The Claimed Read Online Free Page A

human, as her parents had warned. There was nothing unusual about Rafael being vigilant. Sincehis affinity was the wind, he could waft a bit of his power along a strong current to observe all in its path.
    But being her captain didn’t mean that he had to sacrifice his personal life on her account. With a friendly pat on his rock-hard thigh, she said, “Think about it. I don’t doubt that Sammie would be pleased to go out with you. What woman wouldn’t?”
    A flush worked across his cheeks at the compliment and once again he averted his gaze and said, “As you wish, Quinchu.”
    Rolling her eyes at his stubbornness, she returned her attention to the track and to Jan, who was back to blathering about the wedding and how grateful she was that Sammie was quitting the roller derby, because she had been worried Sammie would have bruises in all the wedding photos.
    Chuckling, Victoria kidded, “It’s always about you, Jan.” That prompted a guffaw from Jan’s fiancé, Josh, who in turn got a hard elbow in retaliation.
    With a defiant sniff with her nose in the air, Jan shot back, “You’re just jealous that you don’t have a boyfriend.”
    Victoria shrugged, unfazed by Jan’s comment, although maybe there was just the tiniest scintilla of truth in the statement.
    It would be nice to have a boyfriend, especially one that
she
had picked. One that she could grow to love and bond with emotionally before her Equinox eliminated that possibility. Once her Equinox was upon her, energy would call to the most potent energy. Many an unfortunate bond had been forged that was all about the power and nothing else. Such matings were often weak due to the lack of an emotional union.
    She wanted more than such a loveless coupling.
    A gentle nudge from Jan was followed by a remorseful, “You know I was teasing you, right?”
    “I know,” she said, wrapping her arm around her friend’s shoulders and giving her a hug, which Jan returned.
    With that simple exchange, all was right for the moment.
    Victoria returned her attention to the jam, but something caught her eye at ground level. Two men sauntered in from the entrance, potent alpha energy oozing from every pore.
    One was as bright and rosy as the sun, while the other…
    Dark as midnight. Tall and lean, he had hair as black as coal and fathomless eyes. A very powerful pull of energy came from him, although he lacked any discernible aura.
    Rafael leaned close and tracked her gaze. With a sidelong glance, she noted his annoyance and the angry burst of his energy registered before he controlled it. “Do you sense trouble, Quinchu?”
    Definitely trouble, but not in the way he suspected, she thought as the handsome man at ground level looked her way. A shiver traveled through her, one of desire, as their gazes locked, but then a roar went up from the crowd.
    Everyone turned their attention to the player down on the track, writhing with pain. Her teammates gathered around her while a trainer worked on her. A shoving match soon ensued between some of the women on the local team and the blocker from the visitors who had caused the injury.
    Fists were about to fly when Sammie stepped intothe fray and laid a hand on each of the women, giving them just a fleeting glance while she spoke to them in low tones. The women immediately backed down and after the injured player was helped off the track, action resumed.
    Once again Victoria wondered about Sammie and her origins, but then she looked back to where she had seen the man.
    He was gone.
    Victoria opened her Hunter senses, searching for that very enticing alpha strength she had perceived earlier. No remnant remained of that vitality, creating unexpected disappointment.
    Another cheer from the crowd pulled her attention back to the oval track. Sammie was at it again, dodging and weaving her way past blockers. Racking up points for the home team to the delight of the crowd and Jan, who released an ear-splitting whistle as the jam ended.
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