Page 47 of Hers to Claim

Mari took a breath, the night air feeling cool as it filled her lungs. She closed her eyes and inhaled again, then let the frustration fade away as she exhaled.There. A flicker of magic she could just barely sense. She followed the edges of it delicately, aware that any misstep would trigger the alarms. With a bit of patience and careful probing she found what she was looking for, a seam in the structure.

She picked at the place where the weaves were joined, grabbing onto the ends rather than letting them unravel. Shestill couldn’t figure out what kind of witch had made the wards—they felt slippery somehow, almost not all the way there. Carefully, she began to peel the tendrils of magic back, slowly expanding the hole. A trickle of sweat ran down her spine.

The hardest part was making sure the hole was large enough, because she couldn’t use her eyes. And if her concentration or her grip slipped, the whole mess would come undone and set off the alarms. Exactly how big was Cisco? How much clearance did he need for his wings on the sides?

She was bad at measurements, even with her eyes open. How was she supposed to figure out the sizing?

It occurred to her that she knew how large the hole was compared to her body and she knew intimately how Cisco felt up against her in various orientations. As soon as she started to think about the last time Cisco had been pressed up against her in the office the previous night, arousal bloomed inside her. Another type of witch might think that a distraction, but for a sex witch, it only improved her focus.

More magic also meant she could untwist the wards more quickly. When she knew she had more than enough room, she tied off the ends and opened her eyes.

Rio watched her with a smile. “I have no idea what’s going on, but I know that you’re pleased.”

“I figured it out. Wasn’t sure for a minute.”

“Never doubted for a second, beautiful.” He gestured for the rest to come over. “How big is the hole?”

“The whole gate.”

Rio looked back over his shoulder. “Holy shit.”

Cisco was the first to arrive, though the rest of the group was close on his heels. “What are we gawking at?” he asked as he glanced over the fence.

“A hole the size of a fucking tank,” Dasher said. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

A murmur of wonder filtered through the gathering guards.

Cisco turned a look of such fierce pride her way that a thrill tickled through her belly. She firmly reminded her libido that they had a job to do and sexy fun times would have to wait until after they had freed anyone who was being held here. Cisco winked as if he’d read her reaction in her body language.

“Guess that means you’re hired,” Kima said as she checked her weapons one last time. When she was done with her routine, she looked over the group. “Hellwolf takes the front. Me and the rest of the cats in the middle with Rio and the witch. Fliers make up the rearguard and take to the air as necessary.” She leveled a hard stare Tilly’s way. “No unnecessary chances. Everyone comes home.”

Tilly snorted, but it was mostly masked by the various expressions of acknowledgement of those around her.

The two hellhounds posted up on either side of the hole Mari had made—since they could sense it—and set about getting through the gate. They used brute strength and their hellfire rather than bolt cutters and were through to the other side in a matter of seconds. The rest of guards filtered between them so as not to set off the wards.

Karma was up front, scenting the air as she moved slowly, with Kima coming up behind her. Mari walked at the center of the grouping next to Rio with Samar on one side of them and Inés the ocelot shifter on the other. Cisco, Tilly, and Nara brought up the rear behind them. As soon as everyone was through, Dasher and Dancer jogged ahead to take their places flanking Karma.

This was a practiced crew, and everyone except Mari knew their place and what was expected of them. Maybe she should have stayed with the vehicles? When her anxiety reached the point of boiling over, Rio picked up her hand and squeezed it. She had no idea what type of magic Rio had exactly, but itcertainly worked. The sharp edge of her tension eased away little by little as they moved through the yard.

Large machinery stood sentinel all around them, looming and quiet. The building ahead of them was well-maintained but shrouded in darkness. According to the research they had done this was an active paving company, at least during the day, though right now it was silent and empty.

Mari felt the pulse of magic right before the hellhounds shouted a warning at the same instant. The guards around her scattered in all directions in what had to be an orchestrated maneuver based on the even dispersal. Rio picked her up on the run and dashed behind a piece of hulking construction equipment just as all hell broke loose.

An explosion of magic rocked the vehicle they were taking shelter behind. The pressure wave of power made her senses ring in a disturbing way she’d never felt before. Gunfire broke out all around them a few moments later.

Rio’s body pressed her firmly up against the machine. In another circumstance the closeness would have been nice, but now it just made her feel a bit claustrophobic. She couldn’t seem to draw a full breath.

“Get down and stay still,” he said into her ear.

Mari desperately wanted to look around to make sure everyone was safe, but she was so terrified that she did what he said without question, ducking down as far as she could. What must have been bullets rang off the metal all around them. Rio held onto her with one hand and stretched to peek around the side of the machine.

When he started to fire, Mari rushed to cover her ears. As she cowered there, she realized that something was wrong with her. The fear racing through her wasn’t normal. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest and now she was really having trouble breathing.

She tried to take hold of Rio’s arm, because she couldn’t make herself speak, but she was far too frightened to accomplish even that.

Behind Rio she saw a figure wreathed in shadows coming toward them. It was like something out of a nightmare—all teeth and claws and viciousness. She tried to call out again, but she just didn’t have the breath. Her heartbeat flailed out of control. Darkness encroached on her vision.

Just then Rio looked back at her. It took him precious time to register what was happening, and then he swung around, pistol held out. Mari would have laughed if she could. Nothing that scary could be taken down by bullets. She tried to summon the goddess, but realized at the last second that it was too late. Everything faded to black.

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