Claiming Valeria (24 page)

Valeria looked from him to the boats receding in the distance.
“Where are you taking us?”

“To a party. Remember?”

And suddenly Valeria knew. Not all the old fada had renounced
the bacchanals—and Petros was a very old fada. “A baccha?”

He smiled without saying anything, but Valeria knew she was correct.
She was too young to have participated in a baccha, but she’d heard the stories.
They’d started as rites to celebrate the god Dionysus. Everyone gathered for the
ecstatic orgies of wine and sex—fae, humans, animals and Dionysus himself. It was
in the baccha that the fada had been born, a magical combination of all four.

But as time passed, the rites grew sadistic: women and the weaker
men forced to perform sexual acts with any man who desired it. Wine and drugs forced
down a captive’s throat. Harsh beatings at the slightest resistance until you begged
for the release of death.

And the most depraved had lured children into their games…

Valeria’s throat constricted and for a few seconds she
couldn’t breathe.
Not Merry. Please, not Merry
.

Merry whimpered, and she realized she was squeezing her too tightly.
The dark tendrils touched Valeria’s arms, seeking, seeking… Valeria loosened her
grip on Merry and took a deep breath, knowing she needed to stay calm for her daughter.

When she could speak again, she said, “All right,” as coolly
as she could. “But we don’t need Merry, do we? If you let her off, I swear I’ll
come with you. We don’t have to go back to the marina—just let her off anywhere
along here.”

Petros simply raised a dark brow and let out the throttle. The
boat zoomed upriver.

Merry rubbed her head against Valeria. “Please, Mama,” she said
in a small voice. “I don’t want to go with him.”

Valeria’s heart constricted. “I know.” She risked the black
tendrils to give her a quick hug and tried again. “Petros, please. I’m begging you—let
her go. She’s just a little girl.”

“Swear it,” he said, to her shock. “Swear that if I let her go,
you’ll come with me to my den.”

“Your den?”

“Me and a few other men have formed a den for those who want
to follow the old ways—not like your alpha, with that sun fae bitch leading him
around by the balls.” Petros spat into the river. “Now swear.”

Valeria nodded and repeated his words back to him, all the while
conscious of Merry trembling in her arms. They were silent after that, Valeria watching
as they headed upriver away from Rock Run. An odd calm settled over her. She tried
not to think about what would happen once she was alone with Petros. At least Merry
would be safe.

The old ways didn’t just include bacchas. The men had owned the
women and children back then, had had the right to keep them in seclusion from other
men if they chose. As in much of the human world at that time, a woman’s sole purpose
was to mate and reproduce.

But all that had changed in the last hundred years, just as
it had in the rest of the world. Only a few pockets of resistors wanted to return
to the way it had been, and they were dying out for the simple reason that few females
would agree to such complete domination.

They rounded a bend. They were out of sight of the marina now,
heading up the Susquehanna River. To their left was Rock Run territory, much of
it uninhabited forest, save for a few human farms and the clan’s vineyards. The
right was more developed, with small towns and the occasional house or farm dotting
the land in between.

Petros indicated three wooded islands another half-mile up the
river. “We’ll let Merry off there—on the furthest island.”

Valeria nodded and tried not to see her daughter’s pleading expression.

As they approached the island, Valeria rubbed her nose against
Merry’s. “You’ll be all right,” she said. “Just wave to the first boat. If it’s
not a fada, tell them you’re from Rock Run and they’ll take you back to the marina.
Or look for a dolphin—it will be a sentry. They patrol here all the time.”

“No, Mama. Please don’t leav—” Her mouth snapped shut and she
whined, animal-like.

Valeria shot a furious look at Petros. “Stop that, damn you.
Can’t you tell how frightened she is?”

He gazed back without speaking. But something about his
expression made her close her own mouth and subside.

Petros guided the boat to a pebbled spit of land at the very
edge of Rock Run territory. While Petros tied the boat to a tree, Valeria whispered
to Merry, “Remember—look for a sentry. Tell him or her what happened, and that Senhor
Petros took me somewhere upriver. Can you do that for me, baby?”

She gave a tearful sniff, but nodded.

“All right,” said Petros. “Out. Both of you.”

Valeria stepped into the calf-high water and reached for Merry.
“I love you,
querida
,” she said as she stepped onto the island, the little
girl in her arms.

“Set her down,” Petros ordered. When Valeria complied, he touched
Merry’s shoulder and ordered her not to move for five minutes.

“Yes, senhor,” she replied hollowly.

“Good girl.” He jerked his chin at Valeria. “We’re swimming from
here. Leave your clothes in the boat.”

Valeria obeyed and followed him into the water, where he ordered
her to shift. She glanced back at Merry. She was standing like a stiff little soldier,
tears running down her face.

Valeria felt as if her heart were being ripped out. She swallowed
her own tears and told herself it was for the best.

Then two men stepped out of the trees. Earth shifters: Jace and
another, larger man.

Valeria snarled. “What did you do?” she snapped at Petros
and started running through the water toward Merry.

“What your alpha should’ve done two years ago. What do you want
with an earth-shifter cub anyway? Get back here,” he barked at her. “Remember your
promise, damn you.”

Jace picked the still-stiff Merry up.

“Please,” Valeria pleaded as she reached the shore. “Don’t take
her. I’m begging you.”

Jace shook his head, his expression regretful. “I’m sorry, but
she belongs with us. I’ll…let you know how she’s doing.” He and the other man faded
back into the trees.

Valeria’s claws sliced out. She leapt after them. But breaking
a vow was even worse than telling a lie. Agonizing pain ripped through her. She
shrieked even as the change took her. In her fear and anger, something went wrong
and her claws turned to flippers.

And then she was a dolphin, wracked by pain and flopping uselessly
on the shore, the grit and pebbles digging into her sensitive skin. She watched
helplessly as Jace and the other man disappeared into the woods. The last thing
she saw was Merry looking back at her, screaming for help.

Valeria threw herself after them, wriggling wildly along the
beach, her animal knowing only that she had to save her daughter, until the pain
became too much and everything went black.

Tiago hadn’t lasted long in Baltimore. Too many people—and
no clean water. The harbor was a cesspool and even the tap water was chlorinated.
After five days he was itching for fresh, chemical-free water.

A smart man would leave the country—lose himself in the Amazon,
which had the world’s largest concentration of river fada, or maybe travel to Portugal
or one of the other southern European countries with river shifter populations.
But somehow he found himself back at Rock Run.

He couldn’t go back to the base, of course, but he made his
way to an island in the middle of the Susquehanna River, uninhabited save for a
dryad. The clan allowed her and her two sisters to share their territory.
Dryads were considered lucky, and besides, they had a special touch with growing
things. The three islands that the dryads had claimed were lush green oases, with
tall, old-growth trees. The fertility even extended into the river around the islands,
which were rich with fish, clams, and other mollusks.

Dryads were notoriously shy. He spent most of his time in the
river in his rockfish form, hiding from Rock Run’s sentries in dark nooks and crannies.
But even when on land, he caught only brief glimpses of her as she darted through
the forest, barefoot and dressed in light summer clothing, her tawny hair streaming
in a wild flag behind her.

When he first arrived, he left an offering of bread and cheese
at the base of the dryad’s oak, knowing that this would be a treat since she depended
mainly on what she could grow on the island. In return, she gifted him with some
fresh greens and a sack of early tomatoes. The two of them settled into a wary coexistence—until
he realized that someone else was using the island as well.

Five men, who came and went, usually with a female or two: Petros
Okeanos, two other Greeks he didn’t know, and Benny and Jorge.

Tiago frowned. Jorge had once been his mentor. When Tiago’s
parents had been lost at sea, Tiago had still been a kid—just eleven years old.
Dion and Rui had done their best, but they’d been thrust into the role of alpha
and second. Jorge had been a
tenente
at the time—far above Tiago—but he’d
stepped in, offering comfort in his gruff way and then proceeding to push Tiago—hard.

“You’re the alpha’s brother,” he’d said. “You have to be twice
as good as anyone else.”

Tiago had idolized the man. It hurt that Jorge was back and hadn’t
even bothered to look him up.

He supposed Jorge scented him, but he and the other four men
were apparently busy fucking their brains out. They disappeared for long hours
with whatever females they brought to the island, returning flushed and smelling
of wine and sex.

It was several days before Tiago realized they were using a cavern
right beneath the dryad’s oak. He was surprised she was allowing it, but then, this
was Rock Run territory. She probably thought the illicit little den had Dion’s approval.

He felt a twinge of fear for the dryad; she was such a gentle
creature. But she seemed safe enough. Dryads had ways of concealing themselves in
their trees that made them almost impossible to detect.

Okeanos seemed to be in charge, and although it was obvious
what he and the men were doing in that underground cave, it never occurred to Tiago
that they were holding bacchanals for the simple reason that there hadn’t been one
at Rock Run since before he was born.

When he finally realized what was going on, his first thought
was that he needed to tell Dion immediately—until he recalled that his brother didn’t
even know he was still on Rock Run territory.

Mind your own effing business
, he told himself.
They’re
not hurting anyone
. The few females he’d seen—a couple of night fae, a river
fada he didn’t recognize, and three humans—seemed willing enough.

Then Okeanos had appeared with an obviously terrified Valeria
and her daughter, and Tiago decided it was time to stop lying to himself.

Now he watched as Rui do Mar’s brows snapped together. “What
do you mean?”

“Your woman—Valeria. Petros Okeanos has her.”

Rui had him by the throat before he could react. “Explain. And
it had better be good, you bastard.”

He gazed back steadily. “You know, then.”

“That it was you who helped the sun fae? Yes.”

“So am I under a death sentence?” It would almost be a relief.
The weeks on his own had taken their toll. He knew he was on the edge of going
feral. A fada his age wasn’t meant to live as a solitary; he needed touch, the companionship
of the pack. He’d even missed the punishing training his cohort had been undergoing
in preparation for their induction as warriors.

“No. Dion wanted to find you first.” Rui gave him a hard shake.
“Now talk. Where’s Valeria?”

“Okeanos has her—and Merry, too. I don’t know what happened,
but they didn’t go with him willingly. I could scent their fear.”

Rui inhaled slowly, testing the truth of his words. Tiago saw
the exact moment when fear dawned.

“Where?” he asked hoarsely.

“You know those three islands about a mile up the Susquehanna?
The dryads’ islands?”

“
Sim
.”

“Okeanos and a few other men have a den on the middle one. It’s
underground, but I know where the entrance is.”

Rui released Tiago’s throat, but stayed close. “Go on.”

“They’ve been holding bacchas there. Okeanos has brought other
women to the island. At first I figured the women were willing, but Valeria was
trying to get away from him. And when I thought about it, I realized the other women
were too stiff—as if he were controlling them in some way. Dark magic, maybe.”

Rui’s eyes flickered. “How many men?”

“Okeanos, a couple of other sea fada. And Jorge and Benny.”

“And you know where they are?”

“Yes.”

“Hell.” Rui gripped his nape. “Dion needs to know but there’s
no time.” The garage was a half a mile up creek from the base.

“I’ll tell him.”

Rui gave him a brief, considering look and then shook his
head. “No. I need you to take me to their den. Besides, I could use some back up.
You up for it?”

Tiago squared his shoulders. “Yes, sir.”

“Then let’s go. I’ll worry about getting a message to Dion after
we’re there.”

Rui was already on his way out of the garage, tearing off his
clothes as he ran. When he reached the creek, he dove in, changing to his shark
in mid-air. Tiago shifted to dolphin a few seconds behind him, and together, they
shot downstream toward the Susquehanna.

When Valeria came back to herself, Petros was standing
on the beach over her scraped and bleeding body. She forced the shift back to human,
her animal still in control and gripped by a killing rage.

She growled at him, her
claws slicing out.
The man gave the daughter to the enemy. He dies.

Petros’s lip curled. “Fool. I can control you as easily as her.”

The words had as much meaning as the barking of a dog or the
howling wind. She dropped into a crouch, preparing to pounce. But Petros muttered
a few words in ancient Greek, and the invisible net closed around her. She instinctively
lunged toward the water, changing to dolphin to try to escape, but the net simply
adjusted to her new contours. She thrashed wildly, her animal half-crazed at being
trapped.

Petros kept the pressure on, tightening the net until she was
gasping for breath. Still she struggled, maddened with fear and anger, until he
waded into the water and punched her in the snout.

“Stop it,” he snarled, “or I swear to God I’ll knock you out.”

Somehow the words made it through the thick terror enveloping
her brain. She shuddered to a stop and dragged in air through her blowhole. But
she couldn’t get enough. The edges of her vision went black and she started to sink
as the air was squeezed from her lungs.

Petros swore, but loosened the net enough to allow her to breathe
freely. Her chest heaved and she drew in great gulps of oxygen.

Gradually her reason returned, but with it came a cold dread.
The Baltimore shifters had Merry and she couldn’t even raise the alarm.

“Swim, baby,” Petros crooned in a voice that made her flesh crawl.
He pushed her back into the river and draped one arm around her neck. “I’ve given
you enough slack so you can move that pretty tail of yours. But if you try anything
funny, I’ll make the net so tight you won’t be able to breathe. You’ll sink like
a stone without me to hold you up. Nod if you understand.”

She jerked her head.

“Good girl,” he said. “Head downriver. That party I told you
about? It’s on the next island. Just me and a few friends. And,
glika
?
You broke your promise. I’ll have to punish you for that. Now swim.”

It only took a few minutes to reach their destination. As soon
as Petros’s feet touched the shore he stood up. She halted, chest working like a
bellows, nearly at the end of her resources. The bastard had kept an arm around
her neck the entire way, and rather than helping her swim, he’d let his legs drag
so she was forced to pull him through the water.

There was no sign of the sentries and the only boat they’d passed
had contained humans, no match for a fada, especially one with a dark Gift like
Petros’s. She’d hoped he might loosen the net holding her captive, but he’d kept
her tightly bound. And even if she did manage to break free of him, she was still
bleeding and exhausted.

But Petros had to be tiring as well. He’d bound first Merry,
then her. Any prolonged use of magic drained life-energy, and he was using a tremendous
amount to keep such a tight control on her.

Now, as she struggled to catch her breath, she told herself that
at least Merry was safe. Jace was her uncle. Merry would be scared and upset, but
he wouldn’t harm her.

“Shift,” Petros ordered.

She hesitated, unsure she had the strength. Exhausted as she
was, she risked being trapped in a dangerously half-changed state: part dolphin,
part woman. A shifter could die in that state, his or her body unable to reconcile
two such disparate parts.

Petros’s hand chopped down on her snout. Pain burst behind her
eyes. She squawked angrily.

“Shift,” he repeated.

She drew a breath and obeyed. The change was a slow, painful
process that left her very bones aching. She had a terrifying few seconds where
she was afraid she wouldn’t complete it, but she dug deep and forced the last few
parts to form. When she was finished, she crouched in the water, gulping in air,
still bound in the invisible net.

The sun had risen. It was the end of July and the temperature
was going to be in the nineties today. Even now, with the sun still low in the sky,
it was unpleasantly hot on her bare skin. Petros waved his hand and the net loosened
enough to allow her to move her arms.

Her nose felt wet. She put a hand to it. When she took it away,
her fingers were stained with blood.

Petros stared down at her, his face an unyielding mask. “When
I give an order, you’ll obey immediately. Understand?”

She nodded. She’d go along with him for now, wait for a chance
to escape.

Because she
would
escape. The alternative didn’t bear
thinking about.

But the blood had given her an idea. She could use her Gift.

One of the reasons Rui was such a good tracker was that his shark
could scent blood in the water in concentrations as low as a few parts per million.
She drew several fish toward her and brushed the blood on her hand onto them, and
then gave them a powerful push downriver. If Rui was in the river, he’d pick up
her scent and follow it to the island.

Of course, that was supposing he’d returned—and that he realized
she and Merry were missing. Her stomach sank as she realized how unlikely it was
that Rui—or anyone—would come looking for them in time. Eventually, they’d be missed
when they didn’t show up for meals, but by the time anything realized something
was wrong, Merry would be in Baltimore—and Petros would have her, Valeria, hidden
in his den.

Petros’s hand clamped on her arm. “Get up.”

She rinsed the blood from her face and rose to her feet. His
gaze moved down her naked body in a way that made the skin between her shoulder
blades tighten. His cock began to harden. He raised his gaze back to hers and smiled.

Valeria glanced back and gave the fish another forceful nudge.

Petros waved a hand, freeing her from the net, but he immediately
forced her arms behind her back and bound her wrists together with the same invisible
webbing while leaving her legs free to walk.

“That way,” he said, pointing toward a path into the trees. He
slapped her bottom—hard—so that she stumbled forward.

He was trying to humiliate her. Well, fuck him. She raised her
chin and calmly picked her way over the pebbled beach toward the woods. He chuckled
but fell in behind her.

The path led to a clearing at the center of the island presided
over by a tall, slim oak. Petros tapped on the trunk as he spoke some words in ancient
Greek, and a magical doorway opened, which by some three-dimensional sleight-of-hand
expanded until its width was greater than the actual tree trunk. Stairs led into
the shadowy depths below.

Valeria’s spine iced. She
knew
, with a deep, inner certainty,
that dark souls waited at the bottom of those stairs. Her knees locked and she forgot
all about waiting for a chance to escape. She just wanted to stay above ground.

“
Não
,” she said, in her terror reverting to Portuguese.
With an effort she unstuck her frozen joints and backed away, one step at a time.
“
Por favor, Petros
.”

He stalked after her until her back hit a tree. His fingers tangled
painfully in her hair. “No?” He forced her head back so that she had to bend her
knees to relieve the pressure. “Did I hear you right?”

She licked suddenly dry lips and forced herself to remember her
English. “Please don’t make me go down there. I’ll do anything you want, just please
don’t make me—”

He slapped her face so hard she tasted blood. “What?” he asked,
his eyes glittering darkly.

He was close enough that his erection jabbed her belly. Her resistance
aroused him, the bastard.

She brought her hand to her throbbing cheek. “Nothing,” she said
dully.

“That’s better.” He gave her hair another painful tug. “Let me
explain something,
glika
—the word
no
is no longer part of your vocabulary.
Are we clear on that?”

She dropped her gaze. “
Sim
,” she whispered.

* * *

Jace sped with Merry to the other side of the island,
Hunter close behind him. His heart was full as he cradled the little girl’s
stiff body. He’d thought Takira’s daughter dead. Never in a million years had
he thought he’d get to hold her again. Whatever Adric had had to pay Okeanos to
get her, it was worth it.

He smiled into the big golden-brown eyes so like his sister’s.
“Welcome back, sweetheart.”

She gazed back expressionlessly. That bothered him, but he attributed
it to whatever Okeanos had done to her. Then the stiffness wore off and she shifted
to jaguar in his arms, swiping at his face with her claws so that he almost dropped
her.

He caught her by the scruff of her neck and gave her a shake.
“Settle down, damn it.”

Her upper lip pulled back in a fierce little snarl.

“You’re an earth shifter,” he snapped, exasperated. “You belong
with us.”

She shook off her clothes, which had twisted themselves around
her body, and shifted back to girl. He bobbled her in his arms, almost dropping
her a second time.

“I want my mama,” she wailed.

“For God’s sake,” Hunter muttered. “Shut her up before she brings
a sentry down on us.”

“What do you expect?” Jace growled back. “She’s just a cub.”

Hunter had volunteered for this; he’d known what it entailed.
Jace and Adric had agreed that since Hunter had made the first contact with Okeanos,
he was a good choice. Besides, the man was a true wolf, his animal close to the
surface, worth two or three lesser soldiers. Two men were all Adric had been willing
to send. Any more risked detection by the Rock Run sentries.

As it was, he and Hunter were passing themselves off as humans,
having rented a local’s boat and picked up used clothes at a human thrift store
to conceal their scent.

But Hunter was right. Jace tried softening his voice. “Hush,
now,” he told Merry. “Don’t you remember your Uncle Jace?”

She sniffed and nodded, her large, golden-brown eyes shimmering
with tears. “Please, Uncle Jace. Don’t let Senhor Petros hurt my mama. He’s a bad
man.”

“He’s not going to hurt her.”

But he couldn’t meet her eyes as he said it. He didn’t know what
Okeanos wanted with Valeria da Costa, but it wasn’t good.

Merry’s nose crinkled, and he knew she scented his lie. She relaxed
just long enough for him to think she’d resigned herself to coming with him, and
then wrenched herself out of his arms and dashed toward the trees. He leapt forward,
catching her up again, but she went crazy, screaming and twisting in his arms, until
he was forced to use his crystal to compel calm on her. He had nowhere near Adric’s
Gift with the quartz, but because Merry was a close relation and young to boot,
he was able to quiet her enough that she ceased fighting him, her screams changing
to heart-rending sobs.

He gazed down at her helplessly. The last thing he wanted was
to get involved in a Rock Run matter. But as he looked at Merry’s small, sad face,
all he could think of was his sister Takira and how she’d died.

It was obvious that the da Costa woman hadn’t gone willingly
with Okeanos. And it didn’t take a genius to know what the man intended.

How could he, Jace, stand by and let another woman be raped,
maybe even worse? It was Takira all over again.

He bit out a curse so sharp that Merry flinched even in her semi-tranquilized
state. “I’m going after the Rock Run woman,” he told Hunter. “You’re welcome to
wait here—I know it’s not what you agreed to do.”

The other man stared at him. “Are you fucking crazy?”

“Probably.” Jace waded into the water and dropped Merry into
the small fishing boat they’d rented. “Don’t move,” he ordered, “if you want me
to help your mama.”

She scrambled onto a seat and nodded, her face solemn.

As Jace started the motor, Hunter leapt into the boat with a
wolf’s rangy grace.

“Thanks,” Jace told him. “I can use your help. I don’t know how
many men Okeanos has with him.”

Hunter grunted. “I’m not along to help. I’ll stay with the cub
in the boat. Damned if I’ll let you strand me on an island in Rock Run territory.”

“Suit yourself,” Jace growled and aimed the boat in the direction
Okeanos had gone.

* * *

The top speed of a bull shark was twenty-five miles per
hour. Rui hurtled through the water as swiftly as his straining muscles could propel
him, but it still wasn’t fast enough. He was old enough to have attended a
number of bacchas. He’d seen men and women in the grip of the
Delírio
, and
worse, seen how it changed a person over time. Sooner or later they lost all sense
of right and wrong, caring only about seeking pleasure…and meting out pain.

Okeanos must have crossed that line years ago. The idea of Valeria
and little Merry being subjected to his whims had Rui nearly crazed with rage and
terror.

Inside, his animal was even worse, growling and gnashing its
teeth, threatening to mow down anything in its path to get to the mate.

Blood
, it muttered.
Death
.

Rui ruthlessly subdued it.
I promise, he’s a dead man. But
we have to stay calm.

His animal rumbled angrily but subsided, recognizing that Rui
was correct.

He reached the middle island and waited impatiently for Tiago,
whose dolphin couldn’t match Rui’s speed. The youth had earned his grudging respect.
When Tiago had run rather than face the music, Rui had been disappointed, even a
little contemptuous. But apparently he’d grown some balls in the past month if he’d
been willing to face his brother for Valeria’s sake.

Tiago arrived and flicked his snout toward a narrow beach.
This
way
.

Rui shot forward again, then abruptly halted as he scented Valeria’s
blood on a school of small fish streaming past him. She was on the island, as Tiago
had said—and bleeding.