Ambrosia (Nectar 2)

“Oh?”

Taryn stopped and faced Kyla.

“Tristan needs to follow the path that has been planned. I hope you’ll do whatever you can to help with that. He’s being unreasonable. You need to work on Tristan. He needs to follow the path. He needs to be very wary of Claudio. Claudio isn’t ready to give up the throne so he needs to be watched. Tristan needs to sire as many children as possible and get as strong as possible as quick as possible so that he can claim that throne. When he turns you, you’ll have a lot of responsibility and I can help you with that so I want you to be very open to my instruction. He’ll be extremely receptive to your recommendations, you’ll be extremely receptive to mine. Do you understand? And get over your anger at Adrian. You and Tristan need him right now.”

Taryn was looking at her in such a way that Kyla was fairly certain the she-vamp was trying to mesmerize her. As Taryn spoke, Kyla had been feeling that electric spark-like sensation behind her eyes that she’d felt with Celia, only this time it was stronger, more painful.

Kyla guessed Tristan’s mother figured she was strong enough to do it, despite the fact that Celia had failed.

Her blood chilled at the woman’s stare. And then she felt a chill coming up from her toes, that coldness that had come over her with Celia, with Liam. She tried to hold it back but not send it away so that she could summon it if she needed it. She had a feeling she was doing this successfully but of course wouldn’t know unless she actually tried to unleash it. She had to decide at that instant whether or not to make Tristan’s mother think she’d successfully programmed Kyla. She decided that it’d be the best course of action. If Taryn thought Kyla was under her influence, maybe Kyla could use that to her advantage. Or, at the very least, not anger the woman without having the protection of Tristan right now.

She nodded slowly.

Taryn smiled and then pointed off in the distance, “Oh look, a moon flower is blooming.”

It was indeed dusk and the instant Kyla glanced in the direction Taryn had pointed in, she saw a riot of yellow flowers bloom quickly. Behind them was a clearing in the meadow and there was a rope swing swinging from a big tree in the breeze.

What the..what?

Kyla’s stomach plummeted because she’d dreamt of this place. She’d dreamt of being in a meadow watching flowers bloom at rapid speed. In the dream they hadn’t been moonflowers, which she knew bloomed at dusk; one of her foster parents had some in their garden and the whole clan would wait around them at night during the summer to watch for them to bloom, but in Kyla’s dream there’d been loads of flowers blooming. In that dream, Tristan had been pushing her on a swing and then he’d bitten her throat. And then she’d seen her ex, Jackson.

Suddenly, Taryn’s teeth clamped down on Kyla’s throat. Kyla screamed and shoved her back with considerable strength. The woman went back on one foot, didn’t fall over, though, and she smiled big, her fangs and other visible teeth covered in Kyla’s blood.

“You are delicious. And strong. My goodness. You won’t remember that I did this, though.”

Kyla was astounded. She forced herself to nod robotically.

“I just had to know what you tasted like.” Her fangs retracted and she removed a hankie from her riding jacket pocket and wiped her mouth daintily. She stepped over and reached for Kyla.

Kyla avoided the urge to flinch, to punch, to run, to do something, anything. She miraculously managed to remain still.

“Let me just close that wound for you.” Taryn leaned over and gave Kyla’s throat a quick peck with her lips and then she dabbed at it with her hankie. She sniffed the hankie and smiled.

“All better now,” she smiled and turned on her heel. “Let’s go!”

Kyla shivered and followed. Kyla’s brain was travelling at Mach 25 but she tried her best to hide it. Evidently her poker face was getting better because Taryn seemed to buy it. Taryn stopped at the front door.

“When you and Tristan are back home I’ll visit and we’ll have to have a girls’ day. Get you some decent clothes. Not sure if you’ll be home before or after you’ve been turned. Now go inside and rest.”

What the fuck?

Taryn gave a little wave and was about to head back toward the main house but suddenly Adrian was there, in front of Taryn, his fangs showing and his face blood-red. He was pretty damn scary-looking. Kyla was surprised at his demeanour. He’d been so normal-looking thus far.

“Did you kill my fucking stallion?” he screamed in Taryn’s face.

She giggled school girlishly.