Tainted Heart (The Tainted Series Book 2)

by Marie, Tarisa

  “Did you know we have two half-sisters? They’re full Tario. I met them in Tarot while I was there.” I decide he should know. Wow, Ariella, that’s the first thing you ask your long lost brother? You have got to be joking. I’m so terrible with introductions.

  “Mother has never spoken of this. I’m sure for good reason. I will bring it up with her when she returns with the blade and before I go slaughtering Tario,” he assures me eagerly. He looks anxious to leave, and this saddens me. I’m sort of surprised that he hasn’t heard this, who the hell has a good reason not to tell their children that they have half siblings?

  “Wait, you’re the one going to kill the Tario? How is our mom going to get the blade when the Tario can’t touch it?”

  “Yes, I am the strongest halfling. I have Tario and father’s witch-immortal blood, Marco is crazy, and you haven’t tapped into your full power yet. Mother can touch the blade because she’s the one who created it. She just can’t wield it as it disrupts her power when she does and she is powerless. You should know, Ariella, that this blade can kill anything. It is very powerful. It can kill not only Tario but immortals, vampires, and witches with nothing but a scratch to the surface of their skin. If you manage to get ahold of it for whatever reason, be careful with it. Don’t even nick yourself with the thing. Anyways, goodbye for now, sister,” Tyler says with a smile and turns and shakes D’s hand before disappearing.

  Then he is gone and I’m left staring at empty space.

  “He’s a little strange,” D says finally, breaking the silence.

  I don’t reply to his snide remark. Instead, I pick up a magazine from the coffee table and browse through it.

  “Your mom reads celebrity gossip? Nice!” D cries and snatches the book from me. I roll my eyes. Seriously?

  “You’re such a girl,” I say snarkly.

  “Fine, you can read it. I’m going to check the fridge. I’m starving. Hey, did you know that killer whales are actually not whales, they’re dolphins? How neat is that?” D laughs and struts over to the fridge. Just like that the old D, the one without raging bloodlust, is back.

  “No, but that’s a cool fact I guess,” I murmur while flipping through the magazine. “I doubt my mom keeps blood in her fridge though by the way.”

  He turns and tilts his head at me as if to say ‘no kidding’. Then he pulls open the fridge and pulls out a jug of milk and some cheese.

  “I’m craving food. Looks like she doesn’t keep much of anything in here though, I’d say we might starve but I’m a pretty awesome warlock,” he observes before digging through cupboards trying to find the glasses. “I wonder if the Tario even eat.”

  Something touches my ankle and I nearly scream. D must hear my panic as I jump up from the couch because he begins snickering. I look down at the thing that touched me and I realize that it’s a kitten.

  My heart rate slowly calms and I start giggling too. I guess I’m a little on the edge but who wouldn’t be in my situation?

  “Jumpy, Ariella?” D jokes and returns the milk to the fridge. He walks back over to the couch and takes a seat as I’m still trying to manage my heartbeat.

  He scoops up the feline and holds it close to his face before kissing the top of its head. “Did she scare you, cutie?” he asks the kitten.

  I roll my eyes.

  “You go from Mr. Tough Guy one second and then to crazy cat lady the next.” I state humorously.

  He ignores me and sits down, putting the cat in his lap. “Well, I’m bored. What are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know. I wonder how long we’re going to be stuck here,” I say impatiently.

  “We could spar? I do love kicking your butt,” he suggests while petting the kitten lightly. The kitten purrs. It likes him. It’s a little thing with a black tale, ears and spot on its otherwise white back.

  “D, I think that kitten is in love with you,” I tease.

  “I get more attention from this cutie than I get from you,” he jabs back.

  I look at him dubiously and shake my head.

  “We could keep working on your power but…I think we’re both starting to see you’re a lost cause,” he jokes with a snicker.

  “Gee, thanks.”

  He grabs a pillow from the couch and tosses it at me gently. “We could have a pillow fight?” he tries with a smirk, chucking a second pillow at me harder than the first. This one collides with my chest.

  I scowl at him and throw it back at him as hard as I can. It hits him in the shoulder and he laughs, grabbing it and throwing it back at me. This time when it hits me right in the face, I’m annoyed.

  I pick up the largest pillow on the couch and throw it at him with all of my strength. He catches it with a laugh.

  “You’re no good at pillow fights,” he states while tossing a pillow up in the air and catching it. “Maybe we could watch a movie,” he suggests.

  “What kind of movie?” I ask. I’m not really one for TV.

  He smirks. “I was thinking something with a lot of action.”

  “I don’t like scary movies or war movies or fighting movies or crime movies or anything really with action,” I admit. I find it so repetitive. They’re all the same to me.

  “Maybe I was thinking a different kind of action.” He looks as if he’s trying to keep from bursting with laughter. It takes me a minute to understand what he’s implying and then I kick him playfully.

  He grabs my ankle when I do this and pulls me off of the couch and onto the floor.

  “Feisty, aren’t you?” he mumbles flirtatiously.

  I roll my eyes and stand up, ready to sit back on the couch. Before I can take my seat, he raises a hand and with a flick of his wrist, I’m back on the floor.

  “What the hell?” I ask, annoyed.

  He chuckles. “You’re in time out for trying to kick me.”

  “Just minutes ago you wanted to spar!” I argue. This guy is so hard to keep up with.

  He rubs his hairy chin with his thumb and forefinger and smiles back at me like a maniac. He thinks he’s funny. He’s really just annoying me.

  “You’re so cute when you’re annoyed,” he observes and pinches a strand of my blonde hair between his fingers. He tucks it behind my ear and then set the kitten down on the floor. The small feline looks up at him with distaste, angry that he no longer wants cuddles. She waddles over to a folded blanket in the corner of the room and lies down. This must be her bed.

  “Am not,” I argue.

  “You’re such a child, princess,” D laughs and ruffles my hair with his palm. I could smack him. Are all men this annoying?

  “Don’t call me princess!”

  “I’ll call you whatever I want to call you,” he torments with a wink.

  I jump up and lunge at him playfully knocking him onto his back onto the couch.

  “Oh, you’re so tough, Ariella,” he mocks as I awkwardly sit on top of him. One of his hands reaches for my hip and pushes me backwards.

  I reach behind me and grab a pillow, throwing it at his face as I fall backwards. I land on my back with a thump as my head hits the opposite end of the couch as his.

  “Are you alright?” he asks, while laughing so hard he can barely breathe. His eyes are watering he’s laughing so hard.

  “I’m fine,” I answer, even more annoyed now.

  I stare up at the roof as I gather myself. I’m just about to stand up when he grabs my foot and begins tickling it. Are you kidding me?

  I can’t stop but laugh as I try to wriggle away from him. The most ticklish part of my body is my feet. I kick him with my free foot but this doesn’t seem to bother him a bit.

  “Stop!” I cry through giggles and manage to sit up. I try pulling my foot away but to no avail. I grab his foot and begin tickling but he doesn’t seem to be ticklish at all.

  “Or what?” he asks.

  I’m laughing so hard I can hardly breathe and my stomach hurts. “I don’t know, I’ll kick you in the nuts!” I try as a last at
tempt.

  He laughs but quits tickling me. At least for a second. He sits up, pushes me lightly onto my back and I’m so lost in his closeness that he manages to poke me in the ribs and go for my armpits, another weakness of mine.

  “D!” I shout and try to get out from under his body but he is unmoving. I use free feet to kick out his legs, thinking that he’ll give up but his dramatically collapses on top of me instead, his full weight pressing into me.

  He lays his head on my chest. “Fine you win,” he gives in with a smirk.

  “What are you doing?” I ask as my heart races. I know he can hear it which makes me feel awkward and embarrassed but it’s not my fault that he’s decided to get so god damn close to me!

  “Snuggling,” he answers and closes his eyes.

  “With my boobs?” I demand with an eye roll.

  His eyes open. “Would you like me to move?” he asks, and I see a hint of amusement behind his expression. He knows I won’t say yes.

  I don’t answer. We’re silent for a long and I almost wonder if he’s fallen asleep when he finally asks, “What would you like to do with your life when this is all over one day?”

  His question catches me by surprise. “You mean if this is ever over?”

  “What if it was? What if you could just do whatever you wanted? What would you do?” he asks curiously.

  I think about his question. I’m not sure. Maybe I would travel or go to school or maybe I’d just find a job and settle down. I haven’t ever really thought much about my future.

  “I don’t know what about you?” I ask when I come up blank.

  “I think I’d get a real job. I haven’t ever really done that. I mean I’ve farmed, but that’s about it. I think I’d go get a degree in teaching or something, maybe I’d even go to school to be a doctor,” he contemplates.

  “You’ve had so long to do those things, why haven’t you yet?” I wonder. He’s had so much time to do so many things.

  He sighs. “Ariella, I’ve been alive for three hundred years but I’ve wasted almost every second of it. I’ve never needed money, so I’ve never really worked a job. When you don’t have something to focus on in life, you fall apart. I started drinking when I was fourteen and my life at times has been a blur. I gave away my life to alcohol amongst other things at times. You haven’t known me for much of my life. Your father has and he would tell you that I’m a mess, I’ve always been a mess,” he explains sadly without opening his eyes.

  I really can’t see him as being a mess because the side of him that I am familiar with is anything but.

  “Well, it’s never too late to start over,” I try. “You have nothing but time.”

  He laughs. “Maybe. We’ll see how this all plays out.”

  “Why would you want to be a teacher or a doctor?” I ask him curiously. I never would’ve pictured him being either one.

  He shrugs on top of me and I see a shadow of a smile at his lips. “I like kids and I like helping people. What would you be if you could be anything?”

  I think about this. What would I be? “I like animals. I think I might like to be a vet or maybe just work in a pet store since being a vet requires a lot of schooling and I really don’t like school. I mean, it’s not that I hate it but I’d rather not waste valuable time going to school.”

  “If you’re immortal, Ariella, you have all the time in the world to go to school. You don’t have to worry about wasting your time because all you have is time,” he enlightens me with a small smile and opens his eyes. He sits up a bit so he can look me in the eyes. His warm breath overwhelms my senses and my heart rate quickens again. “What?” he asks, when he takes in my dazed expression.

  “Nothing, just tired,” I lie. Well, it’s only a little of a lie because I am really tired.

  “You’re staring at my lips,” he murmurs while flashing a brilliant sexy smile. Awkward, I totally am staring at his lips. He must see my look of surprise and embarrassment because his smile gets bigger. “You’re checking me out, aren’t you?” he teases. I can’t even deny it.

  “You want the D dog,” he says with a straight face and I burst out with laughter.

  “What did you just say?!” I demand through gasps of breaths as I try to stop laughing. Did he really just say that? “Don’t ever say that again!” I plead.

  “I won’t ever say it again if you agree to come live with me after this is all over,” he puts out there hopefully. He looks to me as if he’s unsure what I’ll say and I immediately freeze. Live with him? Are we even technically dating? I’ve only known him for eleven months! I haven’t even told him that I love him yet. Isn’t this too fast? I’m eighteen!

  “I don’t know…” I admit. “My dad…” I start. Yea, Ariella, blame it on your dad even though he has nothing to do with this.

  “If you don’t want to you don’t have to. I was just thinking that maybe if we both went to school, we could get a house or an apartment or something together,” he says, his grin faltering just a little.

  I stare at him in silence as I try to come up with my answer. Can I think about this? Do I have to answer right now?

  “Ariella, we can just live together as friends, we don’t have to share the same bed or anything,” he suggests.

  I don’t think I could live in the same house as him without sharing the same bed but at the same time, am I rushing into things? If it doesn’t work out I guess it’s not like I can’t just move out and get my own place.

  “Maybe,” I answer. “I have to think about it.”

  “Well, that’s something, you didn’t just totally reject the idea,” he contemplates and then nods his head. “That’s good enough for me, I won’t say anything about my ‘D-dog’ ever again,” he promises to my relief. I catch myself staring at his lips again and have to will myself to look away.

  “Don’t do that,” he begs in a whine and impossibly his face becomes closer to fine. Only maybe three inches separate us and it takes everything I have to not close this space further.

  “Do what?” I say meaning for it to come out loudly but it comes out as a mere whimper. This makes smile.

  “Look away from me like that. I don’t mind if you stare,” he says also in a whisper.

  I feel in many ways that I know this man inside and out but in other ways I feel like I’ve only just met him. There’s so much about his past that I don’t know. Where over the last year, he’s learnt nearly everything about me and my life, I seem to still be sorting through everything about him. I have yet to get through 300 years worth of information about him which scares me a little as much as I hate to admit it.

  He closes another inch of space between us and I can feel the heat from his face on my own. This makes it impossible for me to look away any longer. I cannot pretend that I’m fascinated by the wall or the rug on the floor or anything. He is all that’s in my vision.

  “Don’t be so shy, Ariella, it’s just me,” he pleads and his sexy, rough voice makes my heart twist in my chest.

  D and I have hit some rough spots over the last few months. I mean, everything was absolutely perfect until I found out that he was a vampire a few months ago. That nearly broke me and only now am I truly able to push through that fact and see him for the same person he was before I had this information. Then I was kidnapped by Marco and I did terrible things which set me back and changed me, changed who I am as a person. I think being the monster Marco made me to be, made it easier to understand D’s vampirism and the darkness that he struggles with. In the end, I think in some ways this brought D and I closer together. Then Marco cursed him so his bloodlust was nearly unmanageable and he wanted to kill me at every given second…that was a struggle to say the least.

  Now that there is nothing between us holding us back, it almost feels like it’s just the calm before the storm. I feel like something terrible is coming, something terrible is coming obviously, but I feel like this feeling I have is telling me that I’m not going to have D around forever and tha
t both scares and saddens me. I wonder if this is why I’m holding back. Am I scared to get close to him in case I lose him? I know that my fears are probably irrational because the way things are looking, the Tario will probably out us to the humans and the humans will probably gather their forces against the supernatural, killing us all. It won’t just be D and I who are separated, every supernatural will die. What do I really have to lose with this relationship?

  As I think, I don’t realize that I’m staring him dead in the eye.

  “Ariella, what’s on your mind?” he asks, sounding a little worried.

  “Everything,” I admit. He knows what’s on my mind, it’s the same thing on his own mind.

  “Stop worrying so much and live,” he begs exasperatedly.

  “We’re stuck in a house, how am I supposed to live right now?” I wonder with amusement. It’s not like you can go skydiving in here.

  He finally closes the space between us and his hot lips join with mine. We meld together as if we’re destined to be this way. My mind gets lost in his kisses and I don’t know how long we lay like that for, kissing and snuggling, but eventually our kisses slow and D forces himself off of me and off of the couch.

  My body is angered by this as it crazes him more than anything but I know that now is not the time and I’m glad that at least he has enough will power to do what I don’t. He stands with his back to me. His shoulders rising and falling as if out of breath.

  “Come back…” I moan in a whine.

  He chuckles deeply.

  “Don’t tempt me, princess,” he shakes his head.

  I’m about to tell him not to call me princess but decide against it this time and this time only. I get up and approach him from behind.

  “What are you doing?” he asks.

  I snicker as I grab a pillow from the couch and throw it into his back. He makes an oompf sound and turns.

  “This again?” he mumbles.

  “Would you rather talk about world issues?” I ask, forcing a straight face.

  He shakes his head. “Nope.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “I’d rather talk about you,” he suggests to my surprise.