Kindling Flames: Smoke Rising (The Ancient Fire Series Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

barked in response. He didn’t like sharing Vicky with Darien.
    Vicky scooted the little fay over so she could see him. “You know I love you, Zak.” She pulled on his feelers softly.
    He purred in her hands.
    Vicky chuckled and moved him over so she could sit up.
    Darien couldn’t help the ping of jealousy that passed through him at her words. He didn’t like sharing Vicky with the hellhound, either, but they had come to a truce over the subject.
    Vicky took the purple nightgown from Zak’s grasp and shook it out. Leaning against Darien, she nuzzled him lightly. “I love you, too.” She tilted her head back to look at him. He leaned down and met her lips again. Vicky kissed him softly, and he shifted on the bed so he could deepen the kiss.
    Darien was now glad that he had taken a sip of Vicky’s water to rinse the blood from his mouth. They sat there, lost to each other for a few minutes, until Zak jumped from the bed and started tearing at Darien’s hem.
    “All right.” Darien finally pulled back from Vicky and shook his leg to get Zak to turn lose.
    Vicky giggled and reached for the grumpy fay. When he jumped up into her lap, she squeezed him reassuringly. He wrapped her up in his bits. Anyone else would have freaked out when the little monster’s tentacle reached around and squeezed them back. Vicky had gotten used to the writhing mass when she found she couldn’t keep him from her bed. She let him lick her for a moment before releasing him so she could change.
    Darien had to help her with the zipper in her dress, but Vicky was soon changed and tucked in, with Zak snuggled next to her. “Go on to sleep,” he said as he patted the blankets over the pair. “There is something I still have to do.”
    Vicky looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. “You won’t be long?”
    “Of course not.” He placed a light kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back shortly.” Darien hit the lights as he headed out to finish what he had been working on before his phone exploded with calls from the club.

 

     
    It was 7:15 when Vicky and Darien made it to work on Monday. There had been a snarl in traffic that had delayed them. The police had a section of street tied up with emergency vehicles, and everyone was rubbernecking to see what had happened. Darien just shook his head and found a way around it.
    “Would you like your usual coffee this morning?” Vicky asked as she stepped behind the desk of the outer office that served as Darien’s waiting room. It was an inviting room, furnished with leather chairs, a matching couch, and several pretty pictures on the wall. A large, oak desk offered Vicky plenty of working space for the random projects that Darien would often give her. She opened the laptop and hit the power button so it would be ready when she got back.
    Darien headed towards his office. “Please, and a cheese Danish.”
    Vicky paused at the odd request and looked at the man’s back. Darien usually didn’t eat real food. She shrugged it off and left.
    Darien wasn’t your normal vampire. Having lived for nearly a millennium, he had slowly gotten over most of the things that caused vampires problems. He still needed blood to survive, but he could eat real food in small quantities. The only drawback was the heartburn it would cause if he ate too much. He had also developed some resistance to sunlight that allowed him to get out during the day. Darien had taken full advantage of this ability and built a powerful company that he ran personally. He found he liked the rigors of the corporate world and delved deeply into it to keep his soul young.
    Darien stopped just inside his office door and looked at the rugged man sitting at his oak desk. His black leather biker’s jacket and dark, windblown hair contrasted sharply with the neat office.
    “Good morning, Rupert,” Darien greeted the alpha werewolf playing with his computer. “What are you doing?”
    Rupert looked up as Darien continued into the room.