by Lexi Blake
Dev was the modern man. He was unashamedly metro and put a great deal of thought into his clothes. His hair was so black, in the right light you could catch a hint of blue. His eyes were emerald green and he had the most beautiful face I’d ever seen on a man. He was slightly taller than Daniel but his build was smaller. He was built more along the lines of a swimmer or a surfer, where Daniel looked like he could take on the Cowboys offensive line and win. What am I saying? He would definitely win.
“Now I won’t mistake you for our wife when I’m drunk off my ass.” Daniel smiled at his partner.
“Yes, I don’t have boobs, Dan,” Dev pointed out seriously. Something caught his eye and his face lit up. “Oh my, their condoms have flavors.”
“Oh, no.” Daniel groaned and put an arm around Dev’s waist to drag him away. “Don’t let the fertility god into the sex shop, Z. We’ll lose him. He’ll never come back out.”
Dev laughed as he allowed Daniel to playfully drag him away. He put out his arms like he wanted to embrace the store. “But Daniel, they have toys. We need toys to get our wife hot.”
No, they didn’t. They just needed to do exactly what they were doing because I was getting plenty hot and already wondering how long this whole demonic call was going to take. I was ready to head back to the penthouse and play with my toys.
“She’s hot enough as she is.” Daniel’s voice got low but not so quiet I couldn’t hear every word. “I think if I bit you right now, she might let us take her in the alley.”
I sighed at the thought.
“Perv,” Daniel said affectionately, releasing our fertility god and kissing me firmly.
“Hey, I want in on that.” Dev growled and stole a kiss, too.
“You got in on that last night,” Danny teased. “I’m not drinking anymore. I miss out on all the fun. And when we get this whole crappy business thing over with, I intend to go home and watch that little sex tape the two of you made last night. It’ll get my mind off the other one.”
Dev’s smile was slow and sexy. “You’ll find it amusing. Our wife was very domineering. She was sweet and bossy. We should let her tie you up.”
I was suddenly very aware that we were in public. “Guys, people are watching.”
“So?” Daniel playfully touched the tip of my nose, letting me know he thought I was being silly. “Let ’em look. They don’t know us. How did you think this was going to work, baby? Did you think we’d take turns playing your husband when we’re in public? Is the other one supposed to be the third-wheel friend?”
“Not going to happen,” Dev assured me, shaking his head. “We have to play enough games. If I want to kiss you, I’m going to. Dan feels the same way. If we receive stares because of it, I’ll assume the people staring would love to be in my place. Now kiss me.”
Even in my super-cute Dolce and Gabbana booties with four-and-a-half-inch stilettos, I still had to go up on my tiptoes to plant a kiss on his mouth. Sure enough, I heard whispers. I was going to have to get used to it.
Dev turned back to the problem at hand with a longsuffering sigh. “So instead of the very interesting looking sex shop, I get to spend my evening in a smelly old bookstore.”
“It doesn’t seem fair, does it?” Daniel opened the door and started inside.
Dev and I followed. The owner was not a big fan of proper lighting. The whole place seemed to be in a deep gloom. There was a musty, unused feel to the space, as though it had been sealed off and forgotten. It seemed very small and the stacks of books almost claustrophobically tight. Anxiety started to build in my gut, and I had to take a deep breath. I forced myself to move further inside when all I wanted to do was get back to the street. Even the little bell that rang sounded ominous to me.
“Wards.” Daniel pointed at a place high on the wall in front of us. There were small drawings there. To an outsider, I’m sure they seemed like some arcane form of decoration, but they served another purpose. The whole shop was warded against interlopers. It explained the feeling I had. There was something telling me that this was not a good place. I needed to leave. It was an excellent security system for supernatural stores that didn’t want human traffic. The human would never realize anything was weird about the place. They would just have an overwhelming urge to leave.
“It must be for humans only because it’s not bothering me at all.” Dev stepped up to the small counter with an old-school cash register on top. It wasn’t completely in the technological dark ages, however, since I saw a credit card machine behind the register.
There was a shuffling from the back. “I’ll be with you in a second,” a feminine voice said.
“No hurry,” Daniel shouted back as his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his leather jacket and frowned at it. “It’s Marcus, thank god.” We’d been trying to get in touch with him for months, ever since we returned to the Earth plane, but he’d been on some sort of retreat. Daniel hit the answer button and placed the phone to his ear. “Hey, Marcus…” He pulled the phone away from his ear as it started to scream at him. “Damn, man, you don’t have to yell.” I watched as his face turned stubborn. “Calmatevi! Non parlate cosi, Marcus.”
Dev shot me an amused look. “He always looks so weird speaking foreign languages. I like how his Texas accent makes Italian seem so down home.”
Daniel continued his argument, spitting out a litany of Italian. It was one of the things that surprised me about Daniel’s Council training. He could now speak Italian, French, and Spanish. Vampires caught on to languages very quickly.
An elderly lady entered the store from the back room. She was small and withered, with steel gray hair that surrounded her head like a football helmet. She was far past the age of a flirty girl, but her eyes still lit up when she caught a look at Dev. “Hello. How may I help you this fine evening, my Fae friend?”
Dev bowed slightly to acknowledge that the lady knew what she was talking about. “You have a keen eye, ma’am.”
“I know a sidhe when I see one,” she said, looking me over. She took the glasses she had hanging around her neck and slipped them over her nose. She moved closer and touched the gold medallion I wore. It was the piece of jewelry that marked me as Dev’s wife. “And a High Priest? Seelie or Unseelie?”
“I am Unseelie,” Dev replied without hesitating.
“Good, those Seelies tend to be full of themselves,” the witch, because that was all she could possibly be, said. “Your goddess is human.”
“Mostly,” Dev replied enigmatically.
Daniel’s Italian curses reached a crescendo and the small witch peeked around Dev. Her eyes widened. “No. Is that a vampire?”
“He’s not here to cause trouble.” I had to force the words out of my mouth because I really was mostly human and those wards were making me nauseous.
“You’ll have to take your friend elsewhere,” she said, firmly shaking her head. “I don’t allow unattached vampires in my store. They’re always looking for a free meal.”
Dev laughed at the thought of Daniel prowling dusty bookshops in search of blood. Danny was very particular about his food. “Then feel safe, madam. That particular vampire is very attached. My goddess and I feed him. He has no need to steal a meal.”
Her gray eyes narrowed as she looked between the two of us.
“I’m his companion.” I held up my left hand showing the gold wedding ring I wore. I then flexed my right hand a couple of times. It had started to shake a little. “We promise we’re only here for business.”
“What do you need from my humble shop?” She still seemed unsure, but she sighed and nodded. Dev pulled out the list Nim had given him as the shopkeeper spoke. “You’ll have to forgive me. I had trouble with some vampires last night.”
I frowned and exchanged a look with Dev. Our vampires had stayed in all last night, so she could only be talking about Marini.
“What kind of trouble?” Dev asked, his voice tense.
The old woman took the list out of Dev’s hand
. “The typical kind when it comes to vampires. I didn’t recognize these. They seemed to be from out of town. The big one was speaking a foreign language like yours is, though it sounded more like French.”
I wondered if they had come in before or after Marini had played his games with me. “What did they want?”
Her eyes rose from perusing the list. “Pretty much the same as you. They were calling a demon, too. It seems to be the popular thing to do this week.”
“Why would Marini be calling a demon?” Dev asked me when the woman turned to fill our order.
“I don’t know but I need some fresh air,” I said as Daniel made his way toward us. I had started to sweat and I needed to get out of that shop.
“Parlategli voi,” Daniel barked into the phone. Irritation flavored his every word as he passed the phone to me. “He wants to talk to you, baby. I warn you. He’s in a pissy mood. He better be glad his ass isn’t here or I might have to kick it.”
I nodded and took the phone. “I’ll be just outside. The wards are making me sick. Marini was in here last night. Dev can catch you up.”
I made my way back out into the cool night. I heard Dev and Danny start to talk as the door shut, and I felt a hundred percent better. I took a deep breath and then put the phone to my ear. I noticed a young man staring at me, a lit cigarette in his hand. He stood in the doorway of the Granada, and he turned away when he noticed I was watching. I dismissed him as a curious bystander and got to the apparently annoyed vampire on a transatlantic call. “What’s up, Marcus?”
“What’s up? What is up?” The Italian parroted my greeting. Yup, he was angry. “I will tell you what is up, Zoey. Someone has screwed up a plan I set in motion hundreds of years ago. Someone has managed to take a carefully orchestrated strategy to maintain the balance of power on this plane and blow it all to hell.”
“That’s awful, Marcus.” I sincerely hoped he wasn’t talking about what I thought he was probably talking about. I started doing what I always did when I was on the phone. I had a hard time just standing and talking. I paced. And then I stopped again because I’d promised not to go too far. I stared into the window of the sex shop with its neon condom signs.
“Yes, Zoey, it’s very serious,” he intoned forbiddingly. “Someone has given Marini an object of great power, an object I risked my very life to smuggle off this plane so he couldn’t use it.”
I grimaced. I didn’t point out that he had also risked his virtue since he had an affair with Dev’s mother to smuggle the Blood Stone off the plane. Dev was still very disturbed at the thought. “I’m sure someone had a very good reason for doing it. I’m sure whoever did it didn’t really have a choice in the matter.”
“I’m not an idiot, Zoey,” Marcus said and I could just see him shaking his head at me. “I know exactly where I put that stone and with whom. You run off to Faery with your Lancelot, and when you return, Marini has it in his possession again. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“I saved my husband’s life.” I hadn’t exactly willingly given the fucker the stone. “Marini was going to kill Danny if I didn’t give it to him. Then where would your precious plans have been, Marcus? And while we’re on the subject, you can’t just disappear for months at a time. We needed you. Where the hell have you been?”
There was a tense pause before he continued. “You have some serious explaining to do, Zoey. Daniel says the three of you will be in London in a few days. I’ll meet you there, cara. I expect a full accounting of how this came about.”
The phone clicked off as Marcus hung up. I frowned. The whole “being the uncrowned queen of all Vampire” thing didn’t afford me a lot of respect. If I ever got a crown, I was going to do something about that. Now I got to look forward to Marcus yelling at me.
I shoved Danny’s phone into my oversized Gucci bag and pulled the silver chain shoulder strap down. I dug around for the keys to the Audi. I decided to go wait in the car because there was no way I was going back into the shop that made me want to barf. I just had to figure out where Dev had parked. I’d let Danny fly me here, but I doubted I could handle the flight back unless my stomach stopped churning. Stupid wards. I held up the keys and tried hitting the alarm button, but no such luck.
I looked up and down the street before deciding to wait it out in front of the sex shop. I could do worse. It was well lit, albeit the lights were red and blue and ribbed for her pleasure. Without Danny and Dev, I kind of blended into the background, just another twenty-something out on a Saturday night. I glanced back at the front of the Granada, but the guy who had been there before had finished his smoke break and gone back inside.
“Hey, lady,” a masculine voice said.
I was startled because I hadn’t heard anyone walking up beside me. I turned and the man who’d been watching me before was now next to me, and he’d replaced the cigarette with a small pistol. I considered that even more hazardous to my health than the secondhand smoke.
“I need you to come with me,” he said in a deep, quiet voice. “Do it quietly and maybe I won’t waste the human offal walking up and down the street.”
I sighed because I now knew why Marini had called a demon. They were really great kidnappers.
Chapter Eight
I seriously thought about screaming anyway. Danny would hear me and he would take care of the demon, but there were a few things I was uncertain about. The first was how fast this demon was. It was entirely possible that he might get a half a dozen shots off before Danny smashed his head in. Second, I wasn’t sure whether he was the type of demon who could take human form or the type who needed to borrow a body. I would be risking a whole lot of lives for that one or two second scream. Stalling seemed to be the better way to go.
“What do you want?” I asked my would-be kidnapper. I thought about him in this manner because I had no intention of actually being kidnapped. It wasn’t on my schedule, and I didn’t think I would like where he would take me. It might be one thing if he intended to ransom me back to my husbands. It might make them a little more appreciative of all I do for them, but I doubted there would ever be a ransom request. I would be taken to wherever Marini was hiding out, and I would find myself serving a new master. He’d warned me that the next time we met it would be on his terms. I just hadn’t thought it would be quite so quick.
“I want to do my job and get paid for it.” The demon’s tone was calm and even. He seemed very professional, and I appreciated that about him.
Kidnapping as a profession is an infinitely more difficult criminal venture than, say, thievery. The objects I’ve stolen—for the most part—don’t talk back or fight to get away. Once I’ve gotten through whatever security my mark has placed around the prize, it was really just a question of running my ass off to get away clean. The kidnapper’s job has just started once he gets his quarry in his hands. Then he has to deal with the begging and crying and the occasional petite badass who has no intention of allowing herself to be taken off into the night.
Even Danny’s profession of assassin is easier than what this demon was attempting. Danny didn’t have to convince the people he killed to allow him to execute them. He simply showed up with a warrant of execution signed by the Council, and whoever’s name was typed neatly on the order found themselves without a head. It was quick and no one I knew had ever complained.
This poor guy’s job was to get me away from my husbands and manage to deliver me to Marini unharmed. If last night was an indication, I was sure Marini had put in a harsh command that this guy not injure me. He already thought of me as his property, and he was the only one allowed to hurt me.
“Where are you taking me?” I gave him my best helpless, doe-eyed look.
The demon sighed. “No one’s going to hurt you if you play along. Look, just come with me and they’ll explain everything to you. You’re what’s called a companion. Vampires are real and they have a thing for chicks like you. It’s not scary. They treat their companions really well f
rom what I’ve heard, and this guy is rich and powerful. Play your cards right, sister, and he’ll give you anything you want.” He shoved the gun into my side and put his arm around me. To the outside world, we probably seemed like a couple. “Now, get a move on. I need to get you to him so I can get paid and get back home. You have no idea how hard it is to stay in this body.”
Well, that answered one question and posed another problem because now I had to deal with the demon’s host. I thought about the bag I was carrying. What all had I shoved in it earlier this evening? There was at least one handgun and two knives, and a handy can of mace. The question was could I get to them before the demon wrestled the bag away from me? The silver chain was heavy on my shoulder, and I was suddenly really happy that Dev just bought the most expensive version of anything I liked. Daniel had been disturbed by the actual silver in the long chain. I’d taken it out tonight because he was making me return it to Neiman’s for something that wouldn’t burn his skin if he happened to brush against it. Now he was going to have to admit that accessorizing was an art form. I would keep that little plan in my back pocket because I always liked to try reason first.
“Is that the line of crap Marini fed you?” I dropped the innocent girl ploy. This guy needed to know exactly what he was up against.
His host’s brown eyes opened wide as he started to pull me along with him. He kept his voice low as we pushed past the people on the street. “How did you know his name?”
“Because he’s the head of the Vampire Council and I’m a companion. I’ve met the man many times,” I said flatly, letting my stilettos slow us down. “I don’t know what he told you, but I’m certainly not shocked to find out vampires are real. I’ve been sleeping with one for years.”
His whole face scrunched up in obvious confusion. “He told me he’d seen you on the streets and I could have half the money you would bring at auction. Your glow is powerful, lady. You could go for a hundred and fifty, easy.”