Steal the Moon(27)

“Daniel,” Dev said, a certain pout to his voice. “When are you going to be through with business? You promised us no business tonight, only pleasure. I haven’t even been bitten yet and Zoey hasn’t passed out, so we couldn’t possibly be done.”

I realized what Dev was trying to avoid. Daniel had been dangerously close to pushing Marini. It didn’t take much to cause Danny to lose his temper when it came to what he considered his, and Marini had crossed a line. We weren’t ready for this fight yet. I followed Dev’s lead. I watched Daniel even as I playfully nipped Dev’s neck. “You did promise us, Danny. You said you would stay in bed with us until I let you go. I’m not tired yet.”

Marini’s face went from stirring anger to amusement. “Are they always so insatiable?”

A slight smile crossed Daniel’s face, and I knew we’d defused the situation. “You have no idea. There’s a reason it takes two of us to please her. I won’t even go into his appetites. I assure you what they require of me might kill a lesser vampire.”

“I am afraid, Mrs. Donovan, that your husband will have to reschedule his little orgy,” the Frenchman said dismissively. “The Council is on its way to Los Angeles where we have business. We decided to stop here for the night and check in on our Nex Apparatus. We require updates on your progress.”

“Of course,” Daniel replied, his anger pushed down in favor of a businesslike demeanor. “I will brief you at your earliest convenience. I think you’ll be happy with what I’ve accomplished.”

“I’m sure we will,” Louis murmured. “We’re having a small party at the club. You will be there in an hour.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll have everything ready.” Daniel nodded and gestured for the door.

Marini moved to leave and Chad followed him. Marcus glanced reluctantly back at us as though he didn’t want to go.

Marini looked back at Dev and me, taking a moment to watch our play. “And bring your lovely blood, Mr. Donovan. They’ll bring much-needed life to our otherwise dull evening.”

“Sir,” Daniel began.

“That’s an order, Daniel,” Marini said shortly. “Come, Marcus, you can drool over the girl at the club. We’ll expect you in an hour, Donovan.”

Everything stopped as the vampires left. Daniel stood in the middle of the room, his body so still it could have been made of marble. Dev kept perfectly quiet, listening for the moment he heard the elevator close and begin to move down toward his office.

“We’re supposed to be safe here,” Daniel said, not looking our way. He was keeping his face hidden, and I was sure his beast was close to the surface.

“I’ll call Albert and find out what happened.” Dev climbed off the bed and reached for his pants. He gave me a look that said “deal with him.”

I nodded because when it came to Daniel’s temper, I was the only one who could handle him. It was a testament to his control that he wasn’t tossing furniture around. It hadn’t been so long ago that he would have been doing just that.

Dev left the room without a backward glance, and I slid out of bed and ran my hands along my vampire’s back. Every muscle was bunched with potential violence. I let my arms wind around his waist and pressed my skin to his.

“It’s all right, Daniel.” I let my hands slide along his waist and then up his chest. Oftentimes our connection could help calm Danny’s beast. “If Marini had found anything, Chad and Marcus would have handled it. He was just showing off. Everything’s okay. Dev will have twelve security experts in here tomorrow installing motion detectors and all manner of crazy, paranoid safety equipment.”

“He sure as hell better, Z.” His voice was still rough, but his hands came up to cover mine, holding them against his skin. “He promised me you would be safe here.”

I kissed the smooth skin of his back, feeling him begin to relax under my ministrations. “Don’t blame Dev. It fooled you, too, and you have supersenses.”

“I was concentrating on other things,” he admitted quietly. “I wonder if they’re going to ruin every good minute I have, Z. Tonight was…god, tonight might have made the whole vampire thing worth it.”

“It just might have.”

“And now I have to hold a piece of myself apart when we make love because the fuckers can get me wherever I am,” he said bitterly. “I always have to listen because they could be anywhere.”

“It won’t be forever,” I said, hoping I was right.

Dev walked in, cell phone pressed to his ear. “Yes, that’s what I want. I want the entire place wired with motion detectors and whatever the hell can detect heat signatures. I don’t care what it costs, Albert. We also need to change the keycards to thumbprints and voice recognition. Get them in here tomorrow.”

Daniel shifted and leaned over, kissing me softly. “I’m sorry to drag you into this, Z. I’ve got to get some stuff together. You get dressed. It’ll be okay.”

Dev was issuing further edicts on new security protocols and I looked sadly at our bed. I wanted to be back in it where we’d been safe and secure and loved. Now we had to worry about safety and subterfuge, and my stomach was already rumbling because I skipped dinner. I was betting they didn’t have a dining room at Daniel’s club, at least not one where I wasn’t on the menu.





Chapter Eleven





In every major city where there is even a small vampire presence, one can find a vampire club. It’s usually in an out-of-the-way part of the city housed in a neat, unassuming building that does nothing to attract unwanted attention. The club provides the vampires with anything they require. It serves much the same function as an old-world gentlemen’s club. This is the place a vampire comes for a meal, companionship, or a game of cards. In addition to serving the local vampires, the club is capable of housing visitors and is the place to entertain.

I’d never been in this inner sanctum. After we began living together, Daniel stopped going. When we’d been apart, he spent a good amount of time in the club, but once Dev and I became his regular meals, he no longer required it.

I looked the place over with more than a little bit of curiosity as the limo pulled up in front of the small three-story building. It was a townhouse, and a Victorian one at that. I could see the lights from the windows, but they were dim as though lit by candles rather than modern light bulbs.

Daniel took my hand and helped me out of the limo. “Stay close to Dev. I’ll be in a meeting with Marini and the rest of the Council, so I think you’ll be fairly safe. Michael and Alexander are probably here. I know you can handle them.”

“Perhaps she can, but Michael is always looking for a way to righteously kill me,” Dev said with a jaunty smile. I could tell he was hoping for a fight. He’d been tense ever since the vampires showed up in our room. He’d dressed in a three-piece suit and had forced me into something designer. Daniel looked slick and sexy in his suit.

“Michael knows our situation,” Daniel replied, picking up the briefcase he’d loaded his laptop into. Michael House was Daniel’s friend and ally. Though he had a problem with Dev, he wouldn’t cause trouble here. “Just try to stay inconspicuous.”

I didn’t laugh, but it wasn’t easy. I might be the kind of girl who doesn’t get a second glance in a bar or a club, but when I walk into a room full of vampires, all eyes are going to be on me whether I like it or not. I’m a companion. I can’t hide the shine I have for those who walk the night. I glow for them, and they know my blood will make them strong. I would give pretty much anything to be able to be inconspicuous, but that wasn’t going to happen on this particular night.

Dev’s hand went to the small of my back as he guided me up the steps to the house. Daniel pulled out a keycard and the door opened for us. He held his hand out and Dev moved me to Daniel’s side. He took a step back and allowed us to enter before him. This is what I hated about so called “society.” I hated the little games we were forced to play whenever we left the confines of our home.

“Good evening, Daniel,” a husky female voice said. A woman in a killer dress stood in the lobby. A brilliant smile crossed her face as she rushed forward to greet my husband. “It’s been so long I wondered if you would ever visit here again.”

And bitch was not happy to see me. The tall, lithe female had murder in her eyes as she took me in. She was pretty with short, blonde hair and light-blue eyes.

“It’s nice to see you, Stacy.” Daniel nodded casually to the woman as if her eyes weren’t completely filled with desire for him and animosity for me. He was totally oblivious as he smiled at her and pulled me forward. “I got married. You know how it goes. You get married and just want to stay in. I only came tonight because Marini’s in town and ordered me to. This is my wife, Zoey Donovan. Z, this is Stacy Sears. She runs the club. She was really nice to me after I turned.”

I just bet she’d been nice to Daniel. I wondered just how many times she’d offered to be especially nice to him. As far as I could tell, she was human and the humans in a place like this were good for the dinner table or the bedroom, sometimes both. “Nice to meet you.”