Kindling Flames: Burning Nights (The Ancient Fire Series Book 6) (12 page)

She was magnificent. Her dark hair hung over her shoulder in a long braid. Her perfect skin was almost pearlescent against the line of red around the collar of her white kimono. She bent her head down in concentration as her fingers flew over the strings of the instrument. As the final note hung in the air, she lifted her head and met Darien’s gaze.

Energy snapped between them, making Darien gasp. His heart hammered as he watched the woman drop the samisen to the ground next to her. Desire sang through his blood as she gracefully unfolded herself. The silk of her kimono was held loosely in place by a thin red obi at her waist. As she moved, the front of her robe gaped, giving him flashes of a red under-kimono and long legs. He gripped the claws of the scorpion chair as she held his gaze. The heat in her eyes promised passion to rival his sweetest fantasies.

“Isn’t she enchanting?”

Kusanagi’s words barely registered through the power beating at Darien. Each step of her bare feet drew him deeper into her hold.

“Who is she?”

The sound of Vicky’s voice pulled at Darien and he turned to look at her. She’d shifted her cushions around so she was almost leaning against the leg of his chair. Her golden curls glittered in the firelight making his heart beat for a different reason than that of the woman approaching them. Releasing his death hold on the claw, he reached down and brushed his hand against her shoulder.

She glanced up at him curiously.

Darien smiled at her and held his hand out. As she took it and laced their fingers together, he felt the last traces of the strange woman’s power slip away. When he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze again, he felt the pulse of her power, but it washed around him like water over a rock. The look in her eyes shifted from heat to surprise, and then to intrigue.

Turning to look at Kusanagi, Darien re-asked Vicky’s unanswered question, “Who is she?”

Kusanagi just nodded towards her.

Darien looked back just in time to see her step up onto the deck and stop a few feet from them.

“It’s nice of you to join us, Shuri.” Kusanagi said.

Shuri bowed her head to him. “I have come, as my master has asked, to perform for the Ancient.” She looked back over to Darien. “But I did not expect a
kupua
.” Dropping down to one knee, she bowed deeply to Darien. “You honor us with your presence,
Haku
.”

Darien sat up straighter in his chair, unsure what she’d said. He had never heard those words before, but it was obvious they were some terms of respect. “Please,” he said holding his free hand out towards her. “Rise and be known.”

She rose and stood in front of him. “You honor me.” Bowing her head again, she went on. “I am Shuri. I belong to Master Kusanagi, but for tonight, I am yours. What would you have of me?”

Surprised by the sudden declaration, Darien stared at her for a moment before he could get his thoughts into gear. “To sit and visit with the Council is all I require for the moment.”

Shuri bowed her head accepting his words. “Then if your chosen will allow, I shall sit with her for a while.”

Vicky contemplated the woman’s words, surprised that her feelings had been considered. She studied the woman for a moment. With a narrow face and high cheekbones, Shuri was lovely. Vicky glanced up at Darien, but his expression clearly said it was her choice. “I don’t mind,” she said as she turned back to Shuri.

She nodded and moved to sit in the pillows next to Vicky.

Vicky considered the woman as she tucked her kimono around her legs and settled in the cushions. The fact that she had considered Vicky’s feelings before taking a seat had astounded Vicky. In the short time she’d been there, Vicky had come to realize this Council wasn’t like the one in Brenton. At first, it had bothered her that Kusanagi viewed her as an object belonging to Darien, but after seeing his idea of an appropriate gift, she was glad to settle into the familiar role of silent observer. After all, she spent most of her time at work following Darien around, mostly ignored by everyone. It gave her a chance to soak in the surroundings unhindered by conversation. What she found concerned her.

Things seemed pleasant enough, but Vicky had a feeling that things in the Council weren’t going as well as Kusanagi was trying to show. There was a strange distance between each of the small groups spread around the luau. The tension running under the surface may have been veiled to the casual observer, but she’d spent the last few months learning the interplay in Darien’s kiss as they’d settled into their new roles. There had been an apprehension in the air until they got used to the changes in their world. This felt the same.

“Thank you.” Shuri said, pulling Vicky out of her thoughts. “It’s been nearly two hundred years since I kept the company of my own kind. It’s refreshing.”

Vicky gave the woman a confused looked. At first, she had thought Shuri was a vampire. She moved with the grace of an old vampire, plus she was as pale as any vampire Vicky had ever met. Now that she was sitting next to Vicky, she didn’t have the presence of a vampire. And if the woman was over two hundred years old, she couldn’t be human. Vicky opened herself to feel the woman out. There was definitely power there, but it was subtle, like Darien’s was when he was pretending to be human. “Your own kind?”

Shuri smiled sweetly. “Well, you are not my kind,” she said, cocking her head and evaluating Vicky. “But you are not the human you pretend to be.”

Vicky’s spine stiffened.

“A changeling perhaps,” Shuri went on, “Young, but still amazingly powerful.” She reached out and caressed Vicky’s cheek. “It will be interesting to see what you’ve become in a few hundred years, when you’ve grown into your power.”

Vicky recoiled from the touch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The smile on Shuri’sface changed from sweet to knowing. “Of course not. But there is no need to play coy with me. I a
m
yōka
i
. I know my own when I see them.
”

“
Y
ō
kai
?” Vicky asked. She wasn’t sure what that was, but it didn’t sound very good.

Shuri nodded, but didn’t offer an explanation.

Vicky opened her mouth to ask, but the touch of Darien’s hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned to see what he wanted.

“Kusanagi has offered to introduce me to the other masters, would you like to come?” he asked.

Vicky considered the offer for a moment. She was torn. She did want to meet the other masters, just to see what they were like, but she didn’t want them to treat her like she wasn’t there. “I’ll stay here,” she answered.

Darien gave her a concerned look. “Are you sure?”

Nodding, Vicky returned her gaze to Shuri. The other woman was watching Darien intently. “I’m sure.” She glanced back up to Darien. “It would be rude to leave Shuri by herself.”

He glanced between the two women, curious to know what they had been talking about. “All right,” he said, standing up. “But call me if you need something.”

“Of course.” She reassured him and watched as he stood up to join Kusanagi. When the pair reached the man standing by the edge of the deck, she turned back to find Shuri still watching Darien.

“How did you catch the son of a feathered servant of Kami?” she asked before Vicky could speak.

Vicky’s brow furrowed in confusion “A what?”

“He hides it well. I almost thought him the vampire he pretends to be.”

“Darien is a vampire.” Vicky insisted. “He’s been one for nine hundred years.”

Shuri stared at her in disbelief before turning back to study Darien. “Interesting. I didn’t know that was possible. But then again, he is a
kupua
.”

“Wait,” Vicky said as her head spun. “What’s a
kupua
?”

As Shuri turned to answer, another woman came up and set a tray filled with food in front of Vicky. “Your meal, my lady.”

Vicky nodded her thanks and turned her attention back to Shuri.

“
Kupua
is the Hawaiian word for a demi-god,” Shuri explained. “It’s often used for those birthed from the union of mortal and divine.”

“Are you saying Darien’s a god?”

“Not a god. The son of a servant of God.” Shuri said before turning to watch the vampires move off to the next group. “It’s subtle, but I can feel it there.”

“But that can’t be. Darien grew up in a monastery. He’s human… Or he was.”

Shuri turned back at Vicky. “A monastery?” she said confused. “Who were his parents?”

“I don’t know.” Vick turned to watch Darien. “He said they died in a fire when he was very young.”

Making a thoughtful noise in her throat, Shuri joined Vicky in watching Darien. “Then his lineage is unknown.” She paused as she thought. “Interesting.” She turned back to Vicky before going on. “It is rare for a halfling to make it to maturity. They’re usually destroyed as soon as they’re discovered.”

Vicky sat up straighter in shock. “Is someone trying to kill Darien?” Her mind raced over all the troubles they’d had since they met.

Shuri laughed. “I doubt it,” she said when her mirth subsided. “He is very old already. Besides, if he is truly a vampire as you say, then the chances of him siring young are nonexistent. He should live out the rest of his days unhindered.”

“Young!” Vicky squeaked as she moved her hand to cover her abdomen and the children it contained. “But what if he could?”

Surprise filled Shuri’s eyes as she took in Vicky’s shock. “Then there could be trouble. The powers of light do not like when the forbidden breed.”

Fear raced through Vicky’s mind as she tried to work out what she’d discovered. “Could you be wrong?” she asked, rubbing her stomach.

“No,” Shuri said, shaking her head. “Now that I see it, it is clear. We are two sides of the same coin.”

“You’re a child of a god?” Vicky asked, trying to wrap her mind around things.

Shurishook her head again. “No. I am ful
l
yōka
i
,
whereas he is only half.”

“
Yōka
i
?” Vicky asked. “What’s that?”

“You may know us better as daemons.” Shuri face darkened as she spoke.

Vicky gave her a stunned look.

Shuri’s look lightened. “But that’s not quite true either. We
’re spirits of nature. Some of us more divine than others.” She looked to where Darien was talking to another of the Council members.

“Wow.” Vicky breathed the word as she absorbed everything. She looked down at the tray of food in front of her. It was a beautifully presented spread of sliced meats, cheeses, and fruits, but it wasn’t something she would have expected from a luau. Shaking her head, she ignored the food and reached for the coconut. With a stick of fruit, a paper umbrella, and two straws, she was sure it was probably alcoholic, but she really needed something to drink. The whole conversation had left her mouth slightly dry. Besides, it would give her a moment to reorder her world. It was hard to imagine that Darien could possibly be more than a vampire.

Picking up the coconut cup, she took a tentative sip of the frozen concoction. It was fruity with a strong bite of alcohol and a sharp, bitter finish. It should have been good, but it wasn’t. Vicky made an unhappy noise at the taste and set the cup down. The inside of her mouth burned from the alcohol so she turned to ask Shuri where she could get some water. Vicky opened her mouth to talk, but nothing came out. Fear raced through her as her vision wavered and she gasped for breath. “Darien!” she screeched in her mind as darkness ate at the edges of her vision.

Unable to breath, she felt Shuri’s hands catch her when she slumped forwards. Vicky felt the vibrations as the other woman screamed, but she didn’t hear it. Thoughts of Darien and her unborn children drove a tear to her eye as the world slipped away from her.

***

Standing up, Darien went to join Kusanagi at the edge of the deck. The younger vampire stood with the man that had been watching Darien earlier. He ran his eyes over the stranger. The man was shorter that Kusanagi by a full foot, but there was a tension in the man’s spine that showed he was ready for action. His dark hair, dark eyes, and the cool tones in his skin spoke of an Asian descent, but Darien wasn’t sure exactly which area he’d come from. The strange hostility Darien had felt earlier was gone.

“Master Darien,” Kusanagi said breaking into Darien’s evaluation. “Let me introduce you to Kuo. He’s the oldest of my fledglings.”

“Master Kou,” Darien said, nodding his head in greeting.

Kuo grunted and nodded back, but did not say anything

Darien raised an eyebrow and turned to Kusanagi.

Kusanagi waved his hand, dismissing Kuo’s odd behavior. “Kou doesn’t speak. I picked him up in China shortly after my exile from Japan.” He turned away from the man and started across the sand.

Darien hurried to join him with Kuo taking up a position behind them.

“I never found out why they cut out his tongue, but I saved him from death, and he has served me faithfully ever since.”

Glancing back at the silent man, Darien considered him before turning his attention back to Kusanagi. “That was very thoughtful of you.”

“It was necessary.” Kusanagi corrected. “Having been thrust into a world I was unfamiliar with, I needed someone to help me along the way. Kuo saw me through some of the hardest years of my life.” He gave Darien a sharp sideways glance. “But the Great Council would have known about that if they bothered to check on me after forcing me from my home.”

Surprised by the venom in those words, Darien recoiled slightly from the younger vampire. “You will need to take that up with the Great Council,” Darien explained. “I’d already retired and was working on my own life when the Council called for my help in Japan.”

“I see,” Kusanagi said softly. “I hear you run your own business now.”

The change in Kusanagi’s voice worried Darien. He went on cautiously. “Yes. I run a small shipping company.”

Kusanagi nodded. “And outside of work?”

“Besides Victoria, I have a few fledglings.”

Another nod came from the younger vampire. “How do you have time for it all?”

Darien shrugged. “How does anyone find the time to balance work and home?”

Kusanagi gave him an expectant glance that spurred Darien on.

“My second helps with my kiss and I have a board of directors that do a fair job of running my business.” Darien paused and though about it for a moment. “Honestly, I’m thinking about stepping down as CEO and letting them handle the lion’s share of the work. I like to stay active, but things have gotten a little too hectic in my life recently.”

“Hence the vacation,” Kusanagi added.

“Exactly,” Darien agreed. “Just a few days rest and relaxation to unwind from a hectic month. Then it’s back to business as usual.”

Kusanagi made another noise in this throat, but did not say anything.

Darien let out a soft breath and turned his attention to the men they were approaching. He had done his best to reassure the younger vampire that he wasn’t a threat, now it was up to Kusanagi to make the next move.