Kindling Flames: Stolen Fire (The Ancient Fire Series Book 4)

by Julie Wetzel

  Elliot’s head jerked back, tearing his fangs through Darien’s neck, but he held on tight, sucking away Darien’s life.

  “No!” Vicky rammed the palm of her hand into Elliot’s nose and pushed, trying to pry him off.

  A growl rose from the vampire’s throat as he clamped tighter to Darien.

  Darien gasped for air.

  “Stop!” Vicky shoved all the power she could get her hands on into the suggestion and rammed it into Elliot.

  Life flickered in his eyes, and his mouth released Darien’s neck.

  Tentacles wrapped around Elliot from behind and ripped him away.

  Vicky reached for Darien and tried to support him, but they both fell to the floor under his limp weight. “Please. Please,” she begged as she covered the gushing wound with her hand. Opening herself to Darien’s power, she urged the flesh to knit back together.

  He drew in a trembling breath as she cried.

  “Oh no!” Travis yelled. “He will die!” He turned his attention to Josh. “Kill them both!”

  Josh trembled as he fought the suggestion, but it was too strong. The life washed out of his eyes again, and he bent to pull Vicky up. She swatted at him, and he hissed, showing his fangs.

  “Josh!” Vicky tried to get through to him as she scooted backwards across the floor. Her hand fell on something hard, and she grabbed the handle of Darien’s sword. She swung it around hopping to discourage Josh’s attack, but the man lunged impaling himself on the sword.

  “Nooo!” The scream echoed from across the parking area as Jakob felt his brother’s life flicker out.

  Travis turned to look at the two men tearing across the floor. “Stop!” He held out his hand and forced his will into the two men.

  Allen’s feet faltered slightly, but Jakob bowled over the suggestion and plowed straight into Travis.

  Vicky pushed Josh’s limp body off and pulled Darien’s sword free from the vampire’s stomach, shocked. That hit might have killed a normal man, but she thought vampires could suffer more damage. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took in the mess around her. Darien lay limp on the floor, covered in blood. Elliot was still and wrapped in a writhing mass of tentacles. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the Josh’s lifeless face, so she concentrated on the action next to the van.

  Jakob and Travis rolled about on the floor exchanging punches and snapping at each other while Allen tried to find an opening.

  Vicky felt the subtle shift in Travis’s power as he poured it into Jakob.

  Jakob let out a scream of agony as his flesh started to bubble.

  “No! “ Vicky screamed. Darien’s worst fears were being realized as she watched. Lifting up Darien’s sword, she raced over to the struggling pair.

  As Jakob rolled away from the source of his pain, Allen took the opening to drop a knee into Travis’ gut. Travis’ hands landed on Allen’s leg, and Allen screamed in pain as Darien’s power raced through him, destroying tissue.

  While the two men were distracted, Vicky took the end of the dark sword and rammed it into Travis’s chest.

  His grip on Allen loosened, and the injured man fell away. Travis’s eyes widened as he looked up at the woman holding the sword.

  “No more!” Vicky screamed and pulled the sword out. Ramming it home again, she crushed Travis’ heart. She didn’t care what Dakine had said. There was no way she could sit there and watch as this twisted soul destroyed her friends.

  Pain raced across Travis’ face as he reached up to try to remove the sword, but the life flickered from him before he could budge it.

  Dropping to her knees, Vicky wailed in anguish. How could things have gone so wrong? Hands pulled on her upper arms, and she spun around to find Darien kneeling behind her. He was pale and coved in blood, but she didn’t care—he was alive. Burying her face in his chest, she let out another bout of frame-wracking sobs.

  “It’s all right.” He drew her into his lap as he shifted to sit on the cold concrete.

  Vicky balled her hands up in his shirt and held on for dear life. After a while, his soft petting and reassuring noises calmed her hysteria. She drew in a lungful of his spicy scent. Even with the sharp tang of his spilt blood, she loved the way he smelled. Burying her face deeper into him, she pulled his scent in again. A sharp pain hit Vicky in the stomach, making her curl up. She gasped as she felt the power Travis had stolen let loose of his body. It slithered up their connection and slammed into her with enough force to drive her breath from her. “Darien!” Vicky gasped as the power burned through her veins. She trembled as her world swam in and out of focus. Closing her eyes, she tried not to be sick.

  Darien slid his hand up into her hair, turning her head to rest on his shoulder. “I’ve got you.”

  The smell of his blood hit her hard, making her stomach cramp. She felt movement in her mouth and ran her tongue over her teeth. Two sharp fangs had slid down replacing her rounded canines. Popping her eyes open, Vicky stared straight into the slightly bloody crook of his neck. The urge to sink her new fangs into that soft skin stabbed through her. “No!” She twisted away from him, denying the hunger rising in her. Wrapping her arms around herself, she breathed slowly, trying to find something to think about that would get her mind off the emptiness gnawing at her insides.

  Darien sat there for a moment, studying the lines on the back of Vicky’s jacket. With his powers settling inside her, they were going to have some really big problems very soon. He had seen the fangs poking out of Vicky’s mouth as she turned away from him. It had been a long time since he was driven by hunger, but he knew how potent is could be. He was going to need to find Vicky fresh blood, or she was going to completely lose it.

  “We’ll figure this out.” Darien leaned forwards and wrapped his arms over hers, pulling her back into his lap. “Together.” His hands slid over her fists.

  Vicky nodded her head but kept it down. Her hands loosened just enough for him to weave his fingers together with hers, right to right and left to left.

  “No matter what happens, I will always love you.” He kissed the back of her neck softly and squeezed her. Warmth radiated up Darien’s left arm, and he could suddenly feel the anguish and fear coursing through Vicky.

  Astonished, he raised his hand up away from hers and looked at it. The green ribbon that Dakine had set into their skin at their handfasting glowed brightly. The power running along it started to fade as he held his hand up, staring. Had Lady Aine known this was going to happen? Darien dropped his hand back down to Vicky’s. Once again, his power started to flow through the ribbon that bound them together. It didn’t matter if the queen knew or not, this could be their life-saving ticket.

  Holding her left hand tightly, Darien placed a kiss on the side of her neck, driving a gasp from Vicky. With his right hand, he turned her head and shifted so he could place a kiss on her lips.

  Vicky tried to pull away from him, fighting the need for blood. “No.”

  “It’s okay,” Darien reassured her and shifted her back so he could kiss her.

  The kisses started out soft and light, but when the tip of Vicky’s fang clipped Darien’s lip, releasing a few drops of blood, she moaned and leaned into him, deepening the kiss.

  Darien turned her in his arms to get a better angle. As passion rose between them, he could feel his power swirling between them. He explored every crevice of her mouth as his free hand slipped under her coat and ran down her body. Hunger rose in him, and he pulled back from their kiss, gasping for breath.

  Fangs still hung in Vicky’s mouth, but Darien could feel his power returning to him through their binding. Even though her eyes were slightly glazed, he couldn’t help but think she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

  Vicky’s breathing slowed just slightly, and she tipped her head back in a silent invitation.

  Need slammed into Darien, tilting him towards the soft skin of her throat. “I love you,” he whispered against her skin and kissed her pulse before driving his
fangs deep into her neck. Vicky gasped as he began to drink. Her blood was fire, the sweetest candy, and the most delicate wine all rolled together. Darien moaned in ecstasy, and he gripped her harder.

  Vicky’s fingers laced through his hair as she returned his moan of pleasure.

  They clung together for what felt like forever as he pulled his power from her. Slowly, he withdrew his fangs and licked her wound closed. The feel of feathers shifted around inside them both as his powers worked to heal them. He held her close for a moment more before sitting up and staring down into her face. The paleness of her skin was exaggerated by the bright blood on her lips, but the fangs were gone. Kissing her once again, he licked their mingled blood from her mouth. “Better?” he asked as he pulled away.

  Vicky studied him with glassy eyes before nodding numbly.

  “Good.” He sat her up and held her for a minute longer. Some of his power was still swirling inside her, but retrieving it would have to wait. There were other things that needed to be taken care of. “Come on.” Darien slipped her from his lap and stood up without releasing her left hand. Power slowly trickled down the line connecting them.

  It was hard to decide where to start. Now that he had his powers back, he could feel the worry from his kiss. He washed their connections over with reassurance before turning to the matters at hand. His people would be coming soon to help.

  Darien looked down at Travis’ still body. The loss of life pained him. Why couldn’t the dead man have used that wish for a more meaningful purpose?

  “I’m sorry.” Vicky’s voice trembled with unfallen tears.

  Darien rolled her into his side, holding her. “It’s not your fault,” he reassured her. Reaching out, Darien grabbed his sword and yanked it out of the dead man’s chest. Power coursed up his arm from the relic, and he smiled. If nothing else, the sword was happy that it had been used again.

  “Come on.” Darien steered Vicky around Travis’ body to where Allen was leaning against the tire of the van, holding his leg. Darien released Vicky and knelt down next to the injured man.

  “Let me see.” Reaching out, he grabbed ahold of Allen’s pant leg and sliced the hem with his sword. Dropping the large blade to the floor, Darien ripped up the side of Allen’s jeans.

  Vicky gagged as she turned away from the ruined mess that was Allen’s leg. The skin had sloughed off, and the muscle was starting to melt away from the bone.

  Darien poked at the flesh, making Allen hiss in pain. “I’m sorry,” he said as he placed his hands against the massive wound.

  Allen tried to smile through the pain. “Just another day at the park.”

  Darien chuckled at the attempt to lighten the moment. He opened himself to his power and poured it into Allen’s leg.

  The man let out a groan of relief as the pain stopped and the flesh slowly started to knit back together.

  Concentrating on setting the cells to regenerate, he pulled his hands back and watched for a moment to make sure the healing process continued before looking up at Allen’s face. “Give it a few minutes to heal.” He patted the man on the shoulder.

  Allen nodded and leaned his head back against the tire to wait.

  Darien picked up his sword and stood up. There were still more who needed his help. “Thank you for stopping him.” He leaned into Vicky and kissed the side of her head.

  Vicky shrugged and leaned into his comforting warmth.

  Darien led them over to where Jakob was wrapped around his brother’s body. The surviving twin had pulled his limp brother up into his lap and rocked him.

  Jakob looked up when Darien approached. “Please, Master,” he begged, “save him!” Tears streamed down Jakob’s face.

  Darien squatted next to them and reached out to touch Josh’s body. Closing his eyes, he let out a forlorn sigh and shook his head. There was no life left in the man’s body.

  Jakob reached out and grabbed onto Darien’s arm before he could pull it back. “Please, Master. Please!”

  Darien looked down to the blistered hand of the desperate brother before looking back up into his face.

  Jakob could see the hopelessness in Darien’s eyes. “PLEASE!” He clutched at his master’s arm.

  Darien nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.” He pulled free of Jakob’s fingers and stood up.

  “Can you save him?” Vicky asked as Jakob wrapped himself around his twin again. She wiped at a tear rolling down her cheek.

  “How’d he die?” Darien asked as he looked over the pair folded together. Josh had already been down when he had come to.

  “I didn’t mean to,” Vicky hiccupped. “He lunged at me and kind of fell on your sword.”

  Darien looked at her, shocked. “My sword?” He looked down at the bloody metal in his hand.

  Vicky nodded. “It was the first thing I could lay my hands on.” She sniffed back her anguish. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

  Darien threw his head back and laughed. Sighing in joy, he looked over at the shocked look on Vicky’s face. Reaching out, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her close. He kissed her softly and looked into her confused eyes. “I love you.” Releasing her, Darien turned towards the last problem.

  The tip of his sword tinked loudly as it hit the ground in front of the mass of greenish-black tentacles. Leaning on the weapon, Darien studied the hellhound and his captive. He couldn’t make out where the center of Zak was, but the tips of the tentacles wiggled, waiting for Darien’s word. “Down, Zak,” Darien said softly.

  The mass of ends wiggled and unfurled, leaving Elliot limp on the floor. Zak had ahold of the back of his coat. He shook it furiously with a growl before releasing the vampire and wobbling over to rub against Darien’s leg.

  Darien reached down and ruffled the fay lightly before Zak wiggled off to check on Vicky.

  “Are you alive?” Darien asked his unmoving friend.

  Elliot’s eyes cracked open.

  They glowed gold with a power Darien didn’t remember seeing in his friend before. He pondered it as he leaned on his sword, waiting for Elliot to sit up and take stock of his faculties.

  Elliot leaned forwards to rest against one bent-up knee while the other leg stretched out in front of him. He looked a little mauled, but seemed to be in one piece. “My life, My Lord.” Elliot hung his head.

  Darien let out a long sigh. Proper etiquette required payment for Elliot’s attack on his master. Darien pushed up from leaning on his sword. “Stand up, my friend.” He held his hand down to Elliot.

  Elliot looked up at him in disbelief.

  “We both know you were not in control.”

  Regret washed across Elliot’s face.

  “Besides, we have work to do.”

  Elliot’s eyes flashed to Josh and Jakob, then back up to Darien.

  Darien nodded.

  Elliot took Darien’s hand and let the greater vampire pull him to his feet. “My Lord.” He hung his head in shame as he held on to Darien’s arm.

  “Stop it,” Darien snapped as he pulled his hand back from Elliot. “We can talk about it later if you want, but there are other things needed now.” Turning, Darien knelt down next to Jakob. “I need you to let him go.” He touched Jakob’s shoulder, drawing him away from his brother.

  Jakob clutched at the lifeless form for a moment before letting Darien separate them.

  Vicky’s hands pulled him up and away.

  Darien caught Vicky’s eye as she helped Jakob up. A moment of gratitude and silent understanding passed between them.

  Vicky turned Jakob into her, and he buried his face in her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her. She returned his embrace, giving him as much comfort as she could.

  Elliot and Darien straightened Josh’s body out to look at it. Elliot touched the cold skin and grimaced. He shot Darien a sickened look. “How did he die?” he asked, looking at the single wound in his stomach.

  “My sword,” Darien said softly.

  Shock raced o
ver Elliot’s face as he looked up at Vicky holding Jakob. The vampire was peeking out, watching them work.

  “A single thrust, here?” Elliot asked, pointing to the wound.

  Vicky nodded.

  Darien pulled up his shirt to look at it. “From an upward angle,” he said, imagining how the sword would have slid in. Mimicking the movement needed to make the wound made Jakob squeeze Vicky tighter.

  Vicky nodded and patted the upset man. “I didn’t think it would kill him.” Her voice cracked with sorrow.

  “Normally it wouldn’t.” Elliot sat Josh up and looked at the exit wound. “But Darien’s sword is special.”

  Both Jakob and Vicky looked at the bloody blade next to Darien.

  Elliot stripped the coat and shoulder harness from Josh’s body.

  “The fay enchanted the blade long ago to help in one of their battles,” Darien explained. “It’s how it got its name. It doesn’t matter what the creature is, a mortal wound from this blade will pull the life from them.”

  Vicky pulled back from Jakob as she thought. “But, I had to stab Darecy twice to kill him.”

  “How long did you leave it in him before you pulled it out?” Darien asked, looking up at her.

  “A few seconds,” Vicky answered. It had seemed like an eternity, but it had only been a moment before she pulled it out and rammed it into his heart.

  Darien turned his attention back to where Elliot was lying Josh back down. “It takes a moment for the blade to work.”

  Elliot tucked the coat in under the still man’s head.

  “Plus, it had already eaten once.”

  “Eaten!” Jakob shrieked as he turned from Vicky. He looked down at the wicked blade and to his brother. “Can you save him?”

  “We will try,” Darien promised.

  Vicky placed a hand on Jakob’s shoulder as he sunk to the floor in despair.

  Zak gurgled and rubbed up against him. The fay turned to watch as the two vampires prepared Josh’s body.

  Darien and Elliot exchanged glances; the chances of this actually working were slim, and they both knew it.

  “My blood would be better,” Darien said from where he knelt near Josh’s feet.