Kindling Flames—Gathering Tinder (12 page)

“You could’ve worn your shoes,” Darien sighed. It had killed him to watch her climb in and out of that ditch barefoot.

Vicky shook her head as she shivered. “High heels and mud don’t mix.” Her teeth chattered as she answered him.

Darien struggled out of his coat and flipped the warm material over Vicky’s shoulders.

“Don’t,” she protested. “You’ll need your jacket.” She tried to stop the dry material from touching her.

Darien dropped it on her and made sure Vicky tucked it around herself. “Not as much as you do.” He shifted the car into gear and pulled back onto the road.

Thanking him, she pulled the material tighter around herself.

Darien’s mind turned over the new problem he now faced. There was no way he was going to let Vicky try to drive the damaged car back to the city tonight, and it would take Charlie at least three hours to get a wrecker out here to pick the car up. With Vicky soaked to the bone, she could catch a terrible cold during the six hours it would take to get back to the office. He could see no way around it; he was going to have to take her with him. It would be the first time he had ever called on the hospitality of the Council for someone other than himself.

“Given the circumstances, I’m going to ask my associates for help when we arrive.”

Vicky looked up at Darien’s softly spoken words.

“The people you’re going to meet tonight can be a little unusual. If they make you uncomfortable, have them call me. I’ll come as quickly as I can.”

She nodded. “You don’t think I’ll be too much of a bother for them?” she asked, knowing the types of problems unexpected guests could cause. A strange smile crossed Darien’s face.

“It’s not them I’m worried about.”

***

“We’re here.”

Darien’s voice drew Vicky from her thoughts as they pulled into the courtyard of a grand mansion. It was two stories tall and looked like something that should have been sitting in the English countryside, not out in the middle of Nowhere, America. The driveway circled around a fountain that Vicky could just make out. Their pit stop had delayed them slightly, and full night was eating away at the fading twilight. Vicky slipped into her shoes and reached to pick up her messenger bag.

“You won’t need that here,” Darien placed his hand over hers before she could lift the bag from the floor.

Dropping it back, she stepped out of the car and wrapped herself tighter in Darien’s coat in a vain attempt to hold off the cold wind trying to cut through her. She followed her boss up the steps of the large house. A tall man dressed in a tailcoat opened the large, wooden door for them.

The butler bowed as they passed. “Good evening, Master Darien. They are expecting you.”

Vicky followed closely behind Darien as they walked into the grand foyer. She usually respected people’s personal space, but there was something ominous about the extravagant hall that made her want to huddle into her boss’s familiarity. Shaking this irrational fear away, she stepped back to stand on her own.

Noting her reaction to the new environment, Darien schooled the amused smile off his face.

A short woman in a long sundress appeared out of one of the side halls at a dead run. “Darien!” she squealed.

Vicky stepped back as the young woman threw herself at Vicky’s boss.

He caught the girl in his arms, laughing.

The heavy atmosphere imposed by the grand house was instantly shattered as she watched the professional man she knew transform into someone completely different.

He spun around with the girl in his arms, laughing, before placing her back on her feet. “You have gotten so big, Tiffany.” Darien smiled.

Vicky was surprised to find that what she had taken for a short woman was, in fact, a very young teenager.

“If you’d come around more often, you’d see me growing,” she teased, before turning her attention to the unannounced guest.

Darien waved for Vicky to step forward to be introduced. “This is Victoria Westernly. We had some problems on the way here. I ask that she be properly cared for tonight.”

“Anything for you, Master Darien,” the girl beamed.

“Miss Westernly, this is Tiffany,” Darien introduced the girl. “She’s the daughter of the housekeeper, Natalie.”

Vicky shook the teen’s hand.

“Tiffany, please make sure that everyone knows Miss Westernly is my guest this evening. She’s an Innocent, and I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

Tiffany nodded. Taking Vicky by the hand, she pulled her away.

Vicky looked back to Darien. She wasn’t sure what her boss had meant by that last statement, but she did not like it.

Seeing her reluctance to go, Darien waved to her. “Don’t worry, Victoria. Tiffany will take care of you.”

Thrown by the use of her first name, Vicky was pulled away from the foyer by the teen.

Vicky gathered up her mind and listened to the string of chatter from the excitable girl tugging on her arm.

“…He has been alone for such a long time that mother worries about him. Master Darien has never brought anyone here before. And the first person he does bring, he wants to keep to himself. I think it’s great he’s finally found someone he wants to keep.”

Vicky wasn’t sure she understood what the girl was going on about, but she needed to make sure Tiffany understood her relationship with Darien.

“Mr. Ritter and I are not dating,” she informed the girl.

Tiffany looked up at her, smiling. “Of course not. I know how these things work.”

Vicky was stunned by the girl’s words. Surely, she hadn’t just suggested that she and Darien were having an affair? This was something Vicky felt the need to set right. “I don’t think you understand. I work for him.” Embarrassment colored her cheeks as she tried to explain her position.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed by that. Everyone here receives something in return for it.” Tiffany led Vicky through a door and into what looked to be the kitchen.

Vicky sputtered in shock. How could such a young girl talk about sex like that!

“Mom, Darien brought a guest!” the girl squealed in delight.

Vicky looked from the shocking girl to the woman standing over the stove. Both women had the same curly, brown hair and high cheekbones. It was very easy to see that they were related.

“Did he, now?” The woman wiped her hands on her apron and walked over to them. “I’m Natalie,” she said, holding her hand out for Vicky to shake.

Vicky pulled her arm out from under Darien’s jacket and shook the offered hand. “Victoria Westernly.”

Natalie looked over the wet woman, shivering in her kitchen. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” She led the way back out into the hall. “What happened?”

“We broke a radiator hose on the way over, and I got caught in the rain trying to fix it.”

Natalie held a door open for Vicky to enter. “Is Master Darien as wet as you are?”

“No. He got back in the car before the rain cut loose.”

Natalie pursed her lips together. She didn’t like that any man would make a woman fix the car while he stayed dry… master vampire or not.

“Let me introduce you to the rest of the gang.” Natalie pointed to each person as she named them. “That’s Brian and Jenny, Marsha, Roger, Terrance, Josephine, and Liz. I’m sure you’ll run into everyone else during the rest of your stay.” Addressing the group now facing her, Natalie said, “This is Victoria Westernly. She came here with Master Darien.”

A murmur of surprise passed through the group at this introduction.

Natalie ignored their reaction and went on. “Can you see to her needs?”

“Of course, Nat, just leave her to us,” the woman Natalie had pointed out as Josephine got up to take charge of the new arrival.

“Thanks, Josie.” Natalie waved goodbye to Vicky. “They’ll take good care of you.”

Vicky was still reeling from everything that had happened since she had arrived, but she followed the new woman deeper into the room where the group of strangers was waiting.

“What happened?” a dark-haired man with delicate features asked.

Fishing in her mind, Vicky pulled out the name Terrance. “I got caught in the rain when the car broke down,” she explained.

“That’s horrible!” The raven-haired girl Natalie had called Liz answered.

“Do you need someone to look at it?” A handsome blond sat up from where he lounged on one of the many couches.

Vicky shook her head. “It has a blown radiator hose. I’m sure Mr. Ritter will call Charlie to come get it.”

“You must be freezing.” A tall, thin, black woman stood up, drawing Vick’s attention. “What you need is a nice soak in the onsen.”

Vicky heard agreement from all, and she found herself pulled into a protective hold as the woman spun her around to lead her back out of the room.

The entire group accompanied them down the hallway and through a set of bamboo and paper doors. Vicky was surprised to find the doors concealed a large changing room. The seven people accompanying her spread out to different areas, pulled down baskets, and started stripping their clothing off.

Shocked, Vicky twirled around to face the wall and turned the deepest shade of red she could get.

“Is there something wrong, darling?” The tall, muscular man next to her asked as he folded his boxer shorts into the basket and slipped it back up onto the shelf.

Vicky squished her eyes shut as tightly as she could.

“I think she’s shy,” the voice of the little goth girl snickered from behind her.

“Don’t tease her, Marsha.” The voice of the delicate man reprimanded her. “She may not be used to such large groups. Master Darien has never brought us anyone before.”

A collective agreement sounded around the room.

Vicky felt a reassuring pat from the naked man next to her.

“It’s okay, darling. You’re safe with us.” She heard him turn to face the rest of the room. “Jenny, Josie, will you stay and make sure she’s okay?”

The two girls agreed, and the man addressed the rest. “Everyone else get out to the bath so she can change.”

“But Brian, I want to help too.”

Vicky could hear the teasing note in the voice of the man that had offered to look at Darien’s car.

“Get out of here, Roger,” Brian growled.

Vicky calmed as the majority of the group left. Hearing two giggles, Vicky opened her eyes to see the tall, dark-skinned woman, who had to be Jenny, and the shorter blonde with long hair that was Josie.

“Is that better, sweetie?” Jenny came over and pulled an empty basket from the shelf, placing it on the floor in front of Vicky.

“Sorry,” Vicky whispered. She pulled off Darien’s jacket and folded it neatly into the basket. “I’m just not use to being around naked people.”

The girls looked at each other, then back at Vicky.

“You’re not a virgin, are you?”

Vicky blushed again at the question from Josie, trying to explain her embarrassment. “No, I just… am used to being around one person at a time.”

The two women nodded their heads understandingly. Of course Darien would want an innocent girl for his companion. He never joined in the large bacchanals that would sometimes happen at the end of the functions. And he was always picky about his food, usually choosing someone with a bit more reserve.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Jenny reassured her. “We’re all good friends here. We’ll look out for you.”

Vicky nodded as she peeled off the layers of drenched cloth and folded them up. She looked down at Darien’s jacket and pulled it out of the basket, so she could drop the wetter clothing in the bottom before draping the expensive suit coat over top.

Now naked, Vicky lifted the basket up and placed it on the shelf before turning to the other nude women in the room. She felt as if she should cover herself up, but there were no towels, and it would look funny if she tried to hide behind her hands while the other two were so casual about their nudity. She settled for wrapping her arms across her chest and rubbing the cold from them.

“Let’s go get you warm,” Josie held open the curtain that separated the changing room from a prep area. “Have you ever been to an onsen before?” she asked.