Steal the Moon

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Quinn,” Mitchell addressed Dev, “my fight is with the girl. We’ve been kicked out. My place as alpha has been challenged. McKenzie is sending in three strong candidates to replace me. I have to fight and kill all three if I want to keep my spot.”

“You won’t survive.” Dev looked around for anything that might help us.

“You think I don’t know that? That’s the point. They’re going to kill me, my son, and my second in command,” Mitchell spat. “McKenzie wants all of us out because of her. I’m going to kill her, Quinn. Walk away now and I’ll let you live. I don’t have a fight with you.”

“Walk away from my mate?” Dev laughed, using terms the wolves would understand. “That’s not going to happen and you know it.”

“It’s your funeral,” Mitchell replied.

“And how will McKenzie handle it when you kill me?” Dev asked suddenly, trying to keep the werewolf talking. “He’s going to know it’s you, Mitchell. No one else wants me dead. The rest of the wolves need me alive. McKenzie will hunt you down. For that matter so will my brother.”

Mitchell smiled, a pale imitation of joy. “You seem to think I got something to live for, Quinn. You don’t understand. The alphas are just a legal way to kill me. If I run, McKenzie will have me assassinated. He’s done with my family and all because we won’t have a queer in it. You should have stayed out of this.”

Mitchell changed. His wolf was a large black thing with powerful muscles and a set of razor-sharp teeth.

In my experience with wolves, they rarely just up and attack. They greatly prefer to elicit a maximum dose of fear from their victims. I’ve never had it confirmed, but I often suspected some wolves feed just a little from the raw emotion that courses through you when realizing that you’re about to be eaten alive. I would have used my speed dial—because this was one of those times I’d promised to give Lee a little call—but I was underdressed for the occasion. I was the dumbass who wore a short cotton robe and no shoes to a wolf fight. My cell phone, like Dev’s shiny, would-have-been-really-helpful gun, was sitting on the nightstand.

Unlike a regular, plain old doesn’t-turn-into-anything else wolf, the werewolf will split their targets. A normal wolf pack will choose the weakest target and all of the pack will attack, leaving a Darwinian shot for the stronger animal to flee. This would not be the case with us. If Dev or I tried to run to increase the chance of the other surviving, they would simply split up and run us down separately. I tried to remember just how far we had come into the woods. How far away were we from the tent and the range of Lee’s supersensitive ears?

“Stay behind me, Zoey,” Dev said quietly as the wolves growled.

“So they can eat me second?” I didn’t see how that was going to help.

I didn’t need to see his face to know he was rolling his eyes. “Yes, my sarcastic love. I want them to eat you second. Have a little faith.”

Dev hands were at his sides and now his fingers spread apart, splaying wide. I felt his skin get hot as his magic grew. The wolves reared back and as they attacked, vines shot out from the ground, thick shiny roots and glorious arms of green pulling at the wolves’ limbs, carrying them to the ground. The wolves struggled mightily, using their teeth and claws to chew at the ties that bound them.

Dev moved quickly. “Time to get up, sweetheart.”

He held his hands out to give me a boost up the nearest pine. I planted my foot in his interlaced palms, hurrying because I could hear the wolves struggling to break free. Dev used his strength to shove me up. My hands gripped the lowest branch and it almost felt like it was going to break under my weight. Miraculously, it held and I climbed up to the second, much more stable branch above it. I leaned down, reaching for Dev.

“Not going to happen, lover,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ve got a good seventy pounds on you.” He turned back to the wolves, two of whom had gotten free. “Stay where you are no matter what happens. Declan will look for us. Go with him, Zoey.”

“Dev,” I yelled as the first wolf pounced. I saw blood and just started screaming.

The black wolf was at Dev’s throat. He managed to kick up with his legs, pushing the wolf back. There was a deep scratch across his cheek and the wolf had taken a bite out of his arm. Blood began to well up. God, I couldn’t lose them both in one night.

Dev kicked his legs up and was suddenly on his feet again. He picked up a heavy branch that had fallen from one of the trees and wielded it like a baseball bat. The other wolf was kicking and biting his way free.

I screamed for Lee, praying he could hear me with those freaky sensitive ears of his. The wolves circled Dev now, and he didn’t dare throw down the only weapon he had. They would be on top of him before he could call anything else. I had one option.

Dev needed a diversion.

I looked at the forest floor below me. It was a good twelve feet away. I needed to hit the forest floor running as fast as I could. It was instinctive for a wolf to chase something that was running. It might give Dev a chance to try something else, and if it didn’t then we would both be dead anyway and he wouldn’t have a chance to yell at me. I leapt, but before I could reach the ground, two strong arms caught me. Daniel looked at me with a frown.

“Not on your life, baby,” he said before he shoved me back into the tree. “Stay there, Z.”

Dev brought the stick he held down on the yellow wolf’s head with a satisfying crack. The wolf howled but was back up and snarling as the black wolf was leaping onto Dev.

Daniel pulled the black wolf by the tail and swung its heavy frame through the air in a circle until it crunched against the trunk of a tree.

I heard the wolf’s spine break. Daniel let Mitchell Roberts drop as he changed forms, his human body hitting the ground. Daniel pulled the gray wolf off Dev, who had fallen down. The wolf tried to take Dev’s leg with him but Daniel reached down, putting a hand on the top and bottom of the wolf’s jaw and just pulling.

It didn’t take much before the jaw split and the wolf whimpered. Daniel, now with a nice coating of blood, had his fangs out. He pulled the injured wolf up and twisted his slack-jawed head around until it broke and the wolf fell silent.

Dev sat up and pulled himself out of the line of fire as Daniel turned to the last wolf standing.

The wolf whinnied and backed away, realizing it was facing a bigger, badder predator. He tried to avert his eyes, to give Daniel his submission. I could have told him that was never going to save him. He’d tried to kill me, and Daniel wasn’t going to accept an apology.

Daniel can call wolves. It was a talent he used rarely, but he now called on it to force Wyatt Roberts to change. Daniel held out his hand and his magic spoke to Wyatt’s power. Unwilling, Wyatt fought the change, and the pain was apparent from the way he screamed.

Daniel showed no mercy.

I dropped out of the tree, perfectly safe now that Daniel had made sure none of the wolves could move of their own volition, and I made my way to Dev. I grimaced at his wounds as Daniel and Wyatt fought to gain control of Wyatt’s body. There was no doubt in my mind about the outcome, so I focused on Dev. His leg was the worst. It was bloody, and I could see a chunk of flesh had been torn out. I ran my fingers through his hair and kissed his forehead. He sat there, completely exhausted, but watching the scene before him with rapt intensity.

Daniel had come for us. Dev’s fingers threaded through mine. There was still hope.

Wyatt was finally in human form, and his whole body shook, terror on his face.

“It was my father’s idea,” Wyatt said, practically pleading.

“Was it your father’s idea to try to kill my wife?” Daniel asked. It was his beast talking. His eyes were glowing a sapphire blue, and he pinned Wyatt with his will. The wolf tried to run but found his feet wouldn’t move. This was vampire persuasion at its finest. “You will tell me the truth. What would you have done with my wife had you caught her?”

“I would have raped her.” Forced by Daniel’s persuasion, Wyatt’s mouth spoke the truth. “I would have raped her and gutted her with my claws. I would have bathed in her blood.”

Daniel crossed the space between himself and Wyatt in one of those quicker-than-my-eye-can-see moves. One moment Wyatt was standing and the next he crumpled like a broken doll, but not before I saw a gap open in his chest and blood bloom across his white skin. Daniel turned back, and I saw a heart in his hands.

Daniel crossed the ground to where Mitchell Roberts was lying, his spine shattered and unable to move.

Daniel dropped the heart in front of him and knelt beside the man. “Your line dies now. The only one left to carry your name is the only one you denied. He won’t weep for you.”

“Kill me, Donovan.” Mitchell could barely speak.

Dev forced himself up.

“What are you doing?” I asked, scrambling to help him stand.

Daniel pulled a wicked knife out of his boot, offering it to Dev. I stilled my surprise. It went against Daniel’s nature to offer Dev a piece of his kill when it came to revenge. Daniel was a killer, but a quick, efficient one for the most part. He was only brutal when those he cared about were threatened, and then he acted ruthlessly and always in a singular fashion. Offering Dev that knife was a sign of respect. It said Dev had as much to lose as Daniel. Daniel was acknowledging Dev had the right to defend me. “Would you like the honors? You suffered more.”

“He’s hurt,” I objected because a good portion of his calf was missing and I didn’t care who killed Mitchell Roberts as long as he was dead.

Dev ignored me and took the knife. He went to his knees in front of Wyatt and held the knife over his head.

“Take the heart,” Daniel said, directing Dev. “It’s tradition.”

I watched as Dev brought the knife down and ended Mitchell Roberts’s life. He carved up the chest with brute strength, and his hands were covered in blood by the time it was over.

“I don’t have to eat it or anything?” Dev asked, and I could tell he really was interested in the answer.

“I wouldn’t advise it.” Daniel walked toward me, and I thought he was going to go to the pond behind us.

Daniel always tried to hide that savage part of himself. He would wash off the blood and change his clothes and pretend he hadn’t ripped someone’s heart out. He would walk back to me and tell me he didn’t love me and order me into a sithein for my own protection. I waited for him to walk past me like I didn’t matter.

Covered in blood, fangs out and eyes gone to blue, Daniel walked up and went to his knees before me. Shaking, he put his arms around my waist and pulled me to him. Daniel buried his head in the valley of my chest and listened to my heart beat.

If I backed up for even an instant, I knew I would lose him. He was offering me all of himself—Daniel, the good, the bad, and the beast within.

If I hesitated, he would walk away and never open himself to me again. He would go to this Tamara person, and he would love me from afar because he wouldn’t feel worthy.

There wasn’t even a tiny piece of me that hesitated. I threw my arms around him, holding him close. I didn’t care that he was covered in blood or that his fangs grazed my skin. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him to me like he would disappear if I didn’t. He held me tight but finally his head turned toward me and I leaned down and kissed him, tasting blood and feeling fangs. I kissed him with all the love I had.

“I don’t blame you for Joel, Zoey,” he said quietly. “He was twenty-three years old and I talked him into following me. He should have been in grad school, drinking beer and trying to figure out how to spend the rest of his life. I killed him, Z. I did it.”

“Danny, you didn’t mean for him to die,” I replied, aching with his pain. “This is war and people are going to die. All we can do is fight and try to make their deaths mean something.”

“I tried that line of reasoning on him,” Dev said tiredly.

“What if I get you killed, Z?” Daniel asked, stating finally which fear was pressing him now.

I looked down at him and sighed. “Daniel, you either love me enough to take that risk or you don’t. I’m going to die someday. I can take your blood every day and I’ll still die on you. Are you willing to throw away the hundred and fifty years we could have together because one day it’s going to end? If you are then walk away now, baby. If you love me, be brave enough to risk losing me.”

“I’m not going to hide myself anymore,” Daniel said. “I’m tired of it and I think that it’s more for me than it is for you. Can you love me, Zoey? Can you be with me as I am now?”

“I don’t want you any other way,” I said fiercely, meaning it. I wouldn’t change him.

“I’m sorry, Z,” Daniel said. “Please forgive me. I was being a coward. I won’t do it again. I promise.”

I kissed him soundly in reply.

Daniel got to his feet and his face was back to normal. He walked to Dev and gave him a hand up. “Dev, I promise I won’t try to leave again. I’m sorry.” He was even more hesitant with Dev than he’d been with me.

“See that you don’t.” Dev limped over to my other side.

“Daniel,” I said, my voice going hard. “I want that woman out of my house.”

Daniel nodded, and now he was the one avoiding eye contact with me. “She’ll be gone in the morning. You should know I would never have really performed the ritual with her. She was for Joel. I won’t…would never take another companion. I meant to send you to the sithein and never let Marini know you weren’t with me.” He looked at Dev. His mouth was a flat line. “You’ll tell Marcus he can take his offer and go to hell.”

Dev shrugged. “It will be like it never happened.”

Relief flooded me, but now I was worried about something else. “I really expected Lee to show up. I thought he would be able to hear me.”

Daniel suddenly seemed deeply interested in his feet. His head moved in that “little boy caught with his hands in the cookie jar” fashion. “We kinda got into a fight after you left. I’m sure he’ll wake up soon.”

“You beat up my bodyguard?”

“Well, he was acting like he was your dad or something. He was bossing me around and telling me what to do. Dev, sit your ass down so I can fix your leg,” Daniel said. Dev sat down and pulled the fabric of his pants apart, giving Danny access to the complete horror that was his leg. “He was worse than your dad, actually. He called me all kinds of names and threatened to stake me if I didn’t follow his advice.”

“What did he tell you to do?” I asked, wondering what Lee considered love advice.

Daniel bit a chunk out of his wrist and spat it on the ground. He wasn’t discreet. He wasn’t gentle. He was seemingly making good on the promise of not hiding anymore. “He told me I should go find you and get down on my hands and knees and beg your forgiveness.”

Daniel dripped the blood over Dev’s leg, and my faery prince sighed as the pain receded.

“Which you did,” I pointed out.

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled. Once he wakes up,” Daniel shot back, satisfied Dev’s leg was healing. “Flex your foot. It’ll be fine. You need more to heal your back and that face of yours. Zoey will cry if you have a scar.”

“Maybe she’ll think I’m tough,” Dev offered.

I shook my head. Dev didn’t need scars to prove his manhood. “No, I won’t. Fix his face.”

“We’ll need to go back to the tent,” Dev replied. “We don’t have a cup here.” When Dev took Daniel’s blood, it was passed to him in a cup or a thermos.

Daniel took a deep breath and came to a decision. “That’s not how I prefer it, Devinshea. I would prefer you took it from me, unless you find that distasteful.”

Dev went still and just for a moment, there was a weirdly vibrant tension that went through my men. “I find very little distasteful, Dan, and you know that.”

Daniel sat behind Dev and offered him his wrist. Dev put his mouth to it and took that precious blood. Danny’s eyes closed. It’s pleasurable for a vampire to share blood. It was a big step forward. I watched my boys and couldn’t help but think it was really kind of hot. Neil would love this. It would feed his fantasies for a month. I was having a few fantasies of my own.

“Zoey?” Daniel asked, his blue eyes lit with mischief. I could never hide when I was turned on from him. “Don’t get that in your head, baby.”

Dev released Daniel’s wrist, having drunk his fill. He looked between the two of us, figuring out what Daniel was talking about. “Not going to happen, Zoey.”

I shrugged. We had a hundred and fifty years or so. Lots could happen especially now that Daniel wasn’t going to hide anymore. I was willing to wait. “Fine. Can we go back to the camp now? I need to get cleaned up.”

“No,” Daniel said firmly. “We have a meeting with McKenzie.”

“Daniel, I’m half naked, more than half, actually.” I didn’t want to walk around the forest covered in blood. It was usually a bad idea.

Daniel strode to me and picked me up, cradling me in his arms. “We’re closer to the big house than the tent. Dev, can you follow? Is your leg fine?”

Dev took a couple of tentative steps. “More than fine.”

Daniel nodded and began to stride through the woods. “You’re coming with me to the meeting. You look sweet and vulnerable. Any alpha male worth his salt will look at you and be outraged at the thought of someone trying to hurt something so soft and pretty.”

Dev smiled, a savage light in his eyes. “Yes, it will put McKenzie in a bad position. His wolves attacked the ones trying to help him. He can’t take the high moral ground. We’ll walk into the meeting with the advantage.”

“That was my thought,” Daniel affirmed.

“Excellent play, Your Highness.” Dev tipped his head as the big house came into view.

“I learned from the best,” Daniel returned.

“Your Grace?” A voice called out. “Is that you?” John McKenzie stepped out onto his huge wraparound porch, a fierce frown on his face.

Daniel strode forward. “Yes, His Grace is here, though he’s alive no thanks to your wolves. My wife nearly died as well. Can I trust you enough that we can clean up here before we leave?”

I kept my mouth shut because Daniel obviously had a plan.

“Leave?” McKenzie shook his head. “The ritual is tomorrow. We have the meeting tonight.” He gasped a little as Daniel stepped up and he caught his first real sight of me. “What the hell? Zack called and said there might be trouble. What happened?”

“Your wolves happened. And there will be no ritual tomorrow.”

McKenzie’s face hardened. “I think His Grace might have something to say about that.”

Dev inclined his head toward Daniel. “His Grace defers to his partner, His Highness. I follow my king and my partner in all things. We’ve allowed you to think that I’m an equal partner in our endeavors, but the truth is I serve at the leisure of my king and queen, as all royal advisors do.”

Daniel let me settle on the floor, still holding me close but reaching out to Dev, pulling him into our circle. “You’re more than my advisor. You’re my partner, Dev.”

“I am content to allow you to make the decisions, Daniel.” Dev practically radiated peace and serenity. “So long as they are the right ones.”

Daniel chuckled ruefully, his arms tightening around us. He was back to serious when he looked to McKenzie. “I will not allow my precious blood to be harmed. We’ll leave in the morning.”

McKenzie’s hands immediately came up. “Your Highness, I’ll find out what happened.”

It was the first time he used Daniel’s title with what sounded like respect.

“Mitchell Roberts and his betas happened,” Daniel replied.

McKenzie cursed under his breath. “Just come inside, Your Highness. You’ll be safe here. I assume you killed Roberts.”

“And his son and beta.”

The alpha nodded, walking to his door. “I should have killed them myself. Please, Your Highness. Come inside and clean up. Let’s talk. I’m ready to listen.”

Daniel finally relented. Everything had gone exactly as he’d hoped.

McKenzie showed us to the guest suite and promised that we were safe here and a meal would be ready for us when we were finished cleaning up.

The minute the door was closed, Dev sent a satisfied smile Daniel’s way. “That went well.”

Daniel’s hands were in fists at his sides, but his voice remained steady. “Yes, it did. Go and clean up. We need to move fast. The alphas will be here soon.”

Dev pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it aside. “Come on, Zoey. We can shower together.”

Daniel’s arm went around my waist. “Not tonight, Dev. Tomorrow, she’s yours. Tonight, I’ll take care of her.”

With a short nod, Dev disappeared into the bathroom. The moment he heard the shower come on, Daniel pulled the robe off my shoulders.

“Can you forgive me, Z?” He shifted me around and his fangs were out. “Really forgive me? You have to know I wouldn’t have touched her. I will never touch another woman. All of my life, past and future, is for you. You only.”

“I forgive you. Always.” Even when I’d worried he was going to leave me, I couldn’t leave him. “We’re your family, Danny. We won’t leave you. We want to face all of this together.”

Daniel sank to his knees in front of me. His hands went to my breasts, and I was pretty sure I was about to get slammed on the bed, but instead he leaned forward and I shivered a little as he licked a long path along my breasts. I couldn’t help it. I tried to move away. I had blood all over me.

Daniel held me firmly, his eyes still glowing.

“Don’t move, Z,” he commanded in a low growl. His beast was close to the surface, but he wasn’t fighting it. “I’m not going to hurt you. The blood’s still good and it tastes like your skin now. It tastes really fucking good.”

He dragged his tongue across my chest with a sensual groan.

“Okay.” I’d promised him I could handle the vampire stuff. I stopped moving and let him surround me, holding me in place while he seemed to devour me.

He gripped my ass as he started licking a path down my torso. “You want a vampire? I can give you one, baby. I sent Dev away because he’s covered in his own blood and I really like his blood, Z. I really wanted to lick that off, too.”

It was an admission he would never have made before tonight, though I knew it. I’d watched him feed from Dev and while he held himself back, I saw the way he closed his eyes and savored the blood. Daniel was a vampire. What had he expected? He was going to be a connoisseur. He generally preferred female blood, but faery blood was different. It was unique, and I had a feeling Daniel wasn’t going to hold back in his appreciation any more. I looked forward to his next session. Daniel was going to prove to be every bit the hedonist Dev was. I seemed to attract them.

Daniel continued his long slow cleansing of my flesh and I gave over to my vampire.