The Illegitimate Claim (20 page)

rain hit his face. After a moment when no one talked, he lowered his head and kissed

her head, which was buried in his chest.

Slowly, Meah pulled away from him. Oh Crator, that was hard to do. He was more

man than she’d experienced in the past five winters and she’d forgotten how it felt to

have powerful arms wrapped around her.

“I need you to, um, meet,” Meah stuttered, and then suddenly took a gulp of air.

She stepped backwards and looked down at her children. They looked back up at her,

curiosity and confusion displayed on their precious faces.

“My sweet children, I’ve dreamed about this moment since the day you were born.

I want you to meet your family.” Her voice trembled. She looked over at Ana, who had

moved to Andru’s side. “This is your Aunt Ana and your Uncle Gilroy. And Tory,

Tia…I want you to meet your papa, Lord Andru.”

“We’ve heard the stories of your great warrior skills, my lord.” Tory took a step

forward, and stuck his hand out to Andru.

“My children,” Andru gasped in a very non-militaristic fashion, and went to his

knees in front of the twins. He reached his arms out and pulled them both into his arms

so that all that could be seen from above was a mass of curls—blond and black with

gold streaks.

Finally, he stood up and reached for Meah. “My lady, you have stayed away far too

long. Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? Or that we had children? That we had

twins?”

“If I told you, you would have made me come home.” He wiped some of the dirt

and blood from her face as she continued to stare at him. “There was so much work to

do. And then, well over a winter ago, the Sea People and Neurians began to fight. We

were stuck in between their nations at that point, and I didn’t want to risk traveling

with the children toward Gothman.”

Andru’s comm beeped at that moment and Meah’s gaze darted to the small device

as he flipped the switch on it then started talking. He listened for a moment and then

said, “Meah is with me, Papa, and there will be no charges brought against her.”

He was quiet a minute longer while all eyes were on him. “I’m sure all that will be

included in your first commander’s report.”

When he pulled the comm from his ear Meah thought she saw fury race through his

dark gray eyes. He didn’t look at her but instead over at Gilroy. “You’re to report to

Lord Darius immediately.”

Gilroy nodded but didn’t take his eyes from Andru’s. Meah looked from one man

to the other and then at Ana. She gave Meah a small smile.

“Share the details of your interrogation with him, that should make him happy.”

Meah noticed how stiff Andru’s body was.

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“Andru, what about the children?” Ana asked.

“He’ll only share the details of the interrogation. Meah is the one who hit his face,

and the children didn’t appear until after he left.”

“You don’t think Papa will challenge the fact that they are yours, do you?” Ana still

questioned him, and his gaze shifted to her.

Andru smiled for the first time, looking first at the young twins then into his sister’s

concerned eyes. “I’m not worried about that. Look at them. Their hair is identical to

Curi’s, don’t you think?”

Ana nodded and returned her brother’s smile.

She looked at Meah as she walked up and wrapped her hand around her brother’s

arm. Meah followed the small movement and realized nothing had changed between

the twins.

“Our daughter…” The way she said it made it sound like she was talking about her

and Andru’s daughter, and Meah fought to control her expression. “Her hair color is

identical to your twins. Your silky black hair and our golden curls sure produce a

unique hair color, don’t you think?”

Ana smiled warmly and Meah couldn’t help but smile back. She reached up with

her hands and smeared dirt across her face then wiped her hands on her soaked clothes.

“It is so good to see the three of you again.” Meah glanced from Andru and Ana, to

Gilroy.

She reached out and hugged Ana, then turned and jumped into Gilroy’s arms. Then

releasing her half-brother she turned and stroked Andru’s cheek. He pulled her to him

and she saw for the first time a fire smoldering in his eyes.

“Go, Gilroy,” he said. “I need time to decide how to tell Papa and Mama of their

new grandchildren, but I definitely want to see the looks on their faces when they see

them for the first time.”

“My sister wishes to know if we may call you papa, my lord,” Tory asked after

Gilroy had left.

Andru looked down at his son and then placed his hand on his head. “I would be

honored if both of you addressed me as papa.” He looked at Tia. “Would you like

that?”

Tia nodded her head vigorously, and smiled.

“She likes you, Papa. So do I.” Tory matched his sister’s smile.

“Do you always speak for your sister?” Andru searched the identical faces looking

up at him with fascination. They were absolutely adorable.

Tia put her hand on her brother’s shoulder. Tory shot a look over his shoulder at

her and then turned quickly back to his papa. “Yes, Papa, don’t you?”

Andru looked momentarily stunned, and was ready to respond when Ana stepped

forward and squatted down in front of the twins. “No, he doesn’t. I speak for myself,

Tia, and so should you.”

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Meah was shocked to see Tia open her mouth, but then Tory frowned at her, and

she shut her mouth quickly and simply stared at the adults with large gray eyes.

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Chapter Eleven

Tara walked over to the open window and stretched one arm behind her head. The

balmy summer evening offered a cooling breeze after the horrendous storm had swept

through earlier that day. The large rose garden that bordered the fences, surrounding

the immediate yard, offered fresh scents as if eager to please whoever watered them so

thoroughly. Tara didn’t notice the fragranced breeze, but simply scowled as she stared

at nothing in particular. She turned around and marched back to her wooden throne

and sat down next to Darius.

“You’ve got a serious problem. You know that, don’t you?” She crossed her arms,

and stretched her long legs out in front of her.

The lord rested his elbows on his knees while his index fingers tapped idly against

his lips. He stared ahead, not hearing his claim.

“Darius, what are you thinking?” Tara tried again to reach him.

Slowly, Darius turned his head and focused dark gray eyes on her. “Why do you

say I have a serious problem? Because I’ve got a first commander whose loyalties aren’t

to the Lord of Gothman but to his heir? Should I have told that pompous brute that the

dazzle in his eye, the shift of a jawbone, the slight raise of an eyebrow can all tell an

experienced leader when one of his men lies to him?”

“Possibly. He stood here in front of you and told you he captured Meah by chasing

her down in the woods. Then he interrogated her by humiliating her and determined

that her loyalties are to Gothman and that it’s coincidental that she’s shown up at the

same time as Rog. She tells him that we misunderstood the conversation that was

recorded, or simply didn’t get the entire transmission. He then adds, when not asked,

that there is no more to tell.”

Darius smiled at her. There was no warmth in it. It was cold and cunning. She knew

his expressions as well as she knew her own thoughts. He was manipulating, planning,

scheming, at the same moment as he sat next to her and chatted about something they

both already knew.

“He withheld information, of that there is no doubt. It’s always best when a man

does that to let them believe they’ve fooled me. They’re easier to trip that way, they

are.”

“And what good will tripping him do? Would you demote him? He stands by

Andru, loyal to him since he was a child,” Tara pointed out.

“He is loyal to Gothman, as is our son.”

“Loyal to Gothman, Darius…not to you. I fear you’ve underestimated your son,

and you may finally have pushed him just a bit too far. He is a younger version of you,

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my lord. Nothing stood in your way, and I don’t think Andru will stop now until you

step down.” Tara spoke quietly but no sooner were the words out of her mouth than

Darius stood quickly and towered over her.

“I will quit being Lord of Gothman when I die,” he growled harshly.

“Did you kill to become ruler of this nation?” she hissed back with as much ferocity,

jumping up to face him.

“Would you imply that your lord should worry for his life?” Charcoal-gray eyes

blazed at the mere thought she implied.

The only being in Nuworld he’d never been able to intimidate stood in front of him.

He stood head and shoulders taller than she did and close enough to break her neck on

an impulse. Paying no heed, she stabbed her finger into his chest and railed her words

at him.

“I’m going to give you the same advice you’ve drilled into me for winters. Don’t let

your emotions get in the way of thinking clearly. Gilroy didn’t tell you something, and

he doesn’t act without orders. Watch your ass.” She pushed hard against his chest and

although, in his growing anger, he didn’t flinch, she managed to get around him and

walk out of the room.

Darius stood alone in their throne room a long time after Tara walked out on him.

She didn’t need to tell him to keep his emotions in check. Gothman would always be

first. He’d more than doubled the size of his nation since he’d become lord. There was

no question that Andru would be as powerful a leader as he was. Gothman could

control all of Nuworld…and he knew his son wanted that as much as he did. When an

opportunity existed to grow in power, to obtain the land and control of more people,

another nation, another continent, nothing else should matter. He needed to help his

son through yet one more lesson.

Tara was right to some extent, he needed to watch his ass. Andru had power. But

his son didn’t have the experience and the wisdom of a lord who had ruled a nation