Kindling Flames: Flying Sparks (The Ancient Fire Series Book 2) (37 page)

Vicky held on, scared out of her wits.

“Since cailín has the scent, you should lead.” Dakine looked out over the crowd of horses, dogs, and wolves, all filled with eagerness. “It looks like everyone is ready.” Dakine nodded. “Let’s go.”

“Hold on,” Darien whispered, and she tangled her fingers in Zak’s mane again. “Start them, Zak,” he called and held on tightly to Vicky.

She felt several strands of the mane wrap around her hands as he reared up and let out a deafening whinny.

Darien laughed with joy as they came down, and Zak kicked back up, repeating the cry.

The dogs let out a bay that could have woken the dead. The cry was picked up by the wolves, and they took off towards the city.

Vicky clenched her eyes shut as Zak wheeled around and took off after the dogs at a full gallop. It didn’t take him long to find a smooth gait as he chased after the hounds.

Darien pulled her locks together and leaned forwards to whisper to Vicky. “Sit up,” he said over the sound of the wind whipping past them. “You’re missing it.”

Vicky very slowly sat up into the man behind her and opened her eyes. The sights she saw made her gasp in awe.

***

The Wild Hunt moved with amazing speed as they galloped through the sky. The hounds that led the way were a sea of undulating black, broken by the occasional colored back of the werewolves running with them.

It was hard for Vicky to pick out any one dog for more than a few seconds through the continual shifting of the pack as it ran. She was surprised by the number of different breeds passing before her eyes. Having seen one of the hellhounds change, she had expected them all to turn into something resembling Greyhounds, but that wasn’t the case.

Each dog took on a form it liked. Most took on forms made for hunting, lean and fast without showing the known characteristics of any one breed, but Vicky’s eyes also caught dogs she recognized.

There were large breeds like mastiffs and the occasional Great Dane, there were Labradors and at least one Springer spaniel, but the breeds that surprised her were the small ones. There were many types of terriers and a few that looked like show dogs, but the one that pulled a laugh from Vicky was the Dachshund with its short, little legs pumping furiously to keep up with the rest of the pack.

Vicky turned her attention from the hounds to the host riding behind her.

Darien shifted a little so she could see around him without having to lean too far out.

The riders sat upon great black horses that pounded through the sky. Each hoof fall kicked up a small puff of what looked to be smoke. This had started to gather in the form of great black storm clouds behind the hunters. She shivered at the sight before turning to face forwards again.

Darien pulled her closer, thinking she may be cold.

Vicky looked down at the less-than-solid air below them and the ground passing underneath. It was easy to see cars and people as they passed less than five hundred feet above them. “Can’t people see us?” Vicky asked as she looked down.

“Yes,” Darien said, unworried. “But all they’ll see is the storm clouds formed by our passing. Tomorrow’s weather report will buzz with the randomness of summer storms and how they seem to form out of nothing.”

She could hear the amusement in his voice as they thundered through the sky. Looking around at the riders near them, she found the people she knew. Lord Dakine and Rupert rode on the left, while Elliot and Clara came up on the right. Vicky could easily see they were all enjoying the exhilaration of the ride. She relaxed a little as she grew more accustomed to the feel of Zak under her. His muscles rippled with strength and power as he ran. Vicky patted him softly on the neck, and he nodded his head with a whinny. She was starting to really enjoy the experience.

Darien had forgotten how much he loved riding horses. There was just something about the feel of a large, powerful animal at his command that stirred something deep inside him. It was a little different, since he didn’t actually have control of Zak, but Darien was still enjoying himself. He only had one complaint. Zak hadn’t supplied them with the same tack most of the other mounts had given their riders.

The lack of reins didn’t bother Darien much; he had ridden many horses without bridle and bit, but it would have been nice to have at least a blanket for padding. As it was, his hips and thighs were going to be killing him by the time they reached wherever they were going. Looking at the girl in his arms, he wondered how Vicky would fare on her first ride. She would probably need a hot bath and a good massage after this night was over; that is, if he was in any condition to give her one.

Darien wrapped an arm around her middle and pulled her as close as possible to keep her warm. The wind was slowly dropping in temperature. The storm clouds brewing behind were really starting to cool things off. He was glad Zak had insisted on a proper cloak for Vicky. The shawl Michael gave her was nice, but it wouldn’t have kept her warm enough.

“Um…” Vicky drew Darien’s attention away from his thoughts. “May I ask a question?”

“Of course.” He petted several of her locks back down so they would stop whipping in the wind.

“Those creatures that came out of the woods—they were hellhounds?” Vicky asked, thinking about the masses of tentacles pouring out of the forest.

Darien watched Zak’s ears swivel back to listen to the conversation. “Yes.”

“Does that mean… Zak…?” She paused, not knowing if she wanted to ask the question.

“Is a hellhound?” Darien completed what she had started. “Yes. Does that bother you?”

Vicky sat very still as she thought about this fact. The creature that had dominated her lap, chewed on her hair, slept in her bed, and stole her food was a hellhound. No wonder he freaked everyone in the supernatural community out. Does that fact bother her?

Vicky thought about all the people in her life right now; the vampire sitting behind her, the spunky werewolf that made her coffee, and how the last man she kissed had turned out to be an elf lord. To discover the wiggly ball of tentacles that had grown on her was really a hellhound seemed par for the course. In fact, it was a little comforting to know what type of fay he was.

“No,” Vicky said, shaking her head. “It doesn’t.” She leaned forwards to pat Zak on the side of his neck.

“Good,” Darien said, a little relieved. “I wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if you said it did. He might have dumped us off right here.” Zak nickered softly and bobbed his head as he ran.

Vicky patted him on the neck again. “Don’t worry, Zak. I still love you.”

Zak let out a whinny before bolting ahead of the group in joy. She clutched his mane as Darien grabbed on to her to keep from falling off the excited horse.

“You know he’s going to be impossible to live with now,” Darien said, feeling more than a little jealous.

“True.” Vicky thought about it. “But, maybe he’ll stop eating your pants now.” She could feel Darien’s soft rumble of laughter against her back.

He gave her a light squeeze. “Not likely.”

Vicky fell silent as she shook her head at the truth in his words.

Darien leaned forwards slightly so he could feel her a little firmer against him as he reminded himself that Zak was just an animal, a highly intelligent animal that would give him a run for his money if it ever came down to a real fight, but he was still just an animal.

“Look there.” Vicky pointed down to something just in front of the hounds before tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ear.

Darien followed her line of sight to see the lights of the Touraine Building drawing near.

“Isn’t that where you live?” she asked, pointing to the building. It looked a lot different from above.

“Yes,” Darien said softly next to her ear.

Her heart skipped a little at the closeness. Vicky could feel him pressed into her back, but she didn’t expect him to be so closely molded to her body. They watched as the first of the hounds reached the area over the building and started baying and circling as if they were sniffing for something.

Zak slowed as they closed on the site.

Darien shifted his hold on Vicky as Zak’s gait fell to something less smooth.

“Why are we here?” Vicky asked as she reached up to take a hold on Darien’s arm.

“The hounds are following the ifrit’s trail.” He watched the churning pack swirl in the air over his building. “I suspect this was the last place it was.”

The hounds spread out slightly, smelling the air, until a few of the dogs on one side turned, let out a cry, and took off again. The sound was picked up by the rest of the pack, and everyone was soon riding off in the new direction. It was only a few minutes before the hounds arrived at Darien’s office and repeated the scene.

“It looks like you’re right.” Vicky said as the dogs took off in another direction. She grabbed onto Darien’s arm as Zak turned sharply to gallop off again. “Does this mean we’ll visit every sight the ifrit has been till we find where it came from?”

“Perhaps,” Darien patted her softly on the leg to reassure her.

The Hunt thundered on as they tracked the ifrit’s path through the city. Vicky grew quiet as they rode over the mall before turning to head towards the warehouse where the ifrit had confronted Darien in the circle. Darien grew serious when they paused at the hospital where Vicky had been treated for burns. Apparently, the ifrit had visited during her stay there. Wrapping his second arm around her protectively, he realized how close he had come to losing her. He had left her alone in the hospital without any protection, not knowing she was in danger. The creature could have very easily taken her there. Why he hadn’t was beyond Darien’s comprehension.

“I will never leave you unprotected again,” he vowed softly to Vicky as they turned and headed off to the next site in search of their prey. Darien would make sure she had something to protect her at all times, even if he had to hold her down and tattoo runes on her hide himself.

Vicky shivered under the weight of the vampire’s words. She had never heard a more serious promise from anyone in her life.

The Wild Hunt stopped one more time over Vicky’s burned out apartment. She hadn’t been back to see what had happened, but the damage didn’t look bad from the air.

The dogs circled around for a few minutes unsure of where to go next. The hellhounds first went one way and then the other, like they couldn’t decide where they wanted to go. The horses pranced as they waited for the pack to find the scent.

Zak let out a loud whinny and stomped his hooves, urging the dogs to choose.

A large mastiff let out a growling bark before changing it to a loud howl and heading south. The rest of the hellhounds answered the call, and it was picked up by the wolves as the mass of canines bolted out after the first dog.

The horses took up the course and pounded after them through the storm that had caught up to them. It hadn’t started raining yet, but the heavy clouds flashed and rumbled with the energy of the passing Hunt.

***

The hellhounds circled a huge, abandoned building deep in the industrial part of the south side. Darien looked around at the host of creatures waiting to get into the building. They had ridden all over town visiting the sites the ifrit’s flames had burned.

Darien expected to visit all the places where people had disappeared, but the hounds had led them here instead. Did that mean something else was responsible for the rest of the unexplained disappearances? He shook his wet hair back from his face and pulled on the material wrapped around him, attempting to keep him and Vicky dry. She shivered against him inside his cloak as the cold rain poured down from the angry clouds above.

“The hounds say it is definitely in there,” Lord Dakine said from the back of his horse. “But there seems to be some kind of ward around the building keeping them out.”

Darien nodded. “How hard will it be to take it down?” he asked, shifting his grip to the hilt of his sword.

Lord Dakine contemplated the darkened building for a few moments, bouncing his head back and forth as he judged the best way to break the magic around it. “We can do it,” he finally said. “But it’s not going to be pretty, and I can’t tell what’s behind the barrier.”

Rupert’s horse danced closer to Darien. “The wolves are ready when you are,” the alpha said, and a howl answered in agreement.

Darien looked over to see Clara had already drawn out her bow and nocked an arrow.

“Then let’s gather the dogs back and crack this thing open.” Darien pulled his cloak back. It took him a moment to draw out his sword around Vicky.

She tensed at the sight of the black blade; knowing they were heading into a fight and actually doing it were two very different things.

Darien pressed his cheek to the side of her head and kissed the air softly beside it. “Whatever happens in there, stay with Zak. He’ll keep you safe.”

Nodding, terror started to fill her. She didn’t want anyone to ride into battle, she had seen how
Braveheart
had ended and didn’t like the odds.

Lord Dakine and four other fay dismounted and walked through the hellhounds to stand at some unseen line. The hounds drew back, snapping at each other in excitement as the five fay spaced themselves out across the center of the building.