Steal the Night (Thieves #5)(119)

Marini sat up abruptly, his body shaking. He was heavily under the influence of my blood. Rose might be a companion, but I was betting from Louis’s reaction that her blood didn’t do the same thing for him. He looked drugged and happy and then slightly disturbed at the sight of me.

“Go,” he said suddenly.

I sat up, not quite understanding.

“Join the prince.” He rose and unlocked the door. “It’s too soon. I won’t have you think me a monster to take you while you weep underneath me. Go.”

I walked out the door and a guard was there, taking my arm, leading me up to the galley where I would join Dev. Despite the fact that I’d given in to Louis, I found myself with a certain amount of power. Dev had been right. I could play him if I was careful. I hid a small, secret smile as I let my new guard lead me back to my husband.





Chapter Twenty-Nine





My first look at the City of Lights was very brief. I’d been hustled from the boat onto a private train car that took us from the coast to Paris. Marini had found an oversized coat for me and I sat in my seat across from Dev looking like a pathetic waif. I watched the dark night pass by and couldn’t help but wonder if Danny had woken up and if he was hungry. Justin was supposed to bring the reserve blood with him, but I couldn’t be sure Justin had even made it to England yet. Daniel was alone and sick and probably terrified because he had no idea if we were alive or dead.

“You’re still cold?” Louis asked me. I simply nodded and he moved closer, tentatively slipping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me to him. He knocked on the door and said a whole bunch of things in French to the vampire named David, who nodded and went off to do his master’s bidding.

I was forced to sit quietly in Marini’s arms but I caught Dev’s satisfaction. A vampire’s instincts are to protect a companion. A vampire wants to please a companion and a smart companion can use that to her advantage.

From the train we were settled into a limo for the brief ride through Paris. I couldn’t muster any enthusiasm. I stared blankly out of the windows because all I could think of was Lee and Neil and Daniel.

“Is the temperature all right, Zoey?” Louis asked abruptly and I heard the fine line of annoyance in his voice. He was getting tired of my crying.

I wanted to slap the bastard. He’d killed someone close to me. He’d sent my best friend off with a demon and he was annoyed because I wasn’t getting over it fast enough. I wanted to beat the shit out of him, but Dev’s eyes were on me, begging me to play my part.

I gave the vampire a watery smile. “It’s fine, thank you.”

“Are you afraid, darling?” Dev leaned over to put his hand on my knee but then remembered himself and pulled back.

“Why would she be afraid?” Marini asked. “I’ve done everything I can to be gentle with her.”

Dev sat back and let a little disgust show through. “You’re taking her into a nest of vampires. She’s been fought over by vampires for the last several years. Daniel has explained how it will be. You can’t blame us for being afraid.”

“Daniel never brought you to the Council,” the vampire mused. “He kept you hidden away. I’ve wondered about that. He could easily have brought you with him when he visited. No one would have challenged him. So why would he hide you? Unless he was afraid you would be tempted by other vampires.”

“Why would I be tempted by other vampires?” I didn’t have to pretend my distaste. “I know what’s going to happen when I walk into the catacombs. I’ll be preyed upon by every vampire who can get his hands on me. I’ll have to lock myself in somewhere so they can’t get to me.”

Marini gasped in obvious horror. “You believe I would allow my companion to be used by another vampire? You think I would allow others to frighten you and treat you poorly?”

“Daniel explained it all to us,” Dev said, and he looked like he was steeling himself for something unpleasant. “He was the only one strong enough to protect us. Vampires are like animals around companions. They’ll fight over her like dogs over a bone, and they won’t care if she gets hurt in the process. Once they get a taste of me, it will be no different.”

Louis sighed. “He kept you both so ignorant. A companion is cherished, Mr. Quinn. You have heard the term precious blood?”

I nodded. We had heard it many times. Dev and I, we were Daniel’s precious blood. He held us higher than all others. It meant we fed him and loved him. We were his heart and soul, and it told other vampires that he would brook no disrespect to us.

“You’ll be known as my precious blood, Zoey,” Marini promised. “No one will touch you. You’ll be honored. I know Donovan called you his queen, but I promise to treat you as one. You’ll see. You’ll be very safe and comfortable in my palace.” The car came to a sudden halt. “We’re here. Come, Prince Devinshea. Let me show you the depths of Daniel’s deceptions. We’ll talk further in my suite. Put these on. The catacombs can be hell on a pair of trousers.” He passed Dev a pair of sturdy-looking rubber boots. They both pulled them over their shoes. My sneakers and jeans didn’t require saving apparently.

Louis helped me from the car and I could hear and see the swell of people around me, but their eyes slid over us like we weren’t there. They walked past on their way to the underground station. Dev was behind us as Louis pushed past the doors that led down to the catacombs. I would later learn that this was only one of several entrances. The catacombs were vast, a city underneath a city. I shivered despite the coat because even I could feel the death in this subterranean necropolis. Louis led us to a ladder that went straight down.