Page 6 of The Ruler
He squared his shoulders slightly, but enough for me to know my flattery had worked.
“We can’t find Laura and we can’t let you keep Athena. It’s really that simple.”
“Oh, is it?” Khan turned his head slightly and raised his voice. “I’m keeping Athena until you give me back Laura. That’s how fucking simple it is.”
I lifted my shoulders and spoke in a breathy tone as if a secret was spilling out of me, “The council is talking about keeping your next delivery of boys until we get back Athena.”
Khan leaned forward in a threatening way. His face looked like he’d sucked on a lemon. “I’ll tell you fucking Momsies one thing,” he hissed, low. “It’s time you remembered why we have the peace treaty in the first place. If you don’t breed our boys we’ll return to our old ways of getting breeders.”
“Kidnapping more women,” I said matter-of-factly, hoping my hammering heart didn’t show.
He didn’t confirm it, but we both knew that had been the way of his ancestors before the Motherlands had reached a peaceful agreement with the men of the north.
“Lord Khan.” I kept my voice calm. “I’m not trying to argue with you, I’m trying to find a solution.”
He scoffed. “Give back Laura. That’s the only solution.”
My chest lifted in a deep breath. I’d hoped to find some other solution and avoid what I had to do now.
“You can’t keep Athena.”
“The fuck we can’t.”
“You will give us back Athena and I will take her place.” The words came out of my mouth but felt alien to me.
He narrowed his eyes. “What did you say?”
“You will give us back Athena and I’ll take her place.”
A laugh of disbelief met me and I leaned back, taking in the man in front of me. Khan had a dark glow to his skin and long black hair that was pulled back. His beard was full but short and he had very masculine features that made him look rough and unsophisticated compared to the enlightened men of the Motherlands. Had I only seen a picture of him, it would have been easy to underestimate him, but we had spoken once before and I sensed great intelligence under the rudeness.
He was wearing a shirt with a v-cut that exhibited his thick neck and enhanced how vulgarly muscled he was.
We modern women appreciated a man’s brain much more than his muscles, and a man here in the Motherlands would never let his body bulge like that. It was disgusting to display masculinity when male pride, greed, and ego had been the reason for the Toxic War to begin with. That war had lasted three years and almost brought about the complete annihilation of the human race.
“Did you just volunteer to become my hostage?” Khan asked.
“Yes.”
“Sounds like a trap to me.”
I kept a civil tone when I replied. “It’s no trap. You’ll bring Athena to the border and I’ll meet you there.”
“Huh.” He gave me a suspicious glance. “And why would you do that?”
“To free Athena, of course.”
“You’ll stay with us until Laura is returned?”
“Yes,” I said and looked straight at him. “But there are conditions.”
“And they are?”
“You will treat me with respect and dignity. No man is allowed to beat, rape, or molest me in any way.”
Khan tapped his lip. “All right.”
“I will be in regular contact with the council, who’ll need reports from me to see that I’m in good health.”
