Chapter 8
"It's been nine months, sister.” Khaazai growled as he slammed a fist against his desk, denting the metal but doing no damage to his own black skinned hand. “I only have three more months with my wife, and I've only spent a few moments with her."
He refused to let his human wife go so easily, but he was at a loss for how to get more time with her. Zahra stayed locked away in her rooms, avoiding him like a fucking plague. Perhaps he’d been too rough during their wedding night? But she’d seemed to enjoy every moment of it.
Ugh!
He had no idea what to think, but he did know he wanted her.
"Where is she?" Vera asked through the halo feed, sounding way too calm for Khaazai’s liking.
"Working." Khaazai hissed with frustration as he glanced in the direction of his wife’s rooms. The temptation to kick down her door and drag her out by her hair rode him, but he didn’t want to lose her trust. He just wanted the opportunity to win over his wife.
He was owed a year of courting, and now he only had three months left.
Time was not his friend in this situation.
Vera clicked a claw tipped figure on a desk as she thought about his situation.
"Then tell her it's a part of our marriage custom to visit ancestral lands and bring her here.” She waved to the room she sat in.
“There's limited signal and technology. She won’t be able to hide away and work if you were here.
And you would have your sister whispering in her ear, helping your cause. "
True. Their parents had preferred simpler things. So, they'd built a home far from others and refused to include much technology. It was almost off the grid. It might just work, and with his sister also working on Zahra, he might just have a chance, even with so little time.
Khaazai leaned back in his chair. "You may have a point."
Vera studied him through the screen. "You like this woman. A lot." His sister commented after a moment as she cocked her head to the side.
Khaazai grunted. "Maybe. Hard to know for sure when I haven't spent much time around her. I think I could like her though. I think she could like me. At least… I hope she could."
"What drew you to her?"
"Probably her ability to fight." Khaazai growled low in his chest as he remembered their fight the night of their wedding.
Even if he had been holding back. "You must see her, Vera. She is like a goddess, both in looks and attitude. She would make a good wife for a general, and our children would be ready to take on the universe.”
"Bring her here.” Vera insisted, seeming very eager now to meet Zahra. “Allow me to meet this woman who has finally made a husband out of my brother. Perhaps I can aid you in your quest to get to know her and convince her to stay after the year.”
"I will." Khaazai promised. "Prepare my chambers. I'm bringing my wife to our home. To show her off and to show her where we grew up."
Vera clapped her clawed hands together, absolutely delighted. "Everything will be ready for your arrival." She promised.
"See you in a day." Khaazai ended the call with the push of a button. Now it was time to find his wife. Probably holed up in her rooms like the last nine months. He deserved a chance to win her over, and if she wouldn’t make the time for him, then he would make the time.
Conveniently, their rooms were attached by a door.
Rising, Khaazai strode over to the door and rapped lightly with his knuckles.
When no answer came after several moments, he lost his patience and tried opening the door.
It didn’t budge. With a growl, he dug his claws into the crack between the wall and the door and pulled the door back with brute strength.
When he created enough room, he walked into her room. He spotted Zahra sitting at a desk, little black devices sticking out of her ears as she worked on a couple of tablets. Her eyes darted back and forth as she looked at one and then the other. Preferring her work over him.
Approaching from behind, Khaazai ran his hands from her shoulders down her arms. Zahra jolted a bit before she turned her head to the side and glanced up at him.
"Khaazai." Zahra greeted him as she reached up and removed the devices from her ears.
"Tonight, we leave for my family lands in the mountains." Khaazai informed her. "It is tradition for me to show off my wife to my family and people."
"Oh." Zahra blinked those lovely eyes of hers several times.
"How long will you need to pack?" Khaazai asked, giving her no room to say no or try to convince him to let her stay here.
"Not too long." Zahra mused as she glanced about and pursed her lips. "Why haven't I heard anything about this before? Holly’s been pretty good about keeping me up to date on traditions here."
Because you've hidden yourself away from me, he wanted to say.
Instead, Khaazai opted for something more diplomatic as he said, "It doesn't surprise me. There are many traditions my people adhere to these days. You've only been a part of our culture for about a day since you’ve holed yourself up here for so many months."
He’d tried to be non-confrontational, but Khaazai couldn’t help some of the bitterness from entering his voice.
Zahra’s eyes narrowed on him as she caught onto his tone.
He didn’t know a whole lot about human non-verbal communication, since it did differ from his people.
But he’d learned to know narrowing of eyes meant she wondered if he'd just accused her of something.
He supposed he had despite trying not to bring them into a disagreement. A fight was the last thing he wanted.
"I guess I can work from there." Zahra said with a shrug as she turned her attention back to her pads.
"No. You won't be able to work there." He said quickly.
When Zahra opened her mouth, Khaazai growled with his growing irritation. "The human general will hear of any refusal on your part. And so will the emperor." He threatened, hoping she valued the alliance more than trying to avoid him. "See you on the shuttle pad."
"I won't be able to work." Zahra tried not to sound like a whiny child, but failed as she complained to the general about Khaazai’s new demands.
His family home with limited signal. She worried she wouldn’t be able to find a reason to keep space between them. After their wedding night, she’d realized Khaazai was the kind of man who could win her heart. And it scared her.
A lot.
There was something about him. A pull like she was being drawn in. After their passionate wedding night, she’d fallen asleep in his arms, cocooned in his warm arms. Safe and sound, wanting to never leave the comfort she found.
"How many times do I need to tell you to think about this like a vacation?" General Bohler sighed with a shake of his head. “Most soldiers would jump at the chance to get away from the front lines. Explore the new culture, Zahra. Enjoy the food.”
Zahra huffed as she rolled her neck, popping it. "Fine. A vacation." He was correct. A lot of soldiers would jump at the chance to switch places with her. The Sri’thaen war was bloody and full of death. Everyday lists were rolled out with names of the dead for families to check on loved ones.
"Maybe your husband will impress you, if you give him a fair chance." The general continued. “You have to admit, you haven’t given this marriage a fair go. And if you don’t you might threaten the alliance we’ve spent so much time creating.”
“They’ve spoken with you.” Zahra frowned. Khaazai must have gone to his emperor to complain about her hiding away, and she couldn’t be mad about it. It wasn’t like she was trying at all to be a wife.
“I saw the way he stared at you on your wedding night, Zahra. Don’t dismiss the man so soon.”
Zahra rolled her eyes. "Don't try to play matchmaker, general. It doesn't suit you."
The general barked with laughter. "Probably true. Go, Zahra, or you'll be late, and I get the feeling your husband is losing his patience with you."
With a sigh, Zahra ended the call and grabbed her packed bags off the floor. She’d get no help or sympathy from General Bohler then. Time to go and meet her husband on the shuttle pad and enjoy a holiday away from technology.
When Zahra left her room, Holly greeted her on the other side of the door, a bag held in one of her hands. "Mind if I join you to Khaazai’s family home?"
“You heard?”
Holly flushed. “I’m supposed to keep up with everything going on in case you need me. There might not be a whole lot of privacy right now. Not when they really want this alliance to go through without a hitch.”
Zahra shrugged a shoulder. "You can come along if Khaazai agrees. It's definitely fine by me."
"Thank goodness."
Zahra frowned as she noticed the relief wash over Holly’s face. "Umm, what’s going on?"
"I think I may have caught the eye of a Khuuz’eth warrior." Holly shook her head with a grimace. "I need some space between us. I’m here to study the people and culture, not get married like you. Once this year is up, I’m hoping to get another placement, if they are pleased with my efforts here.”
“What better way to study the culture than to participate in it? Like me.” Zahra joked, but then sobered up when she saw the frown on Holly’s face. The other woman looked worried, and that Zahra’s protective side rose.
“He’s a bit intense for me.” Holly admitted as she lifted a hand and rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m being sensitive, but he rubs me the wrong way.”
“Is he being threatening?" Zahra asked, ready to come to Holly's defense, maybe even bring Khaazai into this. She felt decently certain he’d kick any ass she asked him to kick.
"No. Just persistent." Holly smiled weakly. "Let me come? Out of sight, out of mind, right?"