Tainted Heart (The Tainted Series Book 2)

by Marie, Tarisa

  “My fath-” she begins but is cut off by an elder

  “That is far enough, Baylon. You were warned. You have exceeded my limits of kindness. I will escort you to the prison where you will spend the next one hundred years,” one of the voices says sternly and then I hear the two others chuckle.

  I am shocked. You go to prison for this? What if her father really did request their presence? This only makes me loathe the Tario more. A hundred years in prison for basically talking?

  “Sanjah, you go check on her father and make sure all is alright. He will be in trouble for losing track of her and will need to also be sent to the prison,” a voice says while getting closer.

  I cringe back in my hiding spot, hoping that I’m not seen. Baylon eyes me sadly as she is led up the stairs by one of the men. A second man follows.

  After a few minutes of silence I peak around the corner and see the third man away from his post, grabbing a book off of one of the many bookshelves that surround the room. I don’t know how long they will be gone but I need this ball more than anything. Even if it means getting myself imprisoned in the process.

  While the third guy is skimming the pages of the book with his back to me and the ball, I tiptoe over to the stand and stand on my toes to reach the ball. To my surprise, I hold it in my hands and begin to panic. I want to run out of here but I know that if I do I’ll create noise.

  I sneak as quickly as possible back through the route I came. When I’m out of the house, my breathing erratic and probably nearly giving me away, I shove the heavy ball in my bra, stretching its limits for space and then throw my hair over it so it doesn’t look too lumpy. It’s not like I have a bag to hide it in, why didn’t I think of that before we came?

  I have no idea how to get out of Tarot and so I walk in one direction hoping to just walk out of the place although I know it’s very unlikely. Even if I do, how the hell am I going to get back to America?

  A few people shoot me glances but they look bored. Like zombies. They don’t seem to care much about me. I notice that there are humans here. And I see this time that they’re all working as if they’re slaves.

  I know there is nothing that I can do about Baylon and I need to get out of here, but I feel terrible leaving her. She sacrificed her freedom for me to get this ball.

  When I’m out of the way of the city I begin sprinting into the forest. I have a flashback of all the bugs and things from my last visit here.

  I remember Daymon laughing at me. God, Daymon, I miss him, the old him, more than anything although it really hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen him, it feels like forever. My heart hurts as I run through the greenery. I get what must be nearly a mile away from the city before I slow down and have to walk. God, I’m out of shape.

  The sky eventually goes from light to dark and I’m not sure whether to keep going in the pitch darkness. I can’t see a thing. You can’t possibly realize hoe dark it is outside of the city where light pollution and street lamps don’t exist.

  I decide to have a rest and slump down beside a tree. I can only imagine the creepy crawlies beside me right now. I remove the ball from my bra and hold it in my hands. I realize that it’s glowing. I ponder how I’m going to destroy it. It’s hard and heavy. I think the only thing that might destroy it is dropping it from a skyscraper.

  Eventually I fall asleep.

  I wake up to a rustling in the forest and my heart hammers violently in my chest. Who or what is that? I throw the ball back in my bra so I don’t lose it while I run and jump up. Have the Tario found me or is it some kind of animal looking for some breakfast? I mean it’s probably the Tario, I’m surprised that they have yet to find me.

  I wait for another rustle so I know which direction to run in but another doesn’t come. After a few minutes of nothing, I begin my trek into the forest again. I have no idea which direction I’m heading and just hope that I’ll end up in a village or something eventually. Why didn’t we plan this far? Oh, wait, because we didn’t think we’d get this far.

  I wonder what the Tario will do when they realize that this ball is missing. Will they be able to track it to me?

  I eventually make it to a stream and sip some of the water down, remembering what Daymon said once. HE told me that the parasites and things in the water couldn’t harm me because of my blood. This reminds me of that time which feels like years ago when he brought me to the field he’d bought near Taverd. I get hungry, really hungry eventually and wonder how long I can go without eating. I am supposedly immortal so can I not starve?

  After an entire day of making my way through the forest and ending up nowhere, I am starving, smelly, and tired. I’m about to give it up for the night when I spot a male figure, back to me, leaning against a tree.

  I immediately begin to panic thinking that it’s someone from the Tario when I recognize the figure. It’s Daymon. Am I hallucinating? Didn’t Baylon put a protection spell on me? Does this mean she too is dead? No, I refuse to think that. Maybe the prison somehow blocks out power, making it impossible to use power within its walls.

  “What are you doing?” I demand immediately and stalk over to him. I’m not sure if I’m glad to see him.

  “I should be asking what you’re doing running around in the rainforest near Tarot,” he says simply. “Trying to get yourself in trouble I presume?”

  I scoff.

  He turns around to face me. I still can’t get used to his crimson eyes. I cringe away from him.

  “You look like you need help,” he observes. “I’ve been following you for the better part of twelve hours and you don’t seem to know what you’re doing or where you’re going.”

  “I’m not going back with you to Marco,” I state seriously.

  He chuckles.

  “You’re such a whiny little girl, you know that?” he asks roughly.

  “Why? Because I don’t want to get all brainwashed like you?” I demand and make sure my hair is covering the ball which is basically glued to my breast.

  “What is that?” he asks noticing the ball.

  I cuss in my head. Good one, Ariella, you brought attention to it.

  “If you don’t tell me, I’ll just have to grab it,” he notes.

  I reluctantly pull it out, not wanting him touching me in any way.

  “Are you a fortune teller now? Is that a crystal ball? Ariella, what are you doing out here?” he rants.

  “It’s Baylon’s I took it from the Tario for her,” I lie.

  He doesn’t seem to notice. He looks me up and down and rolls his eyes.

  “Where is she? I doubt that everyone left you out here by yourself,” he states and approaches me. His chiseled body, short spiky black hair, and defined jaw line make me swoon and I have to hold myself together.

  “They’re all getting rid of the Tario remember?” I ask as if it’s obvious.

  “Theenis would never let you run off to Tarot alone to retrieve a little ball thing and then make your way back to them through jungle. Do you know how long it would take you to walk back to America? Are you insane?” he seems angered by this and I’m not sure why.

  When I don’t elaborate he sighs and shakes his head as if he doesn’t care.

  “Whatever, don’t tell me why you’re stealing crystal balls from the Tario. I honestly don’t care much. I’m here to take you back with me,” he says and grabs my wrist. As soon as his flesh makes contact with mine, it’s like he’s being electrocuted.

  “What the hell!” he pulls away and releases me. “Who taught you that crap?” he demands while inspecting his hand for burns. I’m so shocked by this that I don’t know what to say. I wonder if the ball has something to do with this.

  He tries to touch me again, and he is suddenly in pain again. I can’t help it, I find this rather funny. He’s not making me do anything. I burst out laughing. For once, I’m not a little pawn that’s being moved around by whoever pleases.

  “Look, Ariella, it’ll be good for you to come back wi
th me. Stop trying to fry my insides with whatever you’re doing and come back with me. Do you want to die in this war? Do you want to feel the pain of everyone you love dying? If not, then come with me and let your darkness in, Ariella. Even if you seem to be revolted by me, you’re still mine.” He approaches me again as if to touch me but thinks better of it.

  “I’m not yours first of all. I’m a free person. Second, I would rather die fighting for the people I love than fight against the people I love,” I spit venomously.

  “Ariella, you’re so stubborn!” he cries out angrily and impulsively touches me again. I laugh when he’s shocked again. This is kind of funny.

  “Go back to Marco, Daymon. Go kill some more innocent people. I have my own stuff going on and I don’t have time for you or Marco’s bullshit,” I say truthfully and begin walking away from him.

  “I haven’t told him about the Tario,” Daymon says quietly.

  I’m not sure if I should be shocked by this so I casually ask, “Why not?”

  He shrugs. “He will only get in the way of your family killing them and I want them all gone. I may not have much respect for humans but they do make for good slaves and it’s be such a pain for them to all be dead or bombing us,” he decides and runs his hand through his hair. His nervous gesture, hmmm.

  Why is he telling me this?

  “Marco still thinks you’re part vampire, Ariella. He is planning for you and me to help him lead the vampires against the light witches. Marco never loses. He will come for you eventually.”

  Quite honestly, this doesn’t scare me as much as it used to. Right now I’m more concerned about the whole Tario situation.

  Daymon then flashes his famous smirk and I have to hold back a smile as I recall the old Daymon. My heart burns in my chest and I have to hold back tears.

  “Come with me, Ariella, please?” he says in a soft tone. Although I know he’s trying to trick me into going with him, the appeal of old Daymon is pulling at my heart strings.

  I have to force myself to say, “No.”

  He tries one more time to persuade me by reaching for my hand as if to hold it. I pull away from him and scowl as harshly as I can.

  Then his flirtatious expression turns to anger and he disappears, leaving me alone in the forest again.

  Shit. How am I getting out of here? He’s right when he says that it’s absolutely ridiculous that I’m trying to walk back to America. I should’ve somehow tried to convince him to take me somewhere at least in the right country. I know that that’s silly but I can’t help but regret not trying.

  I kick a tree with frustration and hurt my toe. Where is my father when I need him? I spend two more days trying to get out of the forest or at least find some civilization. I’m so hungry I can hardly think and I end up eating some berries that could very well be poisonous but they don’t kill me. Thank goodness.

  One night, I’m sitting up in a tree trying to evade some of the creepy crawlies when a rustle in the bushes scares me. I’ve been getting used to the odd monkey or whatever but this rustle is too loud for a monkey. Whatever it is, it’s big.

  I look down below and will myself to be able to see in the dark but I see nothing.

  “Ariella? Are you here?” Tyler asks in the dark. “Where are we right now?”

  My heart leaps with excitement. Almost too excited to speak I make a screeching sound and nearly fall from the tree.

  “What are you doing up there?” he asks and helps me to the ground. “You look like shit.”

  I’m surprised when I don’t shock him with my touch but don’t say anything.

  “Are you trying to sneak into Tarot? Cuz you’re quite a ways from there,” he asks confused. “I’ve been looking for you for days. My tracking skills are far from good, I don’t have much practice in that field, but holy hell was I happy when I finally found you,” he rambles pulling me into a very tight embrace. “You look like a hobo.”

  “Tyler, I’m not trying to sneak into Tarot, I’m trying to get away from it,” I admit and pull the ball from my bra and hold it between us. I’m going to need a new bra, this one has successfully been stretched to hell.

  As soon as he sees it his face lights up and he shakes his head quickly. “No way, you snuck into Tarot and stole that?” he asks dubiously and takes it from me. He stares at it as if he’s inspecting it. He looks at me as if I’m some sort of genius and his smile stretches from ear to ear.

  “Baylon got caught in the process and it sounded like they were going to take her to the prison. We need to break this thing somehow. I tried hitting it with a stick and a rock and dropping it from a tree onto a rock and nothing. It won’t break,” I explain. I wish I could see him better. All I can see is what the ball’s glow lets me see which is a shadow of his face.

  “Good job, Ariella. Did you try using your power?” he asks and then his smile falters. “Sorry, forgot you can’t use yours,” he says apologetically, catching his mistake and then he grips the ball in both hands and focuses really hard. After a moment of nothing happening he opens his eyes and hands me back the ball.

  “This thing has survived maybe billions of years, chances are it’s not easy to break. I think a Tario needs to do it or maybe if we got a few witches or warlocks together but I don’t think I can just destroy it on my own. If Daymon was here we might be able to do it together,” Tyler continues, eyeing me as if gaging my reaction to the mention of Daymon.

  I put the ball back in its place. Thing is, Daymon would probably be okay with helping us out with this because like he said, he wants the Tario gone. He just couldn’t know that destroying it would make him and everyone else mortal. Something tells me that he wouldn’t be down for that much.

  “Ariella, if we can destroy this thing, Daymon—your Daymon might be back. Do you realize that? I mean humans can be dark but I’ve met Daymon and I’m pretty sure that the vampire side of him is what pushes him in to the dark, maybe he’ll snap out of it,” he tries to soothe me encouragingly. I refuse to get my hopes up.

  “Question is, can I still love him after I watched him kill innocent people? After I saw him jump into bed with another woman right in front of me?” I ask Tyler whose expression falters. He didn’t know about the episode with the other woman but that is a story for another time. Just talking about it makes me feel sick.

  “I guess you’ll have to deal with that as it comes,” he advises. “Let’s get out of here, we need to get you washed up, you stink.”

  I want to say ‘thanks’ very sarcastically but before I get the chance, we are at my mother’s house and Tyler is shoving a bath towel in my face and motioning to the bathroom while plugging his nose dramatically.

  I’ve only just met Tyler but already I feel a connection with him. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re twins or because we just get along so well but he someone I would trust with my life. In many ways, although we were raised by different people and brought up very differently, we are very alike. I always dreamt of having siblings but I never actually thought it would happen.

  I ignore him and take up his offer of the shower. I can smell myself and he is right, it’s bad. By the time I’m out of the shower I’m feeling refreshed but starving. When I enter the living room Tyler is seated in front of the TV holding his kitten and petting it lightly.

  “Where are Dad and Jacob?” I ask, suddenly remembering that they’re missing.

  Tyler’s face drops and I begin panicking. “The Tario caught them. I don’t know where they are. I can only assume that they’re in the Tario prison. They can’t be killed, I still have the knife so…I mean obviously I’m concerned about it but it’s not priority. Breaking that ball is our priority.”

  This much is reassuring. At least they’re alive.

  “I’m sorry about our mom, Tyler. I didn’t really know her but I know you were close,” I say as sympathetically as I can and come to sit beside him. His kitten stretches out on his lap, yawns and snuggles into him.

  “It
’s alright, Ariella. She was ready to go. She wouldn’t ever admit it but I could tell she was tired of life. I’ll miss her…a lot but ever since I was little I knew that she wasn’t happy. Corra neither. I can’t imagine living that long,” he tells me as he blinks back tears. “I should really get back out there and keep killing Tario. I just needed a break after everything…”

  “I think you should get Daymon and try to destroy this thing,” I suggest while handling the ball in my hands.

  “I don’t know, I’m not sure if I should risk it. What if he tries to take you?” he asks, unsure.

  “What’s more important? Me being taken or us destroying this thing? Just go alone, I’ll stay here. By the way, is there a protection spell back up on this joint or what?”

  He nods. “Okay, but I agree that you should stay here. I got a protection spell back up with the help of our mother’s necklace. I channeled that power. I took the necklace from your room upstairs,” he tells me and pulls the necklace from his pocket, tossing it to me. The sapphire necklace lands in my palm and I toss it back to him.

  “You should have it,” I insist with a smile and curl up on the couch.

  “What am I going to do with a necklace, Ariella? I have many things of our mother’s this is yours,” he disagrees and throws it back to me. “Daymon doesn’t know where this place is geographically so he shouldn’t be able to find it. If he pictures this place and tries to pop over here, nothing will happen. You’ll be safe here.”

  Chapter 13

  Tyler is gone for hours and I’m left watching TV and eating chips on the couch being useless once again. When there’s a knock at the door I’m completely surprised. Who could it be? I rush over the front door and peer out of the peephole. I am absolutely shocked to see my friend Mindy standing on the porch.

  I swing the door open and she basically collapses in the doorway. I look around for anyone else who might be standing outside and then I drag her into the house and shut the door. She was the last person I was expecting. I immediately notice how ragged her hair is and how her clothes are barely being held on her body. I wonder if I should call an ambulance.