Steal the Sun Read Free Page B

situation was serious, but he also wouldn’t let anyone he didn’t know get too close to me.
    “Trouble?” Lee asked, yawning.
    “I’ll let you know,” Neil replied.
    Neil and Lee had settled into a nice partnership. Neil did all the energetic running around with me while Lee paced himself, waiting for something bad to happen before interrupting his nap. I was happy they seemed to get along well since the two were polar opposites. Neil was a flaming homosexual and Lee was a manly lone wolf. It could have been a combustible concoction, but Lee treated Neil like a little brother and Neil lapped up the attention. It was a good thing since Neil’s own brother was a nasty bastard who Daniel had killed earlier this summer.
    “Your Grace.” A young man with dark hair and a paper and quill greeted me with an arched brow. “I am with the Royal Examiner. I have a few questions for you.”
    Mara shook her head and tried to shoo the reporter away. “No, no, no. Her Royal Highness was clear. Any interviews with Prince Devinshea’s new bride must go through the palace. Her Grace does not speak our language and needs a translator.”
    “Of course I speak the language.” Were they so worried I would screw up a few simple questions that they were willing to lie about my language skills? I was almost certain Declan was behind that particular royal edict. He didn’t seem to have a ton of faith in my abilities, but then I had given him trouble every chance I got. I turned back to the reporter, my stubbornness threatening to get the best of me. How hard could it be to answer a couple of questions? “What do you want to know?”
    The reporter gave Mara a triumphant smile, and I guessed they were old adversaries. He turned back to me and he was all business. “The rumor is that Prince Dev finds himself in an unusual ménage a trois with you and a vampire. Could you please give us some details on how you manage to keep two men satisfied?”
    I felt my face heat as Mara leaned in. “The Royal Examiner is a tabloid. We tend to avoid commenting,” she explained in a condescending tone.
    I said the only thing I could think of. “No hablo Inglés.”

Chapter Two

    “No, absolutely not.” Declan charged into the tavern’s courtyard. His eyes were on the reporter, and he looked like he’d call that hidden guard of his at any moment. “Her Grace is not to be bothered by reporters. There will be a party at the palace and all of the proper questions will be answered then.”
    Said bothersome reporter rolled his eyes and walked away. I was pretty sure he was going to write something about the dullard the prince had married. If the tabloids worked in Faery the same way they worked in my world, they didn’t need to actually talk to me to write the story. Neil and I exchanged a glance. We hadn’t figured on gossip rags in our medieval adventure land. If they had them, Neil would probably get a subscription. Declan turned to fix Mara with his steeliest gaze.
    “I thought I warned you about my brother’s wife. You cannot let her out of your sight for a moment.” Declan shook a finger at the blonde.
    “You did, Your Highness. I am so sorry.” Her head was down, and she listened carefully to everything Declan said.
    “She will burn the town down before you blink. And do not count on those guards of hers because they will help her light the fire. Think of them less as guards and more as accomplices.”
    Lee shot Declan the bird, but Neil just smiled. I couldn’t argue because they actually were my accomplices. We’d run many heists together over the years. Sarah, too. Lee was new and the only heist we’d run had been hard on him, but Zack was actually kind of awesome. I found Zack and his butt kissing annoying, but in the field he was a perfect partner. He never argued with whoever was in charge. All in all, they were a damn fine crew. Sure they sometimes ran away for months at a time because they were mad at my husband or on some