Kindling Flames: Burning Nights (The Ancient Fire Series Book 6) (8 page)

Recovering from the sudden stop, Vicky stared at him in shock. Her wings trembled as she tried to get the words out. “She said she didn’t usually let the lesser fay have mortals, but she saw fit to let them play with me. Called it her wedding gift to us both.”

Letting out a bark of laughter, Darien pulled the startled woman into his arms. “Fay touched!” he said almost hysterically as he buried his face in the hair at Vicky’s neck.

She wrapped her arms around him. A torrent of rampant emotions spilled over her through their link. The mixture of anger, disbelief, relief, and joy made her head spin. She held onto him waiting for the sensations to pass.

“I don’t know whether to love that woman or hate her,” Darien finally said as he sat up and looked at Vicky. “She both infuriates and delights me.” Letting out a calming breath, he released Vicky and turned back to the car. He dropped it into drive and took off. “And here I was worried about our future.” He glanced back over at Vicky and snorted out a short laugh. “Fay touched.”

“What does that mean?” Vicky relaxed in her seat again. The moment of anger had passed, leaving the emotions rolling off Darien pleasant and warm.

Darien considered his words before explaining. “It means a lot of things, but the most important is that you won’t age.”

“Lady Aine said that,” Vicky confirmed. “She also said that you wouldn’t have to ‘bless me with your affliction’.”

A sad smile slipped across Darien’s face. “No, you will remain as you are without the need for vampirism.”

“You would have turned me into a vampire?” Vicky asked quietly.

Letting out a long sigh, Darien stared out the front window for a long moment before answering. “I’m not sure,” he offered truthfully. “I’ve had mixed success with fledglings and I hadn’t decided if I should offer you that option or not.”

They sat in silence for a few moments before Vicky spoke again. “Lady Aine told us what happened. About how your last girlfriend didn’t survive the transformation.”

Darien grew stoic as he concentrated on the drive. The pain of the loss burned at his heart as he thought about the woman he had loved. The feel of Vicky’s fingers brushing against his arm pulled him back from the memories. A weak smile worked its way onto his face, and he took a hold of her hand. Lifting it up to his chest, he clutched it to him, taking comfort in her touch. They drove on for a while in silence as Darien thought about how lucky he was. Vicky knew about some of his darkest moments. Things that would make sane people run for their lives, but she was still there. She still loved him. And for that, he would always be grateful.

Pulling into the parking lot at the airport, Darien shut off the car and turned towards her. “Victoria…” he started, but Vicky raised her hand and pressed it over his mouth, stopping him from speaking.

“No.” She shook her head as a soft smile slipped onto her face. “No apologies, no explanations. I know what you are and I love you, Darien. That’s enough.”

Tears burned at the edges of his eyes as he reached up and took Vicky’s hand so he could speak. He pulled it down and watched his thumb slide across her knuckles as he gathered his thoughts. Vicky eased the soul-deep pain that crippled him when he lost his first love. The fact that she could accept his actions without an explanation touched him deeply, but he just couldn’t leave it at that. “Teagan was everything to me.” He glanced up and saw Vicky holding her breath, hanging on his every word. “I tried to give her everything and it backfired. I can heal wounds of the flesh with ease, but when it comes to the mind…” He clutched Vicky’s hand as despair crept into his voice. “I tried everything I could find, but I couldn’t fix her. I had to…”

“Enough!” Vicky cut him off before he could go on. Folding her wings down her back she surged forwards and wrapped her arms around Darien. She couldn’t take the pain in him anymore.

Carefully wrapping his arms around her, Darien took her weight and pulled her to him so she sat in his lap between him and the steering wheel. It was a tight fit, but he didn’t care. He needed her close at the moment. Leaning his head over, he rested it against her chest to take comfort in her presence, but hissed in pain as the silver of the cross she was wearing hit his skin. He jerked away from the holy item, but it was too late. His cheek burned as if it were on fire.

Surprised by his actions, Vicky froze in his arms, not sure what happened. She drew in a sharp breath as she spotted the reddened skin on his cheek. “Darien.” She breathed his name as she reached up to touch the outline of her cross burned into his skin.

Darien let out the air he was holding in a wry laugh as he relaxed under Vicky’s touch. “It’s all right.” He pulled her hand away from his face and turned to look at the mark in the rearview mirror. “I should have been paying more attention.” Reaching up, he touched the injured skin. The burn wasn’t very bad and should heal quickly. He let out a resigned breath and considered the cross. “Where did you get that thing anyway?” he asked, remembering how much it resembled the cross on his bedroom wall.

Vicky looked down at the necklace. “Josh gave it to me. He said it came from Lady Aine.”

“I should have known,” Darien said with a hint of a smile on his face. “Come on.” He patted Vicky on the side as he changed the subject. “It’s getting late and we should get moving.”

Nodding, Vicky held on to him.

Popping the driver’s side door open, he eased her out to stand on her own. Following her out of the car, Darien rubbed his hand down her back driving a shiver from her. He would have to do something about those wings tonight. A smile curled his lips as he helped her up into his private jet. There was a huge bed in the back compartment of the plane. He had never really used it, but tonight it was going to get an amazing workout.

The golden rays of the morning sun glittered off the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean. Darien watched out the window of his plane, considering the changes in his life. It amazed him how much difference one girl and a few short months could make. He toyed with his ring, spinning the gold band around his finger as he thought. He hadn’t realized how much of his world he had pushed away after Teagan’s death. He had shunned practically everything to get away from the pain of his loss. Forgiving himself for her death was impossible, but he knew it had been right to set her free from her pain. The wound in his heart would never heal, but Vicky eased the ache that he had worked so hard to ignore. And that was what he had been doing in the years since Teagan died—overwhelming himself with work so he could ignore the pain. It was time to stop that.

Pulling the gold band off, his eyes traced the name engraved on the inside. Vicky had shaken him up enough to realize that there was life waiting for him outside of his business and it was high time he got back to it. The hours he pulled at work were not conducive to his changing lifestyle. His kiss needed him on a more regular basis. Then there was Vicky and the babies. His heart swelled when he thought of the fact that he was going to be a father. He couldn’t remember if he had ever considered the idea of children when he was still human, but it had rarely crossed his mind once he had been turned. To have that piece of news dropped on him had been staggering. It still made his head swim when he thought of the life he’d helped create. But his enterprise stood between him and his future. He would have to do something about that. A noise from the back of the cabin pulled Darien from his thoughts. He slipped his ring back on and turned to look at his lovely bride coming out of the sleeping compartment. “Hello, beautiful.”

Vicky smiled at him as she made her way over and settled down sideways on his lap. She tucked her head into the crook of his neck and cuddled up against him. Making a contented noise, she relaxed in his arms. “Good morning.”

“Did you rest well?” Darien asked. Between the wedding and ridding Vicky of her wings, they had experienced a very long night.

A happy noise rose up from her chest. “Yes.” She wiggled in his arms trying to get more comfortable. “But I could probably fall asleep right here.”

Darien chuckled as he patted her side. “If we only had time.” Opening himself to her, he let his powers seep into her, pushing her fatigue away. “We’ll be landing in Hawaii in a little bit.”

She let out a happy noise, enjoying the warm tingles of energy coursing through her. The magic brushing against the inside of her skin eased away her weariness. “Thank you.” Sitting up in his lap, she kissed him softly. “For everything.”

“Anything for you, my love,” he said, pulling his power back from her.

As she settled her head back on his shoulder, a smile played across her face. “So, Hawaii?”

The island was a wonderful destination, but Darien hadn’t let anyone know where they were going for their honeymoon. It was a little surprising that he would pick a tropical island.

“Who won?” he asked thinking of the bet Vicky’s friends had made. When he’d told her to pack for the beach, the girls had gone nuts trying to figure out their final destination.

Vicky laughed as she sat up in his arms. “Beth.” She kissed him again and carefully stood up. The plane had started to list as it made the turn for their approach to the islands. She moved to find her own seat. “Vanessa said the Caymans, and Maggie picked Mexico.”

“Mexico,” Darien said, sounding slightly disgusted. “Why would I take you to Mexico?”

“Because it is someplace I have always wanted to see.”

Darien made a thoughtful noise as he filed that information away for later. “Next time, then.”

Shaking her head, Vicky sat down in the cozy armchair attached to the floor. A box tucked in next to Darien’s chair caught her attention. “What’s that?”

Looking down at the crate, Darien smiled. “A gift from Lady Aine.” He lifted the hinged top and pulled out a wine bottle. “What would a honeymoon be without the honey?” He held the bottle out for Vicky to take. “Though I don’t think there’s enough here to see us through a full moon, but then again, we didn’t take a full month for this trip.”

Vicky took the bottle from him. It tingled gently against her fingers. “What is it?” she asked, rolling the bottle around looking for a label, but finding none.

“It’s mead,” Darien said as he held his hand out for the bottle.

Vicky gave it back.

He considered the thick, golden liquid inside the bottle. “I suspect that there’s enough magic in that crate to keep me from having to hunt while we’re in Hawaii.”

“Hunt?” Vicky said alarmed by his words. “I thought you said that my blood would be enough to sustain you for the two weeks we were here.” They’d had a long conversation on what he needed to survive while they were on vacation. Vicky was okay with the idea of him drinking his bagged blood or even from a willing participant, but the thought of him attacking some random person off the street disturbed her.

Darien slipped the bottle back into the crate before meeting her eyes. “Under normal circumstances, it would have been.” He paused as he considered how to go on. “I will not endanger the lives of our children by feeding from you.” Raising his hand, he cut off Vicky’s protest before she could make it. “A bite every now or then won’t hurt, but enough to sustain me for two weeks would put more stress on your system than is good for our children.” Reaching out, he took her hand and caressed it gently. “I’ve been a vampire for nine hundred years. I’m not going to do anything risky or stupid to endanger myself.” The irritated look on Vicky’s face made him smile. “I’ve survived for much longer than two weeks without fresh blood.” He squeezed her hand one last time before turning her loose and leaning back in his chair. “Besides, if I do get desperate, I can always petition the Council of Hawaii for a willing donor.”

Vicky sat up straighter in her chair. “There’s a vampire Council in Hawaii?”

Darien laughed. “Of course there is a vampire Council in Hawaii. Every major populated area has a Council in it.” The corners of his lips turned up in amusement. “Did you think that a sunny island wouldn’t have creatures of the night on it?”

Looking down, Vicky felt foolish that she hadn’t considered that there would be vampires in Hawaii. She blew out a heavy breath and nodded, letting him know that was exactly what she had expected.

“Vampires are pretty much everywhere nowadays,” Darien said, smiling at her. “Don’t worry, love. We won’t be visiting with the Council on this trip.”

Raising her eyes, she cocked her head in confusion. “Why not?” She had gotten used to the quirky group of vampires in Brenton. It would be interesting to see what they were like someplace else.

“It’s complicated,” Darien said reluctantly. He turned his head to look out the window as the island grew closer. He didn’t want to get into the logistics of vampire etiquette or how complicated their system really was. It was nice that Clara didn’t hold her people to the rigorous protocols found throughout vampire society, but she was a rare case and considered an oddity. Dealing with a normal Council was taxing at the best of times, and they were there to relax, not dance through a bunch of hoops that he despised.

***

Stopping at the door of the plane, Darien stared at the car waiting on the tarmac. “Great,” he said sarcastically before making his way down the steps to the ground.

“What?” Vicky asked as she stepped out of the doorway. She looked around for a moment before taking Darien’s hand and following him down. There was nothing she could see that would make Darien unhappy.

“Either someone called ahead to warn the Grand Council of Hawaii that we were coming, or they’re paying much closer attention to the mainland than I thought.” Darien nodded in the direction of the well-dressed man waiting just outside the hanger.

“Is that bad?” Vicky asked.

“Possibly.” Darien glanced around to see if there was anyone else there to meet them. “I wasn’t planning on visiting with them while we were here, so I didn’t call to request visitation rights. We may have just committed a very serious faux pas.”

Vicky looked at him in confusion. “You have to ask the local Council for visitation rights?”

“Proper etiquette demands that you contact the local Council if you’ll be in their area for more than three days.”

The expression on Vicky’s face turned stern. “But you didn’t.”

Darien shook his head. “No.”

“Why not?”

Letting out a long sigh, Darien took Vicky’s hand and wrapped it around his arm. “I didn’t want to deal with them,” he confessed as he turned to lead her to the waiting car. “Clara runs a very relaxed group, but that isn’t common in vampire society. The formalities needed to deal with other Councils can be very… trying. I wanted these two weeks to be about us, not a string of meetings where everyone dances around showing off their manners. But it doesn’t look like we’ll get that now. Just let me handle this.” Centering himself, he released the hold he kept on his power, allowing it to flow out more freely than normal.

Vicky clenched her teeth against the wave of magic and nodded her head. Drawing in a deep breath, she pinned on the smile she usually wore in Darien’s meetings. She studied the man who had come to greet them. He looked to be native to the island. His long, dark hair was tied back and his brown eyes shone brightly. His well-cut suit clung to his toned body nicely. Vicky felt underdressed in her shorts and loose blouse. Even Darien’s slacks and polo shirt didn’t stand up to the man’s pressed appearance.

“
Aloha
,” the man greeted them as they came closer. “Please forgive our lack of proper welcome. We weren’t given much warning that you’d be visiting with us, Master Aduro.”

Darien held up his hand to stop the man from continuing. “Please, it’s been nearly two hundred years since I went by that name. It’s Darien Ritter now. And, the error is entirely mine. I should have notified the Council of my visit well before this. My wife and I are here on personal business, and I didn’t want to bother the Grand Council of Hawaii with trivial matters.”

“Forgive me my error, Master Darien.” The man bowed to Darien. “And your visit is not trivial. It’s rare that a member of the Great Council should call on us, let alone an Ancient such as yourself.” The man straightened and stared at Darien in awe. “Accommodations are being arranged for you as we speak.”

“There’s no need to go through all that trouble,” Darien politely refused. “I’ve already made arrangement for our stay here on Oahu. And I do hate to inform you that your information is, again, out of date. I have not held a place on the Great Council in a very long time. There is no need to make a fuss about my stay here. We’ve only come to enjoy your islands for a few days.”

“But you will come and make an appearance before the Council. They’ve called for a special luau in your honor.” The man insisted.

Darien nodded his head. “Of course, but right now, my wife and I would like to get some rest, it’s been a long flight and the sun is very bright today.” They had stopped just inside the hangers, but the weak shadows didn’t provide very much relief.

“Of course.” The man bowed again. “I am Mano, and I’ll be your man during your stay.” Mano turned back to bring the car closer.

Darien clenched his jaw, trying to cool the aggravation rising in him. This was exactly the reason he didn’t want to let the Council know he was coming. He wanted this vacation to be just him and Vicky, but now they would have to put up with someone following them around the entire time they were there.

Sensing the ire rising in Darien, Vicky patted his arm. “It’s all right,” she said softly as Mano pulled the dark sedan into the hanger.

Once the car was out of the sunlight, Mano got out and opened the door for them. “Please rest while I arrange for your things.”

Vicky smiled at him and let go of Darien’s arm. “Thank you.” She slid into the car and scooted over so Darien could join her. Once inside with the door shut, she wiggled over to Darien’s side. “Tap it down, Dracula,” she soothed him. “We’ll do this vampire thing and then escape. I’m sure they won’t keep us tied up the entire time we are here.”

Chuckling, Darien wrapped his arm around Vicky and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She was right. There was no point in getting uptight about things he couldn’t control. Maybe after they made an appearance, the Council would leave them alone to enjoy their honeymoon, but he wasn’t going to hold his breath on those hopes.