Steal the Night (Thieves)

by Lexi Blake

  Daniel sent the demon a brief smile. “Stewart, you know you’re going to have to leave that host when we get to the Order’s headquarters, right?”

  Stewart pouted prettily. “But this meat is still so fresh. I haven’t even torn it up yet. That seems a waste.”

  “I’m grateful, surprised even, that you’ve behaved yourself so well,” Daniel explained. “I’ll keep my promise. You’ll have your seat on the Council.”

  “I look forward to it, Your Highness,” Stewart said as he opened the veil.

  I could see from my vantage point that it was night on the other side. Given Daniel’s weakness, we decided it was best to travel at night until he was at full strength again.

  Daniel walked through the veil first. Lee was at my back.

  “Go on, Zoey. The faster we get out of here, the sooner we get home,” Lee said in his western rumble. “Wherever that is now.”

  I followed Neil and Dev through the veil and when Lee made it through, I watched as it closed behind us, leaving Nim and Myrddin to themselves. I was relieved to be without the wizard but I had no doubt that he would return, probably at the most inappropriate time.

  I heard Daniel sigh.

  “Feel better?” I asked.

  “Oddly, yes. Nim was right,” Danny said, throwing his arm around me. “I feel more settled.” He leaned over and kissed my hair. “Let’s get you back to civilization. Dev, can you get a signal?”

  Dev held his cell up and I wondered how he’d kept a charge for so long. He frowned in the darkness. “Not yet. I think once we make it back to the small town near the channel we should be able to make the call. It worked from there before. I just wrote a text to Sir Ronald. The minute we hit a signal it will send. He said he would keep a helicopter close by.”

  Daniel nodded and we made our way to town. I held Danny’s hand and let him lead me. The night was a little cold, but I wasn’t about to let that bother me. I looked forward to getting to the headquarters and getting our household in order. I was eager to sleep in a proper bed again and have Albert pamper me the way he would once I told him about the babies. It had only been a few days, but I was starting to feel something. The smell of meat was beginning to make me sick. Myrddin had been right about the fertility magic. My babies were making themselves known faster than I could have imagined.

  I pushed down my fear. I wouldn’t have anything to grieve about this time. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.

  “Are you all right?” Dev took my other hand.

  “I feel fine right now,” I replied. “I just really want to get somewhere we can have a proper meal that has never seen the inside of Zack’s teeth.”

  “Hey, I thought I did really well.” Zack laughed.

  Lee patted his brother on the shoulder. “You did, brother. Zoey’s just picky.”

  “I’m with Z. Nim is a terrible cook,” Neil complained as I saw the lights from the small town up ahead. “I want Albert back!”

  I saw flashes of enchiladas and Albert’s ridiculously decadent lasagna in Neil’s eyes.

  I stopped suddenly and realized it was Lee’s hand that pulled me back. I felt myself let go of my husbands’ hands and I was thrust behind my wolf’s back.

  “Zoey, when I tell you to run, you do it,” Lee ordered.

  I heard Daniel’s claws pop out and then there was a strange sound. Something—things—rushed toward us at enormous speeds. One minute we were alone and the next we were completely surrounded by vampires.

  “Get her out of here, Lee,” Daniel said and even in the moonlight I could see him clutching his chest. The adrenaline was causing his heart stress.

  “I don’t think so, Mr. Donovan,” a satisfied voice said as Louis Marini made his way toward us. “I think you’ll find there is nowhere to go. I’ll take my companion now.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Shaking violently, I stared at the vampires surrounding us. They were Louis’s thugs. They did his dirty work so he could keep his hands clean. I recognized most of them but only knew Ivan’s and Kevin’s names. Ivan had gloves on and held a long silver sword in his hand. Kevin was aiming a pistol at Dev’s head from across the circle.

  Louis only had eyes for me.

  “I’ll never give her to you, Louis,” Daniel spat. There was no reason to pretend now. Daniel allowed his full hatred to show. “You’ll never have my queen.”

  “I wondered if you thought yourself a true king, Donovan. Did you think you could take me down and become the head of the Council?” Louis laughed before holding up the Blood Stone. It shone in the moonlight, a jewel stuffed and plump with powerful blood. “Do you know what this is, Your Highness?” The title was said with a distinct bitter bite of sarcasm. “This is the last king who defied me. You’ll end up in one of these, too.”

  Louis held up the tip of the Blood Stone and shoved it into his palm. Again, as the first time, the stone flared as it sent power rushing through Louis’s system and he seemed to swell with it. “By a full vote of the Council, Daniel Donovan, you have been declared a traitor and an outlaw. I challenge you to a duel for your life and your queen.”

  I heard a laugh and felt Stewart move beside me. He straightened his clothes and slicked back his hair. He walked past and I sincerely hoped he was about to do something horribly demonic to the head of the Council. A small bubble of hope rose in me. I had seen Stewart do some truly horrible things with a mere flick of his wrist. He could kill without breaking a sweat.

  He did something terrible, all right. He walked straight up to Louis and shook his hand.

  “My payment?” Stewart asked with a wicked look in his eyes.

  “You may take the wolf,” Louis offered.

  My eyes flew to Neil, who backed up but found himself held captive by one of the vampires. Daniel started to move to protect Neil but another vampire suddenly had Dev in his grasp and there was a gun against his head.

  “Non, Mr. Donovan,” Louis said quickly. “I don’t wish to separate the prince from his brain, but I will do it if necessary. Don’t worry. I’m told the demon loves the little wolf. I doubt he will hurt him…too much.”

  Neil changed in an attempt to get away. His clothes ripped at the seams and suddenly there was a gorgeous white wolf struggling against his captor, but the vampire was old and strong. Even as Neil snarled and fought, trying to get a bite in, the vampire grabbed him by the neck and held him down.

  Stewart held out his hand and another vampire gave him something. I heard Lee curse behind me as we both realized it was a silver collar and leash. Stewart sighed with pleasure as he gazed down at my best friend. “I told you I would have you, little puppy. I always get what I want. You’re so beautiful. In either form, I find you lovely, and now you’re all mine.”

  I bit back a cry as the demon forced the collar over his head and tightened it around his neck. I tried to pull away from Lee to stop this atrocity but he held me tightly against him.

  “Don’t, Zoey,” Lee said quietly. I heard the strain in his voice. He wanted…needed to kill something but he couldn’t. “They’ll kill Dev and god only knows what they’ll do to you, darlin’. They won’t be gentle. They’ll shoot you and just figure they can bring you back with their blood. You have to think of your baby now. We’ll get out of here and I promise you, I’ll find Neil. I’ll track him if I have to go to the Hell plane to get him back.”

  I cried and felt Daniel’s eyes on me. Lost, he was lost and agonized as he realized there wasn’t anything he could do to save me. I was the only one who could help us now. I was the only one with anything Louis wanted beyond their deaths.

  “Louis,” I said, giving him as much of my vulnerability as I could. “Please. Please don’t hurt Dev and please don’t let that demon take my friend.” I pulled away from Lee and let myself fall to my knees because when it came to my friends, my lovers, I had no pride. “I am begging you, Louis.”

  His dark head turned toward me and his eyes gleamed down. He liked me on my knees. He like
d me begging. His big hand came down to touch my hair even as I heard Daniel snarl. “I don’t want to hurt the prince, chère. If you like, we will bring him with us. I’m not a monster. I want to make you happy, companion.”

  I felt a bit of my power. He meant what he said. He wanted to make me happy. I would use it against him. “Then don’t let a demon drag my friend off. I thought the demons had been told to stay out of this fight.”

  Louis shrugged negligently. “In this, I can do nothing. I made a deal with the demon. He gave you to me, and now I must let him take his prize. I’m sorry. Not even I can go back on a deal with a demon lord. It will be fine. Perhaps Lord Nemcox will come to visit and he can bring your friend.”

  “Absolutely,” Stewart said as he started to drag Neil away. Neil struggled, trying to dig his paws into the ground. The silver in the collar was smoking as it bit into the flesh around his neck. Stewart pulled and Neil was losing the fight. “I would love to have a good relationship with the Council, Mr. Marini. I’ve always been fond of the little companion. I find her antics very amusing. And Zoey, don’t think I’ll be punished. We were told to stay out of the vampire king’s way. This wasn’t about him. I read the fine print, companion. It said nothing at all about making an exchange. You for my love. It’s mere coincidence that the king happened to be here. Oops.”

  The little bastard. He thought he could skirt the language of Lucifer’s orders.

  Stewart merely gave me a wink. “I’ll bring my boy by as soon as I’ve brought him to heel.”

  Neil’s head swung around and I heard him whimper as Stewart dragged him away. I let my eyes follow him and prayed to anything that would listen to make this all one long, horrible nightmare.

  “Now, Ivan, if you would please prepare Mr. Donovan for transport,” Marini said. “I want him in Paris this evening. We’ll meet in the arena and I will legally kill the pretender. I’ll take my companion with a full and properly witnessed ceremony. There will be no doubt at all about whom you belong to after this night, my Zoey.”

  There would be no begging for Daniel’s life. I knew that wasn’t negotiable with Louis. It wasn’t even smart. The best case scenario here was Daniel getting away. I wouldn’t get away. I would be in Marini’s clutches and I didn’t see a way around it. I needed to distance from Daniel in Louis’s mind so I wasn’t about to plead for my husband’s life. But Daniel had to run. He couldn’t fight in his condition.

  My mind raced as Ivan approached my weakened husband. Adrenaline coursed through my blood because it was time for Daniel to make a move. When he got in reaching distance, Daniel’s arm shot out and he threw Ivan to the ground with a vicious twist of the Russian vampire’s neck. Daniel moved very quickly. Before anyone could react, Daniel was behind the man who held Dev and after separating them, he neatly took off the vampire’s head with one swift move from Excalibur.

  “Run, Dev,” Daniel ordered.

  Dev was on his feet and running for me, but Marini was behind him and he was now just as fast as Daniel. He caught my faery prince and tossed him aside like a child’s toy. Dev hit the ground an impossible distance away and he stayed down. Just like Daniel, he wasn’t anywhere close to full strength and he didn’t have Bris to call on.

  But Marini was at full strength, a king’s strength. He stared at Daniel, a predator stalking his prey. Daniel was stark white in the moonlight, his energy obviously expended. Despite Daniel’s efforts, the vampires still heavily outnumbered us. Marini approached Daniel, and Zack was at Danny’s back.

  “Come along, Daniel. This will all be over within a few hours,” Marini promised.

  Daniel stared at me, his face a mask of agony. I shook my head. He had to let me go. He had to live to fight another day. If he allowed them to take him to Paris, he was dead and everything crumbled.

  “You’ll let me take Dev?” I asked, hoping and praying Dev was still alive.

  Louis turned. “Yes.”

  I tried my nonchalant shrug. “Then let’s go, Louis. I’m tired and I need a bath. Please collect the prince and don’t put me anywhere near the traitor. You have to know I didn’t understand what Daniel was doing until a few days ago. He dragged me and Dev into this. We aren’t disloyal, Louis.”

  I needed him to trust me and that meant I had to betray Daniel.

  Daniel’s eyes flared and he growled my way. He had a part to play. “You bitch. Do you remember what I promised would happen if you did this to me?”

  I nodded through my tears. He hadn’t promised me anything about this particular situation, but he had made me a promise. He would always come for me. Always. He would always love me no matter what happened. I would always be his.

  Daniel was saying good-bye for now. He was going to run. He was honoring me by trusting me to survive, but he would come for me when he was strong enough.

  “Take the traitor,” Louis ordered.

  There was a report of gunfire and Lee covered me quickly, taking us both to the ground. When he let me up, I could see that both Zack and Danny had been hit. Daniel was bleeding, his chest covered in it. Zack had fared better. Of course, he also hadn’t recently had his heart ripped out of his chest.

  “Zack, you get your master out of here,” Lee ordered.

  “But…” I heard in his voice he didn’t want to leave his brother behind, but Daniel was still and unmoving as Marini reached down for him.

  “Now, Zack,” Lee ordered in best badass alpha voice.

  Zack threw the Mantle of Arthur over his body as he covered his master. In a flash both disappeared.

  “Où sont-ils partis?” Louis asked, searching the ground. He was enraged that his prey was getting away. “Trouvez-les!”

  I didn’t need a translator for that one. Every vampire in the area started looking for Daniel. Lee changed quickly and then his massive roar filled the night. He was giving Zack a chance to get Daniel out. He howled as every vampire turned to him, noting the new biggest threat against them.

  I took the chance to run back and get to Dev. The ground beneath me seemed to shift as I ran through the grass to get close to him. I prayed Zack was getting Daniel as far away as possible. My heart stopped as I saw Dev’s body on the ground. He lay face down in the grass. I hit my knees and touched his back, praying for the rise and fall of his chest. It was there and it was steady enough. Now I just needed to convince Lee to run and everything would be fine. Well, everything would be completely fucked, but Louis would be satisfied with me. He would be too busy trying to find Daniel, and Lee could slip away.

  I leaned over and kissed my faery prince. He stirred and turned his face to look up at me. “Zoey?”

  “It’s all right, baby,” I said soothingly. “Daniel got away. We’re going to have to…”

  “Go with Marini,” Dev finished. He pushed himself up but it was a struggle. “Zoey…” I read the fear in his eyes. He knew what Marini would want.

  “Don’t you do anything that could get you killed. I already set the stage,” I said as I stood up.

  I heard the loud sound of a lot of guns going off at once, and my head turned to where I’d left Lee. I could only see what was happening in the shadows the moonlight cast on the ground. There was a great dark figure in the middle of smaller ones. The wolf fought so valiantly, but he was alone and there were so many vampires. They were taking their rage out on my wolf. Complete terror took over and I knew I had to get to him. I had to stop them before it was too late.

  I started to run even as Dev yelled for me to stop. I ran as fast as I could because he was alone and he didn’t want to be alone, not really. He never had. It was a perverse kink of his nature that led him to solitude, but he wanted to be loved. He deserved to be loved.

  I ran as fast as my legs would carry me because those gunshots wouldn’t stop. The wolf howled and lashed out but the vampires didn’t fight fair. They surrounded my wolf and shot at him from every angle. I watched in horror as his body twitched one way and then another, as though the hail of bullet
s wouldn’t let him fall to the ground, wouldn’t allow him respite from the pain.

  “Arrêtez!” I heard Louis screaming as I ran straight for my wolf, not thinking about the fact that the vampires were still shooting.

  Dev screamed his own warnings behind me, but I was only thinking about getting to Lee. The vampires ceased shooting and the night was quiet. I only stopped when I really looked at him. Then it took everything I had not to run from what they had done to my bodyguard, my protector, my friend.

  His body was covered in blood. There wasn’t an inch of him that hadn’t taken some kind of damage. I moved forward and fell to my knees, trying to figure out which part of him to cover. I needed to stop the bleeding. It was happening far too fast, and it was coming from everywhere.

  “Chère, it’s too much,” Louis said from above me. “The bullets were silver, every one of them.”

  I heard Dev struggling behind me, trying to get to us, but the vampires held him back.

  “You may let the prince go,” Louis said imperiously. “I think he will behave himself now.”

  “Oh, goddess,” Dev breathed.

  “Please, you can save him,” I begged, holding onto the leg of Louis’s pants. I beseeched him. “He needs blood.”

  The air beneath me spun as Lee’s body changed.

  “Won’t work, darlin’,” he said and even as he spoke he was spitting blood.

  The damage had looked bad on his wolf body, but it was devastating to see it on his human form. Blood seeped from every hole, and they were everywhere. The poisonous metal had entered his bloodstream in so many places. His chest was a mottled mess.

  “Please,” I said, looking down at my wolf. He was pledged to me. He was mine, and he was dying. “Please take the blood, Lee. I need you.”

  He smiled sadly. He was a realistic man. “They can’t let me live, Zoey. I can’t let them take you. If they brought me back, I’d just try to kill them all over again.”