“Will you miss your lady parts buffet now that I’m around and would naturally cut anyone who tried to show you her bits?”

And he put her on her back again, kissing down her belly until he ended up where he wanted. “These are the only bits I want.” He breathed over her, smiling again when she stuttered a breath.

Her taste wended through him. Drove him. He wanted more. Always wanted more. Loved the way her inner-thigh muscles bunched and strained under his palm where he held her open to him. Loved the way she arched to get more. Loved the way she exploded all because of him. He brought her pleasure and she knew who did it.

It made him smug. Made him feel like a king.

Even better, while she was still catching her breath from her orgasm to slide in deep, to catch the surprised gaze as her lids flew open, and then her eyes blurred with pleasure.

MERIEL had zero plans to move. She lay there on his bed, his body wrapped around her as he caught his breath.

“It’s been far too long since I’ve been this tingly and slightly sore.”

She didn’t open her eyes, but she didn’t need to be looking at him to know he laughed.

“I’ve neglected you, terribly. I apologize. For what it’s worth, I’ve been untingly and not sore at all since Sunday too. Though I did get a little sore after I worked out this whole week. But that’s not the same.” He pulled the comforter up and over them. “Not that same as having you make me tingly and sore.”

“All right, that’s pretty good.”

She turned and opened her eyes to look at him.

“Tell me about San Francisco.” He kissed her forehead.

“It was dramatic, as it tends to be when we all get together. I have an official report to make tomorrow for the council. This mage issue was one we were not alone in bringing up. Several other clans and covens have had problems. We traded some ideas. We’ll be doing a lot of cross-training over the next year I think. Nell’s already on this with some of the other hunters or lawkeepers for the smaller groups. I learned that nifty othersight trick. I’ll need to send out the changes you made. I think you really amped up the spell and cut out the background interference.”

“I should have gone too. I’m sorry.”

“You have a business to run, Dominic. You can’t come to all these meetings. I have them all the time. It’s part of my job. But I would like it if you’d help with something.”

“You know you only have to ask and I’ll do it.”

“You’re full of shit. I ask you to do all sorts of things and you do your own thing anyway.”

“I love when you’re vulgar. How about this — what I mean is, professionally. Ask and if it’s not something I think is dumb like letting you continue to live in a place the mages know about and have stalked you in — I’ll do it.”

“You already had appointments set up to look at apartments. Don’t pretend you didn’t jump on this to get what you wanted.”

He laughed. “Of course I did. Do you think I’d merit a woman like you if I was easily led or if I didn’t take full advantage of every situation to get my way?” One of his brows rose and she snorted.

“Don’t snort, Meriel, my love. You’re naked in my bed, still mussed from my attentions.” He winked. “Exhibit A.”

“I’m truly afraid of what our children will be like.”

“Yeah, me too. But you can handle me just fine. You’ll be great. They’ll adore you like I do.”

She rolled her eyes but snuggled into him. “I’m afraid this mage thing isn’t going to go away without a lot of work and most likely more people hurt and killed.”

And his mother was a part of it. Meriel had spoken to Nell about this and with Sadira Rodas, the leader of Rodas Clan. Sadira had told Meriel what they’d discovered when they were able to capture some of these mages, was that they’d been part of an organized movement to hunt and use witches for their magick.

And as they’d suspected, there were several witches helping the mages. Mainly by giving them information, critical information that only a witch could help them with. Where witches would likely congregate, what practice path they used so they could defend against anything a witch threw their way. And now it appeared they knew about the hierarchy in clans and were targeting council witches to steal magick from.

Now that their secrets had been exposed, it put them all at greater risk. This was a threat to their entire race. She could not shake the gut feeling that Gloria Ochoa was involved. They had a lot of circumstantial evidence on this fact already. It was really only a matter of time before they knew for certain.

“Having bands of roving mages out to stalk and kidnap us sounds like a plot from a novel. Humans have to deal with this fear. I guess I should too. But I hate the idea of it! I hate that these mages are hunting us like animals and will use us up and toss us to the side. I can’t abide it.”

He smirked. “Of course you can’t. We’ll do what we can.”

“Will you help me with this?”

“With what, baby?”

“I need to reach out to witches who aren’t in clans, unaffiliated witches, coven witches, outclan, all that. I have some ideas, but my mother has charged me with this and I’m already getting started. I’d like you with me, helping me.”

He nodded. “Of course. I have some ideas too. You and I can make a difference. Tell me what you need and when you need it, I’m in. You know, your mother told me yesterday that this issue would make your place in Owen history. She’s proud of you.”

“She hated this stuff just six months ago. Told me it had nothing to do with our world, that if the mongrels wanted to kill each other, they would.”

“Edwina can admit when she’s wrong. She believes in the strength of the clan.”

“So do I.” Meriel sat and grabbed her shirt. “But we’re targets too. The rep from Rodas has interrogated these mages. They have more info than any of us and what was shared was enough to convince me that if we don’t work together and strengthen ourselves, it’ll be open season on us.”

“Mages can be taken out. Your mother showed me a great new spell. It’s a feedback spell. You can probably do it while multitasking about forty-five other things. But I think if it’s used at the right time during a mage attack, it can cascade into the mage, draining him until there’s nothing. At the very least it should give the witch being attacked some time to get out of there.”

“She’s never taught me that spell.” But she was flattered, nonetheless, that he thought she was so competent.

“Really? Well, it’s handy. She probably thinks you already know it. I’ll show it to you.”

This was entirely possible. “Nell’s mother was the hunter before Nell. Within Owen, it’s almost always been a Hunter. Yes, that’s Nell’s real family name. Back then you know you were named what you did a lot. Smith, Baker, all that. So it’s been a Hunter or a Garrity. That’s Gage’s family by the way, only his mother is a healer and it’s his father who was in our hunter team until just three years ago. Anyway, I’m tangenting. Nell’s mother taught me all my defensive magick. Though I’ve certainly learned a lot from my mother too. I’d love for you to show it to me.”

“Is it all right with you?” He pulled on his boxers and jeans but stayed shirtless and she stared for long moments at him. Big. Imposing. Those wide shoulders of his leading down to a flat belly and a narrower waist. A waist showcased even better with low-slung jeans hanging from them.

“You’re going to end up right back in bed if you keep looking at me that way.”

She laughed and walked from the room.

“To answer your question,” she said as she began to make a pot of coffee, “I like that you’re learning from Edwina. She’s hands down the finest spellcaster I’ve ever seen. It’s good to learn from her. She never takes shortcuts, which means you’ll learn how to do everything the long way. And it’s easy to change a long spell to adjust it for all sorts of uses. But learning her way, you get the mechanics of the spell, which is important.”