Kindling Flames: Smoke Rising (The Ancient Fire Series Book 3) (22 page)

The corners of Darien’s mouth turned up as he thanked the queen. They turned to go, and Lady Aine called to them.

“Victoria Westernly.”

Vicky turned her attention back to Lady Aine.

“You are always welcome in my court, if you so choose.”

“Thank you, My Lady.” Vicky dropped the queen a curtsy and let Darien lead her out of the building. This time the barrier parted and let them pass without pause.

“She likes you.” Darien opened up the car door to let Vicky in. She had to sit sideways in the seat so her wings wouldn’t be crushed as she leaned back. Darien made sure the sensitive membranes were completely inside before he shut the door.

“What makes you think that?” Vicky asked as Darien settled into the driver’s seat. She fussed with her skirt, tucking the soft fabric around her legs more comfortably.

“The little ones chose a seelie form for your transformation,” Darien informed her as he backed out of the parking lot, “and twice now she has offered you a place in Fairy.” He glanced over at Vicky staring at him. “She may have tried to get us to perform for her pleasure, but she let us go without argument. Only part of that was out of respect for me. Trust me, tonight would have been very different if she didn’t like you.”

Vicky gaped at him, stunned. “You mean… Back there…” She pointed her finger back at the warehouse. “She would have made us… In front of everyone… At your own party?”

Darien chuckled at Vicky’s flustered sentences. “It wouldn’t have been the first time an honored guest was made to play entertainment for Lady Aine.”

Vicky quickly covered her open mouth with a hand as she tried to wrap her mind around this audacious statement. She had been intimidated by the powerful fay when she had first met the queen, but she had come to like her. “She wouldn’t have.” Vicky tried to convince herself that Darien was wrong.

“I assure you, she would have.” He nodded his head seriously. “And if she had insisted, we would have either given in to her demands or remained in her realm until she saw fit to release us. Even my power isn’t enough to stand up to the fairy queen in her own warren.”

Vicky swallowed hard, and they rode in silence for a few minutes. “She said something about the cost being higher if we needed help.” Vicky mulled over the queen’s words. “What did she mean?

“Just that there will be penalties if I cannot break the magic the lesser fay cast on you,” Darien explained. “But don’t worry, if Lady Aine’s smile was anything to go on, I should be able to take care of it.”

“How can you tell that?” Vicky asked.

“Because I didn’t see sadistic joy there,” Darien explained as he reached over and took Vicky’s hand. “It may take a little effort, but I promise I will do everything in my power to clear this magic from you.”

Vicky nodded, still overwhelmed by the evening. “How will you do that?” She had some idea what the queen had wanted, but would that really break the magic on her?

Darien raised her hand up to his face and kissed the back of it. “Just leave that to me.”

Her insides quivered at the suggestion in his voice. Vicky tried to work some moisture into her suddenly dry mouth as Darien pressed the gas down and sped them off towards home.

The smell of freshly baked bread and coffee pulled Vicky from her sleep on Friday morning. She stretched and wiggled into Darien’s warmth behind her. A soft squeeze around her ankle told her that Zak had finally rejoined them and her world was right again.

Vicky cracked an eye and looked at the thin, green line on the back of her hand. Darien had said that it would fade, but the mark was as sharp and bright as the ribbon Dakine had placed there the night before last. Vicky could feel Darien’s warm breath where he had buried his face into the back of her neck. It was almost enough for her to curl up and go back to sleep, but the smell of warm food nearby made her stomach growl.

She and Darien has spent much of the previous day trying to break the spell the lesser fay had placed on her. It had been late when the wings had finally melted away, and they’d both collapsed under sheer exhaustion without bothering to eat.

Raising her head up, she found two small tables sitting next to the bed. One had a plate filled with steaming food, a cup of coffee, and a large glass of orange juice. The other had a loaf of bread and a glass of what looked to be red wine. She dropped her head back to the pillow and tried to scrape together the willpower to move from her warm spot and attack the food calling from the bedside table. Movement behind her and a deep breath told her that Darien was waking up, too.

“Someone brought breakfast,” Vicky said softly.

Darien stretched and lifted his head up to see the tables. Letting out a soft chuckle, he relaxed back to the bed. He rubbed his face into the back of Vicky’s neck and kissed her where her neck joined her shoulder. “I’ve got my breakfast right here.” Teasing, he nipped her skin lightly.

Vicky giggled and scrunched up away from him. “I thought you had your fill of my blood yesterday.” She rolled over in the vampire’s arms to face him.

He kissed her softly. “I could never get my fill of you,” Darien sighed as he rubbed his nose lovingly along hers. “But, I will not endanger you by taking more so soon.”

Vicky sighed lightly.

“Let’s see what Odette brought.” He pushed up so he was supported on his elbow. “Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, pancakes, and clementines. Apparently, she thinks you are going to be hungry this morning.”

Grinning, Vicky sat up in bed. She scooted back against the headboard and pulled the blankets up around her. “Good thing, because I am.” Reaching over, she carefully pulled the little table closer.

Zak gurgled from where his head poked out from under the blankets near the foot of the bed.

“Come on.” Vicky patted the bed next to her, and Zak wiggled up and lay between Darien and Vicky. She lifted the little tray from the table while Darien rested his head on his hand and rubbed Zak’s tentacles.

“I told you he would find his own way home.” Darien tugged on one feeler that had wrapped around his fingers.

Zak gurgled, looking at the tasty treats on the tray in Vicky’s lap.

Vicky agreed and tossed a piece of sausage to the fay.

He snapped it up before it hit the bedspread.

“I understand the breakfast, but what is that other tray about?” Vicky stuck her fork into a lump of eggs.

Darien climbed out of bed. “That’s an old-world custom.” He found his discarded pajama bottoms and dragged them on before rounding the bed to the little table. “Bread and wine for a newly bound couple.” Darien tore the bread in half. He pulled a chunk off and held it out for Vicky. “May you never go hungry.”

Vicky cleared the eggs from her mouth and took the bit of offered bread. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, surprised. “It’s salty,” she said around the bite.

Darien took a piece of the bread and tasted it. It was only slightly salty on top. “So life will always have flavor.” Picking up the wineglass, he swirled the red liquid around in the glass before taking a drink and offering the glass to Vicky. “For a prosperous life, filled with good health and cheer.”

Vicky took the glass and chased the bread down with a sip of the dry wine. She handed the glass back to Darien and got a kiss in exchange.

“Congratulations.” Darien set the glass back on the table. “So, how do you feel today?”

“Tired,” Vicky admitted. “And sore.”

Darien made a concerned noise at her. “Anything I can help with?” He sat on the edge of the bed and reached up to rub the back of Vicky’s neck lightly.

Vicky bent her head forwards to give Darien’s hand a better angle. “You’re the reason I’m tired and sore,” she teased. “But it is nothing a good, hot shower won’t fix.” Scooting forwards, she let Darien run his hand down the tight muscles across her shoulders.

Darien kissed the skin on her shoulder. “We could always skip work.”

Vicky sighed as she thought about that idea. “What type of personal assistant would I be if I encouraged you to slack off?” She grinned and leaned forwards a little bit more.

Darien rubbed his hand down her back a little farther.

“Anyway, I’m sure there is a stack of files on my desk that need your attention. The end-of-month reports were due yesterday.” Vicky made a content noise as Darien’s fingers found a particularly tight spot.

He chuckled at her and kissed her shoulder again. “As you wish, My Lady.” He rubbed his hand up and down Vicky’s back. She gasped when his fingers hit a sensitive bit, and he paused to see what had drawn that sound from her. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Vicky reassured him as she stretched her back. “You just hit a tender spot.”

Darien moved so he could see what his fingers were touching and lightly traced the faint, iridescent marks on her back. “I think the fay’s spell still has a slight hold on you.” He looked at the wings etched into Vicky’s skin.

“What?” Vicky gasped and twisted to see her back, almost upsetting the tray from her lap.

“Don’t worry about it.” Darien ran his hand over the mark again, making Vicky shiver. “We can work on it when we get home tonight.”

Vicky nodded her agreement and leaned back against the headboard to think about her situation. She wondered how much more effort it would take to truly break the spell and if they would have to go back to visit Lady Aine this weekend. Something clicked as she gasped, “We can’t work on this problem tonight!” Vicky sat up in horror.

Darien looked at her as he tried to figure out what would startle Vicky like that.

“My mother and her vampire boyfriend are supposed to be here this evening!” Vicky turned widened eyes to Darien. How could she have forgotten about her mother?

Darien grinned and kissed her cheek. “Then it will just have to wait until after she leaves.” He stood up from the bed. “Eat your breakfast before you lose the rest to Zak.” Nodding his head, he pointed to where the fay had just stolen the toast from the corner of her tray. “Since we are going to work, I need to start getting ready.”

Vicky sighed and watched Darien’s broad back as he left to shower. She liked his bare skin. It would never be bronze in a Greek god sort of way, but it was not the pale white one would expect from someone that never sees the sun. He had a rich, creamy color that was just healthy enough to look good stretched across his well-toned muscles. Vicky let her attention slip back to the tray of food on her lap. Zak had managed to eat almost half of it as she and Darien had talked. Chiding the fay lightly, she pushed him back from her plate and tore open one of the clementines. She tossed it towards the center of the bed for the hellhound.

Zak wiggled over and started stuffing the little pieces in his mouth hungrily.

Vicky picked up her fork and started into what was left of her breakfast before the fay was finished. If she didn’t hurry, she wasn’t going to get enough of the food to keep her going for the day.

***

“Hey, sweetheart.” Vicky’s mother’s voice rolled out of the phone. “I think we’re in the right area, but which one of these buildings is yours?”

“The Touraine,” Vicky answered as she scrambled to get her shoes on. “Just park anywhere on the street, and we’ll be down to help you with your bags.”

“Thank you, darling,” Ann answered. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Vicky closed the phone and found Zak and Darien already waiting by the elevator. “You ready to meet my mother?” she asked as Darien held the door open for her.

He grinned and followed her into the small room. “You ready to meet her vampire boyfriend?”

Vicky gave him a short, slightly hysterical laugh as he punched the button to the lobby. “So, where do you keep the stakes in case he really is a vampire?”

Darien wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed the golden hair at the side of her head. “Now, why would I tell you where I hide my stakes?” he teased. “You might use them on me.”

Vicky rolled her eyes. “Only if you bite my mother.”

Darien laughed. “They’re in the closet in my office, along with the vials of holy water, but you won’t need them,” he whispered, rubbing his cheek on Vicky’s head. “If he does turn out to be a vampire, I’m sure he’ll listen to reason.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Vicky raised an eyebrow and looked up at him.

“Oh, he will.” The corners of Darien’s mouth turned up in a deviant smile, and his eyes took on a glitter that almost scared Vicky. “I can be
very
persuasive when I want.”

Vicky opened her mouth to say something about his persuasion skills but stopped as she registered what he had previously said. “Why do you have vials of holy water?”

“They’re good for more than just vampires,” Darien said as the door slid open. “It’s always good to be prepared.” He pulled her out to the lobby.

She tried to wrap her mind around his comment as they went out into the darkened world.

Full night had fallen several hours ago, and it took Vicky a moment to find her mother’s car along the crowded street. It wasn’t until Ann got out of the car that Vicky finally recognized them. “Mommy!” Vicky cried and sprinted off towards the middle-aged woman stepping onto the sidewalk.

Darien chuckled to himself as he followed at a more dignified pace.

Vicky glommed on to her mother in a warm hug that sent the older woman into laughter.

She squeezed Vicky tight before pushing her back so she could look her over. “It is so good to see you.” Ann pulled her daughter in for another hug. “I have missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” Vicky turned her mother loose and looked up to the young man standing behind her.

Ann turned her attention to where Vicky was looking and shifted so she could introduce her new boyfriend. “I would like you to meet Jack.”

Jack held out his hand to Vicky.

“Jack, this is my daughter, Victoria.”

Vicky let her eyes take in the man before she took his hand. In the light from the streetlamps, Jack looked the part of a typical fictional vampire. His long, black hair was tied neatly at the back of his neck and blended in with his black shirt and pants. He was tall, thin, and pale in an almost unhealthy way. The white points of his teeth were very noticeable in the thin light. She didn’t like the way he looked at her. “Hello.” Vicky took his hand. He was much warmer than Vicky knew vampires to be.

Jack shifted his grip from a normal handshake and bowed over her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Victoria.” His voice was thick with an English accent.

Vicky raised an eyebrow as he kissed the back of her hand. The man’s voice had a rich quality to it, but it was nothing compared to Darien’s.

Jack held Vicky’s hand for just a hint longer than necessary before turning it loose.

“Isn’t he sweet?” Ann gushed as she took hold of his arm.

The eyes this boy made spoke more of promised passion than Vicky thought they should, and she instantly disliked him. The look changed when Darien walked up and placed a possessive hand on Vicky’s shoulder. Jack’s gaze shifted to Darien, and the mask of age and confidence he was wearing cracked, letting Vicky see through to the young man underneath. He quickly put it back on, but for Vicky, the illusion he was trying to pull off had been broken. This was just some guy about her age, tricking her mother to some unknown ends.

“Good evening.” Darien let just a hint of his power into his voice, and it rolled across them like black velvet. He had heard the boy try to imitate the trick.