Steal the Day (Thieves #2)(87)

“Can’t do it, Marcus.” Neil grabbed the vampire and tossed both men across the room. Marcus let go of Dev in midair. Marcus landed against the window, which managed to take his weight and bounced him back onto the carpet. Dev landed in a heap on the sofa.

I ran to Dev and stood over him, waiting for the vampire to recover because I knew he would. Dev caught his breath and started to get up. “Stay down or get behind me,” I ordered as I aimed over him. “I mean it, Dev.”

He held a hand up to let me know he would behave. He slid off the sofa and got up behind me.

Marcus sprang up, showing no effects from his encounter with the werewolf. If anything, he looked even more pissed. He pointed at Neil. “You, wolf, you will pay for your interference. You are tasked with protecting your master’s possessions and you let her whore for that pezzo di merda? I will see your head on my mantle, wolf. You have failed your master.”

Neil changed quickly, his clothes tearing around him, and then that big white wolf was at my side growling threateningly. He thumped his tail to let me know he was ready to go when I gave the word.

“I’d like to try to talk some sense into him,” I said to Neil because the ramifications of this whole scene were just starting to hit me.

We needed Marcus on our side or we could all be declared outlaws. Marcus held an enormous amount of power over us. It would also be hard to explain why I’d had to kill a member of the Council. It suddenly scared me just how much control Marcus could exert over us if he chose to.

“You won’t be able to reason with him, sweetheart,” Dev said quietly. “He wants you, and he’s pissed I’ve had you. He isn’t being rational or he’d think to ask certain questions.”

“I do not have to ask questions, fottuto.” Marcus spat out a litany of Italian I didn’t understand, but I was pretty sure there was a lot of cussing going on. “I can see plainly that Mrs. Donovan has committed adultery. I could kill you, Zoey, and no one would question it.”

“Daniel would,” I muttered, but Marcus wasn’t listening.

“Daniel will have to wake up to your faithlessness. He has indulged you, but that time is done. I will have you brought to my villa. Daniel can take his time training you there. You will be properly trained and submissive before you are allowed to see the light of day again. I hope you have enjoyed your Lancelot, piccolo puttana, because he might have cost us everything,” Marcus snarled as he stalked toward me. “If you wanted another man in your bed, I would have been more than willing. You did not have to go slumming.”

I might not know Italian, but I know when someone calls me a whore. “These rounds are silver, Marcus. I will shoot you. When I get done filling you up with silver, I’ll let Neil finish you off.”

“It should be interesting to see how many shots you can get off before I take your lover’s head,” Marcus offered.

“As amusing a situation as this is, I have to ask you not to shoot him, Z,” Daniel said as he walked out of the bedroom. He’d put his jeans on but that was all. He rubbed his forehead with his palm. “I actually think I have a f*cking hangover. The sound of gunfire might crack my skull. Dude, how can you drink that much and still stand up?”

“It’s a gift, and I did more than stand. I performed quite heroically.” Dev relaxed behind me. He seemed comfortable that Daniel would handle the situation.

I just stared at Danny, my eyes wide with wonder.

Daniel yawned and scratched his chest. “Got into trouble, Z? I’m sure it was Dev’s mouth. He’s gotta learn to tone it down.”

“I have authority issues,” Dev admitted. “Marcus there has some issues of his own. He plans to kill me and wolfie here and set his place up as your pleasure palace. He thinks our girl needs some training.”

Daniel looked around as I lowered my weapon, and Neil sat back on his haunches. Marcus looked from Daniel to Dev, a confused expression on his face.

“I get Dev, man. There have been plenty of times I wanted to kill him, but why Neil?” Daniel asked.

I just stood there with my mouth open, waiting for someone to figure out what was wrong with this picture. Why were we talking about Marcus when there was a much more pressing issue?

“I caught your wife and her lover.” Marcus looked at me long and hard, his eyes traveling the length of my body. “The wolf tried to protect her lover. He is obviously involved in their deception. He should have killed the interloper. I am sorry you must discover the truth about her in this fashion.”

Daniel stared at Marcus. “Neil is supposed to protect my property. My wolf does his job. He stopped you from damaging that which belongs to me. Or do you claim rights to all I own?”

Dev piped up and pulled the collar of his robe back, showing off the fang marks on his neck. “Just one of the questions you should have asked, *.”

“You have taken the faery as your lover?” For the first time since I’d met him, Marcus seemed genuinely shocked.

Daniel faltered, uncertain how to answer that question, but Dev didn’t have a problem with it. “Zoey has certain fantasies Daniel likes to indulge. I come in handy from time to time. I assure you Daniel and I observed all the rules of a devil’s three-way. There was no eye contact. We managed to communicate through a series of hand gestures. Put your mind at ease, Marcus. We were all about the girl.”