“Oh, that’s okay, I just wanted to see if I could get a bottle of water real quick; it’s so hot out!” Maia told her.
Valerie, seeing that it was only a pretty young girl and not a male looking to get drunk, relaxed a bit, “Sure, hon. Come on in.” Valerie went into the kitchen and came right back out with a bottle of ice cold water, “Here ya go, on the house.”
Maia took the bottle gratefully, twisted the top off and downed half of it in one guzzle, “Wow, I really needed that.”
“Get out,” Valerie told her low and deadly. When Maia had thrown her head back to get a deep swallow, Valerie had gotten a good whiff of her scent; Valerie was a shifter after all, and this girl smelled overwhelmingly of Maverik.
“What? What do you mean? What’s wrong?” Maia asked her, confused at her sudden change in demeanor.
“I mean exactly what I said, Get. Out,” Valerie repeated.
“What did I do?” Maia asked, getting more pissed off as the seconds passed. She came here to try to convince this woman that she should give her daddy a chance, but now she wasn't so sure. Then she had a thought, maybe she had the wrong woman; “You are Valerie, right?”
“You know full well who I am, and you pranced your little ass in here, thinking to warn me off Maverik! How dare you come to my bar?! How dare you come here to flaunt yourself in my face in my place?!” Valerie shouted at her. She was near tears; she hated that she cried when she got angry, but that’s how she’d always been. Upset-quiet, pissed off-tears.
“Flaunt myself? What are you talking about, lady?” Maia asked her, her own voice raising with indignation.
“Yeah, I heard about Maverik bringing some young little thing home with him. And you know what? I don’t give a damn! That’s all he thinks of me? Replace me with a teenager? You can have him! I don’t want his sorry ass! All his, “I’ll be waiting,” yeah? Well, he didn't wait very freaking long did he? Keep him!!” Valerie yelled through her now very prevalent tears.
Maia stood there for only a second longer, realization flowing through her; Valerie thought that she was Maverik’s girlfriend. She smiled, then she giggled, then finally she dissolved into hysterical laughter. She was actually doubled over holding her middle she was laughing so hard.
Valerie was taken aback. This girl was insane. She thought it was funny that Valerie was upset, funny that she was throwing Maverik back at her. How could she think this was funny? Valerie tried again, “Get. Out. Now!”
“No!” Maia tried to stop laughing, “No, you don’t understand!”
“Oh, I understand perfectly! You belong to Maverik!” Valerie snapped at her.
“Yes,” Maia answered, finally managing to just about get herself to stop laughing, “Yes, I do. But not like you think.”
“Really? And what other way is there, missy?” Valerie told her, words full of attitude. Her head warring with her heart. Her heart wanted this girl out of here, but her head wanted to know exactly what she was to Maverik and how he could have chosen her over Valerie after he went to the trouble of breaking up her own engagement. Didn't matter that she’d have eventually done it herself, it was still her engagement, and he had no right.
Maia, having recovered from her laughing fit, reached her hand out to shake Valerie's, “Hello, Valerie. My name is Maia McCullen; I’m Maverik’s daughter.”
Valerie stood there, in shock. Total and complete shock. She looked at the girl’s hand where it was outstretched, waiting for her to shake it. “You’re what?” she managed to mumble. “His daughter?” Valerie said in a raspy voice, shock still a very real part of her psyche.
Maia laughed gaily, she reached for Valerie’s hand with her left hand, placed it in her right hand and shook it. Still holding Valerie’s hand, she answered her, “Yes, I’m his daughter. It’s very nice to meet you.”
Valerie’s eyes filled with tears for an entirely different reason, “His daughter! Ohhh! You’re Maverik's daughter!” she said, grabbing the girl and hugging Maia to her.
Maia hugged her back, feeling the relief and love that the woman had for her dad. “Valerie?” Maia asked her.
“Yes, Maia?” Valerie asked through happy tears.
“Can you stop squeezing so hard now?” Maia asked, laughing.
“Oh! Oh, yes! I’m sorry! I’m just so glad to meet you!” Valerie exclaimed.
Maia smiled sweetly at Valerie, “Is there somewhere we can talk? There are some things that I think you should know.”
“Of course, yes. Come on, let’s sit over here,” Valerie led her to a booth in the back. “Let me go get us something to snack on and a couple more waters; I’ll be right back.”
Not two minutes later and Valerie was back with a plate filled with guacamole and chips and a couple of bottles of freezing cold water. She placed them on the table, then slid into the other side of the booth. “I’m so sorry for the way I yelled at you, Maia,” Valerie started.
“It’s okay, I needed a good laugh,” Maia told her, starting to giggle again.
“Look, I’m not sure how to start, so I’m just gonna jump right in, okay?” Maia asked.
“Yes, please do.” Valerie looked around, realizing Maia was here by herself. “Where is Maverik, does he know you’re here?”
“No. Nobody does. He said that he refused to force you. That you had to want him; he wasn't coming back until you gave some sort of sign that you wanted him, too. Which is why I’m here. From what I understand, he treated you pretty poorly from the time he got here and you both realized that you were Mates. And you need to know why. If he won’t tell you, then I will. After that I’ll leave, but you need to know so that you can maybe understand why he was the way he was. Why the idea of a Mate was so hard for him.” Maia could tell that she already had Valerie’s attention, so she didn't hesitate; she launched right into it. By the time she got to the end of her story, Valerie wasn’t crying. She was sitting quietly listening. Paying attention to every word that Maia told her.
“Can you maybe understand a little of why he was like he was? Will still be to some extent? It’s going to take him a while to completely trust,” Maia explained.
Valerie nodded, “Yes, I do. I wish he’d have just told me. I’d have tried to help him. I’d have been there for him.”
“It wouldn't have done any good, Valerie. He needed to make his own peace with it first. And he’s trying, but he’s so lonely. And he’s afraid he hurt you more than you can ever forgive. And our clan is growing, is getting stronger, and everybody’s pairing up and finding Mates and having babies, and here he is, alone. Waiting for his Mate to realize that he’s a good male.” Maia leaned forward, “And he is, Valerie. He is the best male,” Maia pleaded for her understanding, her acceptance of that fact.
Valerie reached out, placing both her hands on top of Maia’s, “I know that, honey. I do. He is amazing.”
Then the door burst open and Riley stalked in, “Damnit, Maia!” he shouted.
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The guys had been hard at work, putting a roof on a new apartment building when Riley’s phone rang. He reached in his back pocket, took a quick look and realized that it was Avaleigh. His stomach dropped thinking something was wrong with Cristie. “Hey, Avaleigh! Cristie okay?”
“Yes, Cristie’s okay. But have you lost your freaking mind? Maverik’s going to kill you! He just called to talk to Maia, and I had to lie to him and tell him she was in the bathroom!” Avaleigh shouted at him.
“What? Why? What are you talking about? Why’s he gonna kill me?!” he asked her.
“Why’s he gonna kill you? Don’t play stupid, Riley! Maia’s missing! Maverik is shopping for a house for them, so that leaves you! We know she’s with you; bring her back! Now! Before he gets here and finds out you two snuck off together!” Avaleigh told him.
Riley’s heart dropped, “What do you mean she’s missing, Avaleigh?” his voice dropped to a very low controlled growl.
Avaleigh paused for a moment, reality sinking
in, “You mean she’s not with you?”
“No!” he yelled, “I’m sitting on top of a freaking roof. At work!” he shouted. He slid to the edge of the roof, and being feline, didn't bother with a ladder, just dropped to the ground. “Tell me. What happened? When did you notice she was missing?” he asked her as he ran for his truck. Fuuuucck! He thought, his Mate was missing! He didn't give a damn where she was, who had her or why she left. There would be no stopping him ‘til he found her.
He drove through town at a crawl, looking in every store front for her; he ran into the pizza place in town, describing her to them, asking if they’d seen her. He stopped in every place he could think of that she may have gone. He stopped at the clothes stores, he went into the diner, nothing. He stopped at the gas station at the edge of town, still nothing. He was headed out to the clan’s land to shift into his Panther and try to track her, when he drove past Vince’s Place; he figured he may as well stop and check there, too. He jerked his truck into the parking lot, jumped out and ran for the door. Just as he got there, he got a strong whiff of her scent. His panic turned to anger; she was here. And now that he knew where she was, he was pissed at her for having sneaked off like that and scaring the holy fuck out of him. Not to mention, Maverik would have surely thought he had something to do with it if he’d been the one to discover her gone. He took one second to try to get himself under control, took a deep breath, shoved the door open and stomped inside, “Damnit, Maia!” he shouted.
Valerie jumped at the unexpected interruption; Maia would have if it hadn’t been Riley. But because it was Riley, it didn’t startle her in the least.
“Hello, Riley,” she told him, smiling sweetly at him.
“Hello, Riley? Really? Hello, Riley? That’s all you got? You have everybody at home freaking out because you’re missing, and all you got is, hello, Riley?!?” he shouted.
Maia regarded him calmly for a moment, then turned to Valerie. “Valerie? Do you know Riley?”
Valerie, one eyebrow raised, was extremely amused at this young lady’s response to a pissed-off Panther; she was very much like her daddy. Apparently, neither was afraid of a damn thing. “Nope. I’ve seen him around, but I don’t know him personally. I understand he’s working with your clan,” Valerie answered.
Maia looked back at Riley, “Riley, this is Valerie. Daddy’s Valerie. Valerie, this is Riley, my Mate,” Maia smiled sweetly back and forth between the two of them.
“You have a Mate?!” Valerie blurted out.
At the same time, Riley asked, “What are you meddling in, Maia?”
Maia decided to answer Valerie first, “Well, technically, yes. See, we’re Mates, but because I’m just now seventeen, or I will be in two weeks anyway, we are just going to take it slow and get to be friends and take our time ‘til I’m older and have lived a bit more and figured out who I am and all.”
Then she turned to Riley, “I’m not meddling, I’m fixing. Dad fixes stuff, and so do I. Valerie didn’t know about what happened to him. And O.M.G! She thought I was his girlfriend, not his daughter, so it’s a good thing I came! Now everything is all straightened out! Easy, peasy, see?”
“Maia, woman! You are going to be the death of me! Get in the damn truck!”
“Uh, Riley, she’s just barely a woman,” Valerie offered, feeling the need to make sure he understood.
He looked at Valerie, “Yes, I’m painfully aware,” he told her before he turned his attention to Maia, “Get in the truck, Maia,” he barked.
Maia just sat where she was, crunching on a chip loaded down with guacamole.
“Maia? Did you hear me?” Riley asked her.
“Yup,” she answered, not looking at him.
“Well?” he asked expectantly.
She finished chewing her chip, “Well, you will change your tone, or I will not go any damn where with you.” Then she turned to look at him, her Wolf clear and present in her eyes, “You talk to me like that again, Mr. Riley whatever the frick your name is, and you can march your happy ass back to wherever you came from. I will not stand for it. Not now. Not ever. Adjust your attitude, or adjust your latitude. Don’t need you, Dude. I got plenty of years to find another one.” She leaned over the table, hugged Valerie. “Please think about it. I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but please consider giving him another chance. He’s a really good male, and he’s already had so much pain.”
Valerie hugged her back, hard, “Thank you for coming, Maia. Thank you so much for telling me everything. It all makes so much sense now. I’ll be seeing you real soon, okay?”
“Okay, Valerie,” Maia answered.
Maia slid out of the booth, raised her chin and leisurely walked past Riley. Before she got all the way by him, he reached out, pulling her to him for a hug. An innocent hug. He held her close, her head cupped against his chest, “I was so fucking scared, Maia. Avaleigh said you were missing. I was terrified. I’m sorry I yelled at you. I will not do it again.”
Maia hugged him back for a second, then two, just because it felt good to be in his arms, then she said, “See that you don’t,” before she stepped away and walked through the door, pulling it closed behind herself on the way to his truck.
Riley looked at Valerie, where she still sat in the booth chuckling, “You are going to have your hands full,” she said laughing. “Maybe she’s more of a young woman than we both thought!” she added, still snickering.
“Apparently I already do, and by the time we finally get it together, I have no doubt that I’ll have grey hair and be half bald from pulling it out,” he told her smiling.
Then they heard the blaring of his truck horn as Maia very obviously let him know that she was tired of waiting.
He just shook his head, eyes rolling toward the ceiling. He was grinning as he waved at Valerie and hurried outside before his Mate drove off in his truck and left him stranded there.
<> <> <> <> <>
Riley pulled onto the dirt road that led to the clan’s property shortly after noon. His head was aching from the adrenalin dump he’d experienced when he’d gotten the call telling him Maia was missing. As they pulled up in front of the house, Delilah walked out on the porch to greet them.
“Oh, how lovely. You have found her, Riley,” Delilah drawled at him, obviously sarcastic. “How convenient you knew exactly where to look.”
“I didn’t have her, Delilah. I found her on the way over here,” Riley said, obviously perturbed that Delilah thought he was lying.
“I wasn't lost, Aunt Delilah, I was at Vince’s Place,” Maia explained.
“You were where?” Avaleigh asked, coming out of the house, careful not to slam the screen door because the kids were napping.
“I was at Vince's; I went to see Valerie,” Maia told them.
Delilah immediately switched sides, “Oh, what a sweet girl! Do you not agree, Avaleigh? She was worried for her father’s heart, so she went to seek out his Mate,” Delilah stepped up behind Maia, leaning over to rest her chin on Maia’s shoulder from behind and blink puppy dog eyes at Avaleigh who was obviously not impressed, in a show of solidarity with Maia.
Avaleigh wasn't fooled. “The only reason you aren't aggravated any longer is because she did what you wanted to do this morning!” Avaleigh told Delilah. “Kaid wouldn't let you go, and Maia managed it. Which is the only reason you’re on her side now.”
Delilah rolled her eyes, then stopped when she realized that Maia was snickering. “Sister Avaleigh does not lie, little Wolf. But you should not have gone on your own. What would we have told your father had you been injured, killed or worse?”
Maia barked out a laugh, “Killed or worse? What’s worse than killed?”
Delilah went stone cold serious, “Let me tell you clearly, little one; there are things in this life that would make death a welcome companion. I will tell you of things that are worse than death; then, perhaps you will think twice before you run away on your own without thought for those who are responsible for your
safety or anyone else’s feelings for that matter.” Delilah’s voice had risen steadily with her fury, which was growing fast.
Avaleigh stepped forward, “Lilah? Lilah, she doesn't know about what happened to us. She doesn't need to know, no reason to scare her like that.”
Delilah swung her eyes from Avaleigh back to Maia and found Riley standing there, legs firmly braced in front of her, Maia behind him. She blinked, realizing that Riley had been threatened enough by her demeanor to place himself between Maia and what he perceived as a threat. She swallowed once, then again. Took a step back and once again met Riley’s eyes, “I am no threat to you, your Mate or any other member of my clan. But to realize that the girl has no idea of the dangers that lie in wait, makes me furious that she has not been raised to be aware. Every female should know. Males are dangerous. Evil males can make you wish for death.”
Riley said nothing, just stood there, listening to her. Knowing to some degree that she was right, but also not quite sure that he wanted to step back. He was between Maia and a pissed-off Dragon, and that’s the way he preferred this particular situation; well, as long as the Dragon was pissed-off.
Maia, naturally, couldn’t leave well enough alone. She ducked under his arm, peeking at Delilah from behind him. “Aunt Delilah, what happened to you?”
Delilah regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, then, “Not just me, little Wolf, Avaleigh as well.”
Maia looked to Avaleigh, “Really? You, too?”
Avaleigh had done her best to try to put it behind her. Unlike Delilah, who seemed to find strength in the anger that the memories gave her, Avaleigh preferred to allow herself to forget. She looked at Maia again, “Yes, me, too. But I don’t like to talk about it. I do my best to forget.” Avaleigh swung her attention to Delilah, “If you feel the need to let her know, that’s between the two of you, but I don’t want to live it again. I’m going inside for when the kids wake up.” She started to go inside, then stopped, walked over to Maia, hugged her close and said, “Don’t disappear again. Just let someone know where you’re going so that we won’t worry, okay?”
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