Steal the Night (Thieves #5)(100)

I let them hold me for the longest time, but even when I shut my eyes I could see the wizard. He had plans for us. Daniel might survive the surgery, but I had no doubt that none of this was going to be easy.





Chapter Twenty-Four





“What is this place?” I asked as we were shown to a small space off the great room on the ground floor. Nim had thrown open the doors and light spilled in, illuminating the odd knickknacks that populated the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

“It’s a workshop.” Nim was busy chopping and cooking the plants Dev had gathered. She stood at a wooden table looking perfectly competent. “I brought all of Myrddin’s books and supplies from Camelot so they would be here for him. I guess we’re going to have to figure out what to do with all of this stuff now that he’ll be leaving the prison. I guess I should have all of it moved to the club. Dev owns the whole building. He can probably come up with the space.”

I didn’t necessarily think Myrddin would leave the prison. “Is that such a good idea, Nim? I mean, once we get Danny’s heart problem figured out, shouldn’t old Merlin there go back to his napping? We won’t have much use for him. Danny doesn’t need a teacher.”

Nim’s head fell back and her laughter echoed through the small room. When she finished, she tossed some herbs in a pot and lit a fire under it before pouring some water in. “Do you really believe Daniel is prepared to lead the entire supernatural world? Eight years ago, Daniel Donovan was a college student getting ready for a life in mid-level corporate America. He only went to college because he needed a decent job to take care of his girlfriend and buy comic books. If twenty-one-year-old Daniel had his way, he would have made a living playing online games. He had no ambition and no drive beyond making you happy. You think he’s ready to deal with the ramifications of changing the entire supernatural world?”

Put that way it did sound a little crazy, but we had an ace in our pocket. “Devinshea will help him. He understands politics and the other races listen to him.” The Fae tended to be welcome wherever they went. Dev opened doors for Danny that he wouldn’t have been able to knock on without him.

“But Devinshea is twenty-nine years old, Zoey. He’s very young for a Fae.” Nim turned slightly so she could see me. Her hands never stopped at their task. “He might have been able to get you here, but things aren’t going to go as smoothly as you imagine. Do you think all the vampires are just going to fall in line? Do you think they’ll follow the new king’s dictates on things like slaves and companion auctions? Devinshea has never dealt with any of these things before. Besides, I have a feeling Dev will want to nest a little. You’ll have to forgive me. I’m not trying to pry, but you two seem a little baby crazy.”

I shrugged, not wanting to go into it. “Lots of people have a family and a career.”

“The fact that you can think the analogy fits just shows me you have no idea how difficult this is going to be,” Nim said with a shake of her head. “You’re trying to change thousands of years of behavior and it won’t go down without a fight. Myrddin has been here before. You and Dev should concentrate on making Daniel happy. Give him babies and a nice place to come home to. Let Myrddin do his job and make him a king.”

“You know, I didn’t expect that from you, Nim. Maybe it was too much to hope that you would follow the girl code but damn, I wasn’t expecting a ‘stay home and f*ck Daniel because that’s your job’ lecture.”

Nim frowned. “I didn’t say that, Zoey.”

“Oh, I think you did,” I replied shortly. “I might not be an immortal with a high-profile gig, but you know Dev and I have done a damn fine job with Danny so far. We’ve gotten him to this point and we haven’t needed you. If you think I intend to fade into the background and let Myrddin take over then you should think again. I don’t know what Guinevere was really like, but she must have been pretty damn pathetic if she let Myrddin take over her marriage.”

“Myrddin introduced her to Lancelot,” Nim said with an odd smile.

“I’m sure he was thrilled when they got together.”

Nim shrugged. “It must have made his job infinitely easier to not have to deal with the queen.”

“I’m not Guinevere. I love Daniel, and I won’t let some wizard take him from me. I love Dev and I won’t let his contribution be shoved to the side. I kind of love me, too, and I won’t let myself be marginalized because you immortal pricks haven’t joined the feminist movement. So you and that wizard should get ready, because you haven’t met a queen like me. Now I want you to tell me what the hell happened up there, Nim.”

I couldn’t get that fight out of my head. Myrddin had provoked the whole thing, but I didn’t understand why Daniel had reacted the way he had. Danny had anger issues, but he usually had better control. I didn’t like how easily Myrddin had pitted my men against each other.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean Danny was at Dev’s throat.”

She waved it off. “He was angry with Bris, not Devinshea.”

I felt my eyes narrow. “Myrddin played him like a damn guitar.”

Nim sighed and finally gave me her full attention. “How do I explain this? Myrddin and Daniel are connected in a way even I don’t fully understand. It’s always been this way between Myrddin and the king who wields the sword.”