by Lexi Blake
“Okay.” I was fairly interested to see if he could pull it off. I could consider it my own little science experiment, though I had no desire to call Zack back with his clipboard. Dev turned and made his way into the bedroom, pulling his shirt over his head while he walked. I followed, hoping he didn’t fall down.
The bedroom to our penthouse apartment was a magnificent blend of natural beauty and modern luxury. The back wall of the room was covered in greenery. Shiny green vines, ivies, and ferns dominated the room. It was a fitting domain for a fertility god.
Daniel was already asleep on the enormous bed Dev had ordered when the three of us had committed to being together. It was covered with a huge downy comforter and a whole lot of pillows. I never felt safer than when I snuggled down in that bed between the loves of my life.
Dev threw his big body on the bed, landing beside Daniel. Daniel was still dressed in his T-shirt and sweatpants. Dev smiled up at me, his perfectly cut torso on full display. He looked crazy sexy with his black hair down.
“You want to have wild, drunk sex next to Daniel’s unconscious body?”
“He won’t care.” Dev patted the spot next to him, and his smile promised all manner of dirty pleasures. “If he manages to rouse himself from his stupor, he can just join in, lover.”
“All right.” I was game for a little pleasure. I would need to get that protection we had talked about earlier, though. I walked into the bathroom and found Dev’s stash of condoms. I pulled out a couple to put beside the bed in case he proved to be up for more than one round. I was beginning to get a little excited at the prospect of what drunk Dev might come up with, and there was a smile on my face as I entered the room. “All right, big boy, I’m ready for whatever you can dream up.”
My face fell and I laid down the little packets because I wouldn’t need them. Dev had fallen asleep with his cheek pressed against Daniel’s chest. Before long, Dev would be curled around him because Dev just pressed himself up against whatever was in bed with him. I shook my head. They were awfully cute lying there cuddled up. I pulled Dev’s shoes off and tossed them in the closet before covering the boys with a blanket and letting myself out on the balcony.
The spring air was cool on my skin. I could probably use a sweater over my tank top, but I didn’t want to bother with it. The lights of Dallas twinkled all around me. It felt so good to be home, but I couldn’t ever forget what I’d left behind in Faery. I needed a minute to compose myself before I rejoined the others. Dev had done the one thing guaranteed to get me emotional. He mentioned babies.
I thought about the child I lost all the time. If I hadn’t lost the baby, I would have been just about to start my second trimester. How would my body have changed? Would I be getting a curve to my belly? Daniel would be able to hear his heartbeat much more clearly. Dev would have his hand on my belly almost constantly, I was certain of that.
When you combine my miscarriage with the revelation that Daniel and I had a child somewhere on a Faery plane, the subject of children was just a touchy one for the time being. My best girlfriend, Sarah Day, was pregnant with her first baby. She’d recently moved to Seattle with her husband, Felix, who was going to college there. I missed her, but I was self-aware enough to know that watching her glow with happiness might hurt my heart a little.
I didn’t begrudge her the joy, but it just seemed so far away for me. I expected resolution to be at hand when we returned from the Faery plane. Daniel was supposed to get that thing off his heart. With the help of the wolves and the Unseelie, we would take down the Council and then the three of us could get around to some serious baby making. It didn’t work out that way.
Daniel seemed perfectly happy with the delay. I was beginning to think he didn’t really want to go on this little quest. He didn’t think there was anything that anyone, even a sorcerer like Merlin, could do. He didn’t want to hear that he was screwed. He didn’t want to even contemplate that possible reality, so he was hiding away. I knew Daniel well enough to know that he was genuinely happy for the first time in a long time, and he was also waiting for something terrible to happen to destroy his satisfaction.
Dev was still getting over the fact that his people had rejected him again. He was still coming to terms with giving up his post as the Seelie High Priest. He’d been welcomed by the Unseelie, but I knew all those shattered dreams of being able to go home haunted him.
We were all hiding, and I worried the time was rapidly coming when that would no longer be an option.
“Oh no, sister,” Neil said as he opened the door to the balcony. He managed the door despite carrying two glasses of wine. “There will be no self-contemplation for you. Thinking never made anybody happy.”
He always knew how to pull me out of a mood. I took the glass and enjoyed the fruity taste of the wine. Dev really did buy the best. “I was just getting a breath of fresh air.”
“No you weren’t, sweetie, but that’s okay.” Neil put an arm around me and brought our heads together. “I’m sure it seems like it won’t happen, but I know it will. You and Dev are going to make the prettiest babies, who are going to turn into the wildest ass kids. Can you imagine Dev’s sons as teens? Are you just going to start putting aside a bail fund now?”
I laughed and punched him in the arm gently. “They won’t be that bad, Neil. Maybe they’ll rebel against their parents and be perfect, law abiding citizens.”
Neil shook his head. “I would start that fund if I were you. Daniel won’t be any help. He can barely muster up the strength to discipline those vampires of his. Can you imagine how the kids are going to walk all over him?”
I shivered a little and Neil started maneuvering me back into the bedroom. I laughed again when I saw that the boys had been strategically maneuvered around. Daniel had his arms around Dev and Dev was cuddled close to his vampire.
“Neil, they’re going to kill you.” I chuckled, feeling better than I had all night.
“Not if they don’t want the pictures to hit the Internet,” Neil replied with a bright smile on his handsome face. “I could start a whole website about their unrequited man love.”
I switched off the light, promising myself I would fix them before I went to sleep, and Neil and I returned to the living room.
“Hey, Zoey,” Nim said from her comfortable perch on the couch. “I was hoping we could catch up on that model show.”
Nim had really taken to reality television. It was her second favorite thing about the Earth plane. The first had been barbecue. Girlfriend was tiny, but she could put away some ribs.
“I’m really hoping that the tall, skinny one will start a fight with the even taller, even skinnier one,” Nim explained. The legendary Lady of the Lake liked to watch catfights.
The phone on the table started to ring. “Fine, we can watch some TV, but I get to pick the second show.” I was surprised to see it was the phone that rang directly from Ether. I picked it up. “Hello.”
“Good evening, Mrs. Quinn,” Roman, one of Dev’s employees, greeted me. He’d been running Ether while we were on the Faery plane. Dev trusted him implicitly. “Could I please speak to Mr. Quinn?”
I wondered briefly if I could even wake Dev up. I seriously doubted it. Even if I could, there was no way I wanted him handling any kind of business in his current state. “I’m sorry, Roman, Dev is…not available and won’t be for the rest of the night. What’s the problem?”
A long sigh came over the line. “There’s some trouble with the VIP room. I have two parties insisting it is theirs for the evening. My records show that the Hansen party booked the room, but the others are very…persuasive.”
“You can’t just kick ’em out?” That would be my solution, but then I’m not known for my diplomacy.
“We tried. They said they wanted to talk to the owner.”
I found that intriguing. We employed some badass werewolves as bouncers. I wondered what the hell could be down there that the wolves couldn’t handle.
“All right. I’ll be right there.” Dev was a great believer in community property. He liked to share. He got part ownership of my boobs and I’d taken a share of the club. I hung up the phone. “The show’s going to have to wait, guys. There’s trouble downstairs.”
“Okay,” Neil said gamely. He helped Nim up. “Let’s go check it out.”
I pressed the button to the elevator that would take us down to Ether.
“Um, Z…” Neil pointed to the baby blue pajama bottoms that were covered in Hello Kitty faces. Other than that I had on a very nonprofessional white tank top and fuzzy socks.
“Hey, they’re pulling me off my comfy couch, they can put up with my style choices,” I said as we loaded ourselves on the elevator.
Nim was already bouncing to the music that thudded through Dev’s office as we got out of the elevator a moment later. “I really love the club. It’s so much better than the bingo parlors Arawn used to take me to.”
I shook my head, giving Neil a little look. We were always amused at Nim’s tales of her previous life with the Welsh Death Lord.
“Do you want a gun?” Neil gestured to the safe where Dev kept a couple of handguns. The armory was below in the back of the club.
I shook my head. That was a little overkill. “No, I’m just going to tell them to get the hell out. I don’t want a major scene.”
But as I opened the door that led to the club, I realized a major scene was going to be unavoidable. From the stairs, I could plainly see the VIP room and the group currently occupying it. I thought about shrinking back, locking the door, and heading back up to the penthouse as quietly as possible. But that was a useless dream.
From his place on the elegant leather sofa, Louis Marini was holding court. He was surrounded by vampires, but he only had eyes for one person. Me.
Marini waved me down with an imperious gesture of his hand.
“Shit,” Neil said beside me.
Shit was right. My time had just run out.
Chapter Two
“Tell the Hansen party we’ll refund their money,” I said to Roman, who was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.
“Absolutely.” He gave me a deferential nod, though I couldn’t miss the way he grinned as he took in my choice of wardrobe.
I regretted it now. Every time I’d met with the head of the Council, I’d been in full armor. Designer dresses, stilettos, and full hair and makeup. I felt very vulnerable now, like he was going to see a side of me I would rather keep to myself. “Offer them use of the VIP area for free sometime next week and again on Peter’s birthday.”
Roman nodded in agreement. He glanced over to the section of the club in dispute. “Is that who I think it is?”
“Oh, yes,” I said with a sigh. Roman had managed Dev’s club in Las Vegas during the last big vampire meeting there. He hadn’t had the misfortune to meet the vampires’ leader. “That’s Louis Marini, head of the Vampire Council. He’s possibly the oldest vampire still walking the earth. I take it they persuaded the wolves to not throw them out.”
Roman frowned. “They convinced my best two freaking bouncers to try to take the rest of the night off. They were just going to walk out in the middle of their shifts. It’s all right. I caught them. One of the waitresses is a pretty decent witch. She’s clearing them of the influence.”
“Just let them know to keep their distance. I doubt Marini will start a scene as long as he gets what he wants. I’ll handle it from here.” The last thing I wanted was someone getting hurt.
I watched the crowd part as Michael House walked toward us. Michael was a vampire who had risen on the battlefields of World War One. He was Daniel’s friend and an ally.
“Zoey,” Michael greeted me with a polite inclination of his head. “Mr. Marini requests the pleasure of your company. Won’t you please join us?”
I let Roman go back to work and moved close to Michael. The clean-cut vampire leaned forward. He would be intensely formal until he knew he was among friends.
“It’s all right, Michael,” I said, keeping my voice low. “You know Neil, and Nim is an ally.”
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t give you a heads up.” Michael smiled blandly, nodding his head. He was trying to make everything look merely friendly. Michael lived in the area, so it was natural we would be acquainted. He was supposed to be spying on Daniel for the Council, but Danny had brought him to our side several years ago. “They showed up on my doorstep at sundown and I only had a chance to get a call out to Justin.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. That was one problem taken care of. The Council had no idea Daniel had been finding latent vampires and bringing them over by himself. When Daniel wasn’t around, Justin had taken a leadership position. He would make sure everyone stayed in tonight. If strange vampires had turned up partying at Ether, it might have given away our game.
My other problem was Michael himself. Michael was blood oathed to Daniel. He’d taken a vow to protect Daniel and everything that belonged to him. Michael took that promise very seriously. He would consider protecting me a big part of that bargain. I’d noticed in the past that Michael had some trouble with his temper. He had no companion and was still considered young for a vampire. If Marini pulled the same shit on me he had in the past, Michael might explode.
I needed to get rid of Michael.
I looked back at Nim and winked. She nodded, letting me know she would go along with anything I had in mind. I didn’t think she would have a big problem doing this favor for me.
There was enough distance between us and Marini that I could at least speak somewhat freely. The club was loud so as long as I acted friendly, I could talk to him. “Have you been ordered to stay close to Marini all night?”
“He merely requested that I accompany him to the club and then fetch you,” the vampire replied. “I don’t know what else he wants from me. Obviously he’s not expecting me to act as his security. He brought Ivan and the boys for that.”
Michael started to lead us through the club. I could see the big, burly Russian from my vantage point. He was enormous and stuck out like a sore thumb in his dark suit and those ridiculous sunglasses. Someone had been showing Ivan too many movies. Other than Ivan, I counted four vamps, though I didn’t recognize them. They were pure muscle from the looks of them. And then I heard Neil gasp slightly as vampire number five gracefully leapt over the sofa and took his place next to Marini.
Chad Thomas looked like a rock star. He was so different from the rest of the clean-cut, conformist vampires. In my experience, vampires tend to be uniform in their appearance and the way they act. There’s something about their training that teaches them to follow the crowd. Even Daniel had been a very typical vampire after he’d come home from the Council. I realized now that his conformity had been a part of his defense against the people who tortured him.
Chad looked so different that I worried his individuality was cause for concern.
“He didn’t come home,” Neil said softly, looking at his lover.
Chad should have been allowed to return to the territory of his choice after his year’s training with the Council was finished. When we returned from Faery, the first thing Neil did was go looking for his boyfriend. Chad’s house in the country was empty and there’d been no explanation why he was still out of town. I didn’t like the fact that our spy seemed so awfully chummy with our worst enemy.
Now I had the added problem of Neil mooning over his lover. Neil is my best friend and the most loyal person I’ve ever met. He would lay down his life for me, but he doesn’t lie well.
I stopped in front of the bar. “Neil, I need you to go back upstairs and wait for me in the penthouse.” Neil stared at me like I’d lost my damn mind. “You can’t be serious. There’s a ton of vamps over there. You can’t expect me to let you walk in there alone.”
“And you’re going to do what?” I wasn’t trying to be a bitch, but I needed to point out some weaknesses in our current situation. Neil hadn’t had
vampire blood in over a year. While he was still strong, he wasn’t going to be able to take out one old vamp, much less four or five. “Sweetie, I love you, but you’re outnumbered.”
Neil glanced back toward the relative safety of Dev’s office. “I’ll go force Daniel to get up.”
I shook my head. “Danny’s down for the count and so is Dev. I’ve got to handle Marini myself, and that’s going to be a hell of a lot easier if I don’t have to worry about you.”
“Why the hell would you worry about me?”
Sighing inwardly, I handled Neil the best way I knew how. I wasn’t going to point out how weak he was. That would only make him feel like crap and put him in a place where he might try to prove me wrong. I had one option. “Neil, what happens when Marini starts asking questions? What happens when he asks what we’ve been up to lately?”
His face fell. He knew he wasn’t a good liar. He also knew how dangerous that little imperfection was in our current situation. “God, Z, let me go get Lee.”
I shook my head. My personal bodyguard was an even worse risk. He’d wanted to get his hands on Marini for a long time. I doubted Lee would sit back and let me handle the vampire. “Neil, you either trust me or you don’t.”
“Fine. I’ll be in the penthouse. Call me if you need me.” Neil turned and stalked off, but I saw him talk to the bouncer at the stairs and knew he was telling security to keep an eye out for me.
One down and two to go. I nodded to Michael that I was ready to continue. He stepped up the stairs that led to the VIP room of the club. It resembled a very plush living room with leather couches, plasma televisions, and a dedicated bar and waitstaff, though I was sure they wouldn’t be making much off bottle service this evening.