Kindling Flames-Flying Sparks

by Julie Wetzel

  The scream that Vicky let out would have had the neighbors calling the cops if she had been in her old apartment. Darien clenched his teeth but didn’t let her struggling hand go.

  “Sorry,” he said, pressing the cloth harder into her hand. Her screams subsided into a stream of colorful curses, and then into racking sobs. Darien shifted his hold on Vicky’s hand, so his right palm pressed the pad into hers. He released her wrist with his left hand so he could lean her head against him to cry.

  Pissed, Vicky tried to push him away, but Darien held her against him and petted her softly. When the pain subsided to a dull ache, she sat up and pulled away from him.

  “You could’ve fucking warned me,” Vicky growled at him. She looked down at her hand, still pinned to the counter. There were light bruises forming around her wrist where she had struggled against him.

  “I’m sorry.” Darien tucked her hair behind her ear again. “Would you have let me do it if I told you it was going to hurt like hell?”

  “Hell no!” Vicky grumbled as he moved so he could look at the injury. “What the hell was that, anyway?”

  Darien held her wrist so she wouldn’t pull it away and lifted the cloth carefully from her hand. The raw, round mark was still bright red, but there was the shininess of new skin forming over the circle. “It was supposed to heal your hand completely.” He looked closely at the burn mark on Vicky’s palm. “I’m sure I used enough.” Darien eyed the little bottles before releasing her hand.

  Vicky jerked it back from his reach and clutched it protectively against her chest. There was no way she was going to let him have it back to pour more of that smoking green shit on it.

  Picking up a clean bandage, he held out his hand for Vicky to give her injured hand back.

  She stared up at him as if he were crazy. Her trembling legs were the only reason she was still sitting next to him. Otherwise, she would have bolted from the room when he had released her. Whatever that was had stolen all the strength from her body. The fact that she was pissed off at Darien was the only thing keeping her conscious at the moment.

  “No way,” she protested, clutching her hand to her chest harder.

  “I promise, it’s just a clean bandage. It won’t hurt.” Darien held the cloth out for her to see. “It needs to be covered, so it doesn’t get infected.”

  Vicky glared at him for a moment before reluctantly relinquishing her hand.

  “I really am sorry,” Darien said as he caressed the gauze into place.

  Vicky’s anger was starting to subside. It was obvious he was upset over the ordeal, and she couldn’t see the point of holding it against him if he were really trying to help.

  When he finished with the wrap, she pulled her hand away from him. “Can I go now?” She just wanted to go to bed.

  “Of course.” Darien stepped back so Vicky could leave.

  The trembling had stopped, so she forced herself to her feet, but it was obvious to both of them there was no way she could walk back to her room by herself.

  “Here.” Darien scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the room.

  She leaned into him as her body relaxed in his arms. It was amazing how comfortable she had become around him in such a short period of time.

  Vicky was nearly asleep when Darien got her into her room. He was very worried; she shouldn’t be this tired after the treatment. It was true she was still recovering from the healing burns, but the potion shouldn’t have drawn this much from her.

  Darien pulled her sandals off and slipped her between her covers. He looked at the bruises around Vicky’s wrist and placed his hand over them. Pouring a little of his power into her, he healed it. Yes, it was just a tiny thing, but he felt bad about hurting her. Vicky made a soft noise in her sleep, and Darien bent over and kissed the side of her head. He tucked her short hair back from her face before turning and leaving her to sleep. He would wait to see how she was doing in the morning before letting her go to work.

  ***

  Sunlight leaked through the window and across the bed where Vicky was still sleeping. Darien knew she was alive by the sound of her breathing and her heartbeat, but he was bothered that she hadn’t moved since he had placed her in the bed. He walked across the room and rested his hand on her to judge her condition. Other than the gauze-wrapped wound on her hand, she seemed okay. There should have been no reason for her to be this tired.

  Darien patted the sleeping woman softly. “Victoria.” He needed her to wake up so he could make sure she was fine.

  Vicky shifted in the bed and moaned lightly in her sleep.

  “It’s time to wake up.” He patted her a little firmer.

  She let out a sigh as her eyes came open. Darien stepped back as Vicky stretched and yawned away her sleep.

  “Sorry about that.” She rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?” she asked groggily.

  Darien was relieved to see that she could wake up. “Almost seven.”

  Vicky looked up at him in his neat suit as she worked out what he said. “Shit.” She threw the covers back and started to get out of bed. “I’m so sorry. I’ll be ready to go in five minutes.”

  “Calm down.” Darien caught her as she tried to rush past him to get ready for work. “It’s seven in the evening.”

  Vicky froze and looked up at him. “What?” she asked, completely confused.

  “You’re not going to be late for work,” he explained. “You slept all day. It’s seven in the evening.”

  Vicky was even more confused. She moved away from him and sunk back onto the edge of the bed. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” she asked, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she had slept through the entire day.

  “I did.” Darien smiled at her.

  “No,” she answered, a little cross he was playing with her. “I meant this morning before work.”

  His smiled widened a bit. “Because you needed the rest more than you needed to work,” he replied.

  Vicky folded her hands and sat silently for a moment, thinking about his words. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

  Darien chuckled lightly. “If you’re awake now, dinner is waiting for you.”

  Vicky looked up in surprise.

  “It’s in the kitchen.” He moved to the door, pulling off his tie. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t join you. I had quite enough food yesterday.”

  “Of course,” Vicky answered as he disappeared from her doorway. She sat for a little longer on the edge of the bed. She was tempted to crawl back into it, but Darien said there was food waiting for her, and the noise her stomach was making won over going back to sleep.

  Quickly making up the bed, she turned to go, but stopped when she noticed something missing from her room. All the shopping bags she had brought home yesterday were nowhere to be seen. Vicky walked over to the couch where her new clothing had been and searched it to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Panic rose in her as she tried to figure out what had happened to them. Pulling open the top drawer of the dresser, she found her new underwear freshly washed and folded into it. Surprised by this, she went to the closet and found her new clothing, clean and hanging up.

  “Mr. Ritter,” Vicky called as she stepped out of her room into the hallway. She got an answering response from his room. Vicky stood in his doorway and debated going in. She decided it would be best to ask her question from there. “Did you do something with my clothing?” Vicky waited for a response from him. He surprised her by stepping into her line of sight to answer. Her mouth went dry at the sight of him standing in just his suit pants. He held a dark green shirt in his hands, ready to put on.

  “No,” Darien answered as he shook the shirt out. “Is there something wrong?”

  She swallowed as she tried to tear her eyes from the skin of his stomach. How did he keep those muscles so nicely toned? “No.” She shook her head to get it back to the question at hand. “They’ve all been put away.” Vicky was both thankful and disappointed as he pulled the sh
irt over his head and blocked her view of his bare skin.

  “That would’ve been Odette,” Darien explained. “She’s very good at what she does.”

  “Odette?” Vicky asked. She didn’t like the fact that someone had been in her room while she was sleeping.

  “She’s been my housekeeper for a very long time.” Darien walked down the hallway to where Vicky was standing in the doorway. “Don’t worry. She’s very trustworthy.” He placed his hand on her back and propelled her gently from the doorway. “She’s happy to have someone here other than me to look after.” Directing her down the steps, he talked as they went. “She complains that I don’t make enough of a mess to keep her busy.” Darien laughed lightly as they moved from the foyer into the kitchen.

  “Your plate is on the counter.” Darien stopped at the swinging door and let Vicky proceed on her own to the covered dish. “I don’t want you washing the dishes today,” he commanded. “You need to keep that hand dry till it heals properly.”

  She could hear the concern in his voice.

  “Enjoy.” Darien disappeared back into the foyer.

  Vicky turned to look at the food waiting for her. Had Darien made this for her? Had Odette? She felt the edge of the plate and found it was still slightly warm, so she picked it up and took it over to the place already set at the table in the breakfast nook. Going back to get something to drink, she paused with her hand on the refrigerator door. A flash of fear ran through her. What she would find in there? Did Darien keep shelves filled with blood packets?

  Vicky gathered up her courage and pulled the door open to find a surprisingly well-stocked refrigerator. There were cheeses and fresh fruits along with pitchers of water and milk. There were a few more wrapped packages that Vicky thought could have been some form of meat. She pulled out the milk and went to find a glass. Adding this to the table, she sat down to a surprisingly good meal.

  ***

  Vicky rinsed the plate off and loaded it into the dishwasher. Darien told her not to wash the dishes, but he never said anything about cleaning up after herself. She dried her hand on her pants before heading into the living room. Now fully awake, she didn’t know what to do. Usually, she would find a good book or watch a movie, but she didn’t have any of her stuff here. Vicky decided to look around and see what was available.

  The walls separating the living room from the dining room and family room had been slid back into place, and it made the room very relaxing. Vicky looked over the books on the shelf next to the fireplace and pulled down one that looked interesting. She read over the title as she went to sit on the couch near the lamp. Vicky had always loved the Sherlock Holmes stories on TV, but she had never had the chance to read them.

  The light from the lamp reflected off something when Vicky turned it on. How had she missed the silver picture frame sitting on the table? Picking it up, she looked at an old photo of a woman. She was a very pretty girl, just a little younger then Vicky. Dark hair hung down her back, but the color was hard to tell from the black-and-white photo. Vicky wondered who she was and set the frame back down on the table. The girl didn’t look like anyone Vicky knew. She turned her mind from the picture to the book in her hand and burrowed her way into the first of many great adventures.

  ***

  Darien looked at his assistant, sound asleep on the couch. The ends of her hair stuck out around her face, and he pressed his lips into a hard line. The fire had made it necessary to get it cut, and the style looked nice, but he had liked her hair long. Vicky breathed softly as he walked over and took the open book from her hands. Closing it, he set it on the table next to the picture frame. His eyes paused on the face of the woman he had once loved before going to the woman now affecting his heart. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved that they were so different. How could he have made the mistake of thinking they looked the same? Darien pushed the hair back from Vicky’s face so he could look at her. Vicky sighed softly at his touch, and he watched her for a few more minutes before touching her shoulder.

  “Wake up.” Darien patted her from sleep.

  Vicky’s eyes fluttered open, and she breathed deeper.

  “It’s time to go to bed.”

  “Mmm…” she moaned as she sat up.

  “You’ll catch a cold if I let you sleep here.” He smiled as she yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

  “Sorry.” Vicky shook herself a little, trying to wake up.

  “It’s okay.” Darien helped her to her feet. “Just head on up to bed.” Turning her towards the door, he sent her out of the living room before picking up the book and the silver frame. He placed the book back in its spot before adding the picture to the open space at the end of the shelf. Darien shut the lights out before leaving the room. It was starting to get late, and there were still things he needed to do.

  ***

  The alarm clock on Vicky’s phone broke into her dream at five thirty in the morning. Groaning, she pulled herself from the warm bedding to the cooler morning air. She didn’t really want to get up, but she had missed enough work this past week. Washing quickly, she dressed in some of her new clothing.

  Now that she was awake, it felt good to get ready for work. Picking up the messenger bag, she headed down to see if she could raid something from Darien’s fridge. She felt a little bad about mooching off her boss and vowed she would start buying her own food as soon as she was able to go out to get it.

  The smell of bacon and coffee hit her as soon as she walked down the steps. Following her nose to the kitchen, she found a plate set out in the breakfast nook. Whoever had fixed it couldn’t have been gone for long—there was still steam rising from the pancakes. Vicky looked around for the cook, but didn’t see any signs of life besides the steaming plate.

  She approached it tentatively. It couldn’t have been left for Darien, could it? The smell of the bacon called to her, so she sat down. There was already butter and syrup on the table next to the pancakes. The juice and coffee was already poured and waiting. Vicky looked around one more time before picking up the fork and helping herself to the plate. Surely, he wouldn’t be upset if she had just a little. She was most of the way through the meal when Darien came into the kitchen. Startled at having been caught eating the delightful breakfast, she nearly knocked over the chair as she jumped up.

  “Sit, sit.” Darien waved to her as he pulled a glass out of the cabinet. “I see you found breakfast.”

  Vicky watched him move through the kitchen to the refrigerator. “Yes,” she said, taking another sip of the juice. “Did you make it?”

  “That would have been Odette.” Darien said pulling two plastic packets out of the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.

  Vicky’s heart skipped as she watched him clip the corner off one and pour the red liquid into a dark blue tumbler. So this was how Darien got his blood. He made it look like some strange breakfast shake. She looked back at her food, not as hungry as she had been a few minutes ago.

  “It’s very good.” Vicky picked up the last piece of bacon and nibbled at it. She was determined not to let Darien’s eating habits turn her off her food. If she was going to live with him, even for a little while, she was just going to have to suck it up.

  “She’ll be happy to know that you liked it,” Darien said as he leaned against the counter and drank from his glass.

  Vicky watched him in fascination. “Is that how you always get blood?” She found the question on her lips before she could stop it.

  He just looked at her over his glass. “Beats having to chase someone down for breakfast,” Darien answered, deadpan.

  She blanched at his words.

  “I’m teasing,” he reassured her. “I get most of my blood donated this way.” Holding up the glass a little, he added, “It makes life easier.” Darien drained the rest of the cup and turned around to run some water into it.

  “Do you ever…?” She raised her hand to her throat, unsure of what word she wanted to use. The smile that slipp
ed across his face gave Vicky her answer.

  “It’s always nicer to take blood from the source,” Darien explained. “It’s warm and tastes better, but I don’t hunt like I use to.”

  Vicky’s blood ran cold at the darkness in his voice.

  “Are you ready to go?” He changed the subject.

  She wanted to scream no and run away, but she swallowed back the fear trying for her mind and stood to take her plate to the sink.

  “Just leave it,” Darien said, and she set it back down. “Odette will take care of it in a little while.”

  “She’s here?” Vicky looked around, expecting someone to come out.

  “Yes,” he answered, “but she’s very shy.”

  Vicky gave him an understanding ‘aha’ as she picked up her bag and left the breakfast dishes on the table.

  “Thank you, Odette,” Vicky called and followed Darien out of the kitchen. She had to pool her courage before stepping into the elevator with her boss. The conversation in the kitchen had reminded her that he was a very dangerous man.

  “How is your hand this morning?” Darien asked to distract her. He could smell Vicky’s fear. Being trapped in a small space with her so afraid did things to him that Darien didn’t want to think about.

  The question served its purpose, and Vicky looked down at her palm. “It’s okay,” she answered as she studied the large Band-Aid she had found in a box under her sink. Apparently, Darien kept a first aid kit in each of the bathrooms. “It’s still hurts,” she informed him.

  He made a concerned noise without looking at her. “I’ll check it later,” he finally said. “Please let me know if it gets worse, or if you feel bad. You’re still recovering.”

  Vicky agreed, and the pair stepped from the elevator and off to the corporate world.

  ***

  Vicky sat tapping away at the document Darien had given her. She was glad it was Friday and the day was almost finished. The last two days had been a little strange as she adjusted, but she was finding life with Darien to be quite pleasant. Odette made sure she had both breakfast and dinner waiting for her at mealtimes. She also made sure Vicky’s clothes were properly cared for. Vicky hadn’t seen the phantom housekeeper, but her presence was noticed.