Steal the Sun (Thieves #4)(16)

I calmly set the tea down and was proud of myself because my head didn’t explode, though it threatened to. Blood was pulsing through my body, and I wondered briefly if that maddening rage was what Danny felt when his beast came out. I took control of my intense, crazy-bitch rage and managed to speak to Bibi in something close to a calm tone. “Bibi, sweetie, this is important. Where is Gilliana now?”

“She is in Prince Dev’s room. She is lying in wait with a spell to entrance him.”

I stood, fury oozing from my every pore. Neil smiled because he knew the scene I was about to cause would stand the test of time. It was going to be legendary, and he wasn’t about to miss it. I was sure he thought about getting Sarah, but I wasn’t waiting on an audience.

“I’ll need…” I began.

“Cold iron,” Albert supplied helpfully. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small but lethal-looking knife. It was made from cold forged iron, the true weapon to use against a Fae. “I try to be prepared for your every need. On entering the palace, I realized you would need to maim or kill someone in order to take your rightful place. These are truly dreadful people, mistress. They will not respect you until they fear you. I pulled the knife out of the luggage early this morning.”

“Thank you, Albert,” I managed around my volcanic rage. “Bibi, take me to my husband’s room.”

As we walked out, Albert was already cleaning up. “I’ll have your luggage delivered to Prince Dev’s room and Master Daniel’s as well. Call me if you need someone to clean up the blood, mistress. I’m always ready to help.”

I walked calmly through the halls of the palace, holding my cold iron knife carefully against my thigh. I didn’t want anyone to raise the alarm.

When dealing with backstabbing, man-stealing, spell-using bitches, it helps to have the element of surprise. I had this with Gilliana on several fronts. First, she thought I was somewhere on the other side of the palace, far away from my probably horny husband. I was supposed to be dealing with my completely inappropriate social secretary. There should have been much time lost as I dealt with Mara, who was undoubtedly ready to take one for the team. While I handled both the room situation and the problems with staff, Gilliana would have time to pull whatever she needed to pull.

The second of her misconceptions was about me. She more than likely thought she was dealing with a lovely airhead since I’d been told over and over that was Dev’s preferred type. Lovely airhead—even if she managed to figure out the plot—would just sit around and cry. She would not march into her husband’s room and confront the big, scary, spell-wielding woman.

Albert was right. It was time to let these people know I wasn’t an easy mark. It was my responsibility to stake a claim. This court ran on intrigue and the constant fear of someone using you as a stepping stone. After I brought my own personal stone down on a couple of their heads, they would learn not to step on me.

“This is the prince’s wing,” Bibi explained.

Of course he had his own wing, but Danny and I had been shoved to another part of the palace entirely. This wing of Dev’s was huge with many rooms. It was obviously for his family, but Mara had chosen to leave him here alone and vulnerable to her cousin’s plots. Mara didn’t know it yet, but she’d been fired.

“The last room is Prince Dev’s bedroom.” Bibi pointed to the closed door at the end of the hall.

I looked down at the troll and thought I should probably warn her. “Look here, Bibi,” I said, amazed at how calm my voice was. On the inside, I was already beating the shit out of my husband’s ex. “I’m going in there and there’s probably going to be some bloodshed. I intend to make quite the impression on Gilliana. If this frightens you, then you should go back and wait with Albert. I’ll return as soon as Gilliana knows who the boss is.”

Bibi’s brown eyes lit with a happy bloodlust. “I do not mind blood, mistress. Well, so long as it is not my own.”

“See, you fit right in,” Neil noted. He would enjoy the fight as well.

“Then feel free to watch,” I said, hearing the coldness in my own voice. “Tell everyone what you see.”

I strode down the hallway and kicked the door open for maximum surprise. I walked into my husband’s bed chamber and sure enough it was pretty damn awesome. It was also empty.

“This is way better than our room.” Neil shook his head as he took in the enormous suite.

“Neil, focus.” We were in what could only be described as a sitting room. This was where the prince would entertain friends. I needed to know where the prince would entertain special guests.

Neil took a deep whiff of the air and immediately pointed to a door on the far wall. I started toward it when Neil warned, “They’re in there, both of them. Z, you better hurry. He’s aroused.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Neil.” I slowed down. I had an idea of what was likely happening behind that door, but I didn’t know what kind of magic she was using. I was running on adrenaline, and it suddenly occurred to me that I should have waited for Sarah.

“Baby, you look so good. You’re going to feel even better. Do you want what I have for you?” I heard Dev say in that voice that told me he was just about to start his happy dance.

Yeah, I wasn’t going to wait. That happy dance belonged to me. I opened the heavy door and made my way inside. Afternoon sunlight streamed in through the big windows. A massive bed dominated the room. Declan had told me Miria herself had ordered the bed as a peace offering to her son. The bed was a testament to decadence and came complete with sexy curtains to shield Daniel from the sun. They’d been drawn for privacy and there was no way Dev had done that himself. He didn’t give a crap about privacy. He’d screw me in the middle of a crowd if I let him.