Steal the Moon(12)

It would come in handy. I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the aswang and her living co-workers from a distance, but the wolves could. If I had to find her by my lonesome, I was going to spend the day looking like a complete idiot.

Zack shook his head firmly. “No way, Zoey. You’re following that schedule. I heard all about last night and until the new bodyguards are vetted, I’m on twenty-four-freaking-hour call. I had to cancel a date. I’m not in a good mood. If you have a problem with it, take it up with Mr. Quinn.”

“Fine. Where is he?” I didn’t need another bodyguard. I couldn’t handle the ones I already had. This was getting completely out of hand. I would be on house arrest if it kept up. It was time to deal with the problem.

Zack’s smile held no humor whatsoever. “He left early this morning. I think he wanted to avoid you. He’s out at the farm. My master has a new vampire, and Mr. Quinn is making arrangements to move him into the third bedroom of your old house. I’m sure he’ll be back sometime tonight. You can yell at him all you like then. Until that time, you’re going to follow the schedule. So are you ready to go?”

“I’m not going, Zack.” I meant it right up until he tossed me over his shoulder and started walking to the elevator. “Put me down.”

“I’ll put you down when we get to the restaurant,” he promised. “And, Zoey, if you try to run, I will catch you.”

Thirty minutes later, I was sullenly shown to a nicely decorated table. I managed to convince Zack to allow me the dignity of walking into the restaurant, but his eyes hadn’t left me once. Lee tried to hide a grin as I cursed his brother with every vulgar name I knew. The early afternoon sun lit the small café with soft light, and I ordered a drink while I waited on the stylist.

Dev and I were going to have it out tonight, and he was either going to see things my way or…I didn’t know what I was going to do. The thought of walking out made me sick to my stomach. I just couldn’t imagine my life without Devinshea in it, but he had to see that I was suffocating. I was just going to yell until he gave in and that was that.

I glanced up, expecting to see the waiter with my iced tea, but I was met with seriously green eyes. Dev stood over me, smiling down.

“I thought you were at the farm.” I hated the breathy sound that came out of my mouth. His six-foot-five-inch sinfully gorgeous body always made my heart skip a beat even when I wanted to throttle him. The fact that I wanted to molest him right there on the table didn’t help me fight with him. Dev and I had very few fights. I usually started to fight and somehow ended up on my back, agreeing to do whatever he wanted.

“I finished early, lover,” he said, gracefully taking the seat next to me. He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed each finger. The tender gesture softened my heart. It was something he did often, and it never failed to make me smile. “I thought I could have lunch with you. It would be nice to have you all to myself for a change.”

“What about Kelly? I thought you wanted me to plan a whole freaking wardrobe.” I didn’t attempt to hide my lack of enthusiasm.

“I’ve rearranged things with Kelly. You can meet with her later.” He inspected the menu. His eyes caught mine over the daily specials and he winked. “I prefer you without any clothes at all, lover. If you like, we can skip lunch altogether and I’ll just eat you.”

I laughed because if he was being filthy, he couldn’t be too angry with me. Dev became rigidly polite when he was pissed at me. In this case, his horniness might work to my advantage. If I could convince him to spend the afternoon with me tracking down the aswang, it might go a long way to healing the rift that was opening between us. I wasn’t worried about Daniel. Daniel and I fought and made up all the time. What I had with Dev was much newer and infinitely more fragile. It was the first time I really realized how delicate the balance between the three of us had become.

The waiter brought Dev a beer and set my tea down. He took a moment to take our orders. I let him know I wanted the grilled fish as Dev’s hand played tantalizingly with my knees under the table. I wondered what he really had planned. It wouldn’t be the first time he hauled me into the bathroom of a fancy restaurant, paid off the attendant to keep it private, and had his wicked way with me.

“So you’re not mad at me anymore?” I wanted to get everything on the table. I’d been pretty rough on him the night before, but I had my reasons. If we could both apologize, I was willing to start completely fresh this afternoon.

His lips quirked playfully. “I can’t stay mad at my sweetheart. You know I wish only to please you. Let’s put this fight from our minds and enjoy the afternoon together.”

It was nice to have him to myself for a change. Daniel and Dev had both been busy with their plans and rarely found time to do anything like taking me out for a leisurely lunch. The last several months had found endless visitations and boring dinners where I entertained the women as Dev and Daniel discussed business with the men.

I found myself talking to him about inconsequential things as he held my hand, his fingers tangling with mine the way they so often did. This was what Devinshea did best. He could make me feel like I was the only woman on the planet. After a long while of enjoying his attention, I finally found myself broaching the subject of the night before.

“I am entirely at fault for any misunderstanding, lover,” Dev admitted earnestly. “I should have listened. I am ready to listen to you now. Please tell me about the undead creature and that odd bird of hers.”

“Well, it’s called an aswang.” I felt myself smiling because I was relieved. The hunt would be so much better with Dev at my side. He always had enjoyed a bit of adventure. “It’s from the Philippines and…” I stared at my lover and shivered suddenly but not from the air conditioner. His words rang in my head. “How did you know she was undead, Dev? I didn’t tell you anything. I told Danny, but you didn’t want to hear about it.”

He smiled at the accusation, settling back in his chair. “Well, sweetheart, I talked to Danny about it later. We do live together. It only makes sense that we would discuss what happened last night.”

Perhaps nothing about the previous night had been a hallucination. I had never once heard Dev call Daniel Danny. He used Dan but never Danny.

I decided to try something. I smiled brightly, my best bimbo look, which would have sent the real Dev into suspicious mode. This version just smiled. Yes, something was wrong and I knew how to figure this out.

“You’re right, baby. I don’t think sometimes.” I leaned across the table and planted a kiss on his lips. He opened his mouth willingly and curved a hand around the back of my head to pull me in closer. Just like last night it was nice but not my Dev. I pulled away from whoever the hell was currently kissing me and sat back. “All right. Who are you?”

He leaned back and studied me. “Is my game up, then? Well, I was hoping for more time, but I will take what I can get. Do not bother calling the bodyguards. I sent them back to the club. I explained to the younger one that I wished to care for you myself. He took the other one with him. So much for the superiority of wolf senses. It is just you and me, Mrs. Donovan. That is the name you go by? You are married to the vampire? Tell me, Mrs. Donovan, do you mind my brother fucking your husband?”

“Declan.” I should have freaking thought about him last night. When your boyfriend has a twin brother, you should probably expect him to show up sometime.

“I see my brother remembers my name,” Declan Quinn, heir to the Daoine Sidhe throne, said, his face taking on an arrogant expression. “Too bad he does not remember his obligations.”

“He has no obligations to you, you cowardly piece of shit.” How dare he walk into Dev’s life and accuse him of neglecting his responsibilities? Dev had fled the sithein to get away from his family’s manipulations. “What do you want with him after all these years?”

“Years?” Declan asked, confusion temporarily clouding his face. “Devinshea left only eighteen months ago. How long has it been on this plane?”

“Seven years.” Time moved differently in a sithein, as once you were in the sithein, you were no longer on the Earth plane. Each faery mound housed a piece of Faeryland, with its own moon and sun and its own distinct clock.

Declan nodded and the lordly look was back. Now I could plainly see he wasn’t my boyfriend. He wasn’t as vibrant as Dev. His eyes, while just as green, didn’t have that sparkle. “That explains much. I wondered how Devinshea had managed to accumulate such wealth in so short a time. He seems to be living exceptionally well, though that should not surprise me. He always found a way to make himself comfortable. I assumed it belonged to his vampire lover.”

“It’s all Dev’s, asshole,” I tossed back at him, not liking the assumption. Dev might like his comfort but he wasn’t afraid of hard work. “He’s an amazing businessman. He owns five nightclubs, and they’re all popular. He’s also good with investments. He’s thriving on this plane and needs nothing from you. Daniel isn’t his lover. I’m the only one he has sex with. He’s a faithful boyfriend in a committed relationship.”