Authors: DD Prince
He rolled over, taking her with him so she was on top.
They cuddled quietly, Kyla wrestling with the demons --- old and new, and Tristan rubbing her back and stroking her hair until she fell asleep on top of him.
Kyla woke with a start, she’d been dreaming about Tristan. It was still dark.
They were in a beautiful lush meadow and he was pushing her on a tree swing. They were laughing. Birds were chirping and flowers bloomed at rapid speed before her very eyes. She could smell him. That sweet, manly, candy-like smell. Mmm, Man-candy. She giggled in the dream.
She felt happy, joyful, like tickly bubbly champagne flowed through her veins. Then suddenly he’d bared his fangs and his eyes turned black. He got hold of her throat and wouldn’t let go. In the dream she’d screamed his name over and over but it did nothing to stop him. Then she saw Jackson, standing in the shadows, looking gray, gaunt, and watching.
“Kyla!” Tristan had her shoulders. She was drenched in sweat. “Just a bad dream. It’s okay, baby.”
She started to hyperventilate. Tristan rubbed her shoulders, “Tell me what it was about.”
She shook her head, “I don’t remember. It’s okay.”
He looked directly into her eyes “Never ever lie to me.” he looked angry. Kyla threw her arms around him, trying to hold him as tight as possible.
“You were screaming my name but thrashing. You were in pain,” He caressed her head and ran his hands up and down her back. She just held on tight. She felt so overwhelmed. Being in Tristan’s arms felt so safe --- it was a safety she’d never remembered feeling at any other time in her life. She didn’t want to let go. How many times had she woken up afraid and alone at night? Never was there anyone she could grab onto.
She never wanted to grab onto Jackson when she was scared. She never got close enough to anyone else to feel that way, either. She felt like she belonged in Tristan’s arms when she was afraid. It instantly helped steady her heart rate. It felt so amazing to have someone to grab onto when she was so used to being alone with her grief and her fears.
“Did I hurt you in the dream? I did, didn’t I?” he asked, rhythmically stroking her back up and down.
She couldn’t answer, she just held on tight and let the steady beat of his heart steady hers.
“I won’t. I won’t let
anybody
hurt you. Ever.” He squeezed her tight.
How can he promise me that?
This enchanted blood bond thing…on one hand she hoped it would never end because clearly it was responsible for this, whatever
this
was, but it felt like it couldn’t possibly end well, with a happily ever after. Why couldn’t things just be normal? Why could she just be a girl with non-enchanted blood and Tristan just a guy who didn’t need to drink blood?
He feared for her safety. She feared for her life and as much as she felt like she had feelings for him that ran deeper than any feelings she’d ever had for anyone she was afraid of the monster that lurked not too deep within him. He’d said, himself, she had seen nothing yet of that monster. What did that mean? How did that bode for her with his self-control and the issues related to her blood?
That dream… fear gripped her and must be manifesting itself when she slept. When she was awake she was floating on a cloud of giddiness but when she slept her fear gripped her. Was her intuition trying to shake her out of the floaty lovesick feeling by giving her a dose of harsh reality in her dreams?
She still knew almost nothing about him, about his past, about the world he lived in. She wanted to know what she was facing; she needed to know more about him, too. He’d been pretty vague so far.
It was 5:41am but morning nonetheless so she decided to get up.
“I’m just going to get a shower. I’m okay, honest.” Kyla got up and looked back at him. Damn, he was beautiful. He lay naked in the bed with the sheet barely covering his crotch. His tanned strong leg was bent up and one of his arms was behind his head. She blew out a slow breath and closed the bathroom door behind her.
When she got out of the shower she put on a new long maxi halter sundress. It was hot and sunny outside beating down from the skylight and through the windows. The yellow and white floral dress was casual, for poolside or beach wear but it felt good to wear something pretty and new.
She twisted her hair into a French braid and despite the gorgeous shoes there, she slid into her favourite beach flip flops. She put on some eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. She wondered where Tristan was.
She spotted a note on the bed, which had been made already.
“Meet me in the kitchen. Xo, T.”
She brightened, looking forward to getting out of the master suite again.
She found Tristan in the kitchen, cooking. Led Zeppelin’s “All of my Love” blared throughout the kitchen. He was only wearing a pair of tight and faded cut-off jean shorts, which sat low on his hips, revealing some tan lines, his happy trail, and that sexy V shape that led to a place she could attest was wonderful. A sexy vampire with a sun tan. She chuckled. What an oxymoron. He was singing along. He had a great voice.
He smiled, flashing dimples, “Get your sexy self over here and kiss me immediately!”
He flipped omelettes over in a frying pan and then grabbed her and pulled her to him. He kissed her. He tasted like bacon and something sweet.
“Mmm,” she moaned appreciatively and deepened the kiss; bacon was, after all, making its way into desserts nowadays.
He held onto her braid and gently tugged so that her chin lifted and more of her throat was exposed to his mouth and then he sank his teeth in and started to drink. She groaned and leaned into him, feeling his erection poking her. She rubbed his shoulders and down his biceps.
“Is it rude that I didn’t ask first?” he whispered, tonguing her earlobe.
“Not at all,” she muttered, “I’m all yours.”
He groaned into her ear, “Mmmm, damn straight you’re all mine.”
Shivers tickled her spine. He smelled so yummy she leaned over and put her teeth onto his shoulder,
“You smell delicious enough to eat, too. I should bite
you,
” she said teasingly and licked his shoulder, “I vant to bite your neck.” She used her best mock Dracula voice and got onto her tiptoes and then sniffed the crook of his neck.
He grasped her shoulders and hauled her a few inches back and looked at her seriously. Kyla was taken aback.
“Not unless you want to become a vampire, too, baby.”
She felt stupid.
Of course.
She knew from last night that here was at least one vampire legend that wasn’t bunk. If you drank a vampire’s blood you became a vampire.
“Yeah, not so much.”
His smile returned and he pulled her close and then his tongue flicked her throat quickly and he sucked on her earlobe for a beat, “Let’s eat, shall we?”
“Yes. Let’s talk, too. I have some questions.” For a beat she wondered what it’d be like to be a vampire. Would it solve their problems if she was one, too? She shrugged the thought away after thinking for a beat that most of the vampire romances she’d read resulted in the human girl becoming a vampire. She shook that thought off as he passed her a glass of already poured juice and plated the omelettes and added bacon on the side. The toaster popped.
~~~
It was another sunny gorgeous day in the courtyard. And the omelette was the best she’d ever tasted, filled with mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and cheese. Paradise, with a gorgeous man who could cook like nobody’s business. It almost felt normal here with just the two of them. Almost. She shook herself back to quasi-reality, quasi because this still didn’t feel like reality, totally.
“I have questions. I think it’s fair that I ask you some questions. You seem like you keep trying to dodge them.”
He put his fork down and looked at her expectantly, “Not at all. I’ve just been caught up in everything that has been happening. There’s a lot going on and a lot I’ll have to tell you but it’s a lot all at once so I’ve decided to let you guide the pace. Ask away.”
“I’ve seen, so far, that some things from the books and movies about vampires aren’t true.”
He smiled, “You ain’t whistlin’ Dixie. Here are some of the very basics. And this isn’t me just offering info so you won’t ask other questions. If you have questions, ask. I was transformed 10 years ago. Thankfully I can still be around garlic. That’s a myth. Thank God! I’d never want to give up garlic.” He winked and took a sip of coffee, then was quiet for a beat, looking reflective, then continued, “There’s a lot of misinformation out there about the paranormal or supernatural but most people can’t handle it. People are so enamored with power, immortality, and hedonism that we have to work to keep our secrets. Most people just couldn’t handle it. The world would be a terrible dangerous place if many of the people out there could just choose vampirism. It’s already bad enough and there are some bad eggs with powers similar to mine already. Anyway, we age slowly but most are not exactly immortal. I know vampires who are over 150 years old. They look like they’re around my age. I attended a funeral last year for a vampire who died in his sleep, looking like natural causes. He was 270. Most of the vamps in my immediate circles are under 100 years old so I haven’t been around too many elders yet. There are a lot more older vampires in Europe, for example.
I was changed into a vampire because of who I’m related to, I already told you that. That’s why I was chosen to be put in a position of authority, due to my blood lines. It made me a prime candidate for leadership. So, you see, I understand being wanted for your blood type.”
His words stung, reminding her of why she wasn’t back home, blissfully ignorant about the existence of vampires.
“Due to my bloodlines I might actually be pretty close to immortal. We’re not sure yet. Not something I’m anxious to test out, of course. I had a period of adjustment, too, once I knew what plans were in store for me. I was resistant at first. But then I was groomed for a leadership role and I excelled at it so was promoted 15 years ahead of schedule.”
She briefly pondered what immortality must feel like. Did it result in fearlessness? It was as if the sun pulsed in the sky; it got very bright and Kyla shielded her eyes.
“Oh, and I can handle sunlight; we all can. No magical sunscreen required. We need food but we need blood more. Vampires are physically strong and we have powers of persuasion --- some, more than others. Some vampires have psychic abilities, like varying degrees of telepathy or telekinesis. The strength of a vampire depends on several things, including pre-vampire body chemistry and blood line, who sired them, and how they live their post-human life. A vamp gets to know what works for him or her to feel at their best with food, exercise, blood. I, for example…” he eyed her studiously, “I feel at my best when I consume blood from green-eyed brunettes and when I exercise daily. I also have a voracious sexual appetite. In case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Now it’s
you
who ain’t whistlin’ Dixie,” she said, wide-eyed.
“Blood, sex, and exercise fuel me. But there was always a missing ingredient. I found it. It’s you.”
Um, swoon.
His phone rang from his jean shorts pocket, “Just a minute,” he said, smiling, answered it, and re-entered the house.
The sun let up and she stopped squinting. Kyla sat, pondering what he’d told her so far. The eye colour thing spoke volumes about why she had been brought here. She’d often gotten compliments on the vivid green of her eyes. That, alone, must have been what made Sam and Joe bring her here to him. If her eyes had been brown or blue or she’d been wearing sunglasses when she met Joe and Sam she’d never have met Tristan. If she were a red head or a blonde, she’d be back in her ‘not much of a’ life right now. And the sexual appetite thing? She’d probably had more sex with him in the past week than she’d had altogether ever. And even if not, the quality of the sex with him compared to before him… she’d might as well have tagged him as having taken her virginity because sex before Tristan was now rendered completely inconsequential.
She heard shouting inside. Whoever he was on the phone with was getting seriously told off. The sound of his anger reverberated against the windows and Kyla’s blood chilled at the sight of him when he came out. He sat down across the table from her, then exhaled loudly.
“What’s wrong?”
“The blood disappeared from the lab.”
“Uh, what?”
“It’s been missing since yesterday and I’m just finding out about it now. Fuck!” His fist slammed on the table.
She walked over to him, wanting to comfort him or to get comfort from him, probably both. Before she fully reached him, he pulled her into his lap and buried his face into her neck.
“Kyla, I am not a good guy. And I’m near the top of a ladder of a whole bunch of other bad guys that will be here in two days, under my roof, under the same roof as you. I think someone knows about you and if Joe or Sam said anything to anyone it’ll be seen as a weakness which means danger. Please help keep you safe. Please, please cooperate. I can’t lose you,” his voice was hoarse. His phone made a text alert and he glanced at it, “I think we’d better get you back upstairs.”
Her heart sank, “Do you think the blood tests reveal something about my blood? About our connection?”
“Maybe. Just the fact that I’m having our blood tested together is enough to raise eyebrows. I thought I was dealing with people I could trust but evidently there’s someone in my inner circle who isn’t loyal. And if word has gotten out about me having trouble mesmerizing… I can’t be seen as weak…I don’t know if that’s related to the connection or what. Nothing I’ve heard about the legends says anything about lack of entrancing. I’ve gone out and seen that I can still influence people, so it’s, it’s…inexplicable so far. I’ve done a bit of research and wish that I’d known what I know now before I sent that blood off. I’d never have done it.”