Kindling Flames: Flying Sparks (The Ancient Fire Series Book 2) (28 page)

Vicky fidgeted a little as he held on to her.

The rest of the group playing Twister found somewhere else for their eyes to be while Darien recovered from his shock. He held her for a minute longer as Zak tugged on the leg of his pajama pants. Pulling back, Darien studied Vicky for a second before placing a kiss on the side of the shocked woman’s head. He stood up, shook Zak from his leg, and disappeared back into the foyer without saying another word. The room sat in silence as they recovered.

“Okay,” Vicky said very slowly, unsure if she should follow him or not. Zak came over and pounced upon her, breaking the tension that had fallen over the room. She pushed the little fay off, laughing, and got up so they could go back to their game.

***

Darien turned on the water in his shower and waited for it to warm up as he stripped off his clothing. He still wasn’t fully recovered from his fright when he climbed into the water. Where the hell they had found a Twister board? He didn’t think he owned one, or at least he couldn’t remember buying one. Was that game even in production still?

Darien let his mind relax as he washed. He kept telling himself that Vicky was safe and the ifrit wouldn’t try anything when she was surrounded by so many people, but he didn’t know for sure. How strong was this creature? Would they be able to take it out? Who had sent it after Vicky? Were there other things that the unnamed mastermind could send after her? Darien shook the questions away as he turned off the water. He needed to get out of the house for a little bit. Maybe Brian hadn’t left yet, and he and Vicky could join in on the trip to the mall. Being around normal people for a while might take his mind off his problems.

***

“Vicky?” Vanessa yelled from across the mall, making the group turn to see who called. She hadn’t been sure if the blonde really was her friend, but she recognized Darien and figured Vicky would be close.

“Hey, Vanessa.” Vicky waved back and went to greet her best friend. “What are you doing here?”

“Seeing how many dumb questions I can answer,” Vanessa snarked at her friend.

Vicky giggled.

“Seriously, they had a sale at that place with those really cute skirts.” Vanessa held up a bag. “You should really check it out.” She looked up at the group Vicky had just stepped away from. They had stopped and were waiting for her return. “Who are your friends?” Vanessa looked at the way they stood slightly circled around Darien. “Minions of your vampire lord?” she sassed again.

Vicky smiled and held back the laugh trying to get out.

Darien hid his smile so the woman couldn’t see it.

“Something like that,” Vicky sassed back at her friend. “And if you’re not good, I’ll give you to them for lunch.” Vanessa faked a look of terror as Vicky giggled again. “Oh, we also need to seriously talk about your taste in sleepwear.” Vicky glared at her as they talked.

“What?” Vanessa acted insulted. “I was only trying to liven up your nights.”

Darien’s smiled widened a little more.

“I don’t need my nights to be any livelier,” Vicky growled at her friend.

“Oh
really
!” Vanessa’s smile widened at the insinuation.

“Cut it out.” Vicky rolled her eyes. “Be good, and I’ll introduce you to my friends.”

“I’m always good.” Vanessa play-pouted as she followed Vicky back to the group. “Oh, and I love what you have done with your hair. Those extensions look so real.”

Vicky blushed and thanked her before they got to the group. She introduced Brian, Roger, Jenny, Josie, and Phelan to Vanessa.

Laughing, the group walked through the mall, looking for clothing for Clara’s minions. Everyone was very careful not to mention anything that would give them away as Vanessa flirted with the guys and Vicky occasionally elbowed her into behaving.

Darien watched Vicky with warm eyes as the girls pointed in the window at a hideous dress on a mannequin and made fun of the fashion industry. He laughed with the rest of the group as Vanessa attempted to persuade Vicky into pretending to be a fashion model. She finally gave in, placing one hand on her hip and the other on her hair, and walked a few steps, swaying her hips provocatively. Soon, all four of the girls were sashaying their way through the mall, having fun. The guys followed behind them, smiling and carrying the shopping bags. Darien still didn’t trust Vanessa with Vicky’s safety, but he was starting to see why Vicky liked hanging out with her.

***

“I’ll call you later in the week.” Vanessa hugged Vicky. “It was a pleasure to meet you all.” She waved goodbye as they parted to head to the cars.

“That was fun.” Jenny smiled. “You have a very interesting friend.”

Laughing, Vicky looked at the group around her. “I have a lot of very interesting friends.” She was glad Darien had suggested they come out for the afternoon; it was just the break she had needed. Zak had been grumpy when Darien told him he couldn’t come. Vicky had solved the problem by telling him she needed someone to look after the people in the house and he was the only one she trusted to do it. Zak seemed content with this and proceeded to wiggle around the floor happily.

The ride back to Darien’s penthouse was short and uneventful, and whatever magic Dakine had used on Ethan was still working. He greeted Darien and Vicky, but didn’t seem to notice the other five people following them in. It wasn’t until the elevator arrived at Darien’s foyer that things got interesting.

No one was around, and the snarls of some crazed animal could be heard upstairs. Vicky and Darien both took off to see what had happened. There was only one animal in the house that could be making that noise. They both pushed through the crowd of people at the top of the steps and found the source of the sound.

Zak was nearly three times his normal size and had what looked to be a man wrapped up in his tentacles, dragging him from Darien’s bedroom. The man was limp, and Vicky was sure that Zak had killed him as he snarled and snapped at anyone close.

“Let him go, Zak,” she called, dropping to the creature that was no longer as small or cute as he had been.

Zak barked and immediately obeyed her. Wiggling his tentacles, happy with his actions, he swamped Vicky, knocking her over.

Darien leaned over to check the man he recognized as one of Rupert’s wolves. The man looked slightly mauled, but he was alive and breathing. Darien smacked his cheeks to wake him up.

When the wolf came to, Zak snarled at him, and the man scooted away from the creature until his back hit the wall. Terror filled his eyes, and he curled into as small of a ball as he could.

“What did you do?” Darien asked in a very stern voice.

“Nothing!” the man cried.

Darien cocked an eyebrow at him.

Zak growled again and took what would be a step towards them. The wolf burst into tears and cried. “I was just
curious!
” he wailed. “I went in there to look around. There was something blue on the bed, so I… I picked it up to look at it, and… and…” The man broke down into sobs.

Darien knew what had happened. Zak had come in and proceeded to make it clear the wolf was in the wrong place, doing the wrong things. Darien suppressed his mirth as he looked over the werewolf for any injuries. The man’s clothing was rumpled and sported several small tears from Zak’s sharp teeth, but he was unharmed physically. Mentally was a whole different ballgame. You didn’t survive being mauled by a horror without some lasting effects. He would probably be unable to look at anything with tentacles for a very long time. Darien watched Vicky soothe Zak back into his normal form. He scanned the group standing in the hall.

“Anyone else curious to see what’s in my bedroom?” Darien asked, and Zak snarled a warning. A wave of negative responses came from the crowd. Standing up away from the man sobbing out an apology, Darien shook his head. “Get him out of here.” He stepped back as several people came forwards to pull the man up and carry him down the steps.

Zak gurgled at him, and the wolf cried harder.

Vicky picked up the excited fay to cuddle him as the rest of the people disappeared back downstairs.

Darien knelt down next to the pair and ruffled the ball of tentacles that was back to his original size. “Good job.” He pulled on one of Zak’s feelers gently. “And if you’d come with us, you wouldn’t have had so much fun.”

Zak barked happily and jumped from Vicky’s arms to scamper into Darien’s room.

“Wow,” Vicky said as Darien reached a hand down to help her up from the floor. “Was it really that bad?”

He led the way into his room. “Let’s go find out.”

Several of the dresser drawers were slightly ajar from where the man had been poking about, but nothing was missing. Apparently, Zak had let him have a good look around. It was only when the wolf had picked up Vicky’s nightgown that Zak had moved to action.

Darien looked at the blue material on the floor next to the bed and bent over to pick it up. Tentacles shot out from under the bed to whip it away before his fingers could touch it. “Damn it, Zak,” he cursed, snatching his hand back, startled.

Vicky turned to look at Darien bent over.

“Give that back,” he snarled towards the space under the bed.

She came over to the bedside. “What’s wrong?”

Darien stood up and ran his hand roughly through his hair. “That little horror just took off under the bed with your nightgown,” he explained as he looked down at the floor.

Vicky dropped to her hands and knees, bending so she could see into the gloom under the bed. She could just see Zak’s beady, little eyes staring out at her.

Darien shook his head in frustration and walked away to let Vicky deal with the little fay. He had intended to go get the shopping bags, but he turned to look at the woman on the floor and stopped. Suddenly, he found it impossible to pull himself away from the sight of her trying to coax Zak from under the bed. The curve of her backside as she knelt on her knees and rested her chest on the floor to stretch her arms out under the bed, made his pulse quicken. He turned to lean against the wall as he watched her. She had no idea how sensual she was, the way the loose top slipped up slightly to show the soft skin at her side. He had to fold his arms across his chest to keep from going over there and touching her.

“Give it back,” Vicky called softly to the creature as she held her hand out towards him.

Zak wiggled his tips and proceeded to slip the material into his mouth.

“Don’t do it,” she warned, glaring at the fay. Zak bit down, and Vicky smacked the floor and sat up. “If there is a
single
hole in that dress, I will never speak to you again!” she threatened as she turned away from the bed. Crossing her legs, she sat, stiff-spined, with her arms crossed over her chest.

Zak whimpered under the bed.

“
Never!
” she warned.

Darien tried to stop the smile creeping onto his face as the fay wiggled out from under the bed.

Zak crept over to her, gurgling softly, and she snapped her head away from him with a loud huff. He laid the material in her lap and nuzzled her side softly.

With the way the fay whimpered, Darien was sure there were already holes in the beautiful gown.

Vicky sat in her position for another minute as Zak groveled.

Darien couldn’t help agreeing with Dakine’s earlier statement about Vicky turning him into a lap dog. She definitely had him wrapped around her little finger.

Relaxing, Vicky looked down at the worried fay before pulling him up into her lap to cuddle him. “You have got to stop chewing on people’s clothing.” She petted Zak’s feelers back from his face as she held him. “I’ll get you some chew toys the next time we go out.”

Zak nuzzled into her chest as she petted him.

“Do you think he would like some dog bones?” She looked up to Darien, who was leaning against the wall, watching her.

“Only if the dog was still attached.” Rupert said as he walked in and dropped Vicky’s shopping bags on Darien’s couch. “I would like to apologize for Bobby.” He turned to look at Darien. “He always was too curious for his own good.”

“Is he okay?” Darien asked.

“He’ll be fine.” Rupert waved the concern away. “But I don’t think he will be eating calamari anytime soon.”

Darien snorted out a laugh before he could stop himself.

“Mitzy took him home.” Rupert came over and looked down at the small fay in Vicky’s lap. “You are a little terror, aren’t you?”

Zak purred loudly, taking the comment as a compliment. He jumped up from Vicky’s lap and scampered off to terrorize the rest of the occupants of the house.

“Everyone will make sure to stay in line from now on.” Rupert grinned.

Darien chuckled.

Holding up the dress, Vicky looked at the bites marks in it and sighed.

Darien pushed away from the wall to take the damaged gown away from her. “I’ll have Odette look at it.” He folded it carefully in his hands. “She is very good with things like this.”

“She still has that spider-silk dress,” Vicky noted as she stood up from the floor.

Darien turned away to set the nightgown on the dresser. He wasn’t about to tell her he had hidden that dress away in the closet of his office. The enchantment was still on it, and he didn’t need that magic pulling him towards Vicky. She was doing a good enough job on her own.

“You still planning to go to work tomorrow?” Rupert changed the subject as Vicky started pulling her shopping from the bags.

“Have to.” Darien turned around to address the alpha and leaned against his dresser. “I have a Monday morning board meeting,” he explained.

“At eight,” Vicky added, “then, the meeting with Maurice in supply to talk about that missing shipment at eleven.” She continued to rattle off Darien’s schedule as Rupert shook his head.

“I’ll have Miss Westernly clear my schedule from Tuesday on,” Darien said, and Vicky nodded to let him know she understood. “Since we don’t know how long this hunt will take us.”

“Then you
do
still want a guard for work,” Rupert verified.

Vicky looked up, confused.

“Yes,” Darien said. “I think it would be best.”