The Illegitimate Claim (43 page)

over a situation she couldn’t control.

“And what are you going to do about it?”

Fury took over her at that moment, and she forced her glider into full speed. Meah

didn’t know if Gilroy followed her or not, but it felt good to ride perilously through the

trees and hills. She cut the glider loose, and flew dangerously close to the ground,

dodging in and out of protruding rocks. She dared to fly into the woods, and tore

mercilessly through the underbrush. A large rock appeared out of nowhere, and Meah

pulled her handlebars to the side quickly…only to smash into another large rock, and

send her glider sliding along its side through the underbrush.

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“Damn it all to hell,” she yelled as she climbed free of the mangled glider. She

kicked the contraption in disgust, and turned around to see Gilroy parked a short

distance away. “So much for that glider.”

“Are you hurt?” he asked, as he pulled his long leg over his glider and then studied

her with sky-blue eyes.

“Other than my pride?” There was a biting tone in her words and he could tell she

was furious. “Why did you follow me?”

Gilroy shrugged, and walked toward her. “I wanted to make sure you didn’t do

anything stupid.” He nodded his head toward her glider. “Like this. It’s a long walk

back to the house.”

“Maybe I’ll be thinking rationally by the time I get there.” She looked down at her

glider and kicked it again. She was outraged, with herself as well as with Andru and

Ana, but mostly with herself. She had told Andru she could handle this…that she

understood because of how she’d seen Tory and Tia interact.

“I am the biggest fool,” she groaned, and walked over to sit down on a stone ledge.

“Why? Because you told Andru you wouldn’t make a fuss about him going to Ana?

Because you told Ana you would accept her being with Andru if she’d return your rank

as first assistant?”

Meah gaped at him, dumbfounded. His blue eyes were powerful, potent, and

suddenly made her feel uncomfortable. She looked away from him, wanting to scowl

privately.

“How do you know all that?” she asked as she looked through the dense forest that

climbed up the nearby hill.

“Andru shares most things with me,” he said, and moved to sit down next to her.

Her heart pounded when he immediately began rubbing her back. Strength and power

radiated from his touch, yet oddly it was gentle and compassionate. Heat rushed

through her and she fought to make it go away. She had to be reading too much into his

simple touch.

Gilroy didn’t act like he noticed her reaction but kept talking. “He told me that one

word screamed from Ana’s thoughts the night she gave you back your rank…Bachula.”

He began twisting her braid around his fingers and finally she couldn’t stand it any

longer and jumped off the ledge, putting distance between them.

“Just because Andru is with Ana,” she began, as she pointed a finger at him, and

backed away. “Don’t get any ideas.”

He looked amused, which annoyed her more.

“Okay,” he said.

The sun caught his inky black hair, and made his blue eyes sparkle at her. He was

incredibly handsome.

“I’m sorry,” she groaned and shot him a timid smile. “You haven’t actually been

very nice to me recently, and your sudden change in attitude makes me nervous.”

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“Maybe you should be nervous.” He continued to smile at her, and leaned back

against the rocks behind him and crossed his arms. He was as virile and powerful as

Andru and she stared at him warily. “But don’t worry, you could probably shoot my

foot off before I could get to you. That’s not why I followed you, though. You and I

have the same blood, although for some reason I have a hard time thinking of you as a

sister. You need protection, and like it or not, I’m going to see that you get it. You can be

a real stupid bitch sometimes, and I wanted to make sure you didn’t get into trouble.

That’s all.”

“Stupid bitch, huh?” Now she glared at him.

He got up slowly and moved in on her with a smile that scared her to death. Her

mouth went dry, and then suddenly too wet. It dawned on her then that Gilroy knew

how incredibly seductive he could be, and used his Crator-given skills to his advantage

when tracking prey. She added fuel to her fury by telling herself he was simply another

man who thought she couldn’t take care of herself. His seduction wouldn’t work on her,

no matter how her body seemed to react at the moment.

He read her like an open book. “You’ve got a temper five times the size of that tiny

body of yours. And one of these days, you’ll learn to curb it. You’ll also learn that you

come from nothing, just like me.” He took her arm before continuing his pace to his

glider. “You have something now and you don’t want to fuck it up. You must learn to

do as you’re told, accept things that happen around you, and follow orders without

question. Do you think you can do that, Meah?”

As he spoke, he mounted his glider then pulled her on in front of him, so when he

asked her in essence if she could learn to submit to the way the rest of her life would be,

he was whispering in her ear. She turned her head to look at him, and his eyes dropped

to her mouth. She hated the fact that he could probably feel her heart pounding in her

chest. He cupped his hand directly underneath her breast and she stopped breathing.

“All I can do is try,” she said quietly.

“Good girl.” He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers, just a touch, then

inched away and caressed her with cobalt eyes. “And don’t run from me the next time I

touch you. You can only be hunted if you run.”

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Chapter Twenty-Two

“He’s on his way. Is everything ready?” Ana’s stomach roiled as she climbed the

stairs of her parent’s house.

Darius was coming home today, and the entire house seemed to be in an uproar.

“Sure is, my lady.” Fulga stepped out of Darius and Tara’s bedroom with a dust rag

in her hand. “I’ve got their bedroom cleaned up real good, I do.”

“Good.” Ana entered the nursery where Meah was tying boot shoelaces. “Darien,

honey, your shoes are on the wrong feet.”

Ana sat down and helped Meah finish tying shoes, while Paleah held a fussy Magi.

Curi still slept in the crib that was intended for Magi, and Ana picked her up slowly,

cradling her in her arms. After the two women agreed that the four grandchildren were

presentable for their grandpapa’s return, they allowed the children to race out the

doorway and out to the backyard to wait for everyone to arrive.

The children were already working on messing themselves up when Ana and Meah

reached the backyard. Meah smiled as she watched her son chase Darien across the

yard. She followed Ana toward the large garage, and immediately saw a group of

gliders approaching.

“So Lord Darius is okay, right?” Meah whispered, as both women watched the

gliders draw closer.

“He can’t see out of his right eye. But the rest of him is fine…other than the fact that

he’s been real grouchy,” Ana said under her breath.

Meah hadn’t gone to see Darius while he was in the hospital. She’d heard of his

irritability ever since Dr. Digo told him he wouldn’t recover his vision in the one eye.

Andru had assumed some additional responsibilities during his papa’s absence, and

she imagined this didn’t thrill the lord. Either way, she would see him now and she

straightened, as did Ana, when the group of gliders landed in front of the garage.

“I daresay I think you’ve all grown this past week.” Darius smiled as he climbed off

his glider, and was immediately surrounded by his grandchildren.

“What’s your eye look like under that patch?” Tory immediately assumed the role

as spokesperson.

Darius squatted down in front of the children and lifted the black patch off his right

eye.

Tory grinned his papa’s grin, and cocked his head to the side. “It looks just like

your other eye but that cut next to your eye looks great. I think you look scarier without

the patch than with it on.”

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“I’ll keep that in mind, boy.” Darius stood and ruffled Tory’s hair, but the boy

jumped away and swatted playfully at his grandpapa. Darius laughed and turned to

pull Tara to him. “I knew I should have come home sooner. That boy can raise my

spirits better than any nurse can.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” she mumbled, and glared at him, but it was obvious she was

glad he was home as well.

“Fulga has a huge dinner prepared.” Ana moved to Gilroy’s side. “Uncle Torgo and

Syra should be here soon.”

“What a man has to do to get his entire family around him, I say.” Darius was

pleased as he looked around the yard at his growing family. His glance fell on Meah, as

Andru walked up and wrapped his arm around her neck. “And you, young lady…I

hear you’re responsible for my attacker’s death, you are.”

“I killed Rog,” she responded callously, but when Andru’s finger’s tightened

around her neck she lowered her eyes quickly, trying to appear submissive.

“I realize he was your friend.” Darius noticed the quick correction administered by

Andru, but ignored it. “Your loyalty will be noted in your permanent record, it will.”

Meah nodded once. “Thank you, my lord.”

An outbreak across the yard ended the uncomfortable moment for Meah. She

pulled free from Andru and hurried toward her son who had his fists clenched, legs

spread, and was yelling as loud as he could.

“I’ll not tolerate this behavior out of you any longer.”

Meah froze when she heard her son scream the words Andru had yelled at her

more than once since they’d arrived. But she froze for only a second, because Tia

suddenly broke out in tears.

“What’s going on here?” Meah knelt down in between the twins.

Tory stood glaring at his sister, who dropped her head into her hands and started

crying loudly.