Kindling Flames—Gathering Tinder

  Natalie blushed and thanked him.

  “When you’re done grandstanding,” Clara sniggered from the other side of the table, “why don’t you show Miss Westernly around?”

  “That’s an excellent idea, Clara,” Darien answered. He popped another piece of the roll in his mouth.

  Clara quickly broke the tension that had settled on the room by prodding Liz into a description of the gardens.

  ***

  “Wow, these are really beautiful roses,” Vicky commented, sniffing at the large blooms surrounding the gazebo. She had gladly gone with her boss on a tour of the mansion after their meal.

  Darien stood in the shade of the trellised outbuilding and smiled over the magnificent garden that Liz had showered with love. Being a vampire’s home, Liz had picked a healthy mix of plants that would bloom during the day and at night. Darien had seen the wonders of Liz’s garden under the full moon, but this was the first time he had the pleasure of walking in it during the day. He had always tried to avoid doing things that would make Clara’s people wary of him, but the events of the last day had pretty much blown those plans out of the water.

  Vicky glanced up at Darien gazing over the lush foliage of the English-style garden, and pondered what she had learned. She watched him stick his hand out on the railing, where the sunlight sparkled, and pull it back into the shade. He did this several times as he admired the handiwork around him.

  “Are you really a vampire?” Vicky asked as she watched him.

  Darien looked over at the odd question.

  “It’s just… you’re nothing like I ever dreamed a vampire would be.” She shrugged.

  An odd grin turned up the corner of his mouth as he played with the sunbeam.

  “I assure you that I am a vampire and have been everything your imagination can come up with, and more.” He looked out over the garden again as he remembered evil things from his past.

  Vicky blanched as her mind came up with some very nasty things she had seen in some movies.

  “I’ve done some very dark things in the time I’ve lived.” Darien looked back at his assistant. “But most of it’s in the distant past. Still, you should always be wary when dealing with vampires, no matter who they are.”

  Swallowing hard, she thought about his words. She looked away from his serious expression and down to the hand flitting between sunlight and shade. “Does it hurt?”

  “What?” Darien was confused by the question.

  “The sunlight.” She pointed to the beam Darien was playing with. “I thought sunlight was supposed to hurt vampires.”

  He looked down at his hand and smiled. “Yes, the light used to burn when I was younger.” Darien rubbed his hand where the sun had been touching. “Now, it’s like the angry bite of electricity. More uncomfortable than painful.” He looked back at Vicky. “I’ll still burn under strong light. That’s why I don’t go out during the middle of the day if I can help it.”

  “So… no sunbathing,” Vicky teased.

  The corner of Darien’s mouth turned up in amusement. “No.”

  “If vampires are real, what other… um…” She stopped before she could use the word that had popped into her mind.

  “Monsters?” Darien offered, as if he was reading her thoughts.

  Vicky’s eyes widened at the word. “I wasn’t going to use that word.”

  “Maybe not, but it fits. We’ve all done some monstrous things.” Darien looked back over the garden. “A lot of the myths of the world are based in truth. Stories of vampires, werewolves, fay, witches, and even demons are all real. Sometimes the facts get twisted up in the retelling of the tales, but you should still heed a warning from all of them. What one would call supernatural beings walk among humans every day. We hide what we are to avoid persecution, but I can guarantee that you know many such creatures, without being aware there is anything special about them. Those that can’t hide have withdrawn into places where human society cannot endanger them.”

  Darien let out a sigh before he went on. “The sad part is the most monstrous things done in all of history were done by normal humans. The creatures of the night try to keep a low profile so they can go on living their lives without worry.”

  “You haven’t kept much of a low profile,” Vicky pointed out. “You’re one of the highest-profile people I can think of!”

  Darien smiled at her. “True, but how many people know I’m a vampire?” He raised an eyebrow, and she nodded her concession. “Anyway, even if someone named me for what I am, how many people would believe them?”

  “You have a point,” she admitted and looked out over the garden again. Vicky could hear the roar of the Torino’s engine starting in front of the house.

  “Sounds like Roger’s done.” Darien approached the steps that would take him out of the gazebo. “Maybe we should go check it out.”

  Vicky nodded. “Then we can find where my clothing and shoes went to,” she said and padded after her boss, barefoot.

  Darien chuckled his agreement.

  ***

  A smile curled the edges of Darien’s lips as he looked over at his assistant. Vicky was slouched over in the seat so her head rested against the window of the car. He shook his head as he studied the long line of unguarded skin down the side of her neck. He had warned her to be cautious around all vampires, yet, here she was, sound asleep and utterly defenseless in his company.

  Darien placed the tip of his finger on the soft spot behind her ear and pulled it down so that his nail scraped softly across the pulse point in her neck. Vicky moaned lightly in her sleep and rolled her head back, so the skin stretched a little more. He rubbed his finger back and forth on the bit of clavicle exposed by the cut of her shirt as the hunger stirred in him. The tips of his fangs pressed into his lip, and he could still taste the sweet tang of her blood from when he had licked it from her wound last night.

  Pulling his hand away, he gripped the steering wheel tightly and looked out at the street in front of Vicky’s apartment. With a long-practiced ease, he pushed the hunger away and recomposed himself. No matter how easy or tempting she made it, taking Vicky’s blood was the one thing Darien would not do. She had proven herself very capable in her job, and drinking from her would only complicate things more than they already were.

  “It’s time to wake up,” Darien said as he reached back over and touched her shoulder. He shook her just a little.

  Vicky yawned as sleep released her. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and yawned again before looking over at her boss.

  “Have a nice nap?” Darien asked with a smile.

  She nodded and rubbed the side of her neck where his nail had left a slight red mark on her skin. “Sorry.” Vicky apologized for passing out as she stretched the stiffness from her limbs.

  “It’s all right,” he reassured her. “You’ve had a very busy day. I suspect you’ll be tired for the next day or two.”

  Amusement slid across Vicky’s face, and she shook her head as she remembered highlights from her day.

  “Go get some rest.”

  “That sounds like a great idea.” She gathered up the plastic bag containing her work clothing. Someone at the mansion had cleaned and folded them up for her. Slipping back into her heels, she pulled the messenger bag over her shoulder before opening the door to get out. “Have a nice night, and I’ll see you on Monday, Mr. Ritter,” she said as she stepped out of the car.

  “Good night, Miss Westernly,” Darien replied as she shut the door and headed into her apartment building. He waited for a moment to make sure that she was safely inside before he left.

  He was surprised at how strong a person Vicky was. She seemed to handle being tossed into the middle of his world pretty well. Either that or she was in an amazing state of denial. Darien decided it would be a wise idea to teach her more about what was out there. As she became more aware of the supernatural things of the world, they would start to take a greater interest in her. They cou
ld really cause her problems if she wasn’t properly prepared for them.

  ***

  Dropping her bags on the couch as she passed, Vicky kicked her shoes off. She was glad to be back in the relative safety of her home. This entire weekend had left her with a lot to think about. After checking the time, she decided it wasn’t too late for a nice, relaxing bath. It would give her a chance to reflect.

  Vicky stopped up the drain and added some rose-scented bubble bath to the gurgling water. The soft scent reminded her of the roses outside the gazebo in Liz’s garden and the conversation she’d had with Darien about other ‘monsters’. He’d assured her she knew others pretending to be human.

  Sitting on the edge of the tub, Vicky trailed her fingers through the growing bubbles as she thought of all the people she knew. Could any of them be something other than human? The only person she could think of was the biker-like man who had stopped into Darien’s office just over a week ago. Vicky shook that thought away and stripped off her borrowed clothing, so she could slip into the fragrant water of her bath.

  Vicky turned her mind to the people she had met at the Vampire Council. The only person there who didn’t seem bothered by Darien’s strangeness was Roger. She had watched the way the other members of the menagerie, and a few of the Council members, skittered around her boss when he walked into the room. But Roger wasn’t intimidated at all. He had happily engaged Darien in a lengthy conversation about the vampire’s car collection while making playful passes at Vicky. This had earned him several scalding looks from Jenny.

  “Don’t mind him, sweetie,” Jenny said, as she patted Vicky on the arm. “He’s incorrigible.”

  Vicky had laughed at this. She could feel the tension in the group lessen as the two men talked on about cars. It was just the balm needed to soothe everyone’s frayed nerves. It was only when Vicky turned to find Daniel clamped to Josie’s wrist that her fears had been renewed. She’d quickly excused herself to go to the kitchen. She needed some water to relieve the dryness that had suddenly come to her mouth. Daniel had finished by the time Vicky came back, but it wasn’t long until Darien announced that it was time to leave. Clara had offered them her hospitality until tomorrow, but Darien had refused because he needed to get back for some unfinished business.

  Vicky suspected that Darien could feel her unease with the vampires. They all seemed to be very nice people, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to hang out with them yet. She was still a little unnerved by the sight of fangs poking out of a few of their mouths. Vicky sighed and turned off the tap, so she could relax back into the hot water.

  Closing her eyes, she thought about her boss. She had definitely seen fangs when he had rushed to her aid, but that had been the only moment. The rest of the time, his teeth had been quite normal. She had spent a better part of the evening pondering how he hid them. Darien would probably tell her if she inquired, but it felt rude to ask. And frankly, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

  She thought about confiding in her best friend about her issues, but she was sure that was a bad idea. First, Darien wouldn’t want his secret getting out, and second, Vanessa would think Vicky had gone crazy.

  Vicky wasn’t sure she was still wholly sane as it was. How could vampires be real? Were there really legions of undead out there, mingling with normal people, just waiting to suck out their blood? If they were undead, what animated them? How did one become a vampire? These and many more questions bounced around inside Vicky’s skull.

  Sighing, she shook her head to clear the unanswered questions from her mind. If she hadn’t fallen asleep in the car, maybe Darien could have answered some of them. As it was, the drone and gentle vibration of the car had combined with her fatigue to lull her into a restful slumber. A yawn slipped from Vicky as she relaxed in the water. She could feel the tired ache slipping from her as she rested in the hot bath. Leaning her head back onto the edge of the tub, she let her mind drift away to think of things on its own accord.

  ***

  “You should always be wary when dealing with vampires, no matter who they are,” Darien whispered as he moved towards Vicky.

  She stood just in front of the master vampire. A light burned deep in his green eyes, and she could clearly see the tips of his fangs between his parted lips. Vicky wanted to heed his warning and run, but she couldn’t move.

  As he wrapped his arms around her, Darien reached up and pushed her hair back, exposing her neck. Using one long finger, he tipped her head over ever so slightly, before drawing his nail down across her pulse point. He ended by rubbing the ridge of her collarbone, revealed by the low cut of her sundress. Holding her tighter, Darien leaned his face down to her throat. Panic bloomed in Vicky as she felt him place a light kiss on the side of her neck.

  “This is going to be fantastic, baby.”

  Adrenaline shot through Vicky’s veins as the man holding her changed from her trusted boss into Michael. She screamed as he sank his fangs into her again.

  ***

  Vicky splashed a large amount of the tepid water out of the bath as she thrashed free of her nightmare. She sat up and looked around her bathroom for the man who wasn’t there. Wrapping her hand over her neck, where the dream vampire had sank his fangs, Vicky squeezed herself with the other arm. After a moment of deep breathing, she relaxed and pulled the plug to let the cooled water out.

  She got out and wrapped herself in a towel. After pausing in the doorway to make sure no one was in her apartment, she sprinted into the kitchen. A quick search of the cabinets revealed a partial bottle of Jack tucked away from Vanessa’s last visit.

  Opening the bottle, Vicky sat down on the floor to take a long pull. The whisky burned down her throat as she curled forward to hug her legs to her chest with her free hand. She took another mouthful of the liquor before setting the bottle on the floor. Rubbing her temple with her hand, she tried to push the memories out of her mind.

  The nightmare had brought back last night’s escapades in living color, and she considered calling Darien for comfort but pushed the thought away. She was a grown woman and should be able to handle a simple bad dream on her own. Vicky took another slug of the alcohol before twisting the cap back on the bottle. She was starting to feel the warming effects it was having on her body. Standing up, she hid the bottle away in the cabinet before heading to her bedroom.

  She dropped the wet towel to the floor and wrapped herself in her favorite nightgown before burrowing into her comforter. It felt safe swaddled in her blankets. One eye and her nose poked out from under her covers as Vicky studied the pattern on the kimono and tried to push the nightmare away. When her heart rate had finally slowed, Vicky let out a deep sigh and relaxed, letting sleep take her away.

  “Will there be anything else, Mr. Ritter?” Vicky asked as she stood before Darien’s desk.

  Darien looked up from the file she had just handed him and studied his PA. She was smartly dressed, as usual, but he could see the tiredness around the edges of her eyes. He dropped the file to the desk and folded his hands on top of it. “How are you doing?”

  Vicky was slightly surprised by the concern in her boss’s voice. She looked into those deep, green eyes and considered talking to him. Twice in the night, she had woken up from nightmares about being bitten. Deciding that it was her problem to deal with, she smiled at her boss.

  “I’m fine,” she tried to lie.

  Darien scowled at the untruth.

  Vicky quickly amended her statement. “I just didn’t sleep very well.”

  His expression lightened slightly. Darien could tell she wasn’t telling him everything, but he knew what was bothering her and saw no point in pressing the information from her. “All right,” he conceded, and watched as Vicky let out the breath she’d been holding. “But let me know if there is anything I can do for you, Victoria.”

  Touched by the concern in his voice, she answered, “I will.”

  “Good,” Darien approved. “T
here is one other thing you could do for me.” He paused, waiting for Vicky to pull herself back to the right frame of mind before continuing. “I want to go over this before my next meeting.” Darien patted the file under his hands. “Could you please make a run to the café for me?”

  “No problem.” She nodded. “Your usual?”

  “No, ask Sue for something special.”

  Vicky cocked a curious eyebrow at her boss but didn’t ask. Hopefully, the young barista would understand Darien’s request. “I’ll be right back.”

  Darien picked up the file and poured himself back into it as soon as she left.

  ***

  “Good morning, Miss Westernly.” Sue smiled as Vicky walked up to the counter. “The usual?”

  “For me, yes, but Mr. Ritter asked for ‘something special’.”

  Sue paused at the odd request. Concern flashed through her, but she tried to hide it from Vicky. “Coming right up!” Sue chirped cheerfully.

  Vicky gave her a weak smile before turning her attention to the room behind her. The café sat just off the main hallway, so people were always passing by. She watched each person, wondering if they were human or something else.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Vicky was startled back to reality as Sue set the drinks on the counter behind her. “I’ve had a really weird weekend,” Vicky answered. Her hand rose to cover the healed vampire bite unconsciously.

  Sue’s eyes followed the telltale motion. “Did he bite you?” she asked softly.

  Vicky’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “What?” she asked, shocked.

  “Master Darien. Did he bite you?”

  “No, it was someone else…” she began. “Wait! You know Mr. Ritter is a…” Vicky stopped, not wanting to say the word out loud.

  “…A vampire?” Sue finished for her. “Yes, I know.”

  Feeling her knees weaken, Vicky looked around for a chair to sit in before she fell over. She backed up and took a seat at the table next to her as the shock stole the rest of the strength from her legs.