across the tip of her ear, which he kissed.
Mia shivered. “And I would beg for more.”
“You are a surprisingly sensuous woman.” He conjured another ball of potent energy and pushed it into her vagina. “Shall we explore further?”
She thought he meant deeper and nodded, barely able to speak. When he tugged playfully at her collar, she realized he wanted her to walk around the soiree with an egg of energy vibrating inside her—stimulated beyond reason—on the edge of orgasm.
An attractive couple approached them and asked for
A thrill shot through her body, to be exposed in public like this. The panther inside stirred. The feral creature who longed to run—unfettered by clothes—through fields and forests and bacchanals. Quite before she could control herself, she arched forward to meet their lips. The man and the woman each tasted a nipple—nibbling lightly at first, and then sucking harder. She lay her head back against Exeter and moaned.
Shamelessly, she watched them tongue and scrape with their teeth until both peaks throbbed from their nipping. With each breath, the egg deep inside her rocked from side to side, causing her to clench her vagina. Exeter had increased the egg’s potency. “Come for me, Mia—again. I want another.” His demand sent a shudder through her body, and a kind of release.
“I am close—
He held her tightly against him as the last waves of her climax diminished and left her feeling like a rag doll in his arms. He kissed her mouth, his tongue deep and languid. “Such a willing and spirited raven mistress,” he whispered.
Across the aisle, a large, ornately framed mirror reflected the ecstatic flogger and his delightful red- bottomed partner. Beyond them she caught sight of Exeter. She watched as he folded his arms around her and buried his face in the curve of her neck. His chiseled jaw and elegant profile nearly made her wet for him all over again. “Good God, I am a wanton.”
His lips barely touched her ear—just his breath. “You are the most sensual woman I have ever encountered. Your body delights in pleasure.”
Mia sighed, vaguely aware of being buttoned. His knuckles gently brushed the skin on her back as he closed her dress. She opened her eyes to steal another glance in the mirror. Behind them, not ten feet away, a striking man with silver eyes watched, intently. A chill ran down her spine. “Prospero.”
“I see him.” Exeter checked the exits. Without Ping and Tim, and Oakley’s trap, there wasn’t much reason to stay, not with a powerful wizard on the prowl, one who knew they had escaped. They must fall back, regroup, attend to Phaeton and America. The newborn needed protection—more than the troll could provide. He hoped that at least one of the Nightshades was with them at the hotel—Jersey Blood.
Where was everyone? Tim had given him a device earlier this evening, the communicator. At this moment, he’d give anything to have it hooked around his ear. Exeter glanced over his shoulder; no wizard to be found. He didn’t like the way Prospero looked at Mia. As if he had come to this soiree for a reason, and was determined to leave with a party favor.
To exit via the grand stair required them to maneuver through a tangle of fornication. He found a side door, which led to a terrace cordoned off from the risque revelry. After being in a hot house full of writhing bodies, the cool breeze refreshed. Lacing his fingers through Mia’s, he guided her along the length of the balcony hoping to find a staircase.
“She is in no danger from me.” Prospero shut the French door and sauntered toward them. His expression was neutral enough, though guarded. A slight upturn at the ends of his mouth signaled goodwill, which was almost entirely directed at Mia.
Exeter studied Prospero study Mia, and something clenched in his gut. From the moment the wizard entered the room, he hadn’t taken his eyes off her.
“I enjoyed watching your bliss.” He continued to admire her. “Not nearly as much as I would have enjoyed giving you—”
“What do you want?” Exeter cut in.
Reluctantly, his gaze finally met his. “Hello, Doctor Exeter.”
When he didn’t respond in kind, Prospero exhaled a sigh. “Do you mean—what do I want besides the Moonstone and the child, Luna—and of course, Mia?”
“You can’t have them.”
“But I already have—all of them—even Mia.” There was a cruel twist to his smile and those silver eyes turned as dark as pupils could possibly dilate. “We showered together in my bedchamber.” Rather triumphantly, he returned his black gaze to Mia. “I soaped your breasts.”
Exeter lifted a clenched fist and struck Prospero with a blow that would cause most men to stagger backward, and all it did was turn Prospero’s cheek.
He moved to push Mia behind him and was struck by a force that lifted him through the air and slammed him against a wall. A cloud of crumbling mortar and dust enveloped him as he landed in a crumple on the ground.
“Your potent force is badly depleted, Exeter,” Prospero loomed over him. “I have no quarrel with you—nor do I wish to punish you needlessly. Unlike what many say about me, I am not a heartless fiend—you listen to Noggy and his twin Oakley. Just give me what I want.” The wizard appeared to tire—he was after all in their time, not his own. “Give up the girl, and we will leave peaceably,” Prospero’s quiet voice returned.
As he struggled to regain his breath, Exeter scanned the balcony. Mia was nowhere to be found. “Like I said, you can’t have her.”
Where exactly was Mia? Something sprang from the roof edge—a black shadow flew across the moon and knocked Prospero down. She pinned the spread-eagled wizard to the terrace, her large paws locking his arms in place with the aid of potent force.
The cat snarled her reply.
“Allow me to do the honors.” Ping stood behind the wizard dressed in the most stunning black dressing robe ever seen.
Exeter rose to his feet, and Mia quickly retreated to join him.
Intricate, knotted closures remained open on the velvet wrapper. Mandarin collar and cuffs were embroidered with yellow and red flames. Ping wore a waistcoat of crimson silk without a shirt underneath. The vest was unbuttoned enough to display two delicate mounds—Jinn’s breasts. Her long dark hair blew about the finely featured face under a black opera hat. Perfectly arousing and so very androgynous. Completing the exotic picture, Ping wore a velvet demi mask.
Lips blushed with rose opened to full effect, as the fascinating creature spoke in singsong harmony. “Greetings, Prospero.”
The wizard picked himself up off the floor. “We meet at last, Julian Ping—or is it Jinn?”
The jinni dipped a curtsy, parting the velvet robe like the wings of a butterfly. A theatrical display of erotic delight, starring Ping’s penis.
Exeter had never seen such an exotic androgyne. In the past, the jinni was either Ping or Jinn, but this creature was something even better—a stunning hermaphrodite. As a doctor, he was enthralled. A quick glance at Prospero revealed a mesmerized wizard. The panther backed away, with a hiss.
Displayed for all to see, Ping’s manhood angled upward with a good deal of bobbing and waving about. Nearly twice as large as one might have guessed, given his stature and build. The perfectly helmeted head was pierced with a golden ring and run through with a red satin ribbon, which Ping tossed into the air.
Spontaneously, Prospero reached out to catch the ribbon. There was a sudden yank—and for an instant Exeter glimpsed the surprise in the wizard’s eyes. He’d been hooked. A great, mysterious fish on the end of a powerful jinni’s line. Ping stepped aside as a violent force dragged a disintegrating Prospero across the balcony floor and into the cylindrical tube, which opened and banged shut with a reverberation that shook the balcony.
