The Kings Fire

by Leilani Love

  Once the class was over, Aithne watched Viktor out of the corner of her eye, as he walked to the men’s locker room. The girls all walked with her to the juice bar and she smiled at Nathan. “Hey Nathan, can I get a strawberry banana smoothie?”

  “Of course.” He winked at her before asking the other girls if they wanted something. After confirming that no one else needed anything, he turned to make her drink. Eva grinned, raising her eyebrows suggestively, while mouthing the words “cute.”

  “Here you go.” Nathan handed her the drink, and when she went to pay him he shook his head. “My treat.” he said with a flirty grin, as she smiled back and thanked him.

  Aithne headed to the locker rooms with the others. She smiled when the two younger sisters came running up to them. Eva smiled at her. “Amy, these are my two younger sisters Sari and Angyalka. Angel for short. Girls, this is my new friend Amy.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Aithne said to them, trying not to giggle when both girls shook her hand. Angyalka frowned at her for a second, before she smiled brightly. Both girls chatted vividly about their class as they walked into the locker room.

  “Hey Amy, would you like to come over for dinner tonight?” Violca asked as they headed outside. “Eva says you’re new in town, too.” Not wanting to appear too eager, she took a moment before answering. When Eva piped up with, “I could come pick you up on my way if you’d like.” That gave her the perfect opportunity to accept.

  “Sure, that’d be great. Text me the time, and I’ll send you my address.” As she pushed open the door to leave the locker room, she barely missed bumping into Viktor. Smiling politely before stepping around him, she headed out of the gym. Once outside, she let out a long breath, before she headed to her car.

  Aithne felt a twinge of guilt for her motives in getting close to Eva and her sisters. She was surprised when she got invited to the house so quickly. She knew the house was well guarded from the outside. It would definitely be easier to finish her mission away from the house, but she wanted to make sure she had more than one plan in place. Covering all the bases was never a bad thing, besides, she also needed to get close to Chase.

  Aithne knew they were all living with Viktor, and a part of her secretly hoped he wouldn’t be there for dinner. He stood a little taller than her and she was not used to having to look up at anyone. Even though she told herself that the spark was static electricity, she decided to try her best to stay away from him. When he looked at her with those dark blue eyes, and that lopsided grin, her heart raced. She didn’t need that kind of distraction.

  Back in her room, Aithne felt her phone go off in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a message from Eva, letting her know dinner would be at six, and that she would be there about five thirty to pick her up. There was also a small note saying to dress casual. Quickly, she messaged the address of the hotel to Eva and texted that she would meet her in the lobby.

  A quick glance at the clock told her that she had a couple of hours before Eva arrived, so she decided that a shower would do her good. It would give her plenty of time to get ready, before going over the floor plan of the house.

  Aithne decided to leave her hair down for the night and put on a slim pair of black pants and a green scoop neck blouse that made her eyes pop. Turning on her laptop, she brought up the plans for the house. The house was surrounded by a large stone fence, and had cameras strategically placed around the property. From the angles and placements there was only one or two blind spots and the fence was periodically walked by different guards. The day she did her surveillance, she noticed they didn’t keep a set pattern, so timing it would not be an option. At any given time, there seemed to be between four to six guards on the outside grounds.

  The tree Aithne had climbed gave her a good view. She was skilled enough to climb the wall to get in, but wanted to keep her distance. She couldn’t find anything on the security system that they had installed, so getting inside would be the best way to check things out. She would have to talk Eva into giving her a tour, then she would need to make mental notes and if she could, take pictures.

  Glancing at the clock she slipped on a pair of boots, ran the brush through her hair, and applied some red lipstick. Feeling a little naked leaving the apartment without any weapons, she double checked her reflection one more time, before grabbing her keys and purse. Entering the lobby she smiled when she saw Eva step through the doors.

  “I could have met you in your room.” Eva said as she gave her a light hug.

  “My room’s a mess. It was just as easy to meet you down here.” Aithne smiled as she took her arm and started to stroll back out the door. “I have all my stuff up there, haven’t decided if I want to rent an apartment or look for a roommate.”

  Eva led her to a Toyota Corolla parked out front. Noticing the SUV with two big guys sitting in it she frowned. “Eva, aren’t those the guys from outside the coffee shop last night?”

  Eva pressed the button to unlock the doors and they both got in. “Yeah, don’t worry about them, they stay out of the way.” Aithne gave her a look and Eva shrugged. “It’s a long story and not worth mentioning.”

  Aithne laughed, “Sounds interesting! I think when you tell other people, you should tell them you are a princess in hiding.”

  Eva laughed, “I might use that next time.”

  The drive to the main house took less than thirty minutes. Once they pull through the gate, Aithne noticed that there was a guard station right behind the gate. She saw several monitors inside and a single, but well built, guard. When they pulled up to the house, Aithne let out a small whistle. “Wow, this place looks amazing.”

  Eva grinned, “It’s Viktor’s family home. He was nice enough to give my family a wing when we moved here. The wing we live in is bigger than the house we used to live in.”

  Getting out, she followed Eva up the stairs and noticed two small cameras focused on the door. So far, everything was telling her that her mission would fail if she were to attempt to do it at the house. Regardless of if she found a weak spot or not, she could plan better by simply knowing how well prepared the security guards were.

  Inside, Eva took her jacket and hung it in the closet next to the front door. She then led Aithne down a long hall. Hearing voices from one of the rooms, Eva opened the door. “Have I mentioned how glad I am that you guys hang out in the downstairs living room? I would hate to have to search the place to find you guys.”

  Aithne followed Eva into the room and smiled when she noticed several of the guys sitting around a coffee table, playing a game of ‘Life’ with the two youngest girls. “Amy, I would like you to meet my roommate Eryk, and his brother Scott,” Eva said, pointing to the two guys sitting in the chairs. She then motioned to the guy sitting on the couch behind Violca, “and this, is my sister’s boyfriend, Chase. Guys, this is my new friend Amy.”

  Eryk was the first one to get up from his chair and shake her hand, followed by Scott. Chase gesture towards her with a nod, since Violca was sitting on the floor between his legs. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amy.” Chase said with a warm smile.

  Violca smiled up at Aithne, “Amy, I’m so glad you joined us. We’re almost done here. Have a seat, dinner will be ready soon.”

  Sitting in the chair next to Eva, Aithne couldn’t help but laugh as she watched them all play. There was something very sweet about watching the big guys play with the younger girls. The two girls seemed to really enjoy coming up with fun taunts for when they passed one of the boys. Both the younger girls broke out in a pout when Eryk made a comeback and suddenly won. He responded by picking up the two girls and twirling them around in his victory dance.

  The door opened and Aithne turned toward it, a smile still on her lips. When she saw Viktor, his dark wavy hair wet from a recent shower, her smile faltered. His white shirt clung to his chest and his dark jeans fit him like a glove. Viktor looked around the room, his eyebrow arching when he spotted Eryk holding the girls over each of his sh
oulders. A smirk played across his lips at the sight. When he turned, his dark blue eyes found hers and she felt her breath catch. “It’s nice to see you again, Amy.”

  Aithne nodded her head. “Thank you for having me over for dinner.”

  The corner of his lip came up in a smile, right before Sari and Angyalka came running at him, wrapping themselves around his legs. He smiled down at them and Aithne noticed his dimples for the first time. “Did you guys let Eryk win?” He asked teasingly.

  Sari grinned proudly, while looking up at him. “Yep!”

  Angyalka quickly agreed. “We didn’t want him to cry again.”

  Everyone laughed and Eryk pretended to glare at the two girls. “I do not cry.”

  The girls pretended to hide behind Viktor as they mocked Eryk with, “Uh huh’s.” Feigning a growl, Eryk began to chase the two girls around the room. Once they made their way around Viktor, they took off, happily squealing down the hall.

  Chapter 8

  Viktor watched Eryk chase the girls down the hall. He then turned to look at Scott. “Are you sure he’s old enough for college?”

  Scott smiled and boasted with pride, “I went to his graduation and everything.” Scott’s smile got bigger. “Besides, he’s out of the house, and I’m not taking him back.”

  Eva laughed at that muttering. “Great, so you stick me with him.”

  Viktor’s gaze turned to Amy, who was sitting in one of the chairs. He liked the light sound of her laughter and the way her green eyes sparkled. Turning her head, her laughter faded when she noticed him watching her. Viktor remembered the spark from her touch, and guessing by the way her cheeks turned a light shade of pink, she was remembering it as well. He almost groaned out loud when she nervously licked her lips. His cock pulsed as he easily imagined her tongue on him.

  She turned to Violca smiling. “I really want to thank you guys again for inviting me over for dinner. I was dreading another night of take out.”

  Violca smiled back. “You’re so welcome, we’re really glad you could join us. We’ve only met a handful of people since we moved here.”

  Viktor nodded to Chase and Scott who excused themselves, then followed him to his office. Closing his door, he walked back behind his desk. When the other two took their seats, he looked directly at Chase. “Brian and Alex told me you were able to find a few small camps.”

  Chase sighed, leaning back in his chair. “We found about six in total. It looked like two of them had been there for a while, the other four seemed relatively new and were closer to the house.”

  Viktor heard a small growl from Scott. Viktor knew Scott was over protective of Kati, and was glad he respected their decision for him not to live in the house with them. Violca listened and asked questions when they explained about how Scott had imprinted on Kati, but asked Scott to give her time to experience life.

  Viktor knew that being away from her, and the fact that Violca expected Scott to let Kati date if she met someone, was really hard on him. Scott knew she could reject him, but agreed with Violca. Kati should have a chance to experience life and when she was older, Scott was determined to win her over.

  “What did you guys find?” Viktor asked, looking at both Scott and Chase.

  Chase shook his head. “Not a lot. Once the first camp was discovered, it appears they tried to get rid of anything that might have had any information. I found some burnt papers in one of the caves.”

  “I only detected one, maybe two dragon scents, but there were other kinds of shifters. Mostly wolves and quite a few humans, although by the scent, the humans were there first and left a few days ago.”

  Viktor leaned back in his chair, considering all of what they had just told him. If his people found humans roaming the mountains and the woods, they probably would have left them alone and just kept an eye on them. Campers and hikers didn’t usually go that far into the woods and mountains, but occasionally one did. “It was smart to send humans first. My guards would be suspicious of anything supernatural, but a human they would just watch from a distance.”

  Everyone sat in silence for a moment, each lost in his own thoughts, until Viktor said, “Chase, I need you to do a quick background check on Amy.”

  “Do you think we should keep her away from the girls?” Chase asked, the look on his face telling Viktor he would rather not be the one to tell them.

  “No, I just think it’s smart to be on the safe side of everything right now. Since she’s new in town, we don’t have any information on her. If she’s going to be hanging out with them, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

  Scott grinned sheepishly. “I‘m sure they would understand, but I wouldn’t bring it up to Violca, unless she asks.”

  They all chuckled at that. Violca walked a fine line between wanting to give her sisters a normal life, and keeping them protected. She was reasonable about most things, but thought they had a tendency to be overprotective. She had quickly shot down the suggestion that all the girls be home schooled and Eva take online college courses. The girls all agreed that there was no point to living, if they had to do it locked away.

  Hearing a sound outside the door, Viktor called out for whomever was out there to enter. Angyalka stood in the doorway, smiling at all of them. Viktor held back a grin as she lit up like a Christmas tree when all of their eyes focused on her. She was going to be a handful, he thought to himself. He definitely didn’t envy Chase or Violca the many headaches that would come, when Angyalka and Sari became teenagers.

  “V says if you boys are done talking, it’s time for dinner.”

  The guys all stood up, heading toward the door. Chase reached Angyalka first, picking her up and swinging her in his arms to the sound of her laughter echoing in the halls. “Come little munchkin, let’s go eat before your sisters eat all the food!” She giggled in response. When Chase put her down, she grabbed his hand. When Viktor approached, she turned and grabbed his, in her other.

  When they got to the dining room, Viktor was still surprised at the changes the girls had made. His parents had always had a long formal dining table that easily sat twenty or more people. When he told Violca she could redecorate the common rooms to make them feel more at home, she swapped out that table for one that sat ten. It expanded to fit more, but Violca said dinner time was family time and she wasn’t going to yell down the table to talk to everyone.

  The girls also refused to have the staff make their plates. Instead, the food was set out on the table and they passed it around. Angyalka dropped his hand and ran to her seat at the table. Even though Eva had moved out, she came home often for dinner. Scott and Eryk also came often, and he noticed everyone had begun to sit in the same chairs every time. Amy was seated next to Eva, her chair to the right of his at the head of the table. Taking his seat next to her, he saw her stiffen before smiling politely at him.

  Viktor cleared his throat before smiling back at her. “Do you have any brothers or sisters Amy?”

  Amy tilted her head, causing the light to hit her hair in such a way that it looked like she was surrounded by fire. “I don’t have any brothers, but I do have two older sisters.”

  Viktor smiled, looking around the table at the girls teasing each other while they passed around the plates. Amy took a piece of chicken before passing him the plate. “Are they anything like this?”

  Amy laughed, “My sisters are nothing like this, to be honest.”

  Chapter 9

  Aithne smiled, thinking about how she would have liked to have her sisters be more like this. The playful teasing between the sisters was nice to watch. She could see the affection between them and was envious. The age difference between her and her sisters wouldn’t be thought of as much now. But during the time period they were born in, her sisters had already been promised for marriage and didn’t have time for a little sister.

  Glancing at Viktor, she noticed how his blue eyes lit up when Angyalka announced she wanted the biggest slice of garlic bread. “What about you, any bro
thers or sisters?”

  Aithne found herself curious about what he would say about his family, “I have one younger brother.”

  Eva joined the conversation. “You’ve never really talked about him that much. Did you get along when you were younger?”

  Viktor thought about it, then reached out to take the last plate from her. “When we were younger, we got along pretty well. Even though he was often caught getting into mischief, it was harmless and good natured.”

  Aithne noticed the light sound of regret in his voice. Taking a bite of her chicken, she closed her eyes. “Wow, this is amazing.”

  Eva grinned, “Viktor has the best cooks. I think I gained about ten pounds when we first moved in.”

  They all ate in silence for a few minutes, Aithne enjoying it all. It was a simple dinner; Chicken, potatoes and grilled vegetables, but they were all seasoned and cooked to perfection. The younger two girls kept most of the conversation flowing, clearly excited to be going to a new school and making new friends.

  “I hope they don’t have any stupid boys like they did at my last school.” Sari announced, and based on everyone’s laughter that was a constant complaint.

  “I’m sorry little one, but boys are stupid no matter which school you go to.” Eryk told her before messing up her hair.

  Sari giggled. “You aren’t stupid Eryk.”

  Eryk kissed her on the nose. “Thank you.”

  Aithne was aware of Viktor next to her, and tried her best to keep from touching him. She wasn’t above using sex to get to her target, but she tried to avoid it. That shock she felt when he touched her hand, still had her flustered. The fact that she was very much aware of him, made her think if she was going to use sex to get close to her target, then she would pick someone else. Getting too close to him would be complicated.