Steal the Sun (Thieves #4)(9)

I noticed Lee out of the corner of my eye. His head came up suddenly and he yelled. “Neil, six o’clock. Cover her!”

Neil was starting to leap as I saw the man on top of a building to our left. He drew back an arrow and sent it flying my direction.

I’ve had many people try to kill me before but this was my first assassination attempt. And I’d only been in Faery for a few hours. Yay, vacation!





Chapter Three





“Oh, god, it’s in my ass.” Neil fell to the ground, pulling me under him. He had done his duty, tossing his body in front of mine just as the archer let loose his arrow. Neil had leapt high, covering my torso with his body, and the arrow that would have hit my heart did indeed lodge itself in my best friend’s butt cheek.

I hit the ground hard, my breath fleeing in an instant. Amid the screaming and general confusion, there was a mighty crack that split the air. Daniel kicked open the coffin and burst forth, his feet hitting the table we’d just been sitting at. I nodded at him to let him know I was all right.

“Let’s go, Donovan.” Lee jumped onto the roof of the tavern, moving to catch the man who had shot at me.

I lay beneath Neil as Daniel took off. Lee quickly climbed up the tavern and started leaping across rooftops in pursuit of the assassin. I turned to try to see Dev. The royal guard had appeared at the first shouts, and it was obvious they had orders. Dev had five guards on him and Declan four. They formed a protective wall around the twins.

“Let me go.” My husband struggled against his guard. He tried to get to me, but they were well trained and in this case did not listen to their charge. They had one and only one duty and that was to get the heir and the spare to safety. Anything else could wait.

“I have an arrow in my butt,” Neil said, his face close to mine. He covered me even as everyone around us ran.

“I know, sweetie.” I wished I could see what was going on. Dev was gone, dragged away by his guard. Danny was off chasing an assassin.

“It hurts and I think it’s in my left cheek,” he whispered.

I raised my head slightly and caught a glimpse of the offending arrow. It was lodged firmly in Neil’s left cheek. With his healing powers, we would be cutting that sucker out. “Sorry, babe. It’s definitely the left cheek.”

“But that’s my perfect cheek,” he said, resting his forehead against mine. “I’m gay, Z. My ass is my money-maker. I’m scarred for life.”

He wasn’t. He would heal and his butt wouldn’t be any worse for the wear, but I have some experience with arrows and I knew they hurt like hell.

“Are you okay? You know, is everything okay? Even the small stuff?” He had hit me hard, trying to make sure he took the screaming arrow instead of me. He’d acted instinctively and with no thought for the fact that I might be carrying a child.

“I’m fine.” I was in absolutely no pain. I was arrow free so I was calling this a win.

“Let me go!” Dev yelled, and I could hear the fury in his voice as the royal guard carried him away. They carried him bodily into the relative safety of the tavern. “Get my wife. I’m not going without my wife.”

But he was. God inside or not, he wasn’t proof against five immortal, well-trained warriors of the sidhe. He and Declan were hustled out of the line of fire. Declan obviously hadn’t debriefed his full guard because he was yelling orders, too.

“Her Grace is more important,” he ordered even as they dragged him away. “Protect her!”

They weren’t listening and wouldn’t do anything about me until their future king and their current High Priest were safe and sound. I was just some chick Prince Dev had married, and he could probably find another who looked just like me.

Sarah, Felix, and Zack rushed to my aid. Now that the place was quieter, they managed to surround me. Felix helped Neil up while Zack kept watch over the courtyard. He had a gun in his hand and his eyes moved, watching for any further trouble. Sarah got to her knees beside me.

“Are you all right?” She smoothed the hair from my forehead. “The area’s clear.”

“I’ve got a good line of sight, Zoey. You can get up now,” Zack said. “Are you hurt? Neil took you down pretty hard.”

Screw the royal guard. I’d take my crew any day of the week. Sarah helped me up. I struggled to my feet. “I’m fine. Neil’s ass took the bullet for me.”

I was used to fighting for my life but the whole assassination thing didn’t give a girl much of a shot. It was a bit unsettling, and I was gratified by the fact that we were almost alone now. Even the satyr and gnome had rushed into the tavern. I stretched, making sure everything was moving, and then got to my knees to take a look at Neil’s injury.

The crowd had dispersed the minute they realized there was going to be violence. Now, it was actually fairly quiet with the singular exception of my husband’s continuing vitriol. I could hear him from the tavern where the guard had him under protective custody. The only one shouting as much as Devinshea was Declan.

“Zack, I’m going to need a knife.” I tried to gently probe the arrow wound. It had ruined the tan pants Neil was wearing. The arrowhead must have been large because the wound was huge. I didn’t want to think about what it would have done to my chest.