Kindling Flames—Gathering Tinder (18 page)

“I would never dream of it.” Roger smiled as he spoke.

She rolled her eyes at the sarcasm in his voice. “Let me know when you have an answer on the car.” Vicky laughed as she turned back into the house. She was hungry, and that muffin had not been enough.

Roger sighed and went to go make some calls.

***

Vicky made her way into the kitchen to find that the abandoned plates had once again been claimed by their owners. Stopped in the doorway, she was unsure if she should enter and disturb the host talking excitedly around the table. It surprised her to find that almost everyone had gathered in there, discussing what they had just witnessed.

“How is that even possible?” Terrance waved his fork around as he talked. “I mean, it’s five in the afternoon and not a cloud in the sky!”

“Any of the other masters would be in trouble if they tried that,” Liz said as she stirred the beef stew around on her plate. “I nearly died of shock when he stepped out into the light.”

“She said he could walk in the sun, but I really didn’t believe it.” Josie shook her head as she tore a hunk of bread up and dipped it into her gravy.

Natalie looked up from her plate at the new addition to the room and almost knocked over her chair as she stood. “Victoria!” she cried, and the rest of the room fell silent.

Startled by the woman’s outburst, Vicky instinctively took a step back.

Natalie rushed to her and took her hand. “I am so sorry.”

Vicky’s eyes widened at the unexpected apology.

“I didn’t know, or I would never…” She patted the Vicky’s hand and smiled apologetically.

“It’s okay,” Vicky said reassuringly.

Natalie looked at the younger woman for a moment before pulling her into a tight hug.

Vicky returned the embrace to show there were no hard feelings.

When Natalie finally released her, she stepped back and looked at Vicky. “You must be starving.” She pulled the younger woman into the room, placing her in a chair at the table

“We’re sorry, too,” Liz said as she tapped her spoon on the bottom of her dish.

Natalie set a plate of the same beef and vegetable mix in front of Vicky.

“It’s okay,” Vicky reassured her. “I’m not upset.”

Liz nodded and dug back into her stew.

Marsha squished a carrot with her spoon and looked up at Vicky, slightly remorseful, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to go about it.

Vicky took up her spoon and dipped it into the thick gravy. She stirred it around before taking a bite. “This is very good,” Vicky complemented Natalie’s cooking.

She thanked Vicky and went back to eating her own food.

Vicky could tell that her presence made the group a little uncomfortable because they didn’t return to the conversation they had been having. They ate in an awkward silence, until Roger came into the room and reclaimed his chair.

Roger looked over at Vicky. “I found what I need to fix your car.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he talked. “The guys should be delivering it within the hour.” If Roger had noticed the heavy air in the room, it didn’t show.

“Thank you,” Vicky answered as soon as her mouth was empty. “Mr. Ritter will be happy to know that we don’t have to call Charlie out to pick us up.”

“Who’s Charlie?” Roger asked, as he sat forward to start into what was left of the meal Darien had interrupted.

“He’s the guy who takes care of all the cars,” Vicky explained. The rest of the table watched her intently as she spoke. This was more information about the enigma that was Darien.

“What types of cars does he have?” Roger asked between bites.

Vicky shrugged. “All kinds. He’s got some new sports cars and several classic cars, but you’ll need to ask Mr. Ritter for details. I really don’t know much about them. But, he takes the classic ones out once a week to show them off.” Vicky scraped another bite from her plate and stuck it in her mouth.

“Do you really work during the day?”

Vicky looked up at the odd question from the other end of the table.

Embarrassed, Marsha turned her face away.

“Yes,” Vicky replied. “From seven AM till whenever Mr. Ritter is done.”

Marsha looked up and met Vicky’s gaze. “Does he really eat and drink food?”

Vicky could see the disbelief in her eyes. “I have seen him eat and drink many things,” she answered, and a murmur of astonishment circled the table. “Mainly coffee and clementines.”

“And you really didn’t know he was a vampire?” Liz asked.

“No.” Vicky could see the amazement in the faces around the table as she answered. “Up until last night, I thought vampires were B-rated horror movie fodder.”

“There are some really great vampire movies out there.”

The entire table turned to look at Darien as he walked into the kitchen with Clara.

Vicky’s heart skipped at the sight of her boss dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. His damp hair hung messily onto his face.

Darien shook it back and ran his fingers through it, so it would stay out of his eyes. “Some of them fall way off the mark, but they’re still entertaining.”

“But, there are also some really bad ones out there,” Vicky pointed out.

“Too true,” Darien laughed and dropped himself into the empty seat next to Vicky.

“Good evening, Miss Westernly.”

Vicky looked up at the woman who had come in with her boss.

“I am Clara, the head of the Vampire Council.”

Clara was fair-skinned with mousy, brown hair that hung neatly to her shoulders. Vicky studied her hazel eyes, but she could not find anything that screamed vampire.

“I would like to apologize for your ill treatment last night. I have had words with Michael, and he asks that you forgive his misconduct.”

Vicky’s hand strayed to her neck as she listened to the woman speak.

“I assure you that you are safe here for the remainder of your stay, and in the future, if you choose to return. You are welcome here at any time.”

“Thank you.” Vicky smiled and stood up to shake Clara’s hand. “I would gladly come back.”

Clara smiled warmly at her guest.

“Have you heard anything about the car, Miss Westernly?” Darien asked as he eyed the plate of stew Vicky had been working on.

Vicky turned to address her boss. “Roger said he was getting the parts delivered from town within the hour.” She sat back down and picked up her spoon.

“It should only take me about thirty minutes after that to get her up and running,” Roger said around a mouthful of food.

Darien nodded his approval. He could feel the eyes of the other occupants in the room on him. Placing his elbows on the table, he picked up a roll and toyed with it. Darien tore a bit off and rolled it in his fingers. A smile curled the corner of his mouth as he dipped the bread into Vicky’s gravy.

“Do you mind?” Vicky scowled at the invasion.

“No,” Darien smirked, as he popped the gravy-laden bread into his mouth, earning him a gasp from the rest of the room.

Vicky rolled her eyes and went back to her food. It was easy to see that he was showing off.

Clara sighed. “You’re going to make yourself sick,” she said as she circled the table and took the chair next to Brian.

“I haven’t done that in a long time.” Darien chuckled as he bit off another piece of the bread. “Anyway, I like the taste of food and have always wanted to try Natalie’s cooking.” He chewed for a moment before turning his attention to the cook. “It’s very good.”

Natalie blushed and thanked him.

“When you’re done grandstanding,” Clara sniggered from the other side of the table, “why don’t you show Miss Westernly around?”

“That’s an excellent idea, Clara,” Darien answered. He popped another piece of the roll in his mouth.

Clara quickly broke the tension that had settled on the room by prodding Liz into a description of the gardens.

***

“Wow, these are really beautiful roses,” Vicky commented, sniffing at the large blooms surrounding the gazebo. She had gladly gone with her boss on a tour of the mansion after their meal.

Darien stood in the shade of the trellised outbuilding and smiled over the magnificent garden that Liz had showered with love. Being a vampire’s home, Liz had picked a healthy mix of plants that would bloom during the day and at night. Darien had seen the wonders of Liz’s garden under the full moon, but this was the first time he had the pleasure of walking in it during the day. He had always tried to avoid doing things that would make Clara’s people wary of him, but the events of the last day had pretty much blown those plans out of the water.

Vicky glanced up at Darien gazing over the lush foliage of the English-style garden, and pondered what she had learned. She watched him stick his hand out on the railing, where the sunlight sparkled, and pull it back into the shade. He did this several times as he admired the handiwork around him.

“Are you really a vampire?” Vicky asked as she watched him.

Darien looked over at the odd question.

“It’s just… you’re nothing like I ever dreamed a vampire would be.” She shrugged.

An odd grin turned up the corner of his mouth as he played with the sunbeam.

“I assure you that I am a vampire and have been everything your imagination can come up with, and more.” He looked out over the garden again as he remembered evil things from his past.

Vicky blanched as her mind came up with some very nasty things she had seen in some movies.

“I’ve done some very dark things in the time I’ve lived.” Darien looked back at his assistant. “But most of it’s in the distant past. Still, you should always be wary when dealing with vampires, no matter who they are.”

Swallowing hard, she thought about his words. She looked away from his serious expression and down to the hand flitting between sunlight and shade. “Does it hurt?”

“What?” Darien was confused by the question.

“The sunlight.” She pointed to the beam Darien was playing with. “I thought sunlight was supposed to hurt vampires.”

He looked down at his hand and smiled. “Yes, the light used to burn when I was younger.” Darien rubbed his hand where the sun had been touching. “Now, it’s like the angry bite of electricity. More uncomfortable than painful.” He looked back at Vicky. “I’ll still burn under strong light. That’s why I don’t go out during the middle of the day if I can help it.”

“So… no sunbathing,” Vicky teased.

The corner of Darien’s mouth turned up in amusement. “No.”

“If vampires are real, what other… um…” She stopped before she could use the word that had popped into her mind.

“Monsters?” Darien offered, as if he was reading her thoughts.

Vicky’s eyes widened at the word. “I wasn’t going to use that word.”

“Maybe not, but it fits. We’ve all done some monstrous things.” Darien looked back over the garden. “A lot of the myths of the world are based in truth. Stories of vampires, werewolves, fay, witches, and even demons are all real. Sometimes the facts get twisted up in the retelling of the tales, but you should still heed a warning from all of them. What one would call
supernatural beings
walk among humans every day. We hide what we are to avoid persecution, but I can guarantee that you know many such creatures, without being aware there is anything special about them. Those that can’t hide have withdrawn into places where human society cannot endanger them.”

Darien let out a sigh before he went on. “The sad part is the most monstrous things done in all of history were done by normal humans. The creatures of the night try to keep a low profile so they can go on living their lives without worry.”

“You haven’t kept much of a low profile,” Vicky pointed out. “You’re one of the highest-profile people I can think of!”

Darien smiled at her. “True, but how many people know I’m a vampire?” He raised an eyebrow, and she nodded her concession. “Anyway, even if someone named me for what I am, how many people would believe them?”

“You have a point,” she admitted and looked out over the garden again. Vicky could hear the roar of the Torino’s engine starting in front of the house.

“Sounds like Roger’s done.” Darien approached the steps that would take him out of the gazebo. “Maybe we should go check it out.”

Vicky nodded. “Then we can find where my clothing and shoes went to,” she said and padded after her boss, barefoot.

Darien chuckled his agreement.

***

A smile curled the edges of Darien’s lips as he looked over at his assistant. Vicky was slouched over in the seat so her head rested against the window of the car. He shook his head as he studied the long line of unguarded skin down the side of her neck. He had warned her to be cautious around all vampires, yet, here she was, sound asleep and utterly defenseless in his company.

Darien placed the tip of his finger on the soft spot behind her ear and pulled it down so that his nail scraped softly across the pulse point in her neck. Vicky moaned lightly in her sleep and rolled her head back, so the skin stretched a little more. He rubbed his finger back and forth on the bit of clavicle exposed by the cut of her shirt as the hunger stirred in him. The tips of his fangs press into his lip, and he could still taste the sweet tang of her blood from when he had licked it from her wound last night.