Nuworld: Claiming Tara

by Fitzgerald, Laurie

  She couldn’t make herself stop shaking as her fury became

  too much.

  The whore placed her hand on Darius, and he didn’t

  stop her. The man showed no apparent emotion, but he let

  the whore touch him and didn’t make a move to prevent

  her. His gaze appeared to rest somewhere other than the

  whore’s face.

  Tara squeezed her eyes closed, momentarily refusing to

  accept the fact that Darius, her man, her claim, allowed

  the whore to playfully pull at his shirt until it released from

  his pants.

  He placed his hands on her breasts.

  Tara grew livid.

  “You’ll have me, my Lord, won’t you?” The whore ran her

  hands up Darius’ chest underneath his loosened shirt. Tara flew off the ground and ran into the open. “No, he

  will not!”

  Every muscle in her body spasmed; she feared she might

  collapse in front of Darius while the disgusting whore still

  had her hand on his chest. Tara’s legs felt mechanical, but

  they didn’t fail her. She pulled her laser free from where it had rested at her hip and aimed it at the woman. The woman screamed and tried to cover her naked body with

  her arms.

  Completely taken off guard, Darius dropped his hands

  from the woman’s breasts and stepped back.

  “Get dressed and get out of here,” Tara ordered, her

  laser still aimed at the girl.

  Darius put his hands out in front of him, his palms

  facing Tara. “Tara, don’t do anything you’ll regret.” “Why not? You have.”

  The blood boiling in her veins showed right through her

  eyes. Tara saw red dots popping in her vision. She was on

  anger overload. The fury was too powerful to control. She

  shot a venomous look at the whore who was frantically

  trying to get her dress back on. Tara felt a warped

  satisfaction that the bitch’s body shook so violently she

  could hardly dress.

  “Don’t bother with the dress, bitch.” The snarl coming

  out of Tara was absolutely evil. “Just run. Run naked! Let

  the whole world see you for the fucking whore you are.” The woman froze and stared at Tara in absolute horror.

  Darius started moving slowly to Tara.

  “Run!” Tara screamed and raised her gun to the

  woman’s head.

  Now the woman screamed and with dress in hand took

  off toward the trees.

  Tara’s body didn’t move when she fired the laser,

  sending the whore’s naked body flying into the trees. Darius lunged at Tara.

  She dodged his attack and turned her laser on him,

  forcing him to a dead stop.

  “Tara! Put it down.”

  “Don’t speak to me. I don’t need words to add to the

  scene I just witnessed.” She pointed the gun at his head. “Put down your weapon. It’s done.”

  “You won’t get out of this that easily.” Tara breathed in

  gulps of air, as if she’d just run up the side of the hill. He looked at her, not saying a word.

  She stood there thinking for a minute. Her hand was too

  steady. The laser didn’t budge from its target.

  “Please then, my lady, put down the laser.”

  Tara noticed something she hadn’t seen in Darius

  before: fear. The recognition of the emotion seemed to also

  allow her to witness every other fault the man possessed. She cocked her head and studied Darius, as if truly seeing

  him for the first time. She lowered her arm.

  Darius exhaled noticeably.

  Tara watched him. She saw Darius with unyielding

  clarity at that moment—as if every trait, character defect,

  every emotion that made the man who he was, had been

  labeled clearly on him for her appraisal. Tara didn’t see

  good looks, she didn’t see sex appeal, and there was no

  hint of the magnificent warrior. What she saw was a man,

  impure and tainted, and she wasn’t impressed.

  Intentionally and with premeditation, Tara raised her

  laser again and felt a calming satisfaction as his eyes

  widened, and his lips parted. Then without hesitating, she

  shot him in the foot.

  He went down on one knee and grabbed the bleeding

  foot with both hands.

  “I am no longer your lady.” She turned and walked away.

  Bile churned within her, and sudden spasms made her

  muscles quiver, but she managed composure. Darius

  wouldn’t see her break from his deed. She wouldn’t give

  him the satisfaction of seeing how he had affected her. “Tara, where are you going? Come back here.” She heard the pain in his voice, but wasn’t sure if it was

  from being shot, having been caught, or having heard her

  last words. So much anger and pain racked her entire body

  that she could no longer speak. She passed his bike and

  headed to the forest. On impulse, she turned and shot the

  motor out of his bike.

  “Tara, you can’t leave.”

  That was the last she heard him say. She ran. Reaching

  her bike, she climbed on and destroyed the ground and

  most of the foliage surrounding it as she spun around and

  put distance between her and the life-destroying scene. Her fury surpassed any pain she might otherwise have

  felt. The horrific scene kept repeating itself in her head.

  How he had betrayed her! Shit, the woman was no more

  than a girl. How could he have done something like this to

  her, to them, to the twins, their new family? He’d brought

  that tramp to their magical spot. Did the man have no

  heart, no soul?

  As she rode toward the house, she began to wonder how

  long he’d been unfaithful. She remembered the words Mikel

  had spoken before Darius had killed him. They haunted

  her.

  Anger so intense she shook from it coursed through her.

  She couldn’t go back to the house in this condition. Tara rode to the Blood Circle Clan, intent upon talking

  to Patha. She would leave with him. There was no reason to

  stay here. Darius had been unfaithful, and he had

  destroyed their love.

  Tears burned her eyes as she drove. No, he was no

  longer a lord, not in her eyes. He didn’t deserve any title of

  respect. He was Darius, a Gothman, and she’d been fooled

  into believing he actually thought more of her than he did

  anyone else.

  Her bike slid to a stop in front of Patha’s trailer. She

  jumped off and pulled open the trailer door with a force

  fueled by the fury wreaking havoc inside her body. Patha

  was sitting at the table talking to Reena and stood with a

  start, reaching for his laser, as the door to his trailer flew

  open.

  Tara noticed his surprised expression and knew no one

  entered his trailer without knocking. She stopped in front

  of the two of them and yanked the door shut behind her.

  She was shaking and knew her face was stained from

  splattering dirt and tears.

  “Child, what’s wrong?” Reena spoke first as she too

  hurried to her feet and rushed around the table.

  Tara’s body now shook uncontrollably, and tears fell so

  rapidly she barely saw her parents standing in front of her.

  She tried to speak, but instead savage sobs came out. She
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  gave up and fell into the nearest chair, holding her head in

  her hands as she cried.

  “Tara, control yourself.” Reena wrapped her arms

  around Tara. “What has happened? How can we help if you

  don’t talk to us?”

  Patha sat in the chair next to them.

  “Something has happened. It’s awful. Awful. I just…just

  can’t believe it.”

  “What? Has someone been hurt? The children? Lord

  Darius?” Patha asked each question with increasing alarm

  deepening his voice.

  “I found,” Tara tried to say the words that would only

  cause her more pain. “I mean I saw—” She stopped talking

  and took a deep breath.

  Now that she was here, with both her parents looking on

  with incredible worry, she wasn’t sure she could voice the

  words. She’d have to describe what she’d witnessed and renew her shame, and the betrayal. Saying the words out loud would make it all final, as if otherwise, if she remained

  silent it might all go away.

  “Say it quickly, child.” Reena saw the pain in her

  daughter’s face and no matter how much she wiped the

  tears, more followed.

  Tara gave up on trying to focus. If her world remained

  blurred so might the truth. If she told Patha and Reena

  that she and Darius had a terrible fight they would believe

  her. Darius would never enlighten either of them with the

  truth. He would also see it as a license to do it again. If

  Tara took care of covering up his unforgivable act, Darius

  might think it a crime with no true consequences. Suddenly she saw how women stayed with men who

  were unfaithful. Some might think that no other man

  would have them. Tara wasn’t a beaten, or defeated soul.

  But her thoughts did stray toward trying to fix the matter.

  If she didn’t tell anyone but instead dealt with Darius on

  her own, the matter would go away.

  That would simply be lying to herself. It wasn’t a

  healthy, or honorable way to live. If not for herself, she

  definitely wouldn’t exist that way for her children. “I found Darius with another woman.” She quit crying as

  an incredible numbing sensation crept over her. “I heard

  them talking…and she was…she was naked. Darius has

  taken a mistress.”

  “Oh child, no.” Reena wrapped her arms around Tara.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Patha leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms,

  but didn’t speak.

  Tara wanted more of a reaction, and decided to keep

  talking since she’d been able to get out the ugliest of the

  words.

  “I went out looking for him.” Her eyes moved from one to

  the other. “I found him all right. The dishonourable man

  was with the whore.” Anger replaced her tears, and her

  temper raged once again.

  Patha frowned. “Tara, what did you do?”

  “I killed his precious mistress, if that’s what you’re

  wondering.” She stood and walked to the door, then turned

  and looked at the two of them. “I will get the children, and

  we’ll be back. We’re going with you.” She reached for the

  door.

  Patha grabbed her arm. “Tara, where is Darius?” “He’s where I found him.”

  Patha looked her in the eyes, studying her as if seeking

  an answer he hadn’t heard yet. “You didn’t kill him, did

  you?”

  Tara yanked her arms from his grasp and turned her

  rage on him. “How dare you!”

  “How dare I what?”

  Reena gasped as her eyes shifted from papa to daughter. Patha, on the other hand, didn’t look away from Tara.

  He crossed his arms, waiting for her answer. He appeared

  to Tara as he had over so many winters—the patient, but

  stern gaze that awaited her confession of the truth. Never

  had she been able to lie to the man, and in truth she had

  never tried. She saw no reason to change that pattern now. “How dare you be more concerned for that man than

  me? I have been wronged! And you’re asking if the man is

  alive or dead?” Tara’s voice shook with anger. Her fury

  locked her jaw. She spoke through clenched teeth as she

  glared at Patha. “He was going to have sex with another

  woman. Who knows how many women he’s been with? He’s

  a liar and a dishonorable man! In my eyes he no longer has any title, or rank. He’s not anyone you should care about

  at all! You should care about me, papa.”

  Patha sounded too calm. “You’re a strong woman, Tara.

  You can straighten him out.”

  “I’m not going to do anything with him.” She wanted

  emotion out of her papa. A reaction—anything. “He’s

  broken my trust and that can’t be restored. There will be

  no second chance.”

  “Tara, this is bigger than simply your emotions.” Patha

  was straightforward. “The two of you have an obligation to

  two different races. You must stay and work it out with

  him. You’re under contract. It’s as simple as that. These

  people need your strength.”

  “I’m not the one who broke the contract.” Tara opened

  the door and ran from the trailer.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  TARA SLIPPED her comm around her ear and adjusted

  its frequency, then contacted the house. Syra answered the caller, which was the first thing that had gone right since she’d left. It would be easier to get the babies out of the house if Hilda weren’t involved.

  “Syra, I need you to do something for me.” Tara concentrated on sounding as calm and pleasant as possible. Inside her head, her thoughts spun around like a mean wind storm, making it really hard to focus on what she was saying.

  “Hi, the babies are fine.” Syra assumed Tara was checking up on her.

  “Great, I knew you could handle it. Now, I need you to load the babies into the groundmobile for me. Pack a bag with several of their outfits and a blanket or two. I’ll also need a basket with some food in it. Can you do that for me?”

  “Sure. Where are we going?”

  “I thought I’d give you the rest of the afternoon off. The babies and I are going to say goodbye to several people in the clan before they leave,” Tara lied. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Syra was loading the groundmobile when Tara pulled up. She pushed her bike onto a flat trailer parked nearby. Syra watched with curiosity, but left to get the babies, who were still in the house.

  Tara backed the groundmobile up and attached the trailer to the back of it. She then ran inside to her bedroom and hurriedly pulled out several outfits and threw them into her bag. Suddenly the frenzy in her brain came to a stand still. It was as if all thoughts clamouring against each other in her brain stilled. Tara saw, and thought, with pure and perfect clarity.

  She paused in front of Darius’ dresser. There was a small box buried under his clothes in the bottom drawer. Her hands were colder than ice when she lifted it, rested it on his folded clothes that filled her senses with the painful smell of him. Tara knew there were several small bags filled with gold coins and a few priceless jewels in the box.

  One of the bags of coins had been payment for protection. Darius had told her about it. Right after he’d become Lord of Gothman, a feud between several prominent families in Bryton had been brought to his attention. The eldest son of one of the families had been murdered by several members of another family. They
’d accused the young man of raping one of their unclaimed daughters, then refusing to claim her. The family with the murdered son had sought retribution and a blood bath had followed. Darius had resolved the feud. At the moment, Tara didn’t remember how he’d done it. But the two families had sent Darius a gift of gold coins and rare jewels. Darius had put the coins and jewels in a bag and in this box. It had been his first command decision and the bag was his reward. He planned to never spend it but keep it as if the coins and jewels were a trophy.

  She hesitated before dumping the contents into her bag. He’d robbed her, and now she was robbing him. She would need money and Gothman money was no good outside of Gothman. The gold coins and jewels would satisfy any merchant. She dropped the empty bag into the small box and didn’t bother burying it back under his clothes. There was a strange empty sensation inside her when she turned and left their bedroom.

  Syra was talking to Hilda, who’d just returned when Tara went back downstairs. Tara decided what she would say to the obvious questions as she approached the old lady.

  “Did you have a nice time?” Tara asked as she walked past Hilda to go out the back door.

  “Ah, it was nice to see everyone.” Hilda followed Tara. “I see you took my advice on the nanny.”

  “Yes, it was a good idea.” Tara turned and smiled calmly at Hilda.

  “Where are you going?”

  “We’re going to go say goodbye to several of the Runners before they leave. I’ll be gone most of the day. I’m leaving Syra here, if you don’t mind. I told her she could have the afternoon off, but I don’t see why you can’t put her to work if you like.” Tara checked to see that she had everything she needed.

  “Have fun, my lady. I’ll spend the time getting to know the girl.” Hilda waved as Tara slowly drove down the driveway.

  She followed the road to town until she was sure anyone watching from the house no longer saw her. Tara then pulled off and started heading for a back lane that would turn south. There was no doubt she’d be followed, and all measures would be made to stop her. Her load was heavy, and she would not be able to travel quickly. She turned to look at Andru and Ana who were turning their heads to watch the surroundings move past them. Her stomach tied in knots. She knew it would stay that way until she was out of Gothman.

  The first hour passed peacefully. She drove through the meadows on the backside of the hills. If Darius had been up on the cliff he would have seen her. Tara looked in that direction. Even if he stood at the cliff, she wouldn’t be able to tell at this distance. More than likely he wasn’t in the mood to adore all of the land he controlled. At the moment, he probably didn’t feel in control of much of anything.