All For One [Nuworld 3] (43 page)

glass doors and then stood there, hoping her niece wouldn’t once again push Darius too

far. Torgo followed Syra and stood next to her, glowering down at her. She ignored him

and focused her wrath on the man in front of her.

“What do you think you were doing coming into my trailer like that? You had no

right.” She put her hands on her hips and demanded an answer.

Darius leaned back and met her gaze with ferocity. “Where were you today?”

“I don’t have to tell you that,” she snapped as she wrinkled her brow.

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Tara came up from behind her and put her hands on her shoulders. “Go ahead and

tell him where you were today,” she whispered into her ear although it was loud

enough for Torgo and Darius to hear.

Syra turned and frowned at Tara, both of them knowing she wouldn’t disobey the

leader of the Runners.

Darius raised an eyebrow and cocked his head at her waiting for an answer. She

turned and saw Torgo cross his arms and study her, looking for an answer to something

but she didn’t know the question.

“I was in Taratown,” she said waving her hand as if to dismiss further discussion.

“But, my Lord,” she said sardonically. “What I do with my time is none of your damn

business.” Torgo snorted and Darius shot him a dirty look. “And why did you go into

my trailer with two guards? Don’t you think you could detain me on your own?”

“That’s enough,” Tara said quietly and moved to the chair next to Darius resting

her hand on his as it gripped the arm to prevent from slapping the woman in front of

him.

“Rayla was killed this morning, she was,” Torgo spoke and Syra whirled to face

him.

“And you think I killed her?” she asked incredulously.

“Did you?” Darius asked.

“No, I didn’t.”

“They think you did.” Torgo’s voice was softer.

“Who’re they?”

“Her parents,” Darius answered. “They’ve demanded an investigation and are

looking for you. You need protection, you do.”

“I don’t need your protection.” She crossed her arms and then her mouth fell when

Darius laughed out loud. She then scowled when Torgo snorted and reached for her.

She slapped his hand away and Darius let out a hoot, which caused Tara to slap him on

the arm.

“I didn’t kill anybody. I don’t have anything to fear,” she continued. “Damnit,

Darius, if I killed someone, trust me, I’d fess up to it. I’m not a coward.”

“Now that much we can agree on.” He smiled up at Torgo. “You’re unruly though

to the bone, girl, and you’ve a tendency to display your temper at will. We’ve decided it

would be in your best interest for you to stay here. There’s a mark on your head, there

is. If one of Rayla’s family members finds you, they’ll shoot you on sight. They won’t let

you be arrested to be tried before me, no.” He leaned forward and then whispered with

a smile. “They don’t know how much we hate each other.”

She reached out to slap Darius on impulse but he grabbed her hand and then

pushed her back into Torgo who caught her willingly. He held her by the arms when

she tried to move.

“I’m not staying here. You won’t let me leave the house.”

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“That’s the point,” Torgo spoke close to her ear.

“No,” she said flatly.

“Darius, is there a law against taking another claim on the same day as your claim

is murdered?” Torgo knew damn well there wasn’t. Syra twisted in his arms but he

simply held her tighter.

Tara slapped her hand to her forehead and moaned, “Torgo.”

“No, I don’t think there is.” Darius had a triumphant smile on his face.

“Well, then, I’m taking this woman as my claim.”

“Torgo, you know how I feel about this.” Syra managed to free herself from his

arms to look up at him. “I don’t want to be your claim.”

“Too late,” he smiled and simply pulled her back into his arms.

“Are you saying you dispute the laws of the land you live in?” Darius still grinned.

“That’s exactly what he said to me.” Tara stood up and took Syra’s hand. “You

better watch out, look what happened to me.” She laughed, but then grew serious. “I

want you to stay here, Syra. You can leave, just don’t go out alone for a couple of days.

There’s a mark on your head, as Darius said, and we just need to give it some time.”

“Why don’t you find out who did kill her?” Syra turned and walked quickly

toward the door, knowing this might be her only chance for escape. “Better yet, I’ll find

out. The first place I’d check into is Mik’s family.”

She almost made it to the doors when Torgo grabbed her with an iron grip around

her arm. “You’re staying here, you are.”

Darius laughed again. “She might be as much work as this one is.” He pointed to

Tara.

“Crator forbid,” Torgo laughed and then before Syra could stop him, he picked her

up and threw her over his shoulder before heading for the door.

“We’ll plan the claiming party,” Darius called after them as Torgo headed up the

stairs with Syra pounding his back and the Gothman guards laughing in the entryway.

“Put me down, you son of a bitch!” Syra screamed and gyrated her body until

Torgo let her jump to the floor. He’d taken her upstairs to the guest bedroom that once

was the nursery. The room had adjoining doors that led to Darius and Tara’s room but

a large bureau was now in front of the closed door. Torgo shut the bedroom door with

his foot when he entered and now stood facing Syra as she paced in front of him.

“What just happened here?” She rubbed her hands through her braided hair and

stared at nothing in particular. “I came here to take out a piece of your brother and

ended up…” She couldn’t say the word.

“Claimed?” Torgo grinned proudly.

“You can’t claim me.”

“Why not? Are you already claimed?” There was an impish gleam in his eyes.

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“Of course not. But I don’t ever want to be and you know that. You can’t tie me

down here. I’ll suffocate. I won’t be happy.”

“I’m not tying you down, no.”

“You’re not?”

“No.”

“So when the new winter is over and I get the urge to travel?”

“I’ll go with you, I will.”

That was simple. Syra stared at Torgo for a minute, at his charcoal gray eyes, his

muscular chest, and that “very pleased with himself” smile. She walked over and sat at

the edge of the bed. He joined her and pulled her down next to him.

“I’m sorry your claim is dead,” she said as she turned to face him. His hands

roamed down the curves of her body. “You told me once you loved her.”

His hand stopped on her hip and his gaze met hers. “After we were together for a

winter or so, I made a sincere attempt to be good to her. I felt something…I think. She

was shy and evasive, she was. She acted like sex was her duty to me, and after having

only been with you…” He paused and she bit her lip to hide a smile so she could be

there for him if he needed to mourn. “But, Syra, when I found out about her affair, it all

made sense—her actions, her treatment of me. She wanted my name, and that was it, it

was. I always knew it. I just didn’t care. I felt nothing for her before she died and I never

felt for her what I feel for you, no. And those feelings came back with a vengeance the

moment you returned. I love you and I have for many winters.”

“I love you, too.” She barely got the words out when his mouth landed on hers.

It was a passionate, claiming kiss. He pushed her to her back and let his hand have

its way with her body. Their lovemaking was slow and passionate. The intimate

experiences they’d shared over the winters since they were teenagers had grown to

demanding, passionate needs. They knew each other’s bodies as well as they knew their

own. They took and gave each other the pleasures they’d dreamed of receiving over the

winters while they were apart. Each half of a perfect whole, neither complete without

the other.

Torgo wrapped his arms around Syra’s naked body and pulled the large comforter

over them when their cravings had been satisfied, at least for the moment. She lay

content, tracing invisible messages into the blond curly hairs that covered his broad

chest.

“Torgo?”

“Hmmm.”

“I have some unfinished business in Taratown and I need to go there tomorrow.”

She shifted her head on the pillow so she could see his eyes—they were fixed on her.

“No one will be looking for me there, at least not where I’ll be going. I’ll keep my comm

so you can call me if you like.”

“Unfinished business?”

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“Uh-huh.”

“And you’re not going to tell me what it is?”

“No.”

Torgo sighed but didn’t look away from her luscious green eyes. His thoughts

jumped back to his teenage winters when Darius first met Tara. He’d fallen for his

woman as hard as Torgo fell for this woman. But Torgo had many winters to learn how

Syra ticked. She was defiant, manipulative, and way too headstrong. Darius often

argued it was because they didn’t have a true mama figure in their life and were

allowed to run wild like little boys that they grew up trying to act like men.

Whatever. Torgo didn’t want one little thing changed in this woman. She wouldn’t

be owned and he didn’t want to own her, simply coexist by her side…always by her

side. He didn’t want to be shut out or left behind ever again.

“You can’t leave the house by yourself,” he tried.

“I’ll sneak out before sunrise,” she answered simply.

“I’ll go with you, I will.”

She thought for a minute. “No, Torgo. If I leave before sunrise I could be back by

midmorning. Just tell everyone I’m sleeping in.”

He sighed heavily and traced her hairline with his finger. “How long will it take

you to take care of your business?” He didn’t like this, didn’t like it at all. If Syra kept