The Illegitimate Claim (56 page)

“I took Magi with me over to Beel’s the other day. She cries when I leave her, and

Fulga didn’t want to watch her. Beel wanted to know why I brought her and I told him.

But then I got this crazy notion in my head, and I told him it would be wonderful if she

could be mine. I can’t have any children, and I would raise her to be better than me. I

told him it wasn’t hard to pretend that she was Beel’s and my little girl. She looks just

like him.”

Paleah sighed and Meah sucked in her breath. “What did Beel say to that?”

“Just what you’d think he’d say. He got mad—he said I was trying to trap him, and

then he flew me back here and I haven’t seen him since.” Paleah had watched Meah

through the mirror in front of her while she spoke, and now she dropped her head.

“Have you tried to go to him?” Meah ran her hand over Paleah’s hair in an effort to

soothe her.

Paleah’s laugh was bitter as she looked back up at Meah’s reflection. “I swallowed

pride I never knew I had. I went to his house. I asked everyone that I knew he spent

time with. No one’s seen him. And what’s worse, since I’ve asked around for him, now

everyone knows he’s gone. I’m fair game, and I don’t have any place to go.”

“You don’t have a place of your own, do you?” Meah shocked herself that she’d

never given that any thought before. Beel was always so possessive of her, making sure

no one got too close to her, and keeping her very close to him always.

Paleah looked at her hands on her lap and shook her head.

“And I don’t have any money,” she offered.

“What about the money you make here?”

“I don’t make any money here. I get fed and sleep with the children when Beel is

busy. But now he’s gone, and you’ve been giving me time off.” Fresh tears broke free. “I

needed to make some money. And I got caught.”

“Wait a minute. What do you mean you don’t get any money here?”

Meah spun around angrily when there was a light tapping on her bedroom door.

“What is it?”

“The lord wants to see her in his throne room now.” Fulga looked hurt that Meah

would snap at her like that.

The housekeeper looked at Paleah indignantly. Her appraising eye took in the

young woman’s appearance and she snorted, before turning around and marching back

down the staircase leading to the kitchen.

“I’m going with you.” Meah’s growing anger tightened her muscles, and she placed

her hand gently on her abdomen as an ache began.

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“Why doesn’t she make any money working here?” Meah spoke accusingly the

second she entered the throne room and met Andru’s glare head-on.

Andru looked at her blankly for a brief moment and then appeared to disregard her

question as he turned his attention on Paleah. The young Neurian lowered her bruised

face from his and Gilroy’s probing eyes.

“Why were you at the brothel, Paleah?”

“Why was she where?” Meah looked dumbfounded. She turned to the young

woman staring at the ground. “Were you there?”

Paleah nodded but remained mute.

“She doesn’t have anywhere to go.” Meah turned back to Andru. “And why doesn’t

she make any money working here?”

“My lady, I’ll talk to Paleah. Then I’ll talk to you later.” Andru spoke calmly, but

she recognized the warning tone.

Nonetheless, she pursed her lips and glared at him. She glanced quickly at Gilroy as

blue eyes flashed that she better think twice about her next move. She ignored him. “I’m

not going anywhere. She’s been attacked, and I’m not going to let you sit there and yell

at her. I don’t care where she was.”

She then turned and looked at Paleah. “What were you doing at the whorehouse?”

Paleah’s black eyes darted quickly to meet Meah’s. There was no way she could

look at the two men. “I don’t have any money or anywhere to go,” she began quietly,

focusing all her attention on Meah. “I have a trade and I don’t think anyone else is

going to give me work. If I asked around they would all assume you let me go.”

“We’re not far from it. No whore is going to watch our children,” Andru barked

with force.

“What do you think I am?” Paleah wailed quietly.

“I think you used to be a whore, and I think that you are not one anymore.” Andru

spoke with a certainty that left no room for question.

Paleah simply blinked at him, and then stared at Meah for the same amount of time.

“I need a home,” she whispered to Meah.

“What about the cottage that you kept Sharay in? No one is using it.” Meah looked

hopefully at Andru and looked surprised when Gilroy looked down at the ground

quickly and rubbed his hand over his mouth. “Why can’t she live there?”

Andru narrowed his eyes on Gilroy when he saw his friend stifle a grin. “Meah, she

can’t live there. It’s not an option. I take it you don’t live with Beel anymore?”

Paleah couldn’t look him in the eye. She shook her head. “I don’t know where he

is.”

“You can’t find him, so someone else will do?” There was anger in his tone.

“I didn’t do anything to encourage your guard, I promise.” Paleah assumed his

scrutinizing look was determining the truth of her story. “I just asked everyone if they’d

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seen Beel, and I guess word got around I was alone. If I’m not here…” She didn’t finish

and she didn’t have to. All three of them got the picture.

“Andru, she needs protection. And she shouldn’t have to sell herself to get it.”

Meah’s tone grew full of concern. “Now Beel’s run off on her, and you’re his brother.

You’ve got to see to her protection, and pay her to work here.”

“I don’t need you telling me how to do things,” he growled, and she felt the chill in

his eyes. “Beel,” he barked into his comm.

“No, don’t,” Paleah cried out. She immediately covered her mouth and fell to her

knees as she stared wide-eyed at Andru and Gilroy who both looked rather stunned at

her bravery to speak out so.

“We could just flog them both and call it quits for the day,” Gilroy muttered, and

Meah gawked at him as her jaw fell.

She looked away quickly when blue eyes danced over her.

“What is it that makes you fear Beel?” Andru cocked his head at the Neurian

woman, who sat on her feet in the middle of the room.

“Who fears me?”

Meah looked up quickly, as did Andru and Gilroy when Beel strolled through the

dining room, and then stopped in the doorway and stared at the group. Paleah had her

hands over her mouth and, although Meah could only see the back of her head, she

knew that new fear entered the Neurian as her body tensed. Beel’s face grew hard when

he looked down at her.

“What is this?” His expression grew dark. He walked over to Paleah, extended his

hand and helped her to her feet. “Who did this to you?”

“You’re the one who left her alone in Gothman,” Meah spat out.

She pressed her hand over her abdomen, comforting the slow ache that continued

to grow. She needed her pain medication.

“Did you do this to her?” Beel turned to his brother.

Andru stood, and Gilroy turned to Meah. He saw her hand resting on her internal

incisions and walked over to her. He lifted her with ease, and placed her on the

windowsill. “You shall be seen and not heard in a Gothman issue, my lady,” he

whispered, and tickled her ear with his breath. She tried to scowl at him, but his face

was too close for comfort and she looked quickly at her hands.

“No, I didn’t.” Andru’s calmness came across as a warning. “Her condition is why

she’s in front of me right now.”

“What have you done?” Beel now turned on Paleah.

“Yes, Paleah. I think I’d like to know why we found you in the brothel earlier

today.” Andru sounded more relaxed than a moment ago.

Meah narrowed her eyes but held her tongue. She could tell he was relieved that he

no longer needed to worry about her protection.

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“He found you where?” Beel clamped down on her arm and almost lifted her from

the ground. “Do you miss your past so much that you’d run to it once you were alone

for just a few days?”

“No,” she cried. “I had nowhere to go, and I needed protection.”

“Protection from what? Were you wandering the streets late at night?”

“That happened in the middle of the day.” Meah forgot to be quiet and jumped off

the windowsill, only to almost double over from the shooting pain that reminded her of

her recent surgery. She grimaced. “She can’t leave our house without the nearest

Gothman attacking her.”

“You left me. I don’t have a place to live and Meah was feeling a little better. She

started giving me time off. I asked around to try and find you but no one knew where

you were.” Paleah’s accent grew as she spoke through her tears. “I thought I’d scared

you off and that you left Gothman.”

“You did…and I did.” Beel’s expression softened and a roguish smile slowly

appeared as he wiped his thumb across her face. “But now I’m back.”

He turned and faced his brother and gave him that same smile the Bryon men all

notoriously wore when they felt their self-confidence bloom.

“Could we excuse the women for a moment, I’d like to have a word with you,” Beel

asked his brother.

Andru matched the grin and then raised an open palm to the door. “Ladies?”

Meah didn’t like being excused so casually. Scowling openly at the three of them,

she moved reluctantly to the door. Paleah was already there, holding the door for her.

“Are you going to be able to make it up those stairs?” Andru cocked his head as he

studied his claim’s slow movements. “Gilroy, help her up the stairs.” He shot his friend

a glance. “And then come right back.”

Gilroy moved in on her quickly but she held up her hand. There was no way she

could let that man put his hands on her. Granted, during her pregnancy he’d stayed

away. But recently, his blue eyes burned with fire when he watched her. She recognized