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Authors: Lorie O'Clare

BOOK: The Illegitimate Claim
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successfully for almost thirty winters.

 

* * * * *

 

Andru and Ana flew on either side of Meah. Tia sat cross-legged in front of her

while Tory straddled the seat behind her. Ana suggested they take Meah and the

children to her house. The servants need never know who they were until they were

ready to announce the news. Andru vetoed that quickly, saying he didn’t want any of

them in Bryton for the time being. He remembered his mama offering sanctuary, and

knew she wouldn’t make the offer lightly. They flew to the Blood Circle clan site.

 

Meah wore her ill-fitting Runner clothing and each of the twins wrapped

themselves in a blanket. Tory and Tia asked no questions.

 

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“You’ll stay here for now.” Andru pushed open the trailer door then stepped inside

and turned on the light. “There are matters to be settled before your presence can be

made public.”

 

“What matters are those, my lord?” Meah couldn’t help but ask. Had he claimed

Sharay? She bristled at the thought.

 

His scrutinizing gaze took in the contents of the trailer.

 

“They’ll be settled shortly,” was all he said.

 

Andru surveyed the trailer’s living room, noticing the scant furniture and that there

was no landlink. He walked through each room, making mental inventory and finished

up in the kitchen after opening several of the cabinets.

 

“Ana, contact Mama and tell her to come here immediately. I expect she’s

anticipating the call.” Andru faced the two women after doing his mental inventory.

 

Meah watched Ana wrap her comm around her ear. She turned her attention to

Andru. He seemed lost in thought but his gaze turned slowly to Meah and she waited

until he appeared focused on her.

 

“Have you claimed Sharay?” She had to know.

 

Dark gray eyes hardened on her instantly. Andru walked over to his sister, took her

by the arms and turned her around without asking. He pulled her shirt up, as Ana

gasped and crossed her arms across her chest quickly, to prevent him from undressing

her. Andru pulled the back of her shirt up to her shoulder blades, and held it there as he

turned to Meah.

 

“My sister took this flogging out of her loyalty to me—because she knows my heart

as well as I do. She used Tara’s transmission to search for you, because I wished it. She

knew as well as I did that the only way to prevent you from being proclaimed dead,

and from my papa capturing you, was if we found you first. Ana was caught using the

leader of a nation’s transmission to prevent another lord’s orders from being carried

out. She didn’t release the knowledge that we’d received your message and responded

to it.” He stopped and allowed Meah to stare in horror at the ugly red and blue marks

that trailed across an otherwise beautiful back. Ana focused on the ground. She didn’t

dare move. “My sister was flogged to protect me…and to protect you.”

 

Andru dropped Ana’s shirt and wrapped his arm around her head and held her to

him gently. When Meah looked into his eyes, they devoured her. “How dare you ask

me that.”

 

Meah dropped her eyes, and then looked over to her children…their children. They

leaned against the couch pushed along the wall, hand in hand, and watched as the papa

they just met attempted to put their invincible mama into her place. Meah didn’t look at

Andru or Ana, while Ana spoke to Tara. Not until the transmission ended did she look

up. Ana turned around and faced Meah and their eyes met.

 

“My lady, I swear to you with all the faith I have in Crator that I will show the same

loyalty to you that you’ve displayed to your brother and to me. I promise you I’ll obey

 

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you without question as you become as great a leader of the Runner nation as your

mama.” Her eyes never moved from the soft gray eyes that searched her face.

 

Ana wanted to ask Meah if she would have her loyalty first. She heard Meah swear

her loyalty to Gothman when Gilroy had her on her knees. Would Meah obey her over

Andru? She wanted to ask, but could feel the incredible pressure of Andru’s emotions

bombard her. They stifled her and she knew he did it on purpose, but she wouldn’t

look at him. Instead she kept her eyes locked on Meah.

 

“I’m glad to hear that,” she said as she mentally pushed Andru’s thoughts away

from her. “The first thing you shall do is tell us every detail you know about Rog and

what you know about him being on our borders.”

 

Ana felt Andru’s approval, but only turned to face him when the door behind him

opened and Tara walked into the room.

 

“Lady Tara,” Meah whispered, and bowed her head respectfully.

 

“Welcome to our…” Tara began as she focused on Meah. Her gaze shifted then to

the two small children on the couch, and she stopped in her tracks.

 

“You promised sanctuary, Mama, if I requested it,” Andru said, and Tara turned to

face him. He couldn’t read the hard look on her face, but then she turned the gaze to

Meah.

 

“Who are these children?” Her voice was ice.

 

Meah blinked. “They’re my children, my lady.”

 

“Who is their papa?”

 

“Lord Andru is their papa, my lady.” Meah didn’t understand. Certainly, Tara

could tell these were her grandchildren—the family resemblance was obvious. She

involuntarily licked her upper lip.

 

“How dare you keep the next heir to the Gothman nation from us all these

winters.” She turned to Andru. “Why did you have Gilroy keep this information from

your papa?”

 

“I’ll tell Papa. Will you offer sanctuary?” Andru wasn’t intimidated.

 

“I told you I would, but Gilroy didn’t fool your papa. I fear you’ve bought trouble

for yourself.” Tara searched her son’s face, and it looked as hard as Darius’ had when

 

she left him.

 

“I’ll handle it, Mama. Now, would you like to meet your grandchildren?”

 

Tara exhaled and her expression softened. Concern and worry consumed her

expression, but Andru ignored it. He pulled Meah up to his side and turned his

attention to the twins. Once again he noted that his daughter never uttered a word.

 

Andru left the women with the children shortly after that—his children. He needed

space to clear his head. Many things seemed to be happening at once, and he knew he

had to stay focused. Meah had overwhelmed him. Seeing her for the first time as he

had, soaked from the rain with her dirty face bruised and scratched, his heart had

swelled uncomfortably in his chest. It had been hard to breathe ever since then. Meah

 

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was no longer the innocent child he’d held in his mind. She’d birthed twins. Her petite

body was now the body of a woman.

 

Little had been left to the imagination with that too large Runner outfit clinging to

every curve, accentuating firm, large breasts and a flat, muscular stomach. Her hips

curved nicely into firm, slightly muscular thighs. Everything about her was perfectly

proportioned. It had been more than her enticing body, although that in itself distracted

his thoughts, and he knew he would have to have her soon. However, there was

something he saw in her eyes. She didn’t look scared anymore, or like she was trying to

pull a bluff. She looked determined, focused. He wanted to know this new Meah, but he

couldn’t as long as his head was in this fog.

 

The first thing to do was to talk to Sharay. He’d only seen her three times since her

arrival and never alone. Oh, she was beautiful and incredibly sensual the way she

glided around, always poised, and her black as night skin glowing softly. He knew it

would be smooth as satin to the touch, and her blue-black hair would feel like silk in

between his fingers. But to touch that woman would be to break to his papa’s will. He

wouldn’t take a woman simply to gain advantage to another nation. He didn’t need

women to do that.

 

But he would question her about Rog, and see what she had to say.

 

“My lord, this is an unexpected surprise.” Sharay bowed her head as she stood, and

showed all the poise of a well-trained diplomat’s daughter. Her voice was soft, barely

above a whisper, and she never looked up at his face. “I wondered if I would see you

again.”

 

“Why wouldn’t you see me again?” Andru kept his tone pleasant. He’d been

nothing but chivalrous toward her. When he sent her back to the Neurian nation, and

he would send her back, he wanted no complaints of him spread to her people. “I’ve

 

had matters of a nation to tend to, my lady.”

 

He held his hand out to her. “Walk outside with me. I would like to talk to you.”

 

“What would you like to talk about?” Sharay looked down at their joined hands, as

he escorted her out the back door and into a well-manicured backyard. The rain had

stopped, and it left the cobblestone path that wandered through a variety of blooming

flowers shiny and slick.

 

He’d basically imprisoned her in this small cottage just south of Bryton. It was a

one-bedroom country home that his papa used to entertain guests from time to time.

The house had been used for mistresses in the past, and hence had a rather feminine

look about it—and a reputation that his Mama had frowned upon. Therefore the place

was seldom used. He’d seen to it that the grounds were heavily guarded, and the house

had no landlink. Sharay couldn’t leave, and she couldn’t contact anyone. Yet she smiled

pleasantly when she finally looked up at him.

 

“Tell me about Rog, Sharay.” Andru studied her face and made the request sound

so amiable that he might as well have asked her to tell him how she made an apple pie.

 

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Sharay froze, and utter horror crossed her face. She made no attempt to conceal her

emotions. “Why do you want to know about him?”

 

“Because he is here.”

 

“He’s here?” She blinked several times in an attempt to regain composure.

“Well…he’s a priest who felt differently about Crator than, um, some Neurians, and left

our nation to teach about Crator to other races.”

 

“How did he feel differently?” Andru brought them to a bench and sat down, still

holding her hand. The beautiful Neurian glided down so she sat next to him.

 

“Rog believed all of Nuworld should know about Crator.”

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