Page 39 of Hers to Rule

Cisco nodded reluctantly. He swept his gaze across the battle taking place outside but didn’t move to rise again.

She shifted closer to James to place a hand on either side of the one clutched to his side. “I’m afraid I don’t have much experience at this.”

James forced a smile. “Not one of my talents I’m afraid, or I’d offer some advice.”

“Just keep the shield up. I’ve got this,” she said with much more confidence than she felt.

Mari closed her eyes and tried to block out the noises of gunfire and shouting from just beyond the walls. She took a deep breath and was about to admit that she was out of her depth when her palms prickled. The sensation was distant, as though buffered somehow. She focused on the pain, the same way she sometimes did on the desire of those around her. Her breath stuttered as the pain rushed into her. As the connection between them solidified, she doubted again if she had the knowledge to heal him. Wouldn’t she have to understand more about the workings of the body than she did?

She pulled his pain and took it into herself, the same way she did with desire of those around her. The ache sharpened as she focused and became a searing blade that cut through her. The sensation raced through her and made her breath catch.

With the small corner of her awareness still open to the room around her, she heard him sigh with relief.

“That helps. Thank you,” James said.

Mari opened her eyes to smile at him and realized that the looming presence of Cisco was no longer beside her. Panicked, she looked around for him.

He stood at the ruined windows, looking out over the street with a strange expression on his face. Beyond him, Rio strode back toward the restaurant, shirtless and with the golden glow of the cougar lingering in his eyes. Bullets had hit him in a few places, but those wounds had already knitted themselves shut, and Mari was certain that the majority of the blood painting his golden skin was not his.

The gunfire outside had ceased, but the shouting had not. She saw a few of her guards milling about, checking every corner of the street to make sure there were no targets left. Esmé stood from where she had been sheltering with her attendants on either side of her and said something to Rio that Mari couldn’t hear. Rio bared his teeth in a grin and winked but didn’t pause an instant in his return. It was as though he had a rubber band that tied him to Cisco that stretched as far as it could handle before rebounding.

When he couldn’t abide the distance between them for a second longer, Cisco rushed out to meet him, enveloping Rio in his arms and wings in a crushing embrace.

Rio stood still with a good-natured smile as Cisco inspected him for wounds. “I’m fine. They didn’t have any silver.”

Cisco growled. “You didn’t know that when you charged out there like a fool.”

Rio laughed as Cisco aggressively ran his hands over every inch of exposed skin. “I had a pretty good idea. They were after bigger game than me.”

Cisco rolled his eyes. “An iron bullet to that thick skull of yours still would have put you down for long enough that they could come up with a more permanent solution.”

“They never even saw me coming. Half of them were looking at the sky the whole time.”

Cisco seemed to finally arrive at the conclusion that Rio was unharmed and grunted. “Well, good thing we didn’t bring Tilly out with us then.”

Iron would have brought Tilly plummeting out of the sky just as easily as it would have Cisco.

Rio nodded. “We need to make sure it’s a varied group we bring out every time.”

Mari made sure James was comfortable and then picked her way through the rubble of the restaurant to join them outside. “Who was it?”

Rio leaned to rub his face along the side of her neck in greeting. He let his nose trail along her skin for a moment before straightening to look her in the eyes.

“I’m not sure,” Rio said after a moment. “Out-of-town muscle like the last time. I didn’t recognize any of them. Esmé and her folks were under fire when I came out of the portal, so I’m pretty sure it’s not her organizing these attacks. I still think it’s Argento.”

Mari let that settle for a few seconds. “So the list of people who want me dead is all of my father’s enemies and all of his friends as well? That’s a long list. Pretty much everyone in Las Vegas.”

Cisco held her gaze. “I think his friends likely want me dead so they can get their hands on you, but they won’t be gunning for you directly.”

Her anger boiled over. “Then they’ll do the same thing he did. Keep me a captive to run this preposterous fucking city.”

Rio ran a hand slowly up her arm. “We’re not going to let them.”

Mari tried to let him comfort her, but his gentle touch didn’t penetrate the walls she’d started to put around herself. It was never going to get better. Everyone wanted her for their own ends, either dead or captive to their whims. She hugged herself to stave off the chill she could feel gathering deep inside her.

Cisco wrapped a wing around her, pulling her toward him. He leaned down to whisper to her, “I protect what’s mine, Mariana. And you’re mine.”

She shivered as his words finally got through the icy walls to the heart of her she’d been trying so desperately to protect. Clutching him tight, she nodded. “I’m yours.” Silent tears began to fall as she hid her face against him.

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