Steal the Night (44 page)

“Maybe it’s because I’m a nexus point.” It was the only thing I could think that might answer his question.

The wizard threw back his head in rueful laughter. “Naturally. I was hoping you were some light-skirt I could distract with the fertility god but no, you have to be a nexus point. I’m leaving for a while because it has been made clear to me that this isn’t my charge’s fight.”

“How can you say that? This is all about Daniel.”

Myrddin pointed a finger my way. “No, this is all about you. I can lift Daniel’s ego, but it means nothing. Daniel won’t win this fight. It will be won or lost because of you, girl. You will either have the guts and the courage to look past your own grief or you will not. You must stay strong, my queen. You must not give in.”

“Grief? Over what?” I asked, a chill running across my skin. Something bad was coming for me. For all of us. I could see it in his eyes. He’d seen my future and it wasn’t good. “You have to tell me.”

The wizard shook his head. “I do not envy you, my queen. I can say nothing further without angering people I don’t wish to anger. They watch you, Queen Zoey. Heaven and Hell and everyone in between. If you survive, I’ll see you again. I know we’ve started poorly, but I look forward to the day. Now go and play your part. In the end, it will be only you but you are never alone. Remember that.”

“Please tell me what’s going to happen.” I didn’t like to beg, but I would get on my knees if I had to.

The wizard put a hand on my shoulder. “The world is a balance, child. I cannot upset it without paying a price none of us wishes to pay. Even if I told you, the outcome wouldn’t change. Some things are written. And some things that seem to be punishment are truly a reward for a job well done. You won’t see it until much later.” The wizard hissed and clutched his chest, his skin becoming pale. He looked up as though someone was speaking to him. “I understand. I will be quiet now.” His eyes found mine again. “Don’t hate me, my queen.”

He took a long breath and then he was standing tall again, his face utterly blank. He would say no more to me.

I rushed up the stairs, eager to get back to Danny and Dev. I tried very hard not to think about what the wizard had told me.

* * * *

Stewart seemed almost vibrant with happiness as we approached the veil. It was daylight and the pocket world seemed lit with radiance as we prepared to leave it. We hadn’t come in with much and we were only leaving with one extra souvenir. Myrddin had made sure Zack had the Mantle of Arthur in his backpack. I found it odd that he’d been very specific. Zack must carry it. He’d instructed the wolf how to use it should his master have need.

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 liked 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.