Kindling Flames: Smoke Rising (The Ancient Fire Series Book 3) Page 7

  Vicky nearly died of shock. “No, Mom. You cannot marry a vampire!” she exclaimed.

  “I can marry anyone I want,” Ann said defensively. “Anyway, Jack is a really nice man, and he’s great in bed.”

  Vicky prickled at this statement. “I don’t care how good he is in bed!” she said, affronted by her mother’s words. “You can’t marry him!”

  Darien patted Vicky on the back.

  She looked at him.

  “Invite them up.”

  Vicky looked at him, confused. Her mind wasn’t working well at the moment. “Hang on, Mom,” Vicky said, interrupting the tirade her mother had started into. “What?” Vicky asked Darien as she pulled the phone away from her ear.

  “Invite them up for a visit,” Darien repeated.

  Vicky’s mind clicked into gear, and she turned back to the phone. “Darien just had a great idea,” she said. “Why don’t you bring Jake—”

  “Jack,” Ann interrupted her daughter.

  “Sorry,” Vicky apologized. “Why don’t you bring Jack up for a visit so we can meet him?”

  Ann thought about this for a moment. “It has been a long time since I visited,” she said softly.

  “And you did say you wanted to meet Darien.” Vicky turned to look at the man sitting next to her.

  “It’ll have to be after the first of the month.”

  “That’s cool,” Vicky answered. “How about the first weekend in November?” She raised an eyebrow at Darien.

  He nodded his agreement.

  “I’ll have to make sure that is okay with Jack,” Ann said. “Does Darien have space for us, or do I need to look into a hotel?”

  Vicky smiled as she thought about the number of vampires that had recently stayed in his home. “We’ve got you covered. Darien has a room I’m sure will work for a vampire.”

  Darien toyed with Vicky’s curls as she talked.

  “I was worried that he wouldn’t have enough space for us.” Ann sighed, relieved. Vicky had told her mother that Darien had put her up after the fire gutted her apartment, but she hadn’t told her that Darien had a five-bedroom penthouse in the posh part of the city. She didn’t want her mother to wig out over it.

  “Darien has plenty of room here,” she reassured her mother.

  “Well then, let me let you go, and I’ll call Jack,” Ann said. “I love you.”

  Vicky hung her head. “I love you too, Mom.” She wasn’t going to rest well until she had met this vampire dating her mother. Vicky listened to her mother close the line before dropping her hand to her lap. Letting out a sigh, she lay back down. Her head and shoulders landed on Darien’s lap, and she wiggled until just her head was comfortably supported by his leg.

  Darien ran is fingers through her curls as Zak reclaimed his position on her stomach.

  “So?” Darien prompted, looking down at her.

  “My mother is dating a vampire,” Vicky said exasperated.

  He chuckled as he rubbed her scalp. “You’re dating a vampire.” Darien smiled, showing off his fangs.

  Vicky shot him a dirty look as she pulled on a few of Zak’s wandering feelers. “That’s different,” she huffed.

  Darien cocked an eyebrow at her. “How so?”

  “She’s my mother!” Vicky protested.

  Darien grinned at her again. “It will be okay,” he said, soothing the upset woman. “I’ll have a talk with him when they come to visit.” Hunching over, he kissed Vicky on the forehead. “We’ll make sure your mother is safe.”

  “What if he doesn’t listen to you?” Vicky asked, still worried about her mother.

  Darien chuckled and leaned back so he was propped on his arms. “He will.” He smiled evilly. “Or I’ll give him to Zak to eat.”

  Zak gurgled happily at this prospect.

  Vicky smiled and rubbed the little fay. “Thanks,” she said softly to the two males.

  “You’re welcome,” Darien said as he looked into her blue eyes. “Now, why don’t you head off to the shower before bed?” he suggested.

  Vicky moved Zak off her and sat up with a heavy sigh. “You’re right.” She turned around to get off the bed. “I probably stink after my workout.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” Darien sat up closer to her. “But you do smell irresistible.” He pulled her over to him and kissed her heavily.

  Vicky squeaked in surprise before returning the passion in his touch.

  Darien pulled back, breathing fast. “I still have things to do.” He released Vicky. “Go get your shower before we are here all night.”

  She giggled as she rolled off the bed. Pulling off Darien’s T-shirt, she tossed it back at the vampire as she left the room.

  Darien caught the shirt before it could hit him in the face. Balling up the warm material, he breathed in the heady scent and turned to look at the fay staring at him from the bed.

  Zak gurgled at him.

  “She started it.” Darien tossed the shirt down over the fay and got up from the bed. Pulling the closet door shut as he passed, he followed Vicky into the bathroom, accepting her unspoken invitation. What he had been doing could wait until later. If he were lucky, Zak would only eat his T-shirt and not another pair of his suit pants.

  ***

  Vicky walked into Darien’s office with her notepad. “It’s time to head out.”

  Darien looked up from his computer. He was still having some issues adjusting to reading reports on the screen, but he had to admit, it was easier than dealing with some of the larger paper files he had been looking through. “Yes.” Darien saved his work and turned off his monitor.

  Vicky stepped back out into her office to pick up her bag so they could go.

  “So, where are we going again?” he asked as he shut his office door.

  “Cacophony.” Vicky led the way out of the room as she answered. “Gracie Ann wanted to meet to talk about the damages caused by the leak in her roof.”

  “I thought Rick fixed that for her,” Darien said as he followed Vicky to the elevators.

  “He did,” she explained. “But there was still a lot of damage done to the ceiling and the floor. Gracie Ann just got the insurance check and wants to talk with you about the possibilities of renovating the building.”

  “So, she wants more money,” Darien grumbled as they stepped into the little box that would take them to the basement garage and his cars.

  “No, the insurance will cover most of the changes, and the store can cover the rest,” Vicky corrected his assumption. “Since you’re part owner, she wanted your opinion about the changes she wants to make.” She looked at Darien, concerned for a moment. This was information she had given him last week when Gracie Ann had called to set up the meeting. “Since you still needed to stop by and pick up her finance report for the month, I figured that you could talk to her before we head over to check on the repairs.”

  “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 c
omprehensive 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.”