Claiming Valeria

by Rebecca Rivard

  The little girl clapped her hands. “It’s a dolphin—just like you, Mama.”

  Valeria lifted the necklace out. The dolphin had been whittled from walrus ivory. It was a creamy white with brown striations, the beak, fins and tail flukes lovingly detailed, then the whole thing polished until it shone. Valeria fingered it, trying to picture a big, hard man like Rui producing such a delicate piece of art. And yet somehow she knew he had, that it had been his hand who’d carved each graceful line.

  Hot tears pricked her eyes. She hadn’t even known he could carve.

  “Can I hold it?” Merry begged.

  She blinked back the tears and handed it over. “If you’re careful.”

  Merry ran a small finger down its back. “Can I wear it sometime? Please, Mama? It’s so pretty.”

  “Maybe sometime. But today I’m going to wear it. Tio Rui gave this to me as a special gift.”

  Merry nodded and handed the necklace back. “He must really like you, Mama.”

  “Sim.” Valeria swallowed over a lump in her throat. When she could trust her voice again, she said, “I hear Tia Sabela and Katie outside the door. Why don’t you go to breakfast with them? I’ll meet you all in the dining hall after I take a shower.”

  “All right.” Merry darted into the hall, where Valeria could hear Sabela’s voice saying that of course it was okay if she came to breakfast with them.

  Valeria turned the necklace over in her hands. As Merry had pointed out, the dolphin was her preferred animal. Two years ago, when they’d been courting for the first time, Rui had teased her about it, informing her with a wicked smile that sharks eat dolphins, and then proceeding to demonstrate with his mouth and teeth until she was dazed with pleasure.

  She drew in a breath—and then tears were running down her face. She wrapped her fingers carefully around the carving and buried her face in a pillow as she sobbed for Rui and the loss of that first, somehow innocent love.

  When she was done, she felt drained but at peace, the bitterness finally gone. They could never return to what they’d had two years ago, but maybe they could make something new, something that would be even stronger and more enduring, tested as it had been by what they’d both been through.

  She took a shower and then proudly donned the necklace before heading out to breakfast.

  * * *

  She found Rui in the dining hall at a table with Merry, Sabela and Katie. As Valeria approached, he rose and gave her a slow, thorough kiss. Claiming her in front of everyone, as if the clan didn’t already know from their scents what the two of them had been doing half the night. Then he ushered her onto the bench between him and Merry.

  Rui fingered the dolphin. “You like it, then?” he asked, an endearingly diffident look on his hard face.

  She touched his cheek. “I love it. I didn’t even know you could carve.”

  “I don’t, actually—not anymore. It’s probably been ten years since I made anything. But I had that piece of ivory sitting around, and I had some free time while I was waiting to heal…”

  “Well, thank you.” She kissed him. “It’s beautiful.”

  “You’re welcome, meu coração.” My heart.

  Her own heart contracted.

  Across the table, Sabela caught her eye and mouthed, “Guess he liked the dress.”

  Valeria just grinned and picked up a muffin.

  As breakfast ended, there was a stir at the entrance and Dion and Cleia appeared, holding hands and smiling. The clan spontaneously rose to their feet to applaud the newly mated couple.

  As the cheers died down, Dion thanked everyone and officially asked them to welcome his mate to Rock Run. Then he looked around the room. “Damn if I didn’t miss you all,” he said, then added with a lopsided grin at his mate, “but not too much.”

  Everyone chuckled as they retook their seats. Dion got a large espresso and carried it over to Rui and Valeria’s table, while Cleia fell into conversation with several of the women who had befriended her while she was Dion’s prisoner.

  Rui rose back to his feet and stuck out his hand. “Welcome back, irmão. I don’t need to ask if you enjoyed yourself.”

  “No.” Dion ignored the hand to drag Rui into a hug. They pounded each other on the back.

  “You look good,” Dion said as he released him. He glanced at Valeria, taking in the fact that she was with Rui. His nostrils flared, and she knew he scented the sex on them. He gave her a wink before turning back to his friend. “It appears everything’s all right. No problems?”

  “Nothing we couldn’t handle. Luis and I can give you a full report whenever you’re ready.”

  “In my sala in thirty minutes?”

  “Works for me.” Rui glanced at Luis, who had just joined them, and he nodded agreement.

  Dion hugged Luis next. “How’s that boy of yours, anyway?”

  He grinned. “With your mate.” He nodded at Cleia, who had Xavier propped on her hip as she spoke to Isa and Marina.

  “Thank Deus I mated her before he was of age,” Dion drawled. “I might have had to fight off a challenge.” They all chuckled and then Dion turned to Valeria. “Before I do anything,” he said with a meaningful look at Merry, “I’d like an update on the situation with you-know-who and the earth shifters. You might as well stay and listen, Luis.”

  Sabela came to her feet. “I’d be happy to take Merry to the creche. I have to take Katie anyway.”

  “Would you?” Valeria replied gratefully. She tried to keep as much as possible from Merry, knowing it only upset her. Now she hugged the little girl, told her she’d pick her up at lunchtime and then released her to go off with Sabela and her niece.

  “Bom.” Dion took another gulp of espresso and sat down across from Rui and Valeria. “So,” he said as Luis took the seat next to him. “What’s Adric up to now?”

  “His people have been observed nearby,” replied Rui. “The first was when I was with Valeria and Merry. It was Merry’s uncle, Jace Jones. But since then, the sentries have reported two other possible sightings, although by the time they got close enough, whoever it was had gone. The scent was earth shifter, though. The odd thing was it was faint, as if it had been set down weeks ago.”

  Valeria lifted a brow. “I didn’t know that.”

  Rui met her frown straight on. “I didn’t want to worry you.”

  “Hm,” she said. At some point, they were going to have a talk about him withholding information from her. But right now the important thing was to keep Merry safe.

  “What I’d like to know,” Rui continued, “is how Jones got so close without our knowing it. He was just a few yards from our boat and none of us scented him. That seems impossible, unless—”

  “—they have fae help,” Dion completed his thought.

  Valeria sucked in a breath. She supposed it should’ve occurred to her that the fae might be involved, but everyone knew the fae did nothing for free—and the Baltimore earth shifters were dirt poor. Still, it made sense—only the fae could’ve concealed Jace Jones’s scent so well that none of them had known he was there, watching them.

  “Maybe I should contact Adric,” Dion said, “see if we can work out something.”

  “No,” Valeria blurted out. The alpha raised a dark brow, and she swallowed uncomfortably but continued, “I’m sorry, my lord, but I don’t trust him.”

  “Hell, neither do I. But we can’t keep Merry confined to base until she’s an adult. A cub needs to run.”

  “I know,” Valeria said miserably. Merry was already getting antsy.

  “And then there’s this thing with the quartz. Cleia says they’re telling the truth—Merry needs something that we can’t give her.”

  Valeria’s heart sank. “I see.”

  “Exactly what is a closely-guarded secret,” continued Dion. “But we know that every earth shifter has their own unique quartz crystal keyed to their energy alone. And I can tell you one thing, if you can somehow get their quartz away from them, it hurts—b
ad. I’ve seen grown men scream with the pain.”

  Valeria clenched her fists. “There has to be something we can do. I refuse to believe the only solution is to send Merry back to the earth shifters.”

  Dion sighed. “Look, I may as well tell you, I received a message the other day from Lord Adric. He’s making an official claim for her.”

  Valeria swallowed. “Can he do that?”

  “And by what authority?” Rui added. Unlike the fae, the fada had no higher court of appeals. They settled things clan to clan—through negotiation, battle or a challenge. The fae derided it as the animal in them, but the fada believed it made more sense than tying things up in court for months or even years, then allowing an outsider to rule on your business.

  “He has none,” Dion said. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to take him seriously. If he spreads the word that a Rock Run assassin kidnapped one of his young, we’ll be pariahs.”

  Rui closed his eyes. “Hell. What a mess.”

  Queen Cleia approached. Valeria’s lips drew back in an instinctive curl. She quickly smoothed her face. She didn’t blame Cleia for Rui’s rejection of the mate claim—he’d done that all on his own—but that didn’t mean she had to like the woman.

  “Excuse me,” the queen said, taking in their serious expressions. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “No problem, querida.” Dion caught her hand and drew her closer. “Do you need something?”

  “I just wanted to tell you I’m finished here. I’ll wait for you in the apartment.”

  “Actually, we could use your advice. We’re talking about little Merry.”

  Cleia glanced at Valeria. “If you’re sure…”

  Valeria wondered if she was recalling how Valeria had snatched Merry away rather than let the queen touch her when she was Dion’s prisoner.

  What Valeria said next was difficult, but she’d do anything to keep Merry. “Please stay, my lady. I—we could use your help.”

  Cleia looked at her, this time full-on. Valeria blinked. During the time the queen had been at Rock Run, Valeria had never seen her without her blindfold. Now she had the sense those large, unearthly fae eyes—brown shot with gold—could see right into her soul.

  But Cleia’s smile was sympathetic. “If it’s about your daughter, I’d be happy to,” she said and took a seat next to Dion. Cleia already knew about Lord Adric’s claim, and Dion quickly brought her up to date on the rest.

  “Well,” the queen responded, “I can tell you one thing. If a fae is helping Lord Adric, he or she isn’t a member of any of the sun fae clans. We have a strict policy of noninterference with other clans—fae or fada. And frankly, Adric doesn’t have the resources to pay for fae help.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Rui answered. “And yet none of us sensed him.”

  Cleia looked at Valeria. “Why don’t you take me back to the island? If someone used fae magic in the last couple of weeks or so, I should be able to detect it.”

  She inclined her head. “Thank you, senhora.”

  “Excellent idea,” Dion said as Rui nodded agreement. “I’m supposed to meet with Rui and Luis, but you two can go without us. I’ll send Rodolfo to guard you.”

  “A guard?” Cleia drew herself up, suddenly every inch the powerful fae queen. “Do you honestly think the earth shifters would dare try anything with me?”

  Dion tugged gently on a strand of copper-and-gold hair. “Indulge me, love. Sim? No one’s invincible—not even the fae. And if another fae is involved—”

  She glared at him another moment and then let out an exasperated breath. “Olivia warned me about you.”

  A corner of Dion’s mouth hitched up. “Your cousin’s a smart woman.”

  Rui came to his feet. “I’ll tell Rodolfo.” Leaning down, he captured Valeria’s chin and gave her a hard kiss. “Try not to worry, boneca. We’ll figure this out.”

  A few minutes later, Valeria and Cleia were in one of the clan’s motorboats with Rodolfo at the wheel. It was a beautiful morning, and despite her worry about Merry and the earth shifters, Valeria felt the familiar joy at being out on the river. Rodolfo let out the throttle and the wind rushed past her, teasing strands of hair from her braid so that they whipped around her face. She donned a pair of sunglasses and glanced at the queen, who had captured her own hair in one hand and had her face raised to the sun, drinking in its rays like the sun fae she was.

  Cleia turned to grin at her. “What a fabulous day.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re a fisher, aren’t you? You’re out here every day.”

  “It depends. In the summer I work less so I can spend more time with Merry. But yeah, I’m normally out here three or four days a week.”

  “And you and Rui are back together?” Cleia slanted her a knowing smile. “I’m so happy for you both.”

  “Are you?”

  Cleia glanced at Rodolfo, then lowered her voice. “Look, Valeria, I don’t blame you for disliking me. But I want you to know that I didn’t know Rui had a mate. I’d never have taken him if I’d known. If it helps any, I’m sorry—very sorry—for what it must have done to you both.”

  Valeria pressed her lips together. “He didn’t have to go with you. And we weren’t mates—not quite.”

  “No. But I didn’t play fair—I used a glamour to lure him. Not many men could have resisted me. In fact, no one did—not until Dion. He saw right through the glamour to the real me.” Cleia smiled a little self-consciously.

  “Rui never said.”

  “That I used a glamour? He wouldn’t, would he?”

  “No,” Valeria replied slowly, “he wouldn’t.” Rui would take full responsibility for his actions, whether Cleia had lured him or not.

  “There’s something else you should know. He eventually broke the glamour. I wasn’t ready to let him go—I’d have been happy to keep him for another year or two. But he’d become more and more unhappy, just going through the motions with me. Then one morning he woke up and said he was going home.” Cleia moved a shoulder. “So I let him. You may find this hard to believe, but I’m not evil—selfish, maybe, but not evil. Now that I’m mated, I know how strong the bond can be. It was tugging on him all that time.”

  “I see.” Valeria was silent, absorbing that. She tried to imagine how a dominant like Rui would’ve reacted to being ensnared by a fae. He must have felt so helpless, so ashamed. It explained some of the self-loathing she’d sensed in him since he’d returned.

  And all the time she’d thought he just found Cleia more beautiful, more sexy, than her.

  Deus, she could hate the woman. But that wasn’t fair. Rui hadn’t left the base because of Cleia; he’d left because of her, Valeria. Not that it was all her fault, either, but she shared some of the blame for turning from him at a time when he’d needed her most.

  Cleia was eyeing her, no doubt wondering what Valeria was thinking.

  Valeria blew out a breath. “Thank you for telling me. It helps.”

  “Rui should’ve told you himself, but you know what fada men are like.”

  “Sim. They tell us it’s in their DNA but we think they’re just stubborn S.O.B.s.”

  Cleia’s lips twitched. “I once called Dion pigheaded. And that was the nicest thing I could think of.”

  Their eyes met and then they were both grinning. And suddenly, Valeria understood why so many of the Rock Run women liked Cleia, in spite of the fact that she’d not only taken eight of their men as lovers, she’d mated their alpha. Beneath the golden girl façade was a genuine warmth and humor.

  They were approaching the island where they’d seen Jace Jones. Valeria pointed it out to Rodolfo, and he turned the boat in its direction. A few minutes later, they were securing the boat to a tree.

  As they reached the place where Valeria had seen the big black cat, she inhaled slowly. There was nothing out of the ordinary. But for some reason a chilly finger traced down her spine and she shivered despite the warm day.

>   “This is where we saw him,” she told Cleia.

  The sun fae queen touched the nearest tree, rubbing her fingers in a slow, considering way over the bark before moving on to the next tree. Her path spiraled inward as if she were following an invisible trail until finally, she crouched to touch the dirt beneath a large maple.

  When she straightened back up, her face was grim. “I can’t tell if an earth shifter was here or not. And that in itself is interesting, because I do detect a concealing spell. What I can tell you is that whoever cast the spell is very good—and that the magic used was dark. There’s almost certainly a night fae involved.”

  “A night fae?” Valeria felt the color drain from her face.

  “I’m almost sure of it. Dark magic carries its own costs. Very few fae besides the night fae want to deal with it.” She touched Valeria’s arm. “What is it? What’s the matter?”

  “The night fae.” Valeria’s voice was a rasp. She swallowed, tried again. “The night Rui found Merry—there were night fae after her then, too.”

  * * *

  Back at the base, Cleia and Valeria found Dion, Rui and Luis sprawled on couches in the alpha’s apartment, sipping espresso and listening to Dion tell a very male story about his honeymoon. On seeing Cleia, he abruptly broke off and all three men sat up. The guilt on their faces would’ve been comical if Valeria wasn’t so upset.

  Dion immediately rose to his feet. “What is it?”

  “Night fae,” Cleia said without preamble. “I picked up a trace of dark magic. It appears they’re helping the Baltimore shifters.”

  The other men were on their feet now as well. Rui growled. “Night fae? You’re fucking kidding me. Why the hell do they keep turning up in this?”

  “Valeria says that the night fae were after Merry the night you found her.”

  “That’s right. And it was a night fae who hired us to take out Merry’s dad in the first place.”

  “And her dad was part night fae,” Dion added. “His name was Silver—ever heard of him?”

  “No,” Cleia said. “But he was a half-blood?”