Kindling Flames: Blazing Moon (The Ancient Fire Series Book 6)

by Julie Wetzel

  She blinked a few times at the unexpected sight. There were no coffins or cobwebs. No dark drapes and blood-red sheets. The soft silvers and blues of Darien’s bedroom were so normal they shocked her.

  Zak barked at her from the center of the bed.

  Krissy jumped in fright.

  “It’s just Zak,” Phelan said.

  She looked over at the bed to find Zak crouched down in the middle, ready to play. Releasing Phelan’s hand, she went over to the bed, sat down, and ruffled Zak’s fur.

  He rolled over so she could rub his belly.

  Krissy grinned at the little dog and obliged him.

  “Would you like something to sleep in?” Phelan asked. He placed his hand on the edge of Darien’s dresser where Vicky kept her clothing.

  Zak growled.

  Krissy gave him an astonished look before turning her attention to Phelan. “I don’t think he likes that idea.”

  Phelan snickered and removed his hand from the dresser. “I don’t think he did either.” He came over and sat on the other side of Zak. “He’s never liked people getting into Vicky’s things.” Phelan paused and thought about it for a moment as he petted Zak. “I could probably get you one of Darien’s T-shirts.”

  Glancing over at the dresser, Krissy thought about it. She’d been in the same clothing since she’d left home for her run two days ago. Something clean would be wonderful, but it would be better after a hot shower. She considered how nice a shower would be, but decided against asking for one. It took too much energy to wash. She looked back at Phelan. “I just want some sleep.”

  Nodding, Phelan stood up and scooped Zak from the bed. “As you wish.” When Krissy stood up, he tossed the covers back so she could get in.

  Krissy kicked off her shoes and slid into the bed. It was wonderfully soft. She pulled the covers over her as Phelan dropped Zak on the foot of the bed.

  Phelan ran his hand over the bedspread. “Get some sleep.” Turning away from the bed, he went over and shut the light off before dropping himself on the couch.

  This raised Krissy’s eyebrow. She pushed up from her pillow and looked over at the werewolf settling on the couch. “Are you going to be comfortable over there?”

  Wiggling around, Phelan grunted a positive noise. “It’s not the first time I’ve slept on a couch.”

  Krissy giggled. It didn’t take much to see that he was trying to be polite by taking the couch. Reaching over, she grabbed one of the pillows from the other side of the bed. “Phelan,” she called. When Phelan looked up, she threw the pillow to him. He caught it with ease. “Sleep well.”

  Phelan smiled, fluffed up the pillow, and stuck it under his head. “Good night.”

  Settling back to her pillow, Krissy relaxed and watched Phelan find a comfortable position on the couch. It was nice to have him so close. She closed her eyes and let herself drift. In the corner of her mind, she could feel Phelan resting on the couch. Anxiety churned his emotions, keeping him from sleep. Drawing in a breath, Krissy concentrated on him and soothed his restless mind. It didn’t take long until she could hear his breath deepen and even out. Up until now, she’d only ever been able to soothe someone when she was touching them. The fact she’d calmed Phelan from a distance was significant. It must have something to do with the mating bonds, but she didn’t know how to go about exploring them. Contented with herself, she let the tension drain from her body and tried not to think. There would be time for that once she’d had a good night’s sleep.

  Krissy stared out the front window of the car at her apartment complex. It seemed so ordinary now that she had discovered another side to the world. She turned to Phelan. “Are you sure you don’t need any more help?” They’d spent most of the day working together on Phelan’s pronunciation and memorization of the incantations he’d need to seal away the daemon. They had practiced the ritual so many times Krissy was sure she could do it in her sleep, but she was still apprehensive to let him go. She had an odd feeling that life wouldn’t be the same anymore, and she wasn’t ready to face that yet.

  Phelan gave her a warm smile and shook his head. “No.” He reached for her hand. “Thank you.” He squeezed her fingers so she would know how much her offer had meant to him. There was still a lot he had to do, but he needed to know she was safely away from the fight. They had already had a long talk about it.

  Letting out a sigh, Krissy nodded. She reached out to catch Phelan around his neck and pull him to her. “Take care of yourself.”

  Surprised, Phelan raised his arm and held her for a moment. He nuzzled his face into her neck. “I’ll be back for you, my mate,” he promised.

  “You’d better,” Krissy threatened. She squeezed him tightly before turning him loose. As his arm slid from her, she stopped and met his eyes. They held a pain that drew her back. She planted a hard kiss on his lips, but pulled away before he could respond. Popping open the door, she hopped out before he could catch her again. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Not knowing how things would turn out, they’d avoided talking about when they would see each other again, but she couldn’t go without letting him know she expected him to survive the night.

  The shutting door cut off the sound of his chuckle. It warmed her heart, and she turned away before she found some reason to get back into the car. She finally stole a glance back when she hit the turn in the stairs leading to her second-floor apartment. He looked worried. She shot him a smile before skipping up the rest of the steps. She stopped at her door and stared at it. For the first time in three days, she realized she’d been missing out on her own life. Her purse, phone, and house keys were still in her car. That was still at the park where she’d first met Phelan and Rupert.

  She glanced down at Phelan, who was waiting for her to go in. For half a moment, she considered having him take her the four blocks down to the park to get them, but she didn’t want to stress him anymore. He already had enough on his mind. She smiled to reassure him and went for the spare key she kept in the bottom of her mailbox. Pulling the mail out, she got the key and unlocked her door. She waved to Phelan one last time before going inside.

  The sound of Phelan’s car backing out of the parking lot tugged at her. She had a nagging feeling she wasn’t going to see him again even though he’d promised he would return. Biting back tears, Krissy went about setting her life straight again.

  Flipping through the mail, she pulled the junk out of the bills and dropped both piles on the table. She glanced into the kitchen at the pile of dirty dinner dishes that needed her attention. Ignoring those, she went into the bedroom and kicked off her shoes. In desperate need of a bath, she stripped out of her exercise clothing and headed into the bathroom to think.

  The sound of the water running in the tub helped to soothe her mind. There was so much to do, but she didn’t know where to start. She slipped into the hot water and started to list the things that needed her attention. To start with, she needed to get her car from the park. It was only a few blocks down the road, but she couldn’t do anything without it. Once she was done with her bath, she would get the spare key and walk the short distance to get it. That would give her the transportation she would need to tackle the rest of her problems.

  The biggest of her issues was her job. Over the last three days, she’d missed two days of work without calling in. She was going to have to go explain her absence to her boss. Usually, a no-call-no-show would mean termination, but this was the first time she’d ever had an incident. She was sure she could make her boss see reason and allow her to keep her job. She was one of the veterinarian’s top assistants. Before she could explain her absence, she was going to have to figure out what to tell him. Giving him the truth was unacceptable. There was no way he would buy that she’d been kidnapped by werewolves and had helped them prepare to fight a daemon. That story was sure to get her fired and might even be enough to get her a one-way ticket to the loony bin. No, she was going to have to come up with something more believable than the truth. She tossed in
the water, pondering over the stories she could use, but none of them were good enough.

  Putting that out of her mind, she tried to think of what she had planned for the rest of the week, but her mind kept drifting to Phelan and his fight with the daemon. Nothing else seemed important.

  Frustrated with her inability to think, she grabbed up her loofa and started to scrub away the dirt from the past few days. Once she was clean, she toweled off and got dressed. She glanced at the clock and made a frustrated noise. Her whole bath had only taken up twenty minutes. If she was going to make it through the night, she was going to need something to keep her mind busy.

  Grabbing her shoes, Krissy shoved them on and headed for the door. She would start by getting her car and getting what she could do done. It was already after five, so talking to her boss would have to wait until tomorrow, but she could think of a few other errands she had to run. Maybe that would help distract her.

  ***

  Krissy paced across her living room. The dishes were done, the floor was vacuumed, the windows were washed, the shelves were dusted, and the toilet was scrubbed within an inch of its life. She’d finished all of her chores, and then repeated a few for good measure. She couldn’t think of anything else that needed to be done, but she had to do something. She walked past the clock again and glared at it. 12:46 blinked at her. There were still over two hours until the werewolves were supposed to meet at some farm on the north side of town.

  Knowing she had to work tomorrow, she’d tried to go to bed, but an anxious feeling kept her from getting comfortable. She’d tried losing herself in a smutty romance novel, but thoughts of the impending fight kept her from concentrating on the words. Giving up on sleep and reading, she’d tried TV. When that didn’t work, she got up and started terrorizing the dirt in her apartment. When she finished that, she couldn’t stop herself from worrying about Phelan. Something kept telling her he needed her help.

  Giving in to her gut feelings, she went and got dressed. She grabbed her coat and keys before heading out the door. She had no idea how she was going to find the tree farm, but she couldn’t stay here anymore.

  “I was starting to wonder if you were going to come out.”

  Krissy stopped on the landing between the two halves of the steps and looked for the familiar voice. Elliot stood leaning against the tree in front of her building. “What are you doing here?” A hint of fear raced through her as she came the rest of the way down the stairs. Phelan had made it very clear he didn’t want her anywhere near the werewolves’ fight. The only reason she could think of for Elliot to be there was to prevent her from going to Phelan.

  Elliot pushed off the tree and stepped out of the flowerbed to meet her. “Waiting for you.”

  She swallowed, trying to figure out a lie to tell Elliot. She was not about to let him stop her from going. “I was just…” She floundered, unable to think of anything good to say.

  “Going to help the werewolves,” Elliot finished for her.

  Krissy bit her lip. “Yeah,” she admitted. She prepared herself to argue her case to the vampire.

  Elliot turned and started towards her car. “We don’t have a lot of time.” He stopped next to her passenger door. “If we’re going to get there before the werewolves, we’re going to have to hurry.”

  This put a spring in Krissy’s step, and she rushed to her side of the car. “You’re not going to try to stop me?” she asked, unlocking her door.

  Elliot gave her a warm smile. “My dear, I’m here to see that you get to where you need to be.”

  Krissy stared at him over the car, stunned he was there to help her.

  “Are we going?” he asked. He cocked his eyebrow and looked down at his still-locked door.

  “Of course,” Krissy said, shaking herself out of her shock. She opened her door and hit the button to unlock the passenger side. “I’m just…” She got in the car as Elliot did.

  “Surprised I’m here?” he asked, settling himself in the passenger side.

  “Yeah,” she said. She turned to look at him before starting the car. “Why are you here?” She still couldn’t wrap her brain around it. Phelan had been very adamant that she had no part in the fight between the two packs.

  Elliot’s jaw tightened before he answered. “Because I don’t think Phelan stands a chance without your help.”

  Krissy processed that as she turned to face front again. She buckled her seat belt and started the car. “Then let’s see what we can do about it.” She turned in her seat so she could back the car out. “Where to?”

  Elliot smiled and pointed to the left. “That way.”

  ***

  The narrow dirt drive Elliot had led them to was so full of potholes that Krissy didn’t think her car would get down it. The uncut bushes along the ditches scraped down the side with an ear-splitting screech.

  “Are you sure this is where we’re supposed to be?” Krissy asked for the second time.

  “Yes,” Elliot reassured her again. “The fay are notorious for being hard to find and harder to get to.” He looked out the window to the encroaching brush. “It’s a good thing I called ahead to let him know we were coming or we would never have made it this far.”

  “You’re friend sure knows how to make a girl feel welcome,” Krissy smarted off and tried to avoid the potholes.

  Elliot chuckled. “He isn’t my friend, and I assure you, we are not welcome.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out. “But we do have a deal and he will honor that contract to the letter.”

  Krissy raised an eyebrow at him, but quickly turned her attention back to the road. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what Elliot meant by that.

  After a while, the dirt path widened into a parking area. Krissy pulled her car in next to a fairly new-looking truck. She stared at the much-larger vehicle in disbelief. She glanced around, looking for another entrance to the driveway. There was no way that monster vehicle could make it down that dirt trail. Unable to find one, she shook thoughts of the other truck out of her mind. She had bigger things to worry about right now. Getting out of her car, she hurried to join Elliot. He’d gotten out and was already on his way up the stone path towards the rugged wooden cottage sitting at the far edge of the clearing.

  As she came up beside him, Elliot held his hand out, turned his head, and spoke to her. “What we are about to enter is an extension of Fairy. Don’t believe anything you see or hear.”

  Worried, Krissy took a hold of his hand. “Then what should I believe?”

  Elliot raised her hand and patted it. “That I won’t let anything happen to you inside.” He curled her hand around his arm and escorted her up the path.

  Apprehension rose up Krissy’s back, and she opened herself to Elliot’s feelings. She could feel his concern, but he was also confident in what he was doing. This, coupled with the reassuring pat he gave her hand, eased her fears. If she wanted to help Phelan, she was going to have to trust that Elliot knew what he was doing.

  The wooden cabin wasn’t much to write home about. It was a simple rectangular hut with a rough porch and stone chimney. It looked like any number of hunting cabins set out in the woods. It didn’t impress Krissy much until after Elliot knocked on the coarse boards of the door. The man who opened it was terrifying. He might have only stood five feet tall, but it was the sharp teeth and blood-red eyes that made Krissy pull back.

  Elliot held her hand tight as he nodded his head to the thin old man. “Joachim.”

  Joachim ran his eyes up and down Krissy. “You’re late.” He turned and went back into the house, leaving the door standing open.

  “My apologies,” Elliot said as he led Krissy into the building. “We had some trouble getting down your driveway.”

  Krissy shivered as she went into the building. It felt as if something had brushed over her skin. She glanced back, looking for spider webs, but didn’t see anything there. She turned her attention to the man walking in front of them. From this angle, he wasn’t th
at scary. His simple dark T-shirt and jeans weren’t that exciting. It was his hat that drew Krissy’s attention. It was made of a dark red felt and looked to be damp near the end. Turning her attention away from the man, Krissy glanced around his home and gasped in shock. The rough-cut wooden cabin wasn’t there anymore. She blinked, not believing her eyes. Gray stone walls stretched up around her and disappeared into a dark ceiling. There was an overall low light, but no matter where she looked, she couldn’t find the source of it. She regarded the huge room. There was no way all of it could have fit within the small cabin. She couldn’t see very far in the dark room, but there looked to be a grand staircase at the far end.

  Elliot patted her hand to calm her.

  The man let out a low, menacing laugh and turned around to face them again. “And you wouldn’t have gotten here if I hadn’t let you.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you bring it?”

  Krissy pulled her walls up and held them as tightly as she could. She didn’t like the looks of Joachim and doubted she would enjoy the way he felt any better.

  “Yes,” Elliot said, loosening his grip on Krissy’s hand. He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out a leather bag. “Fifty gold coins, as promised.” He tossed the bag to Joachim.

  Joachim plucked the sack from the air and bounced it in his hand, feeling its weight. “It’s a might heavy,” he said suspiciously.

  “I added five coins to ensure Miss Midlton’s safe and prompt arrival.”

  Joachim gave him a tooth-filled grin. “I like you.” He slipped the bag of coins into his back pocket. “I give you my word: a safe arrival with no delays.”

  “Very well.” Elliot turned to Krissy and took both of her hands. “Joachim will make sure you get to Phelan.”