Read The Illegitimate Claim Online
Authors: Lorie O'Clare
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.”