Page 40 of Hers to Keep

Mari wondered how far that pledge would stretch.Visions of him bound and forced to watch her as she was ravished by Dohal overwhelmed her, and her magic flared in response.

Dohal huffed with amusement.Oh, my dark and dangerous love,he purred into her thoughts.How you tease me.

Had she sent that image into his mind?

“I have no objection to his presence, provided he can keep his hands to himself,” Dohal said out loud.“But the choice is always yours.”

“Could the Old One reach us in the grove?”

Dohal hummed.“I do not know for certain.Now that I am free, my power is bounded by the magic of the Earth, Natural magic.The same magic that the Forest Lord has.The cage I was trapped in was forged of Incarnate magic by Basilio and the other incubi.”His eyes drifted toward Ashdei before returning.“With the demon’s help we could secure it more thoroughly.”

Mari focused on Ashdei once more.“You can start to prove yourself by helping him secure the space he made for me.I’ll go talk to Cisco, Rio, and Dante in the meantime and see how they feel about all of this.I’ll come find you both there afterwards.Then we can talk about tonight.”

Ashdei nodded.“Protecting you is why I’m here.”

Dohal kissed her cheek and then her brow before rising.Don’t let them tempt you,he said in her head with a wicked smile on his lips.I want you empty and aching for me.

She sighed but nodded up at him.After they left, she walked slowly to Cisco’s office.She wasn’t sure how this conversation was going to go.

CiscohatedAshdei.But he’d never tried to stop her from engaging in a relationship with anyone else.Would he draw a line in the sand now?She knew if he objected, she wouldn’t pursue it.Cisco had claimed her heart before any of the others.She wouldn’t deny him his very reasonable boundaries.

Her gargoyle was on the phone, with Rio sitting in his guest chair.Rio motioned her forward and moved to make room for her in his lap.

He leaned into the curve of her neck to greet her with a nuzzling kiss.“You smell like campfire,” he whispered into her skin.

He felt content as he held her against him.She didn’t think Rio would object to Ashdei’s presence in their lives, but that was because he trusted her completely.He was the one who never doubted, never questioned.

Her thoughts drifted to Dante.Her awareness of him was dim with distance at the moment, but she could tell he was pleased about something.She called him to her, though she made sure not to make it seem urgent.He might get a frown line between his eyebrows when she explained what she was considering, but he would support her decision as well.

Since her night with Dohal, especially when her magic was charged like it was now, she could pick up more feelings from her men, and sometimes what felt like more detailed desires.And now it seemed like she could send thoughts like she’d done accidentally with Dohal earlier, sharing her fantasy about Ashdei watching them.

She kept her magic from getting too unruly at that reminder and turned her attention to Cisco once more.He was annoyed by whatever was happening on the phone but having her and Rio in the same room with him also eased him profoundly.A guardian by nature, when his bonded were within sight, all was right with the world.

Mari thought about how much she loved him, like a warm fire that would never run out of fuel.His eyes turned her way, and he grinned, showing his fangs, and she knew he’d felt the glow of her affection.She was definitely getting better at whatever this was.It helped that none of them seemed concerned by the new development.

Dante arrived just as Cisco sounded like he might be wrapping up, with a tray overflowing with what was obviously lunch intended for them.Her stomach helpfully reminded her that it had been hours since breakfast, and she was starving.He settled the tray on the credenza and set about making plates for all of them.

When Cisco finally hung up, Dante invited them all over to get their food.Each plate had been thoughtfully arranged for the person it was intended for.Rio didn’t get pickles and Mari got twice as many as any reasonable person would try to consume.Cisco’s sandwich was made with the stinkiest cheese Mari had ever had the misfortune of smelling, and Rio’s had more steak than was probably allowed in the entire state of California.

She sighed contentedly as they all settled in for their meal.No wonder Dante had felt pleased with himself.He loved providing for the people he cared about—it made him happier than anything else.

“Thank you, this looks amazing,” she said before biting into one of the pickles from a giant mountain on her plate.

Dante favored her with a breathtaking smile that made her heart race.His own sandwich was overflowing with a colorful array of veggies and what looked like hummus.

“So, how was everyone’s morning?”Cisco asked, once they had all made some headway with their meals.

Dante said he’d spent most of the morning with Giselle getting their grocery order organized.He was involved in the meal planning now.When Mari had asked him about it, he’d said that before becoming a submissive-for-hire he’d gone to culinary school.In fact, he’d come to Las Vegas with aspirations of becoming a chef, but he’d been tempted into the more carnal side of the city shortly after.

Rio had spent most of the morning with Clovis, going over various renovation plans, including the start of what would be the master suite.He grinned when they peppered him with questions about it but kept the details to himself.Cisco had given him a blank check and complete autonomy to make the space his own, and he was taking that to heart.

When they turned to look at her expectantly, she put her sandwich down.“Ashdei showed up this morning.Walked right into the library as if he owned the place.”

Three pairs of eyes stared at her—blue, brown, and endless black.None of them said anything for a moment that drew out long.

Rio was the first to react after he’d swallowed his food.“So I guess he wasn’t exaggerating about being welcome anywhere you are.”

“It seems not,” she confirmed.

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