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The doorbell at the Sheriff's house rang. Stiles went to answer the door.
"Tia Elisabetha?" Stiles asked. That was the only name Maria had. A non-descript woman of medium height and medium color stood outside the door. Stiles couldn't even guess what ethnicity she might be.
The woman nodded. "Mr. Stillinski?" A bland American accent.
"Please. Call me Stiles," he invited. "Come in." They stepped into the entrance of the home.
They were meeting at the Sheriff's house as a precaution. Since Maria didn't actually know the woman they had been traveling to, meeting somewhere other than the Den was a reasonable precaution.
"Your wards are... formidable," she said.
Stiles shrugged. "Thank you?"
"I would do the same," she said.
"I think I need to know more about who you are before we go any farther," Stiles declared, not moving from the entrance hall. For exactly this reason, this was the most heavily fortified area of the house. And Derek was just around the corner, ready to do anything that might be needed.
The woman stood silent for a moment. In a shimmer of magic, the woman changed to a petite, slim Latina woman. "I am sorry, but we have to protect ourselves." There now was a lilting, Spanish accent. "Maria is my cousin. Her mother and mine were sisters. Her mother took her away from the family when she was little and we have been searching for them for years. When she reached out to us, we offered to come and get her but she was hiding from someone. We thought her lost again."
"Witch?" Stiles asked.
"Mostly," the woman nodded.
"We met a Fae that claimed Maria as a cousin and who helped heal her," Stiles said plainly.
"Maria was hurt?"
"She'll be fine," Stiles said quickly. "But you can understand our caution."
A nod. A deep breath. "I know this is Hale territory. Anyone who is in the supernatural community knows that. Before I tell you more, how do I know you speak for the Alpha?"
Stiles gave a small laugh. "I guess we all have our secrets." Stiles dropped his personal ward.
"Spark!" The woman looked shocked.
"Emissary and Alpha Mate," Stiles said gently. "Derek?"
Derek stepped around the corner. "Good to meet you," he said.
"I am Elisabetha Lopez," the woman introduced herself. "Daughter of Rosalinda and niece to Fernanda. I lead the Lopez Coven."
Stiles nodded. "You understand that I need to check you out. You know who we are, but I've not heard of you." He held up a hand as she started to protest. "It's nothing personal. There are a lot of family... groupings, shall we say, that I have had no reason to learn about."
She nodded tightly.
"I need something of yours. I will return it when I am finished, but it will help me verify your identity faster," Stiles said. "Something you've handled. A dollar bill, a pen or a scarf will suffice."
Elisabetha frowned at him then dug into her purse and handed him a common Bic pen. "WIll this do?"
Stiles nodded as he took it. "I need a few hours. I'd like to talk to Maria again, she is still very ill, and I need to check on you."
"Very well. I will wait," she granted.
"Do you need some place to stay?" Stiles asked.
"I have a room at the B&B in town."
"Good place, and quiet," Stiles nodded. "I will call you, probably early evening. And the town is protected against, well, anything. You should not run into trouble here."
"Good to know and thank you," she replied.
"I may be unreachable while I'm researching," Stiles warned. "If you need anything, leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. If it's an emergency, call the Sheriff's station and leave a message there." Stiles knew Rob was on duty today and would get any messages to Peter or Derek as needed.
"Good to know, thank you," she said.
Stiles watched as she left, driving off in a reasonably new car. It looked like it might be her own car.
"Let's go back to the Den," Stiles said to Derek. "I have work to do there."
Derek drove, which allowed Stiles to call Rob and give him a head's up, in case Elisabetha did call.
Peter was waiting when he arrived. "Is Maria up? I have some questions to ask her."
"Luis is in with her, but she should be able to answer any questions you may have," Peter said.
"Come with me, then," Stiles said.
"Stiles!" Luis said as they came in. "I was telling Mama about school today."
"I need to talk to your Mama," Stiles said. He looked at Maria. "It's not bad, but wanted to check if you want Luis to stay or not."
"Luis can stay, then," Maria said. "He needs to learn many things."
"True," Stiles nodded. He reviewed the conversation he had with Elisabetha.
"My mother's name was Fernanda," Maria confirmed. "And she talked about her sister Rosalinda. So the names are correct. But the ranch we lived on when I was born was just outside a small town, so anyone who lived there at the time might know that."
"Elisabetha says she's the leader of the Lopez Coven," Stiles went on. "Do you know anything about that?"
"Si. That is why my mother left. She was not a witch like the others and they treated her badly. Then she married my father, who was not magical and did not believe in magic. Shortly after I was born, he left her, although she did not speak about it to me. She only warned me about cazadora and collectionista. I have some magic, but nothing like you and Luis have."
"Someone was hunting you?" Stiles asked.
"I think so?" Stiles could see she was uncertain. "But there were people who were not from the Nation asking odd questions about me and Luis. We tried to be careful, but Luis is so young and it is difficult to hide such magic. I thought to find help with my family, if they would take us in."
"What would you have done if they didn't take you in?" Stiles asked gently. Damn! They should have had this conversation as soon as Maria was able.
Although he had to give them all some slack, since she had only been awake for a couple of days. But he should have asked more questions when he got Elisabetha's contact information from Maria.
Maria gave a small laugh. "I would have sought out a Pack. Many Packs have magic users and I hoped to find someone to teach Luis."
"Does Elisabetha know about Luis?"
Maria shook her head. "I asked for refuge for myself and my child. I am not sure Luis will be welcome."
"Because he is a boy," Peter put in.
Maria considered for a moment, then nodded. "My mother always talked about the women, never about the men, as if they were not important. Even my own father, who was not magical, was less important than I was to her."
"Okay, that's helpful," Stiles said. "Peter and I need to talk to... a friend but Derek will be here while we're gone. All right?"
She nodded.
Luis looked at Stiles, as if he knew where they were going.
"Sorry, you can't come this time," Stiles said firmly. "Keep your Mama company and listen to Derek."
Luis nodded. "I will!"
Once outside the house, Peter laughed as Stiles said, "Okay, let's go talk to the tree again!"