Kindling Flames: Stolen Fire (The Ancient Fire Series Book 4) (25 page)

The cold December air rustled through the parking garage. Cars of those working late and holiday shoppers filled the lower two levels, but the third level was mostly empty. A few cars were clustered near the corner with the steps, and one lone van sat parked in the center of the floor. Travis Darecy leaned against the van, watching as Darien and his entourage made their way up the ramp.

“I see you found me.” Travis smiled and stood up as they approached. “That’s close enough,” he called. Darien’s group stopped near enough to talk but well outside any type of engaging range.

“I want my powers back,” Darien called.

“And I want you dead,” Travis replied.

“Well, it looks like only one of us can have what we want.” Darien tossed the loose sword at Travis so that it slid to a stop by his feet. “I challenge you.” Tugging off his coat, he handed it to Vicky and drew out his sword.

Travis looked down at the hunk of metal lying at his feet and back up to Darien. “You have got to be kidding me.” He laughed. “This isn’t the Dark Ages.” Travis kicked the sword away and pulled a gun from his pocket. He fired a shot, hitting Darien in the shoulder.

“Darien!” Vicky screamed as things whirled into action.

Dropping his sword with a loud clang, Darien spun around from the impact and straight into Elliot’s grasp.

Zak let out a roar that didn’t fit his cute dog disguise.

Darien hissed as the pain from the bullet registered.

Vicky dropped Darien’s coat and rushed to check on him, while Travis laughed at the flurry of activity.

“Swords are for relics.” Travis waved his gun around at them. “Your time is over.”

Darien twisted in the grip of his friends to glare at Travis. He pushed Vicky’s probing fingers back from his mostly healed wound and stood up away from Elliot. “I may be a relic, but at least I have the decency to face my foe honestly.” Slipping a small vial from his sleeve, Darien shook his hands next to his side, readying himself for the next attack. “Sneak attacks are for cowards.”

“That may be true, but I’m going to win.” Travis raised the gun to point at Darien’s chest.

Vicky stepped back as she felt Darien pull energy from the world around him.

As Travis pulled the trigger again, Darien threw his hands up, flinging the contents of the bottle out in front of him. He barked a word of command and the air hardened, catching the bullet in its flight. The projectile hung between them for a moment before Darien lowered his hands and the lead lump clattered to the concrete floor.

Travis just stared at the bullet in shock.

“It would be wise if you just surrendered,” Darien offered. “We could go back to the fay and have them undo whatever it was that they did.”

Vicky turned and looked at Darien, confused. She was sure that Dakine had said the only way to break the spell was to destroy the anchor. She opened her mouth to say something but a quick shake of Elliot’s head shut her up.

Travis had lowered his gun as he considered the impossibility of stopping a flying bullet.

Darien took a slow step towards the bewildered man.

Drawn by the movement, Travis shook his shock away and raised the gun again.

Twisting his hands around in the air Darien pulled more magic from the world and channeled it into the gun with another word of power.

Travis let out a squeal as he dropped the weapon; the metal around the grip started to glow.

Elliot pulled Vicky back as the first of the bullets exploded in the heat.

Travis danced backwards as the gun jumped around from the popping of the shells.

Darien stepped back to stand next to where Elliot was protecting Vicky from potential shrapnel.

“Smart move,” Elliot sassed as he released Vicky.

“Had to be done.” Darien shrugged. “I was out of iron filings.” He turned his attention to Vicky. “Are you okay?”

She nodded her head and looked at where the damaged gun had come to rest.

“What the hell
are
you?” Travis screamed.

Darien looked back at the ruffled man. “I thought you knew.” He smiled at Travis. Once he was sure Vicky was okay, he turned to face Travis again. Tapping into the magic once more, Darien readied himself for a third attack.

Seeing Darien’s unusual stance, Travis held out his cell phone. “Do it and they die!” He held his finger over the button.

Darien paused. “Who dies?”

Travis inched his finger closer to his phone. “Everyone!”

Darien slowly raised his hands; he wasn’t about to make a move until they knew if Travis really had set up a bomb.

Vicky did her best to open herself up and listen to Travis’ thoughts. Maybe she could catch something about his target.

Darien took a step closer to Travis. “What do you want?”

“I want you to know the pain I’ve had to suffer!” Travis screamed at him.

“I know that pain.” Darien’s voice dropped. “I’ve known suffering for hundreds of years. The loss of loved ones. The empty holes they leave in your world. I’ve had to live with the agony of taking the life of the one closest to me.”

Vicky stiffened as she listened to him. She felt Elliot’s power brush against her mind reassuringly. Turning, she caught the sad smile he gave her. She pushed the thoughts away and turned back to the standoff. Darien had stopped just a few steps in front of her.

“I understand your pain, but that is no reason to take it out on others.”

“You have no idea how I feel!” Travis screamed. “
You killed my father!
”

“Luke, I am your father!” Josh whispered next to Vicky while breathing heavily.

She tried to hold in the mirth, but the inappropriateness of the comment mixed with the tension of the situation drove a snort of laughter out.

Travis turned his eyes to Vicky. “You think this is
funny?
” he screamed at her.

Vicky shook her head and tried to wipe the smile off her face. “No.” She tucked her hands deep inside her pockets. Anger washed out through their link, coloring the edges of her mind.

Travis waved the phone around. “Damn right, bitch. People’s lives are at stake, here.”

A flash of an image crossed into Vicky’s head, making her gasp. “You wouldn’t blow up the Christmas Village!” She took a step forwards in shock. With it this close to Christmas, there had to be hundreds of people wandering around the city’s largest light display.

“Get the hell out of my head, bitch!”

Vicky staggered back from the force Travis threw down their connection.

Josh caught her before she could fall. The line between them clamped down, but Vicky caught the location of the bomb.

“The main tree,” she whispered to Josh.

He nodded and looked back towards Darien and Travis. His eyes slid past them to the stairwell where his brother was hiding. “Stall for time,” he muttered as he set her back up on her feet.

Vicky nodded and faced Travis. “Why would you endanger the lives of children like that?” She put a hurt note into her words; maybe she could play to his sympathy, if he had any. “Do you really want to put innocent people through the same kind of suffering you’ve had to endure?”

Travis paused and looked at her, confused.

Vicky took a step forwards pushing compassion against the link Travis had closed off. “All of this was to make Darien pay for the wrongs he’s caused you, but how does blowing up innocent people accomplish that? If you do this, you’re no better than he is.” She waved her hand towards Darien, standing silently between her and Travis. Attacking Darien’s character hurt her, but it was the only way she could think of to get through to Travis.

“You’re right.” Travis lowered the phone. “That does bring me down to his level.” He waffled for a few minutes as he studied Vicky. “But, I’m a vampire now, so that makes me evil.” To her horror, Travis pressed the button on the phone.

“
No!
” Vicky lunged forwards as if to stop the electronic signal, but Darien turned and grabbed her before she could get past him.

Darien pulled Vicky in against him as she sobbed. “Being a vampire doesn’t make you evil.” He looked up at Travis. “Acts like that do.” Turning, he walked Vicky back over to Elliot and Josh.

Zak rubbed up against her leg before growling at Travis.

“Now what are you going to do?” Darien glared as he moved to face Travis again. “You’re down a gun, and you’ve used your bomb. What other tricks are you going to pull?”

Travis actually smiled at him. “You know, I’ve discovered something.”

Vicky felt him open their connection back up.

Travis looked straight at her as he poured malice and hate into her. “Kill him.”

Vicky let out a scream and doubled over, holding her head. Images of Darien lying dead by her hands rushed through her mind, and she felt the urge to strangle him. “
No!
” she screamed and wrapped her arms around her middle. Dropping to her knees, she fought with the compulsion. Darien’s hands touched her, but she flinched away from them.

He pulled back, not sure what was wrong.

Zak whimpered at her and pressed his face into her chest.

Vicky wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his fur as he chased the magic from her mind. The desire to hurt Darien slipped away from her.

Darien stood back up and turned to face Vicki’s attacker.

“Bitch!” Travis screamed at her. “
Kill him!”

Shaking her head again, she felt him shift his attention to another.

Josh shuddered next to her and took a step forwards.

Vicky looked up to find Josh advancing on Darien.

Darien’s attention was back on Travis, and he didn’t see the other vampire moving.

“No.” Vicky reached out and grabbed at Josh’s ankle. His shuffling steps stopped as she searched through her mind and found Darien’s mark on him. Travis had shoved his hate into Josh, washing out the man’s own feelings. Vicky shoved Zak out of her lap and struggled to her feet. Grabbing Josh’s face, she turned it to her. Josh’s eyes were empty as if his soul had been plucked out.

“Josh.” Vicky patted him on the cheek. His body tried to move towards Darien, but Vicky held him fast. His eyes shifted, but she pulled him back to look at her. “No, Josh.” Zak gurgled from behind Vicky, but she ignored him as she tried to break the hold Travis had on the lesser vampire. “
Josh!
” she yelled and slapped him hard.

Josh blinked and stared at her in confusion.

Vicky sighed in relief; life had come back to his eyes. A growl grabbed Vicky’s attention, and she turned to look at Darien, standing behind her. Concern colored his face, but it was the sight behind him that terrified Vicky. Elliot’s eyes were as empty as Josh’s had been. “
No!
” Vicky yelled just as Elliot’s arms wrapped around Darien, pulling him back.