Tara The Great [Nuworld 2] (47 page)

“I’m fine,” she said, looking from one face to another. “Really, I am.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, I will.” Reena put her hands on her hips. She turned to

look up at the three men towering over her in the small space provided. “Out of here.

Don’t you all have other things to keep you busy? Go on now, be gone with you.” She

waved her hands.

The three men disappeared to the other side of the curtain.

“Did they touch you, Tara-girl?” Reena leaned down and grabbed a bowl of warm

water from the floor, setting it on the stand next to her daughter’s cot. She took a cloth

out of the water and wiped Tara’s face.

The warmth soothed Tara more than she would have imagined possible. “I woke

up in a cage, Reena. When the guards came to get me, I managed to escape.” She smiled

and arched her neck slightly as Reena wiped the back of it. “That place was one huge

maze underground. I couldn’t figure my way out. I finally located a hall that opened

into a cave, but I wasn’t anywhere near Gothman. I can’t believe Darius found me.”

“He loves you so much, Tara, he does.” Reena smiled.

Tara reflected that Darius probably did love her as much as he could.

Reena kept talking as she dipped the cloth in the water and wrung it with her

hands. “When you didn’t come out with the other prisoners, I knew he’d look for you

and wouldn’t stop until he found you.”

Tara turned her head on her pillow and studied Syra’s sleeping face. “What about

her? How’s she doing?”

“I daresay she didn’t fare as well as you, no.”

Tara’s stomach lurched.

“She’s been beaten and raped, and she won’t talk to anyone, she won’t. I was able

to examine her only after the doctor sedated her.” Reena shook her head. “I’ll never

approve of those doses of anti-conception medication you gave her, no. But I don’t

think she would have been able to handle it if she’d gotten a baby out of this deal. Some

of the other girls here won’t be as lucky, I’m thinking.”

Reena didn’t raise her voice, but looked toward the hanging sheet. “My lord, you

can come in now, you can.”

Tara smiled as Darius pulled back the sheet and entered the small room. He gave

her a small smile and it warmed her soul.

“What she needs is sleep, a lot of it.” Reena patted Tara’s hip with her bony hand.

“The best place for her is her bed, I’m thinking. She should be taken to the house, yes.”

Arrangements were made to move Tara and Syra from the makeshift hospital tents

to the Bryton house where they’d be more comfortable. Some of the other patients in

relatively good enough condition were also transported from the base of the eastern

side of the mountain range. Hundreds of gliders lifted into the air simultaneously, each

one carrying two people. It would take time to transport every one home, but the

process had begun.

Tara watched the hospital tents grow smaller and smaller as they flew higher and

farther away. She had no desire to come to this part of their world again any time soon.

* * * * *

Darius made no ceremony about parting ways with his men and taking Tara home.

He left the lot of them and flew around Bryton, landing in their backyard minutes later.

Tara’s bedroom looked more delightful than she expected it would. The double

doors leading to the upstairs balcony were opened. A soothing breeze caressed the

room. The smell of fresh linen, mixed with the aroma from an arrangement of cut

flowers on her dresser, filled the room. Tara noticed the room had been scrubbed and

furniture polished to a shine. She smiled, knowing Hilda had put effort into making

their homecoming a nice one.

Tara insisted on seeing her children before anything else, and pulled Darius by the

hand into the nursery before he could insist she climb into bed. Andru dropped his toys

and ran into Darius’ arms as soon as his parents entered the room.

“Papa, I wuv oo.” The little boy wrapped his thin arms around his papa’s muscular

neck.

Ana stood on the floor, jumping up and down with her arms outstretched, and

grinned at Tara. “Me too. Me too. I want up.”

Tara reached down and grabbed Ana, covering her face with kisses before she

picked her up and buried her face in the child’s hair. Kissing her neck, Tara murmured,

“My precious, I love you.”

Tara stood next to Darius, who had lifted his son into his arms, and she reached for

Andru’s golden curls. “And I love you, too, sweet boy.”

“Play with me,” Andru reached out his hand and leaned toward Tara.

“Mama has been working, she has,” Darius whispered into Andru’s ear, tickling the

boy’s cheek with his unshaven face.

“I work someday.” Ana’s expression grew serious.

“When I’m bigger,” Andru finished.

“Yes, you will.” Tara smiled and placed Ana on the floor.

Darius stood Andru next to his sister and squatted in front of them. “The two of

you will lead nations.”

The children studied their papa with solemn gray eyes, although Tara knew they

had no idea what he was talking about.

“We be great!” Andru jumped up and down with his hand held high in a fist, as if

showing his parents what his interpretation of great meant to him.

Ana joined in with the gestures, and the two of them jumped over toys as they

chanted, “We be great! We be great!”

Tara spent precious minutes with the children, then left them in the care of a

Gothman servant. She joined Darius for an update from Torgo, who had returned home

as well.

Once again, the young man had set up camp in his comfortable little landlink

room—the same room where Darius had attacked her before they had left for the other

side of the mountains. It all seemed so long ago to Tara, so much had happened.

Torgo stood in front of the two landlinks, his back to them, as Tara and Darius

entered the room. People continued to be transported to their homes, and Torgo was

supervising the process. Hundreds of Gothman and Runners still remained on the other

side of the mountain range.

Apparently, Gowsky had returned to Southland. Probably to soothe Tasha. Tara

wondered about the fate of Tealah at the same time. She didn’t dare ask about the

Neurian woman, though.

“What reports do you have in?” Tara moved to stand next to Torgo, but Darius

placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back into him.

“No, my lady.” Darius leaned down until his unshaven face rubbed against her

cheek. “Now is not the time for you to look at reports. All of this can wait for you, yes.”

“But there is work to do,” Tara protested. “I want to know what Runners have

arrived at the clan. How many are still being transported?”

Tara began firing questions at Torgo, who never got a chance to respond because

Darius lifted her and hauled her out of the room.

“I’ll have a report ready for you, I will,” Torgo called after them.

Darius carried Tara to their bedroom and closed the door behind them with his

foot. “Put me down.” Tara slapped at his chest, but Darius simply smiled as he let her

slide down his body until her feet hit the ground. She felt her breasts smash against his

chest, and her nipples hardened with need.

Darius reached to tweak one of them, and Tara slapped at him again, even though

his masculine presence caused a swelling ache between her legs. The man hadn’t

showered since their journey across the mountains. He had a thick shadow of whiskers

covering his chin, and she guessed a good night’s sleep would do him good as well. But

damn, she wanted him. Her body reacted to him in spite of her mind saying she should

not let him see her need.

“Get out of your clothes, woman.” Darius ignored her slapping at him and pulled

his shirt over his head.

Tara watched the action without moving, and crossed her arms to prevent herself

from running fingers through the thick golden hair that spread across his chest. “I’d like

some time alone, I think.” She turned from him and walked toward her dresser. “A hot

bath sounds nice.”

“Some time alone?” Darius asked.

He stopped her in her steps by grabbing her hair.

“Ouch,” she protested. “Yes. Some time alone. You just told Torgo that I needed

some rest.”

Darius released her hair and let his hand slip around her neck, not to restrain her,

even though she had stopped moving. Instead his long fingers caressed her.

Tara felt every inch of the man as he pressed his body against her backside. His

erection felt like steel against her lower back, and she reacted by growing moist as the

swelling in her crotch grew to distraction.

“There is something else you need,” he whispered into her hair, his free hand

reaching for the bottom of her shirt. Darius moved both hands and yanked up her shirt

so the material against her breasts scratched her nipples. Her inner thighs were soaked.

“You’re right. I need to go over reports, and I need to find out the status of my

people.” Tara wanted to remain stubborn and not give in to this man, but she feared he

knew as well as she did, that her body needed him as much as he needed her.

“Our nations will always require our attention, yes.” Darius turned her around and

removed her shirt.

Tara couldn’t fight him, due to exhaustion, she told herself. Her body screamed for

relief and he wanted to give it to her. Tara couldn’t stop herself from placing her fingers

on his chest and feeling the powerful heat of his body. She looked up at him and saw

that passion had darkened Darius’ gray eyes. “And you and me?” she asked.

“I will always need you, my lady,” Darius whispered. And he kissed her.

Tara knew she always wanted Darius to need her, and to be with her, but she

couldn’t say what she thought as Darius stroked her mouth with his tongue. The fluids

released between her legs, and Tara leaned into him, stretching her body against his as

she went up on tiptoe.

Darius wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her breasts against his hard chest,

smashing her hardened nipples into the roughness of his coarse chest hair.

“Damn it, Darius,” Tara managed to say when he ended the kiss and released her to

reach for her pants’ buttons. “I need you now.”