Steal the Day (Thieves #2)(97)

“What if their blood turns him?” I asked quietly.

“It won’t,” Dev said with a surety I certainly didn’t have.

Louis came forward, his large body moving with elegant authority. “You have exceeded our expectations, Daniel. He is a prime specimen. Can you do this again?”

Daniel bowed slightly, showing deference to the head of the Council. “I seek them nightly, sir. You’ll have your army. I’ll see to it.”

Louis waved his hand, and Chad was rolled out screaming and beating at the bars of his cage. I watched in complete horror, wondering what made Daniel think this could work. Chad was so far gone I doubted he even had a speck of Daniel’s blood left in him. He was wheeled straight by Dev, Neil, and me. I almost looked away, but I forced myself to memorize Chad’s face. He was just one more mistake we’d made.

Then amid his howling rage at the world that denied him blood, he looked down briefly and winked at me.

In an instant, he was all scary fangs and creepy eyes again, and I knew Daniel was right. Chad would be everything we needed him to be. He would fool them all.

As Chad was carried away, the head of the Council praised his assassin. “Mr. Donovan, all of vampire kind is in your debt. I would offer you gifts, but what I had planned to give you, I see you no longer need.” Louis glanced at Dev and me, smiling knowingly. “If I offered you your choice of the human lovers we brought with us tonight, you would turn me down, would you not?”

“I am content with the blood in my bed, sir,” Daniel admitted.

“As would we all be, Mr. Donovan,” Louis continued. “We will have to be content with congratulating you on a job well done and perhaps you will find a satisfactory sum in your accounts in the morning. For the rest of the night, we celebrate. Mr. Donovan, you have leave to enjoy your lovers. Please feel free to use the rooms. Anything the three of you require will be provided.”

Louis motioned once more and the band began playing again. The Council members moved forward and congratulated Daniel. Louis Marini started to walk my way, his destination plain.

Dev tensed behind me. He whispered directly in my ear. “I was hoping to avoid this. Zoey, he is probably going to bite you on the wrist. Just take it. He has the right. Please don’t fight it.”

Marini’s dark eyes seemed vaguely reptilian to me. “Mrs. Donovan, Your Highness,” he held out his hand, and I realized I was supposed to put mine in it.

I forced myself to move my arm, offering my wrist. Unlike the other high-ranking vampires I’d met who bent over and lightly kissed my wrist, Marini pulled it to his mouth. He let me see his fangs, and I felt a tiny sting as he penetrated the vein lightly, his tongue sweeping across my wrist to lick up the blood he’d drawn.

I looked up and saw that Marcus detained Daniel, making sure he didn’t note the exchange between myself and the head of the Council.

“You are exquisite, Mrs. Donovan,” Marini said with a sigh. “I have rarely tasted your like. My own companion pales in comparison.” He stared at Dev with a dark look in his eyes. “Your Highness, if you become bored with our assassin, please consider giving me a call. I find you quite stunning. I would offer the same to you, Mrs. Donovan, if it didn’t go against our laws. Perhaps someday it will not. I must admit, I find it rather distasteful that a six-year fledgling has the sweetest blood here, no matter what he can do.”

Marini walked away and it took everything I had not to pick a fight with that *.

Dev was right there in my ear, playing the savvy politician. “It won’t do Daniel any good. It would only get him killed, and we would probably be put in the vampire equivalent of a brothel, and I don’t want to go to a brothel. Well, not like that. If you’re interested, I could arrange a tour.”

“Stop it, Dev. We’re not going to a brothel.” I watched as Daniel made his way to us. I put the encounter with Marini out of my mind because I had a job to do. “It’s time to get serious.”

Taking my hand, Daniel placed a lingering kiss on my lips, and I enjoyed the brief, strong feel of him. For the longest time, Daniel had been the rock I clung to, and it was nice for a moment to be able to hang onto him again.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

I nodded and turned my lips up to Dev’s. He played his part and only slipped me the briefest of tongues. It was very subdued for him. Daniel led the way this time as we formed a little train making our way to the back of the ballroom. I could feel Lucas Halfer’s eyes on me the whole time.

The hallway that led to the privacy rooms was dark, and I wondered what was going on in those rooms. It was so quiet, I commented on it.

“The rooms have noise inhibiting magic on them,” Daniel answered. “Otherwise it could get quite loud.”

Demons aren’t known for being the tenderest of lovers. I realized there were also a lot of unattached vampires who brought their human lovers with them. The term lover, it should be noted, is one I use loosely. While some vampires might enjoy a human and treat them well, the truth is, most are used for sex and blood. When the vampire gets tired of the human, they’re passed around or simply vanish, never to be heard from again. I was certain whatever was going on in those rooms was probably loud, and I was grateful for whoever put the wards on the doors.

Daniel headed for the first available room, but I held him back. He turned and gave me a questioning look.