Claiming Valeria (11 page)

Valeria wasn’t sure when she realized that the striking
couple at the next table were earth shifters.

First she caught the man eying them. There was nothing unusual
in that; fada instinctively kept a close eye on their surroundings—and these two
were definitely fada. They had a shifter’s firm, muscled build, they moved with
an animal grace…and when the man caught sight of Merry, his voice dropped to a subvocal
level that only another fada could’ve heard.

But they weren’t from Rock Run. After two years, Valeria knew
everyone by sight, if not by name. These two were dressed in the funky, Caribbean
garb favored by the Baltimore earth shifters—the woman in a colorful tunic over
brown leggings, the man in a copper-and-black print shirt.

After a searching look at Merry, the man was careful not to look
their way again. Too careful. Uneasy now, Valeria angled her body to shield Merry
from his view.

Next the woman managed to take a look, even though her back was
to their table. As she leaned over to retrieve her napkin, the quartz hanging from
a cord around her neck swung free from the bodice of her tunic. Every hair on Valeria’s
body stood on end as the woman straightened up and tucked the quartz back into her
tunic, her gaze on Merry. Expressions flicked across her face—amazement, joy—almost
too fast for Valeria to be sure she’d seen them. Then she turned back to her companion.

Valeria shot another glance at the man. Now she was looking for
it, she saw he also wore a leather cord around his neck, with the telltale lump
beneath his shirt.

She swallowed dryly. Just to be sure, she gave a surreptitious
sniff. They were earth shifters, all right, the difference in their scent from a
water fada’s as obvious as that between a puma and a dolphin. She’d only missed
it because it had been masked by Merry’s jaguar scent.

She set down her fork and turned to Merry. “Finish up, sweetheart.
It’s time to go home.”

Merry stuck out her lower lip. “But I want ice cream.” She pointed
to where a server stood behind a table with a dozen different kinds of sorbet and
ice cream.

“Merry,” she said sternly, then glanced at the earth shifters
and gulped. “You can have some at home. If you’re good, I’ll let you have a chocolate,
too.”

The pout disappeared. Merry’s face took on the shrewd expression
of a street vendor. “One of the good ones? From the box?”

Valeria nodded.

“All
right
.” Merry hopped off her chair and pumped a small
fist.

“I’ll come with you,” said Petros.

“No, no.” Valeria barely glanced at him as she came to her feet.
“You don’t have to leave yet. We can get a ride with someone else.”

He rose to his feet as well. “I’ll take you,” he said, tight-lipped.

The earth shifter male was watching them openly now. He was frankly
gorgeous, with a lean, hard body, spiked-up dark hair bleached blond at the tips,
and an arrogant smile that said he knew exactly how good-looking he was. Despite
his youth, he carried himself with an air of authority. Everything about him screamed
high-ranking dominant.

Their eyes met. His bored into hers, the flat, predatory bronze
of a mountain lion sizing up its prey, and suddenly he wasn’t so good-looking anymore.
Just menacing.

“Ric?” murmured his companion. “Maybe we should—”

Valeria missed the rest as a buzzing filled her head.
Lord
Adric
. All the clues pointed to it: earth shifter, dominant, even the fact that
he’d been invited to the mating ball when no other earth fada were present.

Panic wrapped tight fingers around her throat. Forgetting Petros,
she glanced around blindly for help.

“Look, Mama.” Merry tugged on her hand and pointed up. Dusk was
approaching. All across the compound, fae lights had started to twinkle on in a
variety of hues—gold, silver, pink, amber. They floated several yards above the
ground, bubbles of light illuminating the white canopies from inside and creating
a fairytale setting as they spread out across the meadow.

Valeria shot them a quick, distracted glance. “They’re beautiful,
querida
.” But the interruption broke through her panic. She had to calm down.
If Adric saw how agitated she was, it would only confirm his suspicions. “But it’s
time go now.” She took Merry’s hand and started for the exit.

Petros grabbed her arm. “What the hell?”

She swung around to face him. Lord, she did
not
need this
right now. “I’m going home. It’s getting late—Merry—”

“She’s fine,” he growled. “It’s not going to hurt her to stay
up late one night.”

Valeria’s jaw tightened. “Let me go, Petros.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m tired of you teasing me. One minute you
want me, the next minute, you’re running away. If you leave now, we’re finished.
There are other women who’d be more than happy to—”

She jerked her arm free. “Then feel free to find one. Because
as of right now, we’re through.”

His face darkened. “By the gods, I just might. You think I haven’t
seen you making cow eyes at him when you think no one is looking? The man doesn’t
want you, baby.”

“I. Am. Not. Your. Baby,” she said between clenched teeth and
strode away, Merry trotting alongside her.

“I don’t like Senhor Petros,” she stated in a high, clear voice.
“Even if he does buy you chocolate.”

Valeria squeezed her hand. “You know something, sweetheart? I
don’t either. I don’t like him at all.”

They had to skirt the dance floor to reach the parking lot. Valeria
risked a glance over her shoulder and got a nasty jolt when she saw that Adric and
the woman had risen to their feet.

She picked up her pace. He wouldn’t try anything here, would
he? The sun fae would be furious if he broke the laws of hospitality—and not even
a fada alpha would deliberately anger a fae, especially a powerful one like Queen
Cleia.

But she couldn’t help recalling Adric’s reputation. She had a
feeling there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do if he thought he could get away with it.

And then she saw Rui standing at the exit to the dining area.
Relief crashed through her. She didn’t stop to think, just headed straight for him.

* * *

“Whoa, there.” To Rui’s shock, Valeria practically threw
herself into his arms. He clasped her shoulders. “What’s wrong,
querida?”

He’d bided his time while she and Merry ate, grabbing a plate
for himself and eating standing near the entrance. He wasn’t alone. Several warriors
stopped to speak with him. Everything was very polite, but he knew that like Dion,
they were determining his resolve to reclaim his old role in the clan, testing if
he were still sober—checking him out in the way fada did when the pecking order
shifted.

And all the while he had an eye on Valeria, assessing how best
to pry her away from Okeanos. Then she came abruptly to her feet, had what
looked like words with Okeanos, and grabbed Merry and headed in Rui’s direction.

He would have liked to believe that she was looking for him,
but her eyes were on the exit. Still, the relief on her face when she caught sight
of him was unmistakable.

“Rui,” she said now. “Thank
Deus
.” Her eyes were wild,
her fear scenting the air. Merry whimpered and wrapped her free arm around Rui’s
leg.

“What’s the matter? Did Okeanos—” He scowled and looked around
for the sea fada. He’d taken a seat at a different table and was talking to another
woman from Rock Run. His eyes flashed at Rui, cold and dark, then he deliberately
gave him his back.

“If that bastard hurt you—”

“No, no. It’s nothing to do with him.” She took his arm, urging
him forward. “Please, Rui. I don’t have time to explain, but we need to leave. Now.”

“All right.” Puzzled but willing, he scooped up Merry and reached
for Valeria’s hand. “My bike’s in the parking lot.”

They headed for the cobblestone path that led to the parking
lot. As they skirted the dance floor, Valeria shot a glance over her shoulder.

“Oh, no. He’s coming after us—Lord Adric.”

“The Baltimore alpha?” He glanced back. “Hell. He saw Merry,
didn’t he?”

“Yes. And Rui—I think he guessed who she was.”

He smothered another curse, conscious of the little girl glancing
wide-eyed between him and her mother. “This way.” He guided Valeria toward a cherry
grove that he remembered from his year with the sun fae. “We can cut through here.”

They darted off the path and into the trees. The grove was an
old, mature one, with thick trees raising large, fruit-laden branches that spread
out to form a dense canopy. With the falling dusk, it was like plunging into a dark
green tunnel. Rui’s pupils widened, adjusting to the sudden loss of light, and he
knew his eyes had gone night-glow.

They were deep in the grove when he knew he’d made a mistake.
Coming toward him was the unmistakable scent of an earth shifter.

“Rui.” Valeria pointed to her right.

Make that two earth shifters. A large wolf and a big black cat
prowled toward them, their eyes glowing in the gloom.

Rui handed Merry to Valeria. “Take her and run,” he said without
taking his gaze off the earth shifters. “Tell Dion what’s happening.”

“But—” He heard her swallow.

“
Now
.”

She turned to go but had taken only a few steps when she halted
and hastily returned to his side. “There’s more,” she whispered. “Behind us.”

His jaw tightened as he took in the scent of two more earth shifters.
They were surrounded. Taking Valeria’s arm, he drew her and Merry back with him
until they had their backs against a tree and all four earth shifters were in his
field of vision.

They were in a small clearing near the center of the cherry grove.
Several fae lights had drifted in from the meadow, programmed to seek out party
goers wherever they were. The soft illumination allowed Rui to get a good look at
the man and woman who’d followed them into the grove. They were clearly relatives:
they had the same lean, dark beauty married to a catlike grace. He’d bet good money
their animals were cougars or another large cat.

But the man was Adric, all right. He might be pretty, but he
reeked of dominance. And he’d heard Adric was young, and this man couldn’t be out
of his twenties.

Rui released Valeria and straightened to his full height, hands
loose at his sides, ready for a battle.

“Take it easy.” The earth alpha lifted a hand, palm out. “I don’t
want a fight. I just want to ask you a few questions.”

The big black cat rumbled in agreement. Merry whimpered. When
he glanced at her, she was staring, mesmerized, at the quartz hanging from the cat’s
neck. It was glowing the same eerie green as its eyes.

His blood chilled. “Valeria,” he said, “stop Merry from looking
at his quartz.”

Valeria looked from her to the cat and then clapped her hand
over the little girl’s eyes. Merry pushed at her wrist. “But it’s pretty,” she whined.
Valeria whispered something Rui couldn’t hear, but Merry nodded and Valeria released
her.

“You can ask,” Rui replied. “That doesn’t mean you’re going to
get answers.”

The other man cocked a dark brow. “No? There are four of us,
and you have the girl to protect.”

Beside him, Valeria went taut, her fear and worry an acrid scent
that made his chest tighten. Rui caught her hand and squeezed it.

“Talk,” he said.

“Do you know who I am?”

“I’m guessing you’re alpha of the Baltimore earth clan.”

“That’s right. I’m Lord Adric and these are three of my lieutenants.”

He gave a curt nod. “Rui do Mar. Lord Dion’s second.”

“Ah.”

There was a world of meaning in the single syllable. It was clear
Adric knew Rui had spent the past year in an alcoholic haze. His jaw hardened. That
didn’t mean he couldn’t take out a pup less than half his age.

Adric turned to Valeria. “And you are?”

She met his gaze squarely, although Rui felt the effort it cost
her. The man was her dominant by several degrees. “Valeria da Costa. And this is
my daughter.”

To Adric’s credit, he didn’t try to stare Valeria down. Instead
he simply nodded and turned back to Rui. “We know the girl’s one of ours. What we
don’t know is why you have her.”

Merry tugged on Rui’s shirt. She was staring at the black cat.
Her nostrils flared. “Tio Rui,” she said, “I think he’s a jaguar like me.”

The big cat blinked with what appeared to be approval.

“Very good,” said Adric. “He
is
a jaguar. His coat even
has some darker spots in it, although you can’t see them in this light.”

Merry gave the jaguar a tentative smile. “Hello,
senhor
.”

Rui placed a hand on her head. “No, sweetheart
.
Don’t
talk to him. Don’t say anything. And whatever you do, don’t look at his crystal
no matter how pretty you think it is.”

She nodded but her gaze didn’t leave the jaguar’s face.

Light cascaded over the cat’s black coat in a sparkling rain
of gold, silver, copper and that eerie green. A few seconds later a man stood before
them, naked save for the quartz crystal hanging from his neck.

Rui glanced from him to Merry. There was an obvious resemblance.
The wiry body, the hazel eyes. Even his hard-boned face had something familiar about
it, although he lacked the pointed chin and tip-tilted eyes that marked Merry as
part fae, and his hair was a straight, shiny black where Merry’s was wavy.

Rui drew in a slow breath. Beside him Valeria was doing the same
thing. She grabbed his upper arm and he knew she’d scented the same thing he had.
The black-haired man was a close relative of Merry’s.

The man eyed the little girl with an obvious hunger. “Hello,
sweetheart. I’ve been looking for you for a long time.” He swallowed. “And yes,
I’m a jaguar. Just like you.”

Her face lit up. “I remember you! You’re Uncle Jace.”