A deep voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Daniel, it's good to see you."

I looked over to see it was the man Daniel had pointed out earlier. Niko, the Greek Council member, shook Daniel's hand. He was shorter than my husband but looked strong, his hair a tawny blonde and his eyes almost golden.

He turned toward me, zeroing in on my neck before meeting my eyes. "Mrs. Donovan, I presume."

I did not merit a handshake but received a polite half bow, a gesture from another era.

Daniel's hand tangled in mine as though he wanted to be able to pull me back at any moment. "This is my wife, Zoey Donovan. Zoey, please meet Niko Rallis, honored member of our Council."

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to curtsy or something. Daniel had never had me presented to society, so I was ignorant. It didn't seem to bother Niko, who took my hand and flipped it over to lay a very short kiss on my wrist. Marcus had done the same thing once, and now I figured it was the vampire equivalent of kissing a lady's hand.

"She is stunning." He looked at me but his words were for Daniel. I felt like a piece of art. I was there to be admired, but no one would take me seriously. "No wonder you chose to keep her to yourself until your reputation was secure. You would have fought many a duel over rights to one such as this. I might have been willing to give up my Lauren for her. I don't suppose you would consider a trade?"

Daniel's fangs were suddenly very large, and I was yanked back into his arms. "I would not consider it."

Niko smiled and took a step back. He treated Daniel like a tiger whose tail he'd inadvertently tugged on. "Understood. I apologize. You understand that sometimes deals are made at events such as this."

Daniel stared the older vampire down. "I understand that some vampires will allow themselves to be bullied into giving up what is theirs. I'm not that man, Niko. If I was, I wouldn't be any good to the Council, would I? She is mine and will remain mine."

There was a deep laugh from behind me, and I turned to see Daniel's patron, Marcus Vorenus, walking up with a smirk on his face. The Italian was impeccably dressed in a sport coat, slacks, and silk shirt. "Niko has fallen into your trap, bellissimo ragazza. I warn you now, Niko, Daniel does not take well to such offers. I should know."

"Did he just try to buy me?" I asked, finally catching up. I was getting really tired of people trying to buy me. Earlier this year, Daniel had sold me to Dev for two million, though Daniel had eventually given the money back. Marcus's lips curved in a secretive smile. "Yes, Zoey, he did indeed, and you should hope his companion never finds out for she will be very jealous. She is not known for her kindness. Now, Daniel, I believe Niko would like to speak with you about your presentation. Please allow me to escort your companion around while you take care of business."

I wasn't particularly happy about being separated from Daniel, but he indicated that it was fine. Marcus wasted no time hauling me away. He offered me his arm and I had no choice but to take it.

"You are lovely tonight, Zoey," Marcus stated as he led me through the crowd.

If I looked nice it was probably because I hadn't picked out my own clothes or done my own hair or makeup. After Roman had led us to our ridiculous suite, I had spent several minutes just gawking. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a hot tub that overlooked the entire strip. The bathroom in the master had a huge garden tub and a ridiculously decadent mirror covered the ceiling in the bedroom. I didn't have to ask if Nevada wasn't already crossed off my boyfriend's bucket list.

After I'd managed to close my mouth, I was introduced to someone named Kelly, who lamented the roundness of my curves and hoped she'd brought something to make me look taller. Kelly was a stylist. She'd dressed me in a turquoise c.o.c.ktail dress that showed more of my chest than I normally would, but the girls looked good. As I glanced around the room, I realized I stood out in the crowd for an entirely different reason. These people seriously liked black.

"I think I might have gone with a darker color," I muttered as people turned to stare at me.

"Not at all," Marcus argued. "You're different, Zoey. Even among the companions, you're rare."

"And why is that?" I really wanted to know. The women all around me were stunning. They were model-quality beautiful. Like Kelly said, I was short and probably too curvy. I couldn't really see the attraction when compared to the others.

"How do I describe it to you? You can't see it yourself, of course. A companion has a certain glow to a vampire. It's how we identify them. Most of the time this glow is subtle. Sometimes it is quite lively."

"So I'm lively?"

Marcus stopped, his eyes taking on a serious look. "You are like the sun, Zoey. Everyone else here is a pale reflection of the way you shine. Every vampire here knows that if he could taste you, your blood would be the sweetest he had ever known. If your Daniel had not been the man he is now, he would have been forced to fight for you or make a deal to sell you. Daniel chose not to present you to our society because he didn't want to put you through that particular ritual. It was a good choice. Now they're too afraid of him to make a real play for you. So relax. They will look, but I a.s.sure you they will not touch."

"Good to know." I wished I was back up in my nice big suite ordering room service and watching pay-per-view with Neil. "So where's the buffet?" I asked because Dev had taken up the time I would have spent eating dinner with his s.e.xy debrief.

Marcus raised his eyebrows. "In vampire society, there is no buffet, Zoey. Companions do not eat food around their masters. Mi scusi, you prefer the term husband. It's not the same for all, of course, but for most vampires, human dining practices are considered vile and something to be hidden. Most of the vampires in this room would be cla.s.sified as warriors. This is a cla.s.s that is not known for its tolerance. Companions eat, of course, but they try to make sure their husbands do not notice."

No wonder they all looked vaguely underfed. I was starting to realize what Daniel had been telling me all along. We were weird. We didn't work the way other marriages worked. Daniel still took his a.s.s to the takeout line when I wanted Mongolian beef. He still sat beside me while we watched TV or played games and pa.s.sed me the ketchup for my fries. He might not be able to eat, but he wasn't about to deny me the pleasure. For my birthday he'd gotten me a gorgeous red velvet cake.

"Cla.s.s?" I'd never heard the term before.

Marcus nodded. "I always forget you were not taught as you should have been. Yes, there are cla.s.ses of vampires. Most are known as warriors. They're physically the strongest, but tend to be very rigid in dealing with humans, even companions."

"And you?" Somehow I couldn't see Marcus as a warrior. He was too urbane, too smooth.

He smiled. When he smiled, he really could light up a room. "I'm not a warrior, Zoey. I'm something else. I would feed you and coddle you and enjoy every moment. I would make sure you had the finest cuisine and cuddle you as I fed you from my hand. My companions have always been precious to me." He shook his head, sighing a bit. "But that would be frowned upon here."

"Fine, so no mini corndogs," I lamented. "Please tell me companions are allowed to drink."

"Of course," Marcus replied. "We aren't barbarians."

"Good to know."

He led me to the very decadent-looking bar.

"You, servant," Marcus said flatly, and the bartender turned. He was obviously a were of some type, and he really didn't like the duty he had pulled. He was biting his tongue as he looked at the vampire. "Give the lady what she desires."

I smiled brightly at the bartender, trying to soften his very understandable att.i.tude toward me. I looked down at his name tag. He was a handsome young man, probably twenty-two or so. "h.e.l.lo, Zack. What are you really good at making?"

I got a smile out of young Zack. "I make a mean martini."

I clutched my heart. "Zack, I love you. Two olives, please. Hit me, man."

Zack chuckled and grabbed a bottle of Ciroc and a shaker.

"He does make a mean martini," a soft voice to my left said.

I looked to the side and saw a beautiful woman with brown hair and luminous dark eyes. She was wearing a female approximation of a tux, sans jacket. It fit her tall figure perfectly. She tipped her c.o.c.ktail gla.s.s in salute to the bartender, who seemed much more at ease now.

"Kimberly," Marcus addressed the woman.

"Marcus," she replied. "Please tell me this is Mrs. Donovan. I've been so excited to meet the woman who can handle that hunk of vampire. He is absolutely the scariest, hottest piece of vampire a.s.s I have ever seen."

If I'd had a drink, I would have spit it out in surprise. This was not the way I expected these beautiful women to act. Instead, I simply stated the obvious. "You think he's hot now, you should see him naked."

Kimberly smiled. "If only it worked that way. Hi, I'm Kim Jacobs. You must be Zoey Donovan."

She held out her hand. I shook it, grateful someone looked at me like I wasn't a cupcake.

Marcus leaned against the bar, looking at the two of us indulgently. "Would it do any good to point out Mrs. Jacobs is a horrible influence? What am I saying? I should be telling Kimberly that you will be the wretched influence. Tell me, Zoey, how many weapons are you wearing under that lovely confection tonight?"

Kimberly's eyes widened, and I took the hint that most companions didn't come fully equipped with an armory.

I took my martini from Zack, who was definitely interested in me now, and widened my eyes to their most innocent, innocuous gaze. "Marcus, this is a place of peace. Why would I bring a weapon here?"

"Because you are Zoey Donovan," he replied with a grin. "The last time I saw you, I recall the promise to stake me if I got out of line."

I would never wear a weapon into Ether. Dev would kick my a.s.s, and I trusted the staff to take care of me. This staff had no idea who I was, and I was surrounded by vamps. I was merely wearing a small pistol and a nice long silver knife. The knife had been at Daniel's insistence. He'd handed it to me earlier in the evening, treating it with almost reverence. It was the traditional weapon of the Nex Apparatus. It ran almost the full length of my upper leg, so one could also call it a sword. Both weapons were in thigh straps that my stylist had bemoaned the use of.

"I promise I am stake free." I would never bother to carry a stake. They were far too easy to find in the field.

Kim stared at me, a surprised look in her eyes. "You threatened to stake Marcus?"

"He p.i.s.sed me off. So did some dude named Ivan and like five other fangs. It was a rough night."

"Sounds like it. I've heard a couple of rumors about you. I hope you don't think me impolite, but I have to ask. Is it true you're a criminal?" Kim leaned in, waiting for my answer.

"I prefer to think of myself as a liberator of enslaved objects. If I make a profit off of it, then everybody wins." Except the mark, of course, but that went without saying.

"That is so cool." Kim asked Zack for another drink. "I wish I could do something like that. I was a fourth grade teacher when I was kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder. Did that come off as bitter? I meant it that way."

"Now, Kimberly, someone would think you are not content," Marcus commented.

Kim smiled mysteriously. "Well, I was lucky. Henri's not so bad. But the other companions are boring sheep, so don't be surprised I'm excited by the possibility of having someone cool to talk to."

"So what are we supposed to do at something like this?" From what I could see, the men were either talking business or staring at strippers, and the women were busy viewing each other with a sort of controlled hostility.

"I believe you are supposed to look beautiful and remain silent, but you aren't going to do that, are you?" Marcus seemed excited at the prospect of me behaving badly. It made me wonder what type of women Marcus usually hung out with.

I opened my clutch and pulled out one of the ten hundred dollar bills Dev had made sure I had. I flashed it at Zack. "Hey, can you break that into fives for me?"

"Normally no, but I will certainly do it for you," Zack replied and was handing over a bundle of fresh cash.

I looked at Kim with a gleam in my eye. "Want to go stuff fives in a stripper's G-string?"

"Do you think we could get a lap dance?" She started looking around the room.

"I bet Marcus here could arrange that for us," I said in my most flirtatious voice.

Marcus took a deep breath and held a hand out to let us lead the way. "Ladies, I a.s.sure you, if I was capable of having a heart attack, I would."

As almost all female patrons are in a strip club, Kim and I were a big hit with the strippers. I also think it helped that we were the only non-vampires offering up cash. Kim and I were halfway through our first round of fives when the music was turned off suddenly, and all eyes turned toward the stage. Roman walked out, a microphone in his hand.

"Gentlemen, welcome to Descent," Roman said, his voice a flat monotone. "I have been instructed that there will be an offering this evening, followed by a formal presentation."

I heard Kim's sharp intake of breath. Her skin drained of color as a fine tremble began.

"Ladies, let's find your husbands." Marcus drew me from my seat, his hand cupping my elbow, pulling me away from the stage.

All around me there was a sudden buzz in the air.

"What does that mean?" I'd never heard the terms before. Niko had mentioned he wanted to talk about Daniel's presentation. Was something happening with Danny?

Marcus didn't have to lead me far. Daniel was at my side very quickly, grabbing my hand.

"It means that a new companion has been discovered, and she'll be offered for auction tonight," Daniel explained, his face scanning the crowd as if looking for something to go wrong. "It's time for you to head back up to the suite. I'll have Neil meet you at the elevator. I have to stay in case there's trouble."

Marcus laid a hand on Daniel's arm. "She should see, Daniel. This is her world now. The position you wish her to have is not one for the weak or faint of heart. She is neither." Marcus turned to me. "Zoey, the girl will be brought in and auctioned to the highest bidder. There will be a formal presentation. It is a public showing. There is nothing you can do to help this woman. The only thing you can do is cause a great deal of trouble for your husband. Can you watch and not act?"

I nodded, my heart in my throat. I did need to see it. I needed to understand why we were going to fight. I looked at Kim. Her fun was done for the night. "Did you go through this?"

"Yes." Her eyes trailed toward the stage.

Suddenly there was a blond-haired vampire pulling at Kim's hand. He was only as tall as Kim and while attractive, it was in a bland sort of way. There was no mistaking his anxiety for his wife.

"Let's go, Kim," he said as he tugged her out of her chair. His accent was German or Dutch, perhaps.

He looked around and realized who he was standing next to. He took a huge step back from Daniel but placed himself squarely in front of his wife. "Mr. Donovan, if she has done something to displease you, I would appreciate it if you dealt with me."

Daniel looked down at the smaller man with an annoyed expression. "What the h.e.l.l are you talking about, Henri?"

"He isn't upset with Kim," Marcus said. "I told you he isn't someone to be afraid of."

"I was making friends with his wife, Henri." Kim's eyes kept straying to the stage.

Henri stared at me for a moment, but then he shook his head at his wife. "Jesus, Kim, when you look for trouble you find it. No offense, sir."

Daniel flashed the vampire a genuine smile, and it seemed to startle Henri. "None taken, Henri. She is trouble. But I would appreciate it if you would allow your wife to visit mine. Zoey doesn't know anyone here. She could use a friend."

Henri looked to Marcus, who nodded, and the blond vampire seemed to relax a bit. "Of course. Perhaps they could have lunch, but I'll take her to our room now. She doesn't need to see this."

Henri and Kim were gone in a second, disappearing into the crowd. All around us other guests moved in to get close to the stage.

Daniel leaned toward his patron. "Are you going to bid? You could use a companion. You need to be as strong as possible."

Marcus didn't take his eyes off the stage. "No. We need to reserve our cash for later. This will get very expensive. It's been a while since a new companion was discovered."

"It won't touch your wealth. You're not the strongest vampire in the first place. Companion blood would make you strong for the fight."

"I said no, Daniel," Marcus returned sharply. "Trust me, this is the right course."

"Fine." Daniel glared at his patron. "We'll do as you wish, but make sure that is your reason, Marcus, and not because you're pining over something you can't have."

I would have asked Daniel what that meant, but a vampire in formal wear took the stage. The auction was about to begin.

Chapter Nineteen.

Roman and the staff disappeared, moving like smoke through the room until only the vampires and companions were left. This was a private ritual and no one outside the vampire world was welcome.

We weren't bidding, so we ended up toward the back of the crowd. Daniel slipped his arm around my waist, pulling me against him. Marcus took up a position on the other side, and we were given a wide berth even as the crowd began to move toward the stage. The women stayed in the background, though very few of them were left. Most of the companions who stayed behind took up seats near the bar, continuing their drinking and soft talk. I was the single female in a sea of eager males, but I was forgotten in the rush to get a look at the fresh meat.