Page 61

When he tried to step onto her land, a translucent, shimmering shield slammed him backward. Valentina and I passed through the barrier without harm. “You okay?” I called out as he stood up, brushing snow from his coat.

He chuckled, brushing the snow from his shoulders. “I’m alright. Just let the demon know to open her gates for me. I mean no harm. I’ve heard a lot about the parents who raised you. I only wish to thank them.” He smiled, waving us along.

I nodded and followed Valentina down the snowy path to Arianna’s door. I knocked lightly.

Arianna opened it almost instantly, her expression unreadable. “You finally made it,” she said, stepping aside. “They’ve been here four hours.”

I didn’t have to wait long; my mother ran straight into my arms. There was something different about her. She looked… younger, as if time had loosened its grip on her. “My boy,” she squealed, wrapping her arms tightly around me.

TAINTED| CHAPTER 17

Vader

Martha’s warm scent enveloped me as soon as her arms wrapped around me with strength compared to my own. It wasn’t the familiar sweet flora that would cling to her skin but something deeper, darker. It reminded me of Lord Draco’s. Even if she did smell different, the warmth in her touch was still so familiar that it had me dismissing the scent momentarily. I returned the embrace as I tucked her into my chest, pulling her off her toes. No matter the package she came in, she felt the same. I could feel the love transmitting in the air as I set her to her feet. My mother didn’t hesitate to cup my face and place a myriad of kisses on each cheek like she wouldn’t see me again.

When she finally pulled back from her welcome, my focus pulled into her new youth. The sadness that had lingered in the depths of her mint-green eyes seemed to subside with her transformation. The signature brown bob she had was now replaced by Rapunzel-length locks down her back. Her honey-toned skin warmed with excitement as she took me in. Martha's gaze always had the edge of softness as big and round as they were. She looked far too innocent for this world she now occupied.

She wasn’t in a gilded gown like Valentina. But it looked warm, nonetheless. It was plain compared to the ones I’ve grown used to. It was a dull brown color that almost blended into her skin, but it was thick enough to keep her warm. It almost made her seem outside my realm, and I hated that. Martha would never be beneath me. She’d always be the person who raised me. My mother and that in itself deserved a higher place than most.

Before a word could pass between us, she stepped back. She surrounded me in a slow circle, taking me in. Her steps were soft against the grain of the wood, barely audible to the ear. But I could detect it anywhere. When she got to my back, her hands settled against my shoulders before she inhaled me deeply. The hair against my neck pulled toward her as she finally sniffed before fully circling back.

When her face was back in view, my gaze locked on her. “Are you okay?” I asked. If she had experienced the pain that I had felt, then she would have experienced torture. It killed me a part of me that I couldn’t shield her from it. Even with the confusion, not knowing how much she knew, I had been worried about her. Martha’s safety had meant the world to me. Not being able to hold her hand through it was the hardest part.

“I should be the one asking you that,” my mother countered just as quickly. She broke our gaze to look behind her shoulder to the other corner of the room. I followed her line of sight as my nose finally picked up the unfamiliar scent in the air. Mark had been tucked in the corner, covered in the natural shadow where the light didn’t quite reach.

I probably couldn’t place his scent before because I was too overwhelmed with him reappearing. But now him standing still in this cottage, it highlighted how different he truly smelt. There was a pungent tinge that hit the back of my throat wrong. But over the foulness of it was an earthy essence that blended into the wood of the home.

My mind drew a blank when I saw him, not because I had no thoughts, but because I had too many that could bubble over. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing out of frustration, and it felt like he was riding on that same wave. He didn’t step forward to approach me; he merely studied me with caution. Mark had a way of waiting for me to absolve him before he even spoke. A lump formed at the base of my throat in anticipation that I had to swallow away.

The tension in the air crackled as Martha’s eyes flickered between the two of us. Her hand reached out toward mine, grabbing hold of me as she spoke. “I always wanted to tell you,” She whispered. Her soft voice cradled my soul as her confession commenced. “We knew something was different about you since the night you were given to us.”

So she did know. That almost felt like a physical hit to the stomach, because I wanted to believe she was as green to this as me. I wanted her life to be just as torn open in unimaginable ways so we could relate there. But she knew on some type of level about this truth. Even if it was small, I would have tried to understand if she was the one to tell me. My mouth parted to try and speak, but the shock had me silenced.

Martha could see the hurt in my eyes; her own mirrored the emotional blow to me with shame. Reaching out to touch my face, she whispered, “I loved you so much when you were laid in my arms. I was also given a clock that you’d be taken from me. Time just felt borrowed. I thought you could be taken from us at any second.” Martha’s thumb bruised the side of my cheek as a tear swelled at the crease of her eyes. “I didn’t want you living under a stopwatch. I wanted you to live. I could hold the unknown.”

My face scrunched at the emotions that brewed beneath my chest. This new truth was clarifying but also deeply unnerving. Every moment where either one of them could have just held that space for me, they didn’t, they chose silence instead. They thought they knew better than the reality that was before them. It was so wrong. Clenching my jaw, I took a deep breath through my nose, trying to calm the anger that was brewing underneath the surface.

Mothers were supposed to know everything, sure. This, though, wasn’t a normal way to raise a child. If she knew something, she should have signaled it to me little by little. It hurt to know she didn’t trust me enough to just sit me down and explain. Martha was my only solid thing this last year. So just for her to leave this up to fate itself was absurd. The only reason I couldn’t fully commit to the anger towards was because she stayed. She had been there to the very end. I saw the uncertainty in her expression when Valentina had bitten her. But the way she had looked that day in Val’s arms wasn’t fear from the unknown. It was knowing what was coming and not being able to control it.

Then Mark. Mark was a special kind of insanity that was crawling in my brain. I didn’t know what even truly happened there. I’m not sure if I wanted to because it might just bring more hurt than any real resolution. “What do you mean?” I asked, there was more heat in my voice than I expected as I tried to regulate. They owed me an explanation.

Mark had been sitting near the hearth, watching every step I made. It reminded me of when I was in high school, and he’d stay up late if I didn’t come home before him. As soon as he heard the base in my voice toward my mother, he rose. His steps were slow and timid at first, weighing my actions. “Calm down, Alexander,” he asserted calmly. “We did the best with the information we had.”

“What exactly did you know then?” I questioned and my voice froze over as my body turned to him. That was the question of the hour. How could they not trust me with the truth that was this life-altering? It wasn’t as if they let me believe in Santa too long; it was that they never let me even wonder. My gaze flickered between the two of them, just wanting someone to tell me the truth.

No answer could satisfy me. I was that much more behind because I wasn’t given the proper chance. They both stood there silently, staring at me, waiting for the fire in my gaze to burn out. It felt like an eternity stretched between us before my mother’s arms wrapped around my waist. Her head fell to my chest, centering me back. It wasn’t like Val’s calming effect, but warmth flooded through my ribs as she mumbled against my vest, “I promise you, I did not know much. I’m so sorry. Everything I held was out of love.” She looked up from my chest so our eyes could meet, “I missed you so much, I thought about you every day as I burned on that mattress.” Martha’s voice was thick with remorse, which made my own heart squeeze. Her head fell back against my chest as she squeezed me a little tighter.

Of everyone, I didn’t want Martha’s guilt. Even when I was upset with her actions, I could never be mad at her for who she was. She was a light in the middle of all my chaos, and I couldn’t shut her out. My hand found the back of her head as I rubbed a circle in her hair. If anyone… I could forgive Martha. It was just Mark I was having a hard time with.

In my peripheral Valentina stood beside Arianna. The two had been watching the exchange, silently witnessing. There was no judgment in their expressions as the scene unfolded, but just quiet observation. Just as the room grew quiet, the two of them started their own low-tempo conversation. It was barely a whisper. I had to focus to catch it. Val glanced at the door and gave it a nod. “We have another guest to introduce?”

“Who?”

Valentina glanced in my direction, giving me a small wink before she answered. “Another father.” I didn’t miss Arianna’s eyebrow raise as she looked toward the entrance herself. Looking back at Valentina, her eyes narrowed before she glided to the door.

I had held my breath for a moment at the word. I knew Kleitos was out there, but I didn’t anticipate how it would feel with him in the room too. The emotions that were already flooded were high. Adding another intimidating figure in the cottage now made it feel smaller than it truly was. Shaking my head, I tried to let the nerves pass through me.

Looking back at my mother, I tried to focus on the positives. She was here. Mark was here. I wasn’t going to be alone through this. I’d have my support system, I’ve always known, so that was the benefit through all the insanity. I’d have both. With a weak smile, I pressed a kiss into my mother’s forehead. “I missed you, too,” I whispered. It wasn’t even a lie. I did. With all this pain, I still felt responsible for her being turned now. And she deserved my full apology. “I’m so sorry about that day. I didn’t understand what was happening…But I never want to lose you.”