Claiming Valeria (15 page)

She touched the control that turned off the fae lights. “Go to
sleep,” she said. “I’ll wake you in a couple of hours.” She didn’t set an alarm,
since like most fada, she had a natural internal clock.

As the lights faded to darkness, he touched her hand. “Thank
you,
querida
. For letting me stay here.”

“It’s the least I could do. After all, you wouldn’t be hurt if
it weren’t for me and Merry.”

“Is that all this is? Gratitude?” His voice was harsh.

“
Boa noite
, Rui.” She turned onto her side, her back
to him.

“
Boa noite,”
he replied. He muttered something she couldn’t
quite catch, but it sounded like, “But we
will
finish this.”

When Rui woke the next morning, Valeria was curled next
to him, her fingertips touching his arm as if to assure herself even in sleep that
he was all right. He knew she had to have been exhausted, but she’d dutifully awakened
him every two hours throughout the night. Now she was sound asleep, one hand under
her cheek, her lips parted like a child’s.

At some point she’d kicked off the covers. She was wearing clinging
leggings that stopped at mid-calf and a grass-green tank that enhanced her warm-colored
skin. His gaze traveled down her body with a hunger that was only partly sexual,
taking in the dark curls tumbling over one smooth shoulder, the full breasts beneath
the cotton tank, the sweet curve of her hip and her long, strong legs. The familiar
heat filled his belly, but for now he was content to lie quietly and bask in her
presence, breathing in her scent and listening to the soft sough of her breath.

Outside the apartment, he could hear footsteps as the several
hundred fada who called the base home began to go about their business. But inside,
all was calm. He let his eyes drift shut again, savoring a rare sense of peace and
well-being.

Deus
, he was tired of spending himself in nameless women.
He’d rather spend a sexless hour with Valeria than fuck another woman all night,
only to rise from the bed wrung-out but restless, unsatisfied. And hungry…always
hungry.

But eventually his body started making its needs felt. Reluctantly,
he opened his eyes and stretched each arm and leg in turn, taking inventory. He
was stiff and sore and feeling every frigging blow, but Branco had been right, he
was healing amazingly fast. The worst was the deep ache where he’d taken the knife.
He fingered the wound, disgusted with himself. Compared to him, the earth alpha
was practically a kid; Adric should never have gotten close enough to cut him. If
Rui hadn’t been such a drunken, lazy ass the past couple of years, the other man
would be dead now.

He pushed himself carefully to sitting. The pain had definitely
eased. Pleased, he limped to the bathroom.

When he returned, Valeria was still asleep. He pulled the sheet
up over her shoulders and got under it with her, lying on his side facing her. Long,
sooty lashes fanned over her cheekbones. Her face appeared thinner than he remembered.
He frowned. The clan had been through some hard times, but Valeria and Merry should’ve
had enough to eat.

He was ashamed to realize it had been months since he’d really
looked at her. He’d been aware of her every moment they were in the same room, of
course. But even when he hadn’t been drinking, he’d avoided looking at her. Now
it appeared she’d lost weight—and he feared it was more due to unhappiness than
lack of food.

A fierce protectiveness gripped him. She was his mate. It was
both his right and duty to ensure she was safe, happy. And he’d done a god-awful
job of it the past couple of years.

Valeria opened her eyes. “
Bom dia
.” Her lips curved.

His throat worked. It had been so long since she’d smiled at
him like that—wide and happy. “Good morning.”

Then she apparently remembered whom she was smiling at and
the happy curve faded. She propped herself on an elbow and looked him over with
a clinical eye. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better, thanks.”

“That’s good.” She glanced toward the door. “I should get up.
Merry—”

“No, wait.” He snagged her hand. “There’s no hurry. She’s
still sleeping.”

She hesitated and then nodded. “We should talk, anyway—about
Merry.” She arranged herself cross-legged on the bed.

“Yes,” he said and wondered why he was disappointed. Merry came
first with Valeria, and that’s how it should be.

He pushed himself up to sitting and inched himself backward until
his back was against the headboard, keeping his knees bent so as not to overtax
his lower abdomen. Pain jolted through him anyway. He closed his eyes and sucked
air in through his teeth.

When he opened his eyes, Valeria was frowning at him. “We don’t
have to do this right now—”

“I’d rather talk to you than lie on my back counting my bruises.
Besides, I’m worried about Merry, too. I want to help.”

She nodded and rubbed her palms over her upper arms. “I don’t
know what to do, Rui. They want her. Not just Jace and Adric, but the woman, too—Marjani.
You should’ve seen her when she first saw Merry. She looked so
happy
. And
if Merry needs one of those crystals to be healthy—”

“I’m not sure they were telling the whole truth about that. They
didn’t lie, but Adric’s a slippery S.O.B. And why should he tell us something that
would help us keep Merry?”

“That’s true.” Hope lit her face.

“It’s something to consider anyway. Now, tell me what happened
that night after I got Merry away. I gather there was a fire?”

“That’s what Dion told me. He figured it was safest for everyone
if the Baltimore shifters believed Merry died in the fire. He thinks the night fae
believed Merry was still inside the house, hiding. They used some kind of magic
to make sure no one got out alive. The house burned to the ground in less than five
minutes.” Her voice cracked. “She—she wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

Rui’s jaw hardened. “Bastards.”

“I still think about it sometimes. If you hadn’t been there—”

“Yeah,” he muttered. “I was a frigging hero.”

“You did save her.”

“After killing her father.”

“She didn’t see you do that, though.”

“No. But she did see him after. She tried to protect him—from
me.” His voice was harsh from the crust of self-loathing lodged in his chest. “But
I guess when I saved her from the night fae, she decided I was someone she could
trust. Maybe she figured it was them who killed him.”

“Was she wrong?” Valeria asked. “About trusting you, that is?”

“No. I’d guard her with my life.” He slanted her a look. “I’ve
wondered why you didn’t tell her the truth.”

She glanced away. “What was the point? She’d only grow up hating
you and that’s not going to bring her father back.”

He swallowed his disappointment. What had he expected? That Valeria
would say she couldn’t bear for Merry to hate him? She’d done her best to keep the
two of them apart.

“I never thought she’d make friends with you,” she added. “She
looks on you as a sort of father, you know.”

“I know.” That he’d won Merry’s trust was both a heavy weight
and an incredible joy.

Her dark eyes lifted to his. “Don’t let her down,” she warned
fiercely. “Because if you do—”

Hurt washed over him. “I’d cut off my own hand before I’d harm
a hair on her head. Hell, if you knew how often I wished I could go back in time
and change things somehow. Bring back her father—get them both away from the night
fae. But I can’t. All I can do is spend the rest of my life making it up to her.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I know I’m a poor second best as a dad, but I’ve been trying.”

She sighed. “I know, Rui. And you’re not a poor second best.
You—you’ve made her feel safe again. She’s been more at ease these past few months.
Those nightmares I told the earth fada about? She hasn’t had one since the two of
you became friends.”

“Yeah?” he asked, surprised and pleased. “I didn’t know.”

“She wants us to get back together.” Valeria gave a short laugh.
“Did you know that? I told her there’s no way.”

He leaned forward, setting a hand on her thigh to support himself
while he used the other to cup her too-thin face. He caressed her cheekbone with
his thumb. “Is it so impossible?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know. I—” She halted, throat working, her expression
registering such intense yearning that hope bloomed in him.

He brought his lips to hers, slowly, carefully. Giving her time
to pull back if she wished. But she didn’t. For a single sweet moment, her mouth
pressed back against his. He ran his tongue over the seam of her lips.

“Let me in, sweetheart.”

“No,” she whispered. But her eyes remained closed, her lips a
scant inch from his, so close he could feel the moist warmth of her breath, inhale
her familiar earthy fragrance.

“No?” He brought his hand to one soft, full breast. The tank
had a built-in bra, so there were only two thin layers of cotton between his fingers
and her nipple. It hardened, and he pinched it gently, possessively.

Mine
, the animal growled.

“Are you sure?” he murmured. He moved his hand to her other breast,
massaging that nipple into a hard point as well. Her breath shuddered in, and he
scented the salty musk of her arousal.
Yes…

Then her eyes opened, and he was shocked to see they were bright
with tears. “No,” she said again, and this time he believed her.

That momentary bloom of hope curled back in on itself, but it
didn’t die. He’d known this wasn’t going to be easy. He’d hurt Valeria deeply and
it was going to take time to win her trust again. But he refused to give up. Because
she was worth it.

He removed his hands from her body. She pushed off the bed and
turned away to knuckle her eyes. When she turned back, her chin was lifted in a
way that warned him not to ask about the tears.

“About Merry,” she said.

“Yes.” He reluctantly settled back against the headboard. “They’re
not going to find it so easy to take her back. Dion claimed her as a member of Rock
Run, remember?”

“But she’s a minor and we didn’t have her clan’s permission.
Lord Adric could say we didn’t have the right to claim her.”

“So? Who’s he going to complain to? A human court? They have
no jurisdiction over fada. And the fae could care less if we quarrel among ourselves.”

“He’s rebuilding his clan, Rui. Sabela says they lost a lot of
people during the past twenty years—even more than Rock Run did.”

His lip curled. “Because we never turned on our own.”

“Yes, but that means a child will be even more precious to them.”

“That may be true, but Adric’s not going to put his hands on
Merry if I can help it. And I’m certain Dion will back me up on that.”

She dragged a hand through her hair. “Maybe I should leave. I
could take her to Portugal. Adric doesn’t know which clan I belong to. He’ll never—”

Rui’s entire body went cold. “No,” he said sharply. “You can’t.”

She lifted a brow. “Says who?”

“I do. We’re mates, Valeria. You can’t leave now.” As soon as
he said it, he knew it was a mistake. It was too soon. But he refused to take it
back.

She sighed. “Not again, Rui. We covered this last night, remember?
I haven’t agreed to your claim.”

“The discussion is not over.”

She scowled. “It is now.
We’re not mates
. Is that clear
enough?”

“The hell we’re not.” It was his animal speaking. To it, this
was simple. Valeria was the mate. She and Merry belonged with him. End of story.

Temporarily forgetting his injuries, Rui came off the bed and
crossed the room in two strides. He gripped her arms. “You felt the bond, same as
I did.”

She looked away. “Did I?” Carefully avoiding a lie, he noticed.

“You did. We both did.” He gave her a little shake. “You’re my
mate, damn it. I won’t press the claim for now, but consider this your only warning.
I’m going to do whatever it takes to win you back.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You can try,” she allowed. “You can shout
it to the whole damn clan if you want. But it’s my right to accept or deny the mate
claim. Don’t forget that.”

He growled. Valeria blinked, but she didn’t back down. He eyed
her with unwilling admiration. He was her dominant, and two years ago, she’d have
folded in the face of his anger. But she’d changed. Maybe it was being forced to
stand on her own for the past two years, maybe it was becoming a mother—or maybe
it was both—but she’d matured into someone who wasn’t afraid to stand toe-to-toe
with him. He approved, although that didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy reminding her
who was master in their bed.

But now was not the time.

He forced himself to release her. “I haven’t forgotten. But
you
should know that I’ll do whatever it takes. You’re mine, Valeria. I know I hurt
you, and I’m more sorry than I can say. If I have to spend the rest of my life making
it up to you, then I will. But I’m not giving up and I’m not going away.”

Her black lashes came down. Shutting him out. He felt a flicker
of panic which he ruthlessly suppressed.

“It’s not that easy,” she said flatly and turned away.

He stared at her, willing her to look back at him, but she didn’t.
The rush of adrenaline that had taken him across the room drained away and he was
abruptly aware of every still-healing bruise and assorted other aches. He limped
his way back across the room and sat down heavily on the mattress.

Valeria bit her lip. “Rui—”

“If you don’t tell Branco,” he said with a rueful smile, “I won’t.”

She blew out a breath. “Just get back into bed.”

He allowed her to arrange him with his back against the headboard
again. He’d always hated fussing, but when it was Valeria, it was kind of nice.
She placed a pillow behind his back. He leaned back with a sigh, more sore than
he cared to admit.

Valeria set a cool wrist to his forehead. “You don’t feel feverish,
at least. But you should rest.”

He caught her hand. “I will as soon as we finish this. Please,
sit down and hear me out.” She hesitated. “I promise, I only want to discuss Merry.
The rest can wait until I’m better.” He waited until she was sitting on the mattress
again before continuing, “Leaving here with Merry would be playing right into Adric’s
hands. We know he has people watching the base. The moment you step off our territory,
they’ll grab her.”

She gave a short nod. “I suppose you’re right. We’re safer here
for now.”

He let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “I’m sure
of it. Dion will be back in a couple of days. We’ll talk to him, see what he thinks.
He may know of some way we can convince the earth shifters to leave Merry here—something
we can trade, for instance.”