Kindling Flames: Flying Sparks (The Ancient Fire Series Book 2) (20 page)

“Come on, you know how Monday mornings are.” Darien pushed the button for the elevator. When the door opened, he stepped in and waited for Vicky to follow.

Zak tried to join them, but Darien leaned over and put his hand down to stop him. “We’re going into the human world,” he explained to the small creature. “Wait here, and Victoria will come back when her day is done.”

Vicky could see intelligence flash in the creature’s eyes as it processed Darien’s words. It stretched out one thin feeler and wrapped it around Vicky’s ankle for a moment before releasing her and rolling away from the door.

Darien stood up and let out an exasperated sigh as the door slid shut.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as she took in his reaction.

Darien rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb before squeezing the bridge of his nose. “He just claimed you,” he explained, letting out another deep breath and pointing down.

Vicky looked down and gasped at the ring of silver flowers wrapped around her ankle. It was just like the anklet that dissolved when she had taken her shower yesterday evening.

“You’ve only known about my world for two weeks, and you already have two supernatural creatures claiming you.” Darien chuckled and shook his head.

“Three,” she corrected, and Darien froze. He could only think of the ifrit and Zak. What other creature had a claim to her? He looked at her with questioning eyes. “If you listen to everything else in the night, you have a claim on me, too,” she sassed as the doors of the elevator opened, and she stepped out without waiting for him.

Darien’s jaw dropped at the snarky comment from his assistant. He recovered his composure and chuckled as he went out to find Vicky waiting for him by the car.

“Only two,” Darien said in a dark, rich voice as he let her in to the car.

Something tugged deep inside Vicky as she sat down in the seat.

“At this time, you’re just my personal assistant, and I’ve only offered you my protection.” She looked up at her boss and could see a light deep within his green eyes. “You will know when I’ve put my mark on you.” Darien shut the door as she gaped at him.

That line, so filled with promise and warning, pulled at something deep inside her. She shifted in her seat, torn between answering that call and bolting from the car. Vicky closed her eyes and worked to get enough saliva to dampen her suddenly dry mouth. She twitched a little when the leather of Darien’s seat creaked as he climbed in.

“So, what do we have to do today?” His voice had returned to normal.

Vicky let out a shuddering breath as she pulled out the appointment book. She flipped it open to Monday and reminded herself not to get snarky with the vampire that could fire her.

***

Zak was waiting in the foyer when Darien and Vicky stepped out of the elevator. He rolled happily over Vicky’s feet, nearly tripping her up as she tried to maneuver herself and her shopping into the penthouse without stepping on him.

“Back up a little,” she said to the overanxious creature.

“Just ignore him,” Darien said as he stepped out and around her. “He’ll make sure he’s not stepped on.”

Vicky looked down at the mass swirling at her feet and placed her foot down. The tentacles moved so her foot touched the floor. She took a few more tentative steps forwards and found that Darien was right.

“Well, aren’t you a smart boy,” she said as she made her way to the steps.

“Smarter than most people give him credit for,” Darien said as he went upstairs to change. Zak made some garbled barking noise and writhed his way up the steps after the vampire.

Vicky headed into her bedroom to take care of the new clothing and shoes. She had been surprised when Darien offered to take her to the mall. She had planned to just take the bus. It had been odd seeing the vampire inside Old Navy as she picked up a few pairs of yoga pants. Her last shopping trip had all been work clothing since she couldn’t find her wallet. Somehow, Darien had no problems pulling the missing item from her bag. After putting away her new shoes, Vicky slipped into the new pants and a T-shirt before heading downstairs to find food.

“You can’t just claim her like that.”

Vicky could hear Darien’s voice as she came down the steps.

“The world’s changed since the last time you were out.”

The fay gurgled in response.

Vicky turned towards the living room. She peeked around the corner to see Darien sitting on the couch holding Zak up to eye level. The small creature waved his tentacles, and Darien chuckled at it.

“I know, I know,” he said. “You can stay, but you have to be good.”

Zak whined a little.

“Don’t give me that,” Darien scolded him lightly, “I’m letting you stay.”

Zak wiggled happily in his hands.

“Just remember, her friends are human and don’t know about our world.”

Zak barked in response.

“And don’t eat any more of her shoes.”

Vicky backed quietly from the room and left through the foyer to the kitchen, where Odette had already set out a plate for her. She sat down and started to eat, pondering the scene she had just witnessed. Was Darien really talking to Zak as if he understood him? Did the small creature understand what he meant, or was it more like the way one talks to a real dog? She shook her head and pushed the questions away. Her head already hurt from trying to understand the things she had been shown in the last two weeks. Vicky decided it would be best to just accept it without questions. It would be better for her mental health that way.

Vicky looked at the clock on the wall while Darien finished up his meeting. It was Friday, and there was just one more thing before she could relax for the weekend.

She fingered the silver medallion Darien insisted she wear as she thought about the changes in her life. It had been a fairly normal, albeit hectic, week at the office, accented by the occasional comment about Vicky’s new look. The fay’s magic hadn’t lessened, and she was still having issues with her hair. Every evening, Darien would cut it off, and the next morning he would braid her waist-length hair and pin it up for her.

One board member had asked her where she’d gotten her hair done. Vicky was shocked when Darien had casually answered, “Tír na nÓg.” She nearly choked on her coffee when the man said he would have to look them up and send his wife there. Darien just smiled and went on to his next meeting without a word.

Vicky’s life at home had fallen into a strange routine also. Darien had let Zak stay, and the little creature spent most of his time wiggling around her feet or in her lap. She had objected on Monday night when Zak tried to climb into her bed, and Darien had taken him out, but she woke up to his soft feelers touching her face. Sometime in the night, he had gotten into her bed and wormed his way into her arms.

Darien hadn’t been happy with him, but there was no stopping the small creature. He was banned from the bathroom after he unexpectedly jumped into the tub of water Vicky was relaxing in. The surprised squeal she let out brought Darien tearing into the room, expecting trouble. He had snatched the wet fay from the water, apologized to his very embarrassed assistant, and left, growling, with the little fay wiggling to get back in the tub.

The only thing that had been somewhat troublesome was the ring of silver flowers Zak had placed around her ankle. There was no clasp on the continuous band, and she had problems getting her stockings on underneath the thing until Darien yelled at Zak. The small fay begrudgingly changed the object so she could get it off, but he rumbled insistently when she took it off while getting dressed. The one time she had forgotten to put it back on, Zak brought it over and reattached it with a barking growl. Darien had shaken his head with a deep sigh as the small creature staked his claim on Vicky once again.

“Have a good weekend.” Darien shook the manager’s hand as they parted.

“Thanks for your help, Mr. Ritter,” the man called as Darien left.

Vicky followed her boss out to his car.

He stopped and laughed as a long-haired dog bounced out from under the DB9 and trotted over to them.

Vicky looked down at the dark-haired Shih Tzu as it pranced over and rubbed up against her leg.

Darien knelt down, and the dog wiggled over to him for pettings. “We were coming back before the meeting.”

Vicky looked on in confusion. He had told her there was going to be a gathering tonight to discuss what could be done about the ifrit, but who did this dog belong to?

“There are things at the house that I still need,” he explained to the animal as he stood up and made his way to the car.

The small dog came back to Vicky and barked at her happily.

Following Darien to the car, she sat down when he opened the door. She was surprised when he let the small dog jump in on her lap.

“Don’t chew on my car,” he growled, shutting the door. The little dog snuffled and shook its head. The Shih Tzu nuzzled Vicky before jumping over the center console and into Darien’s seat. It wagged its tail and put is front feet up on the door to watch the vampire come around.

“Get out of my seat, Zak,” he scolded the horror lightly as he opened the door.

Vicky’s eyes widened as the dark-haired Shih Tzu barked before jumping back over into her lap. “Zak?” Picking up the dog, she looked into its face. She had to move the long hair back so she could see the creature’s familiar, beady eyes, hinted with intelligence.

It made a garbled barking noise, and the ends of the hair curled gently around her fingers.

Darien chuckled at his assistant’s reaction.

“How?” she asked, trying to wrap her mind around another impossibility.

“Glamour.” Darien explained as he started the car and headed towards his home. “A lot of the fay can change how people perceive them.”

Zak had wiggled loose from Vicky’s hands and stood on her lap, looking out the window at the passing world. The tips of his hair moved unnaturally in his happiness.

She petted the small creature in her lap as she thought.

Darien pulled up in front of the Touraine and killed the engine. “I need to grab a few things for the meeting tonight and change. You might want to find something more comfortable, too.” He got out of the car.

Vicky opened the door, and Zak bounced to the sidewalk happily.

***

Ten minutes later, Vicky was ready to go. She had changed into some stonewashed jeans and a sky-blue, fitted shirt. She had left her hair pinned to her head in the long braid.

Zak had changed back into a ball of tentacles and pulled at the lacing of one of her black sneakers as they waited for Darien to come back down.

Her pulse skipped when he finally reappeared, dressed in black jeans and a dark green T-shirt. He always looked good in his suits and ties, but there was just something about him in casual clothes that excited Vicky. Maybe it was the fact she didn’t see it very often. Closing her eyes, she swallowed, trying to calm her heart.

“Okay, let’s go,” Darien said as he pushed the button on the elevator.

Zak barked his reply, and Vicky glanced down to see the little fay had changed back into a dark Shih Tzu. She looked back over to the man standing next to her and noticed a heavy-looking bag pulled over his shoulder. “What’s that?” She shifted her bag.

“Things we’re going to need tonight,” Darien said as they got back into the elevator and headed towards the street. “There’s some bad blood between the vampires and the wolves. I’m setting up special conditions, so they can meet without things getting out of hand,” he explained. “Hopefully, they can either work out their issues or put them aside, so we can stop the ifrit.” Darien let out a deep breath.

“What if they can’t?” Vicky asked quietly.

He stared hard at the door of the elevator as they rode down in silence. “Then I’ll have some heads to bust.” There was a good possibility that it would take him smacking a few of them around to get them to work together.

Vicky didn’t ask any more questions as Darien loaded everything into the car and got in. He held out something wrapped in a napkin to Vicky.

“What’s this?” she asked as she took the package. Zak sniffed at it.

“Odette sent you dinner,” Darien explained as she unwrapped the turkey sandwich. “It may be a while before we get back.”

“Thank you.” Vicky pushed Zak back. The little fay was eyeing her sandwich hungrily. She took a bite and pulled a bit off to feed to the dog in her lap. Darien chuckled and shook his head as he headed out.

***

The warehouse Darien pulled up in front of was huge. Vicky checked it out as they got out of the car. It was old but well preserved.

Darien pulled his bag from the trunk before heading over to where she stood. “May I have your bag, please?” He held out his hand, and Vicky passed the leather satchel over. He fished in it for a moment and pulled out the heavy ring of keys that was always in the bag. “We won’t need this.” Opening up the passenger door, he chucked the bag into the floorboard before heading towards the warehouse.

Vicky looked back at the Aston Martin before following Zak and her boss to the door set in the side of the building.