Steal the Light (Thieves #1)(97)

I was shown up to Dev’s office, anxiety pulsing through me as the door opened. He was seated behind his desk and made no move to stand up as I entered. He looked up at me, but that gorgeous face of his showed no signs that he was happy to see me. His green eyes slid across my body, but I couldn’t read them. I suddenly felt cheap in my seventy-dollar dress.

“Hello,” I managed to say.

“Zoey.” Dev looked every inch the businessman behind his desk. I hadn’t thought of him that way before, but now I realized he had to be smart and quick to have built his businesses. “I was glad to hear you found a way out of your contract.”

“Oh,” I whispered, somewhat flustered. There went my first attempt at conversation. “Who told you?” Everyone I knew was either in France or Hell.

“A couple of Eurovamps came into the club late that night. You’re quite the Daniel Webster, aren’t you? I was surprised you didn’t go to Paris with your husband.”

“He’s not…” I started, but decided to not argue any longer. The writing was on the wall with this one, and I needed to get out with my dignity intact. I wished I’d thought to put on a sweater or a light trench coat. It would have been hot, but at least I wouldn’t look so ridiculous. I opened my purse and went with my backup plan. “Well, I just wanted to let you know I have your portion of the money. You did a good job. You deserve to get paid.”

I laid the envelope on his desk.

He looked at it with disdain, sliding it back to me. “I don’t want your money, Zoey.”

I picked it back up and tucked the envelope in my purse. I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. Daniel was gone, and Dev didn’t want me anymore. I had what I deserved. I was alone.

“What was the second thing?” It couldn’t hurt to ask. He would answer or he wouldn’t. He raised one eyebrow. “Daniel was going to have you take me to the faery mounds. But you said you would do the first but not the second. What was the second thing?”

If anything his face became even blanker. “If I couldn’t make it to the sithein, I was to give you to someone named Marcus Vorenus. I believe he’s a vampire. Daniel was playing fast and loose with vampire laws. He was hoping that because he was still alive, his ownership of you could transfer at his will. I looked into it since then. Only a vampire can own a companion.”

I tried not to show my surprise. I suspected Daniel thought Marcus would be better than some random vampire, but I had my doubts. Dev watched me but made no move to speak further.

I hated this feeling. I had no idea how to ask for what I wanted. I could face down a demon and fight off a giant snake, but I felt so vulnerable in that moment that my only option was retreat.

I smiled too brightly. “Well, all right, then. It was good to see you.”

I wouldn’t see him again.

Before I got to the door, he was pulling my hand, turning me to face him. His jaw was set, and his words came out in a harsh grind. “You didn’t come here tonight to pay me off, Zoey. Why are you here?”

“I don’t know,” I lied.

“Yes, you do. You didn’t put on those f*ck-me heels to pay me off.” Suddenly my back was against the door, and he was taking up all the available space. “Ask me, Zoey.”

I didn’t bother to pretend to misunderstand. I just couldn’t force the words from my mouth.

Dev came in close, so close I could smell the mint on his breath, and I suddenly knew that his casualness was an act. He’d prepared himself for me. He’d seen me on some monitor and talked to Albert and then rushed to make sure he was ready.

“I need to know.” His mouth was so close to mine that all I had to do was lean forward. His green eyes stared down, catching me and pinning me there. “Do you still love him?”

“I don’t know if it’s love anymore,” I admitted.

“So you want to experiment on me.” He kissed my forehead. My every nerve ending went on red alert as he leaned in, pressing his body to mine. He was so beautiful and so close, I could almost taste him.

“I want to know if I can love someone else.”

“Then ask me, Zoey.” He breathed the words against my skin.

For a moment, I thought it was a trap. He was going to say no and walk away, and I would be left standing there looking like the idiot I was. It made some perverse sense. I’d done the same thing to him, though I hadn’t been trying to hurt him. For a moment, I considered walking away before he could reject me. But I hadn’t come this far to not take a chance.

“Dev, will you please make love to me?” I asked as simply and honestly as I could.

He smiled that bright, open smile that made my heart ache just a little. He smiled, and then his hands cupped my rear and pulled me into his body where I felt his answer immediately.

“Zoey, you know this is a bad idea, right?” But he leaned forward and kissed me anyway, his lips soft against mine.

For the first time in weeks, some little part of me felt alive. I let my hands drift to his waist, exploring the muscles there. I cuddled closer to him. “I have those from time to time.”

But I needed this. It was a horrible idea, but I couldn’t help myself. I wasn’t trying to punish Daniel. I was trying to find myself.

“He’s going to come back, Zoey.” I loved the way he said my name, like a long slow cajoling. He could draw out those two syllables in a way that made my heart rate triple. “He has a claim on you that I can never have.”