The Illegitimate Claim (25 page)

The man wasn’t her lover and never had been. They had sex together a few times when

the need hit them both, but it was nothing serious and neither of them ever thought it

was. Andru was jealous. And she didn’t want to provoke that emotion in him.

Ana and Meah barely stepped into the backyard when a commotion started in the

far corner of the yard.

“What’s going on back here?” Ana broke into a run when the sounds of screaming

children broke the serenity of the balmy evening.

Meah took off quickly, and pulled her dress up to run faster when she realized

what was going on.

“Tory! No!” she yelled as her son ran like a mad bull into Darien, and sent the

slightly larger boy tumbling onto the ground. The two of them were entangled and

rolling by the time she caught up to them.

“You’re wrong and I’ll prove it to you,” Tory screamed in a high-pitched wail.

“No, you’re wrong!” Darien screamed back.

Darien managed to pull himself to his feet, and swung out with an open hand,

trying to hit Tory, and missing. Tory went low and ran into Darien again, sending the

boy tumbling head over feet and coming up scratched and bleeding.

“I’m right!” Tory grabbed Darien’s shirt and looked like he would punch the boy at

close range.

“What is the meaning of this?” At the sound of Andru’s booming voice, the two

boys jumped out of their skins, and stumbled to face the man. They both looked as if

they just realized that four adults watched them.

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“Tory, what have you done?” Meah was devastated as she fell to her knees in front

of her son.

“He said he’s better than I am.” Tory spoke through clenched teeth. Tia ran up

behind him and the two latched hands.

“Tell him I’m right, Mama. Tell him.” Large tears fell down Darien’s cheeks.

“The Runners aren’t better than Gothman, are they, Mama?” Tory looked earnestly

into his mama’s face.

“Are too. Right, Mama?” Darien stamped his foot. “I’ll be greater because I’ll be in

charge of all the Runner clans. He just gets to be in charge of Gothman.”

“Darien.” Gilroy’s voice was a growl, and Darien paled.

Andru looked from one boy to the other, and then over at Gilroy. Meah stood up

and placed her hands on Tory’s shoulders. “Ana, I’m very sorry about this. Tory gets a

little, um, wild sometimes. My lord, would you please take us home now?”

“I don’t want to go.” Tory stamped his foot. “Tia doesn’t want to go yet either. I

didn’t do anything wrong and I don’t want to go!”

“Tory, you were naughty and…”

“Meah.” Andru’s tone, rather than his speaking her name, brought her to full

attention. “Of all the hundreds of stories on our transmissions that I’m sure you’ve read

over the winters, I can’t believe not one of them mentioned the nature of a Gothman

child.”

Meah looked confused and Andru sighed. “Boys, come with me. I’ll speak with the

two of you alone for a minute.”

He placed a large hand on each head, and steered them off toward a secluded part

of the yard thick with trees. Tia hurried after her brother.

“Wait a minute. They’re not going to hear just your side of things. I’m coming too.”

And Ana ran off after them.

Meah stood there, somewhat stunned and confused. Annoyance simmered deep in

her gut from Andru interrupting her reprimand, and then marching off with her son.

Their son. She had to learn how to share the twins now.

“Does this hurt?” Meah jumped when Gilroy whispered so close to her ear.

He ran a single finger over her right biceps. It was an unnerving touch. She tried to

step to the side. The man was right behind her, and blocked her movement with his

other hand.

“There’s another bruise on this arm over here. Does that one hurt as well?” He

began to gently rub her shoulder blade as well as her arm and she cursed the Gothman

dress she wore. She was way too vulnerable in this thing.

“I’ll admit to being a little sore.” She made an effort to sound casual, and once again

tried to move away from him.

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His hands went to her shoulders now, and he spread his long fingers down across

her exposed chest.

“Gilroy, what are you doing?” Meah tried to twist away from him.

One hand quickly went around her neck, and strong fingers pushed her chin up so

she was forced to look at him. His other hand moved dangerously close to the swell of

her breasts at the top of her dress.

“Think about the pain from the few bruises on your body, my lady,” he whispered,

and if anyone looked, they would swear he was going to kiss her. His mouth was that

close to her face.

“Stop it. Why are you doing this?” She met his sky-blue eyes, and icy fingers

crawled down her spine. His free hand glided right across her breasts and down to her

belly and slammed her body back into his. Every inch of him was hard as steel, and she

gasped at his sudden behavior. He then grabbed her hair, and pulled it back so she still

looked up at him with her body stretched and exposed in front of him. Panic and

disbelief seeped through her, as a vise grip tightened on her insides. His penetrating

blue eyes drifted over her as if enjoying the way he’d stretched her breasts out

underneath the thin material that covered them.

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this,” she whispered.

“Then let me explain, my lady. If you’re plotting in any way against Andru I will

personally break every bone in this beautiful little body of yours. Do you understand

me now?”

She nodded as best she could, not taking her eyes from his. He dragged his fingers

across her body slowly until he once again held her arms. He then turned her around

and released her. She stood facing him and still held his eyes.

“I swear to you, Gilroy. I’m not plotting anything. I’m just coming home. What can

I do to prove that to you?”

“Mama, we can stay a little bit longer and eat apple pie. Papa said we could.” Tory

ran up to her, oblivious to the tension in the air.

Andru and Ana were slightly more observant. It might have been Meah’s trembling

hands and the warrior expression on Gilroy’s face that gave it away.

“What’s going on?” Ana asked as she cocked her head at her claim. His intense blue

eyes were on fire.

“Didn’t you say you had some clothes you wanted to give Meah?” Gilroy took his

time looking away from Meah to focus on Ana.

“Oh yeah, I did.” Ana turned to Meah. “Are you all right?”

Meah nodded. “I’m fine.” She wished her tone were more believable.

Andru watched Ana and Meah walk side by side into the house. Their hips swayed

gently in the silky Gothman dresses they both wore. Never was there a more tempting

sight. Slowly he moved his eyes back to Gilroy. He’d watched the ladies leave as well,

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and now turned back to face Andru. They stood alone in the growing darkness of the

backyard.

“What did you do to her?”

“I told her if she was plotting against you that I would break every bone in her

body,” Gilroy responded flatly.

“She was shaking like a leaf.”

“Yes, my lord, she was.”

“Why do you think that was? Do you think she has something to hide?”

“That’s what I tried to find out, but she just turned white and started shaking. I

don’t remember her scaring so easily.”

“Neither do I.”

Meah entered Ana and Gilroy’s bedroom, and plopped down on the edge of their

bed with a large sigh. She could hear the children carrying on down at the table while

they ate apple pie. Her children were experiencing the first day of the rest of their lives.

They would grow up here, and more than likely, never leave again. They were home.

But was she? Andru didn’t trust her. And obviously Gilroy didn’t either. Those

were two men she couldn’t afford to have as enemies. She wouldn’t live long.

“I want to know exactly what happened down there.” Ana’s demand brought Meah

out of her thoughts.

Meah told her a slightly edited version, not wishing to offend her. Ana stood

expressionless while Meah looked up at her with bloodshot eyes, and explained what

Gilroy said to her and, to some extent, how he treated her.

“His tactics were effective,” Meah concluded dryly. “He caught me off guard, and

then dropped a bomb in my lap to see how I’d react. I was too flustered to cover my

reaction to his threat if I betrayed Andru.”

“That was his plan.”

“You knew he was going to do that to me?”

“Yes, he told me this afternoon.” Ana kept her expression blank.

“So Andru knew too.”

“I don’t think he did. He has a lot on his mind tonight.”

“Ana, I have no intention of betraying Andru…or you, for that matter. I told Andru

I wouldn’t interfere. I don’t know what else to say to prove my loyalty.” Meah couldn’t

stop a tear from streaming down her cheek. “I couldn’t wait to see all of you and

suppertime was so nice. Gilroy had to go and remind me that I’m still a prisoner in my

homeland.”

“He’s protecting Gothman.”

“I’m not a threat to Gothman.” Meah didn’t know how else to convince the people

she believed were friends.

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“What do you mean you told Andru you wouldn’t interfere?” Ana seemed focused

on a point on the floor.

“The twins…they act differently than a single child does. And Tory and Tia act

differently than the few other twins I’ve come across over the past few winters. Tia has

never spoken. She didn’t even cry as a baby. Tory does it for her. But if Tia is taken from

him he gets real quiet and loses his appetite. They need each other. You and Andru are

just like that. I’m sure it’s where Tia and Tory get it. They are one soul in two bodies