The Saga Begins [Nuworld 1] by Lorie O'Clare Read Free Book Online Page B

her life was the trailers Runners lived in while with their clan.
    Tara wanted to run her hands along the walls. They had to be solid. This house had been built to stay right here on this land, never moving. Runners moved when the weather changed, when trade agreements improved in a different area, or when news of a dispute or challenge in another area came forth.
    But not the people of Gothman.
    They ignored Nuworld and focused only on themselves. And this house would be an excellent place to ignore the outside world. The arched ceilings allowed for a wide curving stairway to show all of its glory as it climbed in front of them to a second floor. Tara remembered seeing windows outside indicating more rooms on a third floor. She wondered where another staircase might be.
    The hallway above could be seen from downstairs. Dark mahogany doors along the second floor hallway left Tara to imagine what might be on the other side of them. As they left the entryway and walked through two glass doors, Tara found herself in a large room with glossy wooden floors and a large area rug so thick she could feel her feet sink in it through the thin cotton material of her shoes.
    This living room was as large as her entire trailer.
    Beautifully carved wooden chairs had forest green cushions resting on them. There was a long sofa made out of the same dark green material. The wood on the tables on either side of the couch, as well as the oval one in front of it, were polished to the point that Tara could see her reflection in them. She almost did a double take at the strange-looking woman staring back. It wasn’t often she gazed at her own reflection, let alone without her headscarf.
    “So, sit down and tell me all your goings on, if you will,” Hilda said.
    Reena made herself comfortable in a tall, well-padded armchair. “Be a dear, Tara, and set the pie on the dining room table.” Reena pointed to the room adjoining the one they were in.
    Tara placed the pie on a long wooden table and walked over to one of the long glass windows. She could see a sprawling, well-groomed yard and gardens, and heard the muffled voices of two men working in the yard. They appeared to be getting something out of an old flatbed pickup truck. The cab of the vehicle faced Tara, so she wasn’t able to see what it was they were trying to get off the bed.
    Lord Darius walked across the yard toward the truck. Her gaze followed his every move. His long stride and tall features sent a warm sensation through Tara’s body, and her stomach flip-flopped. It had been a long time since she’d seen a man so striking.
    Her attention shifted from him to the truck.
    The men struggled to lift something from the bed and set it on the ground—her motorcycle!
    Tara groaned. They probably couldn’t start it, since it was coded, but they’d found it and brought it here. A lot of good it was going to do her if it was stuck up here! She watched the men lift the bike and carry it to a shed before she turned to join the women. Those solid stone walls seemed to close in around her, trapping her and preventing her escape.
    “Enjoying the scenery of my backyard, are you girl?” Hilda let out a deep chortle.
    The men continued hollering instructions to each other, and their muffled sounds proved a disturbing distraction.
    “I daresay it’s my son you’d be admiring.” She looked through the hallway at Tara and then turned to Reena. “They would make the most handsome claim in all the Gothman nation. Can you imagine, we would be sisters for real, you and me?”
    “Just think of those gorgeous grandchildren to show off.” Reena clasped her hands together as if it had just been finalized.
    Tara glared at the two women as she joined them in the living room and sat on the end of the couch. Her future was ready and waiting for her. She had worked hard to deserve title of heir to rule all Runner clans, and no one would take that from her. Especially two scheming old women with nothing