Steal the Day (Thieves #2)(73)

“And you?” Somehow I couldn’t see Marcus as a warrior. He was too urbane, too smooth.

He smiled. When he smiled, he really could light up a room. “I’m not a warrior, Zoey. I’m something else. I would feed you and coddle you and enjoy every moment. I would make sure you had the finest cuisine and cuddle you as I fed you from my hand. My companions have always been precious to me.” He shook his head, sighing a bit. “But that would be frowned upon here.”

“Fine, so no mini corndogs,” I lamented. “Please tell me companions are allowed to drink.”

“Of course,” Marcus replied. “We aren’t barbarians.”

“Good to know.”

He led me to the very decadent-looking bar.

“You, servant,” Marcus said flatly, and the bartender turned. He was obviously a were of some type, and he really didn’t like the duty he had pulled. He was biting his tongue as he looked at the vampire. “Give the lady what she desires.”

I smiled brightly at the bartender, trying to soften his very understandable attitude toward me. I looked down at his name tag. He was a handsome young man, probably twenty-two or so. “Hello, Zack. What are you really good at making?”

I got a smile out of young Zack. “I make a mean martini.”

I clutched my heart. “Zack, I love you. Two olives, please. Hit me, man.”

Zack chuckled and grabbed a bottle of Ciroc and a shaker.

“He does make a mean martini,” a soft voice to my left said.

I looked to the side and saw a beautiful woman with brown hair and luminous dark eyes. She was wearing a female approximation of a tux, sans jacket. It fit her tall figure perfectly. She tipped her cocktail glass in salute to the bartender, who seemed much more at ease now.

“Kimberly,” Marcus addressed the woman.

“Marcus,” she replied. “Please tell me this is Mrs. Donovan. I’ve been so excited to meet the woman who can handle that hunk of vampire. He is absolutely the scariest, hottest piece of vampire ass I have ever seen.”

If I’d had a drink, I would have spit it out in surprise. This was not the way I expected these beautiful women to act. Instead, I simply stated the obvious. “You think he’s hot now, you should see him naked.”

Kimberly smiled. “If only it worked that way. Hi, I’m Kim Jacobs. You must be Zoey Donovan.”

She held out her hand. I shook it, grateful someone looked at me like I wasn’t a cupcake.

Marcus leaned against the bar, looking at the two of us indulgently. “Would it do any good to point out Mrs. Jacobs is a horrible influence? What am I saying? I should be telling Kimberly that you will be the wretched influence. Tell me, Zoey, how many weapons are you wearing under that lovely confection tonight?”

Kimberly’s eyes widened, and I took the hint that most companions didn’t come fully equipped with an armory.

I took my martini from Zack, who was definitely interested in me now, and widened my eyes to their most innocent, innocuous gaze. “Marcus, this is a place of peace. Why would I bring a weapon here?”

“Because you are Zoey Donovan,” he replied with a grin. “The last time I saw you, I recall the promise to stake me if I got out of line.”

I would never wear a weapon into Ether. Dev would kick my ass, and I trusted the staff to take care of me. This staff had no idea who I was, and I was surrounded by vamps. I was merely wearing a small pistol and a nice long silver knife. The knife had been at Daniel’s insistence. He’d handed it to me earlier in the evening, treating it with almost reverence. It was the traditional weapon of the Nex Apparatus. It ran almost the full length of my upper leg, so one could also call it a sword. Both weapons were in thigh straps that my stylist had bemoaned the use of.

“I promise I am stake free.” I would never bother to carry a stake. They were far too easy to find in the field.

Kim stared at me, a surprised look in her eyes. “You threatened to stake Marcus?”

“He pissed me off. So did some dude named Ivan and like five other fangs. It was a rough night.”

“Sounds like it. I’ve heard a couple of rumors about you. I hope you don’t think me impolite, but I have to ask. Is it true you’re a criminal?” Kim leaned in, waiting for my answer.

“I prefer to think of myself as a liberator of enslaved objects. If I make a profit off of it, then everybody wins.” Except the mark, of course, but that went without saying.

“That is so cool.” Kim asked Zack for another drink. “I wish I could do something like that. I was a fourth grade teacher when I was kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder. Did that come off as bitter? I meant it that way.”

“Now, Kimberly, someone would think you are not content,” Marcus commented.

Kim smiled mysteriously. “Well, I was lucky. Henri’s not so bad. But the other companions are boring sheep, so don’t be surprised I’m excited by the possibility of having someone cool to talk to.”

“So what are we supposed to do at something like this?” From what I could see, the men were either talking business or staring at strippers, and the women were busy viewing each other with a sort of controlled hostility.

“I believe you are supposed to look beautiful and remain silent, but you aren’t going to do that, are you?” Marcus seemed excited at the prospect of me behaving badly. It made me wonder what type of women Marcus usually hung out with.