Steal the Light (Thieves #1)(89)

“So the Council sent you?” Daniel stared at the coffin. The vampires set it in the middle of the room.

“It could have been worse.” Marcus shrugged, an elegant movement of strong, broad shoulders.

He wasn’t as tall as Daniel, but he had a distinctly hawk-like presence. Of all the vampires in the room, even I could tell that he was the oldest. Power radiated off him. And he looked at Daniel like a father annoyed at his wayward son.

I didn’t even know the name Marcus, but Daniel had a deep relationship with him. Daniel spoke Italian and French. Daniel was important.

Daniel was a mystery.

“I don’t see how this gets much worse,” Daniel grumbled.

“They could have sent someone else,” the Italian vampire shot back. “They wanted to send someone else. I had to pull many strings to arrange this. We are only here to observe, Daniel. I am not even sure what it is I am supposed to observe. Would you care to fill me in?”

But Daniel was busy watching the other vampires. “Touch her and I’ll have you in that coffin, Ivan.”

It was then I realized all of the vampires were looking at me. I felt like I had in the elevator with Michael, except times three. Every eye was focused on me. I couldn’t miss the fact that their fangs were out. Predators. I was in a group of hungry predators and I felt like prey. I walked over to Daniel and slipped my hand in his.

“Ragazzi, dove sei tuo maniera?” Marcus commanded, and the vampires stepped back, but they didn’t take their eyes off me. “I apologize, Mrs. Donovan. They forget themselves around a lovely companion. Your light is extremely bright. I forget myself as well. I am Marcus Vorenus, Daniel’s patron. I wish I were meeting you under better circumstances. Daniel should have had you properly presented to me in Venice, but he is not one to play by the rules.”

Mrs. Donovan? And what rules? And why did people keep referring to how bright I was? I didn’t feel bright. I felt as dumb as a post.

Then I was just scared. The air around me cracked, and the room filled with the smell of brimstone. The demon was right on time.

Halfer stood in the front of the window, immaculate in his suit and tie. His human form was perfect in every way except for the red cast to his eyes. He smiled broadly and clapped his hands together. “Excellent, we’re all here. Let the negotiations begin.”





Chapter Twenty-Four





It occurred to me as I stood there that I didn’t understand what was going on. I looked around the room and everyone with the exception of Sarah seemed to be in the know. They might not know everything, but they were comfortable enough to not look confused.

Daniel placed himself in front of me, so I was forced to crane my neck around his body to be able to see what was going on. Neil made his way to Daniel’s side, but I noted he didn’t stand beside him exactly. The stance seemed practiced, as though where he stood mattered. There was some form of ritual going or protocol happening that I didn’t understand.

Lucas Halfer was the only one in the room with a smile on his face. It was the self-satisfied smile of a man who knew he held every ace in the deck. I felt distinctly underdressed. All the vampires were as immaculate as Halfer. And why did I need a cadre of vamps to witness my descent?

“Danny, what’s going on?” I asked, trying to get a good look at Halfer.

“Be quiet, Z. I told you I would handle it. All you have to do is be quiet.” Daniel didn’t turn to look at me, but his hand reached back and squeezed mine.

“We are here as you requested, Lucas,” Marcus said shortly, ignoring mine and Daniel’s domestic squabble. “Would you mind explaining why we are here?”

“Just to be clear, you’re here representing the Council. You are not here as Daniel Donovan’s patron,” Halfer clarified.

Marcus nodded. “I represent the interests of the Council and am directed to speak for them.”

I peeked around Daniel. Marcus approached Halfer and the two squared off like really well-dressed boxers just before the bell rang.

“Excellent,” Halfer said cheerily. “Then let me get down to business. Zoey Wharton, I see you there hiding behind your big, strong, dumb vampire. Do you have the Light of Alhorra for me?”

I tried to step forward, but Daniel held me back. “No. It’s gone.”

“Now that’s too bad,” he replied softly. “I seem to remember we had a contract.”

Marcus stepped forward, his face flushing. “By the terms of our laws, you are not allowed to trick any of vampire kind into one of your contracts. It is an old law, and you do not want to break it. The Council will not stand for it.”

“Marcus, I believe you will find it is not as simple as that.” Daniel’s voice was grave.

“The contract is with me, not Daniel.” But they weren’t listening. They were arguing with Halfer and doing it in multiple languages.

I breathed a long sigh of relief. If what Marcus said was true, then Daniel was safe. He wouldn’t be dragged to Hell with me. It was enough. Daniel would live.

But I still had a whole bunch of questions. This was all about me, and I still had no idea why the Vampire Council was so concerned about it.

The way I understood it, demons and vampires at one point in the distant past had worked together. The demons, being demons, screwed everything up, and there was a war. It was costly on both sides because it was fought entirely on the Earth plane, where vampires had the advantage. To end the war and the bloodshed, they wrote several contracts that rule all interactions between the species.