by Julie Wetzel
“The Council’s facilities are much nicer than this,” he complained. “Are you sure you want to stay here?”
Darien chuckled to himself. “Yes. This will serve us well for the short time we will be staying.”
Mano cocked his head. “Short time? I thought you were here for two weeks.”
“Our total vacation is two weeks,” Darien explained. “But, we’ll only be staying here for two nights. Then we’ll be heading over to the Big Island.”
“The Big Island?”
“Yes. I want to see the volcano while I’m here.” An active volcano was one of the few sights Darien had never had the pleasure of seeing.
“Pele will be pleased,” Mano said approvingly. “I’ll inform the Council and make arrangements for your visit.”
A note of irritation stiffened Darien’s spine again, but he bit it back. Of course the Council would want to know about his plans. In most cases, a visiting vampire would need to make special arrangements to do the normal things tourists did. Many of the attractions he had planned to see weren’t open after dark. “That won’t be necessary.” Darien waved away the offered help. “I’ve already made plans. There is no need to worry the Council with my trifles.”
Mano gave him a dubious look. “But you can’t get in to see the volcano after dark. It’s too dangerous. Let me contact the Council and arrange a proper viewing.”
The irritation riding Darien turned into anger. “I’ve already made the necessary arrangements for my trip. I do not need the Council’s help with this or anything else while I’m here.”
Seeing he had aggravated Darien, Mano bowed low. “Forgive me, my lord. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Darien bit back his anger and drew in a calming breath. He shouldn’t have snapped at the man. Mano was only trying to do his job. Given their restrictions, most vampires would be honored that the Council would be willing to set up special accommodations for them. It wasn’t Mano’s fault that Darien didn’t have the same needs as others of his kind. “No,” he said softly. “I’m the one who should apologize.” Walking over to him, Darien placed his hand on the bent man’s shoulder and pushed him up. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve already made our arrangements. The only thing I had not taken into consideration is our trip to the Council. Did they want us to visit with them tonight?”
Mano stood there trying to figure Darien out. “Yes, my lord. They request your presence tonight at the luau.”
“Of course.” Darien nodded. “Can I assume you will be driving us this evening?”
“I am at your disposal for your entire stay.”
“Very well.” Darien shifted his hand on Mano’s shoulder and turned them both towards the door. “Then if you wouldn’t mind, please pick us up this evening right at dusk.” With a gentle touch, he walked the man to the door.
Surprise flashed across Mano’s face and he planted his feet, stopping just inside the door. “My lord!” He turned to face Darien. “Does my service not please you?” His voice held a note of panic that made Darien cringe.
“Of course it pleases me.” Darien answered. “Victoria and I have just had a long flight and we would like to rest for a while. Between the jet lag and the sunlight, we won’t be getting out of the hotel today.”
Mano considered him carefully before bowing his head in acceptance. “Then I will be out with the car should you need anything, my lord.”
Darien sighed softly. “Of course.”
Bowing once more, Mano turned and left.
Darien stared at the doorway, considering what had just happened. If Mano’s reaction to being dismissed was any indication, they were going to have to tread lightly with the Council. One wrong step could end disastrously.
***
“Will there be anything else?”
Vicky glanced around the spacious bedroom before answering the nice, young man who had brought their bags in. “I don’t think so.” Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out some money to tip him, but he waved it away.
“It’s already been taken care of.” Surprise raised Vicky’s eyebrows as the man turned to leave. He tipped his hat to Darien and left without another word.
Standing in the doorway between the bedroom and the sitting room, Vicky looked around their hotel room. It was amazing. The beautiful suite was much nicer than any place she had ever stayed before. The furnishings were simple, yet elegant, but the part that got her full attention was the wall of windows that led out to the balcony. She walked over and pushed the sliding glass door open. The view of the ocean was breathtaking. Leaning against the rail, she stood in the shade of the overhead balcony and enjoyed the smell of salt on the breeze.
“Beautiful.”
She glanced back over her shoulder to find Darien propped on the frame of the door, watching her. A soft smile slipped across her face as she turned to gaze out into the distance. “Yes, it is.”
Snickering, Darien pushed away from the door and stepped out onto the balcony. “I was talking about you.” He reached out and pulled her into his arms so her back rested against his chest. “But the view is lovely, too.”
Vicky let out a contented sound and relaxed back against him. They stood there for a long moment, enjoying the peaceful scene before she peeked up at him. “Shouldn’t you be inside?” Concern colored her voice.
Darien snickered again, but didn’t move. “Probably.” He drew in a long breath of the rich air and let it rush out. Dropping a kiss to the side of Vicky’s head, he released his hold on her and stepped back into the deeper shade of the room. Ever since Darcy had messed with his powers, he was feeling the bite of the sun more than he had in years. He had originally planned on taking Vicky out to explore the wonders of Oahu as soon as they arrived, but he was quickly reconsidering that decision. The thin light on the balcony had stung his skin more than he had expected. A touch of doubt crept into his mind as he rubbed the pain from his skin. Although he had taken his condition into account while making his plans, most of their itinerary depended on his ability to withstand some sunlight. So far, their trip was not turning out as he had hoped.
“It will be all right.”
The soft feel of Vicky’s hands sliding around him drew Darien out of his thoughts. A smile slipped across his face as he turned to take her into his arms. “I know,” he said softly as he dropped his cheek to the top of her head and took comfort in her presence. “But this was not what I had planned.”
Vicky laughed softly before leaning back and kissing him quickly. “Has anything ever gone as planned?” she teased before giving him another quick kiss and pulling out of his arms.
Darien thought about that for a moment before letting out a long breath. “No.” He had to admit, so many things had gone awry in their life.
“And things have a way of sorting themselves out,” Vicky said with a twinkle in her eye. “So stop worrying and start enjoying yourself.” Grabbing his hands, she stepped back, drawing him away from the windows. “For the first time in a while I’m actually hungry. Come in here and feed me.”
Darien’s mood lightened as he allowed her to pull him farther into the room. A real smile turned the corners of his mouth. Vicky was right. There was no use in him worrying about this now. Now was a time to relax and enjoy life for a while. There would be plenty of time to worry about things later. “And what would my expecting mother like?” Gathering Vicky in his arms, he dropped his hands down over her flat stomach.
Vicky giggled then made a thoughtful noise. “Something savory.”
“Would you like to go out or have something delivered?”
She turned in his arms to face him. “Delivered. It was a long flight and I really don’t feel like going out right now.”
“As you wish,” Darien said, releasing her and heading towards the phone. “Besides, since we’re going to see the Council tonight, we should probably get some rest.”
“But not too much rest.” Vicky said. “This is our honeymoon and I do have plans fo
r you.” She gave him a wink and went to unpack her things.
Darien chuckled to himself as he dialed the number for room service. Maybe the day wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Twisting back and forth so the flared hem of her skirt swirled around her calves, Vicky looked at herself in the mirror. She didn’t know if the white sundress was appropriate for a visit to a vampire Council. Letting out the breath she was holding, she nodded her approval before turning away from the mirror. It would have to do. It was the best dress she had brought.
Stepping from the bedroom, Vicky stopped and looked around for Darien. She found him near the open balcony door. A soft breeze played with his hair as he stood there sipping on a glass of mead while taking in the view. The last rays of the sun had brushed the sky purple and gold. It made a beautiful backdrop for the man she loved. Letting out a happy noise, she walked over and leaned into his side.
Lifting his arm up, Darien wrapped it around her and stood there, enjoying the view with her by his side. For a fleeting moment, everything was right in his world. Taking a sip of his drink, he felt the power zing through his system. He’d been right in assuming Lady Aine’s gift would replace his need for blood. As the liquid rushed into his system, he actually felt his strength growing. It was powerful stuff. It also made him second-guess his decision to gift the master of the Hawaiian Council with one of the bottles.
He pondered that for a moment before deciding to stay with his plans. Etiquette called for him to bring a gift for the Council, but, since he hadn’t intended on visiting with them, he hadn’t brought anything else suitable. Pushing those thoughts away, he turned his attention to Vicky. “Would you like some?” he asked, holding the glass out for her.
Vicky stared at the honey wine. “I can’t. I’m pregnant.”
Darien smiled and squeezed her lightly. “One glass of wine won’t hurt our children. Besides this is fay wine. It’ll be good for you.”
Eyeing the glass suspiciously, she took it and sipped the golden wine inside. It tingled over her tongue. She raised her hand up to cover her mouth as she swallowed. “It’s sparkling,” she said in surprise as she looked into the glass. It looked and tasted like the same stuff she’d had at Darien’s parties, but she didn’t remember it being bubbly before.
Darien chuckled. “It’s not. Lady Aine added something extra to this batch.”
Vicky eyed the wine, reluctant to try it again. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
A laugh rolled out of Darien. “Nothing from the fay is ever safe.” He nodded to the glass, urging her to take another sip. “But this is probably the best thing for us both right now.”
Vicky’s brow creased in confusion as she took a larger drink of the wine. The liquid warmed a path clear to her stomach. “What do you mean?” she asked when her mouth was clear again. How could enchanted wine be good for them?
“I fear this evening is going to be taxing for both of us,” he said and took the glass from her. “This should help with that.” Lifting it to his lips, he took another long pull.
Vicky thought on that for a moment. The rest she’d gotten that afternoon had helped, but she had to admit, she would have liked to stay in bed until tomorrow morning. Taking the glass back, she took another drink, feeling the mead slide down her throat. The warmth in her stomach was starting to radiate out, pushing the fatigue from her.
“Besides,” Darien said, interrupting her thoughts. “I talked with Elliot this afternoon while you were sleeping.”
The concern in his voice worried her. “Is everything all right at home?”
“Yes,” he said, stepping away from her and walking back into the room. “He reassured me that everything was under control, but that wasn’t why I called him.” Turning around, Darien leaned his butt on the table and crossed his arms over his chest. “I wanted to find out more about the Council here. What I discovered isn’t good.”
Vicky turned to face him. “Oh?” She didn’t like the worry creasing Darien’s brow.
“Yeah,” he said and looked away from her to gather his thoughts. A note of trepidation sat in his heart. He’d spent a long time trying to figure out how to explain their situation to Vicky. It wasn’t so much that he was ashamed of his past; he just didn’t know how she would take it. Letting out a resigned breath, he jumped straight into the story. There was no good way to go about it. “A few hundred years ago, I held a position on the Great Council.” He turned to see how she took this revelation.
She stood there, silently sipping the wine and waiting for him to continue.
Dropping his hands down next to him, he rested the heels on the table behind him. “At that time, I went by the name Aduro and held the rank of enforcer.”
“Enforcer?” Vicky asked, raising an eyebrow.
Darien raised his hand up and gestured with it, punctuating his explanation. “There is a very strict code of conduct that vampire’s live by. A set of rules designed to keep us hidden.”
“Rules?” Vicky asked curiously. Concentrating on what he said, she came closer so she could hear him better. His past was a subject they rarely got into.
Darien shrugged. “Don’t go out slaughtering villages, limit your fledglings to a reasonable number, don’t go around announcing yourself as a vampire. Common sense stuff. Although that last one was a sure fire way to get staked in the olden days.” His brow furrowed in thought. “Not so much now.” He shrugged again as he continued on. “But as long as we follow the rules, we’re fine.”
“What happens when someone breaks them?” she asked, stepping closer to him, fascinated by the subject.
“That’s when the enforcers are called.” Reaching out, he took the mostly empty glass from Vicky’s hand. He had a sudden desire to touch her. Setting the cup on the table next to him, he took her hands. “When a vampire gets out of hand, the Great Council sends someone out to fix the problem.” His thumb rubbed across the back of her knuckles in a motion he found very comforting.
Cocking her head, Vicky considered his words. “Fix?”
“To… run damage control.” Darien explained. “In my day, we would wipe memories, hide bodies, burn villages. Basically do what needed to be done to ensure that no one discovered we existed. Plus, we dealt with the source of the problem.”
“Dealt with, as in kill?” Vicky asked a little surprised. Darien had told her he’d done evil things, but she just couldn’t see the man she knew holding such a destructive job.
“Yes,” Darien said very seriously. “More often than not, we had to wipe out whole nests because a master had corrupted his young beyond repair.” His voice dropped to nearly a whisper. “Improperly turned vampires tend to go insane. But it’s even worse when the master does it on purpose.”
Vicky stared at him, horrified. “Why would anyone do that?” she asked in disbelief.
Darien shrugged. “I’ve asked myself that a thousand times over, but still haven’t come up with an answer. Perhaps they like chaos, or they’re insane themselves. We rarely got the chance to find out.”
“Why not?”
“Most of the time when we showed up, the first thing the master would do was try to kill us,” he answered. “So we’d take them out before seeing to the rest of the situation.”
Vicky’s mouth dropped open, but she was at a loss for words.
Taking advantage of Vicky’s shocked silence, Darien went on. “That’s just how it was.” He shrugged. “I tried to save as many as I could, but finding a master willing to take on another’s young is hard. Especially when they’ve come from such a traumatic start.”
“Wait.” Vicky said as something in his words rang through her. “Is that how Elliot ended up with you?”
“Yes.” Darien nodded. “I rescued him from the dungeon of a Hungarian Countess. He’d been sent from the courts of Vienna to investigate claims that the lady was massacring young women. I can only imagine his surprise when he discovered the Countess was really a vampire.” Darien dwelled on the memory of f
inding Elliot chained in the dungeon of Lady Báthory’s castle. Starved and out of his mind, Darien’s companions nearly killed Elliot before Darien could get to him. It had taken Darien nearly a month to get Elliot functional again. “If you can get him talking about it, it’s a fascinating story. But that isn’t the root of our problem.”
Shifting his stance, he drew Vicky closer so she stood between his feet. He rested her hands on his chest before dropping his to her hips. “Life as an enforcer is hard,” he explained. “Being sent into dangerous situations where people are trying to kill you gets taxing. After one too many close calls, I decided to quit. I petitioned the Great Council and was released from the position. I changed my name and moved on with my life. But I’d been very good at what I did.
“Just after the Civil War, I got a letter from the Great Council requesting my help with a troubling case. A particularly nasty vampire was causing troubles in Kyoto. She was targeting young women during childbirth.”
“Oh my God,” Vicky said horrified.
“But that’s not the worst part. The woman had a very strange ability. The locals called her Penanggalan.” Darien swallowed as he recalled the terrifying experience. “She had the ability to remove her head—entrails and all—and would send that out to hunt.”
Vicky went pale. “Without her body?”
Darien nodded. He caressed Vicky’s sides, attempting to comfort her as he went on. “She hid her body in a vat of vinegar. It made her very hard to find. And without her body, she was nearly impossible to kill. She’d already taken out two enforcers before the Council called me in.”
“So you took her out?” Vicky asked awed.
“I helped.” Darien shook his head. “The Council called up every enforcer they could get. Nearly a hundred of us descended on Kyoto. And it still took us a week to find and destroy her.” He looked into Vicky’s horrified face. “As we were cleaning up, we discovered she had two younger vampires working with her. Both were masters, but both claimed she had coerced them into helping her. After a trial, the Great Council decided to spare their lives as long as they left Japan and never came back.”
