Steal the Day (Thieves #2)(72)

Daniel’s fangs were suddenly very large, and I was yanked back into his arms. “I would not consider it.”

Niko smiled and took a step back. He treated Daniel like a tiger whose tail he’d inadvertently tugged on. “Understood. I apologize. You understand that sometimes deals are made at events such as this.”

Daniel stared the older vampire down. “I understand that some vampires will allow themselves to be bullied into giving up what is theirs. I’m not that man, Niko. If I was, I wouldn’t be any good to the Council, would I? She is mine and will remain mine.”

There was a deep laugh from behind me, and I turned to see Daniel’s patron, Marcus Vorenus, walking up with a smirk on his face. The Italian was impeccably dressed in a sport coat, slacks, and silk shirt. “Niko has fallen into your trap, bellissimo ragazza. I warn you now, Niko, Daniel does not take well to such offers. I should know.”

“Did he just try to buy me?” I asked, finally catching up. I was getting really tired of people trying to buy me. Earlier this year, Daniel had sold me to Dev for two million, though Daniel had eventually given the money back. Marcus’s lips curved in a secretive smile. “Yes, Zoey, he did indeed, and you should hope his companion never finds out for she will be very jealous. She is not known for her kindness. Now, Daniel, I believe Niko would like to speak with you about your presentation. Please allow me to escort your companion around while you take care of business.”

I wasn’t particularly happy about being separated from Daniel, but he indicated that it was fine. Marcus wasted no time hauling me away. He offered me his arm and I had no choice but to take it.

“You are lovely tonight, Zoey,” Marcus stated as he led me through the crowd.

If I looked nice it was probably because I hadn’t picked out my own clothes or done my own hair or makeup. After Roman had led us to our ridiculous suite, I had spent several minutes just gawking. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a hot tub that overlooked the entire strip. The bathroom in the master had a huge garden tub and a ridiculously decadent mirror covered the ceiling in the bedroom. I didn’t have to ask if Nevada wasn’t already crossed off my boyfriend’s bucket list.

After I’d managed to close my mouth, I was introduced to someone named Kelly, who lamented the roundness of my curves and hoped she’d brought something to make me look taller. Kelly was a stylist. She’d dressed me in a turquoise cocktail dress that showed more of my chest than I normally would, but the girls looked good. As I glanced around the room, I realized I stood out in the crowd for an entirely different reason. These people seriously liked black.

“I think I might have gone with a darker color,” I muttered as people turned to stare at me.

“Not at all,” Marcus argued. “You’re different, Zoey. Even among the companions, you’re rare.”

“And why is that?” I really wanted to know. The women all around me were stunning. They were model-quality beautiful. Like Kelly said, I was short and probably too curvy. I couldn’t really see the attraction when compared to the others.

“How do I describe it to you? You can’t see it yourself, of course. A companion has a certain glow to a vampire. It’s how we identify them. Most of the time this glow is subtle. Sometimes it is quite lively.”

“So I’m lively?”

Marcus stopped, his eyes taking on a serious look. “You are like the sun, Zoey. Everyone else here is a pale reflection of the way you shine. Every vampire here knows that if he could taste you, your blood would be the sweetest he had ever known. If your Daniel had not been the man he is now, he would have been forced to fight for you or make a deal to sell you. Daniel chose not to present you to our society because he didn’t want to put you through that particular ritual. It was a good choice. Now they’re too afraid of him to make a real play for you. So relax. They will look, but I assure you they will not touch.”

“Good to know.” I wished I was back up in my nice big suite ordering room service and watching pay-per-view with Neil. “So where’s the buffet?” I asked because Dev had taken up the time I would have spent eating dinner with his sexy debrief.

Marcus raised his eyebrows. “In vampire society, there is no buffet, Zoey. Companions do not eat food around their masters. Mi scusi, you prefer the term husband. It’s not the same for all, of course, but for most vampires, human dining practices are considered vile and something to be hidden. Most of the vampires in this room would be classified as warriors. This is a class that is not known for its tolerance. Companions eat, of course, but they try to make sure their husbands do not notice.”

No wonder they all looked vaguely underfed. I was starting to realize what Daniel had been telling me all along. We were weird. We didn’t work the way other marriages worked. Daniel still took his ass to the takeout line when I wanted Mongolian beef. He still sat beside me while we watched TV or played games and passed me the ketchup for my fries. He might not be able to eat, but he wasn’t about to deny me the pleasure. For my birthday he’d gotten me a gorgeous red velvet cake.

“Class?” I’d never heard the term before.

Marcus nodded. “I always forget you were not taught as you should have been. Yes, there are classes of vampires. Most are known as warriors. They’re physically the strongest, but tend to be very rigid in dealing with humans, even companions.”