Tempting the Dryad

by Rebecca Rivard

  They were in another tunnel. Alesia halted. Rui frowned down at her. “What’s wrong, querida?”

  “I—” She shook her head and gamely continued forward.

  But it wasn’t so bad. The tunnel quickly widened into a passage large enough for a small vehicle to pass through, and it was lit by balls of soothing green fae-light. She could almost pretend she was in the forest at dusk. Almost.

  The Rock Run base was a rabbit’s warren of interconnected tunnels; Alesia would’ve been hopelessly lost within minutes if not for Rui. They turned left, then right, then right again, passing what appeared to be a gym and a couple of other, smaller tunnels. Despite her worry for Tiago, Alesia couldn’t help marveling at how large and elaborate the base was. It must have taken decades to carve it out, even working with the existing natural caverns. The walls were mostly a uniform gray stone, but here and there they were laced with veins of white or rust-colored minerals, and at one place the tunnel widened to accommodate a spectacular formation of calcite stalactites and stalagmites.

  They turned into a passageway that was obviously occupied by families. Those clan members not out fishing were just beginning to come out of their apartments. They greeted Rui and nodded at Alesia in a friendly way. At first she was surprised, but when a chubby little girl toddled up to Rui and demanded, “Up, Papa,” she realized she was still looking at the fada through her mother Naomi’s prejudiced eyes.

  The fada might be an aggressive, warlike race, but they were also a people who loved: parents, mates, sons and daughters. You just had to see how Rui’s stern face lit up as he swung the toddler into his arms for a big, smacking kiss.

  “Bom dia, minha pequena. And you, querida,” he said as the toddler’s mother arrived close on her heels.

  “Noela,” she scolded. “Papa’s busy. Come here now.”

  Noela gave the smug grin of a child who knows her father is never too busy for her and shook her head. Alesia realized with a start that the woman was Valeria. The last time they’d met, Valeria been bruised and shaking from the effects of the drug the Greek sea fada had given her. Now she glowed with happiness, her abdomen round with another child.

  “Mamãe’s right,” Rui said, as he planted a kiss on his mate’s lips and handed over their small daughter. “I’m on my way to see Tio Dion.”

  Valeria slid Alesia a curious look. “Olá, Senhorita Alesia,” she said in her pretty Portuguese accent. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  “And you. Peace to you and your daughters.” Alesia nodded to her and the older girl who had come up alongside her. The girl had to be Merry. She was the right age—about twelve turns of the sun—with wiry limbs and a thin, intelligent face, and she was wearing an earth shifter’s quartz around her neck.

  “Peace to you and yours,” the girl returned and stuck out her hand. “I’m Merry.”

  As Alesia shook it, Merry examined her with open curiousity.

  “We’re on our way to see Dion,” Rui told Valeria. “Alesia has news about Tiago—and Jorge.”

  The other woman’s brows shot up. Alesia could tell she’d like to ask more but she just nodded and wished them a good day in Portuguese. As Rui hurried Alesia down the hall again, she could hear Noela asking, “Is that la dríade?”

  Rui took a right fork then and Alesia didn’t hear the reply. They passed a large cavern that was filled with people—a mix of women and children and intimidating-looking warriors who had the tired faces of men and women coming off night duty. The enticing scent of fresh bread and coffee filled the air.

  Alesia’s stomach rumbled and Rui sent her an apologetic look.

  “Desculpe-me. I promise we’ll feed you as soon as we talk to Dion.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Alesia said as he turned down yet another passageway.

  And then finally they reached a heavy oak door, which was opened by the Rock Run alpha himself. Like Rui, Dion was dressed in loose cotton shorts, his big feet bare and dark stubble on his jaw. His heavy black brows lifted at the sight of Alesia, but he ushered them inside with a courtly bow.

  “Welcome,” he told her, “and peace to you and yours.”

  “They have Tiago,” Alesia blurted out. Now that she’d finally reached Dion, she felt almost light-headed with relief.

  “Calm down, querida.” Dion took her by the arms and she realized she was shaking. “Take a deep breath and tell me what happened.”

  He sounded just like Tiago. Alesia gave a little half-sob. “It’s Jorge—he—”

  “The cabrão has your brother,” Rui told Dion in a hard voice.

  The alpha’s lips went white around the edges but he nodded calmly. “Why don’t you sit down,” he told Alesia, “and tell me all about it?”

  He got a throw from the nearest couch and wrapped it around her shoulders, then guided her to the couch and sat down beside her. Meanwhile, Rui took a seat on a stone bench across from them.

  Cleia, wrapped in a bright red-and-gold robe, entered from the bedroom. She yawned and stretched, and Alesia recalled that she was newly pregnant.

  She saw Alesia and broke into a smile. “Why hello, dear.”

  Alesia gathered the throw more tightly around her and muttered an apology for bothering them. Now that she’d had time to look around, she realized Cleia and Dion had been about to eat breakfast. A nearby table held rolls, fruit, cheese and a steaming pot of coffee.

  The queen waved that aside. “It must be serious or you wouldn’t be here.” She offered Alesia a cup of coffee with a big dollop of cream, which she accepted gratefully, then poured a cup for herself that was more cream than coffee.

  “Now,” Cleia took a seat on the big, comfortable-looking chair cattycorner to Alesia, “what’s the matter, sweetheart?”

  Alesia took a sip of the coffee. It was hot and milky, just the way she liked it. She wrapped her fingers around the warm cup. “It’s Tiago,” she said, and launched into her story.

  When she got to the part about being alone with Mys and Orius in the cave, Dion squeezed her knee encouragingly. It occurred to her that other than Tiago, she hadn’t been touched this much in a year—and curiously, it was helping to calm her. She sent him a shy smile and finished with what Adric had told her about seeing Tiago with two other men, blindfolded in the back of an SUV.

  “So you’re saying,” Dion said, “that Jorge and Mys have Tiago and they’re taking him somewhere south—probably to Baltimore.”

  She nodded. “Yes, but please—we have to do something. They hit him on the head. He was bleeding and they wouldn’t let me help—”

  Rui slammed his open hand down on the stone bench. Alesia jumped, and Dion shook his head at his second.

  “Sorry,” Rui muttered to Alesia, but he came to his feet and started pacing. “You know why they want him, don’t you?” he snarled at Dion. “They’re going to force him to use his Gift against you. You should’ve let me go after him.”

  “Por quê?” The alpha stood up as well. “So you could get your goddamn neck broken? As pissed off as you were, you’d have walked straight into a trap. What would your mate say to me then?”

  Alesia gulped, very aware she was watching an argument between Rock Run’s two most powerful males. She tightened her fingers around her coffee cup. If it didn’t concern Tiago, she’d have been out the door already. But he needed her.

  “Dion,” Cleia interjected. “This isn’t helping.”

  Her mate’s chest heaved. Then he nodded shortly. “You’re right. I’m just so—” He turned back to Alesia. “And you said Adric was there?” His tone was very calm and very cold. “That was…lucky.”

  “But not on Rock Run territory,” Cleia pointed out. “On the other side of the river.”

  “But he was seen on our territory earlier that day.”

  “He helped me,” Alesia interjected. “I’d still be in the cave if it wasn’t for him.”

  “Then it seems I owe him my thanks,” Dion said, but it was clear he wasn’t happy.
“But I’ll take that up with him later.”

  “There’s something else you need to know,” Alesia said. “Mys said something about Lord Tyrus protecting them.”

  Cleia sat upright. “The night fae are involved?”

  Alesia nodded and repeated what Mys had said.

  The queen’s beautiful face turned frigid. She met Dion’s eyes. “It’s time we did something about Tyrus.”

  “Agreed,” he said grimly. “But right now, the important thing is to get Tiago away from these bastards. If only we knew for sure where they were taking—”

  Alesia shifted. “I can take you to him. Or at least pretty close.”

  Dion’s head snapped around. “And how is that?” he asked in a soft, dangerous voice. “How do you know where to find him?”

  “Sim,” Rui said, “I’d like to know myself.” Both men looked at her.

  Alesia shrank back on the couch. “We’re mates,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

  Their heads jerked back in unison. It would’ve been comical if it wasn’t so serious. “Mates?” Dion repeated. “You and Tiago?”

  “Yes.” She squared her shoulders and spoke more loudly. “He hasn’t accepted the bond yet, but it’s there, connecting us. I can use it to trace him to wherever he is—not exactly, but close. It’s how I found him yesterday. He was on the other side of the bay, but the bond led me to him.”

  Dion stepped closer and leaned forward, scenting her. “Well, I’ll be damned.” He shook his head. “A dryad and a fada.”

  “No stranger than a sun fae and a fada,” drawled Cleia.

  “If it makes you feel better,” Alesia said, “my mother’s not going to be any happier than you are.”

  Dion grinned. “I’ll bet she’s not. A mating with a fada would be the last thing Naomi would wish. This will be interesting, menina. But don’t get me wrong. I’m not unhappy—finding your mate is cause for celebration. And I have a feeling you might be just what Tiago needs.”

  “Thank you,” she said and then blinked, a little overwhelmed, when he crouched on his haunches, took her by the shoulders and gave her an enthusiastic kiss on both cheeks.

  “Congratulations, querida.” She could tell Dion knew he was making her uncomfortable. He grinned again, a naughty-boy curve of the lips that reminded her so much of Tiago, she bit her lip to keep from bursting into tears.

  But when he released her, his face was deadly serious. “How soon can you put a squad together?” he asked Rui in Portuguese as he rose back to his feet.

  The rest of their conversation was too fast for Alesia to follow, but she understood enough to know that Rui had told Dion that he’d have a squad ready in fifteen minutes, but that he was insisting on going, too. “Valeria will just have to deal with it.”

  His alpha didn’t even try to argue. “She’s your mate,” he said with a shrug.

  Rui left, and Dion grabbed a cup of coffee and a couple of rolls and wolfed them down as he went into the bedroom to get dressed.

  Alesia finished her own coffee and set the cup on an end table. Cleia leaned forward and took Alesia’s hands. “Don’t worry, all right? Rui’s one of the best trackers in the clan, and Dion is a Gifted hunter. They’ll find Tiago, especially if you can get them within a few blocks. And this thing about you being mates is just wonderful. Tiago thinks the world of you. He’ll accept the mating, I know he will. He’s just been…preoccupied lately.”

  Alesia nodded. This close, the sun fae queen was overwhelming. It wasn’t just that she was one of the most beautiful women Alesia had ever met, it was that she had charisma, too. You wanted to like her, even when you knew she’d tied your mate in knots for the last five years.

  “I know,” she replied, and gently but firmly disentangled her hands. “He told me about his Gift.” But he was “preoccupied” with you, too.

  “He did?” Cleia appeared genuinely pleased. “Then he’s closer to accepting the mating than I realized.”

  Alesia shrugged. She was damned if she was going to discuss Tiago with Cleia.

  Suddenly they heard a loud and agitated chittering. “Is that Fausto?” asked Cleia, and went to the door.

  It was. The otter loped inside, planted himself in front of Alesia and let loose an agitated string of chirps, growls and grunts.

  Alesia laid a calming hand on his shoulder. “Qual é o problema?” she asked him in careful Portuguese. “What the matter, Fausto?”

  The otter lifted on his hind legs and pursed his lips. “Go to Tiago,” he said slowly and clearly in the same language. “Help.”

  “Who needs help?” Dion asked, coming back into the room. “Do you know where Tiago is?”

  Fausto dropped back to all four legs and shook his head. “Help,” he repeated. “Tiago.”

  “We know,” Dion said. “Jorge has him.”

  The otter nodded vigorously. “Help. Alesia—go.”

  Cleia, Dion and Alesia looked at each other, baffled.

  “But why?” Alesia asked.

  “I can handle Jorge,” said Dion. “I just need to know where Tiago is.”

  Fausto sat on his haunches and shook his head, a look of frustration on his furry face. “Alesia,” he said again. “Help.”

  Then Rui returned and said, “The operations room just received a message from an earth fada female. She confirmed that Jorge has Tiago. Jorge wants you to meet him at the Full Moon Saloon at four o’clock. You’re to come alone or he’ll off your brother in front of you.”

  Dion growled. “The hell he will.”

  Fausto nodded and turned to face Dion. “Alesia,” he said very clearly.

  The alpha scowled. “What the hell can she do?”

  “Best case scenario,” Rui interjected, “is to track down Tiago before four o’clock. But if we don’t, we should have a backup plan.”

  “Sim,” agreed Dion, and the two men lapsed back into rapid-fire Portuguese. Again, Alesia couldn’t catch it all, but Rui was wondering how many men they could plant in the bar without Jorge’s knowledge, while Dion was insisting it could only be a couple or else Jorge would suspect. “And it has to be men he doesn’t know.”

  “A couple of the younger men, then. And we’ll have others hidden nearby.”

  Cleia invited Alesia to help herself to some food and then went into the bedroom to get dressed. Alesia ate a roll and some cheese and then sat on the couch, forgotten, as the two men discussed weapons and tactics as calmly as she would’ve forestry techniques. It was clear that this time, Jorge and Mys weren’t going to walk away alive.

  Fausto hopped onto the couch next to her and nuzzled her hand, then flopped onto his back and wriggled invitingly, asking for a belly rub. She smiled wryly; Fausto was so blessedly uncomplicated. But she complied, smoothing a palm over his soft, sleek fur.

  She glanced at Dion and Rui, who were muttering something about Claudio and hidden entrances.

  Life was strange. The alpha and his second were everything she’d been taught to fear—but she thanked all the gods and goddesses that they were on Tiago’s side.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Tiago sat with his back to a cold brick wall, still blindfolded and with his hands tied behind him. Jorge and Mys had brought him to the basement of the Wildcat. Before getting in the car for the drive to Baltimore, Tiago had resisted one last time.

  “Before I go anywhere, I want to see Alesia. How do I know your men haven’t—” A fist had slammed into his belly. He doubled over, gasping for breath.

  “She’s all right,” Jorge had growled. “That’s all you need to know.”

  Tiago snarled back. Behind his back, he twisted his wrists back and forth, but the leather thong held tight.

  “Keep it up and she’s dead.” Jorge’s voice was oddly thick; it was clear his animal was occupying more and more of his brain.

  Tiago gave a taut nod. He reminded himself yet again that he was the only thing standing between Alesia and these ferals.

  “Move,” Jo
rge barked.

  Tiago moved.

  On the drive south, he wracked his brain for ideas. There had to be a way out of this. Damn it, he could talk to animals. If he couldn’t draw on his Gift of compulsion, maybe he could use that? But he didn’t know any animals in Baltimore, and just because you could talk to an animal didn’t mean they’d help you. They were like anyone else—you had your kindhearted animals, but most wouldn’t go out of their way for a stranger unless there was something in it for them.

  When they’d reached Baltimore, Jorge had a couple of men waiting for him in the alley behind the Wildcat.

  Together, the three of them hustled him into the basement. Tiago caught the clear scent of big cats, probably a cougar. The men were earth shifters—with Baltimore accents.

  Hell. He wondered if Dion knew the Baltimore shifters were involved. And what about Adric? There was no way he’d have hurt his own sister—which meant these men were traitors.

  They shoved him against the wall and ordered him to stay put. Then Shania arrived with another man and things started falling into place.

  “Keep an eye on him,” Jorge said, “and whatever you do, don’t take off his blindfold. The man can kill you with his Gift.”

  “I can handle him,” was the reply. “You just do your part.”

  Jorge growled something and left with Mys, leaving Shania and the other male as guards.

  Now Tiago shifted and tested the bonds again. But they were just as tight as they’d been ten minutes ago.

  Light, catlike steps approached: Shania.

  He straightened. “So it was a set-up?”

  “What do you think? You’re cute, but—” Her voice held a sneer. “Our first choice was your sister, but Dion watches her like a hawk. You were the next best thing.”

  Tiago’s jaw clenched. “You’d be dead if you’d taken her.”