The Illegitimate Claim (46 page)

as he lunged for Ana. She kicked him in the side of the head and then got several good

kidney punches in while the man struggled briefly to overcome her initial blow. Ana

flipped the other Gothman but he recovered quickly, and sent her flying with a blow to

her stomach. The crowd groaned loudly with each painful blow, and cheered when a

successful maneuver took place.

179

Lorie O’Clare

Tara leaned forward against the ropes and rested her chin on her hands as she

studied the two women. She wanted to see how well they worked together. Did they

need to make eye contact in order to fight together, or could they feel naturally what the

next move should be? They needed to be an invincible team, and this was the only way

she knew to see that they could act as one.

Andru wrinkled his brow as he watched the women take and deliver blow after

blow. Why was his mama doing this? Obviously, it was imperative to confirm that

Meah’s fighting skills were not lacking. He could have confirmed that before his mama

asked him to send in the Gothman. The men he sent in were large, imposing men. Did

Tara suspect Meah’s fear of men as well? If so, Meah wasn’t showing any fear of these

men. If anything, she was giving them quite a beating.

“Andru, do you have two more?” Tara spoke into her comm as she stood up and

walked up to the rope.

“Yes, why are you doing this?” He looked at his mama as he spoke through his

comm.

“On my mark, pull out these two and send the other two in with the same

instructions.”

Andru frowned at her, and pulled his comm from his ear in disgust. He didn’t like

being left in the dark. She was using his men. She could damn sure tell him why. He

continued to scowl as he gestured for two more of his soldiers to prepare for the ring.

Gilroy gave him a curious stare but Andru returned his attention to the ring.

Tara walked slowly along the rope, watching the expression of the women intently.

Both women were into their battle with determined looks on their faces. They were

sweating profusely and their shirts clung to their muscular bodies like a second skin.

Their hair hung in damp braids down their backs, and loose strands stuck to their wet

skin.

Tara knew she would get the rise she was looking for when they switched attackers.

She glanced over to her son and he returned the stare. She held her hand up, indicating

she was almost ready for him to switch soldiers. She looked back into the ring just as

Meah started pounding one of the soldiers. Perfect. She pointed her finger at Andru and

he yelled loudly for his men to retreat.

Tara watched closely while Ana and Meah worked to catch their breath, sweat

dripping from their bodies. The two new Gothman entered the roped enclosure.

“What the hell is this?” Meah screamed, as she dodged the first blow from one of

the Gothman.

Tara smiled and crossed her arms. Mission accomplished. She walked toward the

entrance of the ring. Ana was wearing down and her performance suffered. The

Gothman attacking her got several successful punches in, and she wheeled on her feet,

then staggered a step or two.

“They can’t take much more of this. It’s too hot,” Gilroy spoke to Tara as she

walked around the rope to the point where she stood in front of him and Andru.

180

The Illegitimate Claim

She turned and stared at him then looked at Andru. “Watch and learn, men. This is

the quickest way to determine what your man is capable of doing…or in this case,

woman.”

The Gothman pounding away at Ana finally got a successful blow in and she

sprawled across the grass with her feet flying over her head. Meah screamed, and

kicked the Gothman she’d barely been holding off a second ago square in the nose.

Blood splattered everywhere, and she followed it up with a hard kidney punch. The

man doubled over, and Meah immediately dove toward the other Gothman.

“That’s enough,” Tara screamed and walked quickly into the ring. “Andru, call

your men. Bring these women water.”

Tara finished barking her orders and walked directly up to Meah. The young

woman had her hands on her knees and was gasping for air. She shook her head

violently when offered water, and when she looked up at Tara her eyes burned red.

“The fight’s over, pull yourself together.” Tara spoke calmly.

Meah continued to breathe heavily, and in her bent-over position she looked ready

to charge like a mad bull.

“I gave you an order, soldier. Clear your head.” Again, Tara was calm and quiet.

Meah straightened and shook her hands out in front of her. She turned to look at

Ana and saw her sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up, while Gilroy dumped

a large bucket of water over her head. He then helped her stand and handed her a towel

to dry her face.

Meah’s blood boiled, and her adrenaline pumped. She’d moved into a high mode to

handle one attacker after another. Tara tested her for something but she couldn’t figure

out what. Her mind raced and she couldn’t focus on any one thing in order to

determine what it might be. At the moment, all she wanted to do was finish beating the

shit out of the second Gothman.

“Look at you.” Tara got into Meah’s face. “Your eyes are full of rage. I tell you the

fight is over, yet you still want to fight. Control your rage, Meah. Can you do that?”

Gilroy and Ana turned to look at Tara as she spoke, and Andru entered the ring

slowly behind his mama. They all looked at Meah then and she blew out a hard breath

of air.

“Of course I can, my lady.” Her voice was raspy. She looked around her, almost

disoriented, and blinked heavily several times. “The fight is over. But why, my lady,

why did you do that? What test are we supposed to pass?”

“Not we, Meah—you,” Tara said, and Andru stepped up next to her and looked at

his claim. He held a bucket of water and, without asking, poured it over her head. He

then grabbed a towel that hung on the rope and gently began wiping Meah’s neck and

face. Tara continued talking. “If you’re given a command to think a certain way you

must be able to do it. Runners fight with more than their bodies. They fight with their

soul.” She took her fist and pounded her chest.

181

Lorie O’Clare

“I know that, my lady.” Meah realized immediately that she sounded mouthy and

silenced quickly, not looking up to see what reprimanding looks Andru or Gilroy might

be giving her for speaking out like that.

“How do you know that? Who taught you to fight?” Tara sounded casual with her

questions, and Meah looked up at her questioningly. “I assume you went through the

usual Runner fighting classes as a child?”

Now Meah laughed. Andru, Gilroy and Ana all looked at her questioningly. Tara

didn’t, though. She knew the answer, but needed to see for herself that what she

already suspected was true. She waited for Meah to answer.

“My lady, I have two older brothers. One trained to lead the clan, and the other

trained to follow Crator. No one paid too much attention to my training.” She paused

and looked down at the ground. When she looked back up it was obvious she’d just

figured something out. She looked over at Gilroy when she spoke again. “I see now

why my upbringing was ignored, but at the time I thought it was because I was the

youngest.” She thought she saw understanding in Gilroy’s eyes. “I taught myself how

to fight.”

“You taught yourself how to fight,” Tara repeated, then looked over to her son. “Do

you see what I’ve discovered?”

Andru studied Meah. She looked pumped still from adrenaline, and there was

confusion and a little humiliation pulsing in her eyes. He could see her temper was

firmly being held in tow, but it would take very little to push her to a breaking point.

Actually, he thought to himself, she looked incredibly impressive, and he realized he

wanted her as he studied her eyes.

“I see that your orders don’t affect her emotions,” he said without looking away

from Meah. He saw her temper build.

“Exactly. Now, look at Ana.” Everyone did. “I tell her the fight is over and now she

is relaxed.”

“They are two very different women,” Andru said simply.

“They were also trained differently,” Tara pointed out.

“We were both trained as Runners,” Meah interjected stubbornly, and this time

caught the reprimanding looks from Andru and Gilroy.

“No, you weren’t.” Tara held up a finger to drive her point home. “You just said

you taught yourself how to fight.”

Meah looked baffled. “That’s right, but we’re both Runners.”

“Meah, my dear.” Tara’s voice was very gentle. “You may have lived with Runners,

but your blood is that of a warrior Gothman. No order anyone gives you right now is

going to curb your urge to attack. You fight like a Gothman.”

“I do believe my claim is speechless for the first time since I’ve met her,” Andru

said, as a smile played on the corner of her mouth.

182

The Illegitimate Claim

“Why does any of this matter?” Ana walked up to Meah, standing next to her for

reinforcement.

Now Tara looked at Ana with surprise. “Her body and soul must be committed to

you, and at your command if you’re going to successfully rule the Runners. Meah,

you’re going to start some extensive training effective tomorrow. I’ve determined what

I needed to know. You two are not ready.”

With that Tara turned and walked out of the ring and through the disbursing

crowd. Ana looked after her in complete confusion.

“Ready for what?” she asked no one in particular.

“Ready to lead the Runners, my lady. We fucked it up…or better yet, I did. Now I

have to defeat the very blood that pumps through my body.” Suddenly Meah felt

incredibly exhausted.

She blew out air in exasperation and met Gilroy’s penetrating blue eyes. She found

herself reluctant to pull away from his gaze, but did and focused on Andru’s chest. She

felt ready to collapse, and wanted large powerful arms to hold her.

Andru sensed her desire and reached out to pull her to him. “Don’t worry about it.

I daresay all of this is very interesting.” He looked over at Gilroy and a smile suddenly