Kindling Flames: Smoke Rising (The Ancient Fire Series Book 3) (30 page)

His eyes narrowed as he watched the group of people hidden in the shadows of the poorly lit church.

A heavyset woman with mousy brown hair pulled into a ponytail edged her way from the group to where Stanley stood in the aisle. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” she tried to whisper to him, but Darien’s ears picked up the fear and worry in her words. “We weren’t supposed to be here when he arrived. He’s already tripped the spell. How are we going to get out?”

“It’ll be okay, Mary,” Stanley soothed her. “Master Christian will come get us after he’s done.”

Mary turned worried eyes to where Darien and Vicky sat together. “I don’t like this,” she protested.

“This is the way it’s got to be,” Stanley reassured her. “Just go back and sit down. It looks like we have a while to wait.”

Mary’s eyes held a hint of apology as she looked at the pair folded together. “Can he at least have his coat back?” She looked up at Stanley. “It’s kind of cold in here.”

“Just sit down, Mary,” Stanley said crossly. “He’s a vampire. The cold is not going to hurt him.”

“But—” Mary protested again.

“Just
go
,” he cut her off and sent the concerned woman to sit in the back of the church.

Darien’s eyes followed her. It touched him that she would be worried about him.

Stanley turned back to Darien. He came down and sat in the front pew. “Sorry about that. We hadn’t quite finished our preparations when you came in,” he explained. “We expected it to take you nearly an hour to reach us, not ten minutes.”

Darien shot him a very toothy smile. “I apologize that my arrival has inconvenienced you.” Darien’s words were hollow with no remorse in them.

Stanley smiled at him. “No worries.” He leaned back in the pew. “We just have to change our plans a little.”

“And what do you have planned for us?” Darien asked quietly.

Stanley shrugged. “Originally, we were supposed to be gone. We were just going to leave you trapped here until Master Christian decided what to do with you.”

Darien glared at him, flashing fangs. “And how were you going to make sure I was truly a vampire?”

“Watching you cross onto holy ground would have been enough to verify that,” Stanley shrugged. “The holy water was a backup.”

Darien nodded his head. “So what’s the plan now?”

“I don’t know,” he answered. “You triggered the barrier spell when you came in, so we can’t get out. I guess we wait.”

Darien’s eyes caught the man that had cut Vicky moving away from the rest of the group, towards them.

“I say we kill them,” he hissed as he got closer to them. “Master Christian will thank us for it later.”

Stanley shook his head and let out a deep sigh. “I told you, Derrick. We can’t do them harm.” He looked up at the other man. “You have already pushed the Master’s promise by cutting the girl.”

Derrick let out a snort. He paused before letting out a short bark of laughter. “What if
we
didn’t offer them harm?” Smiling, he showing off his teeth.

Stanley cocked an eyebrow at him. “And what do you have in mind?”

“It’s not our fault if he escapes into the graveyard.” Derrick looked at the pair on the dais again. “It is, after all, a large cemetery with lots of places to hide in the dark. Unfortunately, there are no mausoleums to protect them from the sun at dawn.”

Stanley considered this for a moment. “And what about the girl?” Stanley shot the man a sidelong look.

“It’s cold enough outside that she’ll freeze before morning.” Derrick shrugged. “And if not, she’ll burn when he goes up at dawn.”

Vicky shivered in Darien’s arms, and the vampire glared at the men discussing their future.

“You are an evil, evil man.” Stanley chuckled as he shook his head. “But, I guess that’s why Christian keeps you around.” Standing, he turned to face Derrick. “I’m not going to have anything to do with this.” He patted the man on the shoulder and went to the back of the church where the rest of the bikers had gathered.

Grinning at Darien and Vicky, he pulled a gun out from inside his coat. “Get up.” Derrick pointed the gun at them. “This may not hurt you much, but I’m sure she will feel it.”

Darien glared at him for a moment before patting Vicky. “Come on.” He slipped his hands over Vicky’s head, and she scooted out of his lap. Darien looked down at Vicky’s feet, still tied together. Reaching down, he pulled the rope loose so she could walk.

“Harold!” Derrick yelled.

The youngest member of the group stepped towards them. The boy couldn’t have been more than eighteen.

“Grab that rope.” Derrick nodded to a coil of rope on one of the front pews.

Harold picked up the rope warily. “I don’t know about this,” he said, reluctant to help.

“Just shut up and do what you’re told,” Derrick spat at him.

Harold cringed like he was expecting the older man to hit him.

Derrick turned his attention back to their captives. “That way.” He nodded towards the door in the back corner of the room. “And don’t get cute. I don’t think she can outrun a bullet.”

Glaring at the man, he took Vicky by the hand and led her out the door. The cold, winter wind ripped a gasp from Vicky as soon as she stepped into the night. Darien moved so he was blocking most of the moving air, but it didn’t do much good. Without the protection of his coat, the cold air cut into him, and he shivered slightly.

The graveyard behind the church was huge. It must have covered several acres. The old stones looked like broken teeth as Derrick forced the pair farther from the church. When they were about in the middle of the lot, he stopped them next to a tall, thin obelisk.

“Tie them up,” Derrick growled at Harold.

Harold looked from the man holding the gun to the vampire glaring at them. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” he announced one more time before heading over to do as he was told. Whispering an apology to Darien and Vicky, he bound them to the obelisk.

Darien nodded his head to the young man. It was easy to see that the boy was more afraid of what Derrick would do to him than Darien’s wrath.

“Make sure it’s tight,” Derrick growled at the younger man.

Harold had left the rope a little loose but took out the extra slack when the gun-wielding man noticed. Once they were secured to the stone, Harold retreated to the safety of the church. He turned apologetic eyes to Darien before disappearing into the night.

“Now, don’t try anything funny.” Derrick put the gun back into his pocket. “We can see you from the church,” he warned and turned to go back into the warm building.

Darien let out a deep sigh and pulled against the ropes. They were rather strong and chaffed against his bare skin. He stopped pulling when he heard Vicky let out a soft squeak. Relaxing back against the stone, he thought about their situation. The cold rock felt good against the burns on his back, and he turned his mind to them. It only took him a few moments of concentration to get the little power he had left to heal the damaged skin. Once done, he shut his eyes to think about how he was going to get Vicky out of this one.

The cold winter air cut through Vicky’s workout clothing with ease. She shivered against the ropes holding her. The bonds at her hands and the thick rope attaching her to the stone made movement hard, but she pulled her legs up against her front as best she could.

Vicky turned the events of the day over in her mind as she huddled against the obelisk. The last thing she remembered before coming to trussed up was running in Darien’s building. She could vaguely recall a man coming into the gym, but she hadn’t paid him any attention. A thought struck her, and she let out a bit of a sick laugh. She had run through some of the worst parts of the city late at night when she lived in her little apartment, but she had never had any problems. It had been in the safety of a posh building with security that she had ended up being kidnapped. Pushing this thought away, she turned her mind to the rest of the evening.

Vicky could just recall a sharp pain in her neck before the world went black. They must have drugged her with something. She worked her mind over her situation, trying to come up with answers. Why had they taken her? Why did she wake up in a church? Why didn’t Darien have a shirt on? Vicky studied the night as she turned over several possibilities. She couldn’t help feeling that she was missing something. Like something inside of her had been torn away, but she just couldn’t contemplate what it was.

After a few minutes of silent thought, her eyes caught on something odd among the gravestones. Vicky stared at what she thought was a statue of a woman. She blinked several times at the object, almost certain that it hadn’t been there a few moments before. She shivered as a cold gust of wind found its way around the stone and then gasped as the wind rustled the hair on the statue-woman. “Darien,” she whispered, urgently trying to get the vampire’s attention.

“Mmm?” Darien tipped his head over as Vicky interrupted his thought.

“There is something out there!” she whispered.

Darien could hear her fear and craned his neck around to look at what she was seeing. He had to pull against the ropes, but he was able to spot the woman standing a few rows over. Darien’s eyes went wide at the unexpected sight. “Don’t move,” he warned as the not-so-stone woman dropped to a crouch.

“What is it?” she asked.

“A ghoul,” Darien breathed, watching the creature.

Vicky tensed as the creature slunk towards her with very inhuman movements. The thing stopped a few feet away from Vicky and studied her. The female creature was almost pretty, or she would have been if she would have stood up correctly. She was wrapped in what had once been a white lace dress but was now worn and ragged. Her long dark hair hung in dirty strands around her face. Vicky could see the glint of intelligence as she studied the pair tied to the stone.

The woman moved in an arch around them until she could see both Darien and Vicky.

“Good evening,” Darien greeted the ghoul politely.

The woman cocked her head and considered Darien’s words. “Good evening,” she croaked in a voice long unused. The gravel in the woman’s voice made Vicky want to clear her throat, but she didn’t in fear that it would somehow offend the ghoul. “Ye’ve gotten yourself in a might pinch, vampire,” the ghoul spoke softly to them.

Darien smiled at her. “It seems I have,” he answered and waited to see what the woman would do.

She crept closer to them. “And, pray tell, what ye be doing here?”

“Waiting for a kind soul to come along and help.” Darien smiled at her again.

The ghoul let out a creaking laugh. “Then ye be in for a long wait.” She sat back on her haunches and grinned at him. “I am not a kind soul.” She looked up at the church holding Christian’s menagerie. “And I be thinkin’ they aren’t, either.”

Darien chuckled at her. “Then how about a bargain?” He cocked an eyebrow at the woman.

She smiled at him, showing two rows of very pointed teeth. “And what did ye be having in mind, vampire?” She cast a hungry look at Vicky.

“Not that,” Darien said, stopping the ghoul from thinking about eating Vicky.

The ghoul chuckled. “She be too alive for me tastes, anyway.” The woman looked back at Darien. “But give her a few hours out here, and she be just perfect.” The creature licked her lips and shifted closer to Vicky.

Vicky wiggled away from her as much as she could.

“You can get flesh just about anywhere.” Darien drew the creature’s attention away from Vicky. “But I can offer you something else.”

The ghoul looked back at him. “Speak, vampire.”

“I can offer you security.”

The ghoul cocked her head at this. “How?” She shifted in the low squat, considering his words.

“This is an old church, and, by the looks of it, probably due for renovations.” Darien glanced back at the building. It was definitely in need of some repairs. “I bet there are plans to tear it down and rebuild a new, modern church on the site.” He had no idea if his words were true, but the hiss that came from the creature let him know that it was something she feared. “I can ensure that this site stays unchanged.”

The ghoul paused and thought about this. “How?” she asked again.

“I can buy the church and the lands around it,” Darien offered. “As owner, I would be able to stop any plans in the works.”

The ghoul sat for a long moment, considering the offer. Her attention was drawn away by something Darien couldn’t see, but the creature quickly looked back at him. “Wolves pace the fences of me home,” she said softly. “Be they yours?”

Darien looked over towards the fence but couldn’t see anything. “They have come for me,” he confirmed.

The ghoul hissed her dislike. “Keep yer wolves from me grounds, and I be accepting ye bargain, vampire,” she growled.

“Done. Now free me and mine,” Darien answered.

The ghoul reached out a hand and, with vicious-looking claws, cut through the ropes like wet tissue paper.

Vicky’s eyes widened in disbelief as Darien pulled the rope away and shifted to his feet. “And our hands.” He held his cuffed hands out to the creature. Her claws slipped through the metal with the same ease she had cut through the ropes. Darien motioned for Vicky to hold out her hand, and the creature cut her bonds as well.

The ghoul reached out and took hold of Vicky’s left foot. Vicky tried to pull it back, but the creature held it fast. The ghoul caught hold of a strip of paper stuck to Vicky’s ankle and pulled it away.

Vicky’s head reeled as the thing she had been missing slammed back into her. Anxiety and worry filled her, and she clutched at her head, unable to control the feelings filling her. A garbled cry from off in the distance sounded, and Vicky suddenly knew where the feelings were coming from. She hadn’t realized that Zak’s mark could have that much of an impact on her.

“Remember ye promise, vampire, or I be collecting on our bargain in other ways.” The ghoul’s eyes shifted to Vicky.

“Of course.” Darien reached out a hand to help Vicky up. “You have my word.” He pulled Vicky in against him.

The ghoul nodded and stepped away from the pair. To Vicky’s surprise, the creature disappeared without a sound.

“Come on.” Darien patted Vicky on the back. “We had better go get Rupert to help us with this.” He made a straight line for the fence.

Vicky could feel Zak running through the grass nearby, and she buried her face into Darien’s side, unable to deal with the overload of sensation.

Darien wrapped his arms around her and guided her forwards. “Try to push it back,” he instructed softly.

Vicky pushed herself back from the feelings, and the sensation cleared so she could think better. “What’s going on?” She was starting to get tired of not knowing anything.

Darien chuckled. “That’s the bond with Zak you’re feeling,” he explained. “It seems that paper sealed off the mark so Zak couldn’t touch you. He’s just a little excited that he can feel you again.”

Vicky nodded. “Is this what you feel through your mark?”

A sick smile crossed Darien’s face. “It would have been if Elliot hadn’t pulled the mark out with the other energy.” There was a hint of regret in his voice.

Vicky stopped and stared at him, shocked.

Pausing, he looked back at the motionless girl.

“He pulled it out?” Vicky’s feet found their movement again.

He nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Darien turned his eyes to the horizon. “It wasn’t important at the time.”

“Not important!” Vicky huffed. “How can you say that it’s not important after you got so bent out of shape about it?”

Darien shrugged again. “Because, your safety is more important than a mark.” He pulled her in against him for a hug. “Just having you with me is enough.”

Vicky leaned into him as they crossed the lot. They walked for a bit in silence. “But don’t you want more?”

Darien released a drawn-out sigh and squeezed her. “Of course I want more. I could never get enough of you, but this isn’t the time to talk about that.” He released her as they approached the fenceline. “Let’s get through tonight, and we will talk about this later.”

Vicky felt him become more serious as he reached his hand out and touched the solid air, studying it.

It didn’t take long for Zak to lead Rupert and a dozen wolves to the other side of the barrier.

“Darien!” Rupert huffed as he came running up behind the fay. “We can’t get in.”

Darien looked at the group gathered on the other side of the fence. “I think I can pull this down, but you’ll need to keep your people out of the graveyard.”

Rupert cocked his head in confusion. “All right,” he agreed and stepped back.

Darien placed both hands on the shield and closed his eyes.

Vicky could see the air in front of him crackle as Darien pulled on the magic around him to tear a hole in the shield. The air popped, and Vicky felt the shield fall as Darien staggered backwards a step.

Rupert and his wolves quickly hopped over the iron fence, but they kept clear of the headstones.

Zak wiggled through and wrapped himself around Vicky’s legs protectively.

Vicky giggled and rubbed the worried little fay.

Rupert pulled off his coat. “Remind me never to go up against you.”

Darien chuckled as he regained his balance.

Wrapping his coat around Vicky’s shoulders, Rupert looked at Darien’s bare chest. “How did you manage to lose your shirt?”

Darien chuckled again. “It’s a long story.” he sighed as Rupert pulled off his outer shirt.

“You’re lucky I dress in layers.” He handed Darien the warm cloth.

Darien gladly took the long sleeve shirt and slipped into it. “Thank you, my friend.”

Rupert turned his eyes to the church. “So, what are we up against?”

“A dozen humans.” Darien’s demeanor turned very serious and cold.

Vicky shivered in spite of the warm jacket Rupert had given her.

“There is at least one gun,” Darien warned, “but he is mine.”

Rupert nodded, and the group headed towards the building, staying along the fenceline. They quietly worked their way up to the church, where the group split into two. Rupert took half to the front door, while Darien took the other half to the back.

“Watch her.” Darien pushed Vicky back so Phalen could keep her safe.

Nodding, Phalen pulled her farther away from the group.

Vicky watched as Darien took a deep breath and burst through the door. Rupert’s group smashed through the door at the front, and Christian’s menagerie was quickly subdued with little fuss. The only one that put up any fight was Derrick. It had taken two wolves to pin him. He had tried to go for his gun, but he found he didn’t have it with him. He had been in the process of trying on Darien’s coat when the wolves had taken them by surprise.

Darien fumed when he saw the insult added to the injury the man had already given.

Vicky was shocked when the upset vampire walked right up and snapped the man’s neck, leaving him limp in the hands of the wolves holding him.

Darien yanked his coat off the dead man’s body and slipped into it like it was nothing. “Take this out and dump it in the cemetery.”