Page 13 of All Your Deadly Truths (The Filthy Duet #2)

Xeraphine

Sixteen years ago

T he truth is, I don’t even know why I’m here. Staring at this black door set into a worn brick townhome, wedged between its neighbors, I’m utterly confused at myself.

My foster family is incredible, so why do I feel such a want to know my real parents?

They left me on the front door of an orphanage when I was six—freaking six years old—who does that?

I was just coming to learn the basics of being alive and socializing with the world.

What had I done that justified them letting me go?

With a deep breath, I hesitate to knock. I’ve never been one to ignore my instincts, and something is telling me that this is wrong. However, I hadn’t spent over a year to find where my mother and father lived, to chicken out at the last possible second.

I’m far braver than that, so I knock softly, just under the peephole.

Adjusting my sunflower dress, I roll the straps, straightening them carefully. I smooth my hair, ensuring there are no flyaway strands, and then align my sun and moon earrings so they face forward. With one final breath, I stand as tall and straight as possible.

The patter of feet beyond the door makes my heart race. My fingers slip as my palms become clammy. Holy smokes, I’m so nervous. The urge to bounce around on the balls of my feet is so strong, I mentally chant, don’t bounce, don’t move, don’t fidget.

As the brass handle on the door turns, I roll my lips together and look up .

When the door slowly opens, the darkness beyond the woman standing before me makes bumps rise on my arms. She is a spitting image of me, and I can’t keep my mouth from opening. The only difference is that she is clearly older than I am. Matured and a woman—not a girl.

Her dark silver eyes look me up and down, her gaze stopping at what I think is my chest, but that can’t be right.

“Yes?” Even the tone of her voice is beautiful, and all I can hope in this moment is that I will mature into this stunning woman. This is my mother, there is no doubt of that.

“Hi.” I raise my hand and wave. “Are you Tali?”

Her lips part, and it’s impossible not to stare. They’re a deep red, fading into an ombre of black at the corners. She does them so perfectly that I can’t even see the texture of the lipstick.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so beautiful before in my entire life.

“Yes.” She seems irritated, but I suppose that makes sense. A stranger did just show up on her doorstep knowing her name.

“My name is Xeraphine. I’m sure you don’t remember me since it’s been, I think like eight years, but I’m?—”

“My daughter.” She releases a soft hum, one of knowing, not relief. I prepared myself for her not to accept me. Truth be told, I expected her to just turn me away. “You didn’t need to tell me your name for me to know, child.”

I don’t want to swoon over the fact she recognizes me, but my heart does do a few skips and a soft flutter in my stomach rises.

“Is there a reason you are coming to see me?” Her tone is flat as she looks from side to side, before bringing her gaze back to me. “Did you bring your foster family?”

I live just outside of the main city of Ashfer, which is where Tali—or maybe I should call her my mother—lives. Right in the heart of it.

“No, I took a bus to get here, and I was just hoping… to meet you and my dad.”

I’ve been dying to know why they called me Xeraphine.

I love the name, but it is so unique that I get questions at school because of it.

Truth be told, I swoon over the attention of it.

That, and the compliments about how pretty I am.

I get to thank this woman for that, and I can’t believe how good of a detective I am.

Mental patty on the back for doing a good job, Xera!

“I see.” She takes a deep breath and steps aside. “Come in.”

I can’t stop my mouth from falling open in shock. Is she really inviting me in? Am I really going to get to meet my dad and talk with them both? !

F@ll0ut online users were so wrong about kids finding their parents and being shunned away.

Ha. Take that, trolls.

Stopping myself from clapping, I dart through the front door into the very dark home. I appreciate the mood, because as much as I like bright colors, they do strain my eyes. Having nearly white color irises does take a toll on my ability to see in brightly lit rooms.

Red roses in a vase sit elegantly on a table in the front room. A staircase ascends to the second floor, disappearing into the pitch-black above, while an archway leads into a dimly lit foyer.

“Come.” Tali brushes past me, and I don’t hesitate to follow right behind her.

Her long, onyx hair falls down past her butt, right to the middle of her thighs, and I can only hope mine will grow to be that long.

As we pass another room—this one with a closed door—we step into an average-looking kitchen. It’s the brightest space in the house I’ve seen, with an open window above the sink and gleaming white tile covering the walls and floor.

“Remind me, how old are you now, Xeraphine?”

A strange sensation comes over me, and even though I was going to tell her, it was like I needed to speak as quickly as possible. “Fourteen.”

She hums and turns to face me while simultaneously leaning against the island in the middle of the space.

“Your father is dead.”

I’m not too sure I heard her correctly, because that can’t be what she said, not just out of nowhere like that.

“I’m sorry?” My words fumble out, unsteady and uncertain.

“It isn’t your fault, you don’t need to apologize, Xeraphine.” She crosses her arms under her chest.

“N-No… I-I’m—what did you say?”

“Oh.” She chuckles, and it’s… it’s like one of those evil villain laughs. The kind that’s condescending by nature, yet carries a hint of amusement, as if something I said was genuinely funny to her. “Your father is dead—I should say he’s dying over and over again.”

Now I laugh, but it’s a shaky sound, built entirely out of nerves. “You got me there… I thought you were serious.” I don’t believe what I’m saying, because deep down, I know she’s being serious—at least, in her mind she is.

Is she sick?

Her head tilts, giving me a strange look I can’t quite place. It’s as if she’s sizing me up; not by looking over me, but by looking into me .

I swallow. “Okay, well…” I should leave, my mind is telling me to go.

The silence that falls between us is broken by a soft hissing sound.

It’s a sharp, sizzling exhale, similar to the sound of air rushing through a narrow opening.

I’m too scared to look away from my mother, whose eyes become far more intense by the second.

“Have you ever felt a strange tingle in your throat when you ask someone to do something?”

I swear I came here to interrogate her .

Without saying anything, I just shake my head.

A soft growl emanates from her throat, and her nostrils flare slightly. “Maybe you aren’t old enough.” The moment my mouth opens, she cuts me off, “Have you started your period yet?”

I’m so taken back by her question, I stutter, “Y-Yeah, yeah…”

“Are you actively having sex?”

My eyes widen, and again my words come out as if I were under a quake. “N-No! I’m a virgin, I’m only?—”

“You aren’t, sweetheart.” That makes me feel sick, a knot forming right in the pit of my stomach. “I just need to know if you are sexually active right now.”

Again, there is a hissing sound coming from somewhere, and it’s getting louder.

All I do is shake my head. I hadn’t even realized I was slowly stepping away. Not until I can see the archway to the hall in my peripherals.

“Come back in, Xeraphine.”

Something compels me to stay and stop retreating, though I’m not even sure why I’m scared. Sure, these questions are freaking weird, but then again… she is kind of like that—strange. I honestly don’t know what I should do, other than just listen to her.

“Do you know what an Incubus is, sweetheart?” she asks while tilting her head.

“I-I, uh… I’m…”

“Why are you so nervous?”

I hesitate, but not because I don’t know the answer. I do, there is no question about why I’m stuttering.

“Honestly, you are scaring me.” I don’t want to ask about why she says I’m not a virgin. The truth of that may actually shatter me. Could it be the reason they gave me up? What if my dad…

“Fear is a construct of what if’s. When you don’t worry about it... You won’t be afraid. Do you know what an Incubus is, Xeraphine? A Demon?”

“I’ve heard of them… but I don’t know much, why?” My voice is accompanied by heavy breathing, and it’s all because of how hard my he art is beating in my chest.

“Your father is one of those Demons, and he was my Mark—or, you know, my mate .” My lips part while my hands tremble at my side.

“You are part Succubus, my dear.” She clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth and turns away from me.

“He pissed the wrong person off…” I can hear the groan, and the subtle twitch of her wrist makes me fear for my wellbeing.

I’m not safe here… I need to run.

“So… he was, well, sunk to the bottom of the Cynth Sea.”

My hand clamps around my throat as anxiety coils tight in my chest, a suffocating grip that sends nausea rolling through me. Any second now, I’m going to vomit.

“I just wanted to see if you showed signs of being his.”

My eyes are wide, brimming with tears. The pain throbbing in my temples command all of my attention and are drowning out her words.

“It’s possible because you’re a Hybrid you will just be merely Mundane.” Her tone is so cold, and I shouldn’t allow it to break my heart the way that it does.

Why do I feel this pang of hurt, like I’ve… failed her? As though I’ve disappointed her for being born what I am. Isn’t that her fault?

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.” I have no idea what I’m even saying. It’s as though I’ve lost control of even my speech.

When she smiles, I have to admit, I don’t like it. It’s not the kind that warms my heart, but instead turns it to solid ice. “We can fix it. It’s alright, dear.”

She turns to walk away from me, and when I look ahead of her, my gaze lands on the butcher block of knives. Her hand grips the handle of one, and as she drags it out, the faint, frictional rasp as it edges out feels like it drags on for an eternity.

The subtle, resonant thunk as it’s released from the dense wood, makes my heart skip.

Once more, hissing .

“T-Tali?”

“No, please… call me Mom.”

I swear she’s right in front of me as I blink, then a sharp pain rips through my ribs. It’s so unbearable that my scream bursts out instantly.

“No, no, don’t scream.” Her hand that isn’t holding the knife reaches up toward my face and I shove both of mine against her chest. “It’s fine, you’ll be fine…”

She doesn’t even move, but I do while screaming. “Help me!”

I fall onto my butt, my head flying back as my hand shakily rests over the burning hole in my stomach. The gushing of blood pumping against my palm has my body turning cold.

I’m going to die…

She drops to her knees in front of me, grabs my throat, and pierces my stomach. I’m certain my body has gone numb because there isn’t as much pain as the first stab.

“Please, someone help me!” I scream again, my tongue feeling tight. A warm, metallic tang coats my mouth with a slightly thick, iron-like taste.

Tears blur my vision as she sits up and gets to her feet. I’m surprised I can even lift my hand, yet I do, and I reach out.

“Help… D-Don’t do this…”

When she laughs, I know I’m going to die. I can’t stop my scream, and it isn’t the volume that tells me it’s loud, but the way my body shakes. My ears pop and I wretch into a curled position on the ground.

“Help! Help me, please!”

“When she’s awake, come get me.”

I have no idea who she’s talking to, but when I finally stop my cries for mercy, I settle my head onto the floor. Before my eyes roll back and everything goes black, I see two almond-shaped eyes that are dark and menacing. They’re muted red and rimmed with a bright yellow.

Then I hear hissing accompanied by receding footsteps.

Hiss.

She left me for dead.

Hiss.

My own mother left me to die.

Hiss.

Psychotic… bitch…

“Oh my Gods!”

“Call an ambulance!”

“Get a towel, she’s bleeding out!”

The last thing I feel is my body being lifted, and maybe I’m being taken to the Vayl. At least there she can’t get to me. They’d never allow her in, and I can die with that one small peace.