by Julie Wetzel
Kindling Flames
Smoke Rising
Julie Wetzel
Crimson Tree Publishing
THIS book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the authors' imagination or are used factiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
NO part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Kindling Flames-Smoke Rising
Copyright ©2014 Julie Wetzel
All rights reserved.
Cover Design by: Marya Heiman
Typography by: Courtney Nuckels
To Krys, Karl, and Dick.
Thanks for understanding and supporting me.
I love you.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Saturday night at Alchemy was always a good time. The thumping music of the club pulsed through Vicky as she sat in the usual booth, laughing with her college friends. It felt good to get out of the house and unwind. Her life was finally returning to some resemblance of normal. That was, if you could consider living with an insanely rich, nine-hundred-year-old vampire and a hellhound normal.
“Are you going to be bringing Darien to the Halloween party?” Vanessa, Vicky’s best friend, asked.
Vicky smiled as she thought about her boss. In the last six months, her relationship with Darien had gotten a little complicated.
Her life had changed drastically when he took her in after a fire had ravaged her apartment. Both Darien and Zak had been very supportive as she dealt with the mental anguish that came with having her reality reordered. It hadn’t helped that she had nearly been killed by a raging ifrit and a whole host of shadow demons.
After that whole fiasco was over, Vicky had tried to get her life back in order, but she found she had a few issues to work through. Plagued with nightmares, she would wake screaming in the dark. Of course, this would bring Darien running to comfort her. After a week of night terrors and crying herself back to sleep in his arms, she gave up trying to sleep on her own and returned to his bed. They spent a comfortable month simply wrapped together before Vicky pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Darien had been happy to give in under her soft lips.
Zak, on the other hand, didn’t like it one bit. The hellhound had ended their first romantic interlude by dragging one of Darien’s dress shoes up on the bed and eating it. After a lot of growling from both Zak and Darien and some soft words to each from Vicky, Zak had come to accept the changes in the growing relationship. Occasionally, he still made his displeasure known by eating the hems out of any of Darien’s pants he could get to. This included the ones the vampire happened to be wearing at the time.
“Of course she is,” Beth answered for her. “A Halloween party wouldn’t be the same without our resident vampire lord,” she teased.
Maggie and Vanessa giggled at the running gag. Vicky’s friends didn’t know Darien really was a vampire. One drunken evening, the girls had reinvented the poor man while teasing Vicky. Their bad joke had stuck once they met the six-foot-tall man with wavy, brown hair and brilliant green eyes. It didn’t help that many of the supernatural creatures that came out to Alchemy referred to him as ‘Master Darien’.
Vicky rolled her eyes at her friends. “Be good, or I’ll offer you up as victims,” she teased back.
Vanessa sighed. “He can bite me any day of the week.”
Maggie laughed. “Me, too.”
Beth grinned along with the rest of Vicky’s college friends. “Where do I sign up?”
Vicky let out a chuckle and shook her head. If only her friends knew what they were saying. “You three are incorrigible. I’ve passed the invitation on, and he said he would come.” Darien had just smiled and agreed when she’d told him about the party Vanessa was holding on Beggar’s Night.
Maggie swirled her drink around. “I bet his costume will be fantastic.”
Vicky had a sneaking suspicion that Darien knew about her friends’ running joke, and she was afraid to see what he would come up with. Perhaps he would dig into that massive wardrobe of his and pull out one of those historical outfits he had squirreled away.
“Have you thought about what you’re coming as?” Vanessa asked Vicky.
“Not yet.” Vicky shook her head. “Work has been really busy lately.”
“I know!” Beth clapped at her wonderful idea. “You can be Jane, and Darien can be Tarzan!” She giggled. “I bet he would look fantastic in a loin cloth.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Vicky complained. “Did you come here to tease me or to dance?”
“Both.” Vanessa laughed. “Come on, girls.” She stood up to save her best friend from any more abuse.
Vicky had become the subject of most of their teasing lately because she was the only one with a steady boyfriend. It didn’t help that the man in question was one of the hottest guys around. He had an old-world charm that other men lacked. Vanessa contributed it to being raised with money and class. Vicky was not about to set her friends straight on the subject.
The four friends got up and headed out to the wooden dance floor of their favorite club. There was an amazing amount of people out tonight. The club had seen a boost in attendance recently as the wolves and vampires took advantage of the newfound truce to come out and mingle.
Vicky had a feeling they made a point to be out on the nights she went out with her friends. She didn’t think Darien had asked them to keep an eye on her, but she figured that was why they were there. Vicky had to admit, Elliot had been right when he had said she would never want for a companion. Once word had gotten around that Darien didn’t mind her clubbing, she always had plenty of people waiting to dance with her. She was starting to be able to identify which category her dance partners fell into just from their touch. The cooler ones were almost always vampires, while the warmest ones were most likely werewolves. The ones in-between fell into the minion category. Their true nature didn’t matter; they were all polite to Vicky and made sure she and her friends were well taken care of.
Vicky was lost to the beat of the music as she swayed in the arms of a man she had sorted into the vampire category. He was her fourth dance partner so far. She knew the cute brunet would pass her off to the next person as soon as the song ended. Vicky was pulled back to reality when the man went still. For a vampire, still could be very eerie, especially for the younger ones, whose hearts barely beat anyway.
Vicky turned her head to see where her dance partne
r was looking. “What’s wrong?” She noticed several other people had stopped dancing to look towards the door.
“A master just walked in,” the man said quietly to her.
“Who?” Vicky asked.
“I don’t know,” he whispered.
Vicky could hear the concern in his voice. There were only a handful of true masters in Brenton, and they were well known to everyone. This person had to be someone from outside the area.
The vampire released Vicky and turned towards the edge of the dance floor. “I think you should call Master Darien.” He took Vicky’s hand to lead her back to her table.
“Yes,” Vicky agreed. Darien had made it very clear that he wanted her to call if anything odd should occur. A new master counted as an odd occurrence.
“Miss Victoria Westernly?” a voice called from behind Vicky. She had just made it back to where her satchel was stashed. Even now that she lived with Darien, she never went anywhere without the black leather messenger bag he had charged her with.
Vicky and her vampire dance partner turned to look at the large man asking for her. His smartly tailored suit was a little out of place in the low lights of the dance club. “May I help you?” Vicky asked politely.
The man bowed to Vicky. “My master is visiting your fair city and requests your company.”
The vampire holding her hand squeezed it in warning.
She looked up at him and saw the worry in his brown eyes. “I already have a date,” Vicky said to the stranger as she pulled her dance partner over and around her.
He wrapped his arms across her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
“I really must insist,” the man said as he stood up. “Master Christian has come a long way to visit with you this evening.”
Vicky could tell this man wasn’t going to leave until she met with the new master. “All right,” she agreed as her mind came up with an idea.
The vampire wrapped around her squeezed her again.
Vicky patted his arm, letting him know it was okay. “Just let me go to the restroom, and I’ll be right with you.” Pulling from her partner’s arms, she slipped the strap of her bag over her shoulder, ruining the line of her black halter dress. She met her partner’s eyes for a moment before walking away from him. Although she could see the distress her decision had caused him, it was better to go talk with this new master than risk causing a problem for Clara and the local Vampire Council. There were probably a dozen people already calling Darien to let him know there was a situation.
The new master’s envoy followed Vicky to the bathroom but stopped just outside the door.
Vicky slipped into the room and pulled her phone out to send Darien a quick text asking for his help. She was sure he would come, but she had to find a way to stall for time. It would take him about forty minutes or more to drive from his penthouse across town.
Washing her hands, Vicky stared at herself in the mirror, preparing to face this unknown danger. Darien had spent the last few months teaching her about the things that live in the night and what they were capable of. She had been shocked to see exactly how powerful he really was. Vicky still didn’t really understand the power thing, but his strength and speed amazed her. If this visiting master were even half of what Darien was, she would be in real trouble if she tried anything. She would just have to use her wits to keep herself safe.
“Are you ready now, Miss Westernly?” the envoy asked when Vicky stepped out of the bathroom.
She nodded, and the man offered her his arm. Taking it, she touched his hand as she settled in for the walk across the room. He was warm but not hot. Vicky guessed this man was human. She caught several sets of narrowed eyes watching her as they passed. It eased her mind that she had so many allies in the room. Even if he were a master, this visiting vampire would be a fool to try anything tonight.
“Victoria Westernly.” A man dressed in another crisp suit stood up from the table in the corner to greet Vicky. “Good evening.”
The man at Vicky’s side released her and stepped back.
“I’m Christian Bridges.”
Vicky looked over the man she assumed was the new master. Christian was just taller than she was and lean. He had rich brown eyes set in a pleasant face that made him somewhat handsome. His black hair was a little long, but it had that windblown look that made it work.
“Good evning, Mr. Bridges,” Vicky returned the greeting.
The man held out his hand in invitation. “Please, join me.”
Vicky stepped towards the seat he offered. Pulling her bag from her shoulder, she rested it on the floor and sat down. She shivered as Christian’s cold hand touched the skin of her shoulder where the sleeveless dress left her exposed. Vicky flipped a stray strand of her blonde curls back over her shoulder, forcing Christian to remove his hand. Her hair had finally stopped growing at alarming rates, but it had not gone back to her normal dark blonde, smooth locks.
The master vampire reclaimed his seat across the table from Vicky.
Vicky folded her hands into her lap and stared at him with sky-blue eyes. “What can I do for you, Mr. Bridges?”
“Please, call me Christian.” He smiled warmly at her. “I’m new to the area and thought I would pay my respects to you and your master.”
“Mr. Ritter isn’t here right now,” she said, smiling politely back at him, “but if you like, I can call him.”
Christian grinned and shook his head. “That will not be necessary. I suspect he’s already on his way.” Leaning forwards, he placed his arms on the table. “I really wanted to talk to you for a moment alone.”
Vicky could feel the pull of Christian’s eyes and looked down at the table before she could be drawn in. Darien had warned her that some vampires could use their gaze to bend people to their will. She closed her eyes for a moment and centered herself again. Looking back up at Christian, she studied the crooked knot on his tie. It annoyed her enough to break what little hold he had tried to gain. Crooked ties were one of Vicky’s pet peeves. “What would you like to talk about?” Vicky asked. She could just see the smile that cut across Christian’s face.
“Tell me about Darien Ritter.”
Vicky swallowed as she felt the power in his suggestion course through her. Darien had made sure she knew what a suggestion felt like. They had been working on making sure she could withstand them if she wanted to. She had gotten to the point where she could pull out of them almost half the time.
The oily feel of Christian’s power rubbed against the inside of her skin as she resisted giving the man what he wanted. It started to make her head hurt, so she grasped onto something she could give him that would ease the magic on her. “Darien Ritter is the CEO and owner of Ritter Enterprises.” Vicky started to rattle off the highlights from the last Forbes article she had read.
“No.” Christian stopped her when she started into the public face Darien presented. “I want to know about Master Darien.”
The oily power washed over Vicky again. Turning the suggestion once more, she gave him some unknown trivia that wouldn’t hurt Darien. “He likes coffee and clementines. He has a Shih Tzu named Zak that chews on his pants.” Vicky struggled to keep the information as mundane as possible.
Christian smacked his fist on the table, causing Vicky to jump. “Tell me about the Master Vampire Darien Ritter, not the puppet running his company.” He forced his power out and into Vicky. “I want to know if he is as strong as they say he is.”
Vicky closed her eyes and tilted her head forwards as she breathed through her mouth. Darien had never pressed her this hard before, and it was making her head swim. She drew in a ragged breath to answer, unable to withstand the compulsion any more. “Darien… Ritter… is…” Vicky struggled as the power pulled the words from her.
Warmth radiated through her, easing the compulsion. Surprised, she looked up to see Darien’s green eyes looking down on her. His hand rested on her shoulder. The familiar touch of warm feathers swept the oily f
eel from inside her, and she relaxed.
Darien turned angry eyes towards Christian. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t accost my employees.”
The man sat up in surprise. He hadn’t felt Darien come into the club. “Master Darien.” Christian stood up, shocked that Darien had gotten there so fast.
Darien ignored him for a moment to make sure Vicky was okay.
She held her head in her hand, waiting for the room to stop spinning.
A small, dark Shih Tzu whined as he rubbed against Vicky’s leg.
“If you have questions about me, it would be best if you ask them to me.” Darien looked up to find someone to get Vicky some water.
“Forgive me.” Christian pulled Darien’s attention back before he could wave down a waiter. “I wanted to know more about whom I was dealing with before petitioning the Council for residency.”
Darien turned his full attention to the man standing next to the chair and raised an eyebrow as he considered his words. “Pumping one’s assistant is not the proper way to get information,” he reprimanded the new master. “Anyway, you are asking about the wrong person. Clara Mylan runs the Council here.” Darien picked Vicky’s bag up from the floor and dug in it. Pulling out a metal card case, he took a thick business card out before dropping the box back into the bag. “You’ll need to talk with her.” He held the card out for Christian to take.
Christian stared at Darien for a moment, surprised. “You mean, you don’t run the Council?” He reached out and took the card.
“Heavens no!” Darien shook his head. “I’m just a businessman. Clara handles the running of the city.” He turned back to find that the little dog had climbed into Vicky’s lap and was trying to lick her face. She had turned her head, attempting to get out of the reach of his little, pink tongue. “Stop it, Zak,” Darien chided the little dog. “If you’ll excuse me…” He looked at the visiting vampire, expecting the man to give him his name.
Christian answered the unspoken request. “Christian Bridges.” He offered Darien his hand in greeting.
