Kindling Flames—Gathering Tinder

by Julie Wetzel

  He got out and circled the car to open her door. Slipping the messenger bag from her lap, he fished in it to find her keys. House keys in hand, Darien slung the bag over his shoulder and bent to lift the sleeping girl from his car. With Vicky secure in his arms, he kicked the door shut before turning to take her inside. She snuggled into his chest and sighed contently in her sleep. Darien smiled softly at the woman and soon had her up the steps and into her apartment.

  Making his way into her bedroom, Darien held her tightly to him as he dropped her legs to the floor. With his free hand, he pulled the bedding back before lifting his drunken assistant into her bed. He took a moment to remove her shoes before making sure she was properly tucked in. Brushing her hair away from her face, he looked down at the black collar that had been teasing him.

  “This is very apropos for tonight’s venue,” Darien whispered as his fingers found the clasp at the back of her neck and pulled the velvet band off. “The next time you want to sport a vampire bite, all you need to do is ask.” He looked down at the two marks on her neck from where the chains attached to the back of the collar had pressed into her skin. Bending over, he placed a light kiss over the mark and drew in the soft scent of her skin. “You make this much too easy,” Darien whispered against her neck and stood back up.

  He checked to make sure Vicky’s alarm clock was set and turned to head out. His eyes landed on the kimono hanging on her wall, and he laughed out loud. “Sleep well, Victoria,” Darien patted her legs on his way past.

  Darien made sure the door would lock itself before he deposited the bag and her keys on the couch and left. It would be in his best interest to have someone he trusted watch out for Vicky when she went partying with her friends. Twice now, they’d left her to fend for herself at the club, and Darien didn’t find them very trustworthy. He thought about who would be best to send as he got back into his car and went to find dinner.

  Vicky looked up from her desk at the tall man walking into her office. She raised her hand to her neck as she recognized the same dark-haired man who had accosted her two weeks ago. Swallowing back her fear, she stood to greet him. “Good afternoon,” she said as firmly as her voice would let her. “May I help you?”

  Rupert was surprised that Darien’s PA wasn’t cowering in the corner. He could smell her fear, but she was doing a remarkable job of hiding its outward signs. “I’m here to see Darien Ritter.” Rupert stopped in front of the desk and smiled. “I have an appointment today.”

  Vicky ran the schedule she had committed to memory, and pulled the man’s name out… “Rupert Marshal?” she asked, to confirm.

  “At your service,” he bowed politely.

  Vicky cocked her head at the odd response. “Please have a seat, and I’ll let Mr. Ritter know you’re here.” She waved the man to the chairs against the wall. Turning away from Rupert, she knocked on Darien’s door. When no answer came, she opened it and poked her head in.

  “I don’t care what excuse you’ve come up with,” Darien spoke sharply into the phone. “I don’t pay you for excuses; I pay you to do your job. Either get it done or I’ll find someone else.”

  He looked up from where he was listening, and Vicky signaled that his four o’clock was there. Darien looked at the clock on his wall and nodded. He signaled he wanted some coffee, and she nodded and left as he snapped into the phone again.

  She turned back to the man studying the pictures on the wall between the chairs. “Mr. Ritter is on the phone at the moment,” she informed him, pulling her bag from under her desk. “He’ll be with you as soon as he’s done.” She slipped the bag over her shoulder and settled it on her hip. Gathering up her courage, she stepped around her desk and into the open space next to the werewolf. “I’m heading out to get some coffee for Mr. Ritter. Would you like something?”

  Rupert was awed by how polite she was to him. “Black coffee, please,” he said, accepting her offer.

  Vicky nodded and made her way out of the office.

  Rupert watched her walk past him with a calm facade. He stood there, looking at the doorway for a full minute, until Darien came out of the office.

  “Good afternoon, Rupert,” Darien greeted the pensive werewolf.

  “You have a very interesting assistant.” Rupert stared at the door where Vicky had disappeared.

  Darien laughed. “That she is.”

  “I don’t know what I was expecting,” Rupert turned to face Darien, “but she seems well-composed.”

  “I’m sure she was terrified of you,” he reassured the alpha. “But, after the weekend she’s had, you don’t seem that scary.” Darien held out his hand to lead Rupert into his office. “Come on inside, so we can talk.”

  Rupert headed through the open door. “I heard something happened with the vampires, but my sources didn’t say what.”

  Darien closed it behind them.

  “I also heard you were out at Alchemy on Monday.”

  Darien chuckled at the werewolf.

  “Terrifying the fledglings?” Rupert teased.

  “Not intentionally.” Darien sighed. “Miss Westernly’s friends decided it would be a good idea to go out for Goth Night, and they took her with them.”

  “Had to go save your minion?” Rupert grinned.

  “Hardly.” Darien circled his desk so he could sit down, while Rupert took one of the leather armchairs. “I had to go reassure the young ones that I wouldn’t kill them for touching her.” He shook his head.

  “They haven’t been that afraid of you in years.” Rupert pondered this fact. “What’d you do to scare them so badly?”

  “I took Miss Westernly with me to the Vampire Council over the weekend.” Darien rubbed his temple as he spoke. “There was an incident with Michael.”

  Rupert raised an eyebrow.

  “He bit her,” Darien explained.

  “And he’s still alive?” Rupert asked in surprise.

  “Things got complicated.” Darien shrugged. “If my instructions had been passed on properly, and he had still bitten her, he’d be dead.”

  “He’s an ass, anyway.” Rupert shook his head. “We have more problems out of his broodlings than all the other masters combined.”

  “I know it.” Darien shook his head and remembered that more than half of the council meeting had dealt with Michael and his flock. Switching topics, he asked, “Have you had your pack following Miss Westernly?”

  “Um…” Rupert looked away from the vampire. “…for her safety, yes.”

  “I thought I smelled wolf on her the other day.”

  “Phelan caught her last Thursday, when she nearly fell into the street,” Rupert explained. “Some idiot was biking on the sidewalk, and Miss Westernly caught her heel in a grate trying to get out of his way.”

  “That’s good.” Darien nodded his approval. “You may want to warn your wolves that she knows about their existence now. Sue’s been helping her deal with the changes in her world.”

  Rupert nodded. “Sue’s a good person to talk to. She’s the best sister I could ever have.”

  “I definitely appreciate her work.” Darien smiled. “Do any of your people hang out at Alchemy?” He moved the conversation on, again.

  “Yeah, Zoe and Mitzy are there every weekend. Why?”

  “Miss Westernly and her college friends hang out there every now and then,” Darien explained.

  “You want them to call you when she’s there?” Rupert offered.

  “Nothing that extreme.” Darien waved the offer away. “I’m just not too sure about her friends. They’ve abandoned her both times I have seen them hang out,” he explained. “I just want to make sure someone is around to help if something should happen.”

  “Some friends,” Rupert huffed, and Darien nodded. “Don’t worry about the lass. I’ll make sure the girls know to keep an eye out for her.”

  “Thank you.” Darien turned the conversation again. “I suspect you would like to know what happened with the Council this weekend.” Ru
pert nodded, and Darien recounted the meeting with Clara and the other masters.

  About halfway through the tale, Vicky knocked on the door, announcing her return with refreshments. She passed out the coffee and set two blueberry muffins and a few clementines on the desk. Darien paused in his story long enough to thank her before she bowed herself out without a word.

  “She’s so thoughtful,” Rupert said as he picked up one of the muffins.

  “It’s so nice to not have to stop a conversation because the help comes in.” Darien picked up a clementine and split the peel open.

  “So, you were saying the Council thinks that the Gray Courts could be involved in the murders?” Rupert muttered around a mouthful of muffin.

  “Yes.” Darien popped a piece of the fruit in his mouth.

  Rupert stopped his chewing to stare at him.

  “Rachael suggested that they might know something about it. There’s a very limited list of people who could be the culprit. When you take out vampires and werewolves, you’re left with fay or something really obscure—” Darien stopped his explanation and looked at the wolf staring at him. “What?”

  “Nothing,” Rupert looked away from the vampire. He knew Darien was special, but, other than coffee, he had never seen the man eat before. Rupert cleared his throat and collected his thoughts to continue their conversation. “Are you going to go to the Gray Courts and talk with the Queen?”

  “Do you know anyone else who could?” Darien asked, hoping for some alternative.

  Rupert shook his head “No, none of my wolves have been welcome there for a long time.”

  Darien could hear the regret in his voice. “Fay have long memories, but they’re not totally heartless,” he reassured the alpha. “I’m sure they’ll forgive both the wolves and the vampires for their petty differences. Eventually.” Darien sighed. He was afraid that getting the three groups together to work out their differences was going to take an act of several gods. Or one vampire with a really big stick.

  “Well,” Rupert drew the conversation back to the topic, “let me know how it goes.”

  Darien agreed, and the two men stood up. Escorting his guest to the door, Darien opened it to let Rupert out. “I’ll call you when I know something.”

  Vicky looked up from her computer as the two men stepped out of the office.

  “Have a good evening, Miss Westernly,” Rupert nodded to her.

  “And to you,” she answered as the man left.

  “The muffins were a nice touch,” Darien said, complimenting Vicky’s thoughtfulness.

  “They were actually Sue’s idea,” she admitted. “But, I’ll let her know they went over well.”

  Darien smiled and turned back to his office. Now that he had talked with Rupert, he needed to make arrangements to meet with the Queen of the Gray Courts. Visiting the fay was more taxing than any encounter with the vampires or werewolves. The fay were so formal about everything. He couldn’t just intimidate the Gray Courts when they pissed him off.

  Taking a deep breath, Darien pulled out a piece of parchment, so he could write a letter, requesting an audience with the Queen.

  ***

  “You should have seen her out there, bumping and grinding between the hottest pair of twins I have ever seen!” Beth laughed as she filled Maggie in on the events of Monday night. The music of the club thumped around them as the four college friends sat in their booth at Alchemy.

  “That was the best night I have had in a long time.” Vanessa had the decency to blush at the memory.

  Vicky held up her hand. “Stop right there. I don’t want to know about your threesome with the pirate boys.”

  “But it was such a wonderful night,” Vanessa teased.

  “Did they stay all night?” Vicky asked, curious to see if they were vampires or minions.

  Vanessa let out a forlorn sigh. “They left right after we were done,” she confessed. “They said something about needing to get food before they went to work. I offered to cook, but they just laughed at each other and declined.”

  Vicky tried to keep the smile off her face.

  Vanessa saw the smirk and glared a Vicky. “What about your two hotties?”

  “What?” Vicky nearly choked on her drink.

  “Yeah,” Beth piped in, “you had two of the hottest guys in the club with you when you left.”

  Vicky blushed under the eyes of her friends.

  “The one with dark hair was her boss,” Vanessa smirked.

  Beth gasped. “No way! I didn’t recognize him.” She shifted her attention back to Vicky. “What was he doing here?”

  The red on Vicky’s skin deepened. “I don’t know,” she lied. How was she supposed to tell her friends that he’d come out to tell the vampires she was safe to dance with?

  “I bet he came out to see you,” Maggie teased.

  “How did he know she was here?” Beth asked.

  “Maybe he’s got a tracking device in that bag,” Maggie answered, and the girls looked at the leather bag stuck in the corner.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Vicky huffed. “Of course he doesn’t. Why else would he need to call whenever he wanted something from it?”

  “Maybe he just doesn’t want you to know he’s tracking your movements,” Vanessa offered.

  “Enough about my boss.” Vicky closed the subject. “How was your night, Beth?”

  Beth looked puzzled. “It was pretty good until you left.”

  “What happened?” Vicky asked.

  “Well, the people around me started asking strange questions about you and your relationship with ‘Master Darien’.” Beth flashed air quotes around Darien’s name.

  “You know, I got the same thing,” Vanessa added. “There were a lot of people calling him ‘Master Darien’. I wonder if he’s into S&M…”

  Vicky rolled her eyes at the giggling girls. “What did they ask?” Vicky was interested in what the vampires wanted to know.

  “Normal things, really: how old you were, how you knew Darien, how long you two had been together…” Vanessa answered.

  “I got those too, but I also got some weird questions,” Beth added. “What your favorite color was, your favorite food, and one girl asked what your dress size was. I stopped answering questions when someone asked where you lived. “

  Vicky’s eyes widened in surprise.

  Beth patted Vicky’s hand reassuringly. “I wouldn’t give my girl away like that.”

  “Thank you, Beth.” Vicky was sure they would find out given half a chance. She made a mental note to watch her surroundings more carefully.

  “What about the other hottie?” Maggie asked. “Who was he?”

  “Yeah,” Beth sat up straighter. “Who was the guy with the long, blond hair?”

  Vicky blushed as she remembered her encounter with Elliot. “His name is Elliot, and he’s a friend of Mr. Ritter’s. He saved me from some creep on the dance floor,” she offered.

  “Why do you get all the luck?” Vanessa whined.

  “Shut up.” Beth smacked Vanessa’s arm. “You had twins.”

  All the girls giggled into their drinks.

  “Good evening, ladies.” The group looked up to the face of a very handsome man with long, blond hair.

  “Elliot!” Vicky squeaked as she recognized the vampire whom they had just been talking about. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to check out the nightlife.” Elliot grinned at the girls.

  Vicky quickly noticed that he was less fangy tonight.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you again, My Lady,” he bowed gracefully to Vicky, causing her friends to ooh and giggle. “I have a group of friends with me this evening, if you ladies would like to come join us.”

  Vicky thought about declining the offer. She was still leery about dealing with vampires.

  “We would love to!” Vanessa piped in before Vicky could say anything.

  Elliot smiled. “They’re over here.” He held out his hand, pointing the wa
y towards his waiting friends.

  Vicky sighed and picked up her bag and drink before following the eager girls. Elliot offered her his arm and she took it so as not to be rude.

  “I promise they’re safe.” He spoke just loud enough for Vicky to hear him.

  She gave him a shocked look. “Did Mr. Ritter send you?” She couldn’t keep all the suspicion out of her voice.

  Elliot laughed. “No, My Lady, we truly happen to be here by chance.” He smiled at her. “But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get to know you better.”

  Vicky sighed deeply as they walked. “From what Vanessa and Beth tell me, a lot of people want to know me better.”

  “That’s to be expected,” he replied, shrugging. “Master Darien hasn’t kept a human companion in a very long time.”

  “But I’m not his companion, I’m his secretary,” she protested.

  Elliot chuckled at her. “That may have been how it started, but he has ‘taken you in’, so to speak, so you’re viewed by many as his companion” he explained. “There are lots of perks to being a master vampire’s companion. Especially one as powerful as Master Darien.”

  “Perks?” she questioned.

  Elliot laughed. “As long as it’s okay with your master, you’ll never want for company.”

  She blushed at the suggestion in his words.

  “And, if you need it, a plethora of people will come to your aid.”

  “So… help moving furniture?” she said, raising a teasing eyebrow.

  Elliot laughed again.

  She was starting to like that musical sound.

  “If that’s what you need, then yes,” he confirmed, and Vicky giggled.

  Their conversation ended when they arrived at the tables containing Elliot’s friends. Introductions were made, and the girls were soon out on the dance floor with eager partners. Vicky found a chair and deposited her bag into it.

  “Will this be safe here?” she looked around at how open the area was. At least in the booth, the bag was stuck in the back, where someone couldn’t see it easily.