by Lexi Blake
“Daniel, we can’t send Chad.” I knew Chad. I liked Chad. It couldn’t be Chad.
“Then who, Zoey? Who is it going to be?” Daniel exploded. “You tell me because you obviously know what you’re doing. You have absolutely no interest in what I have to do on a daily basis until you disagree with me. I can’t do this with you. I can’t fight them and fight you whenever the whim takes you. I like Chad. Do you really think I want to send him into a dangerous place? I don’t. Do you think I want to disappoint you, Neil? I don’t. I don’t want to do any of this, but if I don’t no one will and then all of us will suffer. You think I don’t make sacrifices, Neil? My whole fucking life is a sacrifice.”
“Then understand how I feel,” Neil pleaded.
“I can’t afford that, Neil,” Daniel replied, his voice tired. “I can’t afford to protect your feelings. Chad and I made this decision. It’s already in motion. It can’t be stopped at this point. It’s the right decision. It stands. I’ll take you with me to Paris when I have to go. You’ll be able to see him. I’ll make arrangements. He’ll be allowed to return in a year or so. You have to be satisfied with that.”
“Then I’ll see you in a year, Daniel,” Neil said bitterly. He turned away to move toward the door.
I actually felt the room swell with Daniel’s rage. I took a step back and suddenly Dev was at my side pulling me close, and I knew there was a real chance that this was going to get violent.
“You think to break your oath to me, wolf?” Daniel’s voice took on the tone of that beast that slept inside him.
Neil turned on his heels, his hands shifting back and forth from claws to fingers, not quite deciding which one would be of use. “You’ve already broken it. This is what everyone warned me about. You just use the people around you. You don’t really care about any of us. You aren’t capable of caring about anything except your own ambitions. I owe you nothing.”
“I’ll decide what is owed to me, and never doubt that I will claim my due.” There was such will behind Daniel’s words that I didn’t doubt it was a threat.
“Daniel, what are you doing?” I tried to pull away from Dev. I needed to stop this fight before someone got seriously hurt. The idea of my husband and best friend going after each other made my heart hurt. “Let me go.”
Dev trapped me in his arms and whispered in my ear. “You’ve done enough damage, Zoey. Be quiet now. He’s doing what he has to do. Neil is being unreasonable. Don’t make this worse.”
Neil looked back at Dev and me. His eyes took on his beast. They were a winter, glacial blue, but there was no mistaking the rage in them. “Hold her, Dev, while you can. You made a mistake last night. You let him in. Do you really think he’ll share her with you for any length of time? He’s using you to get back into her bed. I assure you, some handy accident will be coming for you. Zoey’s grief will only make her vulnerable. She’ll turn to him. Can’t you see that? He’ll never share his precious blood with you.”
“Enough,” Daniel roared. He held his hand out, and Neil’s body jerked, limbs twitching in an odd, ungainly manner. “My blood is in your veins, and it will run true. You will obey me in this. You will protect your queen and guard your mouth tonight. Is that understood, my servant?”
I watched as Neil tried, really tried, to form his own words, but what came out of his mouth was, “Yes, master.”
“Now go and stand guard at the door,” Daniel commanded.
Neil walked away to do as he was ordered. His movements weren’t graceful, as though he was fighting the compulsion.
When he was out of the room, Daniel looked at me, obviously anticipating a fight. His hands were shaking slightly with the force of his anger, but he stuffed them in his pockets. “Get her dressed. It’s time to go.”
“What the hell was that, Danny?” I dug my heels in the carpet, unwilling to ignore what had just happened. Had Daniel really taken control of Neil?
Daniel stalked toward me, gesturing to the door Neil had walked through. “That was necessary. What am I supposed to do, Z? Am I supposed to let him go? Am I supposed to leave you unprotected? He knows everything. All he has to do is open his mouth and this evening becomes an execution. Do you want to watch as your husband and your lover are decapitated? Don’t expect Marcus to save you. His head will be right beside ours. They’ll leave you alive, baby. Remember that ceremony you witnessed? If Neil opens his mouth, you’ll be sold tonight. I have no doubt your price will make Meredith look like a value meal from McDonald’s.”
“He would never do that.” Neil might be angry, but I knew him. He might run off, but he wouldn’t betray us.
“I can’t risk it. There’s far too much on the line.” Daniel looked at Dev, his eyes bitter. “You have no idea how I envy you. She’ll blame all of this on me.”
Dev looked down at me. “Zoey, you should know I agree with everything Daniel has done tonight. He is right. We can’t risk exposure at this juncture. Neil isn’t thinking straight. All it would take is one bitter word from him and we could all be dead, including Chad.”
“You said it yourself, Z,” Daniel reminded me. “You told me we should pick the strongest of our vampires and make him our spy. Did you forget your own advice?”
I shook my head because I remembered it all too well. I just hadn’t expected to care about the person we sent off. Daniel was right, but I didn’t have to like it. “How are you controlling Neil? You said it was your blood. I’ve taken your blood. Can you do the same thing to me?”
Daniel walked up to me. I could see how much he wanted to touch me, but he held back. “The relationship is different.”
“Neil is Daniel’s animal. It’s a specific power,” Dev explained. “Although up until tonight, I believe the power has been nominal. He could call Neil but not bend his will. I suspect it’s another effect of the particular energy you drew from me last night. It’s a supercharged sexual energy you seemed to be able to feed on. Can you hold him?”
“Oh, yes,” Daniel said with a wicked certainty. “I can hold him. The way I feel now I could hold a whole pack of wolves. I’ve never felt anything like it. I could make an army of them.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Dev murmured. “I’ll make some calls because you’ll need to replace Neil. I believe Roman can make a deal with some of the werewolves we have working in the club. The pack here is extremely weak. Money and the promise of power could sway a few. We’ll need bodyguards.”
I was horrified. “Do you hear yourselves? You’re acting like Neil is expendable.”
Daniel started to speak, but Dev stopped him. “He’s not expendable. He just needs time to adjust. He’s had a shock, but it doesn’t change the fact that we need muscle. You can see that. We just need to get through tonight and when we’re back in Dallas, we can figure this all out.”
Daniel’s eyes wandered back toward the door. “I hate this, too, Z. But I meant everything I said to him. This was Chad’s choice. He and the others made the decision and I promised to honor it.”
“Daniel must honor his soldiers’ wishes, Zoey. You have to know that. And we’ll deal with Neil when we’re back home and away from prying eyes,” Dev concluded.
There was nothing to be gained from having it out here. I knew Neil and unless Chad was given back to him, he wouldn’t back down. They were making sense. I tried not to think about the look that passed between the men. They were taking positions, bulwarking each other’s weaknesses. I couldn’t think about it now. It was time to get ready to do my job. Politics would have to take a back seat. “I’ll get dressed.”
I allowed Kelly to pull and push me around as she fitted me into the dress Dev had chosen. It was more modest than I envisioned. The soft gold color wasn’t what I would have chosen, but even I could see how it made my skin glow. Because of security, I also wasn’t able to carry any weapons. Daniel would be leaving his sword behind. I was completely on my own.
The Revelation hummed softly in my hand, and I let it d
rop until it hung between my breasts. I looked at myself in the mirror. The dress was vaguely Grecian or maybe Roman. The bodice was low but not vulgar. There was an emerald green ribbon that wrapped and defined my waist. The golden fabric flowed in soft folds to the floor. At least the footwear was reasonable. Knowing Dev, I expected a stiletto, but this was a soft slipper. I could run in it.
“You look beautiful.” Dev dismissed the stylist and the hair dresser.
“I look soft and submissive,” I pointed out when we were alone.
“Appearances can be deceiving. Would you prefer to walk in looking like someone about to commit theft? No one will suspect you, Zoey. When the time comes, we’ll be able to sneak away with no one the wiser. There are rooms for privacy at this party, do you understand?”
“For sex.” I’d been told that pretty much anything went at this party, but when it came to sex, vampires tended to be modest about their companions. First time public presentation aside, a vampire’s companion was carefully guarded. Hence the privacy rooms. I was given to understand the demons were not necessarily so circumspect.
“Yes, for sex. The way we look tonight, no one will wonder why the Nex Apparatus has disappeared with his lovers. I’m sin. You’re innocence. Both are very tempting to this lot.” Dev slid his hands up my arms. “I would prefer to just spend that time using the room for what it was built for.”
I shook my head and grinned at him. “Haven’t done it on the Hell plane, have you?”
He kissed my ear softly. “No, I have not, my mistress. I would love to check it off. If I recall, you denied me the ability to check off Arkansas.”
“Let’s get Sarah back, and then I’ll see if I can help you out,” I replied. He’d started to call me mistress as often as sweetheart or lover. It was the title of a servant to his vampire’s companion, but when Dev said it he meant something different. He added the “my,” and it always let me know what he was thinking. Dev took my hand, and we walked to meet Daniel.
“Wow.” Daniel stared at me for a moment.
“It meets your approval?” There was a satisfied smile on Dev’s face as though pleasing Daniel in some way pleased him as well.
“She looks stunning. It’s everything you said it would be,” Daniel stammered.
“Better than prom?” I asked with a genuine smile.
“And I remember that night fondly,” he replied, our history there in his eyes.
I crossed the room and slid my hand into his. I couldn’t stand him looking so alone. He was right about a few things. I did only get involved when I was telling him he was wrong. I only used my power when it suited me. I owed him some measure of trust. “We’ll take care of Neil?”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, of course we will.”
“After this is over, I’ll take him on a trip, and we’ll shop and party and he’ll be okay,” I said as much to reassure myself as anyone else. I went on tiptoe and kissed my husband briefly.
He looked down at me, squeezing my hand. Dev took my other hand.
It was time to go.
* * * *
“Seriously?” I asked an hour later as the limo pulled up to the building that housed the physical entrance to Hell.
Daniel shrugged. “They have a sense of humor. You have to admit that.”
The driver walked around and opened the door to the limo. Daniel got out and held his hand for me. Dev followed but at a respectful distance. He wouldn’t join us until after we’d been announced at the event.
“Is this a sign that marriage is hell?” I asked as the lights of the tackiest wedding chapel I’d ever seen blinked away. They even had a drive-through lane.
“Well, it hasn’t exactly been easy, has it?” Daniel grumbled. “Is that thing still not working?”
I shook my head. The Revelation had gone silent the minute I got in the room with Daniel. The reminder that he was part demon wasn’t helping his mood.
“Welcome,” Elvis said as we walked in.
I shook my head because that was just tacky. We were led to the back and an elevator opened. Dev and Neil entered and then Daniel led me in. I hated the way Neil looked. His face was blank and bland. There was nothing of my happy, sarcastic playmate in those eyes now. Then the doors opened, and I had other worries.
“Mr. Donovan, we have been waiting for your arrival.” The elevator opened to a large foyer. It was elegantly appointed, and I could hear music coming from behind twin doors. There was a greeting area with several well-dressed demons doing busy work. “Sebastian has asked me to inform you that your presentation is ready. I heard it’s quite impressive. Please check to make sure I have the names of your retinue correct. You will be announced and enter through the double doors.”
I caught my breath as the doors opened. This was what a London ball must have looked like during the Victorian era, if said ball was full of demons and lots of people with fangs.
There was a demon at the top of the stairs announcing the guests as they entered. “The Council’s Nex Apparatus, Mr. Daniel Donovan, his companion, Mrs. Zoey Donovan, and his Royal Highness, Devinshea Quinn, Prince of Faery and High Priest of the Old Ways.” Neil was strictly a servant. No one needed his name.
It was the first time I’d heard Dev’s complete title. I was impressed, but Daniel rolled his eyes. “That is the most pretentious thing I’ve ever heard. You just have to have a longer title than anyone else.”
Dev smiled. “I require a long title to go with my very long…”
“Shhh,” I warned as we made our way down the long stairs. Every eye watched as the Council’s assassin entered the ball. We were greeted at the steps by Niko and two other vampires I hadn’t been introduced to. They stepped forward and shook Daniel’s hand before giving Dev and me long looks.
“You surround yourself with beautiful blood, Daniel,” the largest of the men commented, not bothering to hide his open appraisal. He was extremely tall, with long brown hair and an accent that sounded Swedish or Norwegian.
“What’s the point of walking the night if it’s devoid of precious blood?” Daniel put special emphasis on the word precious. It was a term of endearment meaning the vampire held those who carried the blood to be very dear. “Elof, Niles, may I present my companion Zoey Donovan, and our very good friend Devinshea Quinn. Elof and Niles are Council members.”
Elof nodded to Dev. “Your Highness, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your mother, the queen. It was before Faery closed the mounds to our kind. It is very rare to see a Fae such as yourself in the world now, much less a prince. Your brother is the heir?”
“Yes. I am the spare. I let my brother handle the politics. I prefer to pursue pleasure. With the mounds closed, I was forced to enter the Earth plane to discover new diversions.” Dev said the last with a sexy drawl that left no doubt he’d found his diversion.
Dev was supposed to act the part of the pretty, insignificant lover. He relished his status as himbo far more than I liked playing the bimbo. I also had to admit, he was really good at it. Tonight he was allowed slightly off the leash as this was a party, and the rules were a little different. With Dev firmly established as part of our threesome, he had some rights to my person as long as it didn’t go too far.
“Marcus was right.” Niles spoke in a very upper-crust British accent. He stared at me. “She’s bloody amazing. She’s almost too bright to look at.”
“Do I need to say the words, Niles?” Daniel asked, his voice quiet but forceful.
“Of course not.” Niles turned away from me, seemingly disconcerted by his lapse. “Everyone knows she’s yours, and you won’t be at all reasonable about making a deal. That’s not what I came over to talk about. Is he ready?”
“I assure you all of vampire kind will be satisfied with my presentation. Sebastian is preparing the exhibition now. It won’t be long.” Daniel took my hand and set a lingering kiss on my wrist. “My love, go with our lover and enjoy the night. I’ll be with you shortly. Dev, I trust you can kee
p her out of trouble.”
Dev took my hand from Daniel’s and nodded, his green eyes deep and seductive. “I’ll do my utmost to entertain her. We both look forward to the time when you can join us.”
Dev led me away quickly. I looked back at the two men I’d been introduced to. “Hey, I didn’t even get to say anything.”
“Yes, it was a successful introduction.” Dev led me straight to the dance floor. “Let’s dance, my mistress.” He saw my hesitation because this was not the kind of dancing we’d done at Ether. All around us couples moved together in the formal movements of what looked like a waltz. “Just follow my lead.”
He put a firm hand in the small of my back and directed me where he wanted me to go. “So your job is to make sure I don’t speak with anyone?”
He led me into a turn. “I wouldn’t say that. I just think it best you be kept far away from high-ranking members of the vampire world. You aren’t known for your discretion.”
“I can be discreet.”
“Yes, you discreetly threatened a Council member with decapitation already today.” Dev looked down and let me know he enjoyed the view. “Did I mention how fucking hot you were defending me today? Please promise me the next time you get in a fight you’ll go completely commando again because I found it very distracting. I think the enemy trying to get a glimpse of your hootchie could turn the tide of battle in our favor.”
I threw back my head and laughed because with Dev, I’d moved past embarrassment. Dev twirled me around, and I just enjoyed the moment. It didn’t last long. The song was over, and I realized everyone was looking at us. Apparently there wasn’t a whole lot of uninhibited laughter at these things.
“Don’t get self-conscious,” Dev said as he bowed at the waist. “They’re watching us because we’re beautiful and full of life, and they would love to know how one as dark as Daniel managed to get two creatures of light in his bed. Trust me, next year threesomes will be all the rage.” Suddenly Dev’s handsome face lit with something close to terror. “Zoey, my love, remember when I told you I slept with many of this plane’s exotic creatures? Here comes one now. Please save me.”
