Steal the Night (Thieves)

by Lexi Blake

  The vampire graciously moved to allow us in. “I can only hope my hospitality proves more pleasant, Your Highness. I’m a great admirer of the king. I think you will find I’m one of Daniel’s strongest supporters. I’ve believed in his cause for many years now. I’ve written several papers supporting Daniel’s legal claim to the throne.”

  Dev got in first and I smiled as I saw Neil was waiting in the limo. He looked surprisingly well for someone who’d been shot and knocked out mere hours ago. Now I knew who to thank for getting Marcus so quickly.

  “Hey, Z,” Neil said. “I woke up surrounded by corpses. How about you?”

  I turned to Lee because that wasn’t the story I’d heard.

  He shook his head and managed to make his face completely blank. “I have no idea what he’s talking about. The streets just aren’t safe these days.”

  I sighed and let Dev help me into the limo. After we had Terry safely stashed in the trunk, we proceeded to move toward Hugo’s enormous townhouse in a fashionable section of London. Since I’d taken Dev’s leash off, he did what came naturally to him. He’d been through a harrowing afternoon and he was still anxious about how mad Daniel was going to be. He needed comfort and for a Fae, comfort came with close contact. Carefully avoiding my injured arm, he stroked my hair and let his head rest against mine. I looked across the seat at Hugo, who was staring.

  “Does your master know about your guard’s affections?” Hugo asked.

  Marcus said something under his breath in Italian, but I ignored him. “He isn’t my guard and you know that, Mr. Wells. He’s my husband—my consort, if you prefer. If you have a problem with the way he’s behaving, you should take it up with me. Daniel has more important things to worry about than a vampire’s preoccupation with a female who doesn’t belong to him.”

  “It’s not proper in our society, Your Highness,” Hugo argued.

  “I don’t give a shit,” I admitted flatly. “And who are you to tell me how to behave? What was it your Shakespeare said? I am a queen. I am the maker of manners. Has it been so very long since you had a queen, Mr. Wells, that you’ve forgotten how to show one proper respect?”

  “Not at all, ma’am,” he responded quietly, and I caught the hint of a smile he quickly covered.

  Marcus exchanged a look with him. “I told you. She is not a proper companion but she might be an excellent queen.”

  “Then why do you always push me, Marcus?” I asked, irritation flavoring my voice.

  The Italian’s smile was smooth. “Ah, cara, it is because you always look so beautiful when you’re angry.”

  Dev groaned. “Is every man in the world going to hit on my wife today? First it was that oracle boy, and now I get to listen to Marcus fawn all over you.”

  Hugo’s hand went to a switch in the ceiling. “Stop the car immediately.”

  The car was expertly pulled over and Hugo jumped out, shoving Zack aside in the process.

  “What was that about?” I watched out the window as the trunk was opened.

  Marcus frowned my way, obviously irritated again. “Why did you not mention it was the Order of Galahad you had trouble with?”

  “You didn’t give her a chance,” Lee growled. “You just started yelling at her the minute you walked in.”

  Marcus gave the wolf a look that told him he didn’t need to speak.

  “What he said,” I replied because Lee had been succinct and to the point, as always.

  “Did you think I blew up a helicopter because it was fun?” Dev frowned at Marcus.

  I gave Dev a look and he grinned slowly.

  “All right. It was fun,” he admitted. “But they were also trying to shoot us down at the time. One of their soldiers tried to kill me and ended up shooting my goddess instead. I was very irritated.”

  I heard a shout and then the car shook briefly. When Hugo got back in the car, he was holding something in his hands and there was just a tiny spot of blood on his fingers.

  “Got it,” he said, handing the small dot to Marcus.

  Dev sat up because he was a technology junkie. “Is that a locator device?”

  “Yes.” Marcus tossed it out the window as the car picked up speed again. “The Order surgically implants these in all their knights so they can always track them. I’m surprised we got to the station before the Order could. They’re very quick to retrieve their knights. I suspect they hoped we would take the knight with us and he would lead the others straight to you.”

  So Terry had lied. I couldn’t really get pissed off at him. He was just doing his job, but I needed to find out just what that job was.

  “Does anyone want to explain what this group is and why they think Dev is a gangster?” It was getting really hard to ignore the pain in my arm. I shifted uncomfortably.

  “The Order has been around longer than I have,” Hugo explained. “They’re a sort of watch group. They’re primarily concerned with demonic influence on our plane. They attempt to keep the demon groups at bay. They only step in outside of demonic activity during the direst of circumstances or when a group directly requests their aid. They take the whole knight ideal very seriously. They can be extremely aggressive when they believe the balance is at risk. As for why they believe the faery is a gangster…well....”

  There was a certain amusement in Marcus’s eyes as he took over. “What Hugo is trying to say is the Order keeps very detailed files on the plane’s more interesting citizens. I read my own file about a hundred years ago when I did some work with the oracle you spoke of. I found it surprisingly correct. They have excellent intelligence. If the Order has determined Mr. Quinn here is a gangster, then it’s because he’s a gangster. Did they discover the brothel you started last year?”

  My mouth opened and my head turned. Dev attempted to look very innocent. “I was only an investor, lover. Some of my Vegas girls thought it would be a good idea, and might I point out that brothels are entirely legal in Nevada. My partner and I thought it was a good investment. Have you ever seen a shapeshifter at work? Those girls can make a ton of money.”

  I’d only gotten one pertinent piece of information out of that lecture. “You brought Daniel into your venture into pimpdom?”

  “I wouldn’t call it a venture,” Dev said seriously. “I would call it a subsidiary. Daniel is the one who had the idea. We’re expanding. We bought a small production studio in Los Angeles as well. The supernatural world has needs, too. Who better to meet those needs than a fertility god? Really, sweetheart, Daniel and I view it as bringing a little more joy into the world.”

  Zack laughed. “That’s funny because one of the hookers’ names is Joy.”

  The car turned and I wasn’t ready for it. I slammed against Dev and heard myself scream just before the lights blissfully went dark.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I woke to the smell of the ocean and the sweet heat of the sun on my skin. Blinking, I opened my eyes and saw fluffy white clouds and a perfect blue sky. Whatever I was reclining on swayed softly, the motion a comfort.

  “Are you feeling better, cara?” a deep voice asked.

  I turned slightly and tried to focus on Marcus. “Where am I?” Even as I asked the question, I realized the answer. I was in one of the most recognizable cities on the planet. The canals kind of gave it away. “How did I get to Venice?”

  The last thing I remembered was being with Dev in Hugo Wells’s limousine.

  The Italian chuckled and motioned to the gondolier behind us. He lifted his pole and suddenly we were moving. I touched my clothes, which had strangely morphed from a Marc Jacobs skirt and blouse to a sumptuous silk gown like something out of a historical film. It was a rich emerald green. Dev often selected this color when he picked a dress for me. Marcus was in rich-looking silk and velvet. I touched my waist and felt the hard bones that lined the corset. It made my waist very small and shoved my boobs up. I glanced around and noted that Marcus and I were not the only ones dressed in historical garb. All around us people walk
ed and worked on the cobblestone streets. Vendors squawked their offerings. Mothers tugged children behind them as they did their shopping. Men spoke to each other as they trudged along.

  Marcus lounged negligently against the cushions of the flat-bottomed boat, his sensual lips curling into a lopsided smile. “You, gorgeous girl, are obviously having a delicious dream.”

  I was having a stunningly vivid dream. It was like dreaming in HD. I was hyper aware of everything. The gondola skimmed the surface of the lagoon gracefully, swaying as we passed other boats. The heavy velvet of the cushions was a welcome softness against my skin as I let myself rest back against it.

  “You know, you can do whatever you like in your dreams,” Marcus said with a gleam in his dark eyes. “A dream is the perfect place to live out a fantasy.”

  “I suppose so.” I murmured, though my brain was working overtime. If this was my dream, why was I in sixteenth century Italy? I usually ended up on a beach with a fruity drink in my hands and someone rubbing my feet.

  Even through my heavy skirts, I felt Marcus place his hand on my knee. His voice was seductive and smooth. “Perhaps there is a man you have always wanted but have been afraid to try. In a dream, you can do what you wish. You can take that man you’ve wanted from the first time you laid eyes on him and do as you wish without fear of your husband finding out. It isn’t cheating in a dream, cara. It’s merely wish fulfillment.” His hand squeezed my knee as he turned toward me. His other hand gently tilted my head up as his thumb brushed across my lips. “Haven’t we waited long enough?”

  Uh-huh, I thought. There might be some wish fulfillment going on, but it wasn’t my wish that was going to get fulfilled if that horny Italian had his way. Marcus leaned in but just as his lips were about to touch mine, I shoved a hand between us and pushed his “trying to get me to cheat” lips back.

  “So this is one of your powers?”

  Marcus’s nearly black eyes narrowed, but he laughed anyway. “You can’t blame a vampire for trying, cara. Here we are in the most romantic city on earth and the day is beautiful. Can you think of a more pleasant way to spend the afternoon? I can taste you here and not risk the addiction. After you’ve fed me, I would be more than happy to lift your skirts and allow you to ride me for as long as it takes, il mio tesoro. You haven’t lived until you’ve made love in a gondola on the Grand Canal.”

  I rolled my eyes. He never gave up. “I’ll be sure to bring that up when Danny, Dev, and I discuss our next vacation. Now, want to explain why I’m here?”

  Marcus sighed. “I thought it was better than you having to deal with Devinshea and that wolf of yours pulling the bullet out of your shoulder. You passed out in the limo. In reality, you’re on a table in Hugo’s kitchens with Devinshea carving up your shoulder. I’m sorry, but we felt it best to stay away from hospitals.”

  Grimacing, I took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll go along with that. So this is your version of anesthesia?”

  “It’s taking you away from the pain,” the vampire allowed.

  “Is this the same as the stuff Chad can do?” Chad was good with illusions.

  “Not at all,” he explained. “This is not an illusion in the strict sense of the word. I joined with you on a mental level. Chad can make people see things that aren’t there. I’ve merely drawn you into my memory.”

  “Vulcan mind meld. Nice,” I said with a grin.

  Marcus laughed. “You and Daniel. You’re incorrigible—what is the word now?—geeks.” He leaned his head back and seemed to enjoy the sun. “This is my favorite place in the world. I thought I would share it with you.”

  “And the people in costumes?”

  “They aren’t costumes, Zoey,” he explained. “This is what we wore in 1593. You look lovely in a corset, by the way. The people on the street are all looking at you and wondering if a new courtesan has come to Venice. They’re thinking that Don Vorenus has always found the most beautiful of courtesans to keep him company.”

  I looked up and sure enough, people were staring and talking behind their hands. “You have a vivid imagination, Marcus.”

  “I need no imagination to come to this place.” The vampire smiled as he took in the bridges and streets and houses that made up his home city. “I merely need to close my eyes and the memory is ingrained on my brain. This city has been my great love. I was born in Rome, but I am a son of Venice. I helped to build her. I watched her stand up to tyranny and fight off invaders. I saw the plague take a third of our citizens in a three-year period and still she rose again. This is my heart and my home, Zoey.”

  “It’s beautiful, Marcus.” I was touched by his passion for his home. “How did you manage to live here for so long without being detected?”

  “Venetians are incredibly practical and tolerant. For a long time, the ruling class knew exactly what I was. I caused no trouble and actually helped make them money. I’ve always been good at knowing how to make money. At one point in time, the Inquisition came for me and the people of Venice hid me and my companion at the time. For months we hid, being moved from house to house and treated like honored guests in each home.”

  “You must have been good to those people,” I commented as I enjoyed the sights. It was a marvel to think the city was built before modern technology.

  “I was good to them and they were good to me. There are still many people in Venice who know exactly what I am and they would never betray me. Look up ahead, cara.”

  We were turning down a narrow canal and suddenly we were in shadows. Marcus pointed to an ancient house. It was marked with a small engraved plate.

  “This was the home of Marco Polo,” Marcus said. “He was a good friend of mine.”

  Marcus was the ultimate name dropper. He enjoyed talking about the interesting people he’d met over his very long life. “He was the explorer, right?”

  I could have mentioned he was also the inventor of the great swimming pool game, but Marcus would have given me that look he always gave me when I said something stupid.

  “Oh, yes, it’s been my privilege to meet many important people over the years. It’s another of my talents.”

  “How is meeting people a talent?”

  “My talent isn’t in meeting them,” Marcus explained. “It’s in knowing who will be important and who will not. You see, most vampires’ skills lay in their strength…”

  “You’re talking about warriors,” I interrupted, wanting to understand more about the different classes. I sure as hell wouldn’t be calling up Marini to fill me in. “Like Daniel.”

  Marcus laughed at the thought. “Daniel is a warrior and so much more, cara. There is only one word for Daniel and that is king. Daniel takes all the good traits of each class and blends them to make a vampire of immense strength. Louis is a warrior. Most of the members of the Council are warriors. They are the most prevalent of the classes.”

  “You’re an academic, right?”

  “Yes, I am. It is the category they use for vampires whose talents are almost entirely mental. I’m stronger than a human, but I could never battle Daniel or Louis. My talents lie in persuasion and the ability to draw another person into my mind. I can usually tell when a person is lying to me, and I always know what a human is feeling. It makes it incredibly easy to find a meal and go undetected. I know who’s attracted to me and I can use that.”

  I could see how that would be very helpful to a vampire. He could have his dinner and leave the victim alive after persuading the person nothing had happened. “So how do you know who’ll be important and who won’t?”

  Marcus thought about this for a moment, obviously trying to find the best way to make me understand. “I see patterns. Some people would call it seeing the future, but it’s nothing so interesting. I see the needs of the world and somehow I manage to find the person who can fill those needs.”

  “Like Daniel?”

  The vampire’s smile was rueful. “I knew Daniel was important the moment I laid eyes on him. It’s wh
y I fought to become his mentor. I knew he would need me if he was to become what the supernatural world needed. I’ve found that when a true need arises, somehow, some way, the right tools show up.”

  I turned to my host. It was long past time to get some answers. If he wanted to use Daniel, I needed to know what happened the last time he had met a king. “If Daniel is supposed to stop the threat Marini poses, then what was the last king supposed to do?”

  The gondola glided gracefully across the water as Marcus turned to me. “What you have to understand, Zoey, is that Louis has not always been as he is today. I’ve counted him as my friend for almost two thousand years. When I rose, it was Louis who turned me. He gave me my first blood. He became my master.”

  “Then I’m sorry for you, Marcus. He told me he hates the fact that he cannot treat Daniel as a master should,” I said bitterly.

  Marcus shook his head. “But, Zoey, he was a kind master. His own master had been terrible to him, and he vowed to never treat another vampire in such a manner. This is what I’m trying to explain to you. Time weighs on him. Immortality changes you. You see so much, watch everything change so quickly, that it all seems temporary. If everything around you becomes temporary then nothing is meaningful. It happens to many vampires. It has happened to Louis. He believes he’s the only thing on the planet worthy of ruling because he’s the oldest of us. That is why the last king rose.”

  I nodded because I understood what he was trying to tell me. “So inevitably the Council becomes corrupt.”

  “Yes. It was about a thousand years ago. The Council was made up of ancients, true ancients. These were beings that had walked the earth as humans were evolving. It was the Dark Ages and we were being hunted. The Council made a deal with the demons to build great armies to subjugate the human threat. We still needed human blood to survive, so the plan was to kill the strong and make slaves of the weak. There was no mass media in those days, so it was easy to take over a territory and never have the neighboring villages know what was coming for them.”