Steal the Day (Thieves #2)(54)

“Do you wonder?” I asked because I sure did.

“If she got pregnant and the baby was like me, my brother would have done his duty,” Dev said solemnly. “My brother cut off ties with me when I left, but not before making a promise. If Gilliana’s child was a Halfling, he was to smuggle the baby out. If the child was a full Fae, then it doesn’t need anything from me.”

I could have argued mightily with him, but it wouldn’t do any good. Dev was probably right. The Fae world was harsh, and the child would have been raised to despise weakness. I promised myself if I ever met Dev’s mother, she would get the same treatment as Neil’s dad. My father might not have been the most conventional father, but he’d always loved and protected me. I’d been lucky to have him. A thought occurred to me.

“If we survive this, Albert and I are having a major discussion about your wife.” I was greatly looking forward to the conversation. The half demon had spent much of the last seven months scowling at me disapprovingly for tempting his master into adultery. It would be nice to see those judgmental eyes turn to Dev.

“I might not be married,” Dev pointed out.

“That probably won’t come up in the discussion,” I admitted.

“You’re such a bitch.” His eyes became very serious. “I love you, Zoey. I’ve never said those words before this moment. I love you, and if you leave me for that blood sucker, I’ll lose the best part of me. I promise you, if by some miracle we survive this, I’ll be a better boyfriend. Up to this point, I’ve concentrated on the lover part because it was easy for me and I really like that part. But I can do the other part, too.”

“I love you, Devinshea.” The truth settled around my heart. Daniel might be my first love, but Dev held a chunk of my soul in his hands. Daniel protected me, but Dev let me fly.

The door above us opened, and the Renfros walked down the stairs. Mary Jo was dressed to impress in black robes and a really well-done bouffant. Even Mr. Renfro had dressed for the occasion.

I covered my complete terror with sarcasm. Maybe if I was really bratty, no one would notice the pounding of my heart. “What’s up? Is this not a family affair? Where are the rug rats?”

Mary Jo smiled, showing her even white teeth. “Like I told you, you slut, they’re with their father. In Hell.”

John Renfro pulled me to my feet while three other coven members undid Dev’s cuffs. He struggled, but they were too much and had his hands back in the cuffs before he could fight his way out. He looked at me as they began to drag him up the stairs. “Stay alive, Zoey. Daniel will find a way. Just stay alive, do you hear me? I love you, Zoey.”

I let my body go limp because I would be damned if I walked to my own execution.





Chapter Fourteen





I forced the f*ckers to drag me all the way out of the barn and to the clearing they had designated for the ceremony. Night had fallen, and the forest around us looked foreboding and ominous, shadows clinging everywhere. The full moon had passed the night before, so the werepigs wouldn’t be running. They would be meeting with Daniel. It could be hours before he thought to come to my window and find out how my day had gone.

I’d rather thought the coven would wait until midnight or three a.m., the preferred times for calling a demon. I started to panic. Daniel would wait, thinking Dev and I were on some errand. The upshot being that Dev and I would be cooling corpses by the time Danny thought to look for us.

They dragged me out into the open field. Orange light sparked off several torches held by coven members. Two altars dominated the field, one for me and one for Dev. As they pulled my limp body along, they were already chaining him to the first one. Two of the black-robed members fought to hold Dev down, and then two more came over to help. As he struggled, one of the coven members shoved a needle into his arm. Fear sparked through me. What the hell had they just given him?

“Stay still or you’ll get the same and I know our demon lord would rather have a screaming victim than one who just laughs when he eats them,” the man dragging me along said.

I relaxed a little because they wanted us alive. Whatever they had given Dev shouldn’t kill him.

After a moment, Dev went limp, and I vowed I wouldn’t struggle because I needed every faculty if there was any way to get us out of this. If this coven was for real, there would be a demon coming. Demons liked to make deals. I had a couple of things to offer. I would invoke Daniel’s name. I would bring up Marcus Vorenus. Hell, I’d call the f*cking Council in if it meant that Dev was alive at the end of the night. It wouldn’t be the first deal I made with a demon. I seriously doubted it would be the last.

The altars were circular and man-sized, or regular man-sized. Dev kind of hung off it. The good news was I would fit just fine. They shoved me down on the pentagram. It was upside down and perverted, just the way black magicians like them. The pentagram is a sacred symbol to witches. In the white witch world, it’s a symbol of man in spiritual harmony with the natural world around him. The inverted pentagram says screw the natural world, I’d like demons to come and f*ck everything up.

I was placed on the pentagram, my arms and legs reaching out from my torso. I was passive, allowing the witches to do their work. I needed to keep the one with the needle at bay. They did their job, making sure I couldn’t move, and then they stepped back.