Page 32 of Hers to Rule

Her expression must have given away her doubt at seeing the piece, though it looked nothing like the one her father had fastened around her neck at the ceremony on her sixteenth birthday that had yoked her magic. “I know you wouldn’t do that.”

“It’s a focus,” he offered.

She traced her finger over one of the clawed hands and smiled. “They look like yours.”

“Beam is very talented.” He gestured that he would help with the necklace.

She nodded her assent and held the box up.

Cisco reached over her shoulder to take the necklace, lifting it gently and pausing to kiss her bare shoulder before clasping the cool metal around her neck. “It’s linked to the piercings, which are anchored into your skin at the nexuses of your power.” His talons scraped over her clavicles before he settled his hands on her shoulders.

She reached for the wards, her magic unfurling tentatively at first and then more easily as she grew to understand how the focus worked. Passing the unruly tendrils of her magic through the necklace wove them together and calmed them somewhat, allowing her to wield them more precisely.

Cisco rubbed her shoulders and dropped his head to speak softly into her ear, “You feel like you’re humming with magic.”

“Thank you for this.” She leaned to rub the side of her face against his. “Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome.” He kissed her temple. “Are you ready for dinner?”

Mari laughed. “No, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for a meeting with the most powerful sex witch in the world who has been trying to bring my father down for my entire life.”

Cisco met her eyes in the mirror. “Firstly, she’s only considered the most powerful sex witch in the world because not many people have felt you unfettered. Secondly, you’re not your father, and we’re the ones who brought him down.”

Mari had no doubt Cisco was being sincere, but she did doubt it was possible that she was more powerful than Esmé. That would disrupt the carefully maintained structures of power in their world too much. Someone would have tried to take her father down before now. “You think she’ll be grateful that we’re the ones who took that thorn out of her paw?”

“I think she never had the social capital that was required to do it herself, and she’s smart enough to be keenly aware of that.” He pressed his thumbs into the muscles of her shoulders gently for a moment, expertly relieving the tension that had built up there. “We should go.”

She slipped her feet into the strappy heeled sandals he’d set out for her that sparkled silver. He bent to fasten the dainty buckles for her, his thick fingers so much more dexterous than they had any right to be. He kissed her bare thigh where it showed through the slit in her dress before he stood.

When he offered her his arm, she took it with a smile. “I haven’t been outside the walls in a while. I’m a little nervous.”

He led her toward the door at a pace she could keep easily in the gorgeous but deeply impractical shoes. “I didn’t want to bring her inside the wards. And I thought it was about time everyone sees you out and about.”

“It was the right choice. I just didn’t realize how long it had been until now.”

Rio waited for them at the kitchen door in a red velvet jacket that matched her dress too well to be an accident and black tuxedo pants. An appreciative smile curled his lips when his eyes roved over them as they approached. “Car’s out front along with the escorts.”

Cisco nodded as he handed her off to Rio, then he held the door for both of them. “I’ll be flying air support on the way there,” he said to Mari.

She nodded. Cars were deeply uncomfortable for him, both physically and energetically. Being caged in by all that steel made some magical creatures, gargoyles in particular, very twitchy.

As they walked through the halls of her father’s house to confront his biggest nemesis, Rio’s strong and sure presence next to her was a profound comfort.

When they pulled up in front of Mon Petit Chou, the finest restaurant of the several her father had owned, there was a small crowd gathered. They were several streets away from the hustle and bustle of the Strip, on a block that catered more to locals than tourists. Mari checked her hair and makeup while Rio exited and walked around the limo to her side. He moved sedately, as if he knew she needed a moment. She had always been a deeply private person, the polar opposite of her father, who gloried in every shred of attention he could wrest from the world. The photo op was necessary but would be taxing for her.

Rio opened the door and held out his hand for her. She smiled brilliantly and let him help her from the car. The flashes from cameras went off like the grand finale of a fireworks display the instant she was visible and didn’t let up. She shook out her skirt and paused to let them have their moment. She looked at the people who called her name and made the appropriate expressions. Rio stood off to the side, waiting out of the frame with careful attention, his eyes darting to look for possible threats.

Her eyes were drawn to the sky when Cisco swooped low over them before angling to land dramatically several feet in front of her. The air displaced by his powerful wings disturbed her dress in what she was sure was a flattering way. A murmur went through the gathered photographers as the flashes increased in frequency.

Cisco stalked toward her, every inch of him radiating restrained power and menace. He held out his clawed hand. She made all of them wait for it, feeling the coiled tension of the moment draw out long. Cisco smiled, letting the tips of his fangs show, his eyes smoldering.

Mari took his hand and stepped closer to a chorus of indrawn breaths around them. He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, then turned her wrist to nip lightly at the spot below her thumb, somehow both reverent and possessive at once. He let them snap a few more pictures, his eyes locked on hers, and then flared his wings to dismiss them.

None of the gathered journalists missed their cue, the crowd dispersing in moments, leaving the three of them alone on the sidewalk in under a minute. Cisco curled her hand around his biceps and drew her closer to him. “That was perfect,” he murmured.

She squeezed his arm. “I never knew you had such a delicious flair for the dramatic.”

“I stood at your father’s shoulder for decades. I couldn’t help but absorb a few things. I’m glad it was his showmanship.”

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