If they only knew how untrue that was.
I forced more coldness into my gaze to ward him off.
“It has been a tiring day, even for a vampire.” She replied with a detached politeness.
“Well, you look extravagant. Green is a great color for you, my dear.” Henry complimented, taking my hand and kissing it ever so gently.
I had to fight not to snatch my wrist and backhand him. Maybe, one day, I can convince Catalina, my love, to give him a nice firm handshake, gloves off.
“Was there something else I could do for you?” I asked through clenched teeth. The servants continued to hustle past us in preparation for the dinner that due to start shortly.
“The Queen has been awoken.” Lord Henry stated pleasantly “She has been fed but not enough to give her real strength per the King’s orders. She hasn’t spoken a word”
Lord Henry sounded confused about the Queen’s behavior. I fought back a smile. Things were going in the right direction. Once Marcos was killed, I was willing to bet money that the Queen would lose it and create a perfect distraction for little Miss Analise to escape. The combination of events would make Cassius furious and uncontrollable, therefore, leading the King to make Catalina the next heir; exactly where the princess belonged with me at her side of course.
“Excuse me, Lord Henry,” I said respectfully. I needed to find my lover and share the exciting news. However, knowing Cata, she probably already knew. Also, it was time to clue in Analise on exactly how she was to escape the blood castle.
***
Ana
The words Cassius spoke to his father chilled me. History repeating itself. What did he mean? I had an idea, but I wanted to know for sure what was going on. Cassius continued to carry me awayfrom his father’s office, but before he reached the stairs, I stopped him.
“I can walk now,” I said quietly.
Cassius’ red eyes snapped down to me, searching. After an intense moment of examining me, he nodded and placed me on my feet. The way he did it with so m
uch care had me rethinking my earlier thoughts of the Prince. Maybe there was a good guy underneath all that bad boy charm.
My legs tingled unpleasantly, but I ignored it and stood tall.
“What was that about? With your father and the history repeating thing?” I asked curiously.
Cassius studied me for a moment as if thinking how much he should tell me. Finally, his shoulders slumped and he gave in.
“My grandfather was rejected by his mate. The same thing happened with my mother. My father believes that it’ll only happen with me too.” Cassius explained, looking almost sad.
The expression made my chest tighten.
“Your mother rejected your father after she already had his child?” That was unusual to me, but I did just find out my mother married her mate before officially rejecting him.
“Children. And yes, she did. No one knew exactly what happened or why but three hundred years ago, my mother supposedly fell in love with a guard member by the name of Marcos. They decided to run away together and received help from my father’s assistant, Cassandra. The plan was foiled when Marcos’ brother, Maximus, blew the lid off the whole thing. The two were punished and exiled.” Cassius told the story with a blank face. He was saying the words, but he didn’t feel them. My guess was he didn’t believe them either. I would have asked more questions if I hadn’t been so stunned by Marcos’ involvement in all this.
Marcos! Marcos. In love with the Queen? It was hard to imagine my former captor capable of love, but maybe that explained why he wanted to kill the King, and more importantly, why he needed me to do it.
“Hello, brother.” A feminine sly voice said, snapping me from my thoughts of Marcos.
I turned my attention to a girl who’d suddenly appeared in front of us, blocking the stairs. I disn’t know when she got there, but she must have been fast because I didn’t even hear her approach. At first glance, she was beautiful, but then it changed.
Her face was milky perfection, hard and angular. Slick brown hair was pulled away from her face into a tight ponytail that danced down her back. She wore what looked like a shiny black cat suit that clung to her perfect body like a second skin. Yes, this girl was attractive, but the calculating look in her red eyes and the slight snarl of her lip turned that beauty into something sinister. It was something I instantly didn’t trust. I glanced at Cassius who had tensed since she popped up. His fists were balled, and his eyes burned into her.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Princess Catalina, Cassius’ younger sister.” The princess spoke in sugary sweetness while sticking out her gloved hand.
I raised my brow at it. Why would she be wearing gloves indoors? Besides, as far as I knew, vamps didn’t get cold unless platinum was pumping through, threating to kill them.
“I’m Analise or Ana for short.” I replied, reaching for her hand. Cassius smacked it away before we made contact.
What the heck?
“What do you want, Cat?” He sneered with an anger I didn’t see coming. Clearly, there was some brother-sister issue.
Cat only smiled arrogantly at her brother.
“Only to tell you that our mother is awake and the execution is tonight at midnight. In case you weren’t aware of the schedule change.” She taunted.
Cassius surprised me by lurching forward at her. Catalina must have seen this coming because she used her vampire speed to get out of dodge; somehow ending up in the place Cassius was previously occupying next to me. Yeah, these two seriously have issues, but why?
“Now, now, brother, you wouldn’t want to upset me while I’m standing so close to your little mate.” Catalina hinted slowly, pulling the tip of the glove on her right hand as if she were going to take them off. It dawned on me that her words were threats, and because of it, I took a few steps away, more defensive now. I didn’t know what was going on, but if she involved me, I would make her regret it.
So we all stood there in an awkward semi-circle watching each other except Cassius never took his red eyes off his sister. I noticed how his expression was anger, but hers was eagerness. It was as if this was giving her some kind of thrill. Weird. Warning bells went off in my head about the Princess. I would definitely be keeping my eye on her.
The sound of heels clicking on the tile floor diverted all our attention to a new arrival. Gwyn strolled gracefully into sight, carrying her usual cold and distant beauty.
“Hope I’m not intruding,” she said smoothly, stopping just outside of our impromptu circle. “Good evening, Prince and Princess.”
She spoke formally with a stiff nod to each of them, but her eyes lingered on Catalina a second longer than they should have. Interesting.
“I have just come to take Analise to get changed into a more suitable attire for this evening’s dinner and events.” Gwyn stated.
Cassius waved her off dismissively, still in an intense eye lock with his sister. Before I could say anything otherwise, Gwyn yanked my hand and practically dragged me up the spiral stairs. I looked back once more to see what was going to happen between them, but they still only shot hateful glares at each other. Geez, his relationship with his sister was almost as bad as mine, except if I was standing that close to Kim, I was sure she wouldn’t be staring at me, but rather, try to kill me.
Gwyn was walking at quick pace, almost excitedly. I easily fell into step beside her. I had a theory about her, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to call her out on it. Yet. So I chose a different approach as we reached the top.
“Why do they hate each other.” I asked. No need to explain who “they” were. She knew exactly who I was talking about.
“Mainly because of their mother’s betrayal. Cassius didn’t agree with her punishment, and Cata pushed for it. The Princess won, of course.” She explained while trying to maintain a blank face.
Too bad, I could see the ice cracking. We turned into one of the many long corridors, heading to what I assumed was the guest room she had previously taken me.
“What kind of daughter would want her own mother punished? No wonder Cassius hates her. She’s evil.” I remarked.
Before I barely finished my sentence, Gwyn attacked me. With lightning speed, she had me pressed against the wall, baring her fangs and hissing fiercely on my face.
“Cassius is a whore and spoiled mama’s boy! Cata does what needs to be done so shut your mouth!” Gwyn snarled.
Bingo! I knew I had to get a reaction out of her to prove my theory. I just didn’t know it would be so easy.
“You’re in love with the Princess.” I accused.
Her face paled, and she instantly backed off of me. Gwyn tried to mold her icy demeanor back into place, but it was too late. The ice was cracked, and her reaction to my insult only thawed it more. Instead of replying to my accusation, she turned on her heel and headed down the hall once more. If she thought she was getting off that, easy she was wrong.
“So how does your love for the princess fit into your plan of becoming queen? Please do tell.” I laughed. I wasn’t teasing her. Well, not much, but it was a sticky situation. Trying to marry the brother while being secretly in love with the sister? Yeah, I’ll stick to my three-mate issue any day.
Gwyn halted and spun to face me.
“I’m the one trying to help you right now, so I suggest you shut your mouth about my personal affairs and do what I say.” She snapped before entering the room with the red door.
Well, she didn’t disagree with me which meant I was right. Of course, it wasn’t hard to put together where affection truly lied because, the second she looked at Catalina, I saw in her eyes what I had seen in mine: the look of a girl helplessly in love.
Deciding to drop the matter, I grudgingly followed her into the massive guest room. Everything was in perfect order like I was never in the room at all. The house keepers around here are really great with their jobs. The cleaners changed the sheets on the bed to ones of a light shade of pink. Gwyn disappeared into the walk-in closet, and I flopped on the bed,
listening to her rummaging and soft curses. Ignoring her cursing my name for figuring out her secret, I rested on the comfy bed. My body was on the brink of exhaustion. The King had some serious power and so did his witch, Raven. If I were to face them, I definitely needed to prepare more. Right now, I was seriously in need of a blood boost. Hopefully, this dinner included more than just normal food. Before my thoughts could run even further away, Gwyn was peered over me.
“Do you want to sleep or know my plan for you escape?” She asked sarcastically.
I grunted and sat up. “I want blood. But go ahead with your plan.”
“You’ll get blood at dinner after I get you out of that ridiculous outfit. As for my plan, it’s simple. After tonight’s events, the queen will go insane. She’ll cause a scene, and during that time, you will slip away. Once you’re out of sight, run back up to Cassius room’ and jump out his window.”
I only stared at her.
“Cassius’ window is the only weak part of the spell. If you break through, it you will land in the ocean and outside of Raven’s cloak without alerting her. Cassius uses it when he wants to leave unannounced.”
A thrill shot through me. I could very well be getting out of here in just a few hours; finally getting back to my friends and my love. The moment I see him, my true mate, I was declaring my love for him. There was no holding back anymore. I was ready.
As I thought about my escape, a question came to mind.
“Why is the queen going to go insane? And what event is happening tonight anyway?” I asked. I should have asked these things earlier, but I had enough going on in my head.
Gwyn had already walked back into the large spacious closet. It didn’t matter. Even if I whispered, she would have heard me. A second later, she came back to the bed with a dress in hand.
“Tonight will be the execution of the Queen’s lover, Marcos. He will die and she will be forced to watch…”
***
Simon
“Bye mom!” I shouted into the phone and pressed the end button before she could argue any more. I wondered if I could have her committed for her major overreactions. Sure, I hadn’t been home in a while, but I’d been sending texts to let her know I was safe. Too bad, she didn’t see it that way. She assumed I’d been kidnapped and the criminal had been sending her the messages. Sometimes, my mother could be a real pain.
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 43