Essence (Nectar 3)

Constantin went quiet for a moment while Tristan moved around the room, in contemplation.

“Samuel and his sister share a link, as all twins do. Royal twins often have a supernatural link and they are driven to reunite when separated and often have tracking skills once they’re turned. Perhaps he can help us find her. If she still has Kyla’s twin, maybe something can be done.”

Tristan looked at Sam and felt frustration and something else, perhaps trepidation, coming off him, coming off in waves.

“Sam and Samantha. Kyla and Kyle? Fuckin’ ridiculous,” Tristan said.

“Kyla also has other siblings, triplets, female, twenty-one years old. Two are still alive and they’re with Katya. They’re already turned so I highly doubt they’d be of assistance.”

“So females with Kyla’s exact lineage were turned?”

“Two. Yes. The third died in childbirth last year. She was never turned but the child could be helpful. Not as likely as Kyle but…”

Tristan raised his hand to silence him, pushing down emotion that threatened to show itself at that news, “So there’s no reason why Kyla shouldn’t have turned?”

“Nothing I’ve been able to isolate. The triplets’ blood composition was enchanted but not as strong, plus being triplets rather than twins, it wasn’t as concentrated. They’ve all had their uses. The firstborn of the triplets had the most vampire DNA; as is the usual. But I performed many experiments on Kyle before Samantha took him and he was not only mesmerized but it seems that Kyla’s vampire genes were somehow stronger. She was the smaller of the two babies, born second, but she took more vampire genes than her brother and that could be the key to a lot of the mysteries surrounding her. He’s got strong vampire traits. She’s much stronger. In most male-female twin sets the male is more dominantly vampire even before turning but that didn’t happen here. I had planned to continue sampling and comparing them throughout their lives but as you know, Kyla vanished. And then Kyle was taken soon after Kyla was discovered. I suspect Samantha joined the militia that was responsible for moving Kyla before we could bring her in. So you can see even further why I’ve been so enamored with the science where Kyla is concerned. She’s different. Her differences have fascinated me since her birth.”

Tristan took a big breath, “You don’t know where Samantha Jasper is?”

“No,” Adrian replied, “As I said, I believe she’s part of that militia but I don’t have proof and they’ve been elusive. Samuel here, hasn’t been real cooperative. I haven’t pushed hard, mind you. Twin allegiances are usually unbreakable so I knew that’d be fruitless. Until now. You have the capability to break it.”

Tristan looked deep into his eyes. “You’re telling me the truth?”

“Yes.”

He sensed no lies and knew, then, that he had the ability to influence Adrian Constantin, too. Adrian clearly knew it too, felt it. Adrian’s heartrate spiked and he shook his head, “You’re the most, the most, powerful vampire I’ve encountered. Even your mother can’t come near to influencing me. Yet you can influence a vamp over a hundred years older than you are. You got the double dose of vampire DNA that should’ve been split with a twin. Most royal vamps nowadays are twins or triplets so I believe you should have been a twin. But with you, there was no twin born so we believe you absorbed all of it. Add that to the bloodline you come from and it’s incredible. The feed you took from Kyla since the nectar returned? I can sense it has done even more to strengthen you. It’s very promising that her blood has regenerated. I want to help you. Please. Let me help you. It would thrill me to see you at your full potential. Her as well. I need to help you breed with her, to see the results of---”

Tristan reached toward Sam with an outstretched hand and Sam handed him the dagger. Tristan then fluidly thrust the steel of it into Adrian’s gut, making him flop off the sofa onto the floor, face first.

Sam let out a chuckle, “Had enough of his verbal diarrhea?”

“More than enough.” Tristan turned to Sam.

“You know where your sister is?” Tristan looked deep.

Sam nodded and jerked his chin toward the kitchen. Tristan followed him.

“I do,” Sam replied, “I don’t want him to hear.”

Tristan knew that a daggered ‘out’ vamp could hear everything going on around him from his own time daggered.

“Is Kyla’s brother alive?”

“He is.”

“Is he vampire?”

“He is not.”

“Was this the idea you had?”

“It was. I don’t know if it’ll work. Sasha trained under Adrian for years. She’s a genius, an awkward slightly scatter-brained genius but a genius nonetheless. She gives Adrian a run for his money; she may know how to help and I knew of Kyla’s brother so thought he might be part of this puzzle. I’d have said she may be able to do whatever it is that he could do so you wouldn’t have to be susceptible to his potential deception but it seems with your newfound powers he couldn’t deceive you anyway.”