Kindling Flames: Smoke Rising (The Ancient Fire Series Book 3) (24 page)

Darien chuckled. “Years of trial and error,” he grinned.

“I wish you could try this.” Ann looked over at Jack, nursing his wine. “It truly is amazing.”

He looked at the tiramisu sitting on the table in front of him and picked up his fork to cut off a small bite.

A smugness settled into Darien’s eyes as the man put the solid food into his mouth.

“This is really good,” Jack said around the bite and went for another.

“I thought you couldn’t eat solid food?” Ann asked as Jack stuck a second piece in his mouth.

The young man suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be playing vampire and put his fork back down on the table. “It’s creamy enough that a little shouldn’t hurt me too much.” Playing off his error, he shifted his eyes up to Darien. “So what do you do?” He tried to change the subject.

Darien smiled, knowing that Jack had just made his first fatal error. Ann was watching him more closely than she had before. “I run a shipping company,” Darien said as he sipped his wine.

Ann scoffed at him. Vicky had told her mother about Darien. “He’s the owner of Ritter Enterprises,” Ann elaborated.

Jack stared at the man sitting next to him on the couch in shock.

Darien just shrugged like it was no big deal.

Jack looked around the living room with a new point of view. “No wonder you need an assistant.”

“He needs an assistant because he’s scatterbrained,” Vicky teased.

“I’m only scatterbrained so you’ll have a job,” Darien teased back.

Vicky reached to pick up her cake.

Ann’s eyes caught on the hint of color on the back of her hand and wrist. “What’s that?” Ann asked, slightly disapproving. “I thought I talked you out of the tattoo thing when you were in high school.”

Vicky blushed, not sure how to answer her mother’s question. She was glad she was wearing long pants that covered the ring of flowers on her ankle.

“It’s only temporary.” Darien held his hand up so that Ann could see the matching mark on his hand. “I had some foreign friends in town for Halloween, and they disapproved of Victoria and I living together unmarried. They kind of forced us into a handfasting.”

“A what?” Ann asked as she looked at the green line on Darien’s hand.

“A handfasting,” Vicky explained. “It’s like an engagement.”

Ann’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

“More of a trial marriage,” Darien informed them both. “In a year, if we are happy together, then we can make the arrangement more permanent. If not, then we can go our separate ways without dishonor.”

Ann looked from Darien to Vicky and back. “Are you planning to marry my daughter?”

Darien chuckled at the surprise in Ann’s voice. “The thought had crossed my mind.” The heat from Darien’s eyes was enough to make Vicky’s face flush. “That is, if you approve.” He turned asking eyes to Ann.

“Of
course
!” Ann threw her arms around her daughter’s neck, nearly making her drop her cake to the floor.

Vicky quickly set the cake down on the table so she could hug her mother back.

Jack watched the ecstatic woman with guarded eyes.

“Then I’ll have to find a ring befitting my lovely lady,” Darien stood up from his seat, “and a bottle of champagne to celebrate.” He left by the doorway into the foyer.

Jack watched him go and then turned his attention back to Ann, gushing over her daughter’s good fortune. His eye caught movement from the edge of the table as a long, blackish-green tentacle slipped out from under the couch and pulled Vicky’s cake to the floor, unseen by the women. Horror stole over Jack as he watched a second feeler join the first to steal the cake under the couch. Another thin tentacle wrapped around Vicky’s ankle. He bent over just enough to see light reflecting off two dark, shiny objects over a row of sharp teeth, eating the treat from under the seating. Jack sat back up quickly, startling the girls from their joy.

“Is everything okay?” Ann asked as she looked at Jack’s whitened face.

He pointed to the space under the couch where the tentacled thing had been. “There’s something under the couch!” Jack said in fear.

Vicky looked down to see the fallen plate and mess that had been made. “Zak!” she scolded, and bent over to pick the plate up. “Get out here!”

Jack nearly climbed up the couch as the grayish-black Shih Tzu wiggled out from under the couch.

“You ate my cake!” Vicky complained as she lifted the dog up from the floor.

Zak’s little, pink tongue licked the rest of the sweetened cheese from his muzzle.

Vicky sighed and handed the small dog to her mother. “Hold him while I get something to clean this up.” Ann took Zak and settled him in her lap while Vicky headed to the kitchen for a towel.

“Put it down,” Jack said to Ann without taking his eyes off the dog. “That thing’s a monster.”

Ann could clearly hear the terror in his voice. “He may be a little bad, but I don’t see how he could be a monster.” She scratched Zak’s head and ignored the way Jack watched the dog. “You just wanted a little love, isn’t that right?” Ann cooed.

She scraped Zak’s hair up out of his eyes and cast around for something to hold the hair. Snagging her purse from the end of the couch, she pulled a long, pink ribbon out. Ann quickly whipped it around the hair so that it stuck up on top of Zak’s head. She fussed with the ribbon until it made a nice bow. “That’s better.” Ann scratched the sides of Zak’s face. “You’re so precious.”

“You’re going to spoil him,” Vicky giggled at her mother as she came back in with a damp towel to clean up the cake.

“You’re supposed to spoil little dogs,” Ann said as Zak wiggled in her lap for more pettings.

Jack watched the hair on Zak’s body wiggle unnaturally. “That thing’s got tentacles,” he insisted.

Vicky gave her guest a confused look and then turned back to the dog in her mother’s lap. “I think you’ve had too much wine.” Bending over to scrub the spot on the carpet, she glanced up at Zak and could almost see a smile in his eyes. Shaking her head, she cleaned up the mess on the floor.

“What happened?” Darien asked as he took in Jack’s terror and Vicky’s cleaning.

“Zak pulled my tiramisu off the table.” Vicky stood back up and looked at the fay. “And Jack seems to think he has tentacles.”

Darien looked at the little dog, and then to his guest. “I guess the champagne can wait until later.” He set a bottle on the table.

“I’m not drunk!” Jack stood up, upset that no one believed his claim. He pointed an accusing finger at Zak. “I saw that thing reach out and pull the cake off the table. It had long, wiggly things and sharp teeth.”

Ann lifted him up and looked into his mouth. “He does have sharp teeth,” she answered, “but I don’t see any tentacles.”

Jack huffed and plopped back down into his seat.

“Maybe the wine and tiramisu aren’t agreeing with your system,” Darien suggested. “Perhaps if you get something to eat, it might help.”

Jack glared up at him. “That may be a good idea.” He stood up and stormed to the kitchen.

Darien hid the smile and picked up the dishes from the table.

“I really don’t know what’s gotten into him tonight,” Ann apologized. “He’s normally a very sweet guy.”

“I’ll look into it,” Darien reassured her. “Just rest here, and I’ll be back in a little bit.” He took the towel from Vicky, and the two women sat back on the couch to chat.

Darien opened the kitchen door to find Jack leaning against the counter not far inside, holding his head. It was apparent that Darien’s assumptions were right, and the wine was having a profound effect on the man. He passed the young man up and set the dishes on the counter next to the sink. “Why don’t you sit down?” Darien pulled one of the chairs from the breakfast nook and spun it around for his guest to sit in.

Jack gladly took him up on the offer.

Darien got one of his blue tumblers out of the cabinet. “Let me get you something to eat.”

“That thing really is a monster,” Zak said, desperate for Darien to believe him. “I really
did
see tentacles.”

“He is a right little monster,” Darien agreed and fished a packet of blood out of the crisper drawer. “It was downright rude of him to scare my guests like that.”

Jack’s face filled with confusion as he watched Darien clip the corner of the bag with the kitchen shears and pour it into the glass. Horror passed over Jack’s face as Darien spilt a little down the back of his hand and proceeded to lick the droplet up. Darien dropped the empty bag in the sink and handed the glass over to Jack like he had just poured him some weird fruit juice.

Jack’s skin blanched as he looked into the glass of blood. “If you don’t mind,” he held the glass back out for Darien to take, “I would prefer to have what I brought.”

Darien shrugged and took the blood back from him. He took down another tumbler, got one of the glass bottles out of the refrigerator, and set them on the counter next to Jack.

Jack opened the bottle and poured some of the thick liquid into the glass.

Darien went back to the refrigerator and pulled a sandwich out to set on the counter next to the glass bottle. “I’m not sure that’s good for you to drink straight,” he said in a very matter-of-fact voice. “It would probably be better for you to eat this instead.” Darien turned away from the shock on Jack’s face.

“But, solid food isn’t good for me,” Jack protested.

Darien turned back to face him. “I’m not sure to what ends you are taking this farce.” He gave the boy a really stern look. “But we both know you’re not a vampire.”

“What makes you say such a thing?” Jack sat up, affronted.

Darien looked at him and then smiled with fangs clearly visible. “I know vampires, young man.”

Jack could feel the power in Darien’s voice.

“And you, my friend, are no vampire.”

Jack dropped his glass, and Darien quickly caught it before it hit the floor. He set the glass of syrup in the sink.

“You’re a vampire!” Jack squeaked as he took in the changed man in front of him. He scrambled in the chair, trying to get farther away from Darien.

“So I have been called.” Darien picked up the glass of blood and turned around to lean against the countertop. “You have nothing to fear from me at this time.” He took a sip of the blood he had poured. “I promise not to hurt you or tell Ann of your transgressions, for now.”

Jack froze as his alcohol-addled mind tried to process Darien’s words.

“The story alone was well worth sparing you. Although, it takes a lot more than a simple bite to turn someone into a vampire.” Darien’s eyes flashed with enjoyment. “Have you ever considered writing fiction?”

“But… but… but vampires don’t really exist!” Jack proclaimed in a voice slightly higher than normal and completely devoid of the crisp, English accent he had been using.

“So claims the man who has a very sweet woman believing he
is
one.” There was bitterness in Darien’s words. “I’m not going to ask you why you have convinced my lady’s mother you are a vampire, but you should tell her the truth.” He took another sip of his blood. “Victoria is rather upset by this.”

“Victoria!” Jack’s brain latched on to her name. “I could tell her that you’re a vampire.”

Darien grinned at the man’s desperate attempt to protect himself. “Be my guest.” He swirled the blood around in his glass. “Only a fool would propose to a woman he was trying to keep secrets from.” He shot Jack an accusing look.

“I could tell the world about you,” Jack scrambled for something else.

Darien laughed out loud. “Anything that would believe you already knows what I am.” An evil grin slipped across his face. “And everyone else would think you’re mad.” He drank some more of the blood before continuing. “As for the tabloids that would latch on to the story, I would call an afternoon press conference on the terrace of my restaurant and apologize for the insane ramblings of a delusional youth.”

Jack’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

“And, if you continued, you would get a knock on your door one quiet night, and you would never be heard from again.” Darien’s voice carried the weight of his threat past a gentle smile.

“But, vampires can’t come in unless they are invited!” Jack protested, scared out of his wits.

“This is true.” Darien looked into his cup.

Jack twisted around in his chair when he heard the dining room door swing open.

Zak came over and sniffed at his leg.

“But, there are other things out there not held to that rule.” Darien pulled a bowl out of the cabinet and poured the rest of the blood into it. He set it down on the floor, and Zak bounced over happily.

Jack watch in horror as the dog shook itself, and the hair turned into a mass of tentacles.

Zak buried his face into the bowl to greedily lap up the liquid. He raised his face just enough so that he could stare at Jack as he drank.

Darien wasn’t sure if it was the pink ribbon wrapped around the upper tentacles or the way Zak’s little tongue licked the redness from his sharp teeth, but Jack made a sound that reminded Darien of stepping on a mouse and passed out. “You
are
a right little monster.” He looked down at the satisfied fay. “Good job.” Rubbing Zak’s tentacles, he picked up the empty bowl the fay was licking.

The horror gurgled and cleaned the last traces of blood from his face and the floor as Darien cleaned the cups and bowl. He considered the unconscious man before heading back into the living room to break the news to the girls.

“Is everything all right?” Vicky asked when Darien and Zak came back into the room.

“Yes.” Darien nodded. “The food didn’t sit well with Jack’s system, and I think we need to get him to bed.”

A concerned look crossed Ann’s face.

“Don’t worry; I’m sure he’s fine.”

Vicky cocked an eyebrow at Darien but didn’t ask.

“So, where did you put him up?” he asked the girls.

“In the yellow room,” Vicky answered with just a hint of a smile.

Darien nodded his head and turned to go move his guest.

Ann and Vicky followed behind him.

Ann gasped when she saw Jack relaxed in the chair. “Darling!” She fussed over him, feeling his slightly clammy skin. She looked up at Darien. “Will he be okay?”

Darien pointed to the glass jar on the table. “He drank some blood and said he needed to rest for a bit.” Stepping in, Darien carefully lifted Jack up to lean over his shoulder. “I was rather surprised when he just shut down where he sat.”

Ann nodded and watched as Vicky held the door to the foyer open for them.

Darien carried Jack upstairs and through the short hallway to the room that sat over the breakfast nook. He was surprised at how vindictive Vicky was being by putting the poor man up in this room. Even with the blackout shades drawn, the bright yellow walls were going to be hell on the hangover he was sure Jack would have in the morning. This was the guestroom he gave to those he disliked most. He laid Jack on the bed and helped Ann change his clothing. “Are you staying here with him?” Darien asked curiously.

“No,” Ann answered while tucking the blankets around Jack. “He doesn’t like to have people around him when he rests.” She made sure the shades were safely down before ushering everyone out of the room. She looked back at the sleeping man once more before turning out the light and shutting the door. “I’m sorry about this,” Ann apologized for Jack’s behavior. “He’s usually better company.” She sighed heavily.

“There is no need for you to apologize, Mrs. Westernly.” Darien smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure he’ll feel better tomorrow.”

Ann sighed heavily again.

“Perhaps we should all turn in,” Vicky suggested. “It’s rather late.”

Ann agreed. “At least let me help you with the dishes,” Ann said, starting towards the steps again.

“Nonsense. You are my guest here.” Darien stopped her. “We’ll take care of that later. As for right now,” he turned to face Vicky, “I have something for your daughter.”

Ann’s face lit up as he dropped to one knee and pulled a worn leather pouch from his back pocket.

Darien dumped the contents into his hand before dropping the bag and reaching up to take Vicky’s hand.

Vicky stared, wide-eyed, as he spoke.

“Victoria Westernly, with your mother’s permission, will you do me the honor of your hand in marriage?” Darien held up a small, green and silver object.

Vicky nearly burst when she saw the ring. She dropped to his arms, rocking him backwards to sit on the floor.

“Of course I will!” Vicky cried into his shoulder.

Ann squeaked in delight, watching Darien hold her daughter for a moment longer. He made Vicky shift backwards so she was sitting on the floor with her legs tucked under her.

“Then, please accept this ring as a token of our engagement.” Darien took her left hand and slid the band onto her ring finger.

Vicky sobbed in joy and launched herself at Darien again.

He caught her and let her momentum push them backwards to the floor with her on top. Darien laughed as Vicky and her mother both cried.

Zak came over and pawed at Vicky, whining.

“Oh Zak!” Vicky gasped and dragged the fay in for a hug as Darien rubbed her back softly. After a moment, Vicky collected herself and sat up off Darien so he could get up. Holding Zak, she cuddled him against her like an odd, stuffed toy. “Sorry,” she apologized quietly to her mother and Darien for causing such a scene.

“It’s okay.” Ann sat down next to her daughter and let her lean against her. “I nearly broke your father’s arm when he proposed.” Ann scratched Zak’s head. “So, let’s have a look.”

Vicky held out her hand to show off the ring. An octagon-cut emerald reflected the light from the recessed lights. Three more bright green jewels ran down both sides of the band, each slightly smaller. A border of diamonds set into the silver metal of the ring framed the line of emeralds.

“White gold?” Ann looked up at Darien, leaning against the railing of the steps.

Darien shook his head. “Platinum,” he informed them. The two girls looked back at the ring with wide eyes. “It’s been in the family for a long time.”

Zak sniffed at the piece of jewelry before rubbing his face against it approvingly.

“It’s wonderful.” Vicky smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

Darien pushed off from the railing and held his hand down to Vicky. “You’re quite welcome.” He helped her up before extending his hand to her mother. “Of course, I have a diamond if you would prefer, but I think it’s too small, and I like this one better.”

“Oh, no.” Vicky wrapped her right hand around her left protectively. “This one is just perfect.” She held the ringed hand close to her chest and looked down at the green stones. “I love it.” Vicky’s eyes softened as she caressed the green stones. They reminded her of Darien’s eyes.

“I’m so happy for you, baby.” Vicky’s mother hugged her again. She kissed Vicky on the cheek before turning her attention to Darien. “I think my Thomas would have approved of you.” She kissed Darien on the cheek. “You better take good care of my little girl.”

Darien smiled at the threat in Ann’s voice. Taking a hold of Vicky’s hand, he held it gently. “I promise to do my best.” He pulled Vicky over to him and placed a gentle kiss on her hair. “I would give her my soul if she needed it.” Darien nuzzled her hair as Vicky laughed softly at the inside joke.

Ann beamed at the cute couple.

Releasing his love, Darien stepped towards the stairs. “Why don’t you see your mother to bed, and I’ll get started cleaning up downstairs?”