Steal the Night (54 page)

He wanted me to make passionate love to him when my husband probably hadn’t even been buried yet. I knew Daniel wouldn’t send his body back to the
sithein
. Dev belonged on the Earth plane, where he’d been happiest. He belonged with us. We would be the ones who would truly mourn him. We deserved to keep his body close. Daniel would send him back to Dallas where we could see where he was buried, where I could take our children to visit.

“Zoey,” Marini’s voice startled me out of my thoughts. “I said no more tears.”

I felt the wetness on my face and brushed it off my cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

“The pain is still fresh,” Louis conceded, and his eyes were softer now. He crowded me and his hands found my waist. He pulled me close and one hand reached up to tip my chin toward him. “Give me what I need, companion. I’ll be good to you. I’ll make you forget.”

He could never make me forget my faery prince. He could never take his or Daniel’s place, but I went up on my toes and placed a tentative kiss on his lips, pretending all along that they were Danny’s.

Louis swept me up into his arms and he carried me out of the dungeons. He instructed the shifter to feed my wolf and settle him into my rooms comfortably. He practically ran the rest of the way to his apartments. Several vampires tried to stop and ask him seemingly important questions about the war going on all around us, but Louis was horny and didn’t seem to care that his world was falling apart. I was satisfied with the annoyed looks I caught on the vampires’ faces as Louis brushed them off. It was another way I could screw with him.

When he finally got me back to his rooms, he tossed me lightly on the bed and was on top of me before I could breathe. He spread my legs and used one hand to hook my knees around his waist. I was still dressed, but I knew that wouldn’t last long.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” Louis asked, nuzzling my neck. I felt the wet warmth of his tongue there. “When you put your arms around me, I am enveloped by your light,
mon ange
.”

I did what he wanted and wrapped my arms around him. I tightened my legs around his waist, feeling the hardness there grinding against me like he couldn’t wait to get inside.

“Please bite me,” I begged, thinking all the while that I should get an Oscar for my performance. Even to my own ears, I was breathless with anticipation. “Take me, Louis. Take me away from everything for a little while.”

His magic filled the room. He slammed it into me and I was overwhelmed by it. I closed my eyes and let it flow over me, let it take me to that place only a vampire can take you to, but in my mind’s eye it wasn’t Louis who found my neck and bit down. It was Daniel I shared my body and my blood with. It was Daniel’s sandy hair I sank my fingers into as he groaned against me. It was Daniel, my love, my friend, my husband, who took my mind off my grief.

I think I went a little crazy that first full night in Louis’s bed because I really saw Danny. He was there with me, whispering to me. He loved me. He would forgive me for anything I had to do as long as I was alive at the end of it. When the vampire released the vein in my neck, it was Daniel’s blue eyes that smiled down at me, happy and eager to get to the next part. It was Daniel’s hands that undressed me and his strong body that moved against mine. It was his blood I took into my body and his voice that urged me on.

A long while later Louis pulled me against his satiated body and I knew my blood was working inside him. His hands moved over my skin like he couldn’t quite stop himself from stroking me.

“Je t’aime, mon ange.”
He sighed as he kissed my forehead.

There was a loud knock on the door. It wasn’t the first time, but Louis had completely ignored it before. Now he was irritated. He gently disentangled himself from me.

“I will tell them to go away, my sweet companion. It’s our wedding night. I’m sorry we didn’t have a properly observed ceremony, but there isn’t time. The least I should expect is to be left alone to enjoy my wedding night,” he grumbled as he got out of bed and wrapped a robe around his body.

I felt sick again at the thought of it. According to the laws of the vampire world, I really was Zoey Marini now. Daniel was an outlaw, declared by the full Council, so I was fair game. Louis had performed the ritual. He had taken my blood and I had taken his. We were married legally. It would be a short marriage because I was already planning a really permanent divorce from husband number three.

Louis was frowning when he returned. “I have to go, Zoey.”

I forced myself to pout. “You’re leaving me?”

He sighed and knelt by the bed, taking both my hands in his. He brought them to his lips and kissed them fervently. “Forgive me, darling girl. Niles and Elof are very insistent. They’re being entirely unreasonable about interrupting our wedding night.”

They were being entirely pissed about Louis screwing around in the middle of a war. I had to stop myself from smiling, but I was delighted at the chaos I’d created. I wondered how much more I could cause.

“Can I go with you?” I had just taken a full dose of his blood. It should have made me more pliable, more willing to do as he wanted and to want to be near him. It had been explained to me that this was part of the bonding process, but I was somehow different. I enjoyed taking Danny’s blood but it never made me his slave. Louis’s didn’t touch me either, but he didn’t know that.

“I don’t know if that is a good idea, Zoey.”

“You don’t want me anymore?”

“How can you ask that?” Louis quickly moved in to allay my fears. “Believe me, if I could I would stay in that bed with you and never again allow you out of it. We’re bonded now, Zoey. I told you it would be this way. You feel it now. I can see it.”

I forced my lips to smile. “Can I wait here for you?”

Louis stood up and started to dress. He seemed to come to a decision. “No. You may come with me. You’re my wife now. They will accept you. You must behave though.”

I sat up on my knees, completely heedless of my nudity. It was a lesson Dev had taught me. “I promise. I just…would rather be with you.”

The man who’d effectively murdered my husband finished dressing and leaned over to kiss me. “I knew you would once we were properly bonded. You’ll see, Zoey. You’ll like your new life.”

He looked around but seemed unhappy with my clothes. They were definitely worse for the wear.

“I don’t guess I’ll much look like your wife in jeans and a T-shirt,” I said, happy with the embarrassment in my voice. I’d just had a brilliant idea, but I was going to need to go about it slowly. I didn’t want him suspicious.

He hauled me up and wrapped his robe around me. It was very masculine and it swallowed me, but I knew he would like me dressed in something of his. “You look perfect. Come along.”

Louis led me through the sitting area, and my heart raced as he walked straight to the office door. I was going to get a good look at the scene of my future crime.

Niles and Elof stood up as Louis entered the room.

“Finally,” Niles said in that upper-crust accent of his. “We’ve been waiting for hours…what the hell is she doing here?”

Louis’s eyes narrowed. “Do you have a problem with my companion, Niles?” The question was an obvious trap.

“No, Louis,” Niles replied, but I could see he was lying.

Louis sat down in the big wing chair behind his imposing desk and I began to sink to my knees beside him as he’d had me do before. It would be hard for me to see anything but the front of the desk and Louis’s lap, but I needed him to trust me. The vampire made it easy on me. He pulled me up and indicated that he wanted me in his lap. I gave him an intimate smile and curled against him.

“Do you really think it’s appropriate to have her in here?” Elof asked, obviously exasperated as he reseated himself.

I was going to have to think about changing my name to Yoko. I was really giving this little band of Louis’s hell. I cuddled against Louis, and he practically purred at the close contact.

“She isn’t going to cause trouble,” Louis said sharply, his hand tightening like they might try to take me away from him. If I played my cards just right, I might be able to start a fight. “We just performed the ceremony, Elof. The two of you interrupted our bonding time.”

“Well, excuse us, Louis,” Niles said bitterly. “I don’t think Donovan is going to stop his campaign against us because you need a honeymoon with his companion.”

Now Louis was growling. “She’s mine. Do you question my right to my companion?”

Elof rolled his eyes. “Of course not. Give it up, Niles. He’s going to be unreasonable. You know how it is when you get that first real night with one of them. Can you imagine what she tastes like?”

“Yes, I certainly can,” the Brit replied. “Which is why he shouldn’t have taken her as his companion when we’re in the middle of a bloody war and we’re losing.”

Then they were off and arguing about everything under the sun. Niles wanted to go after Daniel hard and immediately. Elof wanted to start waging a more guerilla-like approach to the war, and Louis was waiting to see if his demon contacts would come through. I heard them talking about the possibility of dealing with the Hell plane. It sent off alarm bells in my head. Thus far, the demons had stayed out of our skirmishes. That could go poorly for us, but I forced myself to remain in full-on sexy kitty mode. I rested against Marini’s shoulder and pretended to doze as they argued on and decided to at least talk to the demons. They would call one tomorrow night once their witch was prepared.

I let my eyes drift around the room. It was very masculine, like the rest of Louis’s apartments. It was stuck in the sixteenth century or somewhere close to it. Everything was dark wood and rich fabrics. There was his large, neatly appointed desk with everything in its place. There was a computer, but I was surprised to see it wasn’t a sleek laptop like Dev and Danny preferred. It was a solid-looking machine, but it couldn’t be easily moved. Dev never employed anything that couldn’t be moved or destroyed fully and at a moment’s notice, but then Dev was thorough…I took a deep breath. I had to keep my mind from going there. I had to focus. I couldn’t think about Dev. I couldn’t indulge in grief or memory.

The computer helped me. I thought long and hard about how that little piece of technology could be the opening I needed.

It seemed to take hours before they were willing to break up. I heard Louis curse as he realized dawn wasn’t far away. Niles and Elof left the room but not before Niles looked down at me and shook his head. He was suspicious. I would have to be careful around the Brit.

“I don’t think they like me, Louis,” I said, sounding very insecure.

“They’re just jealous of me.” The door closed and Louis was pulling off my robe, his hands finding my breasts. “I have such a beautiful, bright companion. They can’t stand the thought that they will never possess one such as you.” His breathing was heavy, and I knew he was going to take me on top of the desk. His lips roamed across my neck.

“You don’t think they will…try to steal me?”

Louis’s head came up, and I saw the beginning of sweet, sweet paranoia in that brain of his. “They wouldn’t dare.”

I bit my lip and threw my arms around his neck. “You’ll keep me safe.”

“I promise, Zoey. I’ll keep you safe from them.”

Just before dawn, Louis led me back to the bedroom. He kissed my hand, turning the palm over to rub against his cheek affectionately. “Trent will take you back to your rooms, darling girl. Your little wolf should be there by now.”

“Thank you for that.” I picked up my sadly worn jeans and T-shirt. “I guess I’ll have to clean them again. May I keep the robe until they’re clean?”

Louis had promised to give me the things I needed. Under the influence of my blood, he would really want to keep his promise to me. “I’m sorry about the state of your wardrobe, Zoey. I know you’re used to better than this. I intended for Rose to purchase nice clothes for you but…perhaps one of the other companions has something you could borrow. I know Elof’s companion is already here.”

I’d seen her. She was beautiful and cold and way skinnier than me. I sank down on the bed and did something that would have annoyed Danny to no end. “I can’t, Louis. The other companions…I’m too fat to fit into their clothes.” I sniffled slightly.

This would be the time when Daniel yelled at me for insulting myself. He’d long ago stopped listening to me when I did things like bitch about my weight. He wouldn’t let anyone insult me and that included me. Louis simply knelt down beside me. “
Non, non, mon ange. Tu es pour moi la plus belle.
You are beautiful. Did I not prove how much I love your body tonight?”

“I know. It’s just the other women. They can be mean.”

“Then you must have your beautiful clothes,” he replied, clucking. “But Zoey, I can’t send you out into the city. Donovan is watching.”

I thought for a moment, even though I knew exactly what I was going to say next. I bit my bottom lip like I was thinking really hard. I finally smiled as if I’d come up with the best idea ever. “I could order them off the Internet.”

He sighed and I knew I had him. “Zoey, I will know if you have tried anything.”

I smiled brightly and threw my arms around his neck. “I promise, Louis. I’ll just play around in the good websites. Neiman’s and Nordstrom and Harrod’s! I think Mark Jacobs has a new collection coming out. Neil can help me. He knows what looks good on me. Oh, I’m so excited. Can I start this afternoon?”

He pulled away slightly. “Perhaps you should wait until I’m awake.”

“Oh, so you want to spend your time with me picking out clothes?” I asked, giggling like a fucking idiot. “I think you’d rather take them off me, Louis. If Niles and Elof let us have any time at all.”

His face darkened. “I am still their master, Zoey. They will obey me. Fine. But if I find you’ve done anything you shouldn’t…”

“Are you going to spank me, Louis?” I asked with a little smile. “I warn you, I might like it.”

“God, Zoey, you’re going to drive me crazy. I’ve never met anyone like you. Go. It’s almost dawn and I need to get to my resting place. Don’t ask me where it is. It’s better you don’t know.” He released me and walked over to his dresser. He pulled out two things, a Visa and a set of keys. “If you look in the top drawer of my desk, you’ll find the address of a hotel in the city where I keep a suite. Have your packages sent there and I will send someone to collect them. Zoey, don’t break me, darling. We’re in the middle of a war.”