Claiming Valeria Read online

  “Love you, sweetheart.”

  “Love you too.” She yawned. “Mama?”

  “What, baby?”

  “I’m not a baby,” was the automatic reply. “Can I sleep as a cat?”

  “Claro.”

  Unlike water fada, who typically could shift into several different animals, Merry had only ever shifted into jaguar. That she wanted to sleep as her cat tonight didn’t surprise Valeria. Young shifters tended to feel safest as an animal; at that age, the human form was by far the weaker. But it hurt Valeria to know her daughter was feeling anxious. She’d spent the last two years doing her best to make her feel safe again.

  She smoothed a hand over Merry’s head. “Don’t worry, we’ll get Lord Dion back. Meanwhile, we’re safe here at the base.”

  Merry nodded. “That’s what Tio Rui said.” She wriggled out of her nightgown and shifted into a petite gold-and-black jaguar.

  Valeria rubbed her behind the ears. “’Night, big girl.”

  Merry butted her head against Valeria’s hand before setting it on her paws with a toothy yawn. Valeria continued to pet her until her eyes drifted shut. Giving her one last pat, Valeria closed the door and returned to the sala. Only then did she give in to her anger.

  She says no.

  Her claws sliced out. How dare Rui interfere between her and Petros?

  The man was a dog in the manger. She’d smelled the sex on him and Beatriz—and not for the first time, either. And didn’t Beatriz like to rub that in her face? Smiling that cat-in-the-cream smile of hers.

  Valeria’s heart had felt like it was being squeezed by a giant fist. It had been all she could do to hide her hurt and shame.

  Well, to hell with him. She paced angrily back and forth. If he didn’t want her himself, he’d damn well better get used to seeing her with other men, and she was going to tell him so to his face. So he was a dominant and her superior by several degrees. Sometimes you had to make a stand.

  Only the fact that Merry had been present had kept her from having it out with him right there in the hall.

  It wasn’t like Rui was so special. He drank too much and no longer trained with the warriors. His once hard body had developed a gut. But his face…ah, his face. It was a little too fleshy now but still striking with strong, sculpted planes, hooded green eyes and a full lower lip that she itched to take between her teeth and—

  She groaned and threw herself onto the couch, face down. Damn Rui anyway.

  Petros was perfect for her. And he wanted her, Valeria. He made her feel sexy, beautiful—and she needed that, after being rejected by the man who was supposed to be her mate.

  She curled up in a ball and, retracting her claws, covered her face with her hands. Her lips moved, cursing Rui again, but it came out as a sob. She was so tired of this endless aching, this yearning for a man who’d pushed her away again and again. So very tired.

  Because as she’d met Rui’s intense golden gaze over Petros’s shoulder, she’d felt a jolt clear to her soul.

  And she’d known that whatever she might tell herself, whatever she might pretend to Sabela and the rest of the clan, she still wasn’t over Rui do Mar.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Rui turned the shower handle to ice cold. The adrenaline that had been carrying him for the past few hours had almost worn off. He didn’t mind cool water—he was a river fada, after all—but this was straight from an underground well. He sucked in a breath as the water hit his skin. But it would clear his head, give him the boost he needed to keep going.

  Soaping up, he lifted his face to the icy stream and thought about Valeria and Okeanos. Something had been off about the whole thing. She might have been allowing the other man to touch her, but she hadn’t been enjoying it.

  It had been sheer primal instinct that sent Rui striding down the hall to drag the other man off her, but now that he was calmer, he knew why he’d acted like such an ass. It wasn’t simply that his animal had been riding him, urging him to claim her. That had been part of it, of course, but damn it, she’d been afraid of Okeanos. Rui had smelled it, an acrid thread woven through her familiar, earthy scent.

  She hadn’t even seemed aware of it, but on some level the S.O.B. frightened her.

  Recalling the other man’s hands on her, Rui squeezed the soap bar so hard it shot out of his fingers and hit the stone wall.

  He retrieved it and tossed it back into the soap dish. Deus, this was fucked.

  He didn’t have the right to interfere between Valeria and another man, but his animal was snarling that Okeanos was all wrong for her. And there wasn’t just her to consider, but Merry.

  Rui groaned and scrubbed his hands over his wet face. Once, he’d have gone with his instincts, ordered Okeanos to stay away from Valeria. But he no longer trusted himself. Dion seemed to like the other man. And he’d been accepted by the clan, had made friends here at Rock Run.

  And Valeria apparently wanted him in her bed.

  Hell. Rui admitted that his distrust could be rooted in jealousy. And what was more, it was selfish. He’d rejected Valeria, but he didn’t want her to go to anyone else.

  That wasn’t fair. Their animals needed touch even more than their human and fae parts did. Valeria was a loving, sensual woman. Celibacy—and he knew she hadn’t had a lover since him—must be hell for her. If she wanted Okeanos, he was just going to have to suck it up.

  But he didn’t have to like it.

  With a scowl, he shut off the water and grabbed a pair of shorts.

  The two tenentes were waiting in his sala, Rodolfo on one of his two chairs, Teresa on the couch. The shower hadn’t done much to clear his mind. He was exhausted and his mouth was desert-dry. He glanced at the jug of wine on the sideboard.

  Just one glass. Surely just one wouldn’t hurt.

  He licked his lips, wanting that wine so badly he could taste it. Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead and his hands started to shake. He dragged in a breath and reminded himself what the clan was facing. Dion was the only person—man or woman—with the strength to hold them together. And he, Rui, might be the only warrior who could rescue him. No one else had the right combination of experience, tracking abilities and knowledge of the sun fae compound. Even overweight and out of shape, he was Dion’s best chance.

  He couldn’t let Dion down. They might not be the friends they’d once been, but this past year, when Rui had been more interested in drinking than working, Dion had stuck by him, allowing him to keep his place in the caverns.

  So no. For Dion, he could go a few days without wine. Fada bodies weren’t as weak as humans’. He might feel like hell, but he could function.

  He slowly released his breath. Going to a small cooling unit set into the stone wall, he removed a bottle of grape juice and raised it to the other two. “Want a glass? Or there’s wine over there.” He indicated the jug on the sideboard.

  Rodolfo’s bushy black brows lifted but all he said was, “Juice is fine.”

  “Same for me,” Teresa said.

  It was humiliating, since they were obviously going along to keep him sober, but he’d lost the right to be proud. After handing them each a glass of the rich purple juice, he poured himself one and drained it in a few gulps. It soothed his parched mouth, and he could almost fool himself it was wine.

  Almost.

  Grabbing a chair, he turned it around and straddled it, resting his forearms on the back. “Let’s start with you, Rodolfo. You spent even more time with the sun fae than me. What would you say are their weak points?”

  The big man rubbed his neck with a beefy hand. “Hell, Rui. That was almost twenty years ago.”

  “We need to start somewhere. You may remember something I don’t.”

  Rodolfo nodded and furrowed his brow. “Let’s start with Cleia. I’d say that other than her magic—and she can do some serious damage—her greatest strength is those bodyguards of hers. The family’s been guarding hers for centuries. Their loyalty is absolute—they’d die for
her and consider it an honor.”

  “Agreed.”

  “And her greatest weakness is that like most fae, she relies too much on her magic. Take that away and she’s just a woman. That’s true of the whole clan. They rely too much on magic and not enough on old-fashioned fighting skills. If we could somehow block their magic, they’d be dead in the water, other than the small group of warriors who’ve worked on their physical skills.”

  Rui nodded. “Excellent point. On the other hand, that’s what Dion thought and look where that got him.” Trussed in a net like a goddamn fish, according to the warriors who’d seen it happen, and taken prisoner by the sun fae. “And we might be able to block one or two of them from using their magic, but there’s no way we can stop the whole clan. Only the most powerful fae could do that—and not for very long.”

  “Which is why Dion kidnapped Cleia,” Rodolfo pointed out. “He knew he had to stop her, but her clan alone is three times our size, and they can call on the other six sun fae clans as well. On top of that they’re fae. A direct attack would’ve been suicide.”

  Rui nodded. Knowing Dion, that must have chafed, big time. He much preferred an honest fight to something sneaky like kidnapping a woman, even if the queen were a powerful fae who was behind Rock Run’s decline.

  Teresa spoke up. She was the clan’s expert on the fae, which was why Rui had included her in this discussion. “That’s true, but only a small number of fae have Gifts that are useful in combat. Generally it’s the ones whose Gifts are some kind of primal magic, like Queen Cleia.”

  The queen was the sun fae’s Conduit. Sun fae needed the sun’s energy for life, and they could draw some energy directly from the sun, but they needed the Conduit to keep them at full strength.

  “That’s why they hire the fada to fight their battles,” Rodolfo inserted dryly.

  “What about the illusionists?” Rui asked.

  “An illusionist can trick a fada’s eyes and ears,” said Teresa, “but our sense of smell is too good. They can’t fool us for long.”

  “True,” Rui said. “But Cleia doesn’t just draw energy—she can direct it. They say she can incinerate a man where he stands. And right now, around the summer solstice, she’s at her most powerful.”

  The other two nodded soberly.

  “So to recap,” he said, “a direct assault would lead to all-out war with the sun fae, and might not free Dion anyway. Our best option is a search-and-retrieve.”

  Teresa rubbed her chin. “Justino and Ed were in the Rising Sun compound at the time Dion kidnapped Cleia.” Dion had been there as the queen’s guest, brought there to become her latest lover, but the other two warriors had acted as Dion’s backup. It was they who’d helped Dion spirit Cleia out of the compound after he’d rendered her unconscious.

  “Good point.” Rui hadn’t known that until tonight, when Luis had chosen Justino and Ed as the fada’s advance scouts. It had brought home to him how far he’d been out of the loop. Save for his interactions with Merry each evening, he’d spent most of the time in his own little world. He hadn’t even known that Dion intended to kidnap Cleia until he’d returned to Rock Run with her. “That’s why Luis sent them to the compound tonight.”

  “They’re good,” Teresa said. “Last time the sun fae never even knew they were there. But this time the fae have probably tripled their guards—both physical and magical. Still, we need to know where they’re holding Dion and what barriers we’ll have to go through to get him.”

  “Exactly.” Rui smiled grimly. He was the clan’s best tracker. Being out of shape didn’t affect his Gift. He could find his friend even without the others’ information, but it was imperative he got Dion out of there as quickly and safely as possible.

  He came to his feet. “All right. Let’s give it a day, gather all the information we can. Then we’re bringing Dion home—Cleia or no Cleia.”

  They nodded. He knew he could count on them. Any one of the tenentes would gladly give their lives for Dion.

  Teresa left, but Rodolfo lingered. “Are you going to be all right?”

  Rui met his eyes. “Yes,” he said firmly. “I promise, I won’t touch a drop until Dion’s back.”

  “That’s good, then.” The big man clapped him on the back and left.

  Rui shut the door and turned around, his gaze on the jug of wine. He didn’t give himself a chance to think, just crossed the room and upended it into his kitchenette sink. The scent filled his nostrils, enticing, seductive as a woman. Mesmerized, he watched the dark red liquid swirl around the stone basin and disappear down the drain.

  He was bending to catch the last of it in his mouth when he realized what he was doing. Horrified, he finished emptying the jug and then dropped onto his mattress to snatch a few hours of sleep.

  * * *

  Tiago went to the quarters he shared with several other unmated males and shut himself in his room. He paced back and forth, a lead weight where his stomach should be.

  What had he done?

  With each day Cleia had spent in Rock Run’s caverns, she’d grown weaker, her energy drained by Dion’s insistence that she stay below ground so that her people couldn’t rescue her. The only sunlight she’d received were the weak rays that came through slits cut in the rock ceilings. Anyone could see she was slowly wasting away. She was a sun fae; she needed sunlight.

  Tiago had felt torn between his love for his brother and for Cleia. He’d always looked up to Dion. The oldest of his three brothers, Dion had been more like a father to him, especially after their own parents had left to ride the waves when Tiago was still a boy. Just the thought of challenging the much older, very dominant alpha made his animal cringe.

  But meanwhile, Cleia got a little paler and weaker each time he saw her. He loved her, believed she was his future mate. Okay, there was no sign of the mate bond, but that wasn’t unusual in someone as young as him. It would come when he was ready—and then she would feel it too. Meanwhile, he refused to stand by and let Dion starve her of the sunlight that was the stuff of life to her.

  So he’d given Adric the coordinates that he and the sun fae had used to rescue her, even though he knew that it was a betrayal that could get him banished for life—if his brother didn’t kill him outright. But he’d never expected Cleia to take Dion with her. And it hadn’t even occurred to him that the earth fada might use the coordinates to attack Rock Run.

  Now the clan was in an uproar, trying to get Dion back and at the same time prepare for an attack from either the sun fae or the earth shifters—or both.

  Tiago groaned and dropped onto the bed, his head in his hands.

  All he knew was that Cleia was his mate. He felt her—a constant ache in his heart. If he hadn’t helped her, he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself.

  But what the hell had he done?

  One thing he could fix. Opening the top drawer of his nightstand, he removed the chunk of quartz hidden at the back. It was a cleverly engineered smartphone given to him by Adric, its smooth, milky white face a screen that lit up at the touch of a finger. Crouching down, he smashed it against the rock floor. It broke into a handful of shards laced with a metal that appeared to be gold. He swept the pieces into his hand and hurried down the hall and to one of the river exits, only to be stopped by Davi.

  Tiago swallowed a groan. No one would leave the base without permission tonight.

  “What’s up?” the tenente asked.

  He concealed his fist at his side. “I need to get in the water for a few minutes. My animal—” He shrugged.

  Davi waved him in. All their animals were edgy. Sometimes water was the only thing that soothed them. “You can have five minutes. Hugo’s in the river, patrolling. Stay where we can see you.”

  “I will.” Tiago saluted and dove in. He swam a few yards before looking around for Hugo. He was a hundred yards away, swimming as a dolphin.

  Tiago dove deep and released the quartz pieces into the fast-flowing stream. They spread out
and drifted downward, settling on the bottom with the other stones. Then he changed to dolphin because his animal did need soothing, and dove back down. Even though it was mid-June, the deep water was cold, bracing.

  His panicked heart stopped racing and he was able to think. All he could do now was to support the effort to rescue Dion. And then he’d better start making plans to leave. Because when his brother discovered what he’d done, he was a dead man.

  Hugo appeared nearby. He whistled a hello, which Tiago returned. They brushed by each other, a companionable touch. Then Hugo prodded him with his beak, indicating he should return to the base. Tiago obeyed. He was in deep-enough shit already.

  Back on land, he shifted to man and returned to his room. As a novice warrior, he wasn’t involved in the preparations tonight, but he’d been ordered to get a good night’s sleep because tomorrow he’d be taking a turn on guard duty—if the clan wasn’t fighting the earth fada.

  As he entered the quarters reserved for unmated males, his best friend Chico hailed him. “Tee. Wait up.”

  Tiago lifted a hand. Despite his name, Chico was as American as they came, his mother a fada who’d grown up in Rhode Island, his father the first child born at Rock Run after its founding some eighty years ago. He had his mother’s clean-cut Anglo features and his father’s dark hair and olive skin, and like Tiago and the other younger members of the clan, spoke English for the most part.

  He reached Tiago and bumped his shoulder in silent sympathy. “Sorry about your brother.”

  A hot rush of guilt made his reply curt. “We’ll get him back. And if the Baltimore shifters try anything, we’ll be ready.”

  “Hell, yeah. There’s no fucking way Baltimore can take us. They’re nowhere near our size. They were smaller than us to begin with, and they’ve been killing each other off for years.”

  The tightness in Tiago’s shoulders eased. Chico was right. For the first time since he’d burst into Dion’s quarters behind the other warriors and seen Cleia, Adric and a group of sun fae standing over his unconscious brother, he felt better. They’d get Dion back. And if the earth shifters attacked, they’d send them back to Baltimore with their mangy tails tucked between their legs. Hell, everyone knew it was easier to defend territory than take it.