Steal the Sun (Thieves #4)(80)

I clutched my stomach, low toward my pelvis, and wondered what I’d done to cause this. It couldn’t happen. Not my boy. Not my baby. It was mine and Dev and Daniel’s and he couldn’t be dying. He couldn’t.

There was so much blood.

“She is losing the baby,” Declan said quietly, looking completely terrified at the prospect.

Another cramp, worse than anything I’ve ever felt, struck me. My knees buckled, but before I could hit the floor Neil was there, picking me up and taking me with him gently to the ground. He had one arm around my back and the other held my hand as I squeezed through the pain. Agony shuddered through my body, every moment a fresh misery. I started to scream. I couldn’t help it.

“It’s going to be okay, Z,” Neil promised me once I calmed slightly, though his eyes were wide with fear. He looked up at Lee, who was stark white as he stared down at me. It was the first time I could remember Lee not having any idea what to do.

I was aware of the crowd surrounding me. They looked down, their faces worried and horrified at the event unfolding before them. I heard the whispers about a curse on the Fae and that all of this was happening because their priest was a mortal. They were cursed because Devinshea was cursed.

“Shut up, all of you.” Declan looked savage as he stood over me, staring down the crowd. He had his sword out, brandishing it toward the crowd. “I hear one more whisper about my brother and I swear I’ll consider the lot of you traitors. I’ll behead you all myself. Do something useful. Someone get the healer.”

“Don’t you f*cking touch that,” Zack yelled, and I saw a smallish man attempting to clear off the table. Zack had pulled a gun and was aiming it directly at the blond faery. “The first one of you who touches anything on this table will find out what a cold iron bullet can do to you.”

“Everyone else all right?” I heard Lee asking.

“I feel fine,” Declan said but then allowed, “well, physically, that is. Zoey did not eat anything. It was not the stew.”

“I’m sure it was that tea,” Zack said. “I don’t think we ordered it, but I saw Zoey drink it.”

I started crying because I was just realizing that this was truly happening. I looked up into Neil’s blue eyes. “Where’s the doctor?”

A doctor would fix it. I needed a doctor.

“They have gone to fetch him, Zoey.” Declan kneeled beside me. His emerald eyes looked so much like Dev’s it hurt. I loved Neil, but I wanted Dev’s arms around me. I wanted Daniel standing over me.

“He’ll save my baby?” I hadn’t meant for that to come out as a question, but it did. My insides seized and I felt another rush of blood leaving my body. I barely concealed a scream. The fact that it hadn’t hurt so much this time terrified me. If the worst was over, then what was left to do?

Declan looked at Neil, his face filled with pain. Neil just shook his head and pulled me close. “No, sweetie. There’s too much blood. I’m so sorry, but I think the baby’s gone.”

“He can’t be.” I sobbed and now I wasn’t rational. I was a ball of pain and emotion. Any ambiguity I had about wanting a baby was completely gone now that I was losing him. Now that I was losing him, I wanted nothing more than to be his mom. “I need Daniel. Where’s Daniel? He’ll fix it.”

“Daniel can’t fix this, Zoey.” There were tears escaping from Neil’s eyes now. I felt them hit my skin as he tried to pull me close. He tried to give me the comfort I needed.

“He’ll give me blood and then the baby will be fine.” Danny fixed things. I got hurt and he fixed me. I died and he brought me back. It only made sense in that moment that he could save our baby. Daniel could do anything. I just needed Daniel. Daniel wouldn’t let this happen to me. I sobbed, calling out for him. Calling for Dev. Begging anyone who would listen to stop this thing that was happening to me.

God, this couldn’t happen to me.

Neil hugged me to him and stood up. “It’s too late. We have to worry about you now.” Neil looked at Lee. “Tell the healer to meet us at the palace. I’m getting her away from this place.”

Lee stepped forward. “We should wait.”

“And let them gawk at her?” Neil asked savagely, turning his scorn on the people around us. “I won’t let her pain be mocked and gossiped about. I won’t let them use her to further their own agendas. For god’s sake, Lee, one of them did this to her.”

“We don’t know that,” Declan said, but even to my ears he sounded unsure.

“I do,” Neil replied. I let him take over because I couldn’t. I let myself rest in the security of his arms. “I know it deep in my bones. They got the baby but they don’t get her. You hear me?” He shouted the question all around. “You don’t get to take her! Get that healer to the palace. I’m taking her to Sarah.”

“Neil,” Lee shouted in that alpha voice of his. “Give her to me and I’ll take her.”

I tensed, ready to be shifted to my head guard’s arms because Neil always obeyed Lee when he used that alpha tone. Neil wasn’t an alpha. He followed the strongest leader in the group and that was Lee.

“No,” Neil said, walking away.

“She’s my responsibility,” Lee insisted.