Page 38 of Surrender
Fiona felt her eyes widen, thankful she hadn’t allowed that thought to escape her lips, and she took a long sip of wine in an effort to hide her reaction to his statement.
Fix your face, dear.
If Penka knew her better—if he knew who she really was and the trials she’d endured—he would realize she could hold a grudge just as well as Merokk. Possibly even better.
She would never forgive her father. A flash of contempt sizzled in her chest. She would also never forgive the Kall people as a whole for their campaign of terror on Earth, for the thousands of lives lost. For the brutality and the heartache and the enslavement.
Footsteps sounded outside the great room, saving her from responding to Penka.
Merokk appeared in the wide, arched doorway, dressed in his traditional black and gray warrior’s garb. At least he never wore his armor around her, removing it before his return home each day. If she ever saw him dressed in the same full armor worn by the merciless Kall warriors who’d patrolled Camp Syracuse, she didn’t trust herself not to run in the opposite direction.
“Good evening, Father,” he said with a nod. “Betsy.” His eyes locked with hers and frissons of awareness expanded within her. He stood several feet away, but it was as though no physical distance existed between them.
“I hope you do not mind that I’ve invited myself for dinner,” Penka said, rising to his feet.
Fiona stood too and glanced from father to son as she detected the usual tension that floated in the air whenever her father-in-law came for a visit. Though, in all fairness to Merokk, he was never outwardly rude to Penka, simply guarded. Just as he was sometimes guarded with her. As she watched them staring at one another, she had no doubt Merokk had inherited his stubbornness and his pride from his father. The two Kall males were really more alike than either probably cared to admit, and she hid a secret smile at his realization.
“I am certain dinner is ready by now,” she said, deciding to break the tension. “Let us venture to the dining room.” She swept out into the hallway and soon heard their footsteps behind her.
Dinner went better than Fiona expected. To her shock, Penka treated Merokk with more warmth than normal, and in return Merokk relaxed and spoke freely with his father in a surprisingly cordial manner. They discussed Earth politics, the Kall occupation, and reconstruction efforts.
When she addressed Penka asFatherafter he asked her a question, Merokk’s eyes widened and he shot her a brief but affectionate glance, though he said nothing.
Despite herself, she beamed inwardly. She was dining with the enemy, speaking with two Kall warriors who’d had a hand in the conquering of her people, but their acceptance of her nonetheless warmed her heart. Not for the first time, she wondered if she was truly that starved for affection. She pushed this thought aside, as well as the guilt that soon followed, and focused on enjoying the meal, present company included.
She couldn’t change what was already done. She couldn’t change the outcome of the war, nor could she change the circumstances surrounding her marriage to Merokk. But for the sake of her sanity, and her happiness, she needed to make the best of it. But maybe contentment in her marriage didn’t need to be forced. Maybe she didn’t need to settle on mere survival.
You have become my whole world.
The words Merokk spoke to her so tenderly only a few nights ago resurfaced in her mind. His confession had stunned her. In fact, she was still stunned by it and hadn’t fully processed his proclamation. She’d wondered, on more than one occasion, if Kall were capable of love. While he hadn’t announced his love for her, these particular words seemed awfully close.
God help her, buthewas starting to become her whole world.
Chapter 22
Stars sparkled overheadand the moon shone bright as Merokk guided Betsy out of the restaurant. He kept glancing at the sky as he shepherded her down the street, in the direction of their waiting hovercar. Even after months spent on Earth, the sight of only one moon was jarring. Kall possessed two moons.
Would he ever see the night sky of his homeworld again?
It wasn’t the first time he’d asked himself this question, but the homesickness that usually followed such musings never came. Betsy’s grip on his arm tightened and she shot him a brilliant smile.It’s her fault. She’s doing this to me.
But how could he be angry?
All his life he’d chased his future—the future he thought he wanted and deserved. Overly ambitious, yes. Arrogant? That too. But the more he settled on Earth, the more he was starting to realize his great opportunity here. Though he wasn’t on the High Council, he held influence over the group of revered Kall leaders, and not just because his brother Acerkk occupied a seat there.
He had the chance to influence life on two planets. Already Earth governments worldwide had begun implementing his suggested policies, which had led to a vast decrease in uprisings around the globe. And his success at getting the High Council to forbid the practice ofushrinawithin Kall-human arranged marriages was also an important step, in his opinion, toward one day outlawing the practice entirely.
His success at gettingushrinadeclared illegal within Kall-human arranged marriages had also helped Betsy relax more around him. He’d informed her about the outcome of the vote several days ago while they were taking an early morning walk in the greenhouse. With tears in her eyes, she’d thrown herself into his arms and thanked him for helping human females. Warmth flowed through him at the memory.
“Thank you for taking me out for dinner, Merokk,” Betsy said, pulling him out of his thoughts.
“You are quite welcome, little one. I ought to have taken you out sooner.”
She giggled. “I’m pretty sure you broke a record with the mozzarella sticks. I’ve never seen anyone eat so many.”
“I haven’t tried very many Earth dishes, but I have a fondness for any dish that’s filled with cheese or covered in cheese.”
“Well, that’s something we can agree on,” she said, her tone breezy and light. “A love of cheese.”
