Kindling Flames: Flying Sparks (The Ancient Fire Series Book 2) (14 page)

“Mr. Ritter,” Vicky called as she stepped out of her room into the hallway. She got an answering response from his room. Vicky stood in his doorway and debated going in. She decided it would be best to ask her question from there. “Did you do something with my clothing?” Vicky waited for a response from him. He surprised her by stepping into her line of sight to answer. Her mouth went dry at the sight of him standing in just his suit pants. He held a dark green shirt in his hands, ready to put on.

“No,” Darien answered as he shook the shirt out. “Is there something wrong?”

She swallowed as she tried to tear her eyes from the skin of his stomach. How did he keep those muscles so nicely toned? “No.” She shook her head to get it back to the question at hand. “They’ve all been put away.” Vicky was both thankful and disappointed as he pulled the shirt over his head and blocked her view of his bare skin.

“That would’ve been Odette,” Darien explained. “She’s very good at what she does.”

“Odette?” Vicky asked. She didn’t like the fact that someone had been in her room while she was sleeping.

“She’s been my housekeeper for a very long time.” Darien walked down the hallway to where Vicky was standing in the doorway. “Don’t worry. She’s very trustworthy.” He placed his hand on her back and propelled her gently from the doorway. “She’s happy to have someone here other than me to look after.” Directing her down the steps, he talked as they went. “She complains that I don’t make enough of a mess to keep her busy.” Darien laughed lightly as they moved from the foyer into the kitchen.

“Your plate is on the counter.” Darien stopped at the swinging door and let Vicky proceed on her own to the covered dish. “I don’t want you washing the dishes today,” he commanded. “You need to keep that hand dry till it heals properly.”

She could hear the concern in his voice.

“Enjoy.” Darien disappeared back into the foyer.

Vicky turned to look at the food waiting for her. Had Darien made this for her? Had Odette? She felt the edge of the plate and found it was still slightly warm, so she picked it up and took it over to the place already set at the table in the breakfast nook. Going back to get something to drink, she paused with her hand on the refrigerator door. A flash of fear ran through her. What she would find in there? Did Darien keep shelves filled with blood packets?

Vicky gathered up her courage and pulled the door open to find a surprisingly well-stocked refrigerator. There were cheeses and fresh fruits along with pitchers of water and milk. There were a few more wrapped packages that Vicky thought could have been some form of meat. She pulled out the milk and went to find a glass. Adding this to the table, she sat down to a surprisingly good meal.

***

Vicky rinsed the plate off and loaded it into the dishwasher. Darien told her not to wash the dishes, but he never said anything about cleaning up after herself. She dried her hand on her pants before heading into the living room. Now fully awake, she didn’t know what to do. Usually, she would find a good book or watch a movie, but she didn’t have any of her stuff here. Vicky decided to look around and see what was available.

The walls separating the living room from the dining room and family room had been slid back into place, and it made the room very relaxing. Vicky looked over the books on the shelf next to the fireplace and pulled down one that looked interesting. She read over the title as she went to sit on the couch near the lamp. Vicky had always loved the Sherlock Holmes stories on TV, but she had never had the chance to read them.

The light from the lamp reflected off something when Vicky turned it on. How had she missed the silver picture frame sitting on the table? Picking it up, she looked at an old photo of a woman. She was a very pretty girl, just a little younger then Vicky. Dark hair hung down her back, but the color was hard to tell from the black-and-white photo. Vicky wondered who she was and set the frame back down on the table. The girl didn’t look like anyone Vicky knew. She turned her mind from the picture to the book in her hand and burrowed her way into the first of many great adventures.

***

Darien looked at his assistant, sound asleep on the couch. The ends of her hair stuck out around her face, and he pressed his lips into a hard line. The fire had made it necessary to get it cut, and the style looked nice, but he had liked her hair long. Vicky breathed softly as he walked over and took the open book from her hands. Closing it, he set it on the table next to the picture frame. His eyes paused on the face of the woman he had once loved before going to the woman now affecting his heart. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved that they were so different. How could he have made the mistake of thinking they looked the same? Darien pushed the hair back from Vicky’s face so he could look at her. Vicky sighed softly at his touch, and he watched her for a few more minutes before touching her shoulder.

“Wake up.” Darien patted her from sleep.

Vicky’s eyes fluttered open, and she breathed deeper.

“It’s time to go to bed.”

“Mmm…” she moaned as she sat up.

“You’ll catch a cold if I let you sleep here.” He smiled as she yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Sorry.” Vicky shook herself a little, trying to wake up.

“It’s okay.” Darien helped her to her feet. “Just head on up to bed.” Turning her towards the door, he sent her out of the living room before picking up the book and the silver frame. He placed the book back in its spot before adding the picture to the open space at the end of the shelf. Darien shut the lights out before leaving the room. It was starting to get late, and there were still things he needed to do.

***

The alarm clock on Vicky’s phone broke into her dream at five thirty in the morning. Groaning, she pulled herself from the warm bedding to the cooler morning air. She didn’t really want to get up, but she had missed enough work this past week. Washing quickly, she dressed in some of her new clothing.

Now that she was awake, it felt good to get ready for work. Picking up the messenger bag, she headed down to see if she could raid something from Darien’s fridge. She felt a little bad about mooching off her boss and vowed she would start buying her own food as soon as she was able to go out to get it.

The smell of bacon and coffee hit her as soon as she walked down the steps. Following her nose to the kitchen, she found a plate set out in the breakfast nook. Whoever had fixed it couldn’t have been gone for long—there was still steam rising from the pancakes. Vicky looked around for the cook, but didn’t see any signs of life besides the steaming plate.

She approached it tentatively. It couldn’t have been left for Darien, could it? The smell of the bacon called to her, so she sat down. There was already butter and syrup on the table next to the pancakes. The juice and coffee was already poured and waiting. Vicky looked around one more time before picking up the fork and helping herself to the plate. Surely, he wouldn’t be upset if she had just a little. She was most of the way through the meal when Darien came into the kitchen. Startled at having been caught eating the delightful breakfast, she nearly knocked over the chair as she jumped up.

“Sit, sit.” Darien waved to her as he pulled a glass out of the cabinet. “I see you found breakfast.”

Vicky watched him move through the kitchen to the refrigerator. “Yes,” she said, taking another sip of the juice. “Did you make it?”

“That would have been Odette.” Darien said pulling two plastic packets out of the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.

Vicky’s heart skipped as she watched him clip the corner off one and pour the red liquid into a dark blue tumbler. So this was how Darien got his blood. He made it look like some strange breakfast shake. She looked back at her food, not as hungry as she had been a few minutes ago.

“It’s very good.” Vicky picked up the last piece of bacon and nibbled at it. She was determined not to let Darien’s eating habits turn her off her food. If she was going to live with him, even for a little while, she was just going to have to suck it up.

“She’ll be happy to know that you liked it,” Darien said as he leaned against the counter and drank from his glass.

Vicky watched him in fascination. “Is that how you always get blood?” She found the question on her lips before she could stop it.

He just looked at her over his glass. “Beats having to chase someone down for breakfast,” Darien answered, deadpan.

She blanched at his words.

“I’m teasing,” he reassured her. “I get most of my blood donated this way.” Holding up the glass a little, he added, “It makes life easier.” Darien drained the rest of the cup and turned around to run some water into it.

“Do you ever…?” She raised her hand to her throat, unsure of what word she wanted to use. The smile that slipped across his face gave Vicky her answer.

“It’s always nicer to take blood from the source,” Darien explained. “It’s warm and tastes better, but I don’t hunt like I use to.”

Vicky’s blood ran cold at the darkness in his voice.

“Are you ready to go?” He changed the subject.

She wanted to scream no and run away, but she swallowed back the fear trying for her mind and stood to take her plate to the sink.

“Just leave it,” Darien said, and she set it back down. “Odette will take care of it in a little while.”

“She’s here?” Vicky looked around, expecting someone to come out.

“Yes,” he answered, “but she’s very shy.”

Vicky gave him an understanding ‘aha’ as she picked up her bag and left the breakfast dishes on the table.

“Thank you, Odette,” Vicky called and followed Darien out of the kitchen. She had to pool her courage before stepping into the elevator with her boss. The conversation in the kitchen had reminded her that he was a very dangerous man.

“How is your hand this morning?” Darien asked to distract her. He could smell Vicky’s fear. Being trapped in a small space with her so afraid did things to him that Darien didn’t want to think about.

The question served its purpose, and Vicky looked down at her palm. “It’s okay,” she answered as she studied the large Band-Aid she had found in a box under her sink. Apparently, Darien kept a first aid kit in each of the bathrooms. “It’s still hurts,” she informed him.

He made a concerned noise without looking at her. “I’ll check it later,” he finally said. “Please let me know if it gets worse, or if you feel bad. You’re still recovering.”

Vicky agreed, and the pair stepped from the elevator and off to the corporate world.

***

Vicky sat tapping away at the document Darien had given her. She was glad it was Friday and the day was almost finished. The last two days had been a little strange as she adjusted, but she was finding life with Darien to be quite pleasant. Odette made sure she had both breakfast and dinner waiting for her at mealtimes. She also made sure Vicky’s clothes were properly cared for. Vicky hadn’t seen the phantom housekeeper, but her presence was noticed.

The flowers Vicky had received in the hospital had been spread out around the house. The vases from her friends, Sue, and the crew at Clara’s house had found their way into her bedroom, while the rest had been placed throughout the other rooms. She was also starting to grow accustomed to her boss’s constant presence. Vicky seemed to know when he was there. It was like she could feel him, just in the other room, waiting for something.

The office door opened, and Vicky looked up from her computer to see Darien shaking hands with the head of transportation as they ended their meeting. He said goodbye to Vicky as he passed, and she saved her work. That was the last meeting of the day, and Darien had said he wanted to leave a little early today.

Darien disappeared back into his office and was back out in just a few moments. “Are you ready to go?” he asked as Vicky closed up her laptop and picked up her bag.

“Yes,” she said.

Darien led the way out of the office and into the elevator. “We must hurry or we’ll be late,” he told her as the elevator took them to the parking garage.

“But, I thought that was your last meeting today?” Vicky questioned. “Didn’t you have something important going on this weekend?”

Darien sighed. “This may take all weekend.”

What was she supposed to say to that? The last important meeting on the weekend had left her with a vampire bite and changed her world. Darien seemed deep in thought, so Vicky didn’t disturb him as they went to his Aston Martin.

Stopping next to the car, he searched his pockets for a second before letting out another long sigh and holding out his hand for Vicky’s bag.

She handed it over, and he pulled out the key so he could open the door. She still wasn’t sure how he did that.

***

Vicky sat quietly in the car as Darien turned off the highway and into the park. She had always loved coming out to Sharron Woods, but she couldn’t think of anyone out here that Darien might want to meet with. The large, forested green space was just outside the city and served as a nice getaway from the fast-paced life in Brenton. They drove back into the section where the trails were and parked in a very small parking area. If Darien hadn’t pulled into it, Vicky would never have seen it. She looked around at the woods as they got out of the car. What were they doing so deep in the woods?