Page 24 of The Ruler
“I don’t think that,” I protested. “We were only gone for a few minutes.”
With a finger pointing in my face, Khan growled softly. “You will never pull shit on me like that again or I’ll punish you for it.”
The way he towered over me with his giant frame and raw masculinity was intimidating, and my legs shivered slightly.
“Enough with all your shouting and threats.” I held up a hand as a shield. “I heard you the first time.”
“Hearing and understanding isn’t the same,” he growled and pressed against me, physically making a point that he was bigger, stronger, and far more menacing than me.
“If you break your word, I can break mine too.” His eyes were blazing into mine and his lips grazed over my lips in a sensual way that made me push at him. He didn’t budge but kept me encased with his body and masculine scent.
I swallowed hard, for once not able to find words.
“It’s not a threat, Pearl, it’s a promise. You do it again and Iwillpunish you any way I please.”
His words held a sexual promise that made my back tingle. I needed distance and pushed at him again, and this time he stepped back enough for me to squeeze past him.
I ran for the bathroom, my body shaking with the need to release the emotional overload I was under.
“Five minutes,” Khan sneered. “You’re not sulking in the bathroom all night. Five minutes and then you’re coming back out here.”
Slamming the door behind me and looking into the mirror, I didn’t recognize the stormy eyes or the lowered eyebrows of the woman in the reflection. I looked somber and angry, like someone out of mental balance.
Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re forced to live with Nmen, I told myself and heaved in a deep breath.
Remember who you are.My mother’s voice came from within, and closing my eyes, I summoned the bravest part of myself.I’m strong, confident, clever, warm, and I’m doing this to protect Laura and my people. There’s nothing that awful man can say to bring me down. I don’t need his approval to feel good about myself. Let him shout and threaten me; I’m a grown woman, not a helpless child.
Empowered by my pep talk, I turned back to look at my reflection.
I couldn’t let him get to me like that. I had to remember that Khan was only playing mind games.
And he’s a master at it.
For a moment, I’d thought he was going to kiss me for real, but I still remembered his telling me that I wasn’t his type. It was all about control and dominance for him, nothing else.
My eyes ran up and down my body. I had always liked my height and long legs, but the rest of me was pretty standard compared to the women in the movies that I’d been watching lately.
I brushed my eyelashes. They were long and full but because I was blonde you had to be close to see it. I didn’t consider myself a vain person and my focus had always been on others, but reading all these old books of passion between men and women, I couldn’t help but wonder how others saw me. No one had ever called me beautiful like in the books. In fact, the only man who had ever commented on my looks was Khan when he said he would prefer to turn the lights out if he was to have sex with me.
At the time it hadn’t offended me, because I was completely indifferent to his sexual desires, so why did I feel a pinch in my chest thinking about it now? And why did the way Boulder looked at Christina make me feel like I was missing out on something? I couldn’t imagine she was any more interested in having sex with an Nman than I was. But that hunger in Khan’s eyes when he had me pressed against the wall just a few moments ago, and the seconds of thinking he was going to kiss me, had woken something deeply buried inside me that I didn’t know what to do with.
The loud banging on the door made me jump a little.
“Open up and get out here,” Khan ordered and when I didn’t respond, he banged again. “Your men might have sticks for arms, but I’ll fucking tear down this door if I have to.”
Knowing him, he probably would. With a last deep breath to steady myself, I opened the door and was met by my temperamental prison guard.
“Finally,” Khan said grumpily, turned around, and gave me the silent treatment for a few minutes before he began a rant. “I thought I could trust you. Aren’t you supposed to be exceptionally honest and have incredible integrity?”
I walked to the sofa, not answering.
“I know they test you before you make it to the council – my dad told me before he died. He tried bribing a council member once, but apparently, that didn’t work.”
“It’s true,” I said. “Only the people selfless enough and with a high level of integrity can be part of the council.”
Khan was calmer now but still grumpy, so I volunteered information to appease him. “Some children stand out and are recommended by their teachers. They have to excel in all five areas needed for a council member, and only a few are selected for further training. Once they have completed their training they are eligible for the elections that take place every three years.”
“Does that mean some of you complete your training but are never elected to the council?”
