Mariana Reyes had never wanted to be queen of anything—least of all the criminal empire her father had spent decades building. So when she walked into her office to find a confrontation in progress only two days after watching an incubus be blown to atoms, she almost turned around and walked right back out again. Saints, she hadn’t even finished her coffee.
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Facing off against each other across the sunny room were Tilly, the harpy who was Mari’s best friend, and Kima, the prickly lion shifter that Tilly had admitted she wanted more than anyone else in the world. Mari had been expecting some kind of dustup between them since Kima was staying in one of their guest rooms, but that it was going down in her office was a surprise.
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So far, her day was going great.
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Tilly stood with her blue-feathered arms crossed over her chest, staring daggers at the equally-pissed-off object of her desire. “I told her no one was allowed in here without you, but she wouldn’t fucking listen.”
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Kima was tall, dark skinned, and had arms more muscular than any woman Mari had ever seen. She couldn’t understand how Tilly wasn’t wilting under the shifter’s malevolent gaze, because Mari absolutely wanted to hide anywhere that would get her out of Kima’s line of sight.
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Mari looked around the office briefly, trying to draw strength from the familiar pattern of blue light that bathed her desk through the stained glass window. “It’s okay, Till,” Mari said as she crossed the hardwood floor, careful not to walk between them. “We haven’t been officially introduced. I’m Mariana.”
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“I know who the fuck you are,” Kima spat. After a moment she seemed to relax a bit. “I’m Kima, the lady whose asshole boss you murdered a couple of nights ago. Thanks for that, by the way.”
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She hadn’t actually killed Argento, but she didn’t bother to correct Kima because everyone in the room knew the story as well as Mari did. Dohal, the dangerous, powerful entity that Mari had been unknowingly sustaining for years had finally showed up, and he was furious that the incubi in charge of Las Vegas had been keeping him captive. He had claimed to have only withdrawn his protection from Argento, but she had no idea if that was true. Mari was desperately trying not to think about Dohal, lest he materialize again.
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Mari offered her hand and Kima shook it cautiously. That was fair enough. Kima had little reason to trust her. Her father’s cruelty had made everyone a bit mistrustful of her intentions.
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That was a problem that Mari could solve. “How is your friend? I didn’t catch his name.”
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“Bren. He’s okay. Still recovering. He was pretty banged up.” Kima straightened to stand even taller. She was very nearly as tall as Rio. “I wanted to come and make sure we were square.”
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Mari raised an eyebrow. “How do you mean?”
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“I kidnapped Rio and was a part of what happened to him. I figured you’d be mad about that and might want to exact some sort of revenge.”
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“Ahh,” Mari said and turned toward the desk that had once been her mother’s. Her hand stroked one of the carved details that always reminded her of crashing waves. “It’s my understanding that wasn’t your idea.”
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Kima laughed harshly. “No. That sadistic fuck made me do it, but all the same, I did it.”
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“He coerced you by threatening someone you cared about?” Mari studied Kima until the lion shifter nodded in confirmation. “As you probably know, I’m pretty familiar with that style of manipulation. I wouldn’t take that out on you. Especially since Argento is already dead.”
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“That’s very generous of you.” Kima bowed her head a fraction of an inch. “As soon as Bren is ready to go, we’ll be out of your way.”
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Cisco entered her office with an indulgent smile, a huge wall of dark muscle and wings. “I’d like to talk to you about that, if you don’t mind.”
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Rio was on his heels, taking in the tension in the room with a sweep of his eyes. The puma shifter made a gestured to Tilly, who left the room with a sigh of relief. Mari didn’t have any idea what that was about, but made a mental note to ask later.
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Kima shrugged. “I didn’t figure you would want to take it out of my hide, but fair is fair.”
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Cisco rolled his eyes. “We’re not doing that. I wanted to talk to you about a job offer, since you’re newly unemployed.”
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Kima narrowed her eyes at him. “I heard you got all new folks up at the club. Not sure what you’d want me around for.”
“We need a second-in-command, and I want it to be you.”
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Kima glanced from Cisco to Rio, confusion evident on her face. “I assumed you already had one.”
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“Nah,” Rio chuckled, his dark eyes crinkling with mirth. “That’s an HR violation just waiting to happen.”
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“Rio, Mariana, and I are partners. None of us are second to any of us. Having him be in that position would be awkward.”
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“Well, just to state the obvious, I enjoy an awkward position,” Rio said with a scandalous amount of relish.
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Cisco cut a look his way that was both amused and exasperated in equal measure. “See what I mean? I can’t have him sassing me like that if he’s my second-in-command.”
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Kima burst out laughing. “Okay, point taken, but I still don’t know why you’d want to offer it to me. You’ve got quite a few folks to choose from.”
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Cisco sighed. “You’re the best and you know it.”
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“Oh.” Kima fluttered her eyelashes with a degree of false modesty that almost made Mari laugh out loud. “Tell me more.”
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Cisco relented with a shake of his head. “You’re the best fighter. You can follow a paper trail and a scent trail better than any of the other guards. And most importantly, you always stood up for those who were not as strong as you even when it cost you.” His lips curled slightly. “You’re the best person for the job and that’s all there is to it.”
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Kima huffed with satisfaction. “I suppose I could consider the position.” She cleared her throat. “But I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me we’re not doing it like he did.”
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Cisco met her eyes without hesitation. “I swear to you on my life that the cruelty died with Basilio. And part of your job would be to stab me right through the heart with the rustiest piece of iron you can find if you think I’ve stepped even one foot down that path.”
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Kima accepted his assurance with a curt nod. “I want to talk with some of the guards first.”
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“I’d expect nothing else.”
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“And I want to stay in the main house.”
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“That’s fine with me.” Cisco glanced toward Mari for her approval.
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“Sure, pick a room and we’ll put it at the top of the renovation list. I’ll have the designer contact you about what you’d like.”
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“You’ll have my answer by the end of the day.” Kima turned to leave.
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Rio spoke up before she got to the door. “You should apologize to Tilly.”
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Kima snarled, but aside from sliding a dirty look his way, didn’t reply. She yanked open the door and left it swinging slowly shut as she exited.
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“She’s going to say yes,” Rio said.
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“Yeah.” Cisco turned to regard him with his black-on-black eyes. “You want to talk to Tilly, or should I?”
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“She was doing what you asked her to do.”
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“I know, but I didn’t think she’d confront Kima like that. It was ballsy, but not smart, especially considering their history.”
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Rio snorted. “She’s looking for any opportunity to get under Kima’s skin since the fight that night.”
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“Either of you want to let me in on what that’s about?” Mari asked, not bothering to hide her irritation about not having been told something as obviously important as this was.
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Rio gestured that Cisco should proceed. “All yours.”
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Cisco sighed. “I assigned Tilly to be in charge of your safety when we can’t. I intended it to be when we were offsite but apparently Tilly has decided that includes anywhere you might be where Rio and I aren’t. I should have anticipated that she would be overzealous. Harpies can be very literal and very territorial. I’ll take care of it.”
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Mari blinked. “You made her my bodyguard? Without asking me?”
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“You would have said no.”
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She glared. “You’re damn right I would have.”
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The patient look Cisco sent her way made her want to growl. “And yet, we need someone prepared and equipped to protect you when we’re not around.”
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She held on to her temper by her fingernails. Barely. What he was saying made a lot of sense, and she could see the logic in it. “I get it. You want more than anything to protect me and we’re smack in the middle of something really dangerous. There are people out to get us that we don’t even know about. So many people want to bring us down and we’re just trying to keep moving forward.” She took a cleansing breath. “But we need to talk about this shit, Cisco. You can’t just decide you’re going to assign me a bodyguard without telling me.”
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He stared into her eyes for a long moment before his expression softened. “You’re right. I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, Rio tried to convince me to talk to you about it.”
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Mari grumbled. “Well, one of you has sense at least.”
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Rio stepped closer and lowered his face to nuzzle her temple. “I would have told you before it became an issue, querida. Tilly just got a little ahead of us.”
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Mari wrinkled her nose. “I could have warned you she would do that. If you had asked.”
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“Consider us chastened,” Cisco said.
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The click of fingernails on the open door announced that they had another visitor. Willow peeked around. They were sleek and androgynous with perfect copper skin. They wore a simple teal shift dress and an ornate gold necklace adorned with emeralds. “Is this a bad time?”
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“Not at all,” Mari said. “Come on in.” She gestured to the sitting area in the library nook.
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As they all moved that way, Cisco said, “What can we do for you?”
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“I asked them to stop by,” Rio began, running a hand through his brown wavy hair. “We were talking over breakfast and I think their concerns are something we all need to discuss.”
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Willow smoothed their skirt over their knees. “Esmé wanted to wait until we know more, but I think this is something you need to be aware of, especially considering what happened with Argento.”
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Mari nodded for them to continue.
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“Several submissives from the club are missing. They never showed up to work the day we came in to take over, and no one has seen them since.” They cleared their throat. “This is in addition to everyone from the top floor vanishing before we got there.”
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“The piece of shit that ran the top floor is a seraphim named Vincent,” Rio growled. “He had something on Basilio that let him keep control of it even when he frequently made a nuisance of himself, but I have no idea what.”
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“Could it have been the situation with Dohal?” Mari suggested. They had made the decision to be honest with everyone who was present at Argento’s warehouse, along with the guards, so Willow was aware of the mysterious entity that Mari had called to when she was in danger.
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“Possibly. I really have no idea. I think Basilio had a lot of secrets.” Rio shrugged. “We need a list of the VIP clients that Esmé mentioned, along with everyone who is missing.”
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Willow nodded. “Of course, as soon as I get back to my laptop I’ll send it to you.”
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“Once we get the list, we’ll start going through it,” Cisco said. “Doing surveillance to figure out if the submissives are being held.”
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“I don’t think there’s any question of that,” Rio countered.
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“Sure, but I assume there are several likely suspects and we’ll have to figure out which piece of shit is to blame.” Cisco suddenly jolted, sending his piercing stare in Willow’s direction. “Nova is one of the submissives that are missing?”
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“She is.” Willow confirmed with a nod. “We assumed some people were just trying to keep their heads down to see how things shook out. I wasn’t really concerned that folks were missing until Rio asked me about her and said she wasn’t the type to not show up.”
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“She isn’t.” Cisco cursed under his breath in Spanish. “Get me that list. I know her client list. We’ll be able to figure it out.”
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Mari remembered the brassy medusa from the party the previous year where she had snuck out to the barracks. She recalled that Cisco had asked about her when they had first gone to the club, and that Nova hadn’t been there.
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Willow glanced at Mari. “Before I leave, I want to discuss one more thing.”
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Mari found herself curious about what else there might be to discuss. “Sure, what’s on your mind?”
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“You need to start the parties back up.”
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Mari straightened abruptly. There was nothing further from her mind than starting up decadent parties to show off their status. “What?”
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“The monthly parties your father was famous for. You need to restart them. Obviously you want to do them in your own way, which I’m fully in support of, but it was a gesture of goodwill that the city came to expect that you shouldn’t squander.”
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“I don’t understand,” Mari said after a moment of awkward silence. “I have no intention of flaunting our wealth that way.”
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“That’s exactly why we have to do it.” Cisco sighed. “Willow is right. It makes everyone feel like we’re doing well and that no matter what they’ve heard there is no reason for concern. That’s why your father always insisted on them. Well, that and he enjoyed the spectacle. I don’t know why I didn’t realize it earlier.”
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“You’ve had a lot on your plates.” Willow spread their hands. “Which is where I come in. I want to make myself available as your personal party planner. You tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen. I’ve planned Esmé’s events for years. I’ll make sure your debut party is the event of the year.”
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There was nothing Mari wanted less than to have to arrange a party right now. She had way too much to worry about. “I assume you’re ridiculously expensive? You’re hired.”
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Grinning, their eyes twinkled with mirth. “You’ll get my bill after the first event.” They stood with a nod. “I’ll send you a form to kick off the planning for the party, and the files with the information on the VIP list and missing subs.” When Rio rose to escort them out, they waved a hand. “I can find my own way back to my room. You all have some things to discuss, I think.” They left and closed the door behind them.
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Cisco leaned back in his chair and exhaled a long breath. “Every time I think we sorted something out, three more problems show up in its place.”
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Rio moved to stand over him, reaching down to touch his face. “Hey, Nova going missing is not your fault.”
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Cisco grumbled. “I should have checked in with her before now. We’ve just been so busy.”
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“You’re fond of her,” Mari noted.
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“Yeah, sorry, I forgot you don’t really know about that.” He leaned into Rio’s hand for comfort and then turned to look at Mari. “She and I ran away from the same orphanage when we were kids and we looked out for each other after that. Basilio picked us up off the street together.”
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“He did that a lot,” Rio said. “Picked us up in pairs and then separated us as soon as possible to isolate us, but still used that connection to threaten whoever was being particularly difficult that week.”
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Mari hadn’t known that disgusting aspect of her father’s habits, though it didn’t surprise her. He was nothing if not a master at manipulating those around him by using their emotions. She recognized the note of sadness in Rio’s voice, though. “Who was it that you lost?”
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“Tris.” A watery smile softened his face. “He was my best friend.”
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Cisco kissed Rio’s hand but didn’t say anything.
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Even though Mari knew it would break her heart, she had to know. “What happened to him?”
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“He was the first to die on the top floor of the club. Up until that point someone always came in to break up the fights before it went lethal. After Tristan, that all changed.” Rio broke down into tears.
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Cisco pulled Rio into his lap to cuddle him for a quiet moment.
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Rio continued a while later, after he settled, “They realized they could harness more magic in the short term with more suffering. That was when everything really started to turn.” He swallowed roughly. “Tris was a phoenix, so he came back. He always came back no matter what they did to him. Until he didn’t.”
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Cisco nuzzled the side of Rio’s face when he started to cry again and then whispered something so softly that Mari couldn’t hear.
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Her heart ached for Rio. Even though there was nothing she could do to erase all the terrible things that had happened to him, she desperately wished there was. But there was nothing to be done for any of them. The pain from their shared past lived under all of their skin, and sometimes the only thing to do was feel it.
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“That was the night that I tried to leave. Basilio knew somehow what I had planned and he took it out on you.”
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“Saints, Rio,” she whispered, tears rolling down her face. She’d had no idea, and there was nothing she could have done, but it still tore at her. The fact that her father had broken him so terribly absolutely gutted her.
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Rio eased from Cisco’s lap and crossed to kneel in front of her, his hands reaching to wipe her cheeks. “It’s okay,” he said softly, leaning to gently kiss her. “You were just trying to survive, same as all of us.”
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She tried to swallow back her tears, and managed after a while. “It’s so fucking awful. Every time I think I’ve reached the bottom of it, there’s just more.”
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Rio smoothed his thumbs over her skin. “It’s over. That’s the most important thing. Whenever it really hurts I just remind myself that it’s done. Whatever we do now, whatever mistakes we make, it will never be like that again.”
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“Okay.” She nodded into his hands. “Okay.” She sniffed. “We’re going to find those missing submissives.”
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“Yeah we are.” He smiled. “And we’re going to take out the fucking trash and clean this city up.”
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“Fuck yeah we are,” Cisco growled. They both looked toward him where he sat across from them watching them with wonder. “And once we’re done with all of that I’m locking you both in the pool house and we’re not coming out for a month.”
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Mari laughed. “I might need some alone time after a couple of weeks. I’m just saying.”
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Rio took one of her hands and kissed it. “I’ll keep him busy while you sneak out for movie night once in a while.”
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Something sharpened in Cisco’s expression. “Will you? And how are you planning on accomplishing that?”
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All of their phone notifications went off at once, breaking the rising tension. Rio was the first to get his out of his pocket. “Looks like the lists from Willow. Shall we start so we can get to the month-long staycation quicker?”
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They spent some time going over the lists and deciding what order they should tackle the suspects in. While they were at it, Kima came back and accepted the job, so she and Cisco took a while to discuss which of the guards should be assigned what tasks. They worked well together, and Mari thought she was a good choice for a second-in-command. She was smart and seemed to know her business, and most of all Cisco trusted her. The respect he held for her opinion was obvious in his body language, so Mari relaxed as she listened to them plan.
***
They had their first family dinner since her father had died that night. It was a very different experience from the ones her father had overseen.
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Mari was formally introduced to Bren, who was a waifish man with messy blond hair who toed the line of androgynous beautifully in skintight leather pants and a fringe vest. With his impeccable eye makeup, he reminded her of a rock star from the glam era and when she asked what he did, she was not at all surprised when he told her with a wink that he was a singer.
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Kima sat next to him, but Mari couldn’t tell from their interactions if they were just friends or more, and looking at Tilly for some indication wasn’t any help at all. Her friend’s hawklike stare went everywhere in the room except Kima. She’d have to ask later.
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The designer had rushed to get the dining room redone quickly at Rio’s insistence. The color scheme was burgundy and white, with elegantly patterned tiles along the floor and magic-infused flowers creeping up one wall. Giselle and Sam served the meal of enchiladas and an array of sides and then sat with them to eat, their good humor positively infectious.
As the meal wrapped up, Willow cleared their throat. “In case anyone here hasn’t heard, we’re going to be starting up the parties again. If anyone has any suggestions about that, my door and my email are always open.”
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Karma glanced up, her nervousness coming through as her eyes lightened to golden. Her pin-straight black hair was pulled back in a messy bun and made her look even more harried.
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Both of her hellhound mates, who were sitting to either side of her, began to glare around the room when they felt her distress. They were mirrors of each other, a pair of blond giants with glowing red eyes.
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Mari rushed to reassure Karma before the mood in the room turned anymore. “The parties won’t be anything like they were before. We’re going to reimagine the entire affair, but I do think having them is a good idea.”
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Karma swallowed and nodded, but didn’t seem quite convinced, and she didn’t respond. Dasher, who was sitting to her right, reached out to take her hand.
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Mari leaned back. She understood the trust she had with the guards was precarious. They had been treated very badly by her father and most of them had little reason to trust her beyond Cisco’s word. “Do you want to be part of the planning? I could use the help. I’ve never done anything like this before and I’d love to hear your ideas.”
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Karma blinked at her a few times, and then Dancer, sitting to her left, leaned in and whispered something to her. The wolf shifter seemed to consider what her mate said, and then nodded slowly. Her voice was a little raspy when she finally responded, “Sure, I’ll help.”
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Tilly piped up once the tension in the room eased, “We should definitely have live music. Bren and his band are super good.”
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Bren smiled at her and blushed prettily. “That’s very sweet.”
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The conversation about party plans continued on without Mari, which was exactly what she had intended. When she glanced Cisco’s way, he was leaned back in his chair, his hands folded over his stomach with a pleased expression softening his features. After a few seconds, he caught her gaze and sent her a heart-stopping smile.