Read Online Kindling Flames—Gathering Tinder by Julie Wetzel - Free Book Online Page B

took another step back, so she was almost against the door. She raised her hands and placed them on the man’s chest to stop his forward momentum. “I told you, he’s busy now. Please don’t make me have to call security.”
    Before she knew what was happening, the man grabbed her by the throat, lifted her up to his eye level, and pressed her into the wooden door. “I will see him now ,” he snarled into her face.
    Vicky clawed at his hand as she gasped for air. She kicked at him, trying to get free. Dark spots filled her vision as pain radiated from where he was crushing the life from her. She tried to scream for help, but nothing would come out past the hurt being caused her. The last thought that passed through her mind before darkness engulfed her was that the stack of paperwork next to her desk would never get entered into the spreadsheets.
    ***
    Darien opened his office door and caught the unconscious form of his assistant as she fell from his unannounced visitor’s hand. He quickly gathered the un-breathing woman into his arms and transported her to his leather couch, knowing he would need to do something fast to save her life.
    “Damn it, Rupert!” Darien cursed. “Why the hell did you go and do that?” He checked Vicky’s pulse and found it thready.
    “She’s human?” Rupert said, slightly shocked, as he stepped into the room and shut the door. “With the way she was acting, I didn’t realize she was. You can fix it, right?”
    “Yes, but I’d rather not have to,” he growled at his visitor before turning his mind to the girl who desperately needed his help.
    Darien’s unwelcome guest watched him work.
    Rupert had done a fine job of crushing her trachea. Darien knelt next to Vicky and placed his right hand over the damaged area. Using his left hand, he pinched off her nose and tilted her head back slightly, so he could press his mouth firmly over hers. He blew gently into her mouth, trying to push some air into her lungs. As he did so, Darien released a tendril of power into the damaged area and forced the crushed windpipe back to its original shape. Tasting the blood bubbling up from her injury, he suppressed the shiver of excitement that always came with the taking of blood from a living being.
    Once she could breathe again, Darien pulled away from her mouth, pushed back his vampiric nature, and centered himself so that he could complete the healing she still needed.
    Now calmer, he drew another deep breath and sealed his lips to hers once more. The rich taste of her fresh blood was hard to ignore, but he forced back the cravings and concentrated on rebuilding the injured tissue.
    When the majority of the work was done, Darien pulled back from the life-giving kiss and sat back on the carpet to collect himself. He pushed up from the floor and turned his attention to the man watching from the other side of the room.
    “What do you want, wolf?” Darien snarled with fangs in full view.
    Rupert’s eyes widened at the response from the normally calm vampire. He had seen Darien heal many times, but he had never seen this reaction before.
    “Are you okay?” Rupert asked.
    “Not really. Crushed throats lead to blood in the mouth. Very bad for one’s control.” Darien walked farther away from the source of his issues, yanked opened the window, and stuck his head out. He could still smell the fresh blood from his assistant.
    “Sorry about that. I’ve just had a lot on my mind recently.” Rupert rubbed the back of his neck and looked a little remorseful. He glanced back to the young woman resting on the couch. “I’d forgotten how fragile humans can be.” He turned his attention back to Darien leaning out the window, drawing in the clean air. “I didn’t think you all needed to breathe,” the werewolf commented.
    “We don’t breathe when we sleep, bloody madra,” he scolded him.
    Rupert could see that Darien was regaining control. When the vampire turned around, his fangs were