Dark Flames

“I will protect Tiara as a permanent member of her group,” Guy informed the time walker stoically.

“So I did miss something,” Storm mused. This was new to him and he was getting a kick out of finding out things the old fashioned way. Looking over at Zachary, Storm noticed the not-so-happy expression on the other man’s face and sighed inwardly. “Zachary, care to fill me in?”

Tiara’s lips had parted to defend Guy but she stilled when Storm moved his gaze to Zachary inquiringly. She lifted her gaze to Zachary’s, feeling safe to do so now that his attention wasn’t trained on her.

Zachary flicked his gaze to Tiara’s, frowning when she immediately looked down at her hands. Why was it that she was more comfortable with the man that had just knocked her out than she was with the one that hadn’t hurt her?

Was she drawn to bad boys like her mother had been? Would she be attracted to a demon? Maybe Storm had been right in putting him in charge of her safety. There was a very good chance they would need to protect Tiara more from herself than the demons running around.

“Guy wanted his sister back so he and Tiara struck a deal and combined their powers. They didn’t raise Carley from the dead… but Guy can now summon his sister’s ghost and everything is hunky-dory,” Zachary told Storm sarcastically with a light shrug of his shoulders.

“Really now,” Storm tried to hide his smirk at the obvious feelings Zachary had and was doing a bad job of hiding. “And they did this with no side effects?”

Zachary pinned Guy with a dark look as he added, “None… if you don’t count the fact that the spell knocked Tiara back about ten feet and left her out cold for a few minutes.”

“I figured as much by the bruise that’s already forming on her chest and right wrist.” Storm said and raised an eyebrow at Guy.

Zachary growled under his breath and stalked across the room to the bed where Tiara was sitting with every intention of looking for the bruises in question.

Tiara grabbed a throw pillow from the bed and hugged it tight to hide the edge of the bruise that was visible above the cloth covering her breasts. She blinked up at Zachary feeling the temperature in the room rise by several degrees.

Storm looked at Guy curiously, “It is intriguing that you can combine your power with Tiara’s. That was a bit unexpected and might be handy in the future. But from now on, keep in mind that even though she is powerful, she’s human and heals like one.”

“That’s what I told him,” Zachary pointed out glaring at Guy. It didn’t miss his attention the way Storm brought up the possibility of Guy’s power being compatible with Tiara’s necromancy. He fought back the urge to growl once more and crossed his arms over his chest to avoid hitting something… namely Guy.

“And Guy will heed that warning,” Storm nodded his approval even though he could tell Zachary didn’t agree with his judgment to let Guy join Tiara’s group. Zachary’s jealousy was very obvious to him. He just hoped once Zach emerged, he’d be able to keep it under control

“I will protect her,” Guy repeated and returned Zachary’s glare with the stubbornness of his own. “I owe it to her for what she’s done for me and Carley.”

With the lecture over Storm smiled, “Now, let’s see that sister of yours.”

“Carley,” Guy had to keep from crossing his fingers and praying the spell would work as planned. He sighed thankfully when his sister suddenly appeared between him and Storm. She had a mischievous smile on her face and Guy could tell she was up to something.

“Can you see her?” Tiara asked Storm curiously.

“Not even a shadow,” Storm admitted and rubbed his finger across his chin thoughtfully. “This could be really good for PIT.”

“What’s he talking about?” Carley asked out loud even though Guy and Tiara where the only ones who could hear her. “Oh wait… great minds think alike.” She smiled in excitement keeping her attention on Storm. “Come on… say it.”

“Zachary, can you see her?” Storm asked.

“No,” Zachary confirmed.

“Tiara, tell Storm I would be the perfect spy,” Carley shot her brother another huge grin then pouted at him when he frowned at her. “It’s not like it would be dangerous… I’m already dead, dummy.”

Tiara echoed Carley’s words for Storm and Zachary … even the ‘dummy’ comeback she’d given her brother, making the other men in the room chuckle. She felt more confident now that she had proof Guy was a great choice for a prominent team member.

“Carley seems excited,” she commented, smiling at the ghost only a couple feet in front of them.

“I would love to still be a part of PIT!” Carley nodded vigorously.

When Guy repeated her words to Storm, Storm glanced over at Zachary, seeing him just shrug as if it didn’t make a difference to him. If he knew Zachary at all, it probably didn’t.

“It’s not like she’ll bother me… I won't even know she’s there.” Zachary relaxed back against the wall leaving it up to Storm. Secretly, he thought it was a great idea because it would give Guy something to do besides worship Tiara. “As long as she doesn’t peep in on places she’s not been invited, then everything will be fine.”

“How would he know?” Carley muttered making Tiara grin and Guy stare at her like she’d just morphed into an alien.

This gave Storm another idea, “Guy, you and Carley put your heads together and see if you can come up with a spell that can be used for the members of this team.”

“What kind of spell do you need?” Guy asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

“We need one that will allow the other people on this team to see Carley and communicate with her,” Storm instructed.

Tiara felt the muscles in her stomach tighten. She remembered learning such a spell… except the way she’d been taught to do it had nothing to do with magic… it was done with necromancy.

It was hard for her mother to teach her how to do things that she couldn’t even try to perform yet. Most of her training had been pretend and anything sexual had only been talked about… not acted out for obvious reasons. Her and her mother had always been left alone for training and even though she was born with some of her father’s powers, Myra had forbid her to try to use them in fear of someone finding out.

“There is a way to make someone aware of ghosts but I’ve not had the chance to try it yet.” Tiara hugged the pillow a little tighter as she added, “It’s called the breath of sight but it will make the person I give it to aware of more than just Carley.”

“Do you mean it will allow them to see everything you see?” Storm questioned knowing that was a tall order. When Tiara nodded, Storm rubbed his hands together, “Now that’s more like it. It would be good for your team members to be aware of everything going on around you. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Tiara tried not to cringe but couldn’t help it, “Everyone?”

Seeing the slight blush creep up into her cheeks, Storm caught a hint of why Tiara was being so hesitant. Necromancer rituals were often preformed with a hint of sex included in the list of ingredients.

“Guy, you and Carley can still work on finding a spell that is only for those we want to see Carley. You can meet back in here later this evening.” Storm nodded toward the door.

“Sure,” Guy turned hearing the dismissal in Storm’s voice and left the bedroom thinking that Zachary was going to follow. He frowned deeply when the other man stayed in his spot against the wall.

Storm remained quiet until Guy and Carley were gone. What he had to speak with Tiara about didn’t need to be heard by anyone else. He glanced over at Zachary and waited for him to leave as well but when the other man didn’t budge, Storm mentally sighed. He supposed Zachary staying was to be expected since he was in charge of the team.

Turning back to Tiara, Storm placed his hand on her bare shoulder and tenderly caressed her skin with the pad of his thumb. Detecting a slight flinch when he touched her, Storm had the answer to his unasked question... she had never been touched by a man before, least not in the way this would require.

Keeping his face calm he smiled gently, “Tiara, you do not have to do anything you do not want to do. Always remember that. But if you do decide to try and give the gift of it, then I want Zachary to be the one you share your breath of sight with.”

Zachary remained quiet, still leaning against the wall. He wanted to see where Storm was going with this hocus-pocus. He had a feeling there was more to this spell than just words. Storm was talking in riddles in order to hide something from him and Zachary didn’t like it one bit.

Tiara’s mind was going a mile a minute. She knew she was in the same position Myra had been in. She’d never used her powers and she’d never been touched by a man… tonight she’d have to do both whether she was ready or not. Tiara suddenly wished she could pick just one man from the group… she wanted what her mother now had.

“Zachary can and will protect you better than anyone else, even Guy.” Storm locked gazes with Tiara wanting her to catch the hint he was giving her. “His heat will keep the cold ones at bay, so it needs to be him you share your sight with… but only when you’re ready. Until then, maybe Carley and Guy will come up with something so Carley can communicate with the whole team,” Storm said reassuringly.

“Carley would like that,” Tiara said but she was thinking about what Storm had just said. “She’s very excited about everything going on.”

Storm shifted his gaze to Zachary to make sure he was following at least some of what he was telling Tiara. “Carley will be a great asset, but an even greater one if the whole team can see and talk to her. For example, if anyone of you get separated from the group and or wounded, then Carley can find that person and go back to one of the other members and tell them where they are.”

Zachary cocked an eyebrow actually liking the sound of that.

Tiara lowered the pillow to her lap and sat up a little straighter, “I have to be using the necromancy in order to try the spell,” she swept her gaze toward Zachary but lost her nerve as soon as she noticed all of his attention was on her.

She focused back on Storm and inhaled deeply. It was time to grow up and do her part to save humanity… even if she lost a part of herself alone the way. Tiara lowered her voice making it sound like the secret it truly was, “Myra said I can only give the breath of sight while I’m under the control of the hunger.”

Storms eyebrows lowered worriedly, “How far do you have to take the hunger in order to share the power to see what’s really there?”

Tiara repeated what her mother had told her with a bright blush on her cheeks. “The person doesn’t have to be inside me, but I have to reach… a climax in order to feed from their life-force. His life force is a gift to me and only during the exchange can I give a gift back. That’s when I can give the breath of a necromancer’s sight.”

Storm could feel Zach’s anger vibrate throughout the room and knew Zachary was no longer with them. His double personality trigger had been flipped. Now was a good time to get the fireball out of here before he went off and embarrassed Tiara further. She was being so brave that it would be a shame to place stumbling blocks in front of her to trip over… especially a stumbling block as intimidating as Zach.

“You can trust Zachary not to go too far when you are ready to try the breath. For now you need to rest. It’s going to be a long night.” He slid off the bed and grabbed Zach by the upper arm, ushering the other man out the door with him.

The moment they were out of hearing range Zach turned on Storm and snapped, “Do you really think it’s fair to her to ask her to let everyone on the team get her off just so she can share her damn sight with them?”

Storm gripped Zach’s arm a little tighter and they were suddenly alone at the cliff. While Zach was tripping on the sudden change in scenery, Storm attempted to reason with him. “Stop for a minute and think about what Tiara just said.”

“She just said she has to get off in order to share her sight.” Zach thundered as fire erupted then sputtered when he found himself under the cold ocean water. Pushing off the bottom, he realized he could stand up because the water was only shoulder high.

“Damn it Storm, stop that!” he yelled.

Storm smirked because he was perfectly dry and standing on the beach watching the steam rise from Zachary’s skin. “Let’s try this again shall we, this time with a cooler head on our shoulders?” he asked while Zachary trudged through the water toward him. “Tiara said the person doesn’t have to be inside her.”

“Yeah, I heard that part,” Zachary said harshly but threw up a hand to let Storm know he didn’t need another dunk. He’d just walked out of the water and was damn near dry thanks to his ability to raise the temperature around him. The last thing he needed was for his clothes to start smelling like seawater.

“Glad you were listening,” Storm smirked. “Did you miss the part about reaching satisfaction in order to feed?” Zachary just glared at him so Storm enlightened him further, “I don’t know if she is even aware of what she said, but if that statement is true then she doesn’t ever have to sleep with anyone in order to feed. She only has to reach satisfaction and it will keep her alive.”

Zachary stilled himself as he thought about it, his mind going a mile a minute. She had to do that in order to live through the experience? Is that why Myra had sex with the demon that night… because she had to? Not likely, he silently rationalized. The demon from that night hadn't been a stranger… Myra had known him.

“The thought of Tiara feeding the way Myra fed seems to bother you… but you do not fully understand the part about her dying if she doesn’t feed. So, I am proposing an alternative. Get her to the point of satisfaction… then stop. If you don’t want to do it, then I’m sure Guy will be more than happy to take your place.”

“I’ll do it,” Zach snapped then blinked when Storm vanished. When the sand under his feet melted into a pool of glass, he growled and spun around… marching right back into the cold water. “No one even asked me if I wanted to see a damned ghost.”

Storm rematerialized inside Ren’s office laughing softly to himself.

“Oh god, what did you do this time?” Ren asked from behind his desk.

Storm shook his head at his own wicked sense of humor, “If we’re smart, we’ll stay away from Zach for the next couple days… or weeks. It kind of depends on how long he can stand torturing himself. That and we also need to warn everyone to stay away from the beach for another hour or so. Knowing Zachary, he’s probably turning it into a glass bottle right about now.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have an evil streak about a mile wide?” Ren smirked enjoying Storm’s laughter over the dangers of a bloody nose any day.

*****

Damon’s feet touched lightly in front of the entrance of Night Light and he set Alicia down, reluctantly giving up his claim he had on her lips.

He’d found flying was an aphrodisiac to Alicia and decided walking was out of the equation from now until eternity if he had his way. Though now that they were here, he was rethinking how smart it was to get her all hot and bothered then leaving her with another man… even if she did call this man brother.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” Alicia said with a happy smile. She rose back up on her tiptoes and pressed her swollen lips back to his knowing how hard it was for him to share her right now.

“I love you,” she whispered before attempting to back away. She didn’t get very far.

Damon gave her a dark, possessive look and refused to relinquish his hold on her. When she looked up at him with an adorable pout, his chest rumbled with a deep growl before pressing his lips back to hers one more time. When her fingers brushed against the back of his neck with tantalizing softness, Damon lifted his head and took a shuddering breath.

“Keep that up and I will take us to a more private setting to finish what we’ve started.” Damon warned.

Alicia’s eyes lit up, “Please? The roof is always secluded.”

Damon smirked, “Minx,” he muttered before turning her around and ushering her toward the front door with an affectionate slap on the bottom.

He didn’t like leaving her alone with Micah but he’d be damned if he was taking her anywhere near those horny werewolves at Love Bites. He wanted to strike a deal with them and that wouldn’t happen if he was busy killing every wolf who looked sideways at her.

Alicia noticed that Micah had all the lights back on and was busy working when they walked in. Most of the shattered glass had been picked up off the floor and the heavy light fixture had been moved out of the way. A sawhorse was set up on the floor with a long piece of two-by-four propped across it. The loud noise of the electric saw echoed loudly in the acoustic room making Alicia and Damon wince.

Damon let his irritated gaze follow the long line of the power cord to the wall and nonchalantly walked over to the outlet. He couldn’t have brother dearest working when he was supposed to be babysitting his little sister. He pulled the plug and the saw went quiet making Micah look up with an annoyed expression.

When Micah saw Alicia standing inside the door, his face broke out into the kind of smile that made Damon’s eyes narrow.

“Hey sis,” Micah said and set the saw down. “What brings you here again so soon? Did you run away from your husband again?”

A clearing throat made him look over and smirk at Damon. “I guess that answers my question.”

Damon growled making Micah and Alicia laugh softly.

“Calm down big man,” Micah said. “Since you’re part of the family, it’s mandatory you get teased by everyone at least once a day.”

Alicia stepped out on the main floor, taking a good look around. “You’ve gotten a lot done since I was here last night.”

Micah shrugged, “Nothing better to do. Quinn and Warren are doing their thing over at Moon Dance and left this place to me.”

“What can I do to help out?” Alicia asked.

“You two are offering to help out?” Micah answered her with a question of his own.

“She is,” Damon corrected. “I’m leaving her here with you while I go take care of something that needs my immediate attention.”

Alicia raised an eyebrow having thought Damon was staying here with her. Her eyes narrowed realizing he’d had an alternate agenda all along. “I thought we were going to stop keeping secrets,” Alicia accused.

Damon smiled softly at her and tapped her lightly on the chin. “It’s a surprise,” he said. “I can’t very well surprise my new wife if I don’t have a secret or two… now can I?”

Alicia crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you up to?” she demanded and then gasped when Damon was suddenly behind her pulling her back against him in a tight embrace before dipping his lips to brush the shell of her ear.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Now, do you want to stay here… or go back to our bed?” the corners of Damon’s lips lifted in a satisfied smile when Alicia melted backwards against him and he caught the scent of her arousal spike.

Micah refrained from rolling his eyes and turning away from them. He knew they were mates but the instinct to rip Damon away from her was a slow learner.

“I’ll stay,” Alicia whispered and tried to pull away from him but Damon kept her caged in arms of steel for a moment longer. Liking the feel, she wrapped her arms around his as if to keep him there.

“I am leaving her in your care.” Damon stated looking directly at Micah… letting him see firsthand to whom it was she truly belonged. “Protect her until I get back.” Reaching for Alicia’s chin, he turned her face so he could place a scalding kiss there before exiting the club so fast that all they saw was the doors open and close.

Once Micah was sure Damon was gone he slammed his fist down on the bar. “Protect her until I get back,” he mimicked in a hostile voice. “You’d think I’ve never had to protect anyone before.”

“Speaking of which,” Alicia said, the blush Damon had caused now gone from her face. “I have a very big bone to pick with you dear brother. All those times you came to the boarding school to visit while I was growing up, you said you were teaching me how to fight.”

Micah froze and resisted the urge to take a step back.

“You were only pretending, weren’t you?” she demanded.

“Well,” Micah said with an expression of defeat. “I never thought you would need to learn that kind of thing. I only let you believe I was teaching you to fight but in truth it was just supposed to be fun.”

“You’re going to start teaching me to fight right now,” Alicia said with authority.

Micah’s eyebrows shot up into his bangs. “Say what?”

“You heard me.” Alicia growled wanting to be just as tough as the guys. “You’re going to teach me the right way or I’m turning around, walking right out this door, and explaining to Damon that you couldn’t keep a good enough eye on me.”

“You wouldn’t,” Micah whispered.

Alicia smirked knowing she’d just won her way, “Watch me!”

Micah sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, okay, I’ll… teach you how to fight.”

Alicia hopped around in a circle, “Yay!”

Micah rubbed his hand over his eyes trying to erase the fact that she was being the little sister he’d never wanted to have a reason to get into a fight. She was so cute when she acted every bit of five years old. This was why he’d never really taught her to fight… how was he supposed to spar with something so cute?

“Okay, but drop the ballerina act or I’ll never be able to do this,” Micah instructed. “The first thing you have to realize is that if you’re going to fight someone, then you can’t be happy about it.”

“I must be angry at the target,” Alicia grumbled. “I got it.”

“And the second thing is always keep your eye on the enemy.”

Alicia blinked and he was gone… wonderful!

Chapter 6

Michael walked slowly through the big house that had suddenly become very empty since Kane went MIA. His only company now was Scrappy, who always came and went as he pleased. The little fur ball was currently following him around the house waiting for Michael to sit down somewhere.

When Michael finally took a seat on the sofa, Scrappy wasted no time in hopping up on his lap.

“So, what do you think, Dust Bunny?” Michael asked feeling more alone than he had in years.

Scrappy looked up at him with such an adorable expression that Michael couldn’t help but laugh. He was missing Damon as well… though he had to admit that he was missing Alicia just a little bit more than his brother.

Unable to take the silence of the house, Michael stood up and went to get his trench coat. Scrappy followed after him again, hopping up and down around Michael’s feet like a pogo stick. When Michael opened the door, Scrappy ran out ahead of him to the end of the walkway and waited by the street.

Michael locked the door and smiled when the Yorkie fell in step beside him. He could feel the malevolent energy in the air but ignored it for the time being. It was daylight and that alone was enough to make the most wicked of things hide and bide their time until the dark of night gave them back their freedom. Scrappy stopped occasionally to growl at something before trotting back after Michael.

It wasn’t long before Michael realized where he was going and was soon standing in front of Night Light. He could feel Micah’s energy inside the building along with another that he was very familiar with. A bright smile lit up his face as he strode up to the doors and pushed them open.

Once again Scrappy ran on ahead of him and right out onto the dance floor where Micah and Alicia were going through what looked like a knockdown, drag out brawl between the two of them.

“Is this a private sibling rivalry, or can anyone join in?” Michael asked.