Steal the Night (Thieves #5)(156)

Louis plunged on recklessly. “If this is your army, I think the sword should find a new owner.”

“You should pay more attention to your wolves, Louis.” Marcus gestured to the wolves who were close to the door. They had been kept at the back of the vampires. They were twitching and looking at a place behind us. “They know what you don’t.”

“And what is that, Marcus?” Marini spat the question.

“That we are not alone,” Daniel replied. “Mr. Thomas, you may release the illusion.”

There was a great shout as the back side of the arena was suddenly filled with hundreds of people, all chanting and raising the roof now that they could come out of hiding.

Daniel was right. We weren’t alone. Not even close.





Chapter Thirty-Eight





The minute Chad released his hold on the illusion, two wolves ran forward, one brown and one gray. Zack took his place beside Daniel and the big gray wolf leapt in front of me.

Dev looked down at the gray wolf and smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said to Trent, who thumped his tail and got damn serious about growling at Marini.

Marini started to take a step back, but I watched as he forced himself to hold his ground. If he ran, his whole army would devolve into chaos. They would break ranks and run for the streets. Marini stood tall. “Impressive, but my vampires still outnumber yours and mine are older, stronger.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. I looked back at the army now marching to Daniel’s back. I recognized Henri Jacobs and Hugo Wells, but there were many others I’d met when Daniel held his meetings explaining his positions. These vampires had chosen to follow Daniel. Many were younger, like Michael House, and they followed Daniel because they held a more democratic world view. I saw the vampires Daniel had turned. There were five of them and they stood behind Chad. Justin, in particular, seemed eager to finally get to the fight he’d been preparing for his entire vampiric life.

But we didn’t just have vampires and unlike Louis’s army, the werewolves, led by John McKenzie, weren’t relegated to the back. We had a hundred wolves, the strongest of the American packs. They were all in wolf form and when they howled, it shook the rafters. Fighting beside the wolves were shifters of all kinds. Daniel and Dev had made sure they knew everyone was welcome at the table. Marini had been systematically assassinating the strong leaders of the shifters, and the ones left were ready for revenge.

King Angus stood beside Padric and Herne the Hunter, who’d brought Shuck and Barghest to the party. The hell hounds’ tails were thumping with impatience to get to the fight. The Seelie and the Unseelie stood together now, and if Marini had known what a miracle that was he might have turned tail and ran.

There was a distant boom, and I noticed the satisfied look on Dev’s face.

“Do you know what that is, Marini?” Dev asked.

Marini swallowed once but didn’t answer.

“That’s the Order of Galahad,” Daniel explained. “My knights just breeched your perimeter. If you run now, they will have taken up defensive positions. They’ll kill anyone who attempts to flee the catacombs. I gave you your chance.”

“Then let me give you yours, Daniel.” Marini held up his little fake stone and, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t muster a lick of sympathy for him. “This makes me a king. I might lose this war but I will take you down with me, Daniel. I’ll kill you and your partner and before I am done, I’ll take my companion with me. You forget I have a secret weapon.”

Daniel laughed but there was a bit of sympathy in it. “Oh, Louis. She isn’t your companion. She never was. She’s my wife and you forgot something, too. My wife is a hell of a thief.” Daniel smiled over at me. “You got it, baby?”

I pulled the real Blood Stone out of my pocket and I held it up, letting Marini get a good look. I gave him my best “gotcha” grin. “Thanks for giving me so much access to the safe. It was a pleasure to steal from you, but as for the rest of it…I was faking.”

Dev snorted beside me and I tossed the stone to Daniel even as Louis shoved the fake into his palm, trying desperately to get it to work. When it wouldn’t, he tossed it aside and pulled a gun. “I will end you, Donovan, if it’s the last thing I do.”

“She’s yours, Marcus,” Daniel said quickly and I felt myself being shoved toward the vampire.

Daniel raised his sword and I felt the army at our backs twitch as they waited for that sword to lead them. Dev’s gun was suddenly off his back and in his hands. Daniel’s face was tense as he brought the sword forward, and with a roar, the battle began.

Marcus pulled me back as the world became one huge, noisy battlefield. I stumbled a little as we started for the exit. “Why does Danny have to go in first? Shouldn’t the king be behind everyone? Shouldn’t he be directing the action?”

I heard Marcus chuckle against my ear. “Daniel is a warrior king, Zoey. He leads his army, not the other way around.”

“I can’t see him anymore.” I tried to get a single glimpse of him amid the throng of people fighting now. Both sides had met in the middle and they were fighting with a ferocity that stunned me.

The heavy doors closed. They slammed shut and it didn’t seem like a natural occurrence.