Steal the Day (Thieves #2)(37)

Daniel crossed his arms and frowned. “You couldn’t just expect me not to talk to him. I had to find out what his intentions were.”

“If I know Dev, he was ridiculously, vulgarly detailed in describing his intentions to you, Danny.” The man had no sense of self-preservation.

“It really wasn’t like that, Z,” Daniel said defensively. “We both care about you. I love you, and the truth is I can’t watch over you during the day.”

“Son of a bitch! He hired a PI to follow me, didn’t he?” That was how he knew everything.

“I couldn’t be sure Halfer wouldn’t come back. You hurt him last spring, Zoey. You hurt his pride. He’s not going to let that stand. I can make sure he can’t get to you during the night, so Dev takes the day shift or he makes sure someone does. You can’t expect us to just let you walk around with a big neon sign on your back saying get your revenge here, can you?”

“How about discussing the situation with me like adults?”

Daniel rolled his baby blues. “Yeah, ‘cause you’re so reasonable. It’s why I didn’t tell you I was gonna kill Chad.”

“Fuck me! That was really horrible.” A low moan rose from the ground. Chad coughed, sitting up.

I screamed and jumped behind Daniel. Even in my line of work, I don’t deal with a whole lot of reanimated corpses. “He came back.”

Neil moved from behind me, reaching toward Chad.

“Not yet, Neil. He’s not ready.” Daniel placed himself between me and Neil and the reanimated corpse.

Chad managed to get to his knees, and he patted the hole in his chest. “You were right. I should have picked strangulation. Anything would be better than that.”

Daniel shrugged. “Nobody ever listens to me about strangulation. You think the whole knife thing will be quicker, but I promise I could have cut off that oxygen pretty damn fast.”

“Fine, next time I get my pick of method of death, I’ll listen to you.” Chad caught sight of me. His fangs lengthened for the first time, hunger etched on his face. “I want her. She glows. It’s so pretty.”

Daniel walked over to Chad and pulled him up roughly by the back of his shirt. Daniel’s fangs were fully out, a savage look on his face. Chad struggled in Daniel’s grip, but couldn’t break the hold.

Daniel turned his eyes to me. “Zoey, I have things I have to do. There are certain rituals that must be performed. You should go inside.”

I stood my ground. The importance of what Daniel had done, what he was doing, wasn’t lost on me. I wasn’t sure how he’d known Chad would survive his bloody murder, but I was damn sure Danny wouldn’t call the Council to take Chad for training. This was the dangerous game Alexander had mentioned. “Not on your life, buddy. If I’m in this mess, then I’m in it one hundred percent. I won’t let you shut me out. Am I your queen or just your companion?”

“You are always my queen, baby,” Daniel said. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Neil came over and slipped his hand into mine. He took a deep breath as though steeling himself.

Chad flailed, arms and legs thrashing as he strained against Daniel’s hold. His face was no longer recognizable, just a blur of fangs and eyes and need. His hands reached out, grabbing for me. Prey. I was prey, and he wanted to drain me. Neil stepped in front of me, not obscuring my view but placing his body in the way should the hungry vampire manage to get free. Instinct told me to flee, to put as much distance between us as possible. Trust kept me rooted in place. Daniel would never let him get close.

Daniel’s hold on Chad became brutal. Sharp claws sprung from his right hand, sinking into the flesh of Chad’s throat. He spoke in guttural tones. “I know you’re hungry. You will not feed until I will it, do you understand? I’m your master and you will obey me.”

Chad didn’t look like he was big into obedience. He looked like he was going to fight tooth and claw against anything Daniel said. This was a monster that would tear up everything he could get his hands on. He was a ball of hunger, destruction, and violence. It was utterly unlike the way Daniel was on the night of his turn, and I finally understood what Marcus had tried to explain to me. Daniel was different. His strength went far beyond the physical. The turn was violent and twisted, but Daniel had been unaffected. A new vampire always kills, and he doesn’t stop killing until he’s trained. But Daniel hadn’t killed that first night. He’d risen and retained his personality. He’d fed but left that first victim alive. Then he came home to me. He’d taken me gently, and we made love after. There was nothing in Daniel that first night that vaguely resembled Chad.

“He’s done this before,” I whispered more to myself than anyone else.

“Yes,” Neil replied. “But this is only the second time he’s tried it on his own. The other times, Marcus was there to help him. Chad seems stronger than Justin.”

Long, sharp fangs gleamed in the night as Daniel struck, piercing Chad’s throat with a sickening force. His throat worked, draining Chad of what the knife had not taken. The lawyer who’d sat cordially at my table for dinner spasmed, his legs kicking, trying to fight the inevitable. When he finally stilled, was finally calm, Daniel released him, blood dripping from his mouth, tongue working to save each precious drop. Daniel let him slip down, and Chad fell back, no strength left to even hold himself up.