Nuworld: Claiming Tara (20 page)

“Do you like your gift?”
“You know I do.” She almost told him no one had ever
given her anything so thoughtful. “Thank you,” she said
instead.
His kisses caressed her flesh. Several times she tried to
roll over and take charge of the lovemaking, but he pinned
her and continued to make love slowly, taking his time
enjoying her body.
She fought to control the speed at which desire swelled
inside her, but he controlled even that. When he finally
entered her, she attempted to thrust upward and bring him
to a climax. Darius took her legs and pressed her knees to
her shoulders. He had her captured in a frenzy of molten
heat and swarming desire.
There was no stopping him,
unless she begged. No way would she do that. Not that she
had words at the moment. Surrender was required to enjoy
the moment. Tara might not have control, but she wouldn’t
deny herself this pleasure. She refrained from screaming as
he penetrated deeper than he ever had before.
“You are mine, Tara.”
She blinked to focus. Blond curls shifted around his face
each time
he
thrust and
sunk
further
into
his heat.
Pressure built until it exploded and boiled over, searing her
entire body as her release ruptured through her insides.
Darius let out a low growl. Every inch of him stiffened.
Then he came deep inside her.
“You won’t ever own me,” she managed to gasp.

There was no indication the Sea People planned to attack.
But, they were out there. Landlinks detected them in vast
quantities just beyond Gothman borders. There was heavy
artillery spotted throughout their camp. Yet they just sat
there. Hell be doomed! It was irritating.

Darius’
men were restless. They were geared up to fight.
He’d sent his scouts to physically observe the Sea People
along with Runner scouts, who used viewers, which were
long cylindrical tubes that magnified items in the distance.
Most of them grumbled they should attack instead of
waiting for the enemy hovering on their borders to attack
first. They didn’t belong there. The point was to force their
retreat.
They
could
have
destroyed
this drug-infested
people and been home to their women by now.

His
men
began
circulating
rumors
doubting
the
accuracy of Runner landlinks. When Gothman and Runner
scouts verified thousands of Sea People with large amounts
of
artillery,
those
rumors stopped. It didn’t stop how
irritable his men were, however.

“I wouldn’t be s
urprised if the Sea People discovered
Runner clans camped with Gothman so are waiting for
reinforcements,” Tara suggested to the small group sitting
around the table in Patha’s trailer.

“And who would they be waiting on?” Geeves, Darius’
personal assistant, stared at the Gothman map spread over
the table and didn’t glance up.

Tara stood at the kitchen counter where she finished
slicing a block of cheese. She didn’t take it to the table. No
way would she would wait on Darius’ men. Leaving the
sliced cheese on the counter, she plopped a piece in her
mouth and moved to stand behind Darius, who sat next to
Patha.

“
More Sea People to arrive,” she grumbled with her
mouth full.
“I say we attack.” Darius looked at the others around the
table, and Geeves grunted his approval. “Gothman won’t
tolerate our borders lined with Sea People.”
“Runners don’t attack unless attacked first.” Patha
didn’t raise his voice and focused only on Darius as he
spoke.
“Tension builds among the men, my Lord,”
one
of
Darius’ commanders said from behind Tara. He leaned
against the wall by the trailer door. “They are ready to fight,
and we have them sitting around like women.”
Tara cleared her voice, letting the commander know she
didn’t like his comment.
“I can’t justify leading the Runners into combat.” Patha
paid no attention to Tara but continued giving Darius all
his attention. “The Sea People sit in Freeland territory, not
on Gothman soil. Granted the Sea People are suspiciously
close to your borders. It’s all their artillery that makes their
intention clear.”
“So Gothman will sit and do nothing?” The same
commander behind Tara raised his voice a bit with the
question.
“I don’t like it any more than you do.” Darius scraped
his chair against the floor as he pushed away from the
table, almost backing into Tara. Darius came around the
table to face his man. “In all of Gothman history, no attack
has occurred before the enemy crossed Gothman borders.”
“We shall wait for the Sea People to make the first
move.” Patha didn’t bother to stand.
Tara experienced the mounted tension everyone else
fought to cope with when she left Patha’s trailer and rode
through her clan. No one was pleased with their current
circumstances.

The days stretched on and were growing warmer. Tara
lay on the mattress in Darius’ tent and worked to pull her
pants over her hardened belly. This had become a routine,
trying to get her clothes to fit, but this particular morning
it wasn’t going to happen. She absolutely could not fasten
her pants. Time had given her what she hadn’t taken time
to hear from a doctor. An answer. She was definitely
pregnant.

Tara groaned at the thought that she might have to
concede to wearing Runner pregnancy clothes. She stared
at the ceiling of the tent, her hands still gripping button
and button hole of her pants, and her fingers burning from
trying to pull the material together over the growing bulge
of her baby. She’d be forced to obtain some temporary
clothing while her child grew within her, even though such
articles would hamper her ability to climb on a bike and
perform military maneuvers.

Tara decided to drive over to the Blood Circle Clan site
and
say
hello to
Balbo,
her
brother through Patha’s
marriage. She’d been too busy with planning and training
maneuvers to have visited him yet. Darius and Patha had
decided mock battles, and mixing the races in combat,
would help ease tension and the growing irritability among
their warriors. Gothman and Runners would learn from
each other. Darius had gone out early that morning to
observe the battles. This left her the opportunity to leave
camp without any questions. Besides which, Balbo might
be able to help her with the clothing issue.

Patha had two wives over the winters, although Tara had
known only one. His first had died in battle. His second
wife, Cloya, raised Tara but died giving birth to twins when
Tara had fourteen winters. One of the twins died with
Cloya, and the other twin was sent to Cloya’s family to be
raised. Tara had a sister, Tasha, and a brother, Balbo, who
had been Cloya’s children when she married Patha. Balbo
was older than Tara, but since he was not of Patha’s blood,
was not heir to Patha’s clan. Balbo was a good man with
little interest in leading the clans. He had always been
supportive of Tara. Right now she needed a favor.

Balbo hugged and kissed his sister on the cheek when
she entered his trailer. Then, looked confused after hearing
her request. “You want what?”

“I need a pair of pants
. Mine don’t fit anymore.” She
privately begged that he wouldn’t ask why.
“Eating too much of that Gothman food?” He laughed
but then scowled. “Tara, your face is gaunt. And why are
there dark shadows under your eyes? Have you been to a
doctor lately?”
“Why would I see the doctor because I’m tired? I just
need a larger pair of pants.”
Balbo sighed and shook his head. But he brought her a
pair of pants. As he handed them to her, he gave her that
brotherly look she’d hoped not to see. “Tara, I’ve never
interfered with your life, and I won’t start now. But, what’s
the harm in stopping in and seeing Dr. Digo while you’re
here?”
“We’ll see.” She hugged her brother and thanked him for
the pants. “I wanted to say hello to a few people I haven’t
seen in awhile. Maybe I’ll see the doc, too.”
Dr Digo had been her doctor all her life, or as long as
she remembered. He’d tended her first laser wound and set
more bones than she cared to count. He was a good man,
and she didn’t mind stopping in to hear the latest stories.
“Tara, child, how you’ve grown. Why, you’re not even a
child any more, but a beautiful woman. I’ve heard the
stories about you…how you started a revolution. Doesn’t
surprise me a bit. Here, have a seat, tell me a good story.”
The old man patted the chair that was reserved for his
patients and assumed his doctorly position, leaning on the
examination table.
“Okay, here’s a story.” She squirmed in her seat, trying
to get comfortable. “This young girl has reached the
Age of
Searching
and is drawn to places she’s never seen. She
enters a culture so different from her own. Doctor, I tell
you, she is exposed to a way of life she had only heard
about in many exaggerated stories. An old lady takes her in
and teaches her about the culture and provides her with
clothes so she will look like one of them. It was harder to
give up her way of life than the girl thought it would be.
Then, one of the men in this culture takes an interest in
her. He knows her for who she is, but she doesn’t know
this. She thinks she has him fooled. She comes to discover
later that he not only knows her for who she is, but he
knows more about her than she knows herself. I guess it
was inevitable, fate some may call it, but she falls in love
with him.”
“And, this man, does he love her too?” Dr. Digo looked
interested.
“Yes, he tells her he loves her, and proves it by his
actions. It’s just that their cultures are so different. She’s
not sure they define love the same way.”
“So, what happens next?”
The old doctor had already moved over to the cabinets
alongside
the wall of
his trailer
and started
opening
drawers.
She ached from the tight pants she wore and tightened
her grip on the pants in her lap. “I don’t know.”
Dr. Digo pulled a syringe out of the cabinet and moved
over next to Tara. “Shall we find out?”
Tara didn’t answer but took off her jacket and pulled up
her shirtsleeve.
Dr. Digo smiled as he drew the blood. He’d seen this
look of concern and worry on many young women’s faces.
They always approached him with the obvious staring him
in the face and telling him they didn’t know. He never
argued and always let them be the first to admit it out
loud.
Tara remained quiet as Dr. Digo took the blood over to
his equipment on the counter. He turned the monitor so
Tara saw the results as soon as they were available.
“Tara, you’re definitely pregnant. Would you like an
examination?”
She consented and it was done.
Tara left the office wearing the pants her brother had
given her. They fit much better but she knew they wouldn’t
work for long. Dr. Digo told her she’d have a baby in five
cycles, right before the New Winter. Only five cycles before
her entire life would change—she would be a mama!
She rode away slowly, lost in thought, which is probably
why she didn’t pay much attention to the young Runner
standing outside Dr. Digo’s trailer.
The young boy leaned along the backside of the trailer
watching her as she mounted her bike and disappeared
into the camp. As soon as she was gone, he reached up
and turned on his comm.
“I found her. She just left Dr. Digo’s trailer.”
Darius and Patha left at the same time and drove to Dr.
Digo’s trailer.
“Come in, Patha. You’re not hurt, are you?” The doctor’s
smile lessened as Lord Darius entered the trailer behind
Patha. He looked at the tall blond man, who stared back,
his expression unreadable.
“Digo, my friend, I’m not hurt.” Patha accepted Digo’s
extended hand and shook it with both of his. “I’d like you
to meet the Lord of Gothman. Lord Darius, this is Dr. Digo.
He’s cared for my family as long as I’ve had one.”
Darius appraised the stocky older man, guessing his age
to be close to Patha’s. The doctor looked nervous. Darius
decided he didn’t care as long as the doctor told him what
he wanted to know.
“Digo, we won’t take up much of your time.” Patha
crossed the room and sat in the chair behind Dr. Digo’s
desk.
Darius moved into the middle of the room. He sensed
the doctor studying him. It made Darius wonder what Tara
might have told the doctor about him.
“We’re here to talk to you about Tara.” Darius didn’t
want to waste time on civilities. He wanted to know why
Tara had been here, and more importantly what the doctor
told her.
“Patha, you’re an old friend, but you know I can’t talk to
you about my patients.”
“As Patha said,” Darius interrupted, facing the doctor in
the middle of his office. He didn’t like speaking to the
doctor, then having the doctor address his answers to
Patha. “We won’t take much of your time.”
“What can I do for you?” The doctor continued to focus
on Patha, and noticeably relaxed.
“What did you find out while Tara visited you?” Darius
knew the
tone
he
used
had
a quiet,
unquestionable
authority.
“I can’t tell you that.” The doctor rubbed his hand
through his hair and sighed deeply. “This is a very sensitive
situation.”
“How pregnant is she?” Darius knew in his heart that
the child was his, but he had to hear it from the doctor. He
had to make sure Tara didn’t arrive in Gothman already
pregnant.
“Answer the question,” Patha ordered when the doctor
hesitated.
“About four cycles,” the doctor sighed again. “She’ll give
birth before the New Winter.”
“Thank you,” Patha said and stood.
Darius had no regrets paying the Runner boy to follow
Tara once his men had reported that his claim had left
camp. Tara would learn soon enough that the Lord of
Gothman’s claim would always be watched. She may view a
claiming as demeaning, but to Gothman, she was a valued
woman.
When the boy reported that Tara was in the trailer with
the Runner doctor, Darius had contacted Patha out of
respect. Patha had told Darius he would go with him when
Darius said he planned on visiting the doctor. Darius had
accepted Patha’s offer, knowing the Runner leader would
play diplomat.
“There’s more.” Dr. Digo looked directly at Darius.
Maybe the doctor had never been nervous, because he
certainly didn’t look that way now. “She shouldn’t be in
this environment. It’s not good for the baby.” He then
turned and looked at Patha. “While Tara has always been
good about ordering ladies in her command to step down
when field maneuvers become dangerous for the unborn
child, I detected confusion in her. I fear you might need to
remind her it’s time to remove herself from the battlefield.”
Patha and Darius looked at each other and left the
trailer.
Neither one
looked
forward
to
having
that
conversation with Tara.