Heart Two Heart (11 page)

He swore he missed me so much that he could
even accept a nagual as a son in-law. I was so happy. I always
thought my pop would reject Ulric outright just for being a nagual.
That’s why I hadn’t spoken to my father since the day I found
Ulric. So I told my pop how to find Taini when we were still in
Vegas. Then I sent them a fax of Taini’s farewell letter to Ulric
in hopes they would find and destroy her in Haiti. Hell, I’ve been
giving them updates on Ulric and Taini whereabouts since the moment
they left Arizona together.

I was so stupid. I should have stuck to my
guns, and kept away from my pop, but I was angry and bitter than
Ulric was choosing Taini over me. I wanted him to love me the way I
loved him. I wanted Taini dead and out of the picture so that I
could have my happily ever after. I was so rash to believe my pop
would keep his word. I knew better. I knew my pop hated nagual even
more than camazotz. After all, it was a nagual that killed my
mother. Even knowing that however, I never expected them to capture
and torture Ulric.

I was as much as fault as my pop and NOFS. I
would never forgive myself if they kill Ulric. That's why no matter
what it took, or the cost to me, I was going to do whatever I could
to help rescue Ulric. With my goals in mind, I took my time walking
as sexy as I knew how from the door towards the bar. I made sure my
breasts bounced and my buttock flexed with each step I took. I’d
almost made it all the way to the bar before I caught the attention
of the first skinwalker. I forced myself to smile at him like he
was the best looking man I’d ever seen.

Then as if on cue I watched as every single
male in the bar stop what they were doing and turned and looked
directly at me. The reaction was a lot more than I’d expected. I
know I am attractive but not enough to get the attention of an
entire bar. I smiled to myself at the knowledge that the pheromone
fragrance must be working.

I plastered the fake smile on my face and
pushed myself to resume walking towards the bar. With each step I
took more males moved closer to me. I could see them sniffing in my
scent a visibly becoming aroused. The doc said they would be
attacked but their reaction seemed a bit more than just desire. I
heard several skinwalkers growling and I heard at least one howl.
Something felt very wrong and I realised the hairs on the back of
my neck were standing on end.

Then I recalled Emilio saying something about
just one or two spritzes. Too bad I never was very good at
following directions. This time it just might cost me my life. I
never made it to the bar. I never even had to say a word. In fact I
never did more than bat my eyelashes and make a few huffing sounds
before the bar erupted in a wave of violence.

Some men shifted completely, others partially
shifted but all of them fought to cause maximum damage. I was
petrified as I watched them tear into each other each man for
himself. Blood splashed me in my face and I decided it was time to
get out of her. That's when I realised the huge flaw in my plan.
The fighting men were between me and the exit. I knew things were
going to get a lot worse before they got better. I felt the first
set of hands grab me off the floor and thought to myself ‘I guess
Karma was a bitch after all.’

Setting the building on fire had been an even
bigger disaster than being stuck in the abandoned warehouse. The
locals did exactly what I told them to do and within minutes the
entire building went up in flames. For a few hours I was sure I
would be released, but then the fire died and I was still stuck in
the rubble. The fire died out days ago and still my heart lingers
in the same place.

I was allowing my mind to roam over the
possibilities for escape when I felt a certain vibe. It felt
something familiar yet again. The same feeling that reminded me of
home. I focused my attention on my surrounding and that’s when I
spotted him. Pau! My Pau was searching through the rubble looking
for something. Most likely some indication of what happened to
me.

I allowed my consciousness to move as far
away from my cage as it allowed me. I was able to get within feet
of him. I shouted and tried my best to touch him. At times, I
thought he might have heard or felt something since he would
completely still himself and breathe deeply. Then as if he was
unable to see or hear anything he would start moving the debris
around again. He’d taken three passes through the rubble before I
watched him sit down in the middle of the fire damage and clear his
throat then he said in his particularly knowing voice

“Taini, I know you’re here somewhere. I’m not
sure if your consciousness is trapped or if you are afraid to
leave. If it’s fear keeping you here, I beg you to let yourself
move on. Ulric will be fine, I promise. If you are trapped, I give
you my word I will figure it out and set your heart free. You may
not have been made from my blood but to me you are still one of
family. I promise I will not rest until I know you are at peace and
your death has been avenged. I love you Taini and always have.”

Then I watched as he lifted himself from the
ground and once again stood absolutely still as if listening for me
to reply. I know he couldn’t see or hear me but I jumped up and
down and shouted anyway. After an hour or so Pau eventually let out
a sad sigh and left the building.

If I had eyes, I would have been crying as he
left. As it was, my heart begged mercilessly for him to come back.
I knew my heart and soul would yearn for his company until he
returned. I also knew with every fiber of my being that Pau would
return. Pau was often problematic and generally tended to take
things into his own hands that were better left alone, but once Pau
gave his word he never went back.

Today that brought a sense of security and
hope to me. If Pau said he would not rest until he knew my heart
was at peace then he would help me to move for this world to the
next. I found that single thought to be refreshing and I allowed it
to carry me through the next several days.

I was looking through the debris from the
building fire when I know I felt Taini’s presence. It wasn’t the
first time I felt her around this building. I’m not sure where she
is but I know she’s here somewhere. I wish I could tell if she
lingered because she was afraid of the afterlife or is she was
trapped here.

I sifted through every piece of rubble I
could find inside the burned out building but could find no
evidence that Taini had even been here. Finally after exhausting
myself I sat down in the middle of the floor and started at an old
Arawak marble sculpture that had managed to stay undamaged in the
fire.

The more I sat there the more I was convinced
Taini’s presence was still in the building. I wasn’t sure what
could possibly have her anchored here but I was sure she was here.
It was like a mother that knew when her child needed her. I could
feel Taini’s need for me and I simply couldn’t just walk away
again. I sat there on the ground thinking about what my next steps
should be. It was then that I realised I was going about this all
wrong. I needed Gaho here so that if Taini’s presence was lingering
my Gaho could communicate with her.

There were so few people who could actually
see someone’s aura. There were even fewer people who could actually
communicate with someone’s aura. Most eternal hearts could see each
other’s aura and even communicate with them. Sadly, Ulric however
was also missing so he couldn’t come and try to find Taini’s aura
for me. Gaho however could see everyone’s aura and communicate with
them, regardless of their species.

Satisfied that I’d come up with a plan I took
on more deep breathe. That’s when I suddenly identified the smell
that had been teasing my awareness. Vaettir! The smell was
undeniably and absolutely Sjövættir Vaettir to be exact. I’d been
locked up next to two of them during the war. I was shocked to my
core since I thought the Nazi’s had killed them all when the
Americans liberated our concentration camp. I suddenly had a very
sneaky suspicion of exactly what happened to Taini. I quickly
pulled myself from the ground and ran at my top speed back to my
hotel room. I punched in Gaho’s number as quickly as the phone
would allow me. I would need her come as quickly as possible if I
was going to confirm my suspicions. Once I had Gaho’s agreement I
quickly called my partner Waylon and filled him in as well.

“Waylon, do you recall me telling you about
the final days of the war? Do you remember me saying that the
Nazi’s were using the Vaettir to create a body snatching spell? The
Nazi’s wanted displace a person from their body so they could slip
in and use someone else’s body for their purposes.”

I heard Waylon take a deep breath before
answering in a quiet but inquisitive voice

“Yes.” I too took a deep breath before
continuing

“Well, I am pretty sure that’s what’s
happened to Taini. I think a Vaettir used a spell and snatched
Taini’s body. Now, I think Taini is trapped in an object somewhere
in a burned out warehouse here in Haiti. I know you have some
pretty powerful magic. Do you think you can find a copy of the
spell so we can reverse it? We have to do something she’s trapped
and probably in enormous pain. Waylon, we are Taini only hope.”

We conversed for several more minutes before
we finally said our goodbyes and hung up. Waylon said he would
inform the rest of the family and find put out feelers for someone
who might have a copy of the spell the Nazi’s created. Waylon
managed to keep his tone and his words sounding positive. But I
knew the truth. Chances of finding the spell were slim to none.

Chances are we are not going to be able to
restore Taini to her own body. In fact we were probably not going
to be able to get Taini into any body. I might just have to come to
grip with the fact that the best I could hope for was finding a
spell that could release her from the trap she was in and allow her
to move on to the afterlife.

I sat on the bed in my hotel room beating
myself up about Taini’s situation. I felt tears slip down my cheeks
unfettered. The truth was, I felt responsible for Taini’s
condition. I pushed her too hard to accept Ulric as her eternal
heart. I tricked them both into meeting.

I masterminded the entire Vegas shindig. I
allowed Ulric and Taini to think that I was actually willing to end
Taini life. I would never have agreed if I thought there was even a
small chance that Ulric wouldn’t have rushed into the desert to
save her. I figured the moment she looked into his eyes that she
would finally give in and accept Ulric.

I’d been a fool to push Taini so hard. I knew
the things that happened to her in her youth. I knew the scars she
still wore on her heart. I’d been so sure that being with Ulric
would finally heal her pain and make her whole. I used her desires
against her and forced her hand. It had been the wrong thing and
Taini was paying the price.

My emotions were on overdrive. The past few
days were more than I was equipped emotionally to handle. My head
was a mess and I was still desperately trying to make sense of
everything that happened. My life had become so complicated ever
since I walked into that cheesy Italian restaurant in Vegas and
spotted the dark hair beauty that momentarily stopped my heart.

The part that hurt the most is that I made a
terrible mess of my life in pursuit of a foolish and impossible
dream. I wanted the heart shattering love that I knew my mum and
pop had. I wanted to kind of connection that my nan talked about. I
wanted it all. I didn’t want to settle mediocre I wanted
perfection. Now, because of my stupidity I would probably have
neither.

It took my family almost a month to find me.
Then it was another full week after rescuing me before I finally
was able to shake my blood lust. I looked over at my pop who was
still holding his hands in his lap and shaking his foot in anxiety.
He was holding back and I needed him to spit out the rest. I stood
up and started pacing the room and finally managed to force myself
to say

“Tell me everything. Good, bad and even the
supposition. I need to know every single detail the rest of you
know. Then from there we can decide next steps.” I heard my pop
take a deep breath then point to the chair before saying

“Sit down, this is going to take a while and
you are not going to enjoy hearing most of it.” He waited for me to
finally be seated and I watched as he ran his hand through his head
then took another deep breath.

“We tried to tell you on the phone that the
woman you were running around with wasn’t really your eternal
heart. It was a Vaettir who stole her body” Before my pop could say
another word I quickly interrupted and said

“What the hell is a Vaettir? Do you mean some
kind of fairy? I thought they were make believe?” My pop shook his
head and continued

“Vaettir are a species that we thought died
out long ago. Pau could give you more details but what you need to
really understand is the woman inside of Taini’s body is capable of
large amounts of magic.”

He took a deep breath and I was just about to
ask, if the Vaettir is in Taini body then where is Taini... when my
pop held his hand up to me in a stop sign then he continued

“I need you to hold all your questions until
I get out the basic details. So, anyhow Pau, Waylon and Gaho were
able to locate Taini’s consciousness. However she is currently
without a body and they just aren’t sure if they are going to find
a way to resolve that. In fact, they believe, chances are, the best
they can do is help her to find peace. I know that’s not something
you wanted to hear, but it is what it is. You are going to have to
go to Haiti and say goodbye to your eternal heart and help guide
her out of this lifetime and into the next.”