Do Or Die [Nuworld 4] (51 page)

“Actually, I’d be surprised if you didn’t.” Meah stared at her over her mug. “I’ve

felt the strong emotional tie between the two of you.”

Ana looked up quickly. “What do you mean?”

“When I’m with both of you. There’s something between the two of you and…”

Meah’s voice trailed off.

“And?” Ana encouraged.

Meah put her cup down and stared at her friend. “Let’s just say that I think Andru

loves you too much to have enough room to love a claim too.”

Ana was stunned. “You’re leaving because of me?” she whispered.

“I don’t know,” she lied. “It’s a lot of things really. Andru claimed me because I

carried his child. There’s no child anymore and I don’t want him to feel obligated to

stay with me.”

“So you’re hoping he’ll chase you down? Is that it? Prove how much he loves you?”

Ana put Darien to her shoulder and began bouncing him.

“Ana, he doesn’t love me. Not even close. Oh, maybe over time he might.” Meah

ran a still slightly bruised hand through her loose hair. “Maybe I’m not through with

the age of searching. I just need to go. I need to talk to my family and find some things

out about me.”

“And what about your rank as first assistant?

“I’ll just have to see if the position is still available when I come back.”

“When are you coming back?”

“I don’t know, Ana. I’m sorry, but I really don’t know.”

Ana panicked when she saw her brother and papa in the backyard with Gilroy

when she returned home. She had no choice but to land since they’d seen her. The men

were all smiles as she parked and climbed off her glider. Gilroy approached her with a

confident stroll and she could tell by the glow in his beautiful blue eyes that he felt a lot

better.

“Have my papa and brother been singing your praises?” she teased him quietly

when he turned her around and eased Darien out of his carrier.

“Just a bit,” he smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “Watching you come up to our

house with our child sings my praises more than anything these men could say to me.”

“My, you are feeling better.” She grinned, hoping Gilroy wouldn’t notice anything

amiss with her. She felt her heart begin to thud as he wrapped his arm around her, and

holding Darien in his other arm, escorted her over to where Darius and Andru stood.

“How is our other patient doing?” Andru asked her.

“She’s fine,” Ana said and avoided looking at her brother. “I should go change

him,” she added as she grabbed Darien and hurried away from the men.

All three men watched her hurry inside with her son. Gilroy shot Andru a glance

and noticed he narrowed his eyes as he watched his sister. Darius took in all of it then

turned to his son.

“Maybe you should go check on Meah for yourself.”

Andru walked through the trailer several times before he came to the inevitable

conclusion. He entered her bedroom and pulled open her closet door. All clothes were

gone. Damn.

He pulled his comm over his ear and called his sister’s name. No answer. He

contacted Tara.

“Do you know where Ana is?” He forced himself to stay relaxed.

“She went back into town last I heard,” was all the information Tara could offer.

He contacted Gilroy next. “Where’s Ana?”

“She’s upstairs with the baby.” Gilroy sounded confused but Andru knew he didn’t

need to waste formalities with his friend.

“She’s not responding to her comm.” Andru walked back through the trailer and

out the door to his glider. “Don’t bother telling her I’m looking for her. I’m coming

there.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Meah’s gone.”

And so was Ana by the time Andru got there. The servants as well as Gilroy

thought she was in the nursery with Darien but when the men entered the room all they

found was a sleeping baby and a window left slightly open. Andru stormed back down

the stairs and out of the house. Gilroy was on his heels.

“Andru, what are you doing?” Gilroy’s voice was serious.

Andru spun around and met his friend head-on. “She’s avoiding me and that only

happens when she has something to hide. Meah’s gone and I think Ana knows where

she went. You saw how she raced past us when she got home after visiting with Meah.”

“She didn’t want to make eye contact with any of us.” Gilroy nodded but then met

his friend eye to eye. “Don’t hurt her.”

Andru’s dark eyes burned as he stared at Gilroy. Finally, he turned slowly and

reached his glider in several long strides.

Ana flew south of Bryton wishing she could simply fly across the countryside as

she did when she was younger. The land wasn’t secure yet and somehow she felt

deprived. This was her land, Gothman land, yet she was prohibited to travel it at will.

After half an hour, though, she began to see parts of gliders and crumpled bodies, some

of which had already been torn into by scavengers. It was repulsive and she decided to

cut west and head into the rockier land closer to the clan site. Anywhere, just to stay

hidden for a while.

Her actions were all too predictable. Ana knew that even with her comm turned off

there was no way she could hide from her brother. She retraced her path no more than

fifteen minutes when she saw a glider heading her direction. A viewer wasn’t needed to

know who it was. She accelerated toward the evergreens that surrounded the Blood

Circle Clan.

Andru parked right next to her bike and jumped off as she did. “What are you

doing here, Ana?”

He walked up to her quickly and grabbed for her arm. For half a second she

considered resisting him. She turned her body just in time to prevent his touch and

moved around the glider without looking at him. It was a mistake.

Andru leaped around the glider and grabbed her roughly, spinning her around and

gripping her chin with his other hand. His fury blinded his rational thoughts. He lifted

his sister off the ground and shook her violently.

“Open your eyes, damn you,” he snarled.

She opened them. “Put me down, Andru,” she said in a defeated tone as she met his

gaze.

“Bitch!” he screamed and threw his sister across the rough ground. “Don’t you ever

hold information from me again.”

She landed and rolled, then quickly brought herself to all fours as she alerted

herself for his next move.

“That’s enough, Andru!” The twins both turned their heads toward the voice as

Gilroy walked toward them.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Remember your place.” Andru pointed a finger at Gilroy.

“I haven’t forgotten.” Gilroy was calm but his blue eyes blazed as he walked

straight up to Andru, ignoring Ana who was still on the ground. “She is my claim, and

it is my job to protect her.”

Andru stared Gilroy down for a full minute before Ana began to fear they might

actually attack each other. Gilroy’s still healing body and Andru’s obvious outrage

encouraged her to try and calm them down.

“I’m not hurt, Gilroy,” she spoke quietly as she got up and walked toward him.

To her surprise, Gilroy turned on her quickly. “What information are you holding

back from your brother?”

“She knew Meah was running.” Andru turned to face her once again and she

realized there were now two irate men staring at her.

“Yes, I knew,” she said quietly.

“You knew your brother’s claim was running and you did nothing to stop it?”

Gilroy’s fingers clenched into fists. “Would you prefer Andru not have another woman

in his bed?”

Ana’s mouth fell open, and she took a step or two back from both of them as her

cheeks burned crimson. “No, no, Gilroy. Of course not.”

She glanced quickly from Andru to Gilroy and the horror on her face was nothing

compared to the knot that formed in her stomach. Gilroy never spoke of the times

Andru had come to her. She’d almost convinced herself that he didn’t know. The man

was no fool and humiliation and embarrassment overtook her.

“Then tell me why you never mentioned she was running?” Gilroy challenged her.

“She was seriously hurt saving Gothman and all you take for granted. She could easily

die if she took off by herself.”

“You’re going to tell us everything she said to you,” Andru jumped in. “Now!”

Ana wrapped her arms across her chest and stared vehemently at the two men she

loved more than life itself. “Meah isn’t happy, Andru. I don’t know exactly what was in

her head. She did say that she knew you would come after her, but it would be out of

pride. She said…” Ana faltered.

“Go on, what did she say?” Andru wrinkled his brow and studied her

apprehensively.

“She, um, she said you didn’t love her.” Ana flashed a guilty look at Gilroy and

then looked defiantly at her brother.

Andru ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “I’m sure she told you where she

is going.”

“Ana,” Gilroy growled and then took her by the waist and lifted her so they were

eye level. His tone was a hoarse whisper. “I want you to tell both of us exactly what

Meah’s complaint was. Say it so we can all hear it…once and for all.”

Andru turned and looked at his friend questioningly. “What is this? What do you

know?”

“Nothing we don’t all know.” Gilroy didn’t take his gaze from Ana. “Except for

Meah. Arien revealed many little secrets to her before we ended his life. Now, my lady,

you will say out loud exactly what Meah said to you.”

Her feet dangled a good foot off the ground as she stared from Andru to Gilroy.

Her eyes burned and one lone tear streamed down her cheek. “She said she fears Andru

has too much love for me to have enough room in his heart to love a claim.”

Gilroy dropped her. She ran to his arms but he pushed her away. Andru steadied

her so she wouldn’t fall but his attention was on Gilroy.