by Lexi Blake
Zack rolled his eyes at the question. “Of course I did. I know my master. Everything was explained to me before I made my oath.”
“How does it feel knowing he can just take over your body the minute you disobey him?”
“I don’t intend to disobey him,” Zack replied smugly. “I don’t intend to disagree with him. He knows what’s best. That’s why he’s my master.”
“You just wait,” Neil said bitterly. “Wait until he sends your lover off to the Council.”
“I don’t think they’d take Lisa. If they did, they’d probably send her back. She’s bossy,” Zack said, shaking his head. “From what I understand, Chad was eager to go. He enjoys playing the spy and he’s good at it. Did you try to talk him out of it?”
Neil handed me the now empty plate, and I put it on the side table.
“He didn’t tell me,” Neil admitted.
“Then perhaps you should be upset with your lover rather than your master,” Zack said obnoxiously. “She died, you know.”
“Zack, he doesn’t need to hear about that.” Zack needed to keep his damn mouth shut. I didn’t intend to ever tell Neil that story.
“What?” Neil asked, not letting it drop.
Zack walked to the end of the bed. “Halfer killed her because she didn’t have a bodyguard. He killed Dev, too. He sliced them up with a knife. Marcus and Daniel had to save them. From what I understand, Zoey almost didn’t make it. They hired me and Lee the next day.”
The shaking was back now as Neil let his head fall into his hands, and he started to cry.
I shot Zack the dirtiest look I had. He shrugged but seemed a bit more sympathetic. “He would have found out sooner or later. He needed to know what he cost you. I’m going to find my boss and let him know what’s going on.”
Zack strode out of the room and Sarah and I were left with a devastated Neil. I pulled him back into my arms, and Sarah did the same, wrapping him in our body heat and letting him cry.
“I’m fine, Neil,” I assured him. “Dev’s fine. Everything worked out.”
“I got lost, Zoey,” he whispered. “I got so lost. I’m sorry.”
I sighed when he finally fell asleep. He snuggled down between our bodies and slept even while I worried that Daniel was about to be lost to me. If he chose to get lost, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I wouldn’t find him again. Sarah and I passed a worried look between us, but after a while we closed our eyes and let sleep take us as well.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before so it wasn’t terribly surprising that it was just after dark when I woke up again. It was easy to sleep with Neil’s warmth pressed against me, but I heard voices whispering and was pulled from sweet oblivion. I knew it was after dark because someone had come in and lit the gas lamps. Sarah stirred on the other side of Neil. She’d obviously fallen asleep, too.
“It is normal, Felix,” Dev was saying.
“Are you sure?” Felix asked. “Shouldn’t I be more possessive? We’re married. We made very specific vows. I’m pretty sure those vows precluded stuff like this.”
“Dude, your vows were read by a guy in an Elvis costume,” Dev replied.
“They still count.”
I heard Dev sigh. “I don’t understand human marriages.”
“Obviously,” the former angel returned with a chuckle. “Otherwise tomorrow night might not be happening. I’m looking forward to it, by the way.”
“I’m glad to have you there, but you should know that it’s the most natural thing in the world to get turned on by two hot naked chicks in bed together,” Dev protested. “If one of those hot naked chicks just happens to be your wife then good for you, man. It means you chose wisely.”
“I’ll admit that it’s harder to retain pure thoughts with an actual functioning penis,” Felix confided. “It seems to make decisions for me at times.”
Dev laughed. “Welcome to my whole fucking world, Felix. Little Dev is in charge, man, and guess who’s in charge of Little Dev. Little is a misnomer. I’m actually quite large.”
I turned, letting my eyes find the men standing at the end of the bed. I shook my head at Dev. “Don’t you go and corrupt him, you pervert.”
Sarah sat up and gave her husband a surprised look. “Felix, how long have you been standing there?”
He flushed guiltily. “Awhile.”
Dev pointed. “He was here way before I was.”
“I thought you were supposed to be preparing yourself.” I shifted to make sure I was properly covered. Neil was still asleep between us.
“I was, sweetheart,” Dev replied. “I was reaching a state of contemplation when Zack showed up and announced that you and Sarah were beginning a lesbian relationship.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s not what he said.”
“Well, that is what I heard, my mistress.” He had a sweetly salacious grin on his face. “I quickly finished my rituals and got here as fast as I could.” He shifted his attention to the other girl in the bed. “Sarah, I will pay one million dollars if you’ll just kiss on her a little, maybe slip her some tongue and” —his fingers twitched— “play with her nipples. You won’t have to do much. They’re sensitive. Seriously, I can get it in cash.”
I laughed and shook my head because Dev would really do it.
Sarah looked at her husband, obviously expecting a little bit of outrage. “Felix? Are you just going to take that from him?”
“The money, no,” Felix said with a frown. “But if you wanted to do…all the things he said, I’m fine with it, really.”
“Zoey, I need to talk to…holy crap, are they naked?” Daniel asked, walking into the room. His blue eyes went wide.
Males are males whether they happen to be humans, vampires, faeries, or fallen angels. They all have penises and that means they have certain common reactions. They stop at the sight of two unclothed women in any type of close physical contact. Daniel stared for a minute, his jaw slack. I let my eyes roam over his body. He was in soft, well-worn jeans and a T-shirt that showed off those big arms of his. I couldn’t help but remember how good it felt to be held by him, to have him deep inside my body. I wasn’t sure I could handle another sexual encounter where he walked away like it meant nothing to him.
“Is that Neil?” Daniel asked shortly, his lust turning to anger just like that.
I tensed at his tone. “Yes, it is. He was sick.”
He made no comment on that. “I need to talk to you.” He said it in a flat, no-nonsense tone that made me think this was it. This was the fight I’d been waiting to have since the night of the heist when he’d turned away from me. He was going to do this here and now.
“All right,” I said, my voice shaking only a little. “I’ll get dressed.” I turned to Sarah. I didn’t want to do this in front of everyone. “Can you stay with him?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t be anywhere else. Felix can take your place.” She nodded to her husband.
“I can?” Felix repeated as though he would never have thought of it himself. His wife’s eyes were narrow with irritation. “I can take your place,” he said, now with utter confidence.
The men left the room and I slipped into a robe, not wanting to take too much time. I’d been worrying about this for weeks now and I wanted to get it over with, no matter the outcome.
I belted the robe around my waist and gave Sarah a little smile that came nowhere near my eyes. “Take care of him. I’ll be back one way or another.”
I walked out of the bedroom and Felix passed me on his way back in. Dev and Daniel were standing in front of the room Daniel had been using. The minute he saw me, Daniel entered. It seemed like he wanted to get it over with as well.
Dev gave me a tight smile and led me in. It was lit from the inside by a camp lantern. The atmosphere was ruined by the coffin and the look on Daniel’s face. He was frowning as I walked to him.
“What do you need, Danny?” My heart pounded in my chest. I al
ready had tears threatening. Don’t let him leave me. Don’t let him leave me. Please, please don’t leave me.
He sighed. “Dev, do you mind? I’d like to talk to my wife alone.”
“I do actually,” Dev replied. “If you’re going to have this conversation with her, then I would like to be there. It affects me as much as it does Zoey.”
Daniel’s eyebrows came together in the little V they always got when he was concerned. “Fine,” Daniel said, his gruff tone belying his words. “Fine. I suppose it does concern you.”
Daniel’s arms crossed defensively across his chest. “I’m going to head out. McKenzie wasn’t interested in listening last night, and I just don’t see a way to get him to trust me. It’s a bust. You two are going to stay on and complete the ritual.”
I knew something he didn’t, but I really wanted to see where he was going so I held that ace in my pocket for the moment. “You don’t think it’s worth it to stay and try, Danny? He might be more reasonable after the ritual.”
Daniel shook his head. “No, I think it’s useless. Besides, I have to get back to Dallas. I have to meet someone there.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
I also didn’t like the way Dev tensed beside me. He knew what was coming next, and he thought it would hurt me. “Don’t do this, Dan. We can find another way.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened. “There is no other way. You’re the one who taught me to use the cards I have, Dev. That’s what I’m doing.”
I took a deep breath. “All right, Danny, I’ll bite. Who do you have to meet, baby? Who’s so important that you would leave us behind here?”
He didn’t even flinch. He just looked me straight in the eyes and replied. “Her name is Tamara. I found her in Oregon when I found Joel. She should be at the penthouse by now, but I need to make sure she’s comfortable.”
Getting punched in the gut hurt a hell of a lot less than hearing those words come from his mouth. I could guess just what Tamara was. Danny had solved one of his problems, no doubt. But he was going to have to say it. “And who is Tamara, Danny?”
“She’s a companion, Zoey,” he said, making my fear a real thing. “She’s my companion.”
I quickly searched Dev’s face. It was tight and his mouth twisted down. That told me this woman actually existed rather than being a lie to get me to run away. Maybe he wasn’t trying to get me to run, I acknowledged for the first time. Maybe he was just sick of me. I let myself sink onto the sofa because my legs didn’t want to work anymore. I knew my face was red, and the tears were already filling my eyes when I looked back up at him.
“Did you already perform the ceremony?” I forced the words out of my throat.
“Does it matter, Z?” he asked quietly, his mouth a thin line.
“It matters to me,” I replied.
He nodded, accepting my answer. “No, I haven’t yet. I didn’t actually make contact with her until a few weeks ago. I intended to bring her in for one of the baby vamps. To make them strong. I changed my mind.”
“After the heist.” After I managed to screw everything up and get his vamps torched, I added silently.
He hesitated, but finally acknowledged the timeline. “Look, Z, this hasn’t been working for a long time. It’s obvious to me that it’s best for everyone if I just let you go with Dev. He’ll make you happy and Tamara can give me what I need. I need an easier companion. I need a companion who I never have to call a cleaning crew in for. You can see why I’m anxious to get home. I need to perform that ceremony.”
I was trouble. I was a whole lot of trouble. I didn’t follow directions. I didn’t always do the best thing. I tried to do what was right, but I often screwed up more things than I solved. I had to accept the fact that he might be telling the truth, that he really wanted someone other than me.
I knew suddenly that it didn’t matter. His not loving me didn’t change the way I felt about him. It just made my heart break.
“All right, Danny.” I wiped the tears from my eyes. Fighting wouldn’t change anything. Yelling at him would only make me look like a fool. “If that’s what you want, I can’t stop you. I’m really sorry about Joel, though. I didn’t mean…I never thought trying to steal that artifact would hurt anyone like that. I thought I was helping.”
“You always do, Z,” Danny said with a sigh.
I stood back up. I was going to leave, but stopped because something he’d said finally penetrated the haze of pain the conversation had caused. “Why is she in my house?”
Daniel frowned, turning to Dev. “You haven’t told her what we decided?”
Dev shook his head. “You decided this, and you told me what I was going to do. Don’t you dare pin this on me.”
“I thought we were in agreement that this was the best course.” Daniel had that hard edge to his voice that told me he was getting angry because things weren’t going the way he planned. He was more emotional than he was letting on. His eyes found mine. “You’re going to the sithein with Dev the day after tomorrow.”
Son of a bitch. Bastard. I laughed, a humorless sound, because now I knew his game. “No, I’m not. I’m going home the day after tomorrow, and she better not be there, Danny. I won’t take it well. You should fly back and get her settled into your place because I’ll be damned if I let you toss me out of my home. If we’re getting a divorce, I’m keeping Dev and Dev’s keeping Ether.”
I wouldn’t be relegated to a prison because Daniel found me inconvenient.
“Dev, would you like to explain this to her?” Danny’s every word was clipped and hard.
Dev stopped stooping over and raised himself to his full height. He walked over to me and slipped his hand into mine. “We need to go to the sithein, Zoey. There are some things I need to do. I’ll explain it all to you later, but I have obligations I need to fulfill. If the ritual goes as I hope it goes, I’ll be a true high priest, honored in every way after I make the rounds in Faery. It won’t take more than a month,” he explained and I heard Daniel sigh impatiently, unhappy with what Dev was saying. “But, sweetheart, we have to face certain realities.”
“Finally,” Daniel said under his breath.
“The minute Daniel takes another companion, you become fair game.” Dev neatly explained the impossible situation Daniel was trying to maneuver us into. “I assume he’s going to make a big announcement.”
“I’m required to inform the Council,” Daniel said casually, as though he wasn’t changing my entire life. “It’ll be all right, Zoey. As long as you’re in Faery no vampire is going to touch you.”
Dev ignored him completely. “So when we get back from Faery, I think our best option is Marcus. He’ll let us stay together. We’ll get back from Faery and head immediately to Venice. I already contacted Marcus earlier today and informed him of what’s going on. He’ll have everything ready, and he’ll perform the ceremony the night we arrive. Marini won’t take you away from Marcus. We’ll be safe.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Daniel’s face was stark white and his hands gathered in fists at his sides.
“Give him a call, Dan,” Dev replied, his eyes giving nothing away. “You’ll find everything is ready. I never bluff about a good plan. You should know that. Marcus is more than happy to accommodate us. He’s quite eager to take a new companion. I also find myself unwilling to throw my mistress out of the only home she has left. You’ll remove your new wife from the penthouse. You have a perfectly good apartment. I suggest you use it. I set up an account in your name. It has ten million in it. I think that’s fair. We’ll need the penthouse. Marcus has agreed to split our time between Venice, Paris, and Dallas. Zoey will want to spend time with her friends and family. We’ll keep ourselves out of your life and your line of fire, but we won’t leave our home.”
“Why? Why the hell would you do this? Why would you give her to Marcus?” Daniel practically roared the question.
Dev stood his ground. “She won’t be happy in the sithein forever.
I won’t be happy there, either. I like this plane. I’ve made it my home. Marcus is offering us a way to stay together and be safe. He cares for Zoey, and he’s promised to allow us all the freedom we have now. I believe that he’ll be kind to her and tolerant with me. It’s our only option if we don’t want to run for the rest of our lives or be held in a cage. That’s what this little plan of yours leaves us with. We must remain on this plane. She has obligations here.”
“What obligations does she have here?” Daniel asked, confused.
“I have to work for Marini or he’ll kill you,” I responded quietly. “I have to go to Faery and do the job, and then I’ll do the job after that and so on and so on. I’ll do what I have to. Dev is right, though. Marcus can keep us safe.”
“That’s the stupidest plan I ever heard,” Daniel said, stalking toward us.
“Don’t,” Dev warned. “Don’t you dare question my judgment when you’re leaving me all alone to take care of her. You’re leaving both of us. You have no right or say in anything we do after this, Daniel. We’ll be on our own, and we’ll make our own way.”
“Why, Zoey? Why would you work for Marini after I leave you for another woman? Why would you let her, Dev?” Daniel’s face was filled with emotion now. He couldn’t stop it.
I stared up at my soon-to-be ex-husband and knew I was blotchy and red because I looked like hell when I cried. It didn’t matter. “I’ll do it because I love you, Daniel. I always have and I always will. I’ll love you until the day I die. I’ll stand by you even if you don’t love me anymore.”
Love didn’t have to be returned. It only had to be honored. I wouldn’t allow Daniel to turn me into something I wasn’t. I loved him. I would fight for him. I would be kind to him. Even when he wasn’t kind to me.
Now it was Dev’s turn. “I love Zoey and I believe in you, Daniel. I believe in the man you are. I haven’t had many friends in my life. I’m going to miss you. I really am. You talked to me yesterday about how you watched us walk through the valley and how different our reception would have been had you been by our side. I would have walked with you anyway. You mistake respect and need for love, Daniel. I would take my friend over a thousand affectionate strangers. Zoey and I would walk anywhere with you. Leave us if you must. We won’t abandon you. If you ever need anything, just come to Venice.”
