All For One [Nuworld 3] (51 page)

on hysteria and her face flushed crimson as she pointed a finger at Beel. “He knew why

I was bleeding before I did. You all did a great job of teaching Andru everything he

needed to know but no one ever bothered to teach me anything other than how to

fight.” She pulled a light cloth jacket over her thin smock and stormed toward the door.

“And a hell of a lot of good that did me.”

Ana already sat on the back of Syra’s glider when the other three reached her. Syra

climbed up in front of her but Gilroy came up behind her.

201

Lorie O’Clare

“Put this on.” He handed his large Gothman jacket to her.

“I’m not wearing your damn coat,” she snarled at him and slapped the coat like it

was diseased.

“Take his coat, Ana. He’s got another one and you’ll freeze otherwise.”

Ana grabbed the coat from him without looking up and then Gilroy climbed on the

other glider with Beel behind him.

202

All For One

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Ana, are you sleeping?” Syra asked quietly and looked over her shoulder at Ana.

The teenage girl leaned contentedly against Syra’s back and her breathing was deep.

They’d flown for almost an hour through the darkness. There had been no incidents

and Syra felt a need to talk to the teenager.

“No, I’m just trying to digest everything that has happened today.” Ana cuddled

within Gilroy’s large leather jacket and lifted her head to look around her. “How much

longer until we reach Barringswood tribal land?”

“I’d say another hour at least.” Syra turned her head far enough to see Ana’s face.

The teenager looked utterly exhausted. “Gilroy attacked you earlier today, didn’t he?”

“Yeah. Someone had to have told him where I was, though.” Ana glanced over

toward the glider that flew alongside of them. Beel slept soundly behind Gilroy but

when the dark Gothman turned and met her gaze, she looked away quickly.

“Andru said something this morning about knowing that you would be detained

this morning.”

“Did he say that to you?”

“No, he said it to Tara.”

“I knew it.” Ana sighed and again fought back stinging tears.

“Do you want to talk about anything? I mean about what happened to you today. I

feel somewhat responsible for your, um, lack of knowledge.” Syra wished she had

thought sooner to talk to Ana about sex and what could happen.

“I’m sorry I exploded earlier. I’m definitely not thinking clearly.” Ana sighed.

“Syra, I’m mad as hell at Gilroy for not taking no for an answer.”

“He told me he was following orders. Although, I’m sure he couldn’t wait to carry

them out.”

Ana snorted. “That’s an understatement. But Syra, he didn’t hurt me. I mean he did,

but he wasn’t violent or anything.” Ana unwrapped her arms from Syra’s waist and

rubbed her face. “I know I can trust you to stay quiet about all of this.”

“There’s no Gothman blood in me.” Syra laughed.

“I kind of…I mean, well, it felt good.”

“I’m sure it did.” She glanced over at Gilroy’s profile through the inky blackness of

the night. “Just look at him. Your brother at least did you the favor of finding a good-

looking attacker for you.”

“Yeah, he also knows Gilroy and I have done a fair bit of flirting in the past.”

203

Lorie O’Clare

Syra was quiet for a minute as she decided how to approach what she had to say.

Ana sensed there was something bothering Syra and leaned to the side so she could see

her face. “What is it?” she asked.

“There is a tribal tradition I heard about while I lived in the Barringswood tribe. It’s

called right of first refusal. Basically, it’s a belief that if a man claims a woman’s virginity

he has the right to mate with her if he wants. It’s an old tradition and those people are

so promiscuous that I don’t know how much they pay attention to it anymore.”

“What’s your point?”

“I’m just saying that Roth might have wanted your virginity so he could claim you

by their law. And, if Roth took your virginity and got you pregnant, he could lay claim

to your inheritance that way as well.”

“I know. I was completely used.” Ana sighed deeply. “It seems I’ve been walked all

over by several men in the last couple of days, including my brother.”

“Gilroy took your virginity and by Gothman law that entitles him to nothing more

than if he’d been the hundredth man you slept with. Your brother actually protected

you by seeing that you weren’t a virgin when Roth finally got to you. But Sorg might

assume Roth took your virginity. I mean, hopefully, we’ll be able to get Torgo and get

out of there…but if something happens and the subject is brought up…well, you might

have to come forward and announce that Gilroy was responsible.”

“I’m sure he’d have no problem backing me on that one.” But Ana grew quiet after

that and thought about what Syra just told her. She could have found herself in another

nation, bound to it by their laws if Gilroy hadn’t forced himself on her. She was still

furious with him and her feelings were more than hurt.

It had crossed her mind more than once that Gilroy could have taken her easily if

he’d seduced her under different circumstances. Granted, Andru had been very clever

at seeing to it that she was never left alone with any of his friends. As always, her

brother had the final say on everything she did…and when she did it. It was all too

much to handle. She choked on a sigh and leaned against Syra again, relishing the

comfort of a warm body. Slowly, she finally drifted off to sleep.

“We’ve got a couple of hours until daylight, I think.”

Ana lifted her eyes and blinked at the sound of Syra’s voice. She raised her head off

Syra’s shoulder and looked up to see Gilroy watching her. He smiled when she looked

at him and she looked down quickly although she forgot to scowl at him.

“I can get across that field easily enough,” Beel said. He had climbed off the glider

and stood in between the women and Gilroy. “It’s that building right over there,” he

pointed, “and it appears there are only two guards watching him.”

“Is there security elsewhere around this place?” Gilroy looked around the quiet

community lodged into the gigantic trees.

204

All For One

“There’s electronic security but I turned it off when I was here earlier to get the

priest.” Beel smiled slightly. “I doubt anyone’s noticed.”

“Too much confidence can narrow your vision,” Syra instructed but then

immediately felt bad at Beel’s sudden look of dismay. She got off her glider, stretched,

then smiled, and messed up the boy’s hair. “You’re doing great, though. I’m glad you’re

on our side.”

Ana climbed off the glider as well and realized her leg was asleep. She felt stiff and

beaten and reached for the glider to steady herself. Syra watched her realizing the

amount of trauma the teenager’s body had been through recently.

“Beel, you and I are going to get Torgo.” Ana looked up quickly, ready to protest,

but Syra raised her hand quickly. “I know how good of a shot you are, Ana. And I hope

you can shoot well too, Gilroy. As soon as those two guards look up and realize we’re

coming toward them, I want you two to kill them. Then keep us covered and take care

of anyone else that comes along. Let’s make this quick and painless.”

Syra turned and took off running toward the jail and Beel immediately took off

after her. Gilroy hopped off his glider with his laser pulled and squatted down. Ana

kneeled down next to him although her legs were stiff and bruised from running

through the glass doors. He reached out and steadied her by taking her arm. She didn’t

reprimand him and he let her go when she was on the ground next to him with her

laser pulled as well. He couldn’t help but grin at how drowned she looked in his coat.

As soon as the guards looked up, Ana and Gilroy each took one of them out with a

single shot. They watched the ground around them for anyone suspicious as Syra and

Beel reached the jail.

“Torgo, are you in there?” Syra went up on tiptoe to look through the small

window carved into the wooden door in the large tree trunk.

His face appeared immediately and she jumped back startled. “I knew you

wouldn’t stay mad at me,” he said with a devilish grin that warmed her insides.

“Stand back.” She would take up her fight with him later, after they were safely

back in Gothman. She pointed her laser at the doorknob and fired until the door opened

freely. Torgo jumped out and literally lifted her off the ground and hugged all the air

out of her.

“This way,” Syra pointed when he put her down and the three of them ran across

the open area toward the large tree that concealed Ana and Gilroy.

There was no time for greetings or explanations as Torgo, Syra and Beel reached

Ana and Gilroy. They stood next to the shelter of one of the large trunks when shouts

were heard from the other side of the open area and they could hear voices and people

running toward them.

“There must have been a silent alarm I wasn’t aware of,” Beel muttered sadly as

several guards ran quickly to the jail and then started talking frantically into

mouthpieces. “You’ll have to fly straight up until you’re above all the trees before you

head west.”

205

Lorie O’Clare

“What do you mean, we’ll have to?” Ana turned on him suddenly.

“You need a distraction.” Beel looked at all of them. “Get going. I’ll figure out how

to get out of here.”

“Torgo, tell him no.” Ana felt a whirlwind of emotions hit her and couldn’t believe

anyone would consider leaving him behind after all the help he’d been.

“There’s no time to discuss this or no one will get out of here.” Beel backed up,

ready to make his appearance known and gestured for them to get on the gliders. “Get

the fuck out of here, now!”

Suddenly, Beel turned and ran back out into the open.

“Beel, come back!” Ana didn’t quite yell but her words were to no avail. Strong

hands reached out from behind her and grabbed her by the waist and literally lifted her