Kindling Flames: Stolen Fire (The Ancient Fire Series Book 4) (12 page)

***

The walk back to the car was nowhere near as enjoyable as the trip to the cemetery had been. The air was still thick with the presence of something Darien had unintentionally attracted. Vicky huddled close to Darien’s side as he picked out the most direct route back to the car. She could feel Zak bouncing against her leg every step of the way. The tingling sensation subsided as they put more distance between themselves and the cemetery, but feeling of eyes on her didn’t ease until Darien loaded her and Zak in the car and pointed it away from the Quarter.

Darien finally drew a cleansing breath as he slipped the car on to I-10 and pointed the black sedan west. “That was close.” He clicked on the cruise control. Reaching out, he scratched his fingers into Zak’s neck. “Thanks.”

The little fay nuzzled him before burying his face into Vicky’s stomach. His fur curled around her fingers where she held him. When Vicky unzipped her “Saints” hoodie and opened it, Zak dropped the dog act and slipped inside, wrapping his appendages around her.

“I guess we dodged a bullet back there with those loa things.” Vicky zipped her hoodie back up with Zak cuddled inside. His warmth and the soft rumbles from his purring were very soothing. “Are we safe now?” The slightly manic laugh Darien let out surprised Vicky.

“Oh, we definitely dodged a bullet back there. Mostly thanks to this one.” Darien patted the lumpy shape under Vicky’s sweatshirt.

Zak pushed back playfully.

“But, are we safe?” Darien gripped the wheel hard and stared down the road for a moment before answering. “No one is truly safe from the loa. They go where they wish, when they wish. There is very little magic that can protect you from the Baron if he wants you as a host. I wasn’t expecting such a small offering to draw that much attention.”

Vicky sat quietly as she processes this information. “A host?” She didn’t like the sound of that. “Like possession?”

“Exactly.” Darien nodded. “But, they call it ‘being ridden’. See, the loa are spirits and can’t manifest physical forms, so they chose a horse—a servant—to ride.”

“Oh, that doesn’t sound pleasant.”

“It all depends on the loa who’s riding.” Darien shrugged a little. “I mean, once you get past the flailing and convulsions, the actual possession doesn’t usually last very long.”

Vicky’s eyes widened in disbelief.
How could he be so calm about being possessed?

“The real trouble comes in from the loa themselves. Some of them can be rather harsh on their horses.”

Vicky could see remembered displeasure cross Darien’s face.

“And then there are others that are rather loud or randy.” The hint of a grin curled Darien’s lip. “A good Vodou ritual can make for a very interesting night.” He glanced over at Vicky for a moment.

She did not like the look in his eyes as he considered the possibilities.

“No.” He turned back to watch the road. “I don’t think so. Too many things already have an interest in you. I would rather the loa not be added to that list.”

Zak gurgled his agreement from inside her shirt.

Turning her attention to the window, Vicky watched the town slip past as she thought. She had no idea why she warranted so much attention. The only thing unusual about her was her connection with Darien. She peeked over at the vampire-turned-human. There was a good possibility that they were only interested in her because of her connection with him.

From what she could gather from her friends among the vampires and wolves, Darien was different from most other vampires. Sure, his age and power made him stand out, but it was something more than that. He was well respected and accepted by every supernatural group. It had taken a while, but she finally understood that this was highly unusual. She had also learned that the peace in Brenton was mostly due to Darien’s presence.

In most places, werewolves and vampires were bitter rivals, always thirsty for one another’s blood. The presence of the fay seemed to be a mystery to everyone. Since the addition of Christian’s people, Vicky had discovered that the fay were much more active around Darien. Even the oldest of Christian’s humans had only heard of the fay in passing. None of them had ever seen one before Darien’s Halloween ball.

Her mind turned to the sensitive spot on her back where she still bore a faint outline of wings. She and Darien had worked hard to remove the delicate appendages the lesser fay had graced her with, but they had only succeeded in getting them to fade into her back. Vicky had asked if they should go ask the Lady Aine for help, but Darien didn’t want to take her back to see the Fairy Queen until they had exhausted all other possibilities. With Darien’s new responsibilities, there had been little time to worry about that problem.

“Darien.” She turned from the window to look at him. “How long do you think you have been losing your powers?”

Darien looked at her, surprised. “I’m not sure.” He focused his attention back to the road. “It couldn’t have been long. I would have noticed.”

Vicky smiled. “I have a strange feeling this all started sometime before Halloween.”

Darien’s head snapped over to meet her eyes again. Concern filled his face.

Vicky pointed at the road with her chin reminding Darien to watch where they were going. “It would explain some of the things that happened then, Mr. Vampires-don’t-get-drunk.”

One corner of Darien’s mouth turned up in amusement at the dig. “That and the episode at work.” He recalled his bout of low blood sugar.

“How about falling asleep at the Council?”

Darien actually laughed at that one. “And here we thought that was your influence.”

“Me!” Vicky gasped. “How did I make you fall asleep?”

“Well,” his grin turned mischievous, “if you weren’t keeping me up all night…”

Vicky huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Darien laughed softly. “Seriously, Clara was sure it was because I was sleeping with you.” The look Vicky shot him held daggers. “That’s not what I meant.” He reached over and pulled her arm over so he could catch her hand. Lacing their fingers together, he raised it up to kiss the back of her hand. “We’ve only spent a few nights apart since the thing with the ifrit.”

Vicky shuddered at the memories of blood and dark demons. She still had nightmares about nearly being killed.

Darien rubbed her knuckles as Zak squeezed her reassuringly.

She pushed the memories away and turned her mind back to the subject at hand. “So, if you were having issues clear back there, that might explain why we haven’t been able to break the fay’s spell,” Vicky pointed out.

Darien nodded his head thoughtfully.

“That might also explain the power fluctuations Jakob mentioned.”

Darien shot her another confused look. “What power fluctuations?” His voice held a note of concern. Even though Darien hadn’t made them, he truly cared about the people he had taken in.

“Well,” Vicky started slowly, not sure how to pass on what she had learned from Jakob, “when I ran into Jakob in the club, we talked about the differences between our marks. I think he was a little jealous that my connection was much stronger than his.”

“I remember him testing it,” Darien said, a little displeased with the memory.

She blushed in embarrassment. It felt odd to talk about this. It seemed so intimate. “He also mentioned that the kiss was worried at first. They didn’t think you were strong enough to support them all.”

Darien let out a snort of disbelief. “That’s absurd. There are only seven of them.” He shook his head in disgust. “It’s insulting that they would even question my strength. At one point, I held nearly two dozen in my keeping. And I wasn’t even five hundred at the time.”

Vicky was surprised by this. It didn’t seem like something the man she knew would do. “You made nearly twenty-four fledglings at one time?” she asked skeptically.

“Of course not.” Darien sounded indignant. “I would never do something so reckless. The more fledgling you have in one place, the more likely someone is to notice.” His voice softened, and he rubbed Vicky’s hand where he still held it. “I saved them when their sire was killed.”

Vicky grinned at him. “Sounds like you do that a lot.” She thought of Elliot and the fact that Darien had saved him that way.

Darien chuckled at her. “I’ve adopted more than my fair share.” The smile slipped from his face. “Most aren’t around anymore.”

“I’m sorry.” Vicky squeezed her reassurance into his hand.

Darien squeezed back, letting her know he appreciated the support. “The world is not a safe place for those who don’t respect it.” He let out a soft sigh. “You would think that as one grew older, one would gain wisdom and respect for life.” Shaking his head, Darien took another deep breath. “It amazes me to see how many vampires get themselves killed by getting cocky and careless.” He rubbed Vicky’s knuckles absentmindedly as he thought about those he had seen pass. After a moment, he shook the memories away. “So, what did Jakob say about his mark?”

“Oh, yes.” Vicky shook herself and returned her mind to the conversation they were having. “Well, umm… He compared the bond he has now to the one he held with Lillian. Apparently, she held them very close to her.”

“Lillian always loved a strong bond with her people.” Darien nodded his head. “I didn’t feel right holding them the way she did.”

“Why not?” Vicky asked, puzzled. Wouldn’t he want to keep them close to make sure they were okay?

Darien gave her a quick glance before answering. He continued to caress her knuckles as they talked. “The stronger the bond is, the deeper the connection,” he explained. “We have a strong bond. Your presence and feelings are always at the edge of my mind.” Darien stretched for his connection with Vicky, but couldn’t reach it. He could just barely feel it there, but it was like grasping at illusions. “Or, we had.”

Vicky could hear the worry in his voice. Reaching for their bond, she felt it secure in her mind. She could feel Darien’s frustration hinted with an edge of rage. Studying his profile, she didn’t understand the anger she felt in him. It didn’t show anywhere on his face. She pushed love and warmth at him.

“I can feel that.” He smiled and squeezed her hand. “The bond is there; I just can’t reach it,” he explained.

Vicky patted their joined hands with her free hand. “We will figure it out.”

Darien nodded his head and went back to the topic they had been discussing. “While I like Lillian’s people, I’m not sure I want that level of intimacy with them,” he continued. “The connection I have with them now will allow me to feel if something’s wrong, but they won’t be slipping into my thoughts constantly like you do.”

“I’m sorry.” Vicky stiffened at his words. Even though it had taken her some time to get used to his presence in her mind, she hadn’t realized how much of a distraction she would be for him.

“Don’t be.” He lifted her hand up to kiss its back again. “I enjoy our closeness.”

Zak gurgled his agreement from within her sweatshirt.

Vicky rubbed the little fay lovingly and relaxed again.

Darien dropped their hands to rest on her leg. “But, you said something about power fluctuations.”

“Oh, right!” Vicky paused as she recalled exactly what Jakob had said. “Apparently, when you first marked the Kiss, there were days when they had trouble keeping their link with you. Jakob also said he knew when you marked me because the power stabilized into something quite amazing.”

Darien sat for a moment quietly processing this information. “I didn’t know,” he said softly. His thumb worried her knuckles as he turned this over in his mind. It wasn’t surprising that the vampires had felt him mark Vicky. He was just a node in the center of a wide web. Every mark he made bound another mind to that web, and each person was connected to the rest through him. Vicky’s addition shouldn’t have made more than a tiny ripple along the strands connected to the rest, even if her mark brought Zak into his power base. It definitely gave him something else to ask about when they reached their destination.

The ride south from I-10 had taken nearly an hour as Darien weaved them deeper into the wetlands of Louisiana. Finally reaching their destination, he shut the car off at the end of a gravel drive and relaxed for a moment.

Vicky looked over the house tucked into the cypress trees. It was mildly surprising there was even a building there, considering they were in the middle of a swamp.

The house itself was nothing much to speak of. It was a very simple design with yellow clapboard siding done up in white trim. Overall, the place looked well cared for. The remarkable thing about the home was the three-foot stilts it sat on. A line of wide steps came down from the ample front porch. Vicky could see the glitter of sunlight reflecting off the water not far from the back of the house. Strands of Spanish moss clung to the trees, giving the area a very mystical feel. This was exactly what she had imagined the bayou to look like.

Darien stepped out of the car and stretched out his fatigue. Since he’d always made this trip at night, it had taken him longer to find in the light of day.

Vicky opened up her door and let Zak hop out. The creak of a screen door drew their attention as a woman stepped out. She was slightly older than Vicky, with warm brown skin. Her dark hair was short with golden highlights woven through it. Vicky’s eyes caught on the woman’s bright pink T-shirt, which read ‘Kiss Me, I’m Creole’. The woman took up a loose defensive stance on the porch at the top of the steps.

Darien laughed wryly as he looked up at her. “I didn’t expect this.” He came around the car as Vicky shut her door. “This should only take a few minutes. Please, wait here.”

Vicky could see the seriousness in Darien’s eyes. She raised an eyebrow at him but leaned her backside against the car and crossed her arms, willing to wait.

Darien nodded his appreciation and turned to face the woman. With squared shoulders, he strode forwards with determination.

“How
dare
you come by day, demon of the night?”

The woman’s words forced Vicky to stand up straight. Her Cajun accent was thick, but she was well spoken. Vicky hadn’t expected such a welcome.

Darien paused for a moment a few feet from the bottom of the steps. “I have come for what is mine.” His voice was strong and sure, but it didn’t carry the power it usually did.

The woman’s eyebrow rose at the lack. “Take it if you can, foul one.” The woman raised her well-manicured hands. Several long strands of beads hung loosely in her right hand. She grabbed up the loose end in her left hand and stretched them out in front of her to the sounds of a word Vicky recognized vaguely as French. The air crackled with the power of the spell the woman invoked.

Darien laughed at her and took a few measured steps forward.

Vicky could feel him fight his way through the spell the woman cast. The stray magic hit Vicky hard, and her head swam. She leaned back against the car, trying to let the power wash over her. A slight pressure on her ankle drew her attention, and Vicky’s head cleared. Looking down, she found that Zak had pressed himself to her leg. His eyes watched the woman challenging Darien, but he did not move to help the vampire-turned-mortal.

Slowly, Darien moved to the bottom of the steps. His eyes never left the woman chanting softly on the porch. She did not move as Darien pressed his way up the stairs. With each step he took, she snapped the beads.

Vicky could feel waves of energy pulsating from the woman as she fought with Darien.

When he reached the landing at the top, the woman stepped back, giving him space. She snapped the bead strands one more time before Darien reached out and pulled them from her hand.

A look of defeat crossed the woman’s face as she hung her head. “I have failed.” She tilted her head to the side, exposing her pulse to him. “Take what is yours.”

To Vicky’s stunned amazement, Darien pulled the woman into his arms and placed the barest of kisses on the side of her neck.

Surprise flashed across the woman’s face as he released her and stepped back with her beads in his hand. “No blood?” she asked as if she expected him to feed from her.

Darien chuckled at her. “Not today.” He looked over the stands of rose quartz beads before giving them back to her.

The woman looked over the beads, confused. “I was sure these were going to work today, L'aimè.” She looked up at him. “They should have done something. I soaked them in holy water right before you got here.”

Darien laughed out loud. “Under normal circumstances, that might have worked.” He leaned in a little closer to her. “But, I know of your little trick now, chère.” A mischievous grin spread across his face before he turned and headed back down the steps. “It’s alright now,” he called to Vicky. The sound of the screen door squeaking drew his attention, and he turned just as a small child flung herself from the porch at him.

“Uncle L'aimè!” the girl squealed as Darien caught her and spun around so her momentum wouldn’t topple them.

“Marie!” the woman on the porch scolded. “How many times have I told you
not
to do that?”

Darien laughed as he repositioned the small child in his arms. She couldn’t have been more than five or six.

Vicky was even more shocked when the little girl completely ignored her mother and tilted her head over, giving Darien access to her throat.

He placed a light kiss over her pulse point. “You must listen to your mother,” Darien reprimanded her lightly.

The little girl nodded seriously. “I promise, Uncle L'aimè.” She looked at him and then up at the sky. “What ‘chu doing in da sun?”

Darien chuckled again. “That’s a long story.” He carried the little girl back up the steps to the shade of the porch.

Vicky’s stunned feet had moved her to the bottom of the steps.

“Delia, I would like you to meet Victoria Westernly, my fiancée.”

This time shocked surprise crossed Delia’s face.

“Victoria, this is Delia Toutant.”

“It’s an honor, My Lady.” The woman dropped a curtsy to Vicky. It looked odd from a woman in a hot pink shirt and jeans.

“Please, it’s Vicky.” Vicky had no idea how to respond to this woman. The warm welcome didn’t fit with Delia’s previous attempts to banish Darien. It made Vicky’s mind reel.

Seeing her confusion, Darien explained, “Delia and her family are in my service.”

Delia grinned widely. “Until one of us can break your control.”

The warmth and humor in the woman’s voice still confused Vicky.

Darien laughed again. “If you want out of our contract, all you have to do is ask.”

The arms the little girl had wrapped around Darien’s neck tightened as she waited for her mother’s response. It was obvious that she like him.

“Of course not.” Delia smiled at her daughter. “Marie would never forgive me if I sent you away, L'aimè.”

The little beads on the end of the child’s many braids clicked as she nodded her head vigorously.

“So how did you know we were coming?” Darien looked down at the crystal strands.

“That’s a question for Marie.”

Darien turned his attention to the little girl in his arms. “Marie?”

She grinned, showing off two rows of very white teeth. “Papa told me.”

“Papa?” Darien looked over at Delia. “Loa?”

Delia nodded.

The little girl pulled something from the pocket of her light jacket and held it out. It took her a moment to work it over Darien’s head. “Papa said ‘chu need dis.”

Darien looked down at the thing. It was a red piece of cloth tied up with a length of yarn. “Thank you.” Recognizing it for the good gris-gris it was, he touched the pouch to feel what was inside. Several small objects clicked together, but the one that surprised him the most was long and hard. He looked up to the little girl’s mother.

She shrugged unknowingly.

“It’s very well made,” Darien complimented her.

The little girl wiggled in his arms, trying to get down. As soon as Darien sat set her on the porch, she went to the top of the steps and looked down at Vicky. She held out another handmade pouch.

Vicky looked from the expectant little girl to Darien and back. Slowly, she climbed up the steps and lowered her head.

“Papa said Uncle heard ‘chu knock’n.” Marie spoke as she put the second gris-gris over Vicky’s head. “He tinks ‘chu need dis.”

Surprise stole across Vicky’s face, and she looked up at Darien again.

“Uncle?” he asked Delia.

“Baron,” she explained.

Vicky looked at the small child and stood up. “Thank you.” She placed her hand over the bag where it rested in the center of her chest. It didn’t tingle with magic, but there was definitely a weight to it that its small size couldn’t account for.

Maria nodded solemnly and turned to her mother. “Can I’s play wif da puppy?”

All eyes turned towards Zak, sitting quietly by the foot of the steps. Delia looked over to Darien for permission.

The vampire looked down at the fay.

Zak tensed in anticipation and gurgled.

“Sure,” Darien answered.

Zak barked his agreement and bounced up the steps to the little girl. He licked at her hands until she giggled, and the two scampered down the steps to the yard.

“You be nice to him,” Delia yelled after her daughter.

Darien snickered. “I doubt she could do him any harm,” he reassured the worried mother. “And she’ll be safe in Zak’s care.”

Delia watched for a moment before the two playmates disappeared around the side of the house. “Well, come on in,” she said as she opened the door for her guests. “Mama’s waiting for you.”

Darien held out his hand for Vicky to come to him.

She fingered the little pouch as she moved to his side, still a little lost. “What just happened?” Vicky asked.

Delia laughed as Darien leaned over to kiss the hair at her temple.

“I’ll explain inside.” He ran his hand down her back and propelled her through the door.

The inside of the house was cozy and clean. It held all the comforts a good, country home should, including afghans on the back of a soft couch and handmade rugs breaking up the wooden floor. An older Creole woman stood just inside the doorway on the other side of the room. The tiny woman was almost lost inside the shapeless housedress she wore. Some type of brightly colored cloth was wrapped tightly around her graying hair. She studied Vicky and Darien as they came into the room.

“Hi, Mama.” Darien went to give the lady a hug.

Glancing over him, she pulled him down to her. “What have you done to yourself, L'aimè?” she asked.

Vicky had to listen hard to hear the English words through the woman’s thick, Cajun accent.

Darien nearly picked her up as he embraced her. “That’s what we’re here to find out, ma chèrie.” He made sure the woman was on her feet properly before he let her go.

“Delia. Bring tea for everyone, tout de suite,” the woman ordered.

Delia raised an eyebrow and looked at Darien.

“Everyone,” Mama confirmed before making her way to a large armchair.

Delia shrugged in resignation and went to get refreshments.