39. Chapter 39
My eyes burned as I sat on the couch with my head buried in my hands. Rachel's scent lingered in the room. Her clothes lay strewn all over the place. I had thought my life ended when I believed Mynarra dead. This pain was so much greater. I wondered how I could possibly let her go.
In my mind, I was back at the IC headquarters, where I had first seen her, reliving that first impulse to grab her because… because I just had to have her. Because even after just one glimpse, I couldn't have imagined returning to Vandruk without her by my side.
If I could only figure out how I could stay here with her. I would abandon my position as khadahr, something utterly unheard of, but I would for her.
Still, being with her seemed impossible. Even if the humans granted us peace to live among them, how would I support her? I doubted there was a high demand for swordsmen on Earth. An idea came to me. I could probably make money talking about Vandruk on shows and the news. It would be humiliating, but again, I would do it for her. The humans had funny ways of providing for their families. I was sure I could figure something out. So we might not live the most private of lives, but at least we would be together.
You won't see Mynarra , that thought hurt, and I wished I could have seen her before all this happened. The idea that she would think me a traitor for not returning hurt even more. The other khadahrs would be furious, but some, like Dzar-Ghan, would understand, I hoped. I also hoped he would talk to Mynarra for me.
I wished my heart would have felt lighter after having come to this decision. Instead, it still felt torn in half. Something I would never be able to show Rachel. She could never know how hard this decision had been for me. I didn't want to start our lives with a lie, but if she even only suspected the truth… she would be heartbroken too, for me.
A scream ripped me from my mulling. I was up in an instant, recognizing the voice as Rachel's. With a pounding heart and all kinds of worries going through my mind, I rushed to open the door to the sight of Rachel racing down the hallway.
"Ghan-Zahr!"
Automatically, my hand reached for my sword before I remembered that we had surrendered all our weapons.
"Rachel"." I caught her midair as she slammed into me, turning her so that whoever was after her wouldn't see her.
Her lips kissed me all over my face, "Ghan-Zahr!" and I realized she was laughing.
"What's going on?"
"My dad wants to talk to you. They want to come with us."
"What?" I thought I heard her wrong.
"My dad wants to talk to you. They want to come with us"," she repeated.
I stared at her in disbelief. "All of them?"
She nodded happily before her face turned concerned. "It's not a problem, is it?"
I laughed. "Of course not. I will make sure your family is well taken care of. I swear they will want for nothing."
"That's what Dad wants to talk to you about"." She took my hand and pulled me back down the hall to her parents' room, where Rachel's entire family waited for me.
"Sir?" I walked over to Rachel's dad.
"It seems you have managed to win my daughter's heart, not an easy feat"." Patrick came right to the point.
"I love your daughter with all my heart. This is not the way Vandruks do this, but I heard humans have other customs, so please allow me to officially request your daughter's hand in marriage."
"You are aware you are taking on more than just my daughter?" Patrick's eyes bored deep into mine.
"Yes, sir. I fully understand your concerns and that I cannot easily allay them, but you have my word that as soon as we reach Bramwell, my demesne, I will officially gift you a large estate that will efficiently provide for your family's needs. This land will be yours, no matter what. I have no intentions of not living out the rest of my life at your daughter's side, but out of respect for your concerns, I will sign any agreement you see fit."
He nodded slowly. "I'm not a beggar, nor do I want to sell my daughter—"
I interrupted him, "With all due respect, I would never look at it as either. You are coming to Vandruk to start a new life, and since it is in my power to do so, I will do whatever I can to make this step as easy as possible for you and your family. Like I think you would do if I were to stay."
Patrick held out his hand. "Call me Patrick."
I grabbed his hand and shook it in the strange human way. "Thank you, Patrick."
"Now, how's the fishing on Vandruk?"
He directed me toward a table filled with decanters of all kinds of drinks. "Whiskey?"
"My favorite"." I took the offered drink, glad that skoff had prepared me for the lighter human fare. Otherwise, I was sure my head wouldn't be as clear as it was.
"We do have plenty of fishing, but I must warn you that our fish are a great deal larger than the ones you are used to."
"Oh yeah?" Patrick's face lit up in excitement. "Do you hear that, Sus? They have fish." At an unenthusiastic moan from Rachel's mom, Patrick waved his hand. "Don't mind her, she doesn't like to eat fish."
"If it's any consolation, our fish taste very different from yours"." I turned to Susan.
"Oh really, how much different?"
"If I had to describe it, a lot more like"—I looked at Rachel—"what was that meat at dinner tonight?"
"File mignon?" Susan gushed.
"I take it you like that"." I smiled, and she took my elbow.
"I do. What else tastes different?"
"Do you have chocolate?" Nat asked excitedly.
With a smile, I sat down on the couch, watching Rachel as she leaned against her dad by the fireplace mantle. Our eyes met. It seemed like it had been a long time since she had given me one of her warm, all-out smiles.