The Claimed (12 page)

A distinctive vibe resided in the area where the ocean met the river waters that created the fertile ecology of the estuary. Because of that union of waters, it was also a place rife with vitality. The perfect location to recharge her life forces and balance them.

That sense of being one with herself was high as she returned home. She had not detected Rafael’s energy on any of the breezes sweeping past her that morning and he was gone by the time she came home. In a way she was relieved, because she was not up to another fight with him over Christopher.

After showering, she headed down to the shop to deal with the demands of her human life—the business and the friends who were virtually on her doorstep as she opened the door.

“What a surprise,” Victoria teased as she put up a fresh pot of coffee and walked over to the counter to check and see what was scheduled for the day and who would be in to work.

“You damn well know that we had to hear how it went,” Jan said as she plopped herself on a stool and Sammie leaned on the glass-topped counter that held a variety of stickers and accessories for sale.

“So how was your date?” Sammie piped up as Victoria reviewed the schedule, trying to postpone an answer to her friends as long as possible. Even though it was early in the season, they had a fairly full number of patrons for the day which was pleasing.

“Stop dragging your feet and spill,” Jan pressed, well aware of Victoria’s delaying ploy.

“He was nice. Very nice,” she answered.

“I’m hearing a ‘but’ there,” Sammie said, seemingly sensing her incomplete response.

And Sammie was right. “But there’s my family and Rafael—”

“I thought he was just your friend,” Jan chimed in.

“And work. I’ve got lots and lots of work, while Christopher is apparently quite well-off,” Victoria finished, gesturing to the shop around her in an effort to steer the discussion in a different direction.

“Well that must be rough—a rich boyfriend. Is he like filthy rich?” Sammie kidded, first with a huff of disbelief, followed by a teasing grin.

“He’s not a boyfriend. He was my date. Maybe just for one night since I’m too busy for more,” Victoria advised, still feeling guilty about what had happened with Rafael last night.

“Was he a good kisser?” Jan asked, not dissuaded by Victoria’s denials as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Victoria couldn’t contain the telltale flush of color along her cheeks, which earned a “Woot” from Jan.

“I guess so,” Sammie chuckled, and then quickly continued. “Handsome, rich, and a great kisser, but you don’t want to date him again? Can I get his number?”

“I’ve got to deal with work and family first,” she insisted, echoing a discussion she’d had more than once with her friends. What she didn’t include was that she now had additional concerns about the unusual energy vibes she got from Christopher.

“Seriously, Victoria. You have got to get a life,” Jan replied with a roll of her eyes, but Victoria was not swayed. Almost losing Rafael last night due to her lack of attention had only served to remind her that being “normal” like her human friends was going to take a lot of work. Maybe more than was possible at the moment.

“I’ve got a life, but I’ve also got obligations I can’t ignore. You both know that,” she said, and turned her attention to Sammie in the hope of getting some support. “You understand, don’t you?”

“Actually, I’ve never had much of a family life,” Sammie replied almost defensively, forcing Victoria into a corner.

Victoria knew better than to continue to argue with her friends. “Okay, I promise to be open if he should call again.”

Victoria snagged the coffee pot and held it up to Sammie. “Can I offer you a mug also?”

Sammie shook her head. “No thanks, I just came by to drop off some more T-shirts. I noticed you were low the other day so I made up a new batch for you. I’ve got
to run,” she added immediately, and without waiting for a reply, raced out the door.

Victoria shot a look at Jan from the corner of her eye. “I upset her, didn’t I?”

“You know she doesn’t like talking about her family,” Jan rebuked, blowing on the hot coffee in the mug before taking a sip.

Guilt flooded through Victoria because she had been too caught up in her own problems to think about her friend. So now she was a failure in both the Hunter and human worlds. “I should have remembered.”

“Is everything okay? Because you’ve been really distracted lately, which is saying a lot that I noticed since all I can think about is the wedding,” Jan kidded, just as the front door opened.

Sammie walked in followed by one of Victoria’s employees carrying a box with the T-shirts. The young man, Brendon, one of the younger members of her cadre, laid the boxes at the foot of the counter and with a wave at Victoria said, “First group of parasailers is here, but Mike hasn’t arrived yet.”

Victoria nodded and grabbed a clipboard from the wall behind her. She handed it to Brendon along with a pen. “Please read them the rates and rules. If they agree, ask them to fill out those liability waiver forms and then bring them in so I can get them rung up and outfitted.”

“Will do, boss,” Brendon said and started to salute her, but then seeing the humans, quickly changed his action to a jaunty wave before going outside.

“Is Mike okay? I haven’t seen him around all that much,” Jan asked, familiar with Victoria’s employee from her own local shop, which Mike used to frequent.

“He’s been a little under the weather.” Mike was another member of her cadre of six protectors and although he was only just past thirty, Mike had been experiencing a number of problems with his life force. He was unable to accept gifts of energy effectively and worse, unable to retain it once it was absorbed. Victoria prayed his lateness this morning was not due to those problems.

“Hope it’s not serious,” Sammie added, but a moment later, Mike came through the door and Victoria noted that his life force seemed stable, although not overly strong.

“Sorry I was late, Victoria. I’ve got it under control,” Mike said, and walked over to the harnesses for the parasailers. While he sorted through the equipment, Victoria returned her attention to her friends.

“Not that I don’t appreciate your meddling in my love life and providing the T-shirts, but is there some other reason you came by this morning?”

“The fundraiser is tonight and we didn’t want you to forget. You
have
been distracted,” Jan stressed yet again.

Truth be told, Victoria had forgotten. Surprising considering that she had offered up one of the donations for the event and had been looking forward to it since it supported one of her favorite local environmental groups. Not to mention that it was Adam Bruno’s event. That meant it was a must show for her as well as her parents and other Ocean clan members. Adam’s parents and Desert clan members had opted to remain in the area rather than return to their desert location. That decision was creating friction with some who feared that the presence of so many Light Hunters in the area risked exposing them to the Shadows. More than once she had argued with her parents about the importance of forging stronger bonds
between the two groups, and she hoped that her attendance tonight would move them in that direction.

“I’ll be there. Are you up for dinner beforehand?” she asked, and her friends were quick to take her up on it, even Sammie despite her earlier upset. Victoria hugged both of them, and the two women were soon on the way to their jobs, leaving her to her own list of things to do.

A long list, it occurred to her more than once during the course of the day. Even though her assistant manager came in to handle most of the scheduling, Victoria was busy with the kayak tours, making sure the surf lessons were underway, and keeping an eye on Mike. She was thankful that as the day came to an end, Mike’s energy levels had remained stable.

As she was closing up the shop, Mike called out to her and waved when he reached his car. “See you later.”

“Why don’t you take the night off?” she suggested, and walked up to him as he was getting into his Jeep.

Mike gripped the wheel tightly, his lips a thin slash. “I’m okay, Victoria.”

“I know, but it’s going to be a boring night. I’m sure you’ve got better things to do.” She laid a hand on his shoulder and offered comfort and a gift of energy with her touch.

With a slow swivel of his head to face her, he said, “Something better than protecting my Quinchu?”

She didn’t want to shame him, but she was responsible for his well-being. “It’s a human event, Mike. No Shadow is going to create problems at such a public place.”

“And what if they did? You would be without an adequate defense and that would be bad, not only for you, but for all in the clan who depend on you.”

She nodded to acknowledge his point. Alive she could continue to feed the entire clan. Dead, her life forces would only help those who were nearby enough to accept the last of her energy before her physical body expired. “You’re right, Mike. I’ll see you later.”

He inclined his head to confirm her directive and pulled away in his car, leaving Victoria to return to her home. As she entered via the side door, the chirp of her cell phone came from the main floor on the second story. She bounded up the stairs, but missed the call. The phone buzzed a second later to advise on that and other missed calls. She never took her phone with her to work since she was in the water so often. Anyone who mattered knew to try her at the shop if it was something important. Her Hunter parents could reach her with just a missive sent mentally through the ions in the cosmos.

She scrolled up and down to see who had called. Jan. Sammie. Two calls from Christopher during the course of the day. A part of her appreciated that he had made the effort, but another part, the responsible part, told her not to call back. No matter that she had promised her friends she would be open if Christopher phoned. Mike’s condition and his determination to serve despite his weakness reminded her that she also had to prioritize her responsibilities over her wants.

Dropping the cell phone into her purse, she raced upstairs to get prepped for the night ahead. It was going to take a lot of patience to deal with the various Hunter members who would be present at tonight’s affair, and she had to be ready.

C
hristopher positioned himself at the back of the room where he could keep an eye on everything. He had his auction paddle in hand, ready to bid if something interested him. Ryan stood beside him while two of his other cadre members kept their eyes on Maya, who had insisted on coming with them to the event. Probably to get a glimpse of the man who his father had plotted to be her mate if Christopher refused to bond with her during his Equinox.

With Alexander seemingly having lost interest in Adam Bruno, that left Maya with no mates should her biological clock reach its zenith. A shame, really, since Maya was such a powerful Hunter. Too bad her lack of trustworthiness destroyed the value of that life force, he thought as he caught a glimpse of his former fiancée across the room.

A sudden commotion near the front door drew his attention, along with the low, insistent drone of energy.
Hunter energy
, he thought, as he caught sight of Adam Bruno and the beautiful woman beside him. The couple was immediately followed by two people who could be none other than Bruno’s parents. The resemblance between them was strong, as were the auras of energy. But a moment later, the auras disappeared, brought under control by one of the people in the group.

Too late
, Christopher thought with a smile. “They’re Light Hunters, and powerful ones at that. Possibly Quinchus,” he whispered to Ryan.

“I thought I caught a whiff of power,” his captain confirmed, rising on tiptoe to improve his view for a moment.

“We need to keep an eye on him and his entourage,” Christopher advised, but Ryan motioned to the stage and chuckled. “I don’t think that will be hard.”

Bruno’s people settled in the front row while Bruno spoke to someone by the steps to the podium. Barely a minute had passed when Christopher sensed another low thrum of power, but this time it came from the opposite side of the large auditorium.

Both Ryan and he turned almost in unison toward that source.

“Victoria,” they both muttered at the same time, and Ryan shot an uneasy glance at Christopher.

“You didn’t mention she was a Hunter,” Ryan almost accused.

“Maybe because it’s not her,” he said, and pointed toward the people who came in after her. Unlike Victoria with her scarcely visible aura, the older couple behind her and the trio of powerful men all bore the stamp of Hunter power until they pulled back and hid their life forces.

“Interesting,” Christopher said, wondering at Victoria’s
connection with the Hunters and at her failure to return his calls. His intrigue grew as Victoria’s group joined Bruno’s in the front row. After an awkward exchange between Victoria and Bruno, however, she peeled away and was walking toward the side of the room when she spotted him.

Her features became a bit strained before she tilted her head up at a cheeky angle and held her ground. Christopher whispered to his captain, “I need a moment. Keep your focus on the Light Ones.”