Page 52 of Hers to Rule

Esmé shook her head. “I’m not sure. Argento had the brains to clean it up before I got here. He probably thought you and Cisco would be around before long. I’ll see if I can get the information out of him once I find him.”

“He probably sold them to the VIP clients,” Rio said, his head still on Mari’s knee.

Mari had no idea what had happened to him up there, and she thought he probably wouldn’t answer if she asked, so she just kept stroking his head.

Cisco looked ready to go extract her father’s remains from wherever they might be and kill him all over again, but he didn’t add anything to the conversation. His talons flicked uneasily over the shelf behind the seats.

Esmé seemed troubled by the suggestion. “I’ll ask when I meet with them.” She waved one of the servers over. “Everything is on the house for your table. Tonight and every night. I hope that you enjoy yourselves, and you’re welcome back anytime.” Without any more fuss, she moved off to greet someone else who was entering the club.

They placed an order for drinks and looked around while they waited to be served. Mari had to admit, the place was very different than she’d imagined. She supposed Esmé was responsible for most of that.

Cisco brushed his fingers over her shoulder. “You okay?”

Mari met his gaze. “Yeah. I’m trying to figure out if I want to know what it was like before.”

“I don’t see that there’s any point torturing yourself with it. Esmé has it in hand. We’re paying her handsomely to take care of it, and so far, I’d say she’s doing good work.”

Mari nodded. “Do you want to go visit with Willow?” she asked Rio.

He looked up into her eyes. “If that’s okay with you?”

“More than okay.” She ran her fingers through his hair again before unclipping the leash. “Say hello for me.”

He kissed her knee before rising. “Save me a spot right here. I assume as soon as people get over their nerves, they are going to be flocking over to say hello.”

She smiled fondly. “Tonight, nobody is sitting at my feet but you.”

Rio turned away with a bounce in his step and headed for the elevators.

“This suits you,” Cisco said.

When she turned to look at him, his eyes seemed more luminous than usual. “It’s definitely not how I thought my first night here would be.”

Their drinks arrived, and soon after that, the first of the crowd descended. They accepted congratulations and praise Mari wasn’t sure they deserved and well-wishes she thought they might need. While many people offered drinks, Mari wanted to keep her head about her, so she declined almost all of them. For his part, Cisco only drank sparkling water and watched everyone who approached with varying degrees of suspicion.

The noise from the club rose and fell around them as people arrived and went to other floors. She watched people in various configurations engaged in all sorts of carnal activities. As Esmé had said, no one was doing anything that involved pain here. Cisco watched her silently, his eyes glowing slightly. She knew he was close enough to feel the magic growing turbulent inside her as she watched what other people were up to.

Rio came back after a while and leaned to kiss Cisco in greeting. Cisco reached up to hold him there longer, then nibbled at Rio’s lips before moving on to his jaw. “Go take care of your queen. I think she’s been riled.”

Rio showed him a breathtaking smile and then moved to where Mari sat. He knelt in front of her, his hands smoothing over her thighs. She leaned back into the seat, scooting her hips toward him. He ducked his head under her skirt. Pulling her panties to one side, he licked along the seam of her lips. Mari tangled her fingers in his hair and forced his head back until his mouth made its way to her clit.

Mari locked eyes with Cisco and let her magic swell as Rio sucked her clit between his lips.

He grinned, showing his fangs. “Do you want me to raise the curtain?”

Mari lifted one leg to rest on Rio’s shoulder and made herself more comfortable. “Let them watch and enjoy the contact buzz.”

Cisco grinned. “Confidence looks good on you.”

Rio applied pressure to her clit and worked her piercing with his tongue. Mari ran her fingers through his hair, letting the desire and the magic build without trying to direct it.

Having Rio cradled between her thighs felt natural, felt right. She trusted in his mastery of her body and his devotion to her implicitly, and that allowed her to engage in this performance without any fear.

Mari focused on how he made her feel with his sinful mouth. He played her expertly with his rough tongue, knowing when to push harder and when to back down to drive her wild. She lifted her hips rhythmically to meet him, amplifying every sensation. Sounds of pleasure poured from her, and she did nothing to restrain them. She arched her back, letting the magic rise out of her to fill the room, giving it away as freely as Rio gifted pleasure to her.

He slid two fingers into her, curling them against her inner wall at the same time as he tugged her piercing with his teeth. The dual pressure drove her over the edge, and she didn’t resist the fall. She came in a rush, waves of magic crashing out from her in time with the clenching of her body.

Mari collapsed against the seat, her hand idly stroking Rio’s hair as he lapped her clean with the utmost reverence.

---