Steal the Sun (27 page)

Declan charged up on horseback, and even as we left the woods, he was calling the royal guard down on me.

Chapter Sixteen

“Hand her up,” Declan demanded as the royal guard separated me from my own guard.

Lee growled and started to shove his way through the bodies surrounding us.

“Lee, Neil, stay back.” I was sure Declan wouldn’t hurt me. The only thing that would come out of a fight would be one of my friends getting roughed up. I’d spent most of my night trying to protect the people I cared about, so I was willing to go with my brother-in-law.

“Zoey,” I heard a voice saying. Zack changed from his wolf form. He put his hands on his naked hips and frowned at all of us. At least I now knew how the guards had found me. “What the hell are you doing out here? Lee, where have you been? You should have been back hours ago. We were terrified.”

Whatever Lee said to his brother was lost as I was lifted up and placed in front of Declan on his big, black horse. I felt awkward as I wasn’t allowed to straddle the horse. I was more or less in Declan’s lap and completely dependent on his strength to not fall off. He wrapped his free arm around my waist and glanced down at my party. “You all have a lot to explain. You have been called to the palace where you will answer for this night’s idiocy. The queen and I will expect you in the throne room in one hour.”

With that forbidding declaration, he turned the horse around and started back toward the palace. The rest of the guard mounted and followed closely behind.

“It wasn’t their fault.” I hated that I felt the need to wrap my arms around his chest, but I wasn’t comfortable I wouldn’t slide off his lap. “I left with Herne and Neil came after me.”

“Then Neil should have kept his eyes on you.” Declan didn’t look down at me but stared at the palace. “He should know you well enough to know what you are capable of.”

“Why didn’t Daniel come after me?” If anyone was going to rush in to save the day, I expected it to be Danny.

Declan’s handsome face was coldly furious. “The vampire is currently up to his knees in dead bodies.”

“What?”

“Unfortunately, the dead bodies are moving so he must kill them again,” Declan said, his disgust plain. “The witch made several mistakes and we are being forced to clean them up. When the zombies rose, we all worried that this was the way my brother was to die. Would you like to know what his only concern was? He cared nothing about his own life but fought his way through herds of the walking dead to reach you and ensure your safety.”

I felt my heart clench. It was bad enough he knew I’d slipped out, but he’d probably been terrified.

“Is Devinshea all right?” I would never forgive myself if he was injured fighting his way to save his wife, who wasn’t even there.

“He is unharmed. He was mounting a horse to search for you himself when one of the guards recalled seeing you running across the fields with the Unseelie ambassador. He meant to alert us before then but he was knocked out by those pesky zombies. Needless to say, Devinshea was surprised that his pregnant wife would run off with another man. He shouldn’t have been. You were cheating on Daniel with him. He should have thought about that before he chose to bind himself to you.”

“I wasn’t starting an affair with Herne,” I said because that should have been self-evident and I never considered what Dev and I had to be cheating. I slept exclusively with Dev until Dev had asked to bring Daniel into our relationship. It was only through Dev that Danny and I reconnected. “I was trying to save my husband.”

“Well, I know how you like to save men, Zoey.”

I turned up to face him. He looked so much like Dev it hurt to have his contempt directed my way. “Someone led the Unseelie’s ogre into the forest. Herne was worried that the ogre would be the thing that killed Dev because it would most definitely start a war.”

“Yes, Zoey, if the Unseelie sent an ogre to kill my brother it will certainly start a war.”

“You aren’t listening to me. That ogre couldn’t have gotten in without Seelie help. Are you telling me that something that big and that stupid managed to make it all the way to the forests outside the palace and no one noticed?”

“Well, I would believe that before I would believe that a Seelie would aid the enemy,” Declan said stubbornly. “I suppose you have some proof of this ogre? Or am I to just take you at your word that you didn’t sleep with the Hunter?”

“Well, I killed the fucker so I guess the body might be my alibi.” I let go of Declan’s waist and forced my hands into my lap. If he wanted to keep me on the horse, he could just work that out himself. I wasn’t going to touch him.

“Damn it, Zoey,” Declan swore as he tightened his hold. “Do you want to break your neck?” I stayed still in his arms. “Did you really kill an ogre?”

“Yes.” We reached the courtyard. Every lamp and candle in the palace seemed to have been lit. “Dev didn’t want to come get me himself?” I supposed that Declan could have stopped him, but I doubted that was the case.

“He asked if I wouldn’t mind retrieving you and taking you back to your room.” Declan replied.

A sick feeling took hold of my stomach. “I suppose you told him what you thought I was doing.”

“I did not,” Declan admitted. “I thought it was evident and I did not wish to rub his face in his folly. It is not that I hate you, Zoey. I am actually rather fond of you. I simply think you are not suitable to be the wife of a Seelie prince. You would be a fine mistress, but that is where Devinshea should have kept you.”

I went silent because I had nothing further to say to my husband’s brother. I sat as still as the horse’s movements would allow and held myself as far from Declan as I possibly could. The real trouble was I was wondering if Declan wasn’t right.

I didn’t fit into Devinshea’s world. The nobles didn’t know what to make of me. I behaved more like an Unseelie, and the Seelie would never accept that. Our marriage had seemed like a good idea when Dev was estranged from his family and his world. He was back now and they accepted him as they never had before. I was a bit of an inconvenience.

The courtyard was littered with corpses, and I had to try not to breathe to avoid puking. I saw Sarah being led through the yard by Felix, on their way to their rooms. Her face was red, her eyes puffy from crying.

Felix rushed over and gave me a hand down. I was happy because I didn’t want Declan to touch me any more than he had to. Felix hauled me gently down and then Sarah was hugging me.

“I’m so sorry, Z.” Sarah sobbed into my shoulder.

I hugged her tightly. I had no idea what had happened, but I was sure that she hadn’t meant to plunge Faery into a remake of
Night of the Living Dead
. “It’s all right.”

“Yes,” Declan said, his sarcasm flowing. “It is fine that you turned our palace into a graveyard. We do not mind at all.”

“Shut up, Declan.” I sent him a frown.

“I got the incantation wrong.” She sniffled, wiping her tears away. “I’m out of practice.”

“Yes, you’re out of practice with black magic.” Felix gave Declan the dirtiest look a former angel from the Heaven plane could muster. “They should never have asked you to try it in the first place. Let’s go to bed, dear. It’s been a long night.”

Sarah pulled away and gave me a sympathetic look. “Dev is upset, Z. Danny tried to tell him you were off somewhere coming up with an insane plan to save his ass, but he wouldn’t listen. He left. I don’t know where he went.”

I nodded as she walked away with Felix. Declan took my arm, and I pulled away as hard as I could. I’d had enough of him. “I know the way to my rooms.”

I just wondered if Dev would show up in them.

Declan was a stubborn ass. He reached for me again. “You know your way to your rooms, but you have no idea where Devinshea is. Luckily, I do.”

I let him pull me along because it seemed easier than fighting him. “Why would you take me to Dev? You might get your wish, Declan. Maybe Dev will talk to your mom and she can annul the marriage.”

He led me toward the temple, crisscrossing the courtyard to avoid the bodies. I recognized the fluidity of Daniel’s work. The zombies were in neat piles because if Daniel could take them out in groups, he would greatly prefer it to singular kills.

Declan walked fast, as if it were important we made it to the temple quickly. “Mother will never annul the marriage, Zoey. You are pregnant. You are perfectly fertile and your compatibility has been proven. We just have to make the best of things.”

“Screw you, Declan,” I said bitterly, pulling my hand out of his.

“Things would be infinitely easier on me if you would. Look, Zoey, Devinshea loves you. He does not want your marriage annulled, but he is angry. For the most part my brother is not hotheaded, but when he gets angry, he can burn down his own house without thinking of the consequences. He is a storm of emotion tonight, and you taking reckless chances was the last straw. Daniel took your side and that did not help things either. I worry Devinshea is about to do something he will regret.”

My heart rate picked up. Declan was right. When Dev got really mad he could be irrational. He would say things he didn’t mean just to lash out. “What’s he going to do?”

Declan frowned and walked faster.

“Tell me.” I wanted to know what I was getting into.

“I believe he is going to call for his priestesses,” Declan finally admitted as we opened the door to the temple.

I came to a full stop. His priestesses were there for one thing and one thing only. Their job was to please their priest sexually and aid him in his fertility magic. I turned back to go to my rooms. Jealousy burned in my gut. “If that’s what he wants, then who am I to stop him?”

“You are his wife,” Declan said savagely, hauling me around. “You are supposed to love him so much, Zoey. Well, prove it. Get in there and stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life. He will never get over losing you. I will not let him fade because your pride left him alone.”

Declan pulled me through the gilded halls of the glorious temple. He stopped at an ornate door. “This is the priest’s chambers. Go and fight for him. He would fight for you. Prove me wrong, Zoey.” He pushed the door open and I found myself in Devinshea’s private pleasure dome.

The marble room was lit with soft candlelight from wall sconces. I was in some sort of entryway. I could hear feminine whispers and the sound of water running. The entryway was separated from the rest of the rooms by a series of filmy curtains. I could see the outline of a group of women standing around.

Tears pricked my eyes. He had done it. He’d actually called for them. I took a deep breath. If he was going to burn our marriage down then the least I could give him was a witness to the act.

“He thinks he’s going to die, Z,” Daniel said quietly from a bench a couple of feet from me. I hadn’t noticed him sitting there. He looked incredibly tired and he was beyond filthy. “I wouldn’t take anything he says or does seriously.” Danny reached out and briefly squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry I let Declan find you. I just finished with the last of the zombies.”

“I wouldn’t want you to leave his side right now.” If something was coming for Dev, Daniel was his best bet.

“I can’t leave either of you. This stunt tonight, Z…” His jaw clenched down.

“I was trying to help him.”

Daniel damn near stared a hole through me. “I tried to explain that to him. If you do it again, I swear I’ll lock you up. I can’t take care of both of you.”

I touched his face. “I’m sorry.”

He nodded, letting go of his anger. “It’s over. You’re alive. He’s alive. Just fix him, okay? He won’t listen to me.”

“And if he’s in there fucking his harem?” I was kind of surprised Danny would ask me to accept that.

Daniel shook his head, squeezing my hand. “Dev would never do that. He’s posturing. He’s scared and angry at the world. If I know him better than you do, we’re in trouble.”

I stepped away and pushed back the curtain quickly because I needed to see where he was at before his mask came down. I caught a quick glimpse of Dev as he sat in what looked like a hot spring flowing through the room. It reminded me of the grotto in our penthouse, though this stream had been caught in a large pool complete with steps leading down to it. Dev was sitting in the water alone. There were four women whispering among themselves as they looked down at their priest, obviously wondering what they were supposed to do now. For his part, Dev didn’t look like a man who was anticipating a five-way with some hot chicks. His face was blank, like a man who was about to lose everything and he couldn’t figure out how to stop it.

The minute he saw me his mask fell firmly into place and his gorgeous face took on the countenance of a dude who couldn’t care less. His eyes went a stony blank and quickly shifted from mine.

He could pretend all he liked, but I knew the real Dev. He was terrified and when he got that way he would fight because it was infinitely easier for him to yell than cry. What he didn’t seem to understand was that if he couldn’t cry, I would do it for him.

“You look like you’re down a couple of priestesses.” At one time they numbered six.