The Illegitimate Claim (33 page)

the white in their eyes stood out noticeably. Meah could see lasers hanging on their

belts when their capes blew open.

“What can we do for you?” one of the men asked. He looked at Sharay then at the

two Runners on either side of her.

“Tell Rog that Sharay and Meah are here to see him,” Meah said sternly.

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The hooded man stared at her for one long minute then nodded. He and the other

man turned and walked toward one of the tents not too far from them.

“Ana, someone is watching us.” Meah couldn’t stand the sensation any longer. She

looked at Ana, then impulsively turned, and looked into the darkness behind them.

“I’ve had the same feeling.” Ana glanced over her shoulder. “You know they’re out

there, don’t you?”

“Who is out there?” Sharay asked nervously.

“I know.” Meah ignored Sharay’s question, but instead continued to look around

her. She turned back around in time to see a tall man step out of his tent. He

straightened and looked directly at her. She allowed a small smile to cross her lips,

barely visible through her headscarf, when Rog focused on Sharay.

“Rog!” Sharay screamed and then ran into the man’s arms as he approached.

Rog buried his face in Sharay’s hair and smashed her into him as his arms wrapped

around her petite frame. He literally lifted her off the ground when he straightened, and

then met her for a rather passionate kiss.

“You are my witness to this display of affection,” Meah whispered to Ana.

“I don’t think I’m your only witness.” Ana fought the urge to glance over her

shoulder, with Rog standing not more than three yards in front of her. She could swear

her brother stood right behind her. The thought raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

“So, you bring Sharay to me, do you, Meah?” Rog spoke to her after finally

releasing Sharay, but keeping her close by his side.

“I’m fighting for my life here, Rog, and it’s all because of you. So yes, you have her

in good faith, but I want you to contact Lord Darius and apologize for your lies. The

disc recorded. Gothman aren’t the fools you play them for. You embarrassed yourself

and, trust me, you don’t want Gothman—or the Runners—as your enemies.”

Rog straightened, and his expression grew serious. She’d spoken loud enough for

all his men—and anyone nearby who might be listening—to hear what she said. He

looked at her, then the Runner by her side, then back at her.

“I can’t live without her, Meah.” Rog spoke barely above a whisper. It was hard

enough for Meah and Ana to hear him, let alone anyone else. “I’m sorry I went to

desperate extremes.”

“Well, now you have her. But you have until tomorrow at sundown to announce to

Gothman that I was never your lover.”

Rog smiled, and their eyes locked momentarily. She didn’t flinch under his gaze,

and she knew what he was thinking…Those few times we were together were just casual sex,

right?

“I’ll do it, Meah…and thank you.” Rog spoke a little louder this time.

Meah nodded, and turned with Ana to head back to their gliders.

“How much trouble do you think we’ll get into for this?” Meah whispered, once

they were back in the darkness.

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“Well, remember the welts on my back that Andru showed you?”

Meah nodded.

“None of those drew blood.”

Meah flinched, and when her comm went off, she literally jumped.

“Meah, it’s Tara. Paleah and Tory are missing. They’ve been gone for about an hour

now, I’d guess. I’ve got scouts everywhere looking for them but so far no luck. I want

you to organize your troops and go question Rog.” Tara’s voice was cool and

authoritative. But Meah could tell…she was pissed off.

The outrage in Meah flooded all rational thought within seconds. She stopped in

her tracks just as Ana’s comm went off. Ana looked at her curiously, before flipping the

switch on her comm, but she didn’t realize what Meah would do next. The small-

framed woman turned on a dime, and marched right back up to the Neurian camp.

“Rog!” she yelled loud enough for half the camp to hear. The Neurian, who’d

almost reached his tent, turned slowly to face her. “Give me back my son—now!”

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Chapter Seventeen

“That’s a mighty serious charge, Meah. You’re accusing me of kidnapping the next

heir to Gothman. You should have told me who their papa was.” Rog pushed Sharay

gently to the side, and then glanced over to one of his guards. “Take her into the tent.”

Meah pulled her laser and walked without hesitation straight into the group of

Neurians. “I don’t think so, Rog. I didn’t tell anyone about their birthright, not even

them. It was the only way to protect them. Now give him back, and Paleah too. She

doesn’t want to be with you.”

“Paleah!” Sharay screeched. “Paleah is here?”

Andru and Gilroy had seen enough. Andru just received the message from his papa

that Sharay had disappeared and so had Tory and Paleah. Darius assumed a Neurian

raid successfully kidnapped them and Andru didn’t argue. Gilroy immediately called

troops to the area.

“It’s time to get them out of here,” he muttered, after Gilroy hissed orders quietly

into his comm.

“Agreed.”

“You get yours, and I’ll get mine.”

Gilroy nodded, and the two men took off at high speed toward the Neurian camp.

Ana barely had the opportunity to let out a squeal when a strong arm wrapped around

her waist, and lifted her onto the glider. It took her only a second to see that their

suspicions had been correct when she glanced a look at Gilroy’s hardened expression,

before he flipped the glider away from the camp and lifted into the air.

Andru’s job wasn’t quite as easy. He lifted his glider into the air and came at the

group of Neurians from an angle. Meah stood there with her laser pulled, facing Rog.

She didn’t notice Andru, nor did any of the other Neurians. There were too many

distractions right in front of them.

“This is bigger than you or me, Meah. We’ve dealt with that before when doing

Crator’s work.”

“This isn’t Crator’s work. You took my son, damn it. Don’t fuck with me. Give him

back, or I’ll single-handedly take out this camp until I find him. And Rog, I’ll start with

you.” Meah pointed her laser at Rog’s face.

“Meah, you’re completely surrounded.” Rog didn’t blink an eye at the laser.

“I’ve been in worse situations. Do you doubt my abilities?”

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Rog laughed softly. “No, Meah, I never have. You see the dog-woman and so does

Tory. But this is an issue for Gothman. You have no proof that I took him.”

“Fuck you, Rog.” Meah aimed to fire, and she saw the fear enter his eyes. It was a

look she’d seen way too many times in her twenty-three winters—the look on a

person’s face right before they were killed.

A sudden swooshing sound caused a distraction right out of her vision. She could

see several Neurians leap to the side, and had to turn her head to see what was coming

at them. Rog saw her look away and leaped toward her, hitting her head-on and

slamming her to the ground just as a glider flew inches over them.

She hit the ground and rolled quickly out from underneath Rog, wondering who

had come at them. It all happened too quickly for her to know whether it was Gothman,

Runner, or Neurian who practically decapitated them with their glider. The only

thought that she paid any attention to was the fact that she was no longer armed. The

laser flew free of her with the impact. She jumped to her feet, realizing the intensity of

the danger she was in, when the glider swung around and came at them again. This

time the driver made his target.

Andru slowed long enough to reach out and grab Meah by the arm, before

haphazardly throwing her in front of him then accelerating again with her legs flying

out to the side. Instinctively, she scrambled to position herself on the seat in front of

him.

“What in the hell are you doing?” In the next second she was pounding his chest.

Then she was holding on tightly as the glider leaned to the side when Andru

momentarily lost control, while dodging her blows. He grabbed both of her wrists in

one of his hands, and straightened the glider with the other.

“I’m saving my claim’s life, you damn fool, that’s what I’m doing.”

Meah was too crazy in the head to catch that he’d just referred to her as his claim.

There was no smile on his face. Andru focused on the darkness around them, as he

flew into the trees that surrounded the campsite. In the next instant, they landed next to

her glider. She noticed Ana’s glider was no longer parked next to hers. Andru and

Gilroy obviously watched them through their every move. Just as she figured. Damn,

would she ever be able to do anything without Andru knowing her every move?

“Get on your glider and follow me.” He pulled her from his glider as easily as he’d

obtained her. He didn’t let go of her right away but held her arm in a death grip. She

looked into his eyes. “And don’t even think about doing anything else.”

She didn’t say a word, but simply stared at him. He let go of her then and she

climbed onto her glider and quickly turned it around to follow them.

“Are we all linked?” Andru’s voice came through Meah’s comm and she adjusted

her mouthpiece.

“I’m here,” she heard Ana say. Gilroy followed with his acknowledgment.

“I can hear you.” Meah’s voice sounded shaky. “But they’ve got Tory.”

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“I know they do.” His imposing tone made her think twice about responding. “And

I’d like to know how you thought you’d successfully take on a Neurian army singlehandedly.”

There was silence for a moment and she said nothing…neither did anyone else. Her

head was swimming. She would have taken on everyone in sight, she had no doubt