Burning Nights

Chapter 1

I've been having some issues with things getting lost on my computer, so I'm going to put the chapters of the New Kindling Flames up here. Once it's done, I will be taking them down for publication. Enjoy this sneak peek at the new book 

***this is an unedited manuscript and prone to error.

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Pulling the string through the last bead, Vicky tied off the final loose end. Clipping the thread, she held up the veil to look at her work. She had been so excited when she had found the lace veil. It was just the touch she needed to finish off her outfit, but when she had paired it with the spider silk dress from her handfasting, it came off as rather plain. Maggie had suggested adding crystal beads to try to match the iridescent quality of the silk and it had seemed like a great idea at the time. So, with only a few days until her wedding, Vicky had sat down and sewn hundreds of bead to the stupid things. It was beautiful. It caught the light and threw it out dazzling the eye. Any bride would be awed to wear it. And it would look gaudy next to the elegant dress.

"This is horrible!" Vicky yelled slinging the delicate decoration across the room to slam into the wooden wall between the living room and the dining room. It hit with a heavy thud and slid down to clatter on the floor. Here it was, the day before the wedding and she didn't have a veil.

Jakob got up from the floor near Vicky's feet and went to get the headpiece. "It's not that bad." Fluffing the thing out, he popped it on his head. "See." He pulled the veil into place and struck a pose batting his eyelashes at her. The girls around the table giggled at his attempts to cheer Vicky up.

The corners of Vicky's mouth curled up as she rose from the couch and went to him. "I know it's not that bad." She pulled the veil from his head and petted the elaborate decoration lovingly. "But if you put it over here..." Taking it over to where the dress was set up, Vicky placed the thing on top of the head of the mannequin the twins had come up with. Carefully, she arranged it so that if fell correctly and stepped away so the group could look over the ensemble.

Jakob pinched his chin between his thumb and finger thinking. "I see what you mean." The veil sparkled and glittered beautifully, but it was all wrong compared to the shimmer of the dress.

"Would you like us to find you a new one?" Josh offered from where he sat on the floor next to his brother's empty spot.

Letting out a forlorn sigh, Vicky came back over and sat down on the couch. "No," she shook her head. "I don't think you could find anything that would look good compared to that dress."

"We could go back to Archnia and ask her for something to match it," Josh suggested.

Vicky turned this possibility over in her head for a moment. "No." She slipped off the couch and cozied up to the glass table filled with stacks of white paper. "She's already given me the dress. It wouldn't be right to go back the day before the wedding and ask for more." Pulling one of the squares of paper over, she started folding it.

Reclaiming his spot next to her, Jakob picked up his partially folded paper and continued where he left off.

A resigned sigh slipped out of Vicky as they worked. She was starting to accept the twins' constant presence. Shaking the two men had become impossible since Jakob had sworn his life to Vicky for bringing his brother back from death. She had tried to convince them Darien and Elliot had been the saviors, but a long discussion had revealed the difficulties Darien had always had with the fay blade. It did not like to give back what it had taken. It was then determined that it had been Vicky's attempt at CPR that had successfully saved Josh when Elliot and Darien's attempt had failed. Darien had simply shrugged and claimed what he always did. "The fay loved a good kiss." This had labeled Vicky as heroine and earned her the dedication of the twin vampires. They had even gone as far as to move into Vicky's old room, dislodging poor Elliot. With Sue and Karl still occupying the downstairs bedroom, Elliot had moved into the smaller, yellow room upstairs. The new additions to the household had made her already crazy life absolutely insane.