Page 102 of The Ruler
“If you decide to come to my wedding, you’ll need to bring an open mind. Khan isn’t stealing me away from you or the council. He’s sharing himself and everything he has with me.”
“I would like to meet him.”
I searched her eyes to be sure she meant it.
“I’ll behave,” she said quietly, and it made me chuckle.
“See, that’s the good thing about the Nmen – you don’t need to behave. If you’re mad at Khan and want to let him know, you can. He can handle it.”
“So I can tell him he’s being a pirate and stealing my greatest treasure.” She flushed red from the highly insulting expression, and my laugh grew.
“You’ll have to think of something a lot worse than pirate if you want to make an impression. Tell him he’s an asshat.”
“Pearl!” she exclaimed in shock and looked around.
“But don’t give him your honest opinion unless you’re ready to hear his in return,” I warned.
“When will the wedding be?” she asked.
“Soon.”
“Will you call me on the secure line like you used to?”
“Yes, Mom, I will. And you can call me too.”
“Maybe I could see the school project?”
“Of course.” I brought her in for a hug. “It’s going to be fine. You’ll see.”
Her eyes were wet and her shoulders sunken, but I had to trust that she would learn to accept my choice eventually.
It took me four hours to get ready, and in that time I’d picked out my favorite foods to bring, gathered some practical things, and been by my office to tell them all goodbye in person. Some of my staff I’d worked with for seven years and it was an emotional goodbye. Like I had predicted, they didn’t understand my choice either.
I made sure a message was sent to Khan from my office informing him to pick up a message from the council at the border later that evening. He would think the message was from the council and he would probably send one of his guards, but it was okay. I just needed a ride back so I could surprise him in person.
When the press release came out, I read it four times and nodded, satisfied. I had supplied the picture of me and Khan, and although it was far from a formal picture, it served its purpose perfectly.
Khan
“Wanna spar?” Finn asked from the door to my office.
“No,” I said with my eyes fixed on the chessboard.
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, okay – you wanna go to a bar and get drunk or something?”
I snorted at his lame joke. I couldn’t go to a bar and just enjoy a night with strangers. I would always be their ruler, and in many ways it was a position of isolation.
“You okay?” Finn asked and moved closer.
“Uh-huh,” I grunted without looking up – allowing no one to see the state I was truly in. My inner walls were red with claw marks, every old wound torn up to keep me focused and cold. I suffered behind a façade of indifference, but it was either that or breaking down and letting my men see what a fucking mess I was.
“It’s been a week,” Finn muttered, but still got no reaction from me. “You’ve hardly spoken to anyone.”
I moved a bishop.
