Essence (Nectar 3)

S: “And grape soda pop?”

K: “No. Pepsi pls.”

S: “Roger.”

K: “And cream soda.”

S: “Ok.”

K: M&M’s if you can find them.

K: Peanut, not just chocolate. And something white chocolate too.

S: “Anything else?”

She didn’t know if that was impatience or amusement.

K: “Don’t think so but I’ll let you know.

K: Maybe some chips & onion dip, too.”

He didn’t answer after that.

But about a half an hour later there was a knock on the door.

Kyle jumped up and said,

“You go in the bedroom. Shut the door.”

Sheesh. Brother Bossy Pants.

But she was smiling, a lot, liking this business of having someone else around who cared to keep her safe.

She got a text.

It was Tristan.

T: “Everything okay?”

K: “Yes, fine. Kyle and I are playing XBOX. Sam is getting us dinner. I think Kyle is at the door getting said dinner. I’m in the bedroom, hidden until said dinner is delivered and door is safely closed and locked. What’s up with you? Mommie dearest gone?”

T: “Not yet. Long story. I’ll be late. Kyle will be picked up at midnight. Don’t wait up.”

K: “Oh, ok. Wake me when you come in. xo.”

T: “I will. Love you.”

K: ~~~“She’s in the dorm, under guard. And daggered.”

Tristan was telling her about Taryn. He’d come into bed, curled into her, and kissed her. Kyla had sat up and asked for an update.

“She was at the gate throwing a holy fit, demanding to be let in. I had a guy on her and didn’t realize he hadn’t reported in for over twenty-four hours because we were on the move from the island. She probably killed him.”

“What does she want?”“I let her in because she threatened to go on a rampage to the gate guys if they didn’t get me to the gate. When I got there she turned on the waterworks and spewed all sorts of garbage about being upset that I was upset after things went wrong with you. Said that despite how horrible of a person she now is she felt my pain due to the mother-child bond and she wanted to know I was okay. I’ve been dodging her since things went wrong. She heard I was here somehow, I’ll be finding out how, and so she showed up. I daggered her and she’s out of my hair for now.”

“So there’s only my dagger under the pillow and the other in Taryn and that means you’re unarmed. I don’t like that.”

“I don’t need it. And tomorrow we’re pulling Jonathan and Lucian out of that pit and they’re daggered so that gives me two more, if I leave them undaggered. But we also have the lowdown on that steel he’s using. A shipment is due in three days and according to the purchase order there’s two dozen of them but we can get another shipment in about two-three weeks. They come from a Japanese knife company. It’s not some secret steel, it’s just their specific mix. Their mix of alloys works perfectly. He pimps them out with those crystals. That’s the shit that puts a vamp down. Can you believe it? I’m having the place combed, too, in case he’s got more hidden. His father got into a fight with a Japanese vamp years back and that vamp ruled Japan’s vamp society because of his knife. Adrian’s father, your great grandfather, took him out when he was sleeping, stole his knife, sourced the knife, bought the knife company. Looks like you and your brother might be the heirs to that particular fortune.”

“Shit. I grew up with nothing. I’m Japanese knife heiress?”

“Yup. Well, Japanese knives. You don’t look like a Japanese heiress.”

“Too funny. I’d like to announce myself that way and see how people react when they see I’m not Japanese. And we have sisters. And a mother. Maybe the family fortune has to be split five ways.”

“Yeah, well let’s hold that thought. We need to determine whether your mother and sisters are worthy or not. Not to mention this place and his other assets. You’re heiress to all of that, too.”

“What do you know about them?” she asked him, “My sisters?”

“Not much. Yet. That’s on the to-do list. After about 400 other things. He’s never placed an order that big so that tells me there might’ve been something up his sleeve. We need to be on our toes. My IT guy is still going through phone records, emails, shit like that from the last six months.”

“Yikes,” she said, not liking the sound of that.

“So, did you have a good night with your brother?”

“I did. We had a laugh. We ate a pile of junk food and some double decker bacon burgers with three kinds of cheese and fricking huge onion rings on them, the Kyle Kelly special, apparently. And he wiped the floor with me with video games. Adrian had quite a collection of Xbox games. It’s like a bloody video game store in that cabinet!”