Steal the Moon Read Free Page A

At least he was alive. “How did he seem?”
    Jane frowned. “He seemed weak. It’s surprising because staying in his animal form for that long should have made his wolf incredibly strong. It makes it harder when you’re in human form, but his wolf should be solid. Do you have any idea why he was weak? He was thin despite the fact there was ample game in those woods.”
    I had a theory, but I suspected Jane wouldn’t like it. “Do you know who my husband is?”
    Jane nodded, but her expression was blank as though she didn’t want to give away her real opinions on the subject. Daniel was a controversial figure even in the vampire world. Jane was a wolf, and wolves rarely trusted vampires. What I was about to tell her wouldn’t make that trust any easier. “I know who Daniel Donovan is. Everyone in our world is aware of him. Your faery made sure of that.”
    The last bit was said with a hint of salacious question. Lots of people were interested in our living arrangements. I had learned to ignore it. “Neil was Daniel’s servant.”
    Her eyes tensed slightly. “So it’s true. Donovan can call wolves.”
    There was no point in lying about it. Daniel didn’t. “Yes, he can. Neil took a blood oath to serve my husband several years ago. When he made the oath, Daniel’s control of this particular power was nominal. Since then he’s grown and his power grew with him. When Neil attempted to break his oath, Daniel was able to control him physically.”
    Jane shuddered. “I’ve heard of this power, but it’s been many generations since a vampire’s shown mastery of it. You have to understand how this will affect my people’s view of him. They’ll fear him.”
    Making inroads with the werewolves had proven difficult despite the fact that he couldn’t control a wolf without the wolf making a blood oath to him. It almost would have been easier if his animal to call had been the panther or the tiger. For sheer numbers, the wolf reigned supreme. “That’s neither here nor there. Our problem is Neil. Neil was justifiably upset by the turn of events. He felt betrayed by Daniel. In my husband’s defense, we were going into an incredibly dangerous situation and Neil was our only backup.”
    “I’m not judging anyone, Zoey,” Jane said. “I’m just trying to do my job, and I don’t see how any of this makes him weak.”
    “Part of the oath is an exchange of blood. Neil took Daniel’s blood once a week. It made him unnaturally strong. Without the blood, he would become weak, possibly weaker than he was before.” I knew how addictive Daniel’s blood could be.
    “None of us knew Neil before he made his arrangement with Daniel,” Sarah said quietly. “We don’t know what he was like before. All I know is how freaking strong he was with the blood. He could control the change down to a single finger, and he wouldn’t break a sweat.”
    The blonde wolf tapped a finger against the table. “I can see where that kind of power would be tempting. It certainly seems to have tempted Zack over there. Tell me, Mrs. Donovan, does it make you stronger?”
    I smiled wryly because I wasn’t about to let that phase me. I was married to a vampire. What did she expect? “It tends to make me heal, and after some of the damage I’ve taken, I appreciate that. Look, I understand you might not like my husband. Perhaps you don’t approve of my lifestyle. It doesn’t matter. I just want to find my friend. If you can’t do that for me, please let me know so I can find someone who can.”
    The private investigator studied me carefully. “Do you really care for Neil?”
    That was the easiest question she’d asked. “I love him very much.”
    “So this isn’t about revenge,” Jane said as though she had suspected all the while it might be.
    I laughed long and hard at that thought. “No. I don’t want revenge. I want to find my friend. I want to let him know I still love him with my whole heart. I want him to come