Steal the Moon (55 page)

“I will do more than whine,” Dev promised. He would. He hated pain. He would whine and pout and beg me to distract him. He would probably have some creative ways for me to take his mind off the agony. I remembered something from earlier and turned to Daniel about my snoring. It had gotten lost in all the blood and fighting, but it was something we needed to clear up.

“Water buffalo?” I asked, every bit of offended femininity in my accusation.

Daniel glared at Dev. “You bastard. You told.”

Dev shrugged. “That’s for ruining my wedding.”

John McKenzie made his way toward us and I braced myself, waiting for his vitriol. He’d wanted that power, too. He stared at me for a moment as he held a woman in his arms. His mate, I guessed. She was shivering and wearing only her husband’s shirt.

“You destroyed it,” he said, disbelief in his voice.

“Yes.” Had he believed I would keep it?

McKenzie’s brown eyes searched mine. “Why? You would have had everything you wanted. These wolves would have done your bidding without question, without a fight. Why would you throw it all away?”

“I don’t want to win that way. We can’t win that way,” I explained as I amended my statement, bringing my husbands in. “It wouldn’t be a win at all, John. It would just be exchanging one bad guy for another. We’re not the Council. Daniel won’t grind you under his boot. When he says he wants a fair system, he means it. No one should have that much power. Not you, not Daniel, and certainly not me.”

Lee pushed past McKenzie, his focus on one thing. He moved to me and when I thought he was going to hug me or something, he fell to his knees. I leaned down, worried he was still sick, but his eyes were on Daniel now.

“I told you when I found someone I believed in, I would make my oath,” Lee stated, his voice strong. His face was passionate and I knew he was filled with emotion and ready to pledge himself to the cause. I was going to miss having him to myself. “I’m ready now.”

I looked at Daniel, prepared for him to start the small ritual that would make Lee his servant. He stared back.

“He isn’t talking about me, Z.” Danny stepped forward and popped out his claws. He held my arm in his hand gently. “It’ll only hurt for a second.”

I shook my head, not quite understanding. “My blood doesn’t do anything. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“It does to him,” Daniel said quietly.

“I will follow you, Your Highness. I will be your faithful guard,” Lee promised. “Your fight is my fight. Your fate is my fate. And your blood is my bond.”

I nodded, not quite able to stop my eyes from welling with tears. Daniel drew his claw across my arm, drawing a thin line of blood. Lee took my arm in his hands and lowered his head to take the blood that was only a formality. It wouldn’t hold him to me. His own strong heart and loyalty would do that. Just before his mouth fastened on the small cut, his eyes stared up at me and my Lee was back.

“This doesn’t mean you can pet me,” he growled and took the blood that made him my wolf.

I laughed and promised to keep my hands off of him.

“You have your army, Donovan.” McKenzie held his hand out to shake Daniel’s and make the deal. “When you’re ready, we’ll fight. When you take your crown, we’ll be at the table to help you form this new government of yours.”

Lee moved to my side, and Daniel shook the alpha’s hand. I saw something in him release as those wolves started to look at him with respect.

“Can we go home now?” Neil asked with a tired smile.

I reached out and grabbed his hand. “Yes. It’s time to go home.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

“She looks perfect, Declan.” Dev slapped his brother’s hands away from my dress.

“Well, she had better,” Declan replied, looking uncertain. “Everyone is waiting to see her. All of Faery is waiting for your return.”

We stood in front of what my Fae husband assured me was the opening to his
sithein
. We were in Hill Country, deep in the rolling barrens of Texas. It wasn’t the place one would expect to find an entrance to a magical plane.

I felt odd and vulnerable in the traditional dress Declan insisted I wear. It was rich and sumptuous. It made my skin glow and offered up my breasts in a way that made Dev’s breath hitch when he stared at them. All of that would be fine if we were in our home playing some sexy game. But we were going to Declan’s kingdom, and I felt like I was walking into a gilded prison.

The two weeks we’d spent at home after leaving Colorado had been hectic and filled with excitement for everyone else. Even Daniel had been upbeat about this trip to Faery. It was the last little piece to his puzzle, and he was looking forward to tackling it.

After taking a thorough inventory of my shoes and discovering Tamara hadn’t gotten away with a single pair, I’d spent the time reading over the material Marini had given me. There wasn’t much to it. He wanted me to steal a jewel. The blood stone. He reminded me in a phone call that he could kill Daniel with the flip of a switch. We still had to solve that little problem. We could have the wolves and all of Faery behind us, but if Marini killed Daniel it didn’t mean a damn thing.

And then there was my small trouble.

I told myself it was too early to know if I was pregnant. I told myself I should just wait and nature would take its course. I couldn’t be having a child. I used birth control and then it was only the once when we hadn’t used backup. Surely that one slip wasn’t enough. I told myself any story to stem the tide of panic. The one thing I didn’t do was tell my husbands of my fear. I was hoping I never had to do that.

“Are you ready, my beautiful goddess?” Dev was so happy to be going home that I pushed all of my fears and worries down deep where he wouldn’t know them.

I simply smiled and said yes.

I glanced back at the long train of friends and servants behind us. This was a parade in honor of the newly ascended fertility god. All of Faery would welcome us. Devinshea and Declan would lead me in and behind us was Padric. Neil, Lee, and Zack came next, carrying that coffin between them where Daniel lay. I had kissed him as Dev closed the lid and promised to see him soon. Sarah and Felix walked behind the casket, leading the train of luggage we were bringing.

Dev took my hand and squeezed it encouragingly as the door to the
sithein
shimmered and faded. There, in the hill, was another world. I could see mountains in the distance and a palace of shimmering white. My mother-in-law waited there to greet us. It was stunning and the people lined the streets leading to the great city. A shout went up as the door opened.

Declan took my other hand and held it firmly. “It’s tradition,” he explained with a smile as I was caught. “I want everyone to know how much I care for my new sister. I want everyone to know how important she is.”

We moved forward and the twins helped me walk gracefully down the road as our train began moving into Faery. Dev’s face was alight with excitement as his people greeted him. Declan smiled as he nodded my way. I could practically feel his satisfaction.

I was in his world now.

I glanced back and saw the door that separated the worlds shimmer and close and wondered if I would ever see my home again.

Zoey, Daniel, and Dev will return in
Steal the Sun
, coming March 2014!

Author’s Note

I’m often asked by generous readers how they can help get the word out about a book they enjoyed. There are so many ways to help an author you like. Leave a review. If your e-reader allows you to lend a book to a friend, please share it. Go to Goodreads and connect with others. Recommend the books you love because stories are meant to be shared. Thank you so much for reading this book and for supporting all the authors you love!

Steal the Sun

Thieves, Book 4

By Lexi Blake

Coming March 18, 2014!

Click
here
to purchase.

Zoey thought she would never have to choose, but to save one husband, she will have to betray the other…

As Zoey Donovan-Quinn first sets foot in the faery homeland of her beloved Devinshea, life is perfect. Her enemy is defeated, her heart is full, and Neil and Sarah are at her side. Daniel and Dev are happy, so their visit to the
sithein
should be a pleasant honeymoon full of wonder and joy. Well, except for the part where Zoey needs to steal an ancient gem from the Queen of Faery in order to prevent Louis Marini from killing Daniel.

Reunited with her whole crew, stealing the magical artifact should be relatively easy, but unknown to Zoey, Dev, and Daniel, there are dark forces gathering against them. As her search for the Blood Stone gets underway, Zoey makes a startling discovery that will change her life, and Dev and Daniel’s forever.

When her new enemy finally strikes at Zoey from the shadows, her newfound happiness is shattered, and to avenge the horrific attack, Dev prepares his mother’s kingdom for war. Recovering from the attempt on her life, Zoey and Daniel desperately search for the stone and in the process unmask the real monster behind the assault.

Stopping the real threat, and saving Daniel, will force Zoey to choose sides in an epic war between the Seelie and Unseelie Fae, even if it means betraying Dev and his people.

* * * *

Dev nodded that we were ready to be announced and then we walked down a magnificent marble staircase. Twenty steps lead us into a huge ballroom that had been set for the royal banquet.

I held on firmly to both their arms because the last thing I needed was to tumble down the stairs and break a limb. I looked out over the crowd and realized Dev had been right. Everyone was hoping for a big scene. They were whispering behind their hands and gawking. They moved their attention between the three of us and the woman at the end of the hall.

I glanced up and got my first glimpse of my mother-in-law.

Miria, Queen of Faery, sat upon her throne before me. There was a raised platform with three chairs. Miria sat on the largest of the three in between two slightly smaller thrones. All three were carved from oak and elaborate in their design. Declan sat in one to her right, a look of aloof superiority on his face. I suspected the seat to her left was the one Dev used. There were several people standing around the queen and I suspected they were counselors and high nobles. Padric stood closest to the queen. It was fitting as he was both the head of security for the royal family and the queen’s lover.

Miria, Queen of Faery, was gloriously lovely. I was surprised to find she had long strawberry-blonde hair. I guessed the twins got their dark good looks from their father. Miria was very fair but by no means bland. Her face was delicately sculpted with high cheek bones and a lush mouth. Her eyes marked her as the twins’ relative. They were emerald green and sparkled with the same intelligence Dev had.

“Dude,” Daniel said as we approached the throne. “That’s your mom?”

I knew what he was thinking. She didn’t look old enough to be his mom, but that was the way it was with the Fae. They reached their prime and just stopped aging. Miria looked to be about twenty-five. Dev was twenty-seven now and would look older than his mother or brother had he not been taking Daniel’s blood regularly. Daniel’s blood stopped the aging process in humans when taken on a regular basis. I’d begun noticing that for Dev, it seemed to actually reverse aging a little. The fine lines around his eyes he got when he laughed had disappeared.

Miria tried to maintain her cool composure but the closer we got the more her eyes ate up the sight of her son. I saw her eyes get glossy with unshed tears, and she reached out to Declan. He patted his mother’s hand and for a moment looked less like a brat prince.

“Good evening, mother,” Dev said formally as we reached the throne. He bowed deeply.

I could see her son’s formal tone was not what the queen had been hoping for. “Devinshea, it is good to see you.”

Dev didn’t give her anything. He nodded but chose to introduce us rather than reply. “Mother, this is my goddess, Zoey. And this is my partner, Daniel Donovan. I assume Declan brought you up to speed on my living arrangements.”

That last was said coolly and with just a hint of challenge. He was just begging for his mother to say something disparaging about his lifestyle.

Miria was having none of that. She smiled broadly and stood, causing Declan to quickly get his butt up as well. She wore a lovely white gown and a crown that sparkled in the candlelight. “Yes, of course. Declan and Padric both spoke very highly of your wife and partner.”

Declan snorted at that. He didn’t like Danny. It probably had something to do with the fact that Daniel had kicked his ass the first time they met. “I certainly did not. I spoke very poorly of him.”

Miria ignored her elder son. She stepped off the platform and walked to us. She stood before me. “It is so good to meet you, daughter,” she said with what seemed like complete sincerity. She kissed my cheek and gave me a long look. She laughed brightly. “Well, Devinshea, you certainly brought a beauty home. You are lovely, dear.”