Steal the Light (Thieves #1)(7)

“Tomorrow night’s a full moon. Try not to eat anyone,” I said sarcastically. Neil was pure muscle. I really had no use for him in the planning stage.

He smiled brightly as he stood and slipped into a preppy jacket that matched his shoes perfectly. There was no small amount of mischief in his eyes. “No promises. I know every other wolf in the world will be running through the woods, but I have a date tomorrow night. They can run. I get really horny at the full moon. I intend to howl. His name is Trevor, he’s a telekinetic, and a Libra. I can’t wait to see how that works. I finally got matched at my dating site.”

“Congrats, sweetie.” Sarah stood, preparing to leave as well. “I wish I had thought of a gay, supernatural matchmaking Internet site. They have to be making money.”

Sarah and Neil chatted happily as they walked out the door, making plans to go to a local club and dance the rest of the night away like the young, unattached people they were. As the door swung closed, I couldn’t help but notice the contrast between the friends who had just gone and the two of us left in the room.

Daniel and I were young and unattached, but we weren’t the dancing type. At least we weren’t anymore. And the unattached part was not my choice.

Daniel strode to the window and watched Neil and Sarah walk down the street.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

He didn’t turn to look at me but kept his quiet watch. “I’m thinking that it will be a miracle if those two survive this.”

I sighed. Daniel was not the most positive of thinkers. He tended to be a worst-case-scenario type. “Well, at least you don’t underestimate my survival skills.”

Daniel turned to me with a dismissive look in his eyes. “I would never let you die. I’m worried about Neil and Sarah because I think I will be spending all of my time and energy keeping you alive.”

I folded my hands across my chest in a defensive posture. “You know I managed to run this crew for several years before you came back. I survived. We survived. Well, most of us did.”

“You took on little jobs with little clients. There wasn’t any serious risk in the beginning. Believe me; I had no worries about you during my time with the Council. If I had, I would have returned sooner or had someone handle it.”

Shortly after his rising, Daniel had been whisked away to Paris, where the Vampire Council was located. It wasn’t a voluntary thing for the newly risen vampire. The night they had come for him was branded on my brain, never to be forgotten. I had held on to him with all my might, but my human strength had been nothing for the vampires. It had been three years before I saw him again, and he was a different being altogether. This was one of the first times he’d mentioned our time apart.

“I couldn’t stay on my dad’s crew forever. You had to expect that I would want to work on my own.” I kept my tone even. I didn’t want to scare him off. Normally Daniel would already be out the door, and there was a part of me that would do anything to keep him here, even for a few extra moments. At times like this, Daniel seemed like a gorgeous beast that could run at the merest provocation. “How do you know about those years? I thought they kept you isolated from the outside world.”

His eyes were suddenly wary, as if looking for traps in my every question. “They make accommodations on occasion. I promised to be a good boy if they gave me the information I wanted. I discovered I had some pull due to my youth. Our numbers are dangerously low, and someone my age is unusual. I was allowed some outside contact, though obviously not with you. You were…too close to my past life.”

I struggled to shove down my rage. There was a bitterness that overwhelmed me every time I thought about those years. I had been left with nothing—no Daniel, no information, no hope. I had gone from the deepest grief at his death to an overwhelming joy at his unexpected rising. We had one night of the most complete ecstasy I had ever felt, and then he was gone. “Well, it’s good they kept you up to date. As far as I knew, you were dead. If my father hadn’t understood the process, I would have been grieving for you a second time. I guess the Council was pissed when your time there was up and you came right back here.”

“Not at all. It was the plan all along. I was encouraged to reconnect with you after my training was complete. The Council thought you would make an excellent…” Daniel let the sentence die, but I knew exactly what he was going to say. My rage welled once more.

“Well, you sure showed them, didn’t you, Danny?” I spat, unable to control myself anymore. “This is what kept you from me? You have to do the opposite of what the Council wants? You haven’t touched me in two years. You reject me because they’re willing to accept me? That’s ridiculous and you know it.”

Daniel turned away, dismissing me. It was obvious this conversation was over for him, and I knew it would be a long while before the subject would come up again. “You should stay out of all Council matters, Zoey. It’s really best that we not even discuss this. Simply know that what the Council approves or disapproves doesn’t matter. This is about what is right for you. Now I need to go. It’s only a few hours until dawn, and I haven’t fed properly. We know how badly that can go. If I hurry, I can make it to my club.”

That pitiful part of me wanted to beg and plead. It wanted me to throw myself at him and ask him not to leave me for some whore at his club who would feed his hunger but not touch his soul. Unlike Neil, I knew Daniel’s soul was still intact, but it was infinitely harder than it had been before. I kept my mouth shut because no amount of pleading would keep him from leaving, and I would only look like a fool again.