Tainted Heart (The Tainted Series Book 2)

by Marie, Tarisa

  “Her mother was a vampire,” D tries again totally ignoring what she just said about me having a twin. He doesn’t want to give this, ‘denying my mother is alive’ thing up and it takes me a minute to rebuild the brains to realize that we should be arguing and questioning this. It’d be too easy just to accept that my mother could still be alive, but this isn’t a sound idea. There are too many questions left unanswered.

  “Ariella has died and come back to life. Does she look like a vampire to you?” Layli insists hotly as if she knows this will get us.

  “I’ve never died…” I jump in.

  “Your aura says differently. In fact, you recently died. Maybe only months ago.”

  “When I gave you that disease to activate your power your heart stopped for a while,” D admits awkwardly. “I didn’t think it was stopped long enough to make you technically dead. You can kill me for killing you later,” he says apologetically in a grim voice.

  I glare at him, no wonder he was so freaked out when I woke up that day, he must’ve thought he’d killed me…that bastard. He’s right though, this is something that must be discussed at another time.

  “So I’m not part dark? Then what happened at Marco’s headquarters?” I wonder urgently. I have to be part dark. One, question at a time, Ariella. God, I have so many though.

  “Ariella, the Tario have children in twos. Twins. One dark and one light. It’s always been that way whenever a full Tario was involved with the mating process.”

  “I don’t have a twin,” I say slowly as if it’s obvious. Everything I’ve thought so far has been challenged by this woman and may be wrong so suddenly I’m not so sure. Is that this woman’s plan, to confuse and distract me with lies?

  “We take those born with darkness and we suck it out. My sister Tenley was born dark. You can’t tell which twin is dark and which is light until they are about four or five. At this time the twins are separated until adulthood as to not influence the other into darkness which can happened. If the children are not separated, they will both be part light and part dark. The dark child is put into a learning facility with others like them and controlled until they are old enough to have the darkness removed from them. This is usually at eighteen or nineteen. A lot of the time the dark child goes insane during this procedure and is sent to the asylum, a place full of crazy Tario. Sometimes though, maybe thirty percent of the time, they turn out alright like Tenley. They are not light but they are no longer dark either. They are trainable and follow order like the light which is the goal. Darkness is hard to control. In cases where the children are kept together too long and both children are thought to be both dark and light then both children have the procedure.”

  “Wait, so when you say dark and light you’re not meaning it in the same sense as Marco and Arianna, are you?” D asks, as if coming to a realization.

  It sounds to me like all Tario should be in this dark Tario asylum place for the ‘crazy Tario’.

  “No, the Tario classify those with erratic power and lack of control as dark and those with stable power and much control as light whereas you would classify light as drawing their power from the earth or nature and dark as drawing their power from other living things,” Layli corrects.

  Part of me always pictures the black or dark witches and vampires to be evil and the light or white witches and immortals to be kind although I know this isn’t quite the case. At least I don’t think so, both sides seem to hate one another. To the dark, the light seem like the evil ones and to the light, the dark seem like the evil ones. Both have had negative impacts on my life and so I see neither one as being purely good nor bad. My father and Jacob for example are light and so they hate the dark for whatever reason. I wonder what it was that initially poised the two sides against each other. Could it merely be the fact that the dark suck the life out of others for their power or is it something else?

  “You don’t remember having a twin?” D asks seriously. I’m pretty sure that is something I would remember pretty clearly. Is he seriously asking me that?

  I shake my head and scowl at him, does he think I’m dumb?

  “Hmm,” he sighs while running his thumb and forefinger through his facial hair at his chin.

  “We’ve had our eyes on you since we discovered your existence when you were about six. Like I was saying earlier, I suspect that your mother escaped with your twin when you were young, to both separate the two of you so you wouldn’t influence each other, as well as to evade the Tario, yet we only know of one other full Tario halfling currently alive other than you and that’s Marco. The witches as you call them, those born from the full halflings also seem to all go back to Arianna and Marco. Right now, we have no idea where your twin is or if he or she is alive.”

  “So only full Tario can’t be killed unless with the blade?” D asks but I think this is a dumb question. The answer is obviously yes because Arianna was killed was she not?

  “Correct,” Layli agrees while shifting in her seat as though she’s growing tired of us.

  “Oh my god, I might have a twin?” I grunt and drop my face into my palms. I am very uncertain whether I should believe this woman. In fact, I’m more skeptical than not, but what if? I’ve always wanted a sibling. I find myself growing excited although I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

  “I would like to even out our current deal. You got the blade for me; you will have sanctuary in my home. I’d like to also start another exchange. You help me find the blade, when we find it, you tell me what it’s made from. In exchange I will find her mother and her twin.”

  How does she expect to find my mother when she’s been missing for so long and no one has yet found her?

  “Deal, but I also wish to add something. You get rid of Marco so his curses don’t hang over our heads,” D attempts, sounding stern in his words but I can see doubt in his dark brown eyes.

  “I cannot do that. It goes against the Tario and I wish not to end up in prison. That would be bad for me, the two of you, and earth’s human and supernatural population in general. The Tario would be upset if I interrupted what they are doing with their experiment and that includes killing Marco,” Layli apologizes but doesn’t seem at all genuinely sorry.

  D seems to think about this then nods in agreement. We all shake hands as if this is some kind of business deal.

  “Give me ten days and piece of your hair to find your twin and mother, child. Daymon has touched the metal before, surely he will be able to find it within the same amount of time if it is still in fact in existence.”

  The woman closes the space between the two of us, puncturing my personal bubble and plucks a hair from my scalp. This irritates me but I don’t say anything. I mean honestly, who just pulls people’s hair out and runs away with it? Bitch. I don’t know what it is about this lady but not only do I not trust her, without hardly knowing her, I hate her.

  “Your rooms are ready upstairs,” Layli states before turning to leave. “See you in ten days, friends,” she calls behind her to us.

  I think I see D shiver out of the corner of my eye but can’t be sure.

  “Well...let’s go upstairs and lay down. I’m exhausted,” D motions to the elaborate stairway in front of us.

  As we climb the stairs I realize that they are made from marble. At first I wonder how much they must’ve cost but then I remember that they probably don’t pay for their things. The Tario spark my interest I do have to admit. I am definitely curious about them. I mean Layli made it sound like they were the creators of basically everything I know, is it true that they are basically gods? That they’ve created essentially everything I know? It’s a difficult concept to process but I’ve become good at digesting impossible things. As much as I’d like to believe some of the things that Layli told us, more specifically the things she told us about me, starting with my mother maybe being alive, I just have this terrible feeling about this woman. I wonder if D feels the same.

  “You okay?” D asks in a whisper as if so
meone will hear.

  “Just overwhelmed but what’s new right?” I fake the best laugh I can. It comes out sounding completely exhausted.

  He looks at me apprehensively and I merely shrug.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him not so much wondering how he is mentally but more so wondering if he’s about to attack me out of bloodlust.

  “I’m a bit shaken up by our current…er…situation but it’s not like I can do too much about it. I’m going to do a location spell on the metal tonight. I want you to be there. I want to channel your power if that’s okay with you. It might help me locate it quicker,” D says after a moment of silence.

  While I was at Marco’s headquarters I learned a little about power channeling. It’s essentially pulling power from someone else or an object of power in order to be stronger. “Yeah, I’m fine with that.”

  “Okay,” he murmurs and climbs the last step.

  This place is huge, how in the hell are we going to find our rooms?

  “I do have to admit that my self-confidence has been knocked down a few notches.” He laughs. “I’m used to thinking that I am one of the strongest, most powerful people on the planet. Then I find out that there’s an entire race stronger than me and that you yourself are likely stronger than me,” he admits sheepishly with a halfhearted laugh. I can’t tell if he’s joking or if he’s serious. For some reason I can’t bring myself to think that he would admit that his self-confidence was knocked down in any way, shape, or form. He’s not that type of person.

  “You’re getting soft,” I joke with a forced laugh. I’m about to pass out with exhaustion. I can feel my eyelids drooping.

  He chuckles when he sees my tired facial expression. “I think I’m going to go out and find something to eat. I’ll walk you to your room, I want you to get some rest. I’m out of here for a while alright?”

  “Eat?” I wonder. I wonder what kind of hunger he’s experiencing.

  “Ariella, I don’t get hungry in the sense that you do. That was just a rouse.”

  “Oh,” I squeak nervously. He’d always seemed so into food. It was one of the things we had in common, one of the things that first drew us together.

  He must hear the nervousness in my voice because his face drops. “I’m sorry that I’m not the person you want me to be,” he says sadly with a deep sigh.

  I’m not sure what to say.

  “This is your room,” he mutters before turning. Then he’s gone before I can say another word, he’s just gone.

  I enter into the bedroom and wonder how he could know that it was mine. Then I see my laptop resting on a desk in the corner of the room and my favorite jewelry box which I’m sure I left behind in Denver sitting on a mahogany night stand. How did all my stuff get here?

  I close the door behind me and open up the jewelry box that my mother gave me when I was just a wee little girl. Inside is the sapphire necklace of my mother’s that my father gave me for my birthday. I nearly forgot about it. I unclasp the chain and struggle to clip it around my neck.

  I look in the mirror and wonder if it looks silly for me to be wearing such an elaborate piece of jewelry with what I’m wearing.

  The necklace brings me back to thinking of my mother. I wonder if she is still really alive somewhere. I can’t imagine it. Why wouldn’t she tell me she was alive? Why would she let me and my father think she was dead for all these years? And is it in fact possible that I could have a twin? Would I not recall having a twin? Would my father not recall this? It seems just silly.

  I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the confusion that overwhelms me. It doesn’t work. I plunk down on the bed and close my eyes, hoping that I can fall asleep.

  I wake up a few hours later when there’s a knock at my door.

  “Come in!” I call and the door opens revealing D.

  “What are you wearing?” I wonder while looking at his attire. He is wearing a pair of dark jeans being loosely held up by his hips and no shirt. A necklace hangs around his neck.

  He shrugs my question off and enters the room. “Are you ready to do this?” he asks. His expression is hard, his jaw clenched. Is he still upset with me?

  “Uh…yeah, I’m ready,” I say with mock enthusiasm and jump out of bed.

  “Good. Sit down on the floor,” he instructs while taking a seat himself.

  I follow his lead and sit across from him cross-legged on the carpet.

  “Hold my hands, have you done this before?” he questions.

  “A few times,” I answer. I close my eyes and clear my mind like Marco taught me.

  “Christ!” D shouts and is suddenly on his feet, waving his hands in the air as if they’re on fire and he’s trying to put them out.

  “What?” I demand. Is he okay? What’s going on? I glance around the room looking for some sort of danger.

  “You shocked me, Ariella!” he exclaims, still waving his hands like a dork.

  “Huh?” I ask dumbly.

  He stares at me as if I’ve grown a second head. “Where’d you get that necklace? It radiates power.”

  “My jewelry box,” I answer and glance towards it.

  “I think we just found one of those power holding necklaces,” he says curiously and reaches for it. As soon as his fingers touch it, he winces and pulls away. “Yup, that’s something for sure. Doesn’t it hurt to be wearing that around your neck?”

  “Nope.” It’s a little cold on my chest but that’s about it.

  “I think we just found your mother’s necklace, the one Layli was talking about,” D states curiously and seems to inspect the jewel hanging from my neck.

  “That you have,” a deep voice says roughly from the doorway. I never even heard the door open.

  “Who are you?” I wonder out loud.

  The man who stands in the doorway is just a tad taller than D, thicker with muscle. He looks like some sort of god and I immediately recognize that he is Tario by his perfection and his sharp eyes. His arm muscles stretch the sleeves of his shirt.

  “I’m Blazimus. You may call me Blaze. I am Layli’s youngest son,” his deep voice seems to rattle the room. “I’ve come to meet my mother’s guests. I’ve never met any halflings or witches before, not in person anyway, not unrelated to my work. I am…interested in you.”

  “There’s not much to be interested in,” D says as if annoyed. D hates interruptions and being interrupted by a sexy Tario man is something I can tell he is not fond of.

  “What are you doing?” Blaze asks and approaches us.

  “Practicing stuff,” D answers and I wonder if this man knows about his mother’s plans. Somehow I doubt it.

  “Ah, be careful with that pendant. It belonged to the girl’s mother. Ali is very old and very powerful. Her power isn’t something to be played with. Even a small fraction of it like that. Do remember that the Tario created much of what you know and they have the power to destroy it just as easy. Do not mess with forces that you know nothing about.”

  D’s expression is unreadable as I look to him questioningly though I can tell that he is very unimpressed with this man’s presence.

  “How do you know that this was her mother’s?” D wonders skeptically.

  “Because I made it for her long ago,” the man says with a shrug while staring at me as if he’s looking into my soul. I cringe from his gaze. I can’t help it. “Her mother was the bearer of my children Anessa and Baylon many years ago. When I heard you were here, I decided to come greet you myself. I’d love to introduce you to your half siblings, Ariella.”

  D looks to me with pleading eyes. He doesn’t want me to go anywhere with this man but I’m not sure why. Okay, I am. Why would anyone in their right might willingly go anywhere with any Tario?

  When I hesitate he adds, “I know you’re curious and I know you’re skeptic but I can assure you that when you see the twins you will immediately see both you and your mother in their appearance. The resemblance is uncanny.”

  “Okay,” I whisper, s
hocking myself. What have I just agreed to?

  Then again, how can I turn down something like this? My whole life I’ve always wanted siblings. Could this man be telling me the truth? I think I want to believe him so badly that I’m not thinking about this logically. This man could just be trying to lure me out of this house for unpleasant reasons, but I cannot just turn him down and never know whether he was telling the truth. I may be dumb for doing this but at east I’ll have answers. It’s not like the guy can kill me, apparently I already died once and came back thanks to my immortal blood. That is, if I believe what the woman Layli said. There are too many maybes and ifs but this, possibly having siblings, is something I’ve always wanted more than anything and I immediately know that I’m willing to take the risk no matter how ridiculous it is.

  “Come then, child,” the big burly man motions for me to follow him and I stand up.

  “Ariella?” D pleads. He looks to me as if I’m insane and it make me question whether I am.

  “I’ll only be awhile and then we can continue what we were doing. I promise.”

  “I don’t trust them,” D mouths. I can’t help agreeing. I don’t trust them either but this is big. I might have siblings. I try to imagine what they look like.

  I shoot an apologetic look at D and then get up and follow Blaze out the door in a moment of sheer weakness. He leads me out of the building and down the street. I wonder why D doesn’t follow. I can’t help wondering if he is mad at me. I mean more so than he was when he entered my bedroom. I wouldn’t blame him if he was honestly.

  “You look just like your mother,” Blaze says, breaking the awkward silence. “Both of your sisters do as well. I hope you also inherited her liveliness and bravery.”

  “I’m not sure,” I answer awkwardly.

  We walk into a smaller house than the one we left and two beautiful girls sit on a couch in the center of a large living room only lit by a fire in the large fireplace at the center of the room.

  “Ariella, I’m Baylon! I’m so happy to meet you!” One of the girls approaches me with a smile while the other remains seated.