by Julie Wetzel
Both Vicky and Darien struggled to get free from the fay. Zak held on to them, determined to get what he wanted from the closet. Seeing they were losing the battle, Vicky took a deep breath and went limp.
It took Zak all of two seconds to stop struggling when Vicky stopped moving. Darien followed shortly behind as concern for the still girl filled him. Zak gurgled softly, and Vicky slowly let out the air she was holding, but didn’t move. The fay released Darien and turned his full attention to Vicky.
Darien pushed himself up to his elbows, worried that little horror had hurt his assistant unintentionally. “Victoria?” He rolled a little so he could look at the limp woman. “Are you all right?” The sound of her breathing again let him know she wasn’t dead, but that didn’t explain why she wasn’t moving.
Zak whimpered at her and touched her softly on her face.
“Are you two done fighting?” Vicky asked from where she lay crumpled on the floor. Zak gurgled softly as Darien raised both of his eyebrows in surprise. She opened her eyes to look at the two males in the darkened closet.
“Um… Yes?” Darien said, unsure what she was playing at.
“Good.” Vicky sat up to lift Zak from the floor. “What did you want in here?” she asked the little fay.
Zak gurgled and reached up to pull down another cloak from the rack above them.
Darien looked at the coarsely woven material and chuckled. “I hadn’t forgotten about her.” He picked up the cloak Zak had dislodged. “I was planning on her wearing the shawl Michael had given her.”
Zak gave him his best impression of cocking his head in confusion. He gurgled and grabbed on to the edge of the cloak in Darien’s hand.
“If it’s that important to you, she can use this one.” Darien released the cloak as Zak pulled it over to Vicky.
The fay gurgled happily and wrapped it around her before pulling himself from her hands. He wiggled over to the door and held it open for them.
Darien shook his head and got up. “All you had to do was ask.” He dusted his hands on his pants.
“What was all that about?” Vicky said from where she sat, stunned, on the floor, wrapped in the woolen material.
“I guess he wanted to make sure you have a cloak for the hunt tonight.” Darien reached down to help the woman to her feet. “He probably overheard Elliot asking to borrow one and thought I was forgetting about you when I only got two out.” He led the way from the closet and picked up the two cloaks abandoned on the floor.
Vicky went back to where she had dropped the weapons to gather them up. “Why do we need cloaks?” she asked, draping the belts over her shoulder. “It’s not supposed to be cold out tonight.” Tucking the two swords under one arm, Vicky grabbed the daggers in the other hand and stood up.
“True,” Darien held the door open for her, “but you never know what type of weather we’ll run into. It’s best to prepare for the worst.” He made sure Zak was out of the room before pointing Vicky to take her load into his bedroom.
She dropped her bundle on Darien’s bed. “Are you really going to use this stuff?” Pulling the cloak off, she laid it next to the weapons. Vicky rubbed her fingers across the blue and purple woven fabric. It reminded her of a blanket with a split from the center to one end, but there was a hood attached around the hole in the middle.
Zak jumped up on the bed and sniffed at the swords.
“Yes.” Darien dropped the two heavier cloaks on the bed next to Vicky’s. “Some of the wolves will have bows, and others will run with the hounds. Hopefully, there won’t be too much hand-to-hand,” he said as he went to the dresser to pull out some clean clothing.
“Um… you mean, like, hack-and-slash type of thing?” Vicky mimicked swinging a blade around her head.
He looked back at her and grinned at her antics. “That’s what you normally do with a sword.” Darien set several articles of clothing on top of the dresser as he spoke. “And it’s been years since I’ve done any martial arts.”
Vicky turned a little whiter and looked down at the swords on the bed. “You don’t expect me to, um…” She poked the air with her imaginary sword again.
Darien shook his head. “If all goes well, you won’t even have to get down.” He brought the clothing over and dropped the long-sleeved shirt on the bed.
Vicky looked at the black shirt and recognized it from Darien’s trip to the club. Picking it up, she shook out the material. “Get down from what?” she asked, holding the shirt up to see how it would look on her. Turning, she looked at herself in the mirror over the dresser.
Darien took the shirt from her and tossed it back on the bed. “The Hunt,” he answered. He led the way back down the hall to the larger of his walk-in closets.
Vicky followed, with Zak in her wake. She was still not sure what Darien meant by ‘The Hunt’, but he didn’t explain any more.
Digging into a box, he pulled out some pieces of curved leather with holes punched in the sides. A long length of cord hung from the holes.
“What’s that?” Vicky asked as she scooped up Zak from the floor to stop him chewing on the ends of one of Darien’s shoelaces.
“Bracers,” he answered. Pulling a pair of plainsmen boots out from under the rack of clothing, he tucked the leather bracers into their tops. Darien looked at his boots and bracers before snickering to himself and adding the leather pants from the club to the mix. If he was going partway, he might as well do it right. He waved her out of the closet so he could take the rest of his clothing back to the bedroom.
“So is this a period thing?” Vicky asked as she watched him lay out the clothing. “Do we all get to dress up?”
Darien smirked at her. “Only if you want to. I think I might have a corset around here that you could wear,” he teased. “There’s always that cabaret dress in the closet.”
Vicky made a face that spoke volumes, as she shook her head no. She circled around to sit cross-legged on the other side of the bed as Darien looked over his preparations. Picking up the black shirt again, she rubbed the soft material between her fingers. She really liked it. “So, what should I expect this evening?” Vicky asked, slipping the black shirt over her head and fluffing her hair out over her back.
Darien’s heart skipped as he looked up to see the beautiful woman sitting in his bed, wearing his shirt. Now, if she was wearing just his shirt… Shaking his head, he tried to clear his mind of that thought. He really needed to concentrate on the hunt tonight. Once the ifrit was taken care of, he could have the luxury of thinking how good Vicky looked in his clothing.
“Well,” Darien turned away to get her messenger bag. “At dusk we’ll head out of here and hook up with Rupert, the wolves, and the rest of the vampires outside of Sharron Woods. Lord Dakine will meet us with the fay in the big field just south of the edge of the park.”
“The one off Willard Road?” Vicky asked. Some of her friends from the astronomy club had taken her out there stargazing a few times. For some reason, electrical things didn’t work well in that area, so there were no lights around. It made it the best place to look at the night sky.
Darien started to unload the bag onto his dresser. “That’s the one.”
Vicky watched him closely as she petted Zak who had settled into her lap again.
“We’ll call up the hounds there and start the Wild Hunt.”
Zak shivered a little in her lap, and she scratched him gently.
Darien came over to drop the empty bag on the bed. “From there, it’s anyone’s guess.”
“What do you mean?” Vicky asked, confused.
“Each Hunt is different,” he explained as he settled at the head of the bed to talk. “The hounds are given the scent of the prey, and they take off. Anyone joining the hunt is swept along with them until they reach their quarry.” Darien kicked his feet up on the bed and leaned back against the headboard. He looked at the chewed cuff of his pants and grimaced slightly.
Vicky shifted closer to him. “But how will
they find their target?”
“The hounds are smarter than anyone gives them credit for. They’ll use the burn on your hand to track the ifrit down, and I hope to find whoever gave you to it there.” A dark light shown in Darien’s eyes as he spoke. “And when they run, we’ll give chase. Once the Wild Hunt is given prey, it won’t stop till it’s caught.”
Vicky could hear the gravity in his voice; this was serious stuff. “It doesn’t matter where the target runs to, the Hunt will follow. The Hunt only loses a target if they tire of the chase, which is rare, or if the target goes some place the hunters cannot, like skipping dimensions.”
She listened, fascinated. “Will they run?” Vicky asked.
“If they’re smart.” A wicked grin curled the corners of Darien lips and drove a shiver up her spine. “They’ll know we’re coming, and if they have any brains in them, they’ll know going to ground is worse than trying to flee.”
Vicky shivered again. She didn’t like the idea of the Hunt or the terrible pleasure Darien seemed to get from the idea, but she couldn’t complain about it. This was being done to stop the ifrit and keep her safe. She picked up Zak from her lap and cuddled him to her like some strange stuffed animal.
Zak purred and wrapped his tentacles around Vicky, returning the cuddle.
Darien noticed how troubled she had become and shifted on the bed, going back to his normal self. “Why don’t you take that off before I need a new shirt?” He smiled warmly as he leaned forwards to pull the tie away from where Zak was trying to stuff it into his mouth.
Vicky giggled. Dropping the fay to the bed, she pulled the shirt off and handed it to Darien.
Carefully folding it, he felt the warmth she had left in the material. He wanted to rub it against his face and draw in her scent from the fabric, but he refrained and placed the shirt back on the pile of clothing he had prepared. “Let’s go get you some clothing, then head down to see who’s still here.”
***
A light pat on the shoulder woke Vicky from her nap. She rolled over on the couch and looked up at Darien, already dressed for the evening.
“It’s time to start getting ready,” he said softly.
Vicky nodded and shifted out from under Zak, who was snoring lightly on her legs. She hadn’t really wanted to take a nap after the game of Trivial Pursuit, but Darien had insisted they both get some rest. Complaining that she wasn’t tired hadn’t done any good. Darien solved that problem by pulling her down to the couch on top of him and putting her to sleep. Her fuzzy mind couldn’t understand how he had managed to slip out from under her without waking her, but Vicky let the thought go and stood up to get ready. She was going to need a shower to wake up fully.
Darien followed Vicky as she made her way upstairs to his bedroom. It was obvious she wasn’t functioning yet as she attempted to negotiate the steps and nearly fell up them. He smiled as she quickly recovered, shook her head to make it work, and started up again. It was well past the time he should have woken her, but she was so adorable curled up on the couch that he just stood over her, watching her sleep.
He loved watching her sleep, especially when she did it against him. Vicky didn’t really snore, but she made the cutest little noises as she breathed. She had been so distracting with those little noises and soft curls under his fingers, Darien had found it hard to rest. He finally forced his mind to stop thinking about how warm her skin was. When he had woken back up, he found his hand had slipped up her back, under her shirt.
This surprised him. He usually didn’t move in his sleep. Vampires practically died when they rested as their hearts slowed and breathing stopped. Most people didn’t like sleeping next to vampires for just that reason, but a while back, Darien had learned he could attune his body to take its cues from a living person if he was touching them. This skill had allowed him to pass for human on several occasions. He could still feel Vicky’s heartbeat and warmth in him as he followed her into the bedroom.
Vicky’s mind was still not awake as she staggered into Darien’s suite to get ready for the evening. With barely open eyes, she found her clothing piled on the bed and picked them up to take to the bathroom. She was going to need a good, hot shower to get her blood flowing, and then a large cup of coffee. Afternoon naps almost always threw her off, but she also needed to be rested for whatever was going to happen tonight.
Dropping her clothing on the counter in the bathroom, she cut on the water and stripped. Somehow, she had completely missed Darien’s presence as he leaned against the wall next to the counter, watching her get into the shower. It wasn’t until she stuck her head under the hot water and groaned that she realized he was there. The snicker was what gave him away. Shock filled Vicky as she finally opened her eyes fully, turning around to see him watching her through the glass door of the shower.
Darien leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. “You really need to be more aware of your surroundings.” He looked so good, standing there barefoot in the black shirt and leather pants.
Vicky turned around so her back was to him, embarrassed. There was really no place in the shower to hide. “Um… could you maybe, um… not watch me shower?” she said, embarrassed she had just stripped in front of him.
Darien chuckled at her. “As you wish,” he said, and walked across the room to lean against the door separating the toilet from the rest of the room. “Is this better?”
Vicky turned around and sighed with relief at not being able to see him. “Yes. Thank you.” She turned her mind back to her shower, unaware Darien had a great view of her in the mirrored wall over the sinks.
He watched as she leaned her head back to wet her now waist-length hair. Her back arched slightly as she raised her arms, running her fingers over her scalp. His eyes followed the water droplets as they cascaded down the sides of her head, across her collarbone, and down the pale skin of her breast. He had to tear his eyes away from the scene before he opened the glass door next to him and stepped into the water with her.
“Did you sleep well?” Darien asked as he closed his eyes and tried to distract his mind from the girl only two feet away from him.
“Mmmmm,” Vicky answered.
He could hear the contented, positive note in the sound. It did nothing to help his self-control.
“I still can’t figure out how you can get me to go to sleep like that.” It usually took her forever to fall asleep with someone else around.
Smiling, Darien opened his eyes to find the hot water had fogged over the glass somewhat. “Suggestion is a wonderful thing.” He could still see her moving in the stall, but the fine details were obscured enough that he couldn’t focus on every inch of her skin. Watching the shape moving in the shower, he closed his eyes again to block out the sight. Just knowing it was her in there was driving him nuts, but he wasn’t about to leave her alone with the possibility of the ifrit coming back into his home.
“Suggestion?” Vicky asked as she rubbed soap into her hair. “Like hypnosis?”
“Something like that,” he answered as he worked through sword exercises in his mind. “Only not as complicated and more powerful.”
“So you could get someone to do anything you wanted them to?” she asked, starting to get concerned. Did all vampires have this power? Should she be worried?
“To an extent. Most vampires can do it to some degree. It helps unwilling victims be… um… more willing.”
Vicky shivered in her hot shower at his words. “You could do terrible things with that.” She was horrified that Darien had such a power.
“True,” he said. “If the person giving the suggestion is good enough, the victim won’t even remember it the next day.”
Vicky froze in her motion as she took that in. “Like erasing memories?” she asked, starting to rinse the soap from her hair.
“Not quite.” Darien shook his head. “Suggestion is more often used to change the person’s perception. Like the bite they just got was just a rough kiss, or that
they’re more tired than they really are. Sometimes you can prevent memories from being made by suggesting the person doesn’t see something, but that’s tricky. It’s usually better to suggest they see something else instead. There are ways to erase memories, but they can leave the person’s mind a little addled if not done right.”
“Umm… should I be worried?” Vicky asked quietly. The information he’d just given up scared the crap out of her.
“No,” Darien said reassuringly. “I’ve only used suggestion to get you to sleep when you needed it.”
She ran her fingers through her hair. “But you could use it in other cases.”
“True,” Darien answered. “But I don’t use it on people I trust without a good cause. Forcing someone to your will adds unnecessary strain to a relationship. If I can’t convince them to do something through reason, then it’s probably not something that I should be having them do.”
“So, do you use that at work?” Vicky asked as she shut the water off and started squeezing out her hair.
Darien chuckled. “No,” he said with a smile. “No matter how nice it would be to get that better hand in business, it’s unfair. The suggestion wears off, leaving the mark wondering why he made such a stupid decision. That’s when they come back to try to renegotiate, or renege on the deal. It also feels like cheating.” Stepping away from the wall, he pulled a towel down.
She opened the door to find Darien holding the towel open for her. Looking up into his eyes, she stepped into the circle of the towel. “So, vampires have feelings.” She grasped for something to take her mind off the man drying her.
“Oh yes,” Darien said.
Vicky was surprise by the warm quality of his voice. It pulled at her deep inside.