Steal the Sun (Thieves #4)(76)

I was about to toss whatever modesty I had left out the door and slap that grin off his face when Albert walked in carrying a massive tray. My stomach growled as the smell of bacon, eggs, and waffles hit me. There was a pot of tea in place of my usual coffee, but I would just have to get used to it. No caffeine for Baby Boy.

Declan sat up beside me, resting his back against the headboard. “Excellent. I am starving. There is nothing like breakfast in bed.”

“Then go have it in your own bed,” I grumbled, securing the covers around me once more.

“Mistress.” Albert greeted me with a smile. He placed the tray on the bed next to me where I could easily reach it and he gracefully poured the tea. “I saw the masters off this morning. I fixed Master Dev a basket of his favorite foods and a few excellent bottles of wine. I included some eighteen-year Scotch for Master Daniel.”

The boys would definitely be getting their drink on while they were away from the wife. “I’m sure he will appreciate it, Albert. It was thoughtful.”

He nodded. “I’ll be back in an hour to retrieve the tray, mistress, and I expect it to be empty. You need your strength. Mr. Owens informed me you might be in the village for luncheon this afternoon.”

I took a long drink of the cold orange juice. “That’s right. I have to talk to the queen, but she said she gave the Blood Stone to a villager, so I’ll probably be there this afternoon.”

“Then I will pack a basket for you and the wolves,” Albert offered. He frowned. “It will have to be a large basket. The wolves eat an enormous amount of food.”

Declan reached across me and stole a piece of bacon. “I will take a sandwich or two as well, servant. Also, if you have any of those sodas Devinshea likes, I will take one of those, too. I like them. They have bubbles.”

“I don’t recall inviting you along.” I wondered if he was going to leave anything for me as I slapped his hand away from my remaining piece of bacon.

“I told my brother I would care for you in his absence,” Declan explained. “I did that even after he punched me in the face for absolutely no reason. Do you have any idea why he would do such a thing? My nose is still sore.”

“No idea whatsoever,” I lied. It was good that Dev had remembered his brother’s insult.

Albert walked around to the side of the bed Declan was occupying. “I will get on the luncheon basket right away, mistress, after I take out the trash.”

Albert picked up Declan by the neck and started to haul him bodily out of the room.

“Well, I suppose I will see you later, Zoey,” Declan said, taking his dismissal with surprising good grace. He didn’t fight or scream, as though being hauled bodily out of rooms was an everyday occurrence. “I would yell and complain, but he is bigger than me and I do not think my brother would be happy if I beheaded his servant. An hour, then?”

His feet disappeared out the door as Lee walked in. The werewolf did a double take, and there was satisfaction on his face as he watched the prince being dragged out. It didn’t last long. “Damn it, Zoey. Where the hell are your clothes?”

Zack and Neil walked in behind Lee. Neil laughed as he walked over to the closet. “I’ll get her a robe.”

Lee turned around, but Zack just sat down on one of the sofas. He couldn’t care less what my state of dress was. He was wearing casual work clothes, chinos and a button-down. His brown hair was stylishly metro and he was impeccably groomed. He was the exact opposite of his slobby older brother, who cautiously waited for me to cover myself.

“This must be Dev’s.” Neil brought out a plush white robe from the armoire. I climbed out of bed and let Neil wrap the robe around me. It was enormous but it would have to do until I got back to the palace and our rooms.

“I’m perfectly covered, Lee.” I sat back down on the bed and started in on my breakfast. The baby was being a good boy. I hadn’t felt a moment’s worth of morning sickness but god, I was so hungry. I poured maple syrup over the waffle. The way I felt this morning, I could eat a dozen.

“I don’t know why he’s such a prude, Zoey,” Zack said with a grin as his brother looked around the room, getting the layout. “I guess you’re just not his type. He prefers his chicks a little more on the bloodthirsty side.”

“Fuck you, Zack,” Lee growled.

“I thought we all agreed to lie to Zack if we got caught.”

We’d made the decision as we walked through the woods. In order to spare Lee the humiliation, we would all say we’d run into him as he came back from his mission to track down the boy from the dungeons. That mission hadn’t gone well. He found the boy’s cooling corpse several miles outside of the village. He mentioned that he smelled the same candle wax on the boy as he had on the assassin.

“We might have agreed to lie, but some of us aren’t good at it,” Lee said with a pointed look at Neil.

Neil flushed. “It’s my only flaw.”

He was, in fact, a horrible liar. I was sure Zack had zeroed in on that.

“Man, I just had to take one look at Neil to know there was a whole other story,” Zack announced. “I love it. I never thought big brother would fall for a nightcrawler.”

Lee rolled his eyes. “I was under a spell, *. I wasn’t in love.”

Zack sat back and grinned. “I don’t think that’s how I’ll remember the tale. I think I’ll always remember your true love, the faery vamp, and how that mean old Zoey chased her away. It’s Romeo and Juliet with fangs and claws.”