Kindling Flames: Smoke Rising (The Ancient Fire Series Book 3) (8 page)

“What repairs?” Darien asked, confused.

Vicky really started to worry. “The ones to the floor of the warehouse,” she said slowly.

Darien scrunched his brow up in thought. “I thought they were going to do those on Tuesday?”

“They did.” Vicky tried to look into his face. “It’s Wednesday. Are you okay?” She reached up and turned his face to her to look into his eyes.

“Yeah,” he started, “I just feel… weird.”

Vicky punched the button for the fifth floor.

Darien shook his head, trying to get it to clear.

When the door dinged open, Vicky took his hand and pulled him out behind her. She led him to the café and sat him in a chair near the counter.

“Sue.” Vicky turned her attention to the werewolf working in the fifth-floor café. “Darien needs something special.”

Sue looked at the vampire with concern before heading in the back to get some fresh blood from her stock. She came back quickly with a cup and handed it to Vicky.

“Thanks, Sue. Umm… could you also get me a turkey sandwich, please?”

“Sure.” Sue looked at Darien one last time before going to make Vicky’s sandwich.

“Drink,” Vicky ordered as she held the cup out to her boss.

“I’m not hungry,” he protested, pushing the cup away.

“I don’t care.” Vicky grabbed his hand and pressed the cup into it. “Drink it now, or I will open a vein right here and force-feed you.”

Darien locked eyes with her defiantly.

“Sue, I need a knife,” Vicky called.

Growling, he took the cup and started drinking the blood without breaking eye contact with her. Draining the last drops from the paper cup, he smacked it down on the table. “Happy?” he asked, irritated with her.

“Yes,” Vicky said as she went to feel Darien’s head.

He turned away from her hand before it could make contact.

Reaching out, she grabbed his head like an errant child and made sure that his temperature was almost the same as hers as he struggled away from her.

“I’m
fine
,” he hissed at her.

Vicky leaned over really close to his face. “If you’re fine,” she said, speaking softly so that only he could hear, “why are your fangs showing?”

Darien’s eyes widened as he touched the sharp point of his fang with his tongue. He carefully pulled them inside his lip so that they weren’t poking out.

Vicky’s eyes filled with concern. “What’s going on?”

Darien raised his fingers to his mouth and felt his teeth. “I don’t know.” He hadn’t lost control like that in a long time.

Vicky took the empty cup back to Sue so she could dispose of it.

“Will he be okay?” Sue asked as she set Vicky’s sandwich on the counter.

“I don’t know,” Vicky answered as she picked up the food. “I’m hoping the blood will sort him out in just a few minutes.” Both women looked back at Darien playing with his fangs. “He’s acting like my diabetic cousin when her blood sugar bottoms out.” Vicky looked back at Sue. “Do vampires get low blood sugar?”

Sue shook her head. “Not to my knowledge. Maybe you should call Master Clara.”

Vicky nodded. “I will if this doesn’t straighten him out.” She took the sandwich over to the table and sat down. “Feeling any better?” Vicky asked as she picked up half the sandwich and took a bite out of it. It had been a while since she had eaten lunch.

“No.” Darien looked at his hands. There was a slight tremble in both of them. “What’s going on?” he asked softly.

Vicky could hear the hint of fear in his voice. “Just sit for a minute.” She reached out and took one of his hands. “If the blood does not straighten you out in a moment, I will call Clara.”

Darien held on to her, taking comfort from her touch. A strange noise gurgled up between them, and he dropped his free hand down to cover the source of the sound. Darien’s eyes widened with shock. He hadn’t heard his stomach growl in nine hundred years.

Vicky smiled and pushed the other half of her sandwich over to him.

“But I—” Darien started to protest, but Vicky stopped him when she raised her half of the sandwich up.

“Try it.” She released Darien’s hand so he could eat.

He picked up the sandwich and took a bite out of it.

Vicky stood up and went back to the counter where Sue was watching them. “Can I get some orange juice, too?”

Sue nodded and pulled out a container of juice for Darien.

“You think that might be the problem?” Sue watched Darien eat the rest of the sandwich in record time. She pulled two cookies out of the case and stacked them with the juice.

“I hope it’s that simple.” Vicky picked up the offering. “I’ll let you know how it turns out.”

“Please do.” Sue watched as Vicky went back to Darien.

Vicky took another bite of her sandwich before setting it down on the empty plate. She opened the juice and handed it to him. “Drink this.” She placed the juice in Darien’s hand. He took it from her and drank most of it. They sat quietly for a few minutes as Vicky finished her sandwich and Darien ate both of the cookies.

Vicky studied Darien. “Feeling better now?” His eyes were brighter and his fangs were gone.

“Yes.” He still felt a little shaky, but he was definitely feeling better. “What happened?” Darien asked, confused.

“I think you’re suffering from low blood sugar.” Vicky gathered up the plate and trash to return to Sue.

Darien waited until she came back before standing up. “But how can that be?” he asked. “We don’t function that way.” Standing up, he swayed a little.

Vicky took a hold of his arm to steady him. She turned and propelled him towards the elevator. “Is there someone that might know more?”

Darien shot her a pointed look as they got into the elevator.

Vicky leaned him against the wall before pushing the button to take them down.

“I think I would know everything about vampires by now.” He rubbed his stomach.

Vicky sighed as she massaged her temple. “I know.” She looked up at her boss. “But have you ever experienced anything like this before?”

Darien pondered for a moment. “No.”

“Then is there someone else that might be able to explain what happened?” Vicky held her hand out to emphasize her words.

Darien sighed as he thought. “Lord Dakine might have an idea,” he finally answered as the elevator opened on the garage. Standing up from the wall, he walked out under his own power.

“Can we call him when we get home?” Vicky asked as she followed him out to the garage.

“Yes,” he agreed. They headed over to the DB9, and Vicky took the key out of Darien’s hand. He stared at her, shocked for a second.

She opened the passenger door for her boss. “You’re not driving in this condition.”

Darien stood staring at her for a moment before pulling his coat closed and buttoning it. He sat down in the car, disgruntled at being treated in such a fashion.

Vicky closed the door behind him and pulled off her bag so she could get into the driver’s side.

“I feel much better,” Darien huffed as Vicky adjusted the mirrors.

“That may be true, but you didn’t even realize that you were feeling bad in the first place.” She eased the sports car out of the parking place. “I’d rather give you a little more time to recover before letting you behind the wheel.”

Darien pressed his lips together, unable to argue with her logic.

“I promise to give your car back after the meeting with Gracie Ann,” Vicky said as she joined the afternoon traffic.

“We still have time for the meeting?” Darien looked down at his watch.

“Of course.” Vicky smiled as they sped off. “I left time to stop and pick up something before the meeting.” She was glad that she had taken her stomach into consideration before arranging Darien’s schedule. “We took a little longer than I had intended, but we should make it close to time.”

Darien chuckled as he relaxed back into the seat. “Have I told you recently how amazing you are?”

“Not today.” Vicky’s smile widened.

“You are an amazing woman.” He reached over and touched her arm. “Thank you.”

Vicky blushed at his words. “You’re welcome.” Smiling, she took a deep breath so she could concentrate on keeping the nimble little car under the speed limit.

“That woman has some fantastic ideas!” Darien said as they left Cacophony.

Vicky nodded her head in agreement. The meeting with Gracie Ann had gone swimmingly. Not only were her monthly numbers excellent, the renovations she wanted to do would maximize her showroom floor by getting rid of the wall dividing off her storage space. Darien pointed out the lack of storage, but Gracie Ann just smiled and told him ‘If it’s in storage, I can’t sell it’. When he asked about workspace for the repairs she offered, Gracie Ann had an answer for that, too. She took the damaged items home to the comprehensive repair shop already set up in her finished basement.

“Are you ready to drive now?” Vicky asked as they approached Darien’s Aston Martin.

Darien evaluated how he felt. “Yes,” he answered when he could find nothing wrong. “I have no idea what happened, but I’m better now.”

Vicky looked at him for a long second before pulling out the control unit to his car and handing it over. “Just let me know if you feel funny again,” she instructed as Darien opened the car door for her.

“All right,” he agreed. Now that he was thinking straight, he could see that he had a real problem, but he couldn’t think of anything that could have caused it. Vampires would get weak if they didn’t consume enough blood. There had been lots of times when he went too long without, but it never made him confused and cranky before. Darien made his way around the car and opened his door. He sat down in the seat and found that he didn’t fit.

Vicky giggled as he fished around for the controls to move the seat back. “Sorry.” She smiled as Darien readjusted his seat and mirrors.

“See if I let you drive my car again,” he teased as he fixed his seatbelt so that it rode correctly on his shoulder.

Vicky pouted playfully as she fastened her seatbelt.

“Let’s go see how they did on the warehouse.”

Vicky agreed, and they pulled out into traffic. “So, have you made all the arrangements for the party?” she asked, pulling out her notebook.

“Mostly,” Darien answered. “Lord Dakine has talked with the lesser fay, and they’re excited about the prospect of playing with mortals.”

Vicky shuddered as she remembered her first encounter with the small, winged creatures. Her appearance had still not returned to normal. At least her hair had finally stopped growing at such a rapid speed. “Isn’t that going to be dangerous?” Vicky asked, worried about all the people the fay could enchant.

“No.” Darien shook his head. “Lord Dakine is seeing to it that the little ones are restrained. We will let them help with costumes so they can have their fun, but the magic will only last within the confines of the warehouse,” he explained. “It will also keep the little ones busy on Samhain.”

“Sowwin?” Vicky had heard the term before, but she wasn’t sure what it meant.

“Halloween,” Darien explained. “Samhain marks the end of the harvest festivals and the beginning of winter. It’s also the one day of the year where the veil between worlds is the thinnest.”

Vicky listened intently as Darien went on about the old holiday. “What do you mean by ‘the veil between worlds’?” she asked.

“Do you remember what it felt like when we went into the fairy realm?” Darien glanced over at her.

She nodded as she recalled the sensation. “Like stepping through thick cobwebs.”

“That was the veil between our world and Fairy,” Darien explained. “You usually need magic to break through the barrier, but on Samhain, it thins out enough that things can pass through easily. Several of the lesser fay got out last year and caused trouble.”

Vicky tensed at Darien’s statement. “Isn’t that bad?” She thought about how the lesser fay had tried to take her away.

“It can be.” Darien shrugged. “But it only lasts one night a year, and Lady Aine doesn’t allow the little ones to bring anyone back anymore.”

“Anymore?” Vicky raised an eyebrow at his words.

Darien chuckled. “Not everything in Lady Aine’s court started out as fay.” He glanced over at the surprise on Vicky’s face.

She sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking about this as they made their way over to the warehouse. “So, what else needs to be done?” Vicky asked as they pulled up in front of the building.

“Not much,” Darien said. “Lady Aine loved the idea and is making arrangements for food. Rupert has offered to help with setup. Arachne has volunteered her services for decorations—”

Vicky stared at Darien as he rattled off the people helping out. “Wait!” Vicky interrupted him. “Arachne, as in spiders?”

“Who better to dress a Halloween ball than the Queen of Spiders, herself?” Darien smiled as he got out of the car to go inside.

Vicky quickly scrambled out behind him. “What have I gotten myself into?” She sighed as she followed Darien to the building.

“With the wolves coming,” he peeked back at her with an evil glint in his eye, “a howling good time.”

Vicky groaned at the bad pun. “Just open the door, fang boy.” She pulled the keys out of her bag and handed them to Darien.

He laughed as he shifted through the keys and opened the door.

The inside of the spacious warehouse was empty except for a few rows of shelves on the far end of the room. Darien turned on the hanging lamps, flooding the open space in pools of light and shadow. The only thing that set this industrial space apart from any other warehouse was the thin band of silver laid into the concrete floor. Vicky had found that the band made a perfect circle and could be used to set a ward. This had proven a little troublesome when Darien had last used it; an ifrit had managed to get inside. Zak had torn several huge ruts in the concrete floor, trying to get past the barrier to the creature endangering Vicky. Darien headed over to the far side of the circle to check on the repairs.

“How does it look?” Vicky asked as her heels clicked on the bare floor. The sound echoed eerily around the room, and she huddled closer to Darien. They stopped by the damaged area to examine the repair work.

Pulling up his pant legs so they wouldn’t pinch, he squatted down to look at the new floor. The work crew had dug out a large square section and refilled it with new concrete. “Not too bad.” Darien touched the edge of the patch. It came right up to the silver band. “I had to get someone special in for the repair so they didn’t mess up the circle,” he explained.

“And?” Vicky asked, looking down at the band.

Darien touched the ring and spoke a word of command.

Vicky felt the power crackle around the circle as the air solidified.

“They did a fine job.” Darien stood up. “I’ll have to let Lillian know.” He dusted his hands off and spoke another word to release the ward.

Vicky shivered as magic brushed past her skin. “You and your vampire powers.”

“This has nothing to do with being a vampire,” Darien explained. “Anyone can do this.”

Vicky cocked her head in confusion.

He smiled and went on. “Being a vampire does give me some benefits—”

Vicky snorted a little laugh, and Darien continued.

“—but this is basic magic.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, still not understanding. Weren’t his vampire powers the same as magic?

“How do I explain it?” Darien pondered as he stuck his hand in his pants pocket. “Okay, do you know how basic physics works?”

Vicky thought back to her high school physics class. “You mean like the ‘equal and opposite reaction’ thing’?”

“Close.” Darien nodded. “I was thinking, things at rest stay at rest—”

“—unless acted upon by an outside force,” Vicky finished his thought.

“Exactly.” He smiled. “Now, think of magic as potential energy waiting to be used. We can talk about where it comes from later. That will take a week on its own.” Darien sighed as he returned to his lesson. “Right now, it’s just important to know that it’s there in the lowest possible energy state.” He held his hands out in front of him as if he were holding something loosely between them. “This energy will just sit there and accumulate until something acts upon it to release its potential.” Darien separated his hands showing how the pool of energy would expand. “It only takes the slightest nudge to set the power loose.” He shook his hands forwards slightly.

“But, how would you stop the energy once it’s started?” Vicky asked as she watched at Darien’s demonstration.

“This is where magic differs from physics.” He smiled at her. “If it’s not being pulled on, it goes back to its resting state.” Darien dropped his hands back to his side.

“Oh, so the harder you nudge on it, the more power you get.” Vicky said, putting it together.

“Exactly,” Darien answered, proud she understood the first lesson of magic so quickly. “So, to use magic, all you have to do is find it, nudge it into the direction you want it to go, and give it form.”

“Find it?” Vicky asked.

“That’s the hard part,” Darien explained. “Magic is in everything, but most people aren’t sensitive enough to detect it, let alone use it. But, there is an answer to that, too. Magic tends to pool together in areas called ley lines. They are easier to detect if you know what you’re looking for.” Darien looked around at the building they were in. “I chose this warehouse because it sits right on top of a node—a place where two ley lines cross.” He turned his attention back to Vicky. “If you try, you should be able to feel it.” Darien closed the distance between them and pulled Vicky around so he was behind her. He draped himself over Vicky so she was pressed into the curve of his body.

Her heart quickened at the sudden close contact. “How?” Vicky asked.

“Just relax and close your eyes.” Darien spoke softly. His voice vibrated through her.

Vicky closed her eyes and relaxed into him.

“Can you feel me?” he asked softly.

“Yes,” Vicky answered; there was no way she would not be able to feel him pressed into her back.

He loosened the hold on his power slightly. “Can you feel my energy?”

Vicky thought about this for a moment and could feel the warm tingle she had come to associate with Darien. “Yes,” she answered.

“Good. Now take that and stretch it out,” Darien explained as he held her. “Look down with it.”

Vicky’s brow furrowed with the effort, but she was able to pull the part of her that felt Darien’s energy out and point it down. She gasped as her senses picked up something. The sensation was cool and wet, but heady.

“That’s it,” he whispered as he held onto her.

The wetness pulled on her, and she gasped again. It felt as if she was going to drown in the pool. Her legs gave out, and Darien held her tighter against him.

“I’ve got you,” he said softly.

The warm feeling of Darien’s energy wrapped around her and pulled her out of the pool until her senses were just barely touching it.

“That is one of the dangers of magic,” Darien explained softly. “If you’re not careful, it can pull you in. Getting back out on your own can be troublesome if you go too deep. You just need to touch the surface.”

Vicky nodded her understanding. Just touching the node made her head swim as if she had drunk an entire fifth of Jack. They stood there for a few minutes as Vicky adjusted to the sensation of touching raw magic. “And what do you do with it when you’ve found it?” she asked, now that she was feeling a little more stable.

“Anything you want.” Darien smiled. “Just remember that the magic will come up through you as you use it. If you draw too much too fast, it will hurt. With time and practice, you will be able to draw up more power, but ultimately, everyone has a limit on how much they can pull at one time. Anything more than that, and you risk the power killing you.”

Vicky nodded again, and Darien went on.

“Most people use words to give the magic shape. I use words out of old habit. It was the way I was trained, but it’s not necessary. As long as you can vividly picture what you want in your mind, you can bend the magic to your will. The other important thing you must remember is that magic often needs something to work on. You can’t make something out of nothing. You need components to do more than simple stuff.”

Vicky nodded once more as she took in Darien’s words.

“Let’s just worry about the simple stuff for now.”