Page 34 of Taste of Fate

“Doesn’t look like a very appetizing cake.”

The laugh burst out of her then. “No, it’s not. It’s the dead and dormant yeast after fermentation is done. I can either throw it away or use it to start another batch.”

“Which will you do?” As one wine bottle filled, I swiftly moved the tube to another without spilling a drop.

“I’m not sure. Depends on how this tastes, I guess.”

“The yeast affects the taste?”

“Oh yes,” she said emphatically. “Everything affects the taste. How long it ferments, the ratio of yeast to sugar, the temperature, the quality of the grapes, how long it’s mashed before it ferments—” She cut herself off abruptly, a blush darkening her cheeks. “Sorry. I get really nerdy about this stuff.”

“Don’t ever apologize.” My voice roughened with the command. “I like seeing your passion.”

Tavi’s pupils blew wide, her blush spreading to her ears. Saliva filled my mouth and I jerked my gaze away. I had to get a hold of myself before the temptation of her blood literally had me drooling.

“What I mean is,” I cleared my throat, “just the fact that you’re so into this is what makes it interesting to me.” I didn’t know if that was any better, but it was the best I could come up with.

Tavi gave a slight smile, her attention returning to her jars. “Thanks. It’s actually nice being able to talk with someone about it. Back home, most people didn’t want to spend the time helping me, or my explanations just went over their heads. They sure liked drinking the end results though.”

It irked me that she still thought of Sapien as “home,” but I swallowed that down. “What about your friend? The one you said goodbye to before you left.”

She paused, her head lifting to stare at a blank spot on the wall. “Amy um, she would help with bottling sometimes, like you are. But most of my batches were bigger, like five gallons, and it was just too much for her. She’d hang out with me while I racked or mashed but this isn’t really her thing. If I talked, she’d listen, but it wasn’t really a back and forth. She’s more into knitting, quilting, that kind of thing, all of which I’m terrible at.”

Tavi blinked tears away and her voice wavered with emotion as she spoke. I could sense her growing effort to keep her composure. This friend was deeply important, to the point of bringing this brave, resilient human nearly to tears in front of me. Being cast off by her own people didn’t bring out this emotion, but talking about her friend did. And those tears spoke volumes.

“You miss her.” I went to the sink to rinse out the tube and to give Tavi a moment that didn’t feel like I was staring at her.

“Yeah.” She sniffed and laughed a little. “You could say that. She’s like a sister to me.”

I opened my mouth to respond, then shut it so hard my teeth hurt. Without even thinking, I had been on the verge of telling her about Kalix. That he was a brother to me and I missed him as well. What the fuck was wrong with me? I hadn’t spoken about him in twenty years.

What I had kept locked up tight in a vault had been about to spill out like an overflowing paper cup. Why did this human woman disarm me so much? Because she was adorable, tough, smart, and interesting? Because her pulse and scent had me salivating for her blood?

I hated that she made me want to be real and open with her. The last person who knew me at my core was Kalix, and he ended up nowhere good. Tavi didn’t even realize she was doing it. It was bad enough that I just told her I was a fuck-up and a disappointment. It didn’t seem to warn her away, and I hated the spark of hope alight in my chest as a result.

Instead of pouring my heart out like a miserable fucking sap, I brought two wine glasses down from an upper cabinet. “Shall we? It’s ready, right?”

“Um, yeah. Sure.” Tavi’s smile brightened as if grateful for the distraction. “The moment of truth.”

I pushed the wine bottle closer to her. “I’ll let the expert do the honors.”

She laughed again, pouring a few ounces of the dark red wine into each glass with practiced efficiency. Its resemblance to blood was not lost on me. My fangs were pulsing so damn hard that a headache began to throb in my temples.

Tavi and I each held up a glass and paused.

“To friendship,” I said.

“To friendship,” she agreed with a small nod. “Both new and old.”

We each took a sip, and I swore the flavor that hit my tongue soothed the aching pain in my fangs for the few moments it was in my mouth.

“Holy shit.” I took another, larger swallow. “Tavi, this is really fucking good.”

I expected the wine to be something decent and drinkable, but I was hit with pure, genuine awe. Tavi didn’t just know how to make wine, she was fucking masterful at it.

“Not bad.” She was less enthusiastic, taking another dainty sip and squinting in concentration as she held it in her mouth. “A little more tart than I wanted, but I should have expected that. The grapes weren’t quite ripe enough, but I didn’t want to risk waiting too long and having them over-ripen.”

“Whatever. This is the best wine I’ve ever tasted.” I drained my glass and helped myself to another.

---