Steal the Day (Thieves #2)(94)

I threw back my head and laughed because with Dev, I’d moved past embarrassment. Dev twirled me around, and I just enjoyed the moment. It didn’t last long. The song was over, and I realized everyone was looking at us. Apparently there wasn’t a whole lot of uninhibited laughter at these things.

“Don’t get self-conscious,” Dev said as he bowed at the waist. “They’re watching us because we’re beautiful and full of life, and they would love to know how one as dark as Daniel managed to get two creatures of light in his bed. Trust me, next year threesomes will be all the rage.” Suddenly Dev’s handsome face lit with something close to terror. “Zoey, my love, remember when I told you I slept with many of this plane’s exotic creatures? Here comes one now. Please save me.”

I turned around and was surprised to see a tall woman walking toward us. I use the term walking because anything with two legs technically can’t slither. But she came close. Her eyes were strange, and she didn’t try to hide her fangs. If you took her apart, her separate features might be attractive, but together they were damn scary.

“Holy shit. You let that bite you?”

“My brother bet me I wouldn’t do it,” he said in my ear, holding my shoulders like I was his shield. “I was a dumb kid, and I needed to check vampire off the list.”

“Devinshea,” the icy blonde vampire sort of hissed. I think she meant it to be sexy. “I was shocked when I heard them announce you. Shocked but pleased because I always knew you would seek me out. Once you got over your fear, I knew we could be together again.”

“I’m not here for you, Cecilia,” Dev managed, not sounding at all like a man who was over his fear. “I’m involved with her.”

Cecilia seemed confused as she looked down her thin nose at me. “She is a companion. You’re not sleeping with her.”

“Oh, yes, I am, as often as her master allows it,” Dev admitted. “I also share a bed with her master. Yep, I’m all taken. I’m hers and his.”

I laughed because any minute now he was going to declare his love for Daniel in an attempt to get away from his creepy ex-lover. While I would love to hear him declare his mad, gay love, I had to stand my ground. “Please go away. He’s still very scared of you.”

“Companion, did I give you leave to speak? I see you there with your glow, but it moves me not. I don’t like girls so don’t try to sway me with your sweet blood. I’ll have this one. His blood is the closest I’ve found to companion blood in a male.”

“How about I sway you with the end of a stake, bitch?” I asked, ready to do my best impression of a Jerry Springer guest. Before I got the whole threat out, Marcus took me into his arms and swung me back onto the dance floor.

“You won’t mind if I take Mrs. Donovan for a dance?” Marcus asked as Dev’s face went shock white. “I see you and Cecilia have much to discuss.”

“That was so mean.” I looked up at the Italian and saw he took great pleasure from abandoning Dev to Cecilia’s mercies. “Is he going to be all right?”

“I assure you, if Cecilia misbehaves, we’ll hear it. I think your Lancelot would not choose to suffer in silence. I believe he’ll loudly object to any violation of his person. Besides, after what he has done, I feel perfectly justified in leaving him to deal with someone as forceful as Cecilia.”

I tried to catch a glimpse of Dev as we moved on the dance floor. “And what has he done, Marcus?”

“You understand why they dressed you as they have, do you not?” Marcus asked. “This is a carefully chosen ensemble. I assume your faery prince selected it as Daniel would have bought something from a shopping mall. The color of that gown magnifies the shine we vampires can see in a companion. You practically have a halo tonight, bellissimo angelo. You’re merely missing the wings. You glow more brightly than anything in the room. You were dressed to catch the eye of every vampire and every demon in attendance.”

“Why would Daniel knowingly want that?” Daniel tended to threaten any vamp who looked at me twice. He didn’t like demons looking at all. Daniel had to have planned this with Dev because Dev couldn’t see this mystical glow I supposedly had.

“Because no one will pay him any attention when they can look at you and your prince. The two of you are the most vital creatures in the room. There is a reason Devinshea’s mother has forbidden vampire kind from the mounds. Faery blood is sweet. The very light of a faery is attractive to a vampire. Even now, Daniel is speaking to certain vampires he might not be able to if the rest weren’t distracted by your beauty.”

I looked down, unwilling to let Marcus see how upset I was to be left out of this plan of theirs. Daniel and Dev apparently left me out of a lot of their plans.

Marcus wasn’t fooled. “I’m sorry to disappoint you. I spoke with the prince at length, and I’ve decided he is infinitely more dangerous than he looks. When he’s not thinking with his cock, he’s quite intelligent. He’s ambitious, your lover. I’m sure he says he’s doing this for you. Perhaps he believes it, but he enjoys the game, cara. He’s good at it. He’ll do whatever it takes to win. This is good for Daniel. It’s good for me. It is not so good for you.”

“Why are you telling me this, Marcus?” I was tired of playing games.