The Claimed (27 page)

Rafael got into his vehicle, but drove only a short distance down to the public beach access. He took the stairs to the break in the dunes and then returned to the compound, keeping close to the tall grasses to conceal his approach. He was aided by the sliver of a new moon whose dim light served to hide his passage.

At the edge of the compound, he dipped lower along the dunes, running in a half crouch until he was at the wooden stairs leading up to the grounds of the large home. There he paused, peering up the steps, watching for signs of any security. A minute later a lone guard—one of Christopher’s cadre members—passed by and then disappeared from sight. It took several minutes for that same guard to once again walk past, but in the opposite direction.

Perfect
, Rafael thought, and inched up the stairs.

R
yan would have preferred to return to his own bed rather than spend another night on Maya’s couch, but Christopher was adamant that she needed a closer guard and Ryan did not want to leave anything to chance. So he trudged down to her room and relieved Sarah and Xander, who seemed to be only too happy to leave her company.

“Scaring the kiddies?” he asked as he walked in and realized she was on the bed naked, obviously in a full state of arousal. Her energy field glowed around her brightly, an intense shade of passion red filled with golden threads swimming wildly throughout the aura. And yet it was muddled in spots by darker bits of maroon swimming with ugly black streaks from the human pox virus contaminating his people.

Even at a distance her energy was enticing, slowly pulling an arousal from him.

“Why does it scare you, Ryan?” she said as she leisurely
played with herself, alternating from caressing her breasts to reaching down and stroking her glistening sex.

“It? An apt description for what you are,” he said, fighting her allure.

Her husky laugh chased him as he walked to the sofa to make his bed. “Is it that you would prefer Christopher in your bed? Maybe I can arrange for us to share him.”

Ryan shook his head and continued ignoring her while laying out the sheets and blanket on the sofa.

“You’re wasting your efforts on me.” He paused as the glass on one of the balcony doors rattled and he turned to peer in its direction.

Maya rose from the bed then and sauntered over to him, her hips swaying back and forth. Their movement almost hypnotic, distracting him.

“Really?” she said, a flare of irritation finally entering her voice—a welcome change since he was tired of her come-ons.

“Really,” he confirmed and glanced at the doors as another ping registered against the glass.

Maya stepped in his way, blocking his view. As he met her gaze, she said, “Do you know what the French call it?”

But before he could respond, she had snared his penis in one hand and released a surge of her energy through him.

He nearly swallowed his tongue as an intense wave of desire pummeled him, making his knees grow weak and his head spin from the pleasure racing along every nerve ending in his body. His genitals were so engorged, he thought they might burst, but it seemingly wasn’t enough for her.

She brought her face close and whispered against his lips, “They call it ‘le petit morte.’ The little death.” Then she kissed him and released another stream of her vigor through him.

His knees collapsed then as black circles danced before his eyes while he teetered on the edge of a powerful orgasm. He fought to draw a breath, his body so caught up in need that nothing seemed to be working anymore. The darkness filled more and more of his vision until…

Maya watched him drop to the floor as he passed out. Too much blood going to all the wrong places will do that, she thought, but still took a moment to appreciate the immense erection straining against the cloth of his khakis.

“Such a shame it’ll go to waste,” she said, shaking her head as she raced to the balcony door and opened it.

In a blur of speed and light someone raced through.

Rafael, she realized as he materialized in the middle of the room.

“You asked me to come,” he said, looking around and then catching sight of Ryan on the floor. “Is he dead?”

“Not really,” she said, and raced to the desk where she jotted down Alexander’s phone number on a piece of paper. Then she returned to Rafael and pressed the note into his hand. “Call this number. Tell them what you know about Christopher’s plans.”

Rafael peered down at the number and his brows knitted together. He held up the slip of paper. “Who am I calling?”

“Christopher’s father. The true Añaru. He will never let the clans merge,” she hissed, unable to hide her anger at her ex-fiancé’s plans.

Rafael shook his head. “Not until you promise me that Victoria will not be hurt.”

Rage churned inside her at the request. What did the pitiful Victoria possess that she had so many men lusting after her? But as much as she wanted Victoria out of the way, maybe even dead, she made the promise to get him to do as she wished. “Tell Alexander that Victoria is not to be hurt. I will make sure of it myself when the Añaru arrives to make things right.” Rafael stood by the door for a moment, obviously waiting for the guard to pass before he sped off in a blur of light once again.

“Men in love are so stupid,” Maya said with a sigh as she slid the door shut. Fists clenched, she walked back into the room and paced back and forth for a moment until Ryan’s low moan drove her to his side. He was coming out of his stupor and when he did, he would refuse her again.

Refuse her as Christopher had. As Rafael would have had she tried, so enamored was he of his precious Victoria that he would even betray her in order to possess her.

Shaking her head wildly, she approached Ryan and kneeled. Bending down, she licked his lips and whispered, “You will love me, Ryan. Do you hear me? You will love me.”

He truly awakened with her kiss, his gaze going wide as the stupor from her earlier attack vanished.

“Bitch,” he shouted, his eyes wild as he reached out and encircled her throat, lifting her away from him, inches off the floor, as he surged awkwardly to his feet.

“Ryan,” she cried, clawing at his hands as the pressure nearly strangled her.

He must have listened for his hold eased, but only for a moment, as she found herself flying across the room.

She hit the wall so hard it cratered beneath her back and the impact drove the air from her lungs. Her feet had barely touched the floor when he was at her again, hauling her up by her arms and tossing her onto the bed. Jumping on her prone body with bone-bruising force as he pinned her to the mattress.

“What did you do to me?” he nearly screamed, spittle flying from his lips and wetting her face and upper body.

She met his gaze and there was no disguising the rage there. As he released her one arm, a bright yellow power orb glimmered in his palm and fear took root in her gut.

“You wouldn’t,” she said, afraid that he would blast her, but a moment later came the tug on her wrist as he wrapped tendrils of power there and secured her to one of the bedposts. She yanked at it and tried to buck him off, but he moved with the speed of the light that was his affinity. In the blink of an eye she was tethered to each of the bedposts, and it was only then that some calm entered his features. A scary calm that made her insides clench with even greater apprehension.

Her worst fears were confirmed as he came to stand near her. He let loose a surge of power that broke through the floorboards and slab of the house and deep into the soil beneath.

“No, Ryan. Please don’t do this,” she pleaded, but he remained unswayed.

Another bolt burst from his palm, but he maintained his connection with it, stretching it out into a thin line of energy secured to the earth. Then he touched his hand to the tendrils of power binding her wrist to the bedpost. Immediately she experienced the tingle of energy flowing
in and around the bindings and the pull downward along the grounding line he had created.

With preternatural composure, he said, “You know how this works, I’m sure. The more energy you release, the faster it will be channeled into the earth beneath us.”

And even if she did not struggle against the bonds, the grounding line would slowly drain her of her life force with each breath that she took, such was its sensitivity.

“I’m sorry, Ryan. I will not touch you again,” she pleaded.

Ryan heard her petition and at one time he might have been moved, but no longer. Her actions were unforgivable, and he worried about what she might have done while he was unconscious. How he might have failed Christopher and his clan by allowing her to overwhelm him.

In a calm, controlled voice that revealed none of the turmoil within him, he replied, “You will touch no one again, Maya. In the meantime, I suggest you guard your energy closely.”

If a Hunter was careful, he could survive a grounding tether such as the one he’d devised for days. Maybe by then his rage would have subsided enough for him to reconsider the punishment. For now he had to check something out. In the vague moments he remembered before she had contaminated him with her passion, he’d heard a noise outside.

Walking to the French doors to the balcony, he ignored Maya’s continued entreaties and focused on the ground outside. It was dark and the spill of light from the room did little to illuminate the area. Raising his hand, he called forth an orb of light and held it aloft, using it to
brighten the space around him and along the grass at his feet.

Footprints?
he thought, kneeling to run his other hand along what might be the impression of a shoe in the thick sod by the door. Just one footprint marked the ground for several feet which was unusual unless you were a Hunter traveling along the ions in the cosmos. Ions that would have been charged by such a passage.

He opened his senses, trying to search for any disturbance. A definite change in the air was present. Ryan had no doubt that a Hunter had been there.

Christopher had to know that Maya had possibly been in contact with one of Alexander’s men. If she had passed him information, they were all at risk.

Locking the doors, he hurried to Christopher’s bedroom and knocked, uncertain whether his friend was alone.

Christopher pulled the door open almost immediately. Victoria was not there. Yet.

“I’m seeing her later,” Christopher explained as Ryan barged past him, clearly agitated.

“That may not be wise. I think Maya had a visitor tonight,” Ryan advised.

“You think? How is it that you’re not sure?”

Ryan raked his hands through the spiky strands of his hair. “I can’t say, brother.”

“You can’t say?” he pressed, and placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder to try to calm his agitation, but Ryan reacted violently to his touch, throwing off his hand and stepping away from him.

“Ry, please talk to me. What happened?”

Ryan paced back and forth before finally facing him,
bright color staining his face. “She overpowered me. I’m sure she met with a Hunter while I was disoriented. I found a footprint and minute traces of energy out in the garden.”

“If she’s passed any information to a Shadow to take to Alexander, we are at high risk.”

“As are your Light Hunter friends.”

Christopher had planned on allowing some time for grieving before trying to prove his theory to Adam. Now he was certain that he would not have time to do so before Alexander took action.

“We must prepare. Have the cadre take up positions at every corner of the compound. Make sure they are fully charged for battle.”

Ryan confirmed his instructions, then hesitated. “What about the Light Hunter clans?”

“I will go to Victoria tonight as planned. Explain to her what has happened so she may prepare Adam and their people.”

Ryan planted one hand on his hip and then scraped a hand through his hair. He started to speak, sputtering for a moment before finally blurting out his words. “If your father brings more than just his cadre—”

“We are outmanned, but possibly not overpowered. His Hunters are contaminated and cannot use the full potential of their energy without the pox emerging,” Christopher reassured him.

“You cannot be here, Christopher. We cannot risk losing you if Alexander attacks.”

Christopher shook his head and reached for Ryan to reassure him. “I will not abandon you. As soon as I’m done with Victoria, I will return to help defend the compound.”

Ryan was about to argue with him again, but then thought better of it. Bowing slightly, he raised his hand to his chest and saluted him.

“As you wish, Añaru,” he said, and before Christopher could protest the formality from his friend, Ryan was out the door.

Christopher snared his keys, but then dropped them again. There were far quicker ways to travel, and he had to get to Victoria as soon as possible and warn her about what might be happening.

Heading outdoors, he sped in a blur of light down to the beachfront and raced to Victoria’s home.