Kindling Flames: Smoke Rising (The Ancient Fire Series Book 3)

by Julie Wetzel

  Vicky watched as excited couples came up and walked between the bowls. As they passed the fires, the fay’s enchantment dropped away to reveal who they were. Many of the couples smiled and kissed. A few were totally surprised at who they chose as their partners. Vicky smiled when she watched Darien’s double walked through with her doppelgänger. She laughed when their disguises melted away into Karl and Sue. The couple that surprised everyone the most was Clara and Rupert stepping between the columns together.

  “That will give everyone something to think about.” Elliot chuckled from behind him.

  “Go get yours and get changed.” Darien grinned back at his friend.

  Elliot laughed and went to the woman waiting for him.

  Vicky watched it all with wide eyes. The fires stripped away the enchantments, so the couples were left in what they had been wearing before they were changed. “Darien.” Vicky ran her free hand down the front of her dress. “Those fires will clean away the fay’s magic.”

  “Yes.” He nodded as he watched another couple change. “It’s an old custom to use bonfires to cleanse things on Samhain.” Darien turned his eyes to the woman next to him. “This will end the ball part, and then we can get started on the party.”

  Vicky nodded her understanding.

  “Come on, it will be our turn soon.” Darien wrapped Vicky’s hand back around his arm and escorted her to the end of the line.

  Vicky stopped just short of the fires and looked up at Darien, apprehensive of stepping between the columns. Watching everyone in the room returned to their normal state had given her a moment to think. She had changed out of her clothing before the fay enchanted her. If she was returned to her original state, would that leave her naked? If it had been just her and Darien, it wouldn’t have bothered her so much, but every eye was on them at the moment.

  Darien looked down at the reluctant woman. “It’ll be okay,” he promised as he patted her hand reassuringly.

  Vicky gave him a resigned sigh and let him pull her between the flames. A soft tingle washed over her skin as the magic swept across her. She pulled in a soft gasp as the pang of a muscle cramp hit her low in the gut. The uncomfortable feeling was quickly washed away by a stabbing pain that bloomed in her chest. Vicky cried out as she clutched at her chest and crumpled to the floor.

  “Victoria!” Darien gasped and grabbed the falling woman to stop her from hitting hard. The crowd stilled as his control shattered and his full power rolled out over the group.

  Dakine quickly dropped to a knee on the floor next to them.

  “What happened?” Darien’s eye scanned over Vicky, looking for any signs of hurt.

  Dakine touched her, searching for the problem. “The bonfires tried to burn the strand out.” He quickly removed the magic, trying to cleanse out the impurity.

  Vicky’s breathing evened out as he worked.

  “Will she be okay?” Darien asked.

  “I think she will be, but only time will tell.” Dakine pulled his hand back from Vicky as he finished. “Take her to rest for a while.”

  Darien nodded and picked the unconscious woman up from the floor, careful not to crush the wings still attached to her back. Worried mutters could be heard coming from the watching crowd as Darien carried Vicky off to a pile of pillows. The occupants quickly moved so that Darien could lay Vicky down. He sat next to her and ran his fingers through her golden locks.

  Dakine clapped his hands bringing the groups attention away from the distressed vampire and back to him. “The time has come for other things,” Dakine said loudly, and the fires in the bowls died out. The fay that had brought out the tools quickly stepped up to remove them.

  “Eat, drink, and be merry!” Dakine called. Heavier dance music started up as half the candles in the room went out, casting the whole place into deeper shadows. A soft fog rolled across the floor, and the ball shifted into more of a club-like atmosphere. No one moved as they watched Dakine head over to check on Vicky, but it wasn’t long until the heavy beat inspired a few to start dancing. Soon, the whole floor was in full swing, but even with the music pushing them, it was hard to ignore the anxious energy coming off Darien.

  “Control, Master.” Elliot tapped Darien on the shoulder to get his attention.

  Darien looked up from Vicky, shocked at the way his friend used his title. He hadn’t heard Elliot refer to him in that submissive tone in nearly two hundred years. “What?” Darien asked, confused.

  “Remember your control, Sire.” Clara knelt next to the cushions. “Or you will have every vampire here under your power.”

  Darien turned his shocked eyes to her. Even though he was responsible for her change, she had stopped calling him Sire a long time ago. He cast his gaze over the collection of vampires kneeling around the pillows and realized that he held them enthralled. Swallowing hard, he turned his attention to himself to understand how this had happened without him realizing it. He clamped down the cap that he usually kept on his power and cut off lines pulling at the other vampires.

  “My apologies.” Darien sighed as he worked to get his power back under control. He had become very good at keeping his strength under wraps. It was hard to run a successful business with his otherworldly energies making his clients uncomfortable. He had gotten to the point where he could pass for human. Darien opened his eyes to find that the vampires he had called were slowly standing up again. They were all a little shaky, but unharmed.

  “It’s all right,” Clara reassured him and looked around to make sure no one was still caught. “It has been a long time since you have called us. We are here if you need us.”

  Darien nodded his head at her. “I don’t know what happened.” Sighing, he looked down at Vicky, asleep in the pillows. “I didn’t intend to call anyone.” He thought about his actions as he scrunched his fingers up, feeling Vicky’s curls. A more powerful vampire could bend a lesser vampire to his will if the difference in their levels was great enough. Darien knew he was strong, but the fact that he had caught so many accidentally worried him. He drew in a deep, calming breath before turning his attention to the white dress and wings that had not disappeared when they had walked between the fires. Worrying about his lack of control could come after he made sure Vicky was okay. “Lord Dakine.” Darien turned his face up towards the elf lord standing behind Clara. “Why didn’t she change back?”

  Dakine looked down at the sleeping woman. Darien had laid Vicky on her side so she wouldn’t crush the delicate wings attached to her back. They quivered in her sleep. Dakine got closer so he could inspect the parts of Vicky’s costume that hadn’t returned to normal. “I told you that the little one’s had something special planned for her.” He touched the white silk of the dress. “This is not enchanted.”

  Darien looked over the elaborate dress. “Not enchanted?” He touched the soft gown. “As in, real.”

  “Of course it’s real, Kian Dubhlainn.”

  Darien looked up at the voice of the silver-haired woman, recognizing her by the spiders crawling on her skirt.

  “The lesser fay were rather insistent that her dress be real,” Arachne explained as she approached them. “My little ones worked hard to make your lady a gown appropriate for your handfasting.”

  “Handfasting!” Darien gasped as he looked back down at his sleeping assistant. “But, we’re not getting married.” Soft laughter came ringing from the ceiling above him.

  “The winged ones believe that you will, and they wanted to be here for the celebration.” Arachne played with a spider on her fingers as she spoke. “They can feel you in her already.”

  Anger rose in Darien as he realized the lesser fay were trying to manipulate him. “Did you know about this?” He turned angry eyes to Dakine.

  “I knew the little ones had intentions, but not what their ends would be,” Dakine answered honestly. He gently touched the wings attached to Vicky’s back.

  Moaning softly, she shivered.

  “This could be difficult.”
>
  “What?” Darien asked as he watched the fay touching Vicky.

  “These are as real as the dress.” Dakine pulled his hand back and considered the woman. “It seems the little ones have found a way to turn her more than half fay.”

  Shock washed the anger out of Darien. “But, the wards were supposed to keep the fay from doing anything permanent to guests,” he protested. His mind spun on how this could happen. “Did you let the wards slip?” he asked Dakine with just a hint of accusation in his voice. The giggles sounded from above them again.

  “I assure you, I had nothing to do with this.” Dakine waved his hand, palm up, over Vicky. “They must have found a hole in her protection.” He looked over Vicky again, trying to puzzle out how the fay had managed the change.

  “Did you invite her to the party?” Elliot asked from where he stood next to Darien.

  “Of course,” Darien snapped. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Not bring her, did you invite her?” Elliot clarified, pinning Darien with his hazel eyes. “Did you formally invite Victoria to the party tonight?”

  Darien stopped his automatic answer and thought about the question. “No,” he answered. “I assumed she was coming with me.”

  Dakine let out a ragged breath. “The protection didn’t cover her.” He smiled at the little ones’ cunning. “It only covered you and anyone you invited.”

  Darien stared at him, dumbfounded.

  “Since invitations were sent out to the werewolves, the fay, and all the masters and their minions, I didn’t think any more clarification was needed. It never occurred to me that cailín wouldn’t have been invited.” The giggles and cheers from the winged fay grew louder.

  Darien growled at their joy, and the sound quieted a little. He looked over at the large, white wolf standing on one side of the pillows. “Did you know about this?”

  Zak lowered his head and snorted into Vicky’s hair.

  Darien glared at the hellhound’s non-committal answer. “I’m going to get some tomatoes on the way home. I’ll get more pleasure out of making the marinara sauce myself.” Once done threatening the hellhound, Darien turned his attention back to the people watching him. “So, what do I need to do?”

  “The little ones want to dance at your handfasting,” Arachne said as if the answer were obvious.

  Darien sighed, giving in. He could see no way out of this one. “I can’t force her into something she doesn’t want.”

  “Have you asked her?” Clara inquired.

  Darien gave her an incredulous look. “No.” He shook his head. “Marriage is not something that we’ve talked about.”

  “Ask her,” Elliot said from behind him. “What’s a handfasting compared to a vampire mark?”

  “You marked her?” Clara’s eyebrows crawled up to her hairline in surprise.

  “It’s a long story.” Darien blushed slightly, ashamed of his drunken behavior and the failed attempt at marking Vicky. “But, you’re right. What is a year and a day compared to a lifetime?”

  “Then wake her up and ask her already,” Rupert growled from where he had come up to listen to the conversation. “I haven’t been to a handfasting in years.”

  Letting out a resigned breath, he nodded his head and turned his full attention to Vicky. “Victoria,” Darien said softly, taking a hold of her hand. He squeezed it lightly.

  Vicky’s breathing deepened for a second, but she didn’t wake up.

  “Victoria, wake up,” he tried again. Raising his free hand, he rubbed her cheek lightly.

  She drew in a deep breath and let it out in a light moan, but she still did not wake up.

  Dakine snickered from where he had backed up to give the vampire room. “It’s going to take more than that to wake her from this magic-induced sleep.” His grin widened as he went on. “And I don’t think threatening to fire her will work this time.”

  Darien chuckled at the elf. “You have a point.” He carefully gathered Vicky up in his arms and pulled her in against him. The lesser fay flitted around above him, egging him on. He could feel their excitement growing as he leaned forwards and placed a light kiss on Vicky’s lips. If anyone wasn’t paying attention to the scene, the squeals and chorales of joy from the lesser fay told them something good had happened. The sounds of ‘Kian Dubhlainn loves cailín’ bounced around the room, informing everyone that didn’t already know. Darien pulled back from the kiss, smiling. He hadn’t tried to hide his relationship with Vicky, but it felt odd to have it announced to everyone like that.

  Vicky made a slightly pained noise as she pulled from her sleep. “What happened?” she mumbled, raising a hand to rub at her temple.

  “You had a bad reaction to the magic,” Darien informed her.

  Vicky opened her eyes and looked up into his.

  “It’s all right now,” he reassured her and helped her sit up in the cushions.

  Vicky shook her head slightly, trying to clear the last of the magic from her mind. She drew in a deep breath and looked around at the faces surrounding her. They were oddly devoid of emotion.

  Darien could see the questions ready to bubble up inside her, and he took her hand to draw her attention back to him. Opening his mouth, he started to explain what had happened, but closed it again. He knew how these games were played, and if he told Vicky about the conditions, it could void her response.

  Vicky cocked her head in question.

  “Victoria Westernly, will you marry me?” Darien asked, skipping over the reason. She would need to hear it eventually, but he knew that the magic would only work on an honestly given reply.

  Vicky’s mind clicked out of gear, and she stared at him with an open mouth. A strange silence filled their corner of the room as the winged fay stilled to hear what she would say.

  Darien held his breath, waiting for Vicky to recover enough to reply to his request.

  “What?” Vicky was finally able to ask after a few attempts at talking.

  Clara rested her hand on Vicky’s shoulder. “The man just asked you to marry him.” She smiled. “Are you going to leave him hanging?”

  “Of course I will.” Vicky shook her head at Clara. “I’m just shocked.” She turned back to look at Darien. “Why so suddenly?”

  “Is that a yes?” Darien asked, his voice flat toned and serious.

  Vicky surged forwards and wrapped her arms around Darien’s head. She pulled him in to rest against her chest and leaned her head over on top of his.

  “Of course I will marry you!”

  Darien slipped his arms around her. He let out a sigh of relief that was lost under the cheers of the lesser fay.

  “Congratulations, Kian Dubhlainn,” a soft voice broke into the excitement of the fay.

  Vicky dropped away from Darien to look up at the tall woman with long, black hair that had joined them.

  “I am glad that you found that which you were missing in your life.”

  “Good evening, Lady Aine.” Darien took up Vicky’s hand and held it tightly. “Cailín has done me the honor of accepting my hand.”

  Vicky could feel the tension in his grasp and knew that something was going on that she did not understand. Clara and Dakine stepped back as the fay queen moved around Vicky and Darien.

  “Such a pity.” The woman reached out and rubbed a finger along the upper edge of Vicky’s wing. “She would have made a lovely addition to my court.”

  Vicky trembled at the touch.

  “Did you know about this?” Darien asked in an unusually even voice.

  Vicky could tell he was angry about something.

  “Peace, Dubhlainn,” Lady Aine smiled at him. “I only found out after the little ones had made their move. I see that you’ve played their game well.” Lady Aine continued around the pile of pillows until she stood next to Darien. She bent over to whisper in his ear. “Keep your prize well, Kian. There are others that would gladly take it if you decide you don’t want it.”

  Darien whipped his head around until
he was staring into the queen’s dark eyes. “I will,” he said softly to the fay. They held the gaze for a long moment before the queen stood up, laughing.

  “Come, my little ones.” Lady Aine turned away from the group. “Let Kian have a moment with his lady before their handfasting. I am sure cailín has some questions that need answering, and there are preparations to be made.”

  Vicky stared in amazement as Lady Aine left in a swarm of lesser fay and a swirl of green skirt. “What just happened?” she asked, still stunned by everything.

  Darien sighed and let the tension drain away from him. “It has been too long since I played these games.” Hanging his head, he rubbed Vicky’s knuckles with his thumb. “I had forgotten how dangerous they could be.”

  “The lesser fay found a loophole in the enchantment tonight and decided to take advantage of it,” Elliot explained.

  Vicky looked up at the blond vampire. “A loophole?”

  “Apparently, since Master Darien didn’t formally invite you, you weren’t protected by the enchantments Lord Dakine set up to control the lesser fay.” Elliot smiled ironically at the folly.

  “Had you not agreed to Master Darien’s sudden request, the fay would have seen it as denying him and claimed you as theirs,” Clara explained.

  Vicky’s jaw dropped, and she looked back over the man holding her hand. “Darien,” her voice was a little breathy as her wings fluttered in anxiety, “is this true?”

  Darien nodded his head without looking up from where it hung. “I would have asked you eventually, anyway.” His gaze shifted to meet Vicky’s. His eyes shimmered brilliant green as he spoke. “This just pressed the issue a little sooner than I would have liked.”

  Vicky could see the truth in his eyes. “I already told you I would give you anything you wanted.” She squeezed Darien’s hand and paused as an odd thought hit her. “Vanessa is going to be pissed that she missed my wedding.”