Steal the Light (Thieves #1)(90)

The word “contract” was slung around enough that I realized I was in the middle of a legal battle.

“Silence!” Halfer commanded, and the room fell quiet. “What is the Council’s objection to my contract with Miss Wharton?”

“You know what our objection is.” Marcus stood closer to the demon than I would have been comfortable with. “You have no right to make a contract with Mrs. Donovan without a representative of the Council present.”

Halfer smiled that shit-eating grin of his. “Oh, but Marcus, she wasn’t Mrs. Donovan at the time.”

Marcus was silent for a second and whirled on Daniel. “Idiota! You promised me you would perform the ceremony when I allowed you to return here. You were to perform the ceremony and make it legal, or you gave up all rights to her. She should have been brought before the Council and placed with another master if you chose not to bind her to you. I trusted you.”

“I did perform the ceremony.” Daniel’s voice was low, and I strained to hear him. “Last night.”

“Obviously, and from the way this room feels, you probably did it again tonight,” Marcus said, shaking his head. “It was too late.”

“What ceremony?” I was really sick of being talked about like I wasn’t here.

Marcus ran a hand through that pitch black hair of his, disturbing his perfect image. “The marriage of a companion to her master. He took your blood and you took his. You are married under our law and protected under our rules. Unfortunately, Daniel’s stubbornness has cost you greatly. You were not married when your contract with the demon went into effect. You are on your own. There is nothing I can do for you.”

My feet felt planted to the floor. A marriage? Daniel had said nothing to me. He’d taken my blood because he was dying. He’d given me his to make me strong. There had been no “I do’s.” No rings. He hadn’t asked me. We weren’t married. “I didn’t marry Daniel. I didn’t agree to anything.”

“According to all vampire laws, you belong to Daniel. He is your master now. Your will is of no consequence,” Marcus said, turning away from me and back to Daniel. “Fottere. Obviously you understand what the demon has done.”

“I figured it out a couple of days ago.” Daniel didn’t turn around to look at me. He ignored me. But then it seemed my will was of no f*cking consequence.

“But you didn’t bother to clue me in. Just like you didn’t give me a chance to decide if I wanted to be married.” I stepped out from behind him. I didn’t want to cower there. He’d kept so damn much from me. I needed to look him in the eyes.

“You forced me into that, Zoey,” Daniel replied with every bit of the bile I’d thrown at him. “And this isn’t the time to air our dirty laundry.”

A clawed hand snaked around my shoulder and curled itself around my neck. It was cold, and though it held me gently, I could feel the potential in that hand. Halfer pulled me to him and let his other hand slip around my waist. Every inch of my skin crawled. If I struggled, he could easily pull me apart without any effort at all.

Two of the vampires stepped forward. A low growl pierced the air. Marcus snarled and the vamps stood down. Daniel’s fangs were out, but he stood silently watching.

“It’s time, companion.” Halfer said it in my ear, but I knew everyone in the room could hear him with the possible exception of Sarah, with her sad little human ears. “Would you like to know what I plan to do with you?”

“Nope.” I tried to hold myself as still as possible. I didn’t want to do anything that might arouse the demon. “Surprise me.”

Halfer laughed. “I like your spirit. I think it will be extraordinarily fun to break it. Your master over there, he wants to know my plans. You glow for me, too. That light is going to be so nice on the Hell plane. Did you know your blood tastes as good to me as it does to him? The difference is, on the Hell plane, I can drain you dry and bring you back as often as I like. Of course, I won’t use any magic to make it painless. I like to hear you scream.”

“Halfer,” Daniel commanded. “Stop playing with her.”

“But she’s mine to play with. Even your precious Council acknowledges that.” Halfer laughed again, the sound crawling along my skin. “She’s my pretty little plaything. I can do anything I want to her. My penis is barbed, by the way. I’ll have fun using it on her. She’s mine, and she will stay mine unless you have something more interesting to offer me, Mr. Donovan.”

And I finally caught up to the rest of them.

Lucas Halfer had never been interested in me. It was ridiculous to think that he had. I’d been na?ve and fallen for every trap he’d set. I was nothing. I was a petty thief with no money and insignificant connections. I had nothing, except the most powerful vampire to rise in centuries happened to love me. Halfer set me up in order to pull Daniel in. He couldn’t trick Daniel, but he could trick me.

“Daniel,” I started to beg him to not do what I knew he was going to do.

The claw around my neck tightened ever so slightly, an elegant threat. “Hush, companion. This is between me and your master. You’re just a luscious little pawn in our chess game.”

“What do you want from me, Halfer?” Daniel stepped forward.

Marcus tried to stop him. “Do not do this, Daniel. Let her go, and we will find you another companion. They are rare, but I promise we will find you another. If you do this, I cannot save you. If you become his slave, his assassin, the Council will declare you an outlaw. We will be forced to hunt you and execute you.”