Page 29 of Hers to Keep

She’d noticed Emil Álvarez through a break in the line—an imposing figure with long gray hair tied back behind his head and a neatly kept full gray beard.He wore an elegant dark blue suit and expression of near boredom.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mari saw Pris take to her feet.She felt the other witch reach for the wards, drawing power down into herself.While she hadn’t noticed anything out of place yet, Mari echoed her readiness, searching the room in front of her for the source of danger as she chatted with one of their vendors.

It had to be Álvarez.They didn’t know what his intentions had been with his request for an invitation.He ran exclusive casinos in Macau for extremely dangerous people.To this point, he had had no interests in Las Vegas, but that could change at any time.And that could place him at odds with them if he allied with one of the people who was trying to wrest control of the city away from them.

The person at the front of the line moved away from the dais, and Emil stepped forward into the space without missing a beat.He bowed slightly, meeting Mari’s eyes as he straightened.“Emil Álvarez.I’m here to propose a partnership.”

“Mr.Álvarez,” Mari said in her most pleasant voice.“I wasn’t aware that we were in the market for a partner.”She slowly released her magic back up into the wards, since he hadn’t made himself an obvious threat, and she didn’t want anyone around them to notice.

“Aren’t you?”The man’s smile was sharp and predatory when his gaze cut toward Pris.“Even more reason that you should take my meeting.”

Unless Mari missed her guess, he was sensitive to magic, because Pris was still holding onto hers, though the strain it required was evident in the way her hands clutched the railing in front of her until her knuckles went white.

Cisco took a single step forward, his gray wings flaring to make him look larger.“Then let’s go book a meeting and let this line keep moving.”

Emil broke eye contact with Pris and took in the towering gargoyle with an amused expression.“Sounds like a plan.”He nodded to Mari in farewell and then moved off with Cisco.

Once the line died down, Mari went to change into her dancing dress.She had to physically push Rio and Dante out of the privacy alcove when they tried tohelp,otherwise she would never have gotten out of the room.

Mari danced between Rio and Dante, letting them rub all over her until they were both feral with desire.Rio pulled her close to bump against him, baring his teeth in a wicked grin before releasing her again.Dante repeated the same possessive move, and they traded her back and forth for a while until she was panting to get one or both of them under her.

The entire time, she felt like they were being watched—which was ridiculous because everyone in the ballroom was watching the steamy show they were putting on.She twirled under Dante’s arm, stepping back into him so her ass brushed against him while she pulled Rio toward her by his tie.

I’ll admit,a silky-smooth voice spoke into her head,if I had known how delicious you would turn out to be, I would have killed your father the second I laid eyes on you and taken you for my own.

Her head snapped in the direction she knew the voice had originated from, though she had no idea how she knew.A stunning man dressed in a beautiful burgundy pinstripe suit with impossibly long silver hair and eyes that blazed with dark-blue flames sat alone at a table and stared at her.

When she focused on him, an irritating smirk curled his very bitable lips.That’s my clever girl.

A shiver tickled up her spine.

Rio looked down at her with concern when she stopped dancing.“You okay?”

She lifted her chin in the direction of the man she was certain had invaded her head.“Do you know who that is?I don’t recognize him from the invites.”

Rio followed her gaze.“No.Someone’s plus-one, maybe?”

Dante’s hand slid to wrap protectively around her from behind.“Definitely a demon.”

“I’m going to go talk to him.”

Oh yes, please do.He leaned back in his chair, his knees splaying out wide as if to welcome her between them.

Rio and Dante were at her back as she walked toward him.Her magic tingled under her skin when she approached.“How did you get in my head?”

He glanced over Rio and Dante and disregarded them immediately, his fiery gaze focusing in on her.“That’s the wrong question, duckling.”His voice was so deep and dark that she thought she heard the echoes of whispers after.

She ignored the condescending pet name for the moment.“What’s the right question?”

“How I’m in this room at all.”His lips quirked up at the corners.“I’m not on your guest list.”

“That’s not possible.”

The fire in his eyes blazed brighter.“And yet, here I sit.”

She decided to play along just a little while longer, because something about this man intrigued her.“Fine.How is that possible?”

“Because your magic let me in.”

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