Steal the Night (Thieves)

by Lexi Blake

  “And the last king put a stop to this?” I didn’t quite understand why they needed to execute him. He sounded like he’d done something good.

  Marcus shook his head. “He was not Daniel, Zoey. He was a hard man. He was power hungry. When he rose, he killed the Council members without a thought to the fact that the act plunged us into civil war. Without a strong Council to guide us, the vampires sought out their own territories and the bloodshed was…I’ve never seen the like. The demons took advantage and joined the king in trying to force the remaining vampires to do his bidding, which included giving their own companions to the king as tribute.”

  “Louis and the old king have a lot in common,” I muttered, thinking about the conversation we’d had about Daniel owing him. Marini believed he deserved whatever companion he wanted because he was the head of the Council.

  “More than you know, cara,” Marcus replied enigmatically. “Niles, Elof, and I were relatively young vampires. Niko was older and more on the same level as Louis, but we banded together. We were sick of the war and thought we could do better. Niko talked about the ancient Greeks and their views on government. My own Roman upbringing had me believe that people should have rights. It wasn’t democracy as you know today, but it formed the roots of it. The king was a bit more feudal. Might made right in his eyes. We had to stop him.”

  “How did you do it?”

  “We did the only thing we could. He was stronger than all of us combined so we relied on being smarter than him.”

  “You came up with a plan.” It had to be Marcus.

  His eyes were grave as he nodded. “I did.” He was silent for a while and when he began speaking again, I could hear the many years in his voice. “I’m not particularly proud of what I did, but there was no other way. I didn’t have a companion at the time but Louis did. She was a beautiful, strong woman from Brittany. The king had decided to take her. She loved Louis and came to me asking how she could kill the king and save her master because she worried Louis would attempt to defend her. I knew an alchemist. He was an intensely talented man. He could liquefy silver in such a way that it was ingestible.”

  “Like colloidal silver?”

  “No, Zoey,” Marcus said, his teeth biting out the words. “Colloidal silver doesn’t kill in small doses. Marie had but hours to live when she went to the king and let him feed from her.”

  “Oh my god,” I breathed, thinking about the woman’s sacrifice. “She must have loved him.”

  “It was a different time and Louis was a different person. In the end, it did not kill the king.” Marcus’s voice turned academic now. “It did, however, weaken him to the point that we were able to get him into a prison.”

  A prison for a vampire king consisted of yards of silver chains and a coffin. I had seen Daniel in one. The sight still haunted my nightmares. “Is he still alive?”

  The thought that he was still hanging around, desiccated and forever hungry in his prison horrified me.

  “In a sense,” the vampire said. “Louis was devastated by the loss of Marie. He wanted to kill me and the alchemist. The other members of our new Council made Louis see reason when it came to me, though it took many years to repair our friendship. The alchemist had another way to repay Louis.”

  My blood went cold as I realized what he was talking about. “The Blood Stone.”

  “Yes. The alchemist made the Blood Stone from the living body of the vampire king. Of course, when the alchemist was done, the king was no longer alive in any way that we would recognize.”

  The ramifications of what the Blood Stone was hit me like a tidal wave. I felt my stomach clench and nausea swept over me. “Oh god, Marcus, what have I done?” I barely heard my own words. I remembered the words Marini had said to me that night. I asked what the Blood Stone was and he told me it was merely what my husband felt every day. Marini had found a way to take the essence of the last king into his body. For a brief time, he was a king with all the strengths of one. “He can fight Daniel.”

  Marcus turned my face toward him. “Yes, cara, I fear that he can. It would be better for Louis if he kills Daniel in a duel. It would be legal in a way and there would be nothing we could do. The effect doesn’t last for long, but he merely needs to get Daniel into a position where he loses a properly witnessed duel. After that, if he can, he will likely try to create another Blood Stone from Daniel.”

  I was confused. “He’s had Daniel at his mercy before. Why wait until now?”

  “Until now Daniel has been exactly what Louis needs,” Marcus explained. “Before Daniel rose, we were dangerously close to another civil war and Louis had lost the Blood Stone. He needed another king to keep everyone in line. He thought by keeping Daniel ignorant and properly training him that he could make Daniel his assassin, his executioner. I believed Daniel was worth more to him alive than dead. Now that he has the Blood Stone, that balance has tipped. He needs to kill Daniel while keeping the Council and the academics on his side. Louis has bigger plans, you see. The Council has become corrupt again. Louis wants to subjugate the supernatural world and once he has them, he’ll go after the humans. He has promised us the world if we follow him.”

  “What did he promise you, Marcus?” What did Louis think could tempt Marcus into betraying his own strong beliefs?

  Marcus laughed softly and brought my hand to his lips. “My dear, he promised me you. I’m to be your master once I help Louis trap Daniel. I’ve been promised that I will be allowed to take you to Venice and we’ll be left alone for the rest of your natural life. My city and my companion will be left untouched by any war that follows.”

  “He is lying, Marcus.” I had to make him believe.

  “I know, cara, and even if he wasn’t, I could not betray Daniel.” Marcus sat back, a sad look on his face. “I’ve waited too long for him to rise to throw it all away because I want a woman who can never love me.”

  I didn’t want to go into that. It seemed cruel to agree with him. “Why has everyone else been corrupted but you remain true?”

  “I believe it’s merely a part of who I am. Academics view the world differently. We study those around us. We’ve watched humanity grow up. We respect and even admire the works of man,” Marcus said. “Niko is also an academic. Daniel has two strong supporters on the Council, but we would be outvoted by the warriors if it came to that. The warriors…in the end they want war. Daniel is different. Daniel has you and, as much as I hate to admit it, he has Devinshea.”

  “You obviously care for Daniel,” I said. “Why do you have to be so awful to Dev? He’s sacrificed a lot for this war of yours. If we win, it will be due in large part to him.”

  “I know,” Marcus admitted. “Let me tell you another story that might help you understand. It involves the boy…I call him a boy, but god only knows how old he is. It involves the boy you met earlier today. The one called the oracle. He’s the one who sought me out many years ago and requested I get the Blood Stone off the plane. He introduced me to Miria. It was the first of several requests the oracle had of me, but there was one that is meaningful to our discussion. About a hundred years ago, the oracle came to me in Venice. He told me there was a young girl in Ireland who needed protection. I was to ensure that no vampire ever found her. When I made my way to a village in County Galway called Ballymoe, I found the girl and made sure she was protected. I became her family’s anonymous patron. The girl became a woman and married and later her grandson made his way to America.”

  My eyes narrowed. “My father was born in Galway.”

  “Yes, cara, it was your great grandmother I was supposed to protect. Even as a child she lit up the night. It was very difficult for me to watch her from afar, but I did it because I was promised my heart’s desire should I manage to keep the girl safe.”

  “What did the oracle promise you?” It must have been impressive to keep a vampire from a truly brilliant companion. I had to wonder at that particular twist of fate. Had a vampire found my grandmother, she
almost surely wouldn’t have had children. I wouldn’t exist without Marcus’s protection.

  Marcus turned from me. His eyes watched the houses as we floated by. I wondered if he was going to ignore my question when he spoke again. “I was promised that this woman would give birth to a line that would produce the one woman who I would love so much, when she died I would go with her.”

  “Oh, Marcus, I’m so sorry.” Tears pricked my eyes because I could practically feel his pain. It had been a cruel deception on the boy’s part. “I am sorry but…”

  “You were meant for Daniel,” he said solidly. “I know that. You love Daniel and Devinshea and I can see how necessary you are. I told you that the day after we met. Without you, Daniel is merely a death machine. With you, he is a true and proper king. The oracle lied because he needed me. He knew if I found the girl on my own, I would have protected her until she became a woman, and then I would have taken her as my companion. I would have taken her before she had a husband, before she could bear children. Your line would have died with her.”

  “I can see why he did it, but it still seems cruel. You really want the transference thing? It scares me.”

  The condition Marcus was talking about was called sympathetic transference. It occurred when a vampire bonded so strongly with a companion that his own body gave up its strength to keep hers alive. In the end, a companion is not immortal and she took the vampire with her when she died. It didn’t work in sudden situations, only in long-term chronic illnesses. We’d discovered Daniel had the condition while we were in Faery. I’d tried to figure out how to cure it but Daniel had been thrilled.

  Apparently immortality isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.

  Marcus’s brows rose. “How do you know? Of course. Daniel already has it. How did you diagnose his condition?”

  It was my turn to admit something. Marcus had been so open with me I felt compelled to be honest. “A couple of months ago, Sarah discovered the condition along with a Fae healer. Daniel was weak. We found out his body was bolstering mine when I was weak.”

  “Were you sick, cara?”

  “I was pregnant,” I admitted. “I had a miscarriage.”

  Marcus turned away. “I’m sorry to hear it. I’m rather surprised Daniel allowed Devinshea to impregnate you.”

  “It was an accident but we’re used to the idea now. We’re going to try again after…all of this is over. Daniel wants a family. Dev can give that to him. Dev is more than willing to share his children.”

  Marcus thought about it for a moment. “Please forgive me. I’ll attempt to be better about the prince. I was bitter toward him because I believed he could never love you as I could have, but now I see what he can give to the both of you. He is loyal, your Lancelot. He’s loyal to you both.”

  “We’re his family, Marcus,” I said, hoping the vampire would make good on his promise.

  Marcus laughed at something I couldn’t see. “And he’s getting impatient. Your little surgery is over and he wants his wife back. Know this, Zoey, you are my queen and I will never betray you. I will be your faithful servant to the end.” He kissed my hand and I was suddenly lying in a soft bed with Dev shaking me gently.

  “Hey, baby,” I said softly, glorying in the fact that I could move my arm. “Sorry about the passing out thing.”

  He leaned over and kissed me. “I’m sorry about the bullet in your arm, my wife. It’s out now. Lee held you down while I had to cut you open. It was horrible. Next time, just allow them to blow my head off, won’t you? It will be easier on me in the end.”

  I shook my head and noticed that we weren’t alone in the room. All three wolves were there, and Marcus stood in the background watching me. I sat up and smiled at him. “Thank you, Marcus. That was much more pleasant than Lee having to knock me out with his fist.”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Lee grumbled.

  “I would,” Zack offered, smiling.

  Dev frowned, looking between me and the vampire. “Just how pleasant was this little interlude?”

  “I merely took my queen on a tour of my home city,” Marcus said with a deferential bow of his head.

  “That better be all you did,” Dev muttered under his breath.

  “Is all to your liking, Devinshea?” Marcus asked with no malice in his voice. “I’ve stocked the kitchens with her favorite foods and her clothes have been properly placed in the closets. I hope the bedding is to your specifications.”

  Dev watched him warily. “Yes, it seems to be. I appreciate that.”

  Marcus nodded and then listened intently. I noticed the wolves perked up, too.

  “Daniel is here,” Marcus said with a frown. “I doubt he will be in a good mood.”

  I glanced up at Dev, who grimaced. He looked like a man waiting for his own trial. I held his hand and waited to see if Daniel was going to judge us all.

  Chapter Sixteen

  There was a brisk knock on the door and when Marcus opened it, a woman walked in the room. I’d been informed on the jet that Hugo Wells had an assistant, a human female who also served as his lover. I wasn’t expecting the pretty woman who walked in. She was roughly forty, perhaps a wee bit older, and solidly built. She was attractive but no great beauty. Her blonde hair was streaked with gray and she wore a comfortable skirt and button-down shirt. She pressed her stylish glasses up as she gave me a quick once over.

  “Your Highness.” She greeted me with a formal curtsey and a nod of her head. “I’m Diana Spelling, Mr. Wells’s assistant. It’s a great pleasure to meet you. I hope everything is to your liking.”

  “Oh, yes,” I replied while Dev found a robe for me. “Everything after the attempted kidnapping went very well, once we were retrieved from the police, that is.”

  “Sorry about the mix up, ma’am.” Diana nodded to Neil. “Lucky for you, the little wolf there knew where to go. He came straight into the kitchens and demanded that Hugo save his mistress. As you are our mistress as well, we got right on it. It’s been a very exciting day.”

  “I got to have tea while they were getting everything ready,” Neil said with a smile. “And some little cookies. They were good. It’s a whole other meal here, Z. They have four instead of three. I think I should have been born British. Also, even the straight guys are gay.”

  “He’s very amusing,” Diana said with a smile on her face. “The king has arrived and craves your attention in the parlor. He’s discussing the events of the day with my master, but he would like to hear from you and Mr. Quinn.”

  “Please call me Zoey, Diana,” I said, indicating I was ready to get into my robe. Everyone but Marcus and Neil turned around. Dev sent Marcus a dirty look and with a shrug he finally gave me a tiny bit of privacy. Neil wouldn’t bother. He’d seen everything there was to see. “I’m afraid I’m not big on formality.”

  “I heard that about you,” Diana said and I could hear the approval in her voice. “Well then, Zoey, please let me lead you and that glorious slab of male beside you to your husband.”

  Dev smiled as I belted the robe. He was used to positive female attention and turned to the woman. I heard him talking as I made my way into the bathroom where someone had thoughtfully placed a pair of jeans and a soft green sweater. “Please call me Dev. Diana, you’ve done a marvelous job making us feel comfortable.”

  They spoke while I dressed, discussing the way the household was run and who was expected to arrive when. I dressed quickly and rejoined them.

  “Have our guards’ rooms been prepared?” Dev asked. “If Daniel has not instructed they be present, then perhaps they could retire? It’s been a long day.”

  “Yes, sir,” Diana replied as I reentered the room properly dressed. “Their rooms are on the first floor, by the kitchens. Neil, if you would lead the lads there, you will find I’ve had a buffet set out for you.”

  I heard Lee sigh in anticipation of his long-neglected meal time and he and Zack hurried along after Neil. Dev, Marcus, and I made our way down the
stairs at a more sedate pace. I got my first glimpse at Hugo’s home. It was enormous by London standards and had to be worth millions. The steps were marble, as was the entryway we crossed to get to the formal parlor. There was artwork on the walls I’d only seen in books before. The carpet in the entryway was lush with rich colors. Everything about the townhouse was in impeccable taste.

  Daniel was speaking quietly with the Elizabethan vampire. He frowned our way as we entered the room, and my heart clenched because he looked so tired and so very disappointed. I felt Dev stiffen beside me.

  “I can’t believe you did that, Devinshea,” Daniel said, shaking his head.

  “I told you he was upset.” Marcus slipped past us and sat down beside Hugo on the couch. Diana had bowed and left the room, leaving us behind with three disapproving vampires.

  “I’m not sure what you would have me do, Daniel,” Dev said tightly.

  “Daniel, they were coming after us. Dev didn’t have a choice.” I wanted to avoid a Daniel/Dev smackdown. It had been a while since they got into a knock-down, drag-out fight, but they were legendary. They tended to throw heavy objects at one another, and I didn’t want them destroying this magnificent mansion.

  “You blew up a helicopter, Dev.” Daniel stood up to regard us with his heavy stare.

  “It was trying to kill us,” Dev shot back.

  “You shot it down with a rifle from the back of a moving Jeep,” Daniel said, his voice strong and rising. He stared at Dev for a long moment before his lips split into a brilliant smile. “That must have been fucking awesome, man. I’m so pissed off I wasn’t there.”

  I heard Dev’s sigh of relief, and his head dropped slightly.

  Daniel moved in, his body close to Dev’s. He put his hand on the back of Dev’s neck and brought his face up. “What’s that look on your face, Devinshea? You looked like I was going to beat the crap out of you. You can’t possibly believe I would be angry you brilliantly defended our wife.”