The Illegitimate Claim (29 page)

over her right breast. His eyes didn’t leave hers as he cupped her breast and squeezed

gently, before reaching and pulling out her comm. He wrapped it around his ear, and

she looked away from him, glaring into the woods while her heart pounded way too

hard in her chest.

“Andru,” his baritone voice said above her head, while she remained imprisoned

next to his virile body.

What an incredible weapon for Andru to have! Gilroy would do anything to ensure

the safety of his lord, and she hadn’t passed his tests yet. She relaxed and tried to

readjust her pinned arms but his grip tightened.

“My lord, the hill is secure. The Neurians are dead, or retreating. Yes, I have her.”

Then there was a long silence.

Meah had no idea what Andru was saying, but she felt Gilroy’s body tighten

behind her. Shooting pain shot through her arms as he drew her elbows closer together

behind her back.

With no further words he pulled the comm from his ear, and she gasped in spite of

herself, when he stuffed her comm back into her pocket. He drew his hand out slowly

then dragged it up her shirt to her neck. His long fingers wrapped around her neck

while his thumb poked underneath her chin until she looked up at him again.

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“I told you I would break every bone in your body if you betrayed Andru.” His

blue eyes were on fire as he devoured her.

“What are you…”

“Silence. I don’t understand why, Meah. I’ve met Rog. He’s not your type. You’re a

fool to give up what you could have.” He stared at her so hard, his heart beating against

her back. “It’s going to take a lot to fix this.”

She couldn’t look away from those powerful blue eyes. “Gilroy, I told you…”

He threw her. Her arms were so sore from being pulled behind her back that she

couldn’t move them fast enough to stop her face from hitting the ground. She screamed,

and then rolled into a fetal position.

“The dog-woman told me to come here. I’m not lying.” She spat dirt from her

mouth.

“We intercepted some of their transmissions. They reported you as down. We also

heard Rog trying to contact you.”

Meah moved to a sitting position, and looked up as he towered over her with his

hands on his hips.

“How could that be? You shouldn’t be able to access their transmissions. Unless,

Rog was here, and saw me. Maybe he wanted you to hear certain transmissions.” Meah

looked at the woods around her, as if she might see some clue that he’d been there.

“I don’t need to listen to your babbling.” Gilroy reached down and picked her up

like a rag doll. He started walking down the hill, hauling her along while her legs flew

wildly underneath her. She tried to gain her own footing, but he moved so quickly he

literally carried and dragged her to the back door of the Crator temple. “Lord Andru

wishes to see you.”

“Gilroy, you aren’t making sense. No one could have reported me as down.” She

fought to regain her footing.

Gilroy stopped before reaching the temple. With one hand, he lifted her so that she

hung in the air before him, their faces inches from each other. The fury in his eyes

stopped her heart.

“You love Rog,” he hissed.

“No,” she whispered.

“Then who has your heart?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Gilroy glowered at her,

holding her high enough off the ground her feet dangled in front of him. Eye to eye, he

seemed to stare into her soul, as if determining the answer for himself.

A slow growl rose from deep inside him, while his grip on her tightened, pinching

her arm hard enough that she was sure there’d be bruises. Without another word, he

dragged her toward the temple.

Her stomach tensed when he stormed through the back door and hauled her

through the kitchen where she’d seen Beel for the first time just days before. He entered

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the temple without relenting in his gait. She barely had time to make eye contact with

Andru when Gilroy literally threw her across the room. She stumbled over the first row

of benches and slid onto the floor at Andru’s feet. Bruises made their presence known

all over her body.

“Thank you, Gilroy. If you’ll wait outside please.” The calmness in Andru’s tone

wasn’t reassuring.

Meah didn’t look up as Gilroy turned and walked out of the building.

“Andru, I didn’t do anything wrong,” Meah sobbed as she struggled to her feet.

She stood just feet from him, and felt a need to create distance when she looked into

those powerful eyes. He stood as tall as Gilroy with incredibly broad shoulders and

muscles rippling through his plaid shirt. There were day-old whiskers that darkened

his face and added to his masculinity. He looked very imposing, and she felt suddenly

very small in front of him. She had to hold her own. The things Gilroy said confused

her, and she had to get to the bottom of this if she was going to regain their trust.

“How did you know the Neurians were preparing an ambush?” Andru asked

without changing his expression.

“I didn’t know. I mean, I found out when I got to the hill.”

His look didn’t change. Staring at him, the man before her looked less trusting than

Gilroy had a few moments ago.

Her thoughts raced for the right words to convince him. “I was with Ana, at her

house, with the children, and your mama showed up. I showed them how to alter the

comms, so you can’t be detected and your conversations are secure. The dog-woman

showed up while we were there. Your mama heard her. She said to come to you and so

I came. Ana was worried that Gilroy might be too uptight to listen to me, and that I

could get hurt. So, when I saw him out front, and he didn’t see me because his landlink

didn’t detect me, I flew around to the back of the temple and thought I’d sneak down

the hill and in through the back door. When I landed, I started seeing Neurians. I

eliminated quite a few, when I spotted Gilroy and yelled to him. He wasn’t very

friendly.” Meah rubbed her aching arms.

When Andru simply stood and continued to study her, she hurried to continue.

“The first Neurian who attacked me said something interesting. She said that their

attack would teach us not to take them lightly. What was that supposed to mean?”

“Meah, I met with Rog,” he said in response to her question.

Assuming he would continue, she raised her eyebrow expectantly. He simply

looked at her. The silence grew uncomfortable.

“What did he say?” she asked after she couldn’t stand his stare any longer.

“Meah, why are you doing this? After five winters and so lovingly caring for our

children, do you still hate me that much?” His tone was quiet with a slight edge of pain

interwoven through it.

“Why am I doing what?” she whispered, matching his quit tone.

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“You can drop this charade. He told me you’re lovers and have been for winters.”

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Chapter Fifteen

“What? Why would he say that? We were never lovers. Never. He has always loved

Sharay, and I…and I—” Her voice got stuck in her throat. “We were friends. That’s it.

We would sit up late and talk about Crator. I just don’t believe he would say that. Did

you record the conversation?”

His dark gray eyes flooded with turbulence. Here was a man to be feared, a natural-

born leader, and when he looked threatening, it was best to pay heed. Meah

instinctively took a step backwards, bracing herself when he suddenly looked like he

would leap on her. Instead, he closed his eyes as if trying to maintain growing fury. He

pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I daresay you mock me, Meah. I pray and pray for the ability to see through all of

this clearly. Yet, you walk in here and rake me over the coals without a look of concern

on your face. You’ve changed.” Andru sighed, and then looked over her head at the

altar.

“I don’t have eighteen winters anymore, and I’ve raised two children on my own

for four winters.”

“That was your choice.”

“No, it was Crator’s choice. I went where I was told, and when I was told to come

here…I came. And now you say I’m mocking you? What makes you think such a

thing?” Frustration slowly replaced her fear.

“Of course we recorded our conversation with him…and of course the disc is blank.

He used some type of rock to scramble our equipment so it wouldn’t record.”

“Was the recording equipment on you?”

“Yes. Why do you want to know?”

Meah smiled. “And did you wear your leather jacket?”

“Of course I did.” He glared at her.

“I put a scrambling disc on the inside of one of your buttons. The Laramie rock, I

assume it was green, can’t penetrate a scrambling disc. It’s like two magnets

counteracting each other. The conversation recorded. Have you checked the disc?”

Meah tried to smile.

“I didn’t see a reason to. He insulted me repeatedly and issued a number of serious

threats…not to mention the information he revealed about you.”

“I’m sorry he insulted you. He can be a pompous ass, but he really is nice.” She

stopped in mid-sentence when Andru’s muscles tightened. “I meant to tell you about

the scrambling disc. It prevents the Neurians from hearing any of your transmissions

and from being detected. I’m surprised no one has questioned not detecting you on

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their landlinks. Maybe you haven’t traveled alone. But anyway, I meant to tell you the

other night, but you dropped me off at my trailer and left.”

“I had to do that,” he growled at her, and again fear raked through her body.

“I want to hear that disc. I have the right to hear the words spoken that you’re using

to condemn me.” Meah worked to straighten and not let him see her fear.