Kindling Flames: Stolen Fire (The Ancient Fire Series Book 4) (21 page)

“But, you said she belonged to someone else.”

“Not exactly untrue,” Darien added in Vicky’s defense.

“And the other?” Vanessa looked between the two.

“That’s Karl.” Vicky smiled. “He’s a RN over at the hospital.”

“A nurse!” Vanessa said, shocked. “The hospital has a werewolf nurse?”

“They have a few.” Vicky nodded. “Do you want me to go get him?”

Vanessa shook her head. “That’s okay.” She was sure she had seen the man herd the wolf out when they had first come in.

Vanessa closed her eyes, steeling herself for more weirdness. “What else?”

“Are you sure you want to go on?” Vicky asked. “We’ve already gone over quite a bit.”

Vanessa opened her eyes and pinned Vicky. “What else.”

Vicky fidgeted in her seat. “There’s Zak.”

Vanessa looked over to the cute, little dog that had curled up by Elliot’s feet. “Please don’t tell me he’s a werewolf, too.” She couldn’t handle him being a person. There had been numerous times she had played with him. She had even let the little guy eat from her plate on several occasions.

“No.” Vicky took a deep breath before going on. “He’s fay.”

“So he’s not a Shih Tzu.”

“No.” Vicky turned to look at him. “Come here, Zak.”

Zak wiggled over and jumped up into Vicky’s lap.

“Are you sure about this?” Vicky rubbed Zak soothingly.

Vanessa took a deep breath to center herself and nodded her head. “Yes.”

Zak shook out of his fur and wiggled his tentacles.

“
Holy crap
!” Vanessa fell off the couch as she tried to scoot away from the horror in Vicky’s lap.

Vicky rubbed Zak as he whimpered.

Darien's chuckling earned him a glare from Vanessa. Reaching his hand down, he offered to help her back up. “That was pretty much the same reaction that Victoria had when she first met Zak,” he explained with a grin.

Ignoring Darien’s hand, she watched as Zak wiggled about in Vicky’s lap. “Does he bite?” Vanessa tucked her feet under her so she was kneeling a little closer to Vicky and Zak.

“Oh yes.” Darien chuckled. “Do you want to see my scar?”

“Darien!” Vicky snapped at him. “He only bites if there’s good reason.” She gave Vanessa a pleading look. “This is Zak. The same little mutt that chews on anything he can get his teeth on, but he won’t hurt you.”

Vanessa scooted a little closer.

Zak stretched his ends out so they were just inches away from Vanessa but not touching her.

“It’s okay,” Vicky reassured her.

Carefully, Vanessa reached out and felt the soft feelers. They were almost velvety to the touch. A few wrapped around her fingers as she played with them. “He’s kind of cute, in a mind-numbing sort of way.” Vanessa finally pulled herself up from the floor. She reclaimed her seat on the couch just a little farther away from where she had been.

Vicky kissed Zak on his top and pushed him off to the floor. “Let her be for a bit,” she said, warning the fay away from Vanessa.

Zak looked up at her before sneezing and wiggling back over to Elliot.

Vanessa watched him move across the floor, intrigued. “And you let him sleep with you?”

“There is no ‘let’ to it,” Darien growled. “Zak does as he pleases.”

Zak gurgled a happy note as he pulled one of Elliot’s shoestrings into his mouth.

Elliot lifted his foot up, trying to stop the fay.

Zak just stretched up, holding on.

Giving up, Elliot put his foot back down and let Zak chomp away on the aglet.

“Okay.” Vanessa held out her hands as she collected her thoughts. “So you live with two vampires, two werewolves, and a tentacle thing.”

“Elliot doesn’t really live here.” Vicky looked up at the blond vampire. “He’s staying to help until we can get Darien’s powers back. And Sue and Karl are only staying because Sue is pregnant.”

Vanessa gave Vicky a disbelieving look.

“Long story there. And Zak,” Vicky looked over at the fay, “he’s just a sweetheart.”

Zak gurgled and rolled around in pleasure.

“And you think this is normal?”

“Of course it’s not normal,” Vicky scoffed. “If this were normal, I would have told you about it months ago when Michael bit me.”

Vanessa looked shocked.

Vicky drew in a calming breath and smiled at her best friend. “You were the one who thought my ex was cursing people with chickens. Turns out, you were right.”

“Yeah,” Vanessa almost laughed. She looked over to Zak pulling on Elliot’s shoelace. “I guess the world is full of odd things.” She looked back at Vicky. “So how many vampires are there?”

“Lots,” Darien answered from where he stood at the far end of the couch.

Vanessa gave him a concerned look.

“But, you don’t have to worry about them,” Vicky tried to soothe her nervous friend. “Darien’s already taken care of that.”

Darien nodded his head in agreement. “As long as you’re in this city, you’re safe.”

“But, what if I go someplace else?”

“Have you ever had problems with vampires before?” Elliot asked.

Vanessa gave him a puzzled look. “No.”

“Then there’s no reason to think they should bother you now,” Elliot replied.

“What about the one that bit me?” Vanessa pointed out.

“He was after Victoria. You just happened to be with her.” Elliot shrugged. “Unfortunately, since Darien’s claimed her, you’re probably going to run into a lot more vampires.”

Vanessa shot Vicky an accusing look. “And, when were you going to tell me this?”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Vicky said sheepishly.

“And, if it hadn’t been for this rogue, you would never have known,” Elliot added. “We’ve had years of practice hiding what we are.”

“I bet.” Vanessa laughed and turned her attention back to Vicky. “I can see why you kept this from us, but I really think we should tell the rest of the girls about it.”

Vicky gave Vanessa a doubtful look.

“I think Maggie might already know, and Beth will just get a kick out of it.”

“Maggie?” Vicky asked.

“You know she’s been into those alternative religions for a while now.”

“True.” Vicky nodded.

“She keeps showing me weird stuff.” Vanessa looked over at Zak wiggling on the floor. “Not
this
weird, but I think you should talk to her.”

Darien and Elliot looked at each other, concerned.

“All right,” Vicky agreed. If Vanessa thought Maggie could handle this, then she probably could. And it was probably a good idea to let the girls know that something was going on. If the rogue came after Vicky, anyone near Darien or her could be in danger.

“Well,” Vanessa broke the silence that was settling into the room, “it’s late, and I have to work in the morning.”

“Yes.” Vicky stood up and hurried to the shopping bags to separate out Vanessa’s things.

Vanessa came over to help. “Here.”

“I’m sorry, Vanessa.” Vicky sighed as they worked.

“It’s all right, Vicks.” Vanessa smiled at her. “I still love you.” Grabbing up the bottom corner of a crumpled bag, Vanessa stood up with her purchases. She shook the crushed bag, letting the red satin harness and flogger spilled out near Darien’s feet.

“
Vanessa
!” Vicky snapped from where she stood holding the rest of the bags.

“And that’s for getting me bitten.” Vanessa shot Vicky an evil grin and left for the elevator before Vicky could sling anything at her friend’s head. “Have fun!” she called back from a safe distance.

Elliot looked over at the spilt bag. “Well,” he cleared his throat, “I should probably see her home.” Trying to hide his grin, he followed Vanessa to the foyer.

Darien grinned as he reached for the spilled items. “What’s this?” His hand closed on them before Vicky could get free of her bags.

“
Nothing!
” Vicky squeaked as she untangled herself from her shopping and came for the outfit.

Darien raised it out of her reach. “Really?” He swung the flogger around so the soft ends lashed gently across the backs of Vicky’s legs, surprising another squeak from her.

Vicky’s fingers finally caught on one of the satin straps, pulling it from Darien’s hand. “Really!” The red on her skin shone brightly as she turned away and balled the embarrassing item up.

The soft tails of the flogger trailed up her arm as Darien wrapped himself around her. “I didn’t know you liked such things,” he purred in her ear, making her fidget in his grasp.

“It was Vanessa’s idea,” Vicky mumbled as she leaned back into Darien’s warm embrace.

“So are you going to model it for me?” Darien pulled the lingerie from Vicky’s hands and held it out in front of her. “I think you’ll look very nice in it,” he coaxed as he nuzzled the hair at the side of her head. Slipping a kiss to the sensitive skin just below Vicky’s ear, he weakened her objections.
“Please.”
He breathed the word across her skin, sending shivers of promised pleasure rippling down her back.

Vicky waffled for a moment before snatching the harness from Darien’s hands and heading to the bedroom.

Darien smiled at her retreating form. He swung the leather flogger around his legs, testing the feel as he followed her at a more leisurely pace. It had been years since he had used a cat o’ nine tails, and that had been under less-than-pleasant circumstances. The opportunity to play with one in a more enjoyable setting intrigued him. Seeing how the wicked device could be used in a gentler way was going to make for a very entertaining evening. His initial opinion of Vanessa as a troublemaker was definitely correct, but he was learning to appreciate the fun she brought to Vicky’s life.

Vicky rocked the little vial back and forth, watching the way the violet liquid coated the inside of the glass. “So, what do we do with it?”

“Drink it,” Dakine answered, taking the bottle back. He shook it hard, mixing the contents until they glowed brightly.

Darien held his hand out for the bottle. “All right.”

“Not you.” Dakine ignored Darien and held the bottle out to Vicky. “Her.”

Vicky looked at the glowing vial. “
Me?”

Darien wrapped an arm around Vicky, pulling her into a protective hold. “No.” Lady Aine had already taken too much of an interest in Vicky. Darien didn’t like that she had made this potion for Vicky. He should have been more specific when requesting the fairy queen’s assistance.

Zak wrapped a tentacle around her ankle, gurgling his agreement.

“It has to be her, Kian.” Dakine held the bottle towards them. “This will follow the line of your powers, and you don’t have much of a connection with them anymore. Since the spell is anchored in cailín, she has the best chance of finding your rogue.”

Darien held out his hand for the bottle. “I’ll take my chances.”

Vicky looked at it, considering their options. “I’ll take it.” She reached out and pulled the small vial from Dakine's hand before Darien could.

Darien squeezed her so her back pressed harder into his chest. “You don’t have to do this.” He really didn’t like the idea of her taking something the queen had given her.

“It’s the best chance we have.” Vicky pulled the stopper from the bottle and dumped it into her mouth. She could feel the thick liquid coat the inside of her throat as she swallowed. It bottomed out in her stomach, making her shudder.

Darien held her, waiting for the spell to kick in.

After a few seconds of nothing, Vicky recapped the bottle. “That wasn’t so bad.” She handed the vial back to Dakine. He just smiled as he slipped the bottle into his sleeve. A sudden spasm clenched Vicky’s stomach, making her double over.

Darien sighed. “You had to say it.”

Vicky gasped as waves of power pulsated from the lump in her stomach. Shivers racked her frame as her internal temperature dropped to arctic levels before shooting back up. Darien held her tight as her muscles clenched and darkness ate at the edges of her vision. After a few moments of her system going haywire, things finally calmed down, leaving her hanging limply in Darien’s arms.

Drawing in shallow breaths, Vicky waited for the feeling to return to her extremities. That hadn’t really hurt, but it was not something she wanted to do again. She opened her eyes and worked to stand on her own feet. Slowly, she felt something pulling at her. It was warm and soft, like feathers brushing against her mind.

“I feel it.” Vicky closed her eyes and followed the familiar feeling out. The further along the line of power she got, the more twisted and sinister it became. Pulling back, she opened her eyes. “I don’t know where he is, but I think I can find him.”

Elliot stood up from where he was leaning on the counter watching. “Then what are we waiting for?” He turned his attention to the elf lord standing in the kitchen. “Are you coming?”

Dakine considered for a minute before shaking his head. “There are other things I must attend to.” He sighed as if he regretted the answer.

Elliot nodded in reply and headed towards the door to the foyer.

“Do you need to feed before we get started?” Darien asked Elliot before he could get through the door. Elliot had moved into Vicky’s room, but he hadn’t invited any of his menagerie over as Darien had suggested. The younger vampire had argued that keeping Darien’s lack of power secret was more important than his need for fresh blood.

“I’m fine,” Elliot answered before heading out to the elevators and leaving Darien and Vicky to finish with Dakine. He hadn’t had anything that evening, but he was finding that he didn’t need as much blood recently. The drawn blood Darien kept was more than enough to quench his thirst, which worried Elliot. He had survived on drawn blood before, but it always left him feeling weak, as if it were lacking something. But now, even after almost a full day without blood, he felt fine.

“If you’ll excuse us.” Darien bid Dakine good evening and helped Vicky out to where Elliot had started pulling coats out of the closet.

“Do you want our help?” Karl stood next to Sue in the doorway to the bedroom they had claimed.

“No.” Darien shook his head as he helped Vicky into her coat. “Sue won’t be safe on the street right now.”

“I could come,” Karl offered as Sue whined reinforcing his offer.

Darien shook his head again. “Sue needs you here in case there’s an issue.” Darien tugged his coat on. “Besides, we have Zak.”

The fay gurgled his agreement, wiggling over and wrapping a feeler around Darien’s leg.

Darien looked down at the protective hold the fay had on him. “If you’re coming, you need to get changed, too.” He pulled a leash out of his coat pocket.

Zak growled at the offensive object.

Darien snickered at him. “It’s not my idea.”

Vicky leaned over and held her arms out for the little horror. “Come here, Zak.”

Zak scampered over and jumped into her arms.

Vicky cuddled and petted him until he shook into fur. “I know you don’t like it, but we can’t take you out without it.”

Zak growled but let Vicky attach the collar around his neck. As soon as Darien clipped the lead to the collar, the fay got the leather strip into his mouth and started chewing.

Darien tucked the leash into Vicky’s hands as they headed out. “It’s just for a while.”

As soon as the elevator doors fully closed, Karl looked over at the serious elf lord. “Do you think they’ll be okay?”

“One can only hope,” Dakine said. “If you’ll excuse me.” He bowed to the werewolves and headed back into the kitchen. There was something he needed to discuss with Darien’s fay housekeeper.

***

Elliot looked out of the window at the bustling coffee shop. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, he’s in there all right.” Vicky nodded as she tried to see through the flyers taped to the window. “And he knows we’re here.”

“How can you tell?” Darien looked at her, concerned. Once they had loaded into Darien’s SUV, Vicky had lead them straight to this little hole-in-the-wall place.

“I can feel him in there. Waiting.” Vicky explained as best she could.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Elliot reached out to open his door, but Vicky grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Wait.” She looked at the storefront and the number of people passing. “We can’t just go in there and drag him out.” The two men turned to look at her. “For one thing, Darien has a reputation to uphold.”

“She does have a point there.” Darien sighed. Sometimes being a pillar of the community sucked.

Elliot eased back into his seat. “Then what do you suggest?”

Vicky chewed her lip as she thought. “Let me go in and talk to him,” she suggested. “Maybe this whole thing is a huge misunderstanding and he’ll come along quietly.”

“And maybe I should take up sunbathing,” Elliot scoffed. “He’s not going to come along quietly.”

Vicky held an exasperated hand out towards the building. “And he’s not going to attack in the middle of a coffee shop.”

“I don’t like it,” Darien grumbled. “If he knew we were coming, why would he pick such a place for a meeting?”

“Maybe he just wants to talk,” Vicky offered.

“And maybe he wants to take as many people with him as he can,” Elliot countered.

“Enough,” Darien snapped as he put his head down on the steering wheel to think. Someone needed to go in there and find out what was up with this guy. But, if Vicky’s feelings were right, there was a good chance the guy would disappear if they all went in. The logical choice was to send Vicky in to get him out. She had seen him up close, and there was less of a possibility of a public confrontation if she went in alone.

Darien sat up and looked at Elliot in the rearview mirror. Something was up with his friend. He had been acting oddly for a while now, but Darien couldn’t tell what was wrong. Clenching his jaw, he leaned back and made a decision. “Victoria.” He turned to look at her. “Take Zak in and find out what’s up with this guy.”

Zak barked his agreement.

Elliot gave Darien a sharp look.

“We will wait here in case there’s trouble.” It wasn’t the most desirable answer to the situation, but it was the best they could do at the moment.

Vicky opened the door and slid from the car. “Come on, Zak.”

Darien and Elliot watched as she led the small fay across the street.

“Are you sure about this?” Elliot asked.

Darien let out a long sigh. “As sure as I can be.” He hoped this was the right thing to do.

***

Vicky looked around the little café as she held the door open for Zak. The place was bustling with tired holiday shoppers. She shouldn’t have been surprised; Christmas was just around the corner, and this shop was nestled between two long rows of stores. Vicky paused for a moment as the thought of Christmas rushed through her head. She still wasn’t sure what one should get a billionaire vampire.

Shaking away the stray thought, Vicky’s eyes quickly found who she was looking for. The rogue vampire had claimed one of the booths in the back of the shop. She carefully slid into the empty seat across from him.

Zak jumped up into her lap and growled at the man across the table.

The vampire raised an eyebrow at the little dog and pushed a large cup across the table towards Vicky. “Caramel macchiato.” He smiled at her.

Vicky looked at the cup warily.

“Don’t worry. I haven’t done anything to it.”

Sliding the cup over, Vicky popped the top off. She let Zak sniff at it. The little fay lapped at the whipped cream happily for a moment before Vicky took it back and sipped the coffee. “Thank you.” Vicky set the cup down and rested her hands on Zak.

“You’re welcome.” The vampire smiled and leaned back in his seat to look around the room. “I used to love coming here. They have the best chicken salad sandwiches. Unfortunately, they don’t agree with me now.”

“What do you want?” Vicky cut into the man’s reminiscing.

He stopped and looked at Vicky for a moment. Pinning her with angry eyes, he replied, “Justice.”

She gave him a confused look.

“I want Darien Ritter to pay for what he’s done.”

“And, what did he do?” Vicky asked.

The man slammed his fist into the table and yelled. “He ruined my life!” The room went quiet as heads swung to take in the sudden outburst. The only sound was a steady growl from Zak. The vampire took a ragged breath and rubbed his hands through his hair. Slowly, activity started back up in the room. “It seems you don’t even know the man you intend to marry.” The vampire smiled at Vicky as he eased back into his seat.

“Then, tell me.” Vicky rubbed her fingers into Zak’s fur, soothing the tension from the little fay. He was ready to eat this rogue.

“Gladly. My name is Travis Darecy, and I am really not a bad person.”