“What did I fail Acacia? Tell me?!” I demanded, shaking her a little. For a brief moment, the madness left her eyes, and she just looked like a sad woman; lonely, tired and so very sad.
“Celeste didn't bond with Erebus even though he didn't let her go. But he chose to have a son with another. Years later, the mark was passed to his son without Erebus knowing because no one knew you existed, but the son knew and he never told his father...” She trailed off, stopping as if reliving the story in her mind..
If my heart could beat, it would have been banging right now.
“What are you saying?” I asked, but it was more of a confirmation.
The queen slowly turned her head and locked eyes with me.
“I’m saying little Celeste that the son in the story is Ferox, and he was one of your three true mates.”
***
Cassandra
I launched into air at the same time as Catalina. We collided into each other before crashing to the ground and rolling off from one another. Before the Princess could stand, I jumped on top, straddling her. I then ripped off a blade strapped to my thigh, and swiftly attempted to drive it into Cata’s chest. The Princess was just as fast, and she quickly latched onto the blade before it made impact.
Using her flexibility, Catalina kicked me in the back of the head, causing me to lose grip on the knife. The Princess didn't stop her assault there. She punched me hard across the face, knocking me to the ground. I tried to get up, but Catalina repeatedly kicked me in the core.
“So tell me,” Catalina taunted. She slowly circled me while continuously kicking my face and everywhere else to keep me down. “How did it feel that night when you walked in on me making sweet love to your mate?”
She hit me again. “He enjoyed it, you know.”
She whispered into my ear. “He was begging for more”
She was too full of herself for thinking she already won. She regretted that moments later when she didn’t see the throwing star that I palmed in my hand.
I started laughing. “Even though he fucked you, I can guarantee he was thinking about me.”
I caught the Princess by surprise as I shoved the star deep into her abdomen. Catalina screamed, falling on her back and clutching her bleeding stomach. The platinum star was so deep inside her that only one small point could be seen on the outside. Cata tried to pull it out, but the blood and pain made it even harder to grab onto. Soon, the poison would kill her.
Kellan had finished killing the guards he was tangling with and swiftly made his way over to me.
“Are you okay?” He asked as he helped me to my feet. Before I even had a chance to reply, Kellan was ripped away and thrown so hard, he practically flew across the room and crashed through the wall.
I didn't even need to look up to know who it was that tossed my lover aside. I smelled him the minute I walked in to this terrible place. My only hope was I didn't have to face him. It was too late now.
“My love.” Maximus said softly. Those two simple words were filled with so much sadness and longing, it nearly broke my still heart.
“Maximus.” I replied as coldly as I could. When I gazed at him, it hit me hard how much I missed him. His betrayal tore me apart. It was the reason I agreed to help the Queen and Marcos run away all those years ago. I wanted to go, too; to get away from my love who crushed my world.
“I've missed you so much.” He said gently as he touched my cheek.
For a second, I let myself melt into his touch and enjoy the sensations that only he could give me
It was a second I would live to regret.
Although the princess was severely wounded, she was far from dead.
While we were lost in our reunion, Catalina had removed her gloves.
The Princess sprang up and pressed her misty white hand with its emitting its toxin on the side of Maximus’ face.
“NO!!” I cried.
Maximus instantly became paralyzed, and thick black veins began to roll through his body and face.
“I don't mean to come between you two, or do I…” Catalina taunted, adding insult to injury.
I launched to my feet, hissing ferociously.
“I'LL KILL YOU!” I roared.
“Try and your next.” Catalina replied, waving her ungloved smoky white hands.
It didn't matter anymore. I wasn't leaving until the bitch was dead.
“If I die tonight, then so will you!” I ran at full speed toward the Princess but Kellan swooped in at the last second and grabbed me.
He ran as fast as he could out of the blood castle with his mistress in his arms.
“I’m sorry, mistress, but I won’t let you die.”
“NO, NO, NO! TAKE ME BACK! I HAVE TO KILL HER!” I screamed over and over, not realizing that I was already crying.
The only thing I could see was Maximus’ dying face, and the gloating one of the Princess.
This isn’t over. I cried. It was far from over. I would destroy Catalina if it was the last thing I would do
***
Ana
That couldn't be true. Ferox? My mate? No way!
“No, that can't be true.” I said out loud, but it was to convince myself more than anyone.
“Of course it is! Ferox was marked the day you were born because he was the next most powerful vampire alive and direct descendent to the rejected Erebus. He never told Erebus because he had a plan of his own.” The Queen said lowly.
“If he knew he was my mate then why did marry you and have children?” I asked. If what she told me was true then Ferox must not have wanted to be one of my mates anyway.
“Because you never showed up! For centuries, he waited for you, but you never came! Ferox needed power. He craved it like his father. Finally, he thought you were dead so he came for me!” She shouted, getting more irate.
“Why you?” I pushed. I wanted all the information I could get from her while she was focused enough to give it.
“Because I had power! I was one of the four season witches of Nexus. I was winter. My sisters…oh, my sweet sisters…Autumn, Spring and Summer. They are gone now.” She said sadly as more icy tears escaped her eyes. “I loved being a witch. I should have listened to my sisters. After the war, and Celeste was killed, all the supernaturals fled from Nexus, but I stayed. It was home. And that was where Ferox found me and forced me to become a vampire. He thought mating with me would give him access to my power, but it didn't because I wasn't his true mate. You don't know how it feels to have the very thing that makes you who you are ripped away from you. I lost my natural magic and ability to cast spells when I changed. The only thing I had left was this,” she said as she formed icicles from her fingertips. “Witches turning into vampires are one of the greatest crimes to our kind. The only thing that was worse is becoming a dark witch. I would have preferred that than to be this blood-sucking monster! My own family shunned me!” She screamed.
Acacia stood, and I noticed for the first time her skin was changing in color. It was becoming translucent, almost transforming entirely. But what concerned me most was her story. The things she had been through are worse than anything I can imagine. Ferox took everything from her all because he was power-hungry. Maybe she was right, and I failed her. Now, it was time for me to make it right or as much as I could, anyway.
“Acacia, let me help you get out of here,” I said gently. I knew I had enough power to blast the wall down, which meant so did Ferox, and I was sure it won't be long before the guards alerted him that they weren’t making real progress getting through the ice.
“I had no choice but to live the life he forced me into or die.” She continued like I hadn’t said a word. “So I became his Queen. I became Acacia. I followed his rules and had his children. When Cassius was born, I hid his mark. It didn't work for long. Ferox found out that the mark passed to Cassius and went mad because that meant you were still alive somewhere! Ferox grew more evil and began searching for powerful witches. He had to have more po
wer. He changed humans and forced them to be guards. One of those guards was Marcos; my true mate and love. Now he, too, has left me...”
The Queen was getting more hysterical now, and I knew that she had slipped into her crazed grief-filled mind again. That was all the information I was getting from her. There wasn't any time left to talk. Jace had created a flame, and I could see the orange embers sliding on the other side of the ice. Behind Acacia, there was another commotion as the guards moved away from the wall. Ferox was here.
“I'm going to take this ice down and then we’re getting out of here.” I told her as static pops sounded around us. Acacia mumbled to herself while taking off her clothes. I really didn't have time to stop her. Instead, I placed my hand along the corner of the wall.
“Get back!” I shouted at Seb and Jace and hoped they heared. Their blurred bodies retreated, and I released my kinetic ability. The beautiful blue sparks danced along the ice smoothly before shattering it into millions of pieces.
Hurriedly, I turned back to the Queen, ready to throw her over my shoulder if I had to, but the sight of her stopped me in my tracks. Acacia had fully transformed her body into a magnificent ice crystal. She looked exactly like an ice sculpture of immaculate detail. It was a scary yet amazing sight. I could actually see through her body, and the only thing that wasn't ice was her red eyes.
“Ana, we have to go now!” Seb grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the ice Queen, but I continued to be in a trance as I stared at her.
“Oh my goodness. It's the winters witch.” Jace said, looking and sounding just as amazed as I felt watching her. Two long sharp icicles formed in both her hands right as a blast of red light took down the other wall.
“We shall be together again, my love.” The Queen whispered.
Ferox, Cassius, and dozens of guards poured into the hallway. Acacia looked back at me one last time and smiled before charging at Ferox, icicles levitating on top of her hands and around her.
Everything was happening so fast, I felt like I had no control. Jace and Seb were pulling me away. I could break their hold easily, but to do so would harm them, and I would never do that. The King and Queen were fighting so elegantly and smoothly, it looked rehearsed.
Swing and dodge. Hit and block. Over and over, they attacked each other.
Cassius kept glancing between the fight and me. He was heavily torn between helping his mother and coming after me. But instead of making a decision, he seemed stuck, almost in his own trance. However, I didn't miss the fury in his eyes as he looked between Seb and Jace.
The guards also took notice of us getting away and began to pursue. Right before we turned the corner out of sight, Ferox had gotten the advantage on Acacia. He had one glowing red hand wrapped around her throat and he then used the other to viscously punch through her chest, right where her heart lay.
“NO!” Both Cassius and I screamed, but it was too late. Ferox drove his molten red fist into Acacia, smashing her heart with his whole arm going through her back.
But the look of victory in his expression was soon replaced with agony.
Acacia, still holding her makeshift blades, used the last of her strength to force the pointed objects into his sides. Ferox’s eyes widened in surprise by her final act against him. The last image I saw was of Acacia’s limp ice body crashing to the floor and shattering like glass.
Seb and Jace brought me into a room that I recognized was Cassius’.
“Ana, focus, we have to get out here.” Seb said gently, taking my face into his hands. The warm sensations instantly brought me out of my stupor.
“She didn’t deserve to die. I should have saved her, Seb.” I admitted sadly. Seeing two deaths in one night was taking a toll on me. I felt weak and useless, not to mention guilty.
“Ana, there was nothing you could do that wouldn’t result in your death and ours too.” Seb replied.
“He’s right.” Jace added while casting some spell to keep the guards from entering the room.
But he didn’t cast it fast enough.
The door flew off the hinges, flying across the room, nearly taking Jace with it.
However, it wasn’t the guards who had stormed into the room. It was Cassius.
His red eyes blazed with a fury that couldn’t be described.
Chapter 44
Deep Blue Sea
Catalina
I heard Cassandra’s screams of revenge even after the ebony-skinned vampire took her away. The pain and fury of her voice alone left me on edge. This piece of unfinished business needed to be handled immediately. More guards had finally entered the destroyed execution room and rushed to my side.
“Find me Raven. Now!” I ordered. Exhaustion had me losing my balance and falling to one knee. Cassandra did a great job of shoving the platinum star deep into my core. The poison was working its way through my body, killing me slowly. Lucky for me, it was only one star or I’d already been dead.
A few guards flew off following to follow my orders while another helped me to my feet. In less than a minute, the Goth-clothed witch came strolling into the room, assessing the scene
“Hello, Princess. You called for me.” Raven spoke.
“Where have you been?! All hell is breaking loose, and you’re nowhere in sight!” I yelled. It caused me to cough and spit up blood.
“I’m sorry, Princess. I have been handling other important matters…”
“Shut up! I don’t care. Just get this damn thing out of me!” I ordered, grasping my bleeding core.
Raven tilted her veiled head to the side curiously, apparently taking in the damage. Slowly, the dark witch stepped closer to me and held her hand directly in front of the wound.
“AHH!” I screamed as the star began moving and scraping my insides. In a flash, it shot out of my stomach, landing right into Raven’s hand.
The witch curled her fingers around the bloody weapon.
“Couldn’t you have found a less painful solution? Where’s my father?” I asked angrily. Slowly, the hole began to heal, and I could feel my strength coming back.
“My apologies. Your father is in his study. Your mother…” Raven was stopped short by the death glare I gave her “Excuse me. I mean, Acacia is dead, but she did manage to wound your father before he finished her. Not to worry, it was only minor injuries.”
“Good. At least that’s one problem solved. Now send some guards after that red-head whore, and bring her back to me alive so I can kill her myself” I spat before waving Raven off. I didn’t care much for the witch, but I understood my father’s purpose for having her around. Dark witches could do things vampires couldn’t. It was as simple as that, and in the vampire world, only the powerful reigned supreme.
I replaced my gloves, and the remaining guards left the room with me as I headed to my father’s study. Anger at the way the night went was all I felt. This was supposed to be the easy part. But, of course, Acacia and Cassandra ruined it; the way they ruined everything before. At least one of them isn’t around to disrupt anything else anymore. A small smile played on my lips. Finally, Acacia was dead. No remorse or regret was felt on my part.
I turned the corner, heels clicking on the hardwood floor. I was so determined to get to my father, I almost ran right into Gwyn wh came around the corner in the opposite direction.
“Oh, hello, Princess. I was just speaking with Ferox.” The council leader stared at me with love in her eyes. I wanted to gag.
“And?” I replied rudely. Gwyn looked startled by my hostility, but she kept her composure.
“Can I speak to you? Alone?” Gwyn asked, looking pointedly at the guards behind the me. They took the hint and dismissed themselves.
“Are you okay?” She added, gently taking my gloved hand into hers.
“Yes.” I replied, snatching my hand back. “Is there anything else, Gwyndolyn ?”
The hurt look on Gwyn’s face couldn’t be mistaken. Still, i regarded her with distaste.
“Why are you bei
ng this way? Did I do something wrong?” Gwyn asked almost pleadingly.
I rolled her eyes. This whole thing was starting to annoy me, and things that annoyed me usually didn’t live long.
“Gwyn, I’ve had a very long day, and your blocking my way to my father.” I replied, folding my arms across my chest.
“Your father is fine. He just sent me to find Cassius and his mate so I could bring them to him. That gives us time to talk,” Gwyn said. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. Where’d you run and hide when Acacia lost her mind?” The accusatory tone of my voice couldn’t be missed.
“I’m a council leader. Therefore, I had to get myself and the rest of the council to safety.” Gwyn explained, defending her actions.
I huffed.
“Damn the council. It’s a joke anyway. The only reason there is a council is so that we can appear to be fair and just amongst other vampires. The royals’ protection is all that truly matters.” I arrogantly informed her.
“I’m sorry that you feel that way. The council is impor…”
“I don’t care! What do you want, Gwyn? Because this is a waste of my time.” I interrupted angrily
“I want to know why you are treating me this way? Is it because I didn’t stay and fight?” Gwyn asked fearfully.
This time, I had had enough. It was time for Gwyn to know exactly how I felt. This game had gone on far too long, and I was bored of it.
“Okay, Gwyndolyn. You want to know why? I’ll tell you why. It’s because you’re pathetic,” I said maliciously.
Gwyn gasped
“Pathetic?” She questioned, shocked “How can you say that to me?”
“Easy. Because it’s true. You’re also sad, desperate, and weak. Truth is, at first, this was just a test…” I began as I walked a slow circle around the silent Gwyn. “I wanted to see if I could succeed where everyone else, including my brother, had failed; to see if the cold, stern Gwyn could be bedded. And guess what?” I paused, lips inches away from Gwyn’s left ear. “She could. It was so easy. So I took it a step further by seeing if I could melt that cold heart and make you fall in love again. That was more of a challenge, but still, not impossible. To be honest, I thought it’d be harder.” I chuckled as I stood directly in front of Gwyn.
Pure: A Paranormal Romance Page 48