Steal the Sun (Thieves #4)(25)

“Fine,” Daniel said shortly. His eyes were stubborn, and I knew he was hiding something.

“Daniel,” I ordered, forcing him to look up. “You tell this doctor the truth right this second. I am not going to lose you because you’re a stubborn ass.”

“It’s nothing,” he insisted and dug in.

Dev got up and took charge of the room. I looked around and pretty much everyone we knew was there. Lee, Zack, and Neil stood at the end of the bed with Felix. Sarah sat on the end of the bed. Declan and several members of the royal guard were waiting by the door.

“Out,” Dev commanded. “Everyone who does not sleep in our bed needs to wait in the outer rooms. That includes you, Neil. I’m certain Zoey will tell you the tale before she shares it with anyone else. Go about your business. Sarah, you may stay, please.”

“Why does Sarah get to stay?” Neil never liked being out of the loop.

“Sarah is our group’s healer,” Dev explained. “Whatever the healer decides Sarah will have to administer. She needs to know what is going on.”

Sarah and Neil exchanged a long look, and I knew they had been talking about something. I just wished I knew what Sarah was thinking.

When the room had cleared out, Dev turned back to Daniel. “Everyone is gone. Sarah won’t mention it. I’m sure healers have an oath or something. Please tell us what’s going on.”

Daniel sat up and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He looked flustered and a little emotional. It made me worried.

“Danny, please,” I practically begged.

“Okay, Z,” Daniel finally said. “But it’s not a big deal. It’s just been going on a little longer than I might have let on. I’ve been feeling…the only word for it is drained, I guess. I’ve felt that way for a week, maybe.”

“Wow.” Sarah shook her head, and she had those lines on her forehead she got when worried. “Z, how much did you eat today?”

I wasn’t sure how my daily caloric intake would help anything, but I thought about it. “Not much. I had a half a cookie but I just wasn’t hungry. Maybe it was the traveling, though I usually love road food. There’s no Dairy Queen here, so that might explain it.”

I liked Dairy Queen. My stomach rumbled at the thought of a nice-sized Blizzard. I hadn’t eaten much.

“What does Zoey’s appetite have to do with this?” Dev asked. “Please focus, girls.”

The healer stared at Sarah for a moment, considering what she’d said. He directed his questions to her in an obvious sign of respect. “She sleeps with both men?”

Sarah nodded. “They’re in a committed ménage a trois and have been for a while now. The prince is…well, you know what his specialty is.”

“Yes, a vampire and a Green Man. An interesting combination.” He finally turned back to Daniel. “Vampire, this is your companion? She is a true companion?”

Companion meant something different in vampire society than it did in the regular world. I wasn’t simply Daniel’s wife. My blood was different from other women’s. It made Daniel stronger and faster than a vampire without a companion. I had a little bit of angel DNA in my background. It hadn’t helped my morality, but it did boost my blood.

“Yes,” Daniel admitted. “She’s my companion. Her glow is strong.”

“I would bet your blood connection is strong as well,” the healer said, drumming his fingers on his bag. I noted he had closed the bag as though he would no longer need it. “You love the girl?”

“I’ve loved her for as long as I can remember,” Daniel said quietly. “I loved her before my turn.”

The healer turned to me now. “And you, Your Grace, how long has it been since you last had your woman’s time?”

Dev gasped a little. “Zoey?”

“I don’t remember.” I took a shot. I didn’t have to worry about getting pregnant. I knew my period was coming when I got PMS.

But I hadn’t had any PMS signs for weeks and weeks. I knew what was coming and I knew I should have been prepared for it, but I was panicking as my husbands stared at me, realization dawning on their faces.

“She’s five days late,” Daniel said quietly.

I took a deep breath and chose not to comment. It was one of those creepy vampire things that previously Daniel had hidden from me. So he knew my periods better than I did. Lots of women were late. It was just stress. I led a stressful life, what with the wars and vampires and numerous people out to kill me. I couldn’t be blamed if my periods were irregular.

Except, they weren’t and never had been. I’d always been on time. I was like clockwork.

All of a sudden everyone was looking at me like I was the patient. Dev and Daniel went utterly silent as though they were attempting to process the information. Sarah reached out and gently took my hand.

“Zoey, sweetie,” Sarah said with infinite patience. “Sometimes, when a vampire has a real, true connection with his companion, the vampire will be able to sense when his companion is weak. He can share his…energy, essence, I don’t know what the proper term is, but he can share it with you. It only works in chronic situations where the discomfort is constant. It’s called sympathetic transference. When you’re weak he can make you strong, but there’s a cost to him.”