Steal the Sun (Thieves #4)(127)

“Hey, I’m just glad we cleared that up.” I couldn’t imagine having to be married to that jackass.

“Do you want to know why Chima let the entire court believe she had Dev’s baby instead of yours?” Nim continued to rail at her opponent. She had him backing up now. “She was ashamed. She only told her best friend and her father. She was ashamed she had taken you to her bed.”

I hadn’t thought Declan’s face could fall further but it did. I felt Dev get up beside me as his brother looked at his former lover.

“Is this true, Chima?” Declan asked quietly, no arrogance to hide behind now. “Were you ashamed you slept with me?”

“I was ashamed I loved you,” Chima admitted, her eyes misty.

Dev walked up to her, his eyes on the child. “May I take my nephew? You can’t beat on my brother while you hold the child.”

Chima actually managed a laugh as she passed her son to Dev. “This is your uncle, Sean. He’s a good man.”

“And I am not?” I heard Declan start to get his spine back.

Sean smiled as Dev took him and raised him high. “You’re tall.”

“And you will be too, Sean Quinn,” Dev promised. “You’ll be tall and strong like your father. It’s a great honor to meet you. This is your Aunt Zoey. She’s completely crazy and can tell you the greatest tales of her adventures. You’ll have to meet your Uncle Daniel. He’s a vampire.”

“Really?” Sean asked, his eyes wide.

Dev put his arm around me and I saw him try to contain his emotions as he looked down on that sweet face. Our son would have had that face.

“We’ll get our chance,” he vowed even as Chima started in on her ex. They were screaming at each other but Dev and I were in our own world.

“We will,” I promised. “And I definitely want twins.”

“I shall work hard to see that you are satisfied, my goddess.” He gestured to Nim, who took Sean. “Let us go and get our vampire so we can stop this war, take our revenge on the duke, and get to the part where we practice making Sean a cousin.”

“What about those two?” I asked because they were going at it.

“What did you gain by keeping this from me?” Declan was swearing.

“Oh, I don’t know, Declan. How about my dignity?” Chima shot back. “How about my self-respect and the ability to look at myself in the mirror?”

“Fuck your dignity now, Chima,” Declan responded. “And screw your self-respect because we’re married and there’s no room for any of that in our bed.”

“Married!” Chima screeched, and I was pretty sure the goblins buried underground could hear her.

“They’ll be fine,” Dev said, starting to lead me toward the house. “It’s foreplay for them. Lee, if you would lead us to Daniel, I would appreciate it.”

Lee took the lead even though I could have told him where our room was. Zack took our six just in case there was anyone hanging around. We turned the corner to go up the stairs just as Neil was coming down. He carried Daniel and his eyes darted around like he was expecting to get jumped any minute.

“Zoey! Thank god. I’m so glad to see you.” Neil’s face fell as he glanced down at the man he was carrying. “Zoey, I think he’s dying.”





Chapter Thirty-One





“Move him to the couch,” Dev ordered Neil.

As Neil laid Daniel down on the large sofa, I dropped to my knees and reached for Daniel’s hand. I was shocked at the terrible chill I found there.

“Oh god, Dev, he’s so cold.” I ran my hands along his chest and up to his face. Everywhere I touched was cold and dead. He was utterly limp on the couch, with no spark of animation to light him. Normally when he slept the way a vampire slept, he was stiff and unmoving.

Daniel was like a corpse. Nausea swamped me. I’d been here before. I’d seen him dead and laid out on an autopsy table. Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t handle this. He couldn’t be gone.

Dev reached down and placed a hand on his arm. He initially shrank back from what he felt there, but then he forced himself to sink down beside me and placed his hand over Daniel’s heart. “What the hell is wrong, Dan?”

“He wasn’t like this before,” Neil said, gazing down on all three of us, worry plain in his eyes. “He would get cool but not cold.”

Neil was the only one of us who knew what Daniel had been like before he began his relationship with Dev and me, before Daniel had gained the ability to daywalk. Neil had been his servant for years after his turn. He’d protected Daniel when he was vulnerable. Neil was the only one who truly knew this wasn’t normal. “His body would be cooler than it was when he was awake, but it was never like this. Z, I told him what was happening. I told him you were going to die. In the past he would have tried, at least. He could hear me and he would let me know by shifting just a little. I got nothing from him. It’s like he’s not there anymore.”

Dev’s face was a mask of guilt. “I stayed away for too long. His body has grown used to having more blood.”

“That’s not it,” Neil insisted.

“He was used to feeding from my magic.” Dev plunged forward. He was beginning to look a little desperate now. “I’m so sorry, Zoey. I should never have allowed us to be separated. He’s grown reliant on both of us, and I was too selfish to see it.”