Steal the Light (Thieves)

by Lexi Blake

  My heart turned over in my chest. He couldn’t do this to me again. He couldn’t leave me here. “I’m going. I have a whole lot of things I want to say to that freaking Council.”

  Marcus looked seriously at Daniel. “Perhaps you are right. She should stay here.” He flashed a look at the others, and they all pulled handguns. One of the vampires opened the coffin and pulled out what looked to be a mile of chains. There were gloves on his hands and he held the chains away from his body.

  “Shit, I hate this,” Daniel said under his breath.

  “Don’t you leave me like this.” I watched as Daniel fell to his knees and placed his threaded fingers behind his head. “Let me go with you. Please don’t do this to me again. I don’t understand anything. You said we were married. That’s for better or worse. Well, this is the ‘worse’ part.”

  “I love you, Zoey.” He looked up at me, his eyes vacant. “They will not let you come.”

  As they started to wrap the chain around him, his flesh began to smoke where he wasn’t covered by clothing. His mouth tightened, but that was the only indication that he felt the pain. I tried to pull it back off of him, but Marcus dragged me away and held me.

  “That’s silver, you bastard.” I tried to kick him where it would hurt the most.

  He held me too close for me to do any damage. “If it wasn’t silver, it wouldn’t work. Your master has spoken, companion. Do not make this worse for him.”

  When his body was wrapped in silver, they picked him up and placed him not too gently in the coffin. I was allowed to see him before they placed the lid on.

  “Don’t do this to me, Daniel,” I begged. Even after everything we’d just gone through, I still wanted to go with him. “Let me come with you. Explain this to me. Don’t shut me out. I still don’t understand anything.”

  “I love you, Zoey,” was all he said.

  Marcus gave the order, and the lid was closed. Neil said something like good-bye, but I just stood there. I just watched him being carried away, knowing he didn’t want me with him. No matter how much he claimed to love me, he would always shut me out. He would always keep his secrets.

  I was left in that magnificent hotel room alone, mourning my friend and my lover.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  A long, insistent knocking pulled me from my sleep. I shook myself awake, and it took me a moment to realize just where I was. Light streamed into the room, and for just a second, I thought it had all been a terrible dream. Then the knocking continued, and I was still alone.

  I finally fell asleep on the couch sometime just before dawn, but I wouldn’t call it a restful sleep. Dark dreams plagued me all night.

  I stumbled off the couch and toward the door. The clock read just before ten, and I wondered if the maid service was being especially polite or if the concierge had come to kick me out. I opened the door because an angry member of the hotel staff was the least of my concerns. It was worse. Marcus Vorenus stood in the doorway.

  “Mrs. Donovan, I would like to talk to you.”

  “Don’t call me that,” I said, every bit the grouch. I left the door open and walked back to the couch. He didn’t need an invitation. He hadn’t needed to knock.

  Marcus came in the room and held out a mug of what smelled like coffee. “I brought it up from the dining room. I thought you could probably use it.”

  I stared at it suspiciously.

  Those dark eyes softened and the barest hint of a smile curved his lips up. He looked like he was roughly thirty years old and had stepped off the cover of a male fashion magazine. “I am not your enemy, Mrs.…shall I call you Zoey?”

  “That’s my name.” I gave in and took a swallow of the coffee. If he wanted to kill me, he could have just ripped my throat out. And I wanted the coffee.

  He stepped up to the big windows, looking out over the park, the sunlight on his face.

  “Hey, shouldn’t you be all crispy by now?” He was a vampire standing in direct sunlight. Not a sight I saw every day. He was dressed slightly more casually than he’d been last night, but everything was still designer. He was a hard-looking man, and I found myself wondering which era he’d been born into.

  Marcus chuckled and turned back to me. I noticed things I hadn’t the night before. Most vampires possessed almost alabaster skin, but Marcus had a nice tan. “I enjoy listening to you speak. It is refreshing. Too many people in my life are scared of me. To answer your question, I am a daywalker. It is the special gift of my class of vampires. All members of my class are born with the ability. There are other talents I have that took many centuries to acquire. You understand that after many years of living, a vampire often develops certain talents?”

  “I know Daniel didn’t need many years.”

  “Yes, well, our Daniel is a bit of a savant.” Marcus sat down across from me. “He, however, cannot walk during the day. I have often wondered if he had a regular supply of rich blood, could he possibly do this as well? When he came back here, I thought no, but now I realize he has been lying about you.”

  He had my attention. I set the coffee down, ready for some explanations. If Daniel wouldn’t give them to me, I would take them from Marcus. “So I have this rich blood, and that’s why I’m attractive to vampires?”

  “Attractive is a little word to describe what a vampire feels about you. I sincerely apologize for my charge. These are things that should have been explained to you. You should have been brought to Paris and presented with full honors to our society. You would have other companions to talk to. You would understand what you are.”

  “And what am I?” I asked casually, as though the question wasn’t at the heart of my misery.

  He sat down on the couch beside me, his voice becoming almost reverent. “You are strength and life to a vampire. A vampire with a companion is stronger, smarter, faster. There is no way to describe the feeling. Most vampires would do anything to possess one such as you. Our scientists have tried for hundreds of years to duplicate whatever is in your blood that calls to us, but it cannot be done. You should be glad it is the vampire’s nature to follow our own laws or you would be passed around like a child’s toy to whoever was the strongest to take you or the smartest to steal you.”

  “So my blood is different?” It didn’t make a lot of sense. I wasn’t a supernatural creature. I didn’t have powers.

  “Your blood is different. It’s not the only thing. Has Daniel mentioned your glow?”

  A whole bunch of people had said some things I didn’t get. And Daniel just left me ignorant. “What does it mean?”

  He smiled, but this was a sexy thing. “You glow. It’s how we find a companion. To a vampire’s eye, your body practically pulses with life. Just being close to you is soothing to me. I enjoy being in your light, cara.”

  Everything Dev said was true. I was a fucking drug, an addiction. “What am I?”

  Marcus shrugged. “I have tried to discover this. I have theories, but I can prove nothing. It doesn’t matter why you are a companion. Only that you are.”

  “Was it coincidence that Daniel and I were together before his turn?”

  “Perhaps, but I think not.” The vampire waved his hand negligently. “Daniel was a vampire even then, though he did not know it. You have always been a companion. Your blood called to his. It is sometimes this way. Occasionally when a vampire rises he was involved with a woman who turns out to be a companion. It is why you were left alone that night. He had a claim even though he had not taken the steps to make it legal. You are lucky the vampires who came for him that night did not simply kill him and take you for their own. By the time Daniel was brought before the Council, we knew what he was and that you were the only way to keep him under control.”

  “He doesn’t love me. He’s addicted to my blood.” I finally said it out loud. He hadn’t been attracted to me for my sparkling personality.

  Marcus laughed. “I forget how foolish the truly young can be. What is this love you speak of? That is
a child’s game, Zoey. Daniel was offered the world by certain members of the Council. He was offered power and money and all the blood he could handle. He chose to come back here to this piss-poor part of the world and live a half life so he could be at your side. You have no idea what he could be. He could be king, but he refuses because that is not the life he wants for you. Take your childish idea of love. It is nothing compared to the devotion Daniel has shown you.”

  I turned from him and walked to the window. It was a gorgeous spring day. I looked down at the street so far below where people were going to work and kids were going to school. It was everyday and ordinary. Those people chose their paths, mundane though they may be. I’d never felt farther from that world. “Why are you here?”

  “There are two reasons,” he explained. “The first is a plea. I have been instructed not to force you to do anything you feel uncomfortable with, but you need to understand the situation. Daniel needs blood. He needs your blood.”

  Because he was addicted again. “I’ve heard my blood is like a drug. What happens when he doesn’t get it?”

  Marcus frowned and, for a moment, I thought he might refuse to answer. “He will go through withdrawal. He will be in pain, weak and soul sick. It is terrible. He is going into a dangerous place, and I would feel better if he was as strong as possible. I would also feel better if I controlled his supply of blood. I would not like for it to be…tainted.”

  “Then he should have taken me with him.” Even as I said it, I knew I would relent. I couldn’t stand the thought of him having to rely on the people who discussed his execution. I couldn’t leave him sick and vulnerable. “How do I get it to him?”

  Marcus relaxed as though he’d expected a fight. “A nurse will come once a week for your donation. I thank you for being reasonable. There is something else. I felt the need to talk to you. I am here to press young Daniel’s claim. I saw you last night, and I believe you are going to make a mistake. I am here to ask you to not give up on him.”

  “Why? You said last night that you could find him another companion. Just find him someone else, and let me alone.”

  “I was wrong,” Marcus admitted. “I hate to admit it because I do not like to express anything so unsavory as having feelings, but I was frightened last night. You have no idea how close we came to disaster. If Halfer had taken possession of Daniel… Let me tell you a story about your Daniel. Perhaps that is the best way to make you understand. The Council is responsible for the training of new vampires. This training can be…you would consider it barbaric. It is meant to teach the vampire to follow the rules. One such exercise is called The Arena. A young vampire is placed in our training arena and told to fight for his life. He is not told that the enemies he faces will not actually kill him. The way the exercise is intended to go is the young vampire is beaten to within an inch of his life and then spared by the Council. He then feels some loyalty to the members who spared his life. The young vampire must face three experienced warriors. He has no chance against them. He is a lamb led to slaughter and then spared. Daniel killed twelve before the Council decided to save our numbers. Daniel is a Death Machine. He was born to kill. There is only one thing that ties him to humanity, and that is you.”

  “He likes Neil,” I said absently as my mind tried to process what Marcus had told me.

  “He has some affection for his wolf, but it is you who defines his morality. I watched you last night, and I think you are going to turn from him. I understand that Daniel has screwed this up, and you might feel the need to explore other options. I only ask that when he returns, you do not shut him out completely.”

  “Is he going to return?” This was the question that kept me up all night. He was going into that place wrapped in chains. If what I understood was true, then there were many vampires who might take advantage of his situation.

  Marcus sat back and clasped his hands together. It reminded me of a scene from The Godfather. “I think there are members of the Council who will view this indiscretion as an opportunity to take out a threat, but they will find it difficult. Daniel can tell when a new vampire is going to rise.”

  “Yes, I know. It’s important and rare. I heard there were only three or four vampires who can do it.”

  “Sadly those numbers have dwindled.” Marcus sighed. “Just yesterday two of them were killed in terrible accidents. I believe the Council will find themselves in a corner. Daniel is too precious to execute.”

  “You killed them,” I said under my breath.

  Marcus had the audacity to look offended. “I have no idea what you are talking about, girl. I would never do such a thing. It would be a crime if anyone could prove it. But know this, I believe Daniel is important, and I believe he has two paths ahead of him. I wish to see him go down the path that saves Vampire, not the path that leads to war.” Marcus looked at his watch and stood up. “My time here is done, bellissimo compagno. My jet leaves for Paris in an hour.” Marcus walked over and took my hand. He brought it to his lips. I thought it was a courtly gesture, but at the last moment, he flipped my hand over and placed a lingering kiss on my wrist right where my pulse could be measured.

  “If I did not believe in Daniel, know that I would have pressed my suit for you,” he murmured. “I think you are the most intriguing thing I have seen in many years. I would be interested in you even if you were not a companion, Zoey.”

  He let my hand fall, and I watched him walk to the door. Just before leaving he turned around. “You will think on what I have said? Do not forsake him completely. It could be bad for your people.”

  “For my family?” I was confused. Daniel would never hurt me or my father.

  Even in the light of day, Marcus’s eyes were infinitely dark. “No, I wasn’t speaking of your family. I was speaking of humanity.”

  The door closed quietly, and I was alone again.

  * * * *

  It took me three weeks to make the mistake Marcus had been sure I was going to make. After Marcus left me, I went home to my apartment where a letter was waiting for me. It was a simple set of numbers and the name of a bank in the Cayman Islands. The money meant nothing. I’d tossed the letter on my desk and packed a small case with a change of clothes and other necessaries. After stopping by a liquor store and picking up a case of good wine, I went from bridge to bridge until I found Halle. I spent the days walking with him and the nights allowing Ingrid to brush my hair while I cried. The only time I went back to the real world was to make my weekly donation.

  I woke up three weeks later and realized I just had to know. I had to know if I could make my own choices. If a vampire was programmed to love a companion, it only made sense to me that it worked the other way, too. Had my love for Daniel been written into my blood? Did that make it love or something less? I missed him with every part of my soul, and I also was so angry with him. I felt the need to burn everything down around me.

  So I bought new lingerie and a brand new red dress. I slipped on stiletto heels, and I made my way to Ether.

  I hadn’t spoken to Dev since he stormed off that night. I wasn’t even sure he would let me in to talk to him. We hadn’t left things in the best of places. I could still see his disappointed face as he walked off. I approached the entrance with a knot in the pit of my stomach, fully expecting to be told to get out of there.

  “Good evening, “Albert said in a grave, somewhat judgmental tone.

  I smiled, happy to see a face I knew, but the half demon gave me nothing.

  “How may I be of assistance tonight, Mrs. Donovan?” Albert asked politely.

  I felt myself flush. “I’m not Mrs. Donovan.”

  “Whether you like it or not, Mrs. Donovan, you are wed by the laws that bind our world,” Albert said, and finally some sympathy crept into his tone. “If you walk into that club and find my master, things will take a natural course, and he will suffer. He will be committing a crime against your master. It is serious and not to be taken lightly…”

  Alb
ert stopped, and his hand pressed against the communication device cradled in his ear. “Of course, sir. I’ll send her right up.” He returned his attention to me, and I knew he was obeying, not following his own wishes. “Please be welcome, Miss Wharton. My master will see you in his office.”

  I walked away from the half demon feeling low. I liked him, but now it would be hard to look at him knowing he thought I was leading his boss into sin. I didn’t see it that way. I didn’t see myself as married. I’d made no vows, and Daniel had proven he didn’t trust me in his world. I was alone. Daniel left me. I had the right to walk up those stairs. I had the right to ask for what I wanted.

  I was shown up to Dev’s office, anxiety pulsing through me as the door opened. He was seated behind his desk and made no move to stand up as I entered. He looked up at me, but that gorgeous face of his showed no signs that he was happy to see me. His green eyes slid across my body, but I couldn’t read them. I suddenly felt cheap in my seventy-dollar dress.

  “Hello,” I managed to say.

  “Zoey.” Dev looked every inch the businessman behind his desk. I hadn’t thought of him that way before, but now I realized he had to be smart and quick to have built his businesses. “I was glad to hear you found a way out of your contract.”

  “Oh,” I whispered, somewhat flustered. There went my first attempt at conversation. “Who told you?” Everyone I knew was either in France or Hell.

  “A couple of Eurovamps came into the club late that night. You’re quite the Daniel Webster, aren’t you? I was surprised you didn’t go to Paris with your husband.”

  “He’s not…” I started, but decided to not argue any longer. The writing was on the wall with this one, and I needed to get out with my dignity intact. I wished I’d thought to put on a sweater or a light trench coat. It would have been hot, but at least I wouldn’t look so ridiculous. I opened my purse and went with my backup plan. “Well, I just wanted to let you know I have your portion of the money. You did a good job. You deserve to get paid.”