Nuworld: Claiming Tara (25 page)

babies. She’d known in her mind all along that when the
baby came she’d do most of the raising. The thought hadn’t
bothered her too much. He would rule the nation with her
guidance, and she would raise the child with his guidance.
By the time she became ruler of the Runner clans, this
child—her children—would be much older.
Darius would help feed them, change them, and get up
when they cried at night. But she didn’t want anyone else
to assume responsibility of her armies. Tara had worked
hard to gain Patha’s respect—her
papa’s
respect—so that
he would give her all the responsibility she now had. Her
days already were full with overseeing all the commanders,
not to mention the tasks that she would need to undertake
once
this war
ended.
How
could
she
possibly handle
working all day with her clan and being the mama to two
babies? Tara let her thoughts absorb her and after a bit
laid her head down on the desk and started to cry.
“Tara?”
Tara lifted her head at the sound of his voice and smiled
at Darius, then wiped her eyes to clear her blurred vision.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered and pushed
herself to her feet before falling into his arms when he
moved across the room. “I’ve just found out that we’re
going to have twins, Darius. How are we going to handle
two babies?”
“We’re going to have twins?” Darius’ dace instantly lit
with pleasure.
Tara looked up at him and frowned. “That isn’t good
news,” Tara said and pushed away. “That means twice as
much work. I’ve got responsibilities, and so do you. How
will we handle twins?”
“Together, my lady.” Darius pulled her to him again. “We
will handle them together. I’m not that ignorant to the
raising of a child. You forget that Torgo came along when I
was old enough to help. Papa didn’t have much of a hand
in raising him, but I did.”
“You helped with Torgo when he was a baby?” Tara’s
voice cracked through her tears, and she walked over to
her dresser and pulled out one of her handkerchiefs, then
blew her nose.
“Yes, my lady. My papa wasn’t around too much, and
the lad often put my mama at her wit’s end.” Darius sat on
her bed, and patted the spot next to him. “I know my share
about changing diapers and feeding time. You and I will do
just fine.”
Tara smiled and hugged him. The man said exactly what
she needed to hear, and now she felt like crying again,
because she was so lucky to have him.
“It doesn’t seem right that it takes two people to make
the baby,” he stroked her blotchy cheeks, smiling gently,
“but just one is expected to raise the baby.”
“I can’t believe you just said that,” she whispered as he
pulled her close. “Do you really mean it?”
“Having you in my life has brought out what I already
knew was in my soul.” He pulled away far enough to look
at her with penetrating gray eyes of his. “We can’t have you
all upset like this, now can we? You’ll rest now. That’s an
order, my beautiful warrior.”
Had he truly meant all those things he’d just said? She
knew only time would tell—and she hated that she would
have to wait and see Darius in action to find out if he spoke
the truth.
“There’s more,” Tara began.
“More?” He raised an eyebrow. “I doubt you can make
me happier than I already am.”
Tara told him about the heartbeat, and how the twins’
hearts seemed to beat as one. “It’s as if their hearts are in
perfect unison with each other.”
Darius stared at her large belly. “And this is odd?”
“Apparently not for out babies.” She held his gaze when
he gave her a quick look. “Our babies will rule nations, my
lord,” she whispered. “All of Nuworld must know that these
twins are perfect.”
His gray eyes sharpened and narrowed. “Who knows of
this identical heartbeat?”
Tara told him.
“None of them will say a word,” he said with a fierce
finality.
Darius closed her bedroom door after Tara fell asleep. It
was time to hire servants. He thought about what Tara had
just told him. Pulling out his comm he fixed it around his
ear and tapped the bottom to turn it on.
“Dr. Digo,” he said. If his children were unique, he’d
know everything about them before they were born.
The next cycle moved along uneventfully. Tara moved
from room to room, changing her environment, so she
wouldn’t go stir crazy. She went outside a few times—
although the oncoming winter made it easier to stay inside.
She wasn’t exactly bored. There was plenty to think about.
Especially since Reena had returned from town a few days
before with news. Rumors in town claimed the war was all
but over.
“We finished clearing the last of the rubble today.” Torgo
joined Tara at the table, carrying a hot bowl of soup he’d
brought from the kitchen. “The women are going to have a
gathering for everyone who helped.”
“That sounds great.” Tara sipped at her own soup and
smiled when Torgo offered her a slice of bread from the
platter in the center of the table. He’d smeared butter on it,
and she took a bite.
“I think some of the Runner kids are going to be there.”
He wasn’t sure why, but he decided not to mention his
friendship with Syra. He’d never hung out with a girl
before, but she was cool.
“You’re experiencing history in the making.” Tara smiled
in between bites. “Already our cultures are accepting each
other.”
Torgo slurped his soup just as Hilda entered the room.
She slapped the back of his head. “Reena should be here
soon.” Hilda sat at the opposite end of the table from Tara
and placed a large cloth bag in front of her so Tara couldn’t
see her face. “I wanted to show you some of the material we
will use on the baby quilts.”
Tara had seen so many different materials for the quilts;
she couldn’t keep straight what they’d look like when they
were done. She humored the woman though and watched
attentively.
The front door opened and Reena entered, bringing a
gust of cold air with her. “I daresay that one is my favorite.”
Reena ran her hand over a flowery print Hilda had just
pulled from the bag.
“I’m going to meet some of the kids in town.” Torgo
stood, grabbing his empty bowl. “All this quilting talk is for
ladies.”
“You behave now, boy,” Hilda scolded, but smiled before
returning
her
attention to see Tara’s reaction to the
material.
“I have to agree with Reena.” Tara dunked the crust of
her bread into her soup. “I like that material, too.”
Hilda seemed pleased and folded the material before
placing it back in the bag. “Now are you sure you’ll be okay
left alone for a time?”
The pair appeared anxious to go, and Tara hurried to
reassure them. “I’ll be fine. Get going you two. We’ll need
those quilts soon, I expect.” Tara stood and walked around
the table, then made a feeble attempt to hug the two
women. She watched as they left the house.
Soon after that, Tara headed out the back door to enjoy
a walk through the snow. The weather was crisp, and she
felt her lungs freeze with her first gulp of air. A path was
shovelled through the snow, and Tara stuck to it. It led
through the yard to the driveway, which had also been
shovelled. Small mountains of snow towered on either side
of her. Snow from the path rested on the pristine, sparkling
white yard.
Tara desperately wanted to wade into the snow to reach
the shed and the backfield. There, she could truly enjoy the
winter’s beauty. She had to admit trudging through the
snow sounded exhausting and so behaved, and stayed in
the cleared area. She reached the end of the path and
began walking toward the front of the house along the
driveway.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. A red spot soiled
the ground in front of her. Something had been dragged
from the spot through the deep snow to the other side.
Tara moved closer and recognized the mark as blood. One
touch told her the liquid was still warm.
Tara pulled her comm out of her pocket and hooked it
around her ear. “Darius,” she whispered as she looked
around her, remaining alert.
“Yes?”
“There’s something wrong at the house.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. There’s blood in the driveway. I think one
of the guards has been dragged off. Darius, I’m outside and
I’m not armed,” she continued and started toward the back
door.
“We’ll be there in a minute. Who’s there with you?”
“I’m here alone.” Tara heard the comm go dead as soon
as she’d spoken those words. She wondered where Darius
was and how long it would take him to get there. Her laser
was in her room. The women had thrown such a fit about
her carrying it in her condition. Plus, Darius’s men were
stationed everywhere. At the moment, though, it seemed
eerily quiet.
She looked toward the back of the house and then to the
front. Four guards were supposed to be stationed out here.
She saw no sign of them.
Tara moved as fast as she dared along the shovelled area
and hurried inside. There was no way to tell if anyone was
in the house, due to its size. She crept up the stairs to her
bedroom and her laser. Grabbing it, she headed back down
the stairs.
No sign of life was evident through the windows, and
from the
front
open room
she
noted
the
snow was
undisturbed except for the footprints along the driveway.
Then she saw it—more blood along the snow in the front
yard and indications that someone had been dragged.
Whoever did this was still nearby.
An icy breeze made Tara to shiver, and icicles shattered
to the ground from a nearby tree. Tara stepped carefully to
the bloodstained snow and looked off into the direction
where crushed snow appeared to form a path. The snow
was deep, and she moved slowly so she wouldn’t lose her
balance. With every step her huge belly constricted. Her
babies were
being
exceptionally still at the
moment,
however, as if they sensed something was wrong, too. A
hard fall to the ground would send her into labor. She
hugged her belly as she searched the yard.
“Isn’t it inappropriate for someone in your condition to
be out in this weather?”
Tara turned quickly to face a Runner standing on the
path by the house. She didn’t recognize the man through
his headscarf, and something was strange about his voice.
“Who are you?” She wrapped her fingers around the
laser in her pocket.
“This is rather a shame,” he stated, ignoring her
question. “It’s not really you I’m after, although I guess you
should die as well.”
Tara listened to the voice carefully. It was Gothman.
Just
then,
she
heard
the
sounds of
motorcycles
approaching. The Gothman in Runner clothing pulled out a
laser from his pocket and aimed it at her head.
“Drop it, now!” Darius pulled his bike to a stop and
aimed his gun straight at the Runner.
“Oh, what perfect timing. And how heroic. Don’t tell me
you came alone.” The intruder turned his laser on Darius.
Tara
pointed
her
weapon
at
the
stranger
and
approached slowly. “Hold it right there.”
The intruder pulled a second laser from his pocket and
aimed this one at Tara. “I won’t let this continue.”
“You won’t let what continue?” Tara took another step
toward the stranger, feeling the snow crunch under her
boots.
The stranger didn’t acknowledge her question, although
the laser remained pointed at her. He looked at Darius.
“You’ve destroyed the Bryton blood line. You have no
respect for anything but your power. To think how many
bastards you have running around out there. That was bad
enough.”
“What bastards? Darius, who is this?” Tara didn’t take
her eyes from the man, and his laser didn’t waver as she
pointed it at him.
“Who knows when someone might show up claiming his
right to be Lord of Gothman?” the man continued as if she
hadn’t spoken. “But then, you go and do something like
this.” The man waved his laser at Tara. “You’ll allow a half-
breed to be our heir? Darius, that is unacceptable!”
“Mikel, put down the gun.” Darius spoke with a cold
authority that the other man didn’t possess.
Tara’s mouth fell open in disbelief. This masked
stranger—the one holding a laser to her head, dressed in
the garb of people he claimed to despise—was Darius’
brother.
“I may die, brother, but so shall you.” Mikel raised both
of his hands and wrapped his fingers around each trigger.
“You murdered Juro. I can prove that, you know. That
alone gives me the right to kill you. What do you think our
papa would say about this?” He gestured his gun at Tara.
“You disgust me, Darius.”
Darius’ shot rang through the air with a high-pitched
whistle.
Mikel was thrown backwards from the close impact of
the laser. As he slammed into the side of the house, both of
his lasers went off, one into the air and one straight toward
Tara.
Instinctively, she threw herself to the ground, feeling the
loss of air in her lungs. She turned to land on her side,
holding her belly with both hands, as her laser fell into the
powdery snow next to her. The ground came fast and hard,
and the pain was so intense she wasn’t sure if she’d been
shot or not.
Darius was by her side instantly.
The discomfort and pain racking her body made it hard
to
speak.
She
fought
to
focus
as
her
world blurred.
“Something is wrong, my lord.”
“Shh. Be still.” Darius lifted her into his arms and was
up the open room stairs and into the house within seconds.
He didn’t care about his dead brother lying out front, but
focused only on Tara’s condition. He took the wide stairs
three at a time and had her on the bed before she realized
it.
“What about your brother? You can’t leave him there.”
Tara watched Darius as his hands went over her body, as if
searching to see if anything had broken.
“Don’t worry about him right now, my lady. It’s you I am
concerned about.”
A sharp pain riveted through Tara’s body, starting
somewhere in her middle and ending halfway down her leg.