Kindling Flames: Smoke Rising (The Ancient Fire Series Book 3) (31 page)

The two wolves grabbed him up and left with the body.

“Don’t linger!” Darien yelled as the wolves disappeared out the door.

“Vicious tonight,” Rupert commented as he watched Darien turn his attention to the rest of Christian’s menagerie.

Darien glared coldly at the alpha but didn’t say a word. Everyone cowered as Darien made his way into the group of people being restrained by wolves. “Those two are mine.” He pointed at the mousy-haired woman who had protested his treatment and the young man that had tied them up. “I want them unharmed.” Turning his eyes to the alpha, he went on with more instructions. “Find out what the others have done, and do with them as you deem fit.” Darien glared at Stanley. “Make them pay for their transgressions.”

Rupert nodded as Darien turned away from the group.

Vicky stared at him in disbelief. She had never seen him act so cruelly before.

Grabbing up the coat of the man he had killed, Darien fished in the pockets before coming up with a set of keys. “Come, Victoria.” He dropped the coat and walked out of the front of the church.

Vicky shifted her weight on her feet for a moment before following Darien out the door. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into him tonight, but she did not like it.

Darien sighed as he stepped out of the front gate and his power returned to him. He set his jaw for what he was about to do and headed to the line of motorcycles on the other side of the road. Looking at the keys in his hand, he quickly found the bike they matched and chuckled as his eyes ran over the ride Derrick had chosen. Of course the man would have the scariest-looking bike among them. The skulls painted on the black Harley fit Darien’s mood as he turned the key and started the machine. “Get on,” he ordered Vicky.

She had stopped at the edge of the parking lot, watching him, with Zak curled protectively around her ankle.

Darien hadn’t bothered to recap his power when he stepped off the holy ground, and it tingled against Vicky’s skin even from this distance. Letting out a resigned breath, she went over and climbed on the back of the bike. She leaned back, and Zak jumped up into the space between her and Darien.

Darien pulled the motorcycle out onto the road without another word. He was glad the wind drowned out any possible conversation. Talking was not something he felt like doing at the moment. What he was going to do had to be done, and words would not change that. He would have loved to have left her with the wolves for this, but she had to be there or his actions were meaningless. Darien’s eyes closed as her hands reached around him. He relished the feeling of her huddled against his back and hoped it wouldn’t be the last time she would want to be that close to him.

The ride to Clara’s home took less time the Darien thought it would. They were a lot farther north than he had first imagined. All the lights were on, and he could already feel the tension in the air as he parked the bike next to the fountain. He waited for Vicky to get off before leading the way up the steps to the building. The front door stood open, and Darien pushed it back to find the entire Vampire Council, plus more than two-dozen fledglings, standing in the main room. Clara and Christian stood in the middle of a loose ring, facing off. Everyone turned to look when Darien’s power washed over the room. He could see Christian’s expression darken as he walked in.

Christian’s eyes flashed to Vicky, who stopped just inside the door, and his face paled.

“Good evening.” Darien strolled into the middle of the room. The coldness in his voice made everyone shiver. He turned a pointed glare at Christian. “I don’t appreciate the invitation I received to tonight’s little soiree.” He motioned for Vicky to join him, and she quickly stepped to his side.

Zak wiggled, glaring at Christian.

“Believe me, we will have words about this as soon as your business with the Council is finished.” Darien wrapped his arm around Vicky’s shoulder and led her to one side of the circle.

“You mean, you’re not going to step in?” Christian stared at him, flabbergasted.

“Oh, heavens no.” Darien waved the suggestion away. “Clara is the head of the Council. If you want to try to take it over, you will have to deal with her.” Turning away from the shocked vampire, Darien took up a place next to Elliot.

Christian closed his mouth and stared back at the woman he had just challenged. He had assumed that Darien had set her up to rule this crew, but maybe he’d been wrong. He shook the feeling away and turned his mind to the fight at hand.

“Good evening, Master Darien.” Clara bowed to him. “We tried to contact you about this matter earlier, but you never answered.”

“My apologies. I’ve been preoccupied for the last few hours.” He slipped his arm from Vicky’s shoulder so she stood alone between him and Elliot.

Vicky shivered and shifted away from him slightly.

Clara turned her attention back to her challenger.

“Clara Mylan!” Christian called again. “I challenge you to a duel for the Council’s head seat.”

“The challenge has been heard and accepted,” Clara answered.

Christian bowed to her. “What weapons would you like to use?”

Clara thought about this for a moment. “Swords.”

Christian cocked an eyebrow and nodded in agreement. Two long, thin rapiers were brought out and given to the waiting vampires.

Clara stretched lightly and flexed her sword as the witnessing vampires backed up to give them room to fight.

Christian bounced on the balls of his feet, swishing his blade around, testing its weight.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Clara asked as she took up a dueling stance.

Christian cocked an eyebrow at her. It was rare that a challenger was given the option to back out of a challenge. “Afraid?” He took Clara’s question as a sign of weakness.

“No.” She shrugged at him. “Just curious to find out how you’ve pissed Master Darien off.” Clara glanced back at the brooding vampire. “I haven’t seen him this mad in nearly three hundred years.” Eyes turned to the quiet man glaring holes into Christian.

Christian swallowed and tried to push that matter from his mind. “Shall we?” He pulled everyone’s attention back to the duel.

Clara bowed to him. “Of course.”

Christian returned the bow, and the two combatants started into one another.

Vicky couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched the two vampires fight. Their speed was almost more than her mind could comprehend. No sooner had one completed an attack, than the other switched and started their pass. The two went back and forth several times without scoring on each other.

Clara’s skirt swirled out as she spun away from Christian’s blade.

Christian laughed as he retreated into a defensive stance. “This is getting us nowhere.”

“You can always withdraw,” Clara offered as she came bounding back with a new series of slashes. “I might even let you live.” She smiled at him tauntingly.

Christian turned her attack and started an advance of his own. “Then everything I’ve done here would be for naught.” A lucky jab through an opening scored a hit on Clara’s shoulder, and she leaped back from her attacker. “First blood is mine,” Christian declared.

Clara pressed her hand to her shoulder and laughed at him. “But its not first blood that matters.” She raised her sword back up. “It’s last.” Advancing on him without warning, she scored a matching hit.

Christian retreated the same way Clara had.

“The match is Clara’s,” Elliot declared and leaned back against the wall, waiting.

Vicky looked at him, confused, then back to the two vampires still squaring off.

Darien nodded in agreement and pulled off his trench coat.

Clara pulled her sword across her hand, wiping the blood she had won from Christian onto her palm. “Do you know why I hold the Council here?”

“Because everyone is too afraid of Darien to challenge you,” Christian responded.

Darien laughed from where he lounged against his bit of wall. “You had better think again,” he called to the startled vampire. “I gave her nothing.”

Christian looked back at Clara.

She dropped her sword to the ground. “He may be my sire, but he never helped me gain the power I hold.”

Christian was shocked to see her standing there, undefended.

Opening her hand, Clara showed him the line of his blood on her palm. “I hold this place because I earned it.”

Christian doubled over in pain.

“What happened?” Vicky asked, confused by what she saw.

Elliot shrugged. “That’s Clara’s special talent.”

Vicky looked up at the blond vampire, still confused.

“She holds power over blood.”

Vicky’s eyes shot back to the fight.

“All she needs is one drop of blood, and she can make any wound you’ve ever had start bleeding again.”

Christian gasped as he tried to stand up. “Very clever,” he said, lunging at her with his sword and driving it into her stomach, “but you aren’t the only one with power.” Grabbing Clara, he poured his power into her.

She froze as all her senses failed, leaving her in complete isolation.

Christian laughed as he pulled his sword out and readied it to stab her again.

Clara breathed another word, and Christian screamed in pain as his blood boiled in his veins.

Vicky cringed as blood bubbled up and out through his eyes and mouth. His skin took on a red sheen as the blood seeped out of his pores.

“Release me, and this can stop,” Clara said softly to her attacker. Her eyes shifted around, unseeing.

“
Never
!” Christian cried and stabbed his sword back into her unfeeling body, trying for her heart. The loss of blood weakened him, and he missed his target.

Clara breathed on her hand again, and Christian fell to the ground, drowning in his own blood.

Vicky clenched her eyes shut and turned away from the dying man. Her stomach rolled, and she clenched her jaw, trying not to throw up. Warm hands drew her in, and she leaned against Darien until the gurgling sounds ended.

Darien rubbed her back as he watched the challenger die.

A scream of rage came from the dying vampire’s fledglings, and Aiden and Sara both threw themselves at Clara while Christian’s power still held her.

Darien squeezed Vicky to him protectively as a flourish of activity exploded around them. Several of the fledglings rushed back as Michael and Daniel caught the two vampires going for Clara. They both sunk fangs into the necks of the younger vampires. Darien held Vicky to him so she wouldn’t see the two Council members tear the throats out of the attackers. Once the fledglings were dead, Michael and Darien both dropped them to the ground like limp dolls and turned to see how Clara was fairing.

Even with Christian dead at her feet, Clara’s senses hadn’t returned. She stood very still with the thin rapier protruding from her body, waiting for something to happen. Daniel stepped forwards and pulled the sword from her chest. The tension in the room rose as everyone waited for Clara to break free.

Vicky pulled back from Darien’s chest and looked over at the mess in the middle of the room. She swallowed hard and stood up so she could see Clara better. Darien let his hands fall away as she moved away from him. “Will she be okay?” Vicky spoke the question that everyone wanted to know.

“If she can pull free of Christian’s power,” Elliot answered.

Clara stood still for a few more minutes, blinking unseeing eyes. Suddenly, she drew in a shuddering breath and groaned in pain. She clutched at the wound in her chest, and Daniel caught her before she could fall to the floor.

“I’ve got you,” he reassured her.

Clara nodded and leaned against him. She closed her eyes and waited for feeling to fully return to her body before standing back up. “Thank you.” She patted Daniel on the shoulder. Rising to her full height, she took in the mess and the group of vampires watching her. “Anyone else have a challenge?” Clara called. A wave of negative responses circled the room.

“I have a challenge.”

Everyone turned stunned eyes to the softly spoken words as Darien pushed himself up and stepped into the center of the room.

Clara straightened her spine more as he approached her.

“Rest easy, Grand Master Clara,” Darien calmed her as he stepped around the limp bodies on the floor. “This challenge is not for you.” His eyes swept over the crowd of gathered vampires.

“You have a traitor in your midst.” His soft words echoed off the walls of the chamber.

A murmur of disbelief ran through the crowd.

Darien weaved his way in and out of the surprised vampires, looking at each one as he spoke. “Over the last few weeks, me and mine have been the subjects of several insults.”

Shock filled the faces in the crowd.

“There was a car wreck that nearly killed My Lady.” His eyes bore into each person as he passed. “A week ago, someone blessed my coffee.” This drew a snicker from someone on the far side of the room, and Darien’s eyes shot to where the sound had come from. He eased his way to that side of the room, looking for the guilty party. “And tonight, what is mine was taken.” Spinning around with the grace of a dancer, he held his hand out towards Vicky.

“As you can see, I have reclaimed her, but this insult cannot be left unchallenged.” He walked over to Christian’s corpse. “I’m sure this one was responsible for all three actions, but he did not act alone.” Darien eased his way back into the vampires. “Someone was helping him,” he breathed, next to Rachael’s ear. Pausing, he held her gaze for a moment before moving on to the next Council member. “Feeding him information,” he said, studying the look on Daniel’s face.

Daniel straightened his spine and looked back at Darien, unmoved.

Darien walked on. He patted Michael on the arm before going to the next member. “Working magic for him.”

Darien stopped behind Lillian. “What I want to know is,
why
?”

Surprise widened Lillian’s eyes as his hands pinned her in place.

“What have I ever done to you, Lillian?”

Lillian’s jaw clenched as she realized her secret had been found out.

“Speak, young one.” He pushed his power into his words, and the compulsion washed over her.

She struggled with it for a moment but bent under his will. “It’s all your fault,” Lillian accused, on the edge of tears. “If you had not pushed Clara into that truce with the wolves, I could have gotten revenge for my sweet Justin!” This time, a tear did stain her cheek as she cried for her lost love. “Damn it, he was
mine
!”

Darien let out a deep sigh. “Oh, Lillian.” He slipped his arms around her chest and drew her against him. “So you felt the need to help Christian take me out?”