Kindling Flames: Stolen Fire (The Ancient Fire Series Book 4) (23 page)

“Okay.” Clara gathered her thoughts together and laid what she had learned out to better understand the problems. “So, Elliot’s acting weird, and Darien’s power is unstable. If a strange vampire were tapping into his power base, then the instability could be explained. But, why would they hide this from us?”

“They’re scared,” Rachel answered.

“Of what?” Clara asked, shocked.

Rachel turned her dark eyes to Clara. “Us.”

“We would
never
do anything to hurt Darien,” Clara growled, angry that anyone would even suggest that.

“Would you have said that same thing two months ago?” Rachel asked with just a hint of accusation on her face.

Clara clenched her jaw shut on the scathing remark she wanted to make, but couldn’t. Lillian’s betrayal had taken them all by surprise.

Rachel turned to take each master in. “We all have our reasons for moving to Brenton.” She looked back up to Clara. “And you have welcomed us each as equals. You do have some rather peculiar rules for vampires, but you don’t lord over us or push etiquette as some in other places do. If there is an issue, we can bring it here and discuss it in ways no other Council would allow. Personally, I find it refreshing, but we all have kith or kin outside the city that we talk to. If it got out that Darien’s power was failing him, there are those out there who would see this as a perfect opportunity to move on him.” Heads nodded around the table.

“I see,” Clara said stiffly.

“Clara,” Rachel smiled to take the sting out of her next words, “you do a wonderful job as Grand Master of the city, but we all know who really holds the power here.” A murmur of agreement circled the table, leaving Clara sighing in defeat.

“You’re right.” Clara hung her head as she gave in to the truth. “If it ever came down to a fight, he would win.” She shook her head. “But, he doesn’t want the head Council seat.”

“And, we wouldn’t want him to have it,” Daniel chuckled. “That man’s too busy to give the Council the attention it deserves. He’s stretched too thin as it is.” More agreement sounded from the Council members.

Clara chuckled. “Thankfully, Elliot is there to help him.”

“Can he be trusted?” Michael asked, surprising them all.

“Elliot is loyal to Darien.” Clara nodded. “He would give up his life before he betrayed his Master.” The Council members exchanged another series of looks. Clara rapped her knuckle on the table drawling their attention back to her. “All other things aside, we still need to decide what to do about Darien and this rogue.”

“You’ve tied our hands with that,” William pointed out. “We can’t do anything until Monday.”

“Not exactly.” Clara smiled defiantly. “I agreed that the
Grand Council
of Brenton will stay out of this until Monday, but I never said anything about our kisses.” Amusement circled the table.

Daniel leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “So what do you have in mind?”

“If it were up to Darien, he would probably try to go after the rogue by himself.” Distress sounded in the Council, but Clara raised her hands to calm them. “Elliot won’t let him. He’ll insist they find help. And, if they don’t trust us, they won’t trust anyone else.”

“So, where will they go?” Michael asked.

“Darien’s kiss.” Understanding spread across the faces of the Council as Clara laid out her plans and gave orders. They couldn’t help in this fight, but they would make sure Darien had cover if he needed it.

***

“Do you think they bought it?” Darien asked as they pulled away from Clara’s estate.

“Absolutely not.” Elliot sighed as he leaned back in the front seat. Vicky and Zak were curled on the back seat of the SUV. He had insisted they lay down for some rest. It was late, and they were still in for a long drive. “But, it bought us a little time to work.”

Darien nodded his head in agreement.

“So, what now?” Vicky asked as she drew the blanket Elliot had packed closer around her shoulders. She hadn’t had a chance to change out of the blood-red, silk dress.

“Well, now we head over to the kiss.” Elliot looked back at Vicky. “We gather anyone willing to help and see about hunting Mr. Darecy down.”

“You know,” Vicky said as she thought about what they had just done, “this whole thing confuses me. I get that you didn’t want the Council involved, but I’m still not sure why.”

“If Darecy has access to my full power, then they stand no chance against him,” Darien explained.

Elliot looked worried. “Do you think he’s figured them out?”

“No, but I don’t want to take that chance,” Darien said with a sigh.

“Do you really think he could stop the full Council?” Vicky asked.

Darien gave her a sad-eyed look in the rearview mirror but didn’t say anything.

“You know what Darien’s special talent is,” Elliot replied, speaking for his friend.

“Yes, healing,” Vicky answered.

“Not exactly,” Darien said softly, but he refused to look at Vicky in the mirror.

“Darien has the ability to manipulate living tissue,” Elliot explained, “be it healing or bursting every cell in the body.”

Vicky’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You mean…” She looked at Darien’s profile, but he was intently watching the road.

“If Darecy has figured this out, he could kill them all with a single, focused thought,” finished Elliot, voicing Darien’s deepest fear.

“We’re here.” Darien spoke softly as he patted Vicky from her sleep.

Nodding her head, she sat up. After Elliot had revealed the true extent of Darien’s powers, she had curled up on the seat with Zak to think about it. She was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that Darien had such a frightening ability. She always thought his special power was healing. Elliot knew he could use it to hurt, though, which meant Darien had used it that way before. What was even scarier was the fact that she had used Darien’s power without realizing it. If she could use it to heal, did that mean she could use it to kill, too? Shuddering, she collected her bag from the floorboard and followed Zak out of the backseat.

“He would never use it,” Elliot said, standing close behind her.

Startled, she turned to look at him.

Elliot was watching Darien open the back hatch, but when she moved, he looked down at her. “I can only remember once when he used his power against someone. A mob had Clara trapped, and they were just about to set her on fire. He let go and dropped the entire crowd where they stood. Pop. Out like a light. Killing them would have made our lives much easier, but he made us check every single one of those villagers to make sure he hadn’t hurt them permanently.”

“That just makes me worry more.” Vicky pulled her blanket tighter around her. “I’ve used Darien’s powers,” she admitted.

Elliot just smiled. “You have nothing to worry about, My Lady.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her to the back of the car. “It may not take much to hurt someone, but it does take intent. If you were capable of that type of cruelty, Darien wouldn’t love you the way he does.”

Vicky drew in a long breath as she thought about his words. “What about Darecy?”

Elliot licked his lips as he chose his words. “Vampires don’t start out knowing how to use their powers,” he explained. “It can take a while for them to learn about them.”

“Or a very stressful situation,” Darien added as they approached. “I don’t think he knows yet.” Taking a heavy bundle out of the back of the car, he handed it over to Elliot.

“What makes you think that?” Vicky asked.

Darien stopped and looked at her. “He would have cut a path across Brenton if he had.” He shut the door and hefted up their suitcase. “Let’s go get this over with.” Darien held out his free arm, and Vicky slipped in against his side.

The house that held Darien’s kiss was magnificent. A long, stone driveway led up to a two-story, stucco house with a red tile roof. Darien knocked on the dark wood of the front door.

Elliot chuckled as he held out the key. “This
is
your place.”

“Maybe.” Darien pushed the offering back at Elliot. “But, it’s
their
home.”

Elliot shrugged and put the keys back in his pocket. Darien had to knock a second time before someone came to open the door.

“Master!” Allen was surprised to see the group standing there. He held the door wide for them to come in. “What are you doing out here? Come in.”

Elliot grinned as they entered.

Darien felt a little foolish stepping into the circular foyer. “Sorry for stopping by so late.”

Vicky looked around. She had only been there once before, but it still amazed her. The light of a crystal chandelier glimmered off the cream stone walls, while a single staircase curved up to a balcony on the second floor. The place was steeped in old-world grace.

Allen took the suitcase from Darien and set it on the inlaid-stone floor. “You’re always welcome here.” He looked at the bag and the bundle Elliot dropped next to it. “Will you be staying with us for a while?”

Vicky added her bag to the pile.

“Not really.” Darien followed as Allen led them through a door into a great room. The dark floor of the two-story room dropped a few feet into a sunken sitting room that was overlooked by another second-floor balcony. The huge windows were covered with heavy curtains to keep the warmth of the fire from getting out. Two of Darien’s new kiss looked up as they entered.

“Master Darien!” Rose cried. At only twenty years old, she was the youngest of the vampires. Just looking at her, Darien could see why Lillian had brought her over. She had the same curly, red hair Lillian had. The two could have been sisters in both looks and personality. Shortly after Darien’s takeover, Rose had chopped her hair into a cute bob. The young man who sat on the couch, Harold, had been one of Christian’s members. Darien had decided to spare him when the young man had showed them pity while Christian had held them captive. The pair started to stand up.

“Relax,” Darien tried to soothe them as he and Vicky came down the two steps to the sitting area.

Elliot grinned and slipped past Darien. He plopped himself down in one of the empty armchairs to watch. The tension in the air was thick as Darien settled Vicky on the second couch and sat next her.

“So.” Allen broke the uneasy silence as he reclaimed his seat. “What brings you to visit?” He looked over Darien’s outfit. Both Darien and Elliot had taken off the suit jackets and ties, but Vicky’s red gown peeked out from under the fleece blanket she was still wrapped in.

Zak wiggled up into her lap and looked out at the room.

Darien let out a deep sigh; it would probably be best to get right to the point. “I came to ask for help,” he admitted. “Where is everyone?” It was only a little after one—prime time for vampires to be up.

“Out,” Rose answered. “It’s Friday.”

“Ahh,” Darien answered. Of course they would be out living it up.

“Most of them should be back around three,” Allen added.

“Good.” Darien looked around the room, uncertain what to do or say. He was responsible for these people, but how was he supposed to relate to them? He didn’t know them very well, and they had watched him kill someone they loved dearly. What was he supposed to say after that?

Seeing the tension settling into the room, Vicky turned to Rose and smiled. “I love what you’ve done with your hair.”

“Thanks.” Rose smiled back and fluffed her curls a little. “I didn’t realize that short hair needed so much tending.”

Darien listened as Vicky eased the discomfort in the room with small talk. He could have kissed her for it. Give him a roomful of executives or auditors and he was fine, but in this intimate setting he was lost. How had he gotten so out of practice socializing?

Rose pointed to the red silk sticking out of the bottom of the blanket. “I want to see your dress.”

Vicky shifted Zak off her lap and stood up. She let the blanket fall away from her shoulders to show off the flimsy gown.

Allen sat up in his chair, surprised. “Wow!” He had been to other cities with Lillian and knew what the clingy garment meant.

Rose got up to take a look at the dress. “I like it!” The only thing that held the flowing material up was a thin collar wrapped around Vicky’s neck. The red silk that flowed from the band barely covered Vicky’s chest as it dropped to the floor, wrapped around her waist, and came back up to overlap a little in the front. Some double-sided tape was the only thing holding the edges in place so they wouldn’t slide forwards exposing her. The wrap left a massive amount of skin on her back exposed, and the front was in danger of gaping open if she moved wrong.

“Where did you get it?” Rose asked as she came over and touched the golden cuff on Vicky’s upper arm.

“Darien,” Vicky answered as she turned to show it off. It was a little rumpled from where she had been wrapped in the blanket.

“I want one.”

“No, you don’t,” Elliot added from where he lounged in his chair. He stood up and came over to pick up the blanket. “This is the dress traditionally used to mark someone as a blood slave.” He wrapped the blanket back around Vicky, covering the dress up. “It’s worn when a woman is given to an Ancient to feed, usually from the neck.”

Rose cocked her head and visualized the dress again as Vicky sank back to the couch. “But how would they feed at the neck?” she asked. “The collar is in the way; they’d have to take it off to…” Rose stood there with wide eyes as the truth sank in.

“Exactly,” Elliot chuckled as he retook his seat.

Rose glared at Darien and sat back down.

Darien sighed as Vicky leaned into him. “It’s not what you think.” He wrapped his arm around her protectively. “We had to go talk with the Council tonight.”

“And you made her wear
that?
” Allen snapped.

“It wasn’t his idea,” Elliot added as he settled in to explain. “Something’s come up, and we needed to make a statement to the Council. Sometimes playing dress-up and flaunting your power a little can get you places faster than words can.”

“What’s up?” Allen looked over to Elliot.

Elliot just nodded his head towards Darien.

Darien drew in a calming breath before looking up at the three people waiting for him to explain. “We know who the rogue vampire is.”

“Who?” Harold asked. Everyone had been out looking for this illusive man since Halloween.

“His name is Travis Darecy, and he’s a very disturbed individual,” Vicky answered.

Zak gurgled his agreement.

“Unfortunately, he’s found a way to tap into my powers,” Darien admitted.

“What?”
Allen asked, shocked. “When?” He looked from Darien to Elliot and back.

“Shortly before the hunt this summer.”

Allen was shocked by Darien’s answer. “Well,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “that explains a few things.”

“Like what?” Elliot asked.

“Fluctuations in my powers,” Darien offered, recalling the conversation Vicky had with Jakob.

“That and why no one’s been able to find out who’s been attacking people,” Allen added. “There’s been a lot of speculation.”

“Most everyone thinks it’s someone in Michael’s kiss,” Rose offered.

“Figures.” Elliot chuckled.

“So what do you need from us?” Allen asked.

Darien sat up taller. “Help taking Darecy down.”

“We are at your call, Master.” A male voice rang out across the room, drawing everyone’s attention.

Darien turned in his chair to see Josh coming through the doorway. His brother was only a step behind.

“I don’t have full control over my powers at the moment.” Darien stood up as he addressed the new vampires. “What I ask of you could be dangerous.”

“We know,” Josh answered as he leaned his hip against the railing that divided the room. “We were wondering when you were going to bring this problem to us.”

“Yes.” Jakob continued down the steps towards Darien. “A few of us have felt the subtle shift in power.” He stopped to look Darien over. “How much of your power do you have left?”

Darien tensed at the question. “Practically none,” he admitted. If he wanted help, he was going to have to be up front and honest with these people.

An evil glint flickered in Jakob’s eyes as he stepped around the end of the couch.

Darien turned to face him.

“So, I could bleed you out, and there’d be nothing you could do about it?” A hint of fangs slipped past Jakob’s lip as he spoke. The cocky smile vanished from his face as Elliot’s hand closed around his neck.