Kindling Flames: Burning Nights (The Ancient Fire Series Book 6) (11 page)

“After you,” Mano said as he bowed them through and into the backyard. Most of the compound’s building curved off to the right, but there was a line of torches that lit a path to the left.

With his hand on Vicky’s back, Darien followed the path towards the sounds of a subdued party. As they turned around a bend in the path, the gardens of the manor opened up on the edge of a beach. An iron basin filled with fire cast a golden glow over the white sands, and a scattering of tiki torches supplied pools of light outside the main ring. Darien glanced around at the people milling about. They gathered in small groups spread out around the edges of the light. The hushed tone of their revelry spoke of an uncomfortableness, but he wasn’t sure if it was due to his impending arrival or the Grand Master’s presence.

The ground shifted under his feet as the packed earth gave way to the soft sands of the beach. He paused as he took in his surroundings. The dark ocean at the far edge of the beach made a beautiful backdrop to the picturesque scene. There were blankets and pillows spread about for people to sit on. The soft rhythm of music came from a pair of men to his right. Both were dressed in cloth wraps with leis of leaves around their heads and wrists. To his left was a large section of wood decking laid out over the sand. The platform sat at the very edge of the beach, looking out over the gathered people. Kusanagi sat on the deck in a large wicker chair watching over the crowd, waiting.

As their eyes met, Kusanagi rose from his seat. He was taller than Darien remembered. Dressed in a white linen shirt and loose fitting pants, he had a very commanding presence. Clapping his hands together twice, he called out across the clearing. “Aloha, Master Darien!” With a hop in his step that confused Darien, he came down off the platform and headed straight for Darien and Vicky.

“Do we bow?” Vicky asked unsure what she should do.

“I don’t know,” Darien replied. He pinned a smile on his face and took a few steps forwards to meet the man.

“It’s my greatest honor to welcome one such as you to Honolulu,” Kusanagi said, holding his hands out for Darien.

“The pleasure and honor is mine,” Darien said as he took the man’s hand. A wave of energy rolled over Darien as their hands met. After arriving at the hotel, Darien had let the cap he usually kept on his power settle back into place. He’d become comfortable keeping things sealed up, but with the first probing of his power, he let the lid slip open again. The area around him pulsed with a power that surprised even Darien.

Kusanagi’s eyes widened in response as Darien pushed his power back down. “Very impressive,” he said. “You honor us with a show of power.”

Darien drew in a breath, trying to hide his surprise. Showing the level of one’s power could be seen as a sign of trust, but such a flare could also be seen as a challenge. He had only intended to let a small amount of energy out as was customary, but the fay mead had raised his base line up higher than he was used to. “And you honor us with your hospitality.” He answered with the appropriate response, hoping Kusanagi would take the slip as a sign of trust. “Thank you for having us.”

Giving him a bow of the head, Kusanagi released Darien’s hand. “Thank you for coming. Although, I must admit that I was surprised to find out about your arrival mere hours before your plane landed.”

“I apologize for that,” Darien said. “With all the planning for the wedding, I left our travel arrangements to my personal assistant, and I must have forgotten to have her call.” He could feel Vicky’s glare burning into his skin as a hint of anger rolled over their link. He washed it over with an unspoken apology.

Kusanagi gave him a solemn nod. “It’s hard to find good help these days.”

“Very,” Vicky piped in before Darien could answer him.

Darien turned and met her eyes as she stepped up next to him. They held a hint of irritation that made him smile. She didn’t like him using her as an excuse for not calling, but he could also see that she understood why he had. “True,” Darien agreed, reaching out and pulling her into his side. “But I couldn’t live without my personal assistant.” He turned back to face their host. “She keeps my life together.”

Confusion crossed Kusanagi’s face as he glanced between Darien and Vicky.

“Forgive my manners,” Darien said. “I have yet to introduce my wife. This is Victoria Westernly.”

Kusanagi’s eyebrows rose and he turned to look at the woman tucked into Darien’s side.

Vicky held her hand out to the master as she studied him. The short spikes of his dark hair worked well with the pale tones of his fawn skin. Around his neck was a leather cord with the largest pair of pearls Vicky had ever seen. She glanced back up to find his dark brown eyes were filled with intrigue as he bent over to kiss her hand.

“
Hime
,” he said. Standing up, his hand lingered on Vicky’s as he turned his attention back to Darien. “Word had reached us that you had bound yourself to one, but I had not imagined that she would be so enchanting.” Kusanagi looked back at Vicky and raised her hand out to the side so he could see her better. “Such a lovely creature indeed.” His eyes fell to the cross on her chest and he recoiled slightly. “Though I do question her choice of jewels.”

Irritation creased Vicky’s brow. He was starting to piss her off. The soft shift of Darien’s hand on her hip and a wave of warm emotion through their link quelled the sharp comment poised on her lips.

“She is that,” Darien answered, pulling her into his arms so she stood with her back against him. “She brings light and life to my dull existence.” He kissed the side of her head showing his claim on her. “And I do believe that cross fits her perfectly. Elegantly wrought with just a hint of a bite,” he teased.

Vicky gave Darien a sharp look, but turned a toothy smile back to Kusanagi.

The look that crossed Kusanagi’s face was intrigued. “Interesting.” He paused, running his gaze down Vicky again before meeting Darien’s eyes. “I’m glad you found something to break the tedium of life.”

Vicky’s spine stiffened, but Darien held her tight, reminding her to keep her cool. Frustrated with the whole situation, she pulled her hand back from their host and thrust the bottle of mead out towards him. “Here,” she said in a very stiff tone.

Surprised by Vicky’s action, Kusanagi looked up to Darien in confusion.

“Please accept this as a thank you for your hospitality,” Darien said, covering the somewhat rude action.

Kusanagi took the bottle from Vicky and rolled it in his hands.

“It’s fay wine,” Darien explained. “Perfectly safe for vampires.”

“Really?” Kusanagi asked as he gave the bottle an appreciative look. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of wine. Thank you.” He lowered the bottle to his side and gestured with his free hand towards the deck where he’d been sitting. “Come. I have a gift for you.”

Releasing Vicky, Darien stepped to her side so he could catch her hand in his. “Thank you,” he said to Kusanagi as he tucked Vicky’s hand into the crook of his arm and led her towards the platform.

“Darien,” Vicky breathed through clenched teeth.

“I know.” He soothed her by petting his hand down her arm. “Gracious guests.” He reminded her. “I will make this up to you later.”

Vicky took a deep breath and nodded. When she finally looked up at the platform, her footsteps stuttered as she walked. “What is
that
?”

The notes of disgust in her voice made Darien look up as well. The area was adorned with a lovely rug and piles of lush pillows. Two girls relaxed in one of the mounds of cushions near the wicker chair in which Kusanagi had been sitting. A matching pile of pillows sat empty on the other side of the platform, but it was the chair next to the second pile of pillows that Darien was sure Vicky didn’t like. The dark wood of the chair was expertly crafted into an enormous scorpion. Tawny velvet pillows cushioned the seat and several segments up the raised tail forming the back. Polished to a high shine, it was a lovely piece, if you were into giant bugs. Darien drew in a deep breath and smiled wryly. “I do believe that would be our gift.”

“Isn’t it lovely?” Kusanagi said as he hopped up on the deck and went to stand next to the scorpion chair. “A wonderful gift for a man such as yourself.”

Darien raised an eyebrow. “A scorpion?”

Raising his hand, Kusanagi caressed the dark wood of the stinger. “Such amazing creatures; efficient and deadly hunters, yet passionate and fierce protectors. All things I’m sure you know well.”

Vicky leaned into Darien’s side and gave him an amused look. “He does have you there,” she teased him.

Darien glanced down at her with a pointed look before releasing her and stepping towards the impressive piece. He raised an eyebrow in question at Kusanagi. “Passionate and fierce?”

“And deadly,” he said, holding his hand out, urging Darien to sit.

Darin eyed the seat one last time before turning around and sitting down. He rested his hands on the claws that formed the arms of the chair and shifted his hips, getting comfortable in the plush padding. “It’s actually quite comfortable.”

“Of course,” Kusanagi said as he dropped himself back into his wicker chair. “It’s made by the finest craftsmen in Hawaii.”

“I wouldn’t think it was easy coming by something like this on such short notice.” Darien said, running his hands over the highly polished claws.

“It was not.”

Nodding, Darien looked up at Vicky. “What do you think?” he asked, trusting she would remember to be civil in her response.

A mischievous smile turned up the corners of her mouth. She walked closer so she could stroke the stinger of the scorpion’s tail. “I think it would make a striking statement in your office at your work.”

Darien laughed. “It would definitely make meetings interesting. Would you like to try?” he asked, moving to stand up.

“No thanks,” she answered dropping her hand to his shoulder to keep him from rising. “That fits you much better than it would me.” She looked around for another place to sit, but there were no other chairs available. Taking a hint from the two women on the cushions next to Kusanagi, Vicky moved to the pillows next to Darien. “I’ll just sit here for now.”

Darien watched Vicky shift the pillows around to suit her needs. He didn’t like that she was forced to sit on the floor, but there were no other chairs anywhere in the luau. Just the scorpion chair and the wicker chair Kusanagi held, but then again, chairs wouldn’t have worked well in the soft sand of the beach. Letting it go, he turned his attention back to his host. “Thank you. It’s a magnificent gift.”

“Excellent!” Kusanagi said as he sat up straighter in his chair. He clapped his hands and yelled a sharp command.

The soft beat of hand drums broke the calm that had fallen over the beach.

Darien looked out at the people, evaluating the scene. He really couldn’t tell without getting closer to them, but it seemed that only a few of the twenty or so individuals were actually vampires. Six at the most. And they didn’t seem to get along very well. Even from where he sat, Darien could feel the tension between the clusters of people. The one exception was the man standing on the sand at the far end of the deck. He was a petite man in a white linen shirt and dark pants. He stood as if he was waiting for something to happen. An overwhelming wave of hostility washed over Darien when he met the man’s eyes.

“So what brings you to Hawaii?” Kusanagi asked breaking into Darien’s thoughts.

The sudden animosity subsided, leaving Darien wondering if he had been reading too much into the strange man’s look. Shaking it off, Darien turned back to answer Kusanagi’s question. He paused as he took in the two women next to their host. They had shifted from their positions on the cushion so they flanked their master. Long and lean, they were extraordinary examples of what the islands could offer. “We’ve come to spend a few quiet days on your island,” Darien said, looking up at Kusanagi.

“I see,” Kusanagi said. His fingers worked their way through the short hair of the girl leaning on his leg. “What do you plan to do during your stay?”

Darien considered his answer before giving it. “Just relax. Maybe take in some of the sights,” he said vaguely. He had a whole schedule of things, but he didn’t want to sound like a fool for wanting to do all the touristy things he’d planned. In addition to seeing Volcanoes National Park, Darien wanted to visit the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, drive the Hana Road, see the Iolani Palace, and take Vicky to see the turtles at the Maui Ocean Center. All things that a normal vampire—even one helped out by the Hawaiian Council—would have a hard time doing.

“Hawaii does have some wonderful night life.” Kusanagi said wistfully. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Thank you.” Darien said. “But I have most of it covered already.”

“Really?” The younger vampire said intrigued.

Worrying his lip with his tongue, Darien tried to think of something to say. His best bet would be to tell Kusanagi everything. It wasn’t a secret that he could walk in the sunlight, but confessing that ability always felt like bragging, so he seldom shared that knowledge with others. Before he could come up with a plausible story that wasn’t an outright lie, the distinctive twang of a samisen cut in over the gentle rhythm of the island drums and grabbed his attention. He turned to look at the woman wielding the traditional Japanese lute.