Pure: A Paranormal Romance

by D. L. McKinsey

  “No, this is more than just revenge. I do want something, and it’s not to be King. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about being King. Besides, my father hadn’t named an heir to the throne so in the event of his death, it would be his killer that would become the next King.” Cassius stated, taking a small step closer.

  I watched him carefully.

  “Then what do you want?” I couldn’t think of any more reasons Cassius would have for wanting to help. Power was usually all what vampires wanted. That and blood, sex, and revenge.

  “I want the necromancer. I want Zara, the girl the three-eyed witch harbors.” Cassius admitted.

  I was stunned speechless. Had this vampire lost his mind? Everyone knew that necromancers didn’t exist anymore. They were killed off long before the war on Nexus even began. The better question was why did he think Zara was a necromancer?

  “Are you serious? Necromancers no longer exist, and why do you think Cora’s granddaughter is one of them anyway? She’s just a kid.” I didn’t understand what Cassius could possibly be thinking, but I also knew Cora would kill the vamp if it got anywhere near Zara. Hell, he himself wasn’t allowed to meet the little girl until a couple of years ago.

  “Don’t look at me like I’m a fool. I know Celeste had all the necromancers killed long ago, but I did some research and rumor has it, Hildegarde, your great great grandmother helped one escape. No one has been successful in finding the necromancer, but a very reliable source assured me that Zara could be one.” Cassius stated, quite sure of himself.

  I couldn’t make sense of this. I didn’t know much about necromancers, but if Zara was one, I was sure my grandmother would know and would tell him. Right? The longer I thought about it, the more I doubt seeped in. Helia had many secrets. After all, she knew who Ana was all these years and never said a word to me about it. So was it so hard to believe that she would hide a necromancer from me?

  “It’s not possible. Zara is just a kid. Your source must be wrong.” I tried to be firm in my reasoning, but I could hear the doubt in my own voice.

  “I take it you don’t know much about necromancers. They always take the form of a child; never an infant or an adult. Have you seen this girl as a baby? Better yet, have you seen her age?” Cassius questioned me as he stepped closer.

  I searched my brain for a response and came up empty. Yes, Cora kept photos in the house, but none were of Zara as a baby. I also had to admit that Zara didn’t look any different than the first time I met her, but was that enough proof she was a necromancer? No, because it wouldn’t make sense why Cora, a light witch, would protect her. Necromancers didn’t have souls. This just didn’t make sense.

  “I still believe you have the wrong one.” I affirmed.

  “Very well. I’m not a hundred percent certain she’s the right one either. There is a test however. Use your power as a witch and demand for the necromancer to reveal itself. Say Et ordeno que revelar altaveu mort and place a drop of your blood on her forehead. Because you’re supernatural, she will be forced to show you who she is. If it doesn’t work, then we have the wrong girl and you are on your own against my father.” Cassius ended simply

  “Et ordeno que revelar altaveu mort?” I repeated. “What language is that?”

  “Catalan, a romance language rumored to be what necromancers used to speak to the dead; one of the many languages they are required to answer to as well.” Cassius replied.

  Could I really do this? Smear blood on a little girl’s head for a test? I thought about what Cassius had offered. We would need the help if the King came for Ana. Going up against five thousand vampires alone would end in their immediate death. Cassius only offered a thousand, but it was a thousand more than they had. But if Zara was a necromancer, what did Cassius want with her? Did he want to kill her? Or use her? What was the vampire really planning?

  “I can see the hesitation in you. How about I sweeten the deal? If the girl is who I think she is, not only will I aide you in your fight, I will also make sure that Ana’s mate doesn’t live to see another day. His life will end on the battlefield.” Cassius offered with a devious smirk on his face.

  I gasped. “You’d kill Seb?”

  “Yes. If that’s what you want. Your hands would be clean, and what’s better, Analise would be free for you to claim. This way, we both end up with something we want. I’ll have my necromancer, and you’ll have your girl.” Cassius ended with a smile.

  Kill Seb? With Seb dead, Ana would be devastated, and if she found out, I’d struck a deal with Cassius to ensure that, she would never forgive me.

  But on the other hand, I would finally have a chance to win her heart again. I could be the shoulder for her to cry on as she worked through her grief.

  Decisions, decisions.

  But the real question was…

  Was I capable of condemning Seb to death?

  “So what will it be? Partners?” Cassius inquired, sticking his hand out, waiting for my response.

  Chapter 52

  Revealed

  Ana

  “It was you. You told Ferox where to find her. You gave him Acacia. You’re the reason she’s dead now.” I spat as I clenched my fist. Acacia’s death was unjust. I didn’t really know her, but I knew she didn’t deserve what happened to her.

  Helia’s eyes hardened as she pinned me with a stare. “We did what was best for all the witches, not just one. When you take the throne, Analise, and I know you will, one day, you will see what terrible sacrifices will have to made to protect the ones you lead.” Helia bit out through clenched teeth. Her eyes spoke of more pain than I could ever know. There were so many secrets behind those old eyes, I wondered if I would ever fully trust her.

  “Uh, who is Acacia?” Marie asked from her seat on the couch.

  “I read about her.” Simon spoke up, flipping through the old book Helia gave me. He stopped after reaching the page he was searching for. “Here it is. Acacia, the last born in a set of quadruplets grew up as one of the season witches of Nexus with her sisters. Her season was winter, giving her the control and ability to manipulate ice. Her true name was…”

  “Neeva.” Helia chimed in, cutting Simon off. “Neeva is her birth name. After she married Ferox and was turned into a vampire, he changed her name to Acacia, the new vampire Queen. I don’t need you to repeat the story to me young man. I lived it. Neeva was my friend, and it was a difficult choice to make.”

  She took her seat in the rocking chair, slowly swinging back and forth as she submerged herself in thoughts of the past. She was right about one thing. I din’t understand the choice she made, and I hoped I would never have to because losing a friend would destroy me.

  “We need to get back to making a plan for Ferox’s attack.” Seb stated, breaking the silence to refocus us.

  Looking at Helia, I knew she wasn’t going to say anything else about it. It was tragic what happened to Acacia, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Her killer was after me next, and I had to make sure I was ready to take him down before he killed me or worse.

  “He’s right. We don’t have much time.” A new voice added.

  We all whipped our heads to the far side of the room leading to the kitchen. Standing there, looking more calm than I’d last seen him, was Jace. He must have come in through the back door in the kitchen.

  “Jace, are you alright?” I immediately asked. I’d been so worried about him since he ran off. A part of me felt I was too hard on him upstairs and that maybe he wasn’t ready to hear everything that I said.

  “Yes. I’m fine.” He replied, stepping closer into the room.

  “Take one step closer to Ana, and you won’t be.” Seb growled.

  I grabbed his hand to calm him down and, hopefully, keep him from attacking. The last thing I wanted to deal with right now was another fight. Jace’s jaw ticked as he looked at our interlocked fingers.

  “If you want a fight, Seb, I’ll give you one as soon as the suppressant fades. That way,
it’ll be a fair one. For now, I have a plan. Do you?” Jace accused with one eyebrow raised.

  “Whoa! Look who ran off and found their balls.” Lily teased.

  “Lily…” I warned.

  She laughed before drawing a fake zipper across her lips.

  Seb let go of my hand and walked directly up to Jace’s face.

  Oh, no. The two locked eyes, and the tension in the room skyrocketed. Everyone froze and just watched the pair, waiting for one to make a move. I should step between them, but I had a feeling that may make things worse. Seb sniffed the air around Jace.

  “You stink of bullshit, but I will take you up on that offer for a fight. After all, you broke Ana’s wrist. I think it’s only fair I break yours.” Seb snarled.

  Without warning, he latched on to Jace’s wrist, and the only sound that filled the room was the crunching sound of Jace’s bones, snapping. Jace screamed in agony, dropping to the floor instantly.

  That was the moment when things went from bad to worse.

  Helia flew to her feet, and with one flip of her hand, threw Seb in the air, crashing him to the ceiling where she held him. I heard Jace’s cries of pain as I watched Seb struggle against the hold Helia had on him. Instincts to protect my mate threw logic out my head. My powers began to flow through my body like a current, and they felt stronger than I’d ever felt them before.

  “EVERYONE, STOP IT RIGHT NOW!” Cora yelled, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “I will not have this fighting in my home.”

  She slowly got to her feet with Zara following. No one spoke. The only noise in the room was Jace’s pain-filled moans and Seb scuffling on the roof. Helia walked to her grandson and knelt in front of him. She opened her palm, revealing a golf-sized glowing green ball. Slowly, she coaxed Jace’s mouth open and placed the sphere inside. Once he swallowed it, his face lit up in the same color as the sphere before the light traveled through his body to his broken wrist, lighting them as well. In seconds, he was moving his wrist normally and was back on his feet, completely healed, although the enraged look on his face showed he was anything but happy.

  “Put Seb down.” I demanded slowly.

  Helia didn’t even glance my way. She simply flipped her wrist, and Seb came tumbling down. His wolf side had him landing in crouch as opposed to anyone else who would’ve hit the ground hard and without the grace. I immediately went to his side.

  “Now that that’s settled, you all need to stop fighting amongst each other. Find a way to work together because if you don’t, none of you will survive this.” Cora announced, looking to each one of us with severe disappointment.

  “She’s right.” Seb added, standing taller and facing Jace. “I don’t apologize for what I just did because you deserved it, but if you have a plan to protect Ana, we need to hear it.”

  I was proud of his ability to quickly put his anger aside and get back on track. It was just one of the many things I loved about him.

  “Alright.” Jace stated, stepping away from his grandmother to the center of the room. “While I was out, I ran into a vampire. To be exact, I ran into your third mate, Ana.”

  “Cassius?”

  “Yea. Prince Cassius. Ferox’s son.” Jace explained to everyone.

  “Damn, your other mate is the Prince? I bet he’s hot.” Lily swooned.

  I shot her a glare, and she quickly zipped her lips closed again. I could feel Seb tense next to me, and I didn’t need him to say a word for me to know what he was feeling. It was not like I intentionally neglected to tell him who my third mate was. I just didn’t find the right time to. It didn’t matter anyway because I already chose him. Still, it should’ve been me to break the news, not Jace.

  “Why did you entertain a conversation with Ferox’s son?” Seb snapped, his voice deepening.

  Yep, my mate is pissed. Hopefully, one day, I would figure out all this girlfriend stuff out because, if I didn’t, I was sure this wouldn’t be the last time I upset him.

  “Well, he made an offer to help us against his father. He’ll be sending a thousand vampires to aide us against the five thousand his father is bringing for the upcoming attack. He aslo offered us weapons.”

  “Why would he fight against his father?” Seb questioned.

  “And, at what price?” I added.

  I knew Cassius the least out of my three mates, but what was easy to tell about him was he wouldn’t do something for nothing. There was something he wanted and we needed to know what it is. My theory: he had lost his mind. His mother was killed, and shortly after, I ran off and mated with Seb. That alone made him too unstable to trust, no matter what his motives were.

  “He wants revenge. His father killed his mother and he wants him to pay for it. That, and some spells I agreed to give him.” Jace mumbled. “Look the deal is done. He’ll be here tomorrow.”

  “Are you crazy?! How dare you make a deal with him before talking to me! Cassius can’t be trusted, not to mention I highly doubt he agreed to help for some damn spells!” I screamed.

  I was so frustrated I wanted to scream some more or punch a hole in a wall. This was insane. Cassius was the last person I wanted to align myself with, or worse, owe anything to. Besides, we didn’t exactly separate on happy terms. Things get out of hand when two of my mates were in the same room. I could only imagine what having all three of them together again would be like.

  “NO. I’m not crazy! Look around, Ana, what do you see? You know what I see? I see a werewolf who just turned a week ago, his sister who can’t even turn, three humans, me, a half-witch who hasn’t peaked, and you, the daughter of Celeste who’s so afraid of who she really is and what she can really do. Admit it Ana, this fucked up group has no chance against Ferox alone. You have no chance against him alone. I did what I did to give you a chance, not because I was crazy.” Jace stared at me so hard, I felt like he was seeing right through me.

  A tear slipped down my face. I underestimated Jace’s ability to see the truth. His words were like a knife to my chest. He was right, of course, about all of it. We didn’t stand a chance against Ferox, and it was my fault. I knew I had power inside, and it did scare me. I was not ready to face what I could become if I let them out. I spent so much of my life being repressed that I didn’t know how to be free. Even from myself.

  “Back off.” Seb ordered, defending me like he always did.

  But I couldn’t hide behind Seb forever. Now was the time for me to be who I was meant to become.

  “You’re right.” I admit. “I am afraid, but this is my fight so tonight all of you will leave and go home. I won’t risk any of you.” I announced, determined not to let my friends go down because I was too weak to do what needed to be done. I’d rather go against Ferox alone. That way, if I went down, at least I’d know my loved ones were safe.

  “I’m not going anywhere!” Simon protested. “You’ve been my best friend nearly my whole life, and I’ve never abandoned you. Just because things are looking bleak doesn’t mean I’m going to run. Not now, not ever.” He asserted.

  My eyes filled with tears. Simon would always be my rock.

  “I agree.” Lily chimed in. “As Jace so eloquently said, we are a bit of a fucked up group, but we are your fucked up group, and I believe there is strength in numbers. Plus, I want check out that hot Prince… What? One woman’s trash is another woman’s thrift store.” She laughed.

  I couldn’t help but smile at her jokes through my tears. I really did consider her a friend. Who knew the girl I tried to ditch would grow on me so fast.

  “Ana, over the last two years, you’ve been like a sister to me. I don’t have much family, but the ones I do have I will always protect me.” Marie smiled from me to her brother.

  She’d been a better sister to me than my own sister. I would love and protect her no matter what.

  “You guys are all fucking crazy. I mean, this was fun at first, but fighting thousands of vampires isn’t what I came here for. Sorry, Walker, but I’m not risking my li
fe for you or anyone else. I’m out.” Bobby responded, standing to his feet.

  I couldn’t blame him. I knew he was only here for his own selfish reasons so I was not upset in the least to see him go. But it was the hurt look that flashed across Lily’s face that did bother me. Bobby glanced back at her briefly, and without another word, gathered some things and walked out the front door.

  It was silent for a minute before Lily stood up and went after him. Their relationship was something that I didn’t understand, but I was sure people could say the same for Seb and me. Only the ones involved truly understood their connection.

  Jace locked eyes with me and gave me a silent nod, confirming his participation in the battle. Seb softly kissed my temple. I knew he wouldn’t leave no matter what I said just like I wouldn’t ever leave him.

  “Good luck to you all,” said Helia.

  I’d forgotten she was even here with how quiet she’d been.

  “So that’s it? You won’t help us at all?” It baffled me that she would attack Seb for breaking Jace’s wrist, but when he agreed to fight the vampire King, all she had to say was good luck. It didn’t make sense.

  Helia sighed deeply. “Analise, I can’t let all that I’ve sacrificed be in vain by joining your fight. I said there were three things Ferox wanted before he would agree to the blood pact. The third was he wanted my grandmother, Hildegarde, to die. He didn’t believe I was as powerful as her and felt her presence was too great a threat.”

  Helia’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. Cora and Zara stood to comfort her, and my heart clenched. I know Ferox is evil, but that took it to a new lower level. “My grandmother gave her life for this peace. I couldn’t stop my grandson from making his own choices, but he will lose my protection the moment he steps on that battlefield with you. I’ve done all I can to prepare you. It’s up to you all now.”

  Helia, Cora, and little Zara left the room and went down the stairs to the basement. At least, I understood now why she refused to fight. If I were in her shoes, I might do the same.