Page 28 of Hers to Claim

“Holy fucking shit,” Dante panted into her neck. “What was that thing?”

Chapter 9

Mari jolted in Dante’sarms. “You could see him?”

“It was weird and slow somehow. I couldn’t understand what you were saying, but I saw you talking.”

“That’s my…I don’t know what he is.”

“When he touched me, it hurt, but I also couldn’t imagine wanting to try to get away.” He looked down at his chest where Dohal had touched him, as if he could see the imprint of Dohal’s hand there.

She reached to touch his face. “He did seem to like you, but I don’t know what that means.”

Cisco stepped back into the room with one arm draped around Rio. They both looked extremely satisfied. “You shook the house again. It must have been good.” His expression sharpened when he picked up on the tension. “What happened?”

“Dohal. Dante can see him.”

They had a lengthy conversation over some hydration, bringing everyone up to speed. Cisco asked a few questions about the surge that seemed to happen between them.

“Our magic resonates really well.” Dante gestured between Mari and himself. “I get off on providing pleasure, and she’s basically a pleasure amplifier.”

“It’s a feedback loop I wasn’t ready for,” Mari said. “Next time I won’t get caught so long.”

“The issue isn’t how long you got caught, but where did the magic go?”

“I’m not sure.”

Dante shook his head. “I don’t know either.”

“It didn’t go into the wards,” Pricilla said as she entered the playroom. “I felt the discharge. Hell, your neighbors probably felt it. But a chunk of power that large is not in there.”

Mari’s cheeks heated. How many people had she assaulted with that blast of pleasure? It was one thing to do it at the club where everyone was expecting things like that to some degree. “This is so embarrassing.”

“It’s astonishing. A particularly talented sex witch can project a handful of feet at most. And even full-blood incubi can only get maybe fifteen feet. You just projected, what, a hundred? Possibly even more.” Pricilla walked to where Dante sat. “May I?”

“You can touch me anywhere you want, pretty witch.” He smiled wide as he glanced up at her.

She ignored his flirting and rested a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes fell closed. “Oh, a unicorn.”

“Mmhmm.” He leaned into her touch. “Normally I would offer to take you for a ride, but I’m a little tapped right now.”

Pricilla chuckled and opened her eyes to regard Mari. “You drained a unicorn. Never thought I’d see the day.”

“And not to blow my own horn too loudly.” Dante preened a bit under her attention. “But I’m a unicorn who has been working as a submissive for decades in a city of profound magic. I’m a particularly deep reservoir, even among my kind.”

She stared down at him in wonder. “How has Esmé not snatched you up yet to add to her private harem?”

Dante grinned impishly. “She’s tried. I like my independence too much.”

Mari held back the possessive grumble that wanted to burst from her as she thought about Esmé trying to claim him. Where had that urge even come from? “So do we think Dohal is interested in him just for the magic, or something else?” Mari asked.

“It’s difficult to say since we can’t tell where the magic is going.” Pricilla pursed her lips in thought. “I can’t imagine he needs more than you can make for him on your own, but since we don’t know exactly what he is it’s pretty hard to guess what he needs the magic for.”

“He made it seem like he needed to gather magic to get out of wherever it is that he’s held.” Mari swallowed. “And he said once he’s free he would have his revenge on those who captured him.”

“Well, at least that’s not you,” Pricilla said after a moment.

“The problem is, I don’t have any idea who that is. For all I know he considers the entire city complicit in his captivity.” Mari let out a sigh. “I don’t want to give him his freedom if it means I’m sentencing innocent people to his vengeance.”

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