Steal the Night (Thieves #5)(10)

Chapter Three





As a person who has actually been escorted to her own execution before, I can safely say that walk with Marini up to Dev’s office was the longest of my life. I kept trying to come up with a way to not give him the Blood Stone, but I couldn’t think of one that would work. I was going to have to turn it over and then figure out a way to get it back later.

“Zoey?” The bouncer at the bottom of the stairs stared at me with questioning eyes. “Should I come up with you or maybe call Mr. Donovan?”

I tried smiling at the shapeshifter named Erik, but he didn’t look very convinced. Neil wasn’t the only one having trouble telling a lie tonight. “It’s fine. I just have to get Louis something I left in the office. He’s an old friend, really.”

“Yes,” Louis said in that dark seductive voice vampires used when they went into persuasion mode. All vampires had the talent, some more than others. “Allow us to pass. Your mistress is in no distress. We’re…good friends, she and I.”

Erik smiled suddenly and let us pass. “Good night, Zoey.”

I hated the blankness in his eyes. Sometime in the near future he would come out of it and wonder what had happened. He would remember very little.

“Why don’t you just do that to me?” I asked as I led the vampire upstairs. In some ways it would be simpler. I wouldn’t have to remember that I’d given Marini my prize.

Marini’s voice was filled with amusement at the thought. “You really should have spent more time in our society, Zoey. You would know that my talents in persuasion would never work on you. My greatest skills lie in strength and my abilities to kill even other vampires. I would never be able to get past your husband’s hold on you. His blood is your protection.”

I supposed that made sense. I pulled the keycard out of my pocket, but Marini took it from my hand. He swiped the lock himself and ushered me inside. I shivered as the door closed behind us and we were alone.

“Marcus, on the other hand, could have had you at any time.” Marini walked around the office, his eyes taking in everything.

“What do you mean?”

Marini’s well-manicured hand ran along the spines of the books on the shelf. This was where I often found Dev sitting in his comfy chair reading. I hated that Marini was getting such a private view of him. “Marcus is probably the most powerful persuasive on the planet. Had he been less of a gentleman, he could have f*cked you senseless and you would have been happy to do it. Your husband’s blood would be no protection against Marcus. I’ve often wondered why he did not simply take you when it’s so obvious he wants you.”

I stood by the desk, putting it between us. “Maybe he’s afraid of what Daniel would do to him when he found out, and he would find out.” I needed Marini to really think about that. On some level, he feared Daniel.

“Perhaps that’s the case.” He didn’t sound like he believed it. The look on his face softened slightly, and he smiled a little. I think he was trying to be charming. “He would change his mind if he could see you now.”

“I doubt it.”

“Oh, no, mon ange. Don’t discount how sweet you look like that,” he said quietly. “You look soft and ready for bed. It’s a revelation to see you like this. No one dressed you for the occasion. It’s what you’re comfortable being. You look younger without the makeup. You look vulnerable.”

“Your companion is young.” I wanted to get him off the subject of me looking like prey.

He shook his head. “I should never have bought her. I should have waited. She was too young. She’ll never be a true companion. A true companion used to be a partner. She was a lover and fighter, someone a vampire could be proud to say he owned. When the companion’s blood is strong, a vampire will do anything to please her, to make her happy. We used to trust our companions with everything, taking them with us even into battle in some cases. Then they became so rare we simply protected them at all costs, including the sense of contentment that came with the bond.”

He seemed sad as he said it, and I wondered if he’d felt that bond before. If he had, it had been so long ago it couldn’t mean much. Unlike Marcus, Marini continually kept a companion. When one died, he merely found another, not wanting to go through the withdrawal a vampire felt when he no longer had companion blood in his system. A vampire with a companion had an advantage over the other vampires, but it came at a cost. The vampire was completely addicted to companion blood. One taste was all it took to make the vampire crave it.

“You shine so brightly,” Marini whispered. “You should be able to see yourself.” He shook his head as though to bring himself out of his haze. “Go on then, Zoey. I’ve waited long enough. It’s time for you to finish the job. You’ll note I didn’t ask if you were successful. I have complete faith in your abilities. Give me the Blood Stone.”

I didn’t want his praise. I wanted the man gone, and the only way I was going to accomplish that was to give the bastard what he demanded. He’d sealed off all my exit routes and I was left with no choice. I moved to the wall safe and pushed aside the painting that covered it. I likely wasn’t showing him anything he hadn’t already seen for himself. Marini had used Chad to spy on Dev, Daniel, and myself one night and I’d been told he’d poked around in Dev’s office before they made their way to the penthouse. I dialed the code for the safe and it popped open. I felt Marini step in right behind me, crowding me with his big body as he got a good look at what was in the safe. Luckily, Dev had moved anything even vaguely incriminating to a more secure location. Still, I heard Marini’s surprise at the large stash of cash and gleaming guns in the safe.