Page 48 of Hers to Claim

Chapter 15

Mari’s head hurt morethan she could ever remember. The pain was white-hot and sharp behind her eyes, and a dull thud at the back of her head. More than anything, she didn’t want to open her eyes.

Voices surrounded her, though she couldn’t understand anything they said. They might have been shouting or whispering. She honestly couldn’t tell.

Someone held her. Someone strong. She was so desperately cold, even though the arms around her were warm. She just wanted to sleep for a thousand years.

Someone brushed back her hair and kissed her forehead—whispered words into her skin. The familiar touch felt safe, like home.

She blinked her eyes slowly open. Cisco loomed over her, his wings spread out wide around them as if forming a bulwark over her to protect her from the world.

“There you are,” Cisco said softly. “How do you feel?”

“Like I got hit by something big.” She groaned when her own voice was too loud. “And maybe ran a marathon after,” she whispered.

Cisco frowned. “I’m afraid we need to move. We’re too exposed here.”

She stifled a whimper and stretched one arm around his neck. “Do what you need to do.”

He lowered his wings enough that he could see over them, and then began to move. Each step was a jolt that made her head ache, but she did her best not to make a sound. In what felt much too long but was probably only about a minute, they were against the side of a concrete building that rose above them.

Memory came back when the sharp smell of fireworks stung her nose. She tried to look up over Cisco’s wings, but it was hopeless if he didn’t cooperate. At least the gunfire seemed to have stopped. “Is everyone okay?”

“Everyone but you is fine.” Cisco looked down at her. “Fighting is basically over aside from a few holdouts inside.”

“What happened to me?”

“Vincent’s pet shadow witch choked you out,” Cisco growled. “Rio was just about to take him down but you collapsed.”

So, that was why the wards had felt strange. A shadow witch was almost as far from what Mari did as was possible. They worked in the intellectual rather than the corporeal realm; magic of the head rather than of the body. “He got away?”

“Yeah, along with Vincent and his bodyguards. Most of what’s left here now are people who were fighters from the top floor of the club. As soon as they realized what happened they started to surrender.”

“The submissives?”

“I haven’t heard yet. They’re still clearing the building.”

“I’m okay. We can go inside.”

Cisco examined her skeptically, and then seemed to take her at her word. Though he didn’t put her down, he dropped his wings a bit and moved toward the door.

Dancer appeared in front of them with a flash of brimstone. “Was just coming to get you, boss. We found the submissives. Rio is checking to make sure everyone is accounted for,” he said with a sharp-toothed smile. “They were being loaded onto a truck. Looks like we arrived just in time.”

“Good work. Everyone okay?”

“Yeah, the folks inside didn’t put up much of a fight once they realized that Vincent and his crew were gone.”

“You and Dash are in charge of questioning them. Make sure we know if they were forced to fight and what kind of incentives were used so we know if anyone else might be in danger.”

Dancer nodded briefly and then disappeared again with a pop.

Cisco kept moving through the rolling door of the building.

After a dozen or so more paces, Rio came to intercept them. He pressed a kiss into the side of her head and inhaled. “Are you okay, querida?”

“Yes, everyone can stop fussing.”

“Not a chance,” Rio said as he gestured that he could take her. Cisco passed her off to Rio with a parting kiss.

---