Steal the Moon

Chapter Five

I didn’t find my boys cuddled together on the couch in Dev’s office when I woke up the next morning. Daniel was safe in the interior room we used for visiting vampires and Dev was up and out before I woke up. The only person waiting to greet me after I showered and got ready was Zack. Though he was perfectly dressed, there was a puffiness to his eyes that let me know he hadn’t slept much the night before. I guessed Lisa had kept him up.

“Good morning, Zack.” For the first time in a long time, I felt a thrum of excitement at the coming day. I had some adrenaline pumping, and I was looking forward to needing it. I had a job—hunting down the aswang.

Zack grumbled something that may or may not have been a hello.

“Where’s Lee?” Zack might be a hard-ass, but Lee was the one who loved the hunt. If I could talk just one of them into going with me, I could get started. Lee was a much better bet than Zack. Lee was reasonable and didn’t have his head up Dev’s ass.

I’d stayed up late reading everything I could about the awful, baby-eating aswang and her familiar, the Tik-Tik bird. What I read hadn’t made me feel kindly toward my attackers. That freaking bird had been after my liver, damn it. I needed my liver.

I was certainly intrigued because I wasn’t their normal prey. Someone had sent that bad girl after me, and I was going to find out whom.

Zack yawned and shuffled through some papers. “Lee’s at the restaurant.”

“What restaurant?”

Zack handed me a single sheet of paper. It was my daily itinerary. Once Dev had taken over Daniel’s bid for the crown, we’d become extremely organized. Dev believed in efficiency when it came to running a royal household. “He’s at the restaurant where you’re meeting Kelly. Mr. Quinn says you need a new summer wardrobe. He doesn’t want you attending the Gathering in cutoffs and a tank top. He’s also banned flip-flops.”

I rolled my eyes. I was getting awfully tired of shopping and besides, I looked damn good in shorts and a tank top. What the hell was Dev expecting at this gathering? Wolf society isn’t as formal as vampire society. I was pretty sure most of the wolves would be wearing as little as possible, when they weren’t showing off the fur god gave them. “I need to reschedule that. I’ll call Kelly and move it to next week. We have a couple of errands I need to run, and I could really use that sniffer of yours.”

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.”

Declan threw back his head and laughed. It made me really wish I could punch him, but I didn’t trust someone to not call the cops. “My brother has never been monogamous in his life. It is against his nature. I would be quicker to believe he had ten women in his bed at once than he was faithful to one. Do not get me wrong. He has certainly kept women before, but while they might have served as his main lover, they were never alone. When he sent word to the sithein that he wanted the Goddess Chain, I had to come and see for myself what game he was playing. I see that you are the pawn. That thing you are wearing isn’t real and it means nothing. If you think it will help you gain some access into Fae society, I promise you it will not. Whatever arrangement he has made with you requires royal consent, and I will not be giving it.”

“It means something to me and it means something to Dev,” I said, my hand going to the medallion. “As for your consent, you can stick it, Declan.”

“I would prefer Your Highness.”

“And I have no desire to have anything to do with Fae society.” I’d had it up to here with the societies on this plane. I didn’t need to go looking for more.

Declan was quiet for a moment as he studied me with interested eyes. “Well, I must say, my brother always had good taste in women. I am afraid we share that. We grew up surrounded by fair, lithe women, so we perversely loved small, curved ones. You look like a fertility goddess, you know. I watched you last night and could not take my eyes off that body of yours. And that hair. We do not have that color in our world. I can certainly see where Devinshea would be amused with you for a while, but I assure you he is not faithful. If he is not screwing the vampire, then he is finding variety elsewhere.”

“You don’t know anything about us, Declan.” I pushed the chair back and rose. “I don’t care what you think. Dev is faithful, and it doesn’t matter if this chain is real or not. The feeling behind it is real. That’s all I need. Good-bye.”

His hand shot out and held me firmly. This was not a man used to having people walk out on him. “Not yet, I think. As I said, I sent your bodyguards away but mine are still here. Please sit, Mrs. Donovan. They will not allow you to leave and will only cause trouble for the humans in this place. I am afraid they care only for performing their duties and not a whit for who gets hurt in the process.”

I sat back, scanning the crowd. Declan chuckled. “You will not be able to see them,” he explained. “They are hidden, but I assure you I have a small army with me. I am a future king and never without my servants.”

“Why are you here?” I wanted to get away from him as soon as possible. I was going to go out to the farm myself and let Dev know his brother was in town.

The waiter showed up, and Declan dug into his prime rib. He liked it rare. I pushed my plate away. Declan shrugged, my appetite obviously none of his concern. “I told you, I wanted to see my brother’s chosen goddess. I wanted to see the female who tempted him from his obligations.”

I held my hands out. “Here I am, buddy. Now you can go home.”

Declan shook his head. “I find myself unwilling to do that. I miss my brother. I wish for him to return home. His fit of temper has lasted long enough. He will return to the sithein with me and resume his duties. His priestesses have missed him. They petition daily for his return, and I am, quite frankly, sick of dealing with his women.”

“Priestesses?” Dev was a priest, but it wasn’t like a Catholic priest. He performed fertility rites and sex magic. There was nothing celibate about Dev. I was pretty certain these priestesses wouldn’t be anything like nuns.

The faery prince seemed amused with my jealousy. “Yes, little human, he has six priestesses. He has six lovely Fae women dedicated to providing him with pleasure so he can perform his duties. Two of the women are even Unseelie. They have extra…bits Devinshea finds amusing. His magic must be practiced or it gets rusty. My brother is dedicated to his magic. He kept those women so satisfied they weep his loss, Mrs. Donovan.”

I was feeling mighty insecure now. This was a part of his life Dev had never spoken of to me, and Dev was open about his past sexual partners. I knew they included most of the phone book, but this was the first I’d heard about an actual harem. “He isn’t going to leave me.”

Declan stared at me, and I really hated the pity on his handsome face. “Zoey, why do you think it took so long for you to realize I was not your lover? I am excellent at mimicking my brother. I had years to practice. Why did I call you sweetheart and lover? How did I know to kiss your fingers and constantly have my hands somewhere on you? I knew because this is how he treats all of his mistresses. You might be very sweet, Zoey, and the fact that you are a companion was probably a challenge that Devinshea could not pass up. Only my brother could place himself between a vampire and his obsession. It is yet another thing to check off that list of his.”

Declan was rubbing an old wound raw. When Dev and I started dating, I worried this was his reason for being attracted to me. Dev even admitted a part of him enjoyed the forbidden nature of our liaison. What if that was still his chief interest in me? I wasn’t so secure that I hadn’t looked in the mirror and wondered just what the hell a man like Devinshea Quinn could see in me. I knew about his list. It was a constant joke between the two of us—all the places he wanted to have sex in so he could check it off his list. What if I was the butt of this particular joke? A companion is not a common thing. It would be just like Dev to want that checked off.

“I have hurt you.” Declan actually appeared a little apologetic about it. He sighed and leaned forward. “I did not mean to. I can see you have feelings for my brother. This is unfortunate. I can only apologize for my behavior. I believed you to be a fortune hunter. Though you are a companion, I understand a vampire master can be cruel. Perhaps you thought Devinshea would save you from your husband. Perhaps you believed life in a sithein would be preferable to serving the vampire. When my brother asked for the chain, I thought you had ensnared him in some way. I wondered if he had gotten you pregnant.”

“No.” I didn’t like the awful feeling welling up inside me. I really didn’t like the careful way Declan was treating me. I hated to be an object of pity. I preferred his bile.

“I understand, Zoey,” he said quietly, and I saw another side to the man who would be king. “If your heart has been engaged, then I am sorry. My brother always did this with his mistresses. He makes them dependent on him and then, inevitably, he loses interest. He is simply a romantic always looking for that one woman who will complete him. It is a foolish notion. If it helps, he is always most generous when he breaks off a relationship. He does not mean to hurt his women. They just cannot help but fall in love with him.” Declan stood now and pulled cash out of his wallet. “I apologize if I have caused you distress. I thought you were somewhat different from the other women my brother has kept in the past. I can see now that you are sweet and soft and more than likely submissive sexually. It is what he likes. I am sorry to have injured your feelings. Tell Devinshea I will be calling on him.”

He was looking at me like he’d kicked a puppy, and something inside me just broke. There’s nothing I hate more than being treated like I don’t have a brain in my head. I’m more than willing to use the male population’s belief that anything as curvy as me couldn’t possibly be dangerous, but this was too much. I was sick of every man in my life treating me like a pathetic little toy.

It had taken me six months, but I was back with a vengeance.

“Listen here, motherfucker,” I hissed between clenched teeth. Declan had the good sense to be taken aback. “I’m not submissive. Maybe sometimes it’s fun, but I assure you that I don’t submit on a regular basis. You want to get to know the woman your brother’s been screwing, then let’s get to know each other. We’ll need to head back to Ether. I have to accessorize.”

I walked straight up to him and took a fistful of silk shirt. I pulled him down and his eyes softened, his mouth opening slightly as though ready for a kiss. I stopped just short of his lips. “And, Your Highness, if you wish to survive the experience, I suggest you stay behind me.”

I let him go and walked out the door. I wasn’t surprised when he came running after me.