"It's been too long." Khaazai agreed.
He’d been off world for many years before he'd found Zahra and came back to their home world. His cousin, the emperor, had wanted to know what was going on in the universe. In the last few years the universe had seemed to go to shit. There was the Sri'thean war, the Frirens and their arena, plus a whole number of other issues. It only helped Khaazai to realize why his people avoided outside contact as much as possible. This alliance was out of their normal behavior… and if he hadn’t wanted Zahra and convinced his cousin, it would have never happened.
Zahra... and for some reason he'd been unable to get her out of his mind. So, unlike their females. None that he knewof had ever tried to join their military... none that he knew of and he'd already proposed the idea of welcoming women into their ranks after see Zahra’s skill. His cousin had been intrigued with the idea. And their wedding night battle had only helped Khaazai with convincing his cousin. Look at what a human woman could do against a Khuuz’eth general. Sure, he’d taken it easy on her, but her moves and show of skill assisted him in his argument.
"Meet my wife, Zahra." Khaazai placed a hand to the small of Zahra’s back, drawing her forward. The moment he touched her, a small growl of pleasure crawled up his throat. He smothered the sound before it could reach anyone's ears, lest he embarrass Zahra or cause her to be any more nervous than she already was right now.
Vera turned to Zahra, her eyes lighting with interest. “It's nice to meet you.” She placed a hand to her chest and bowed slightly.
Zahra glanced at him, and he blinked slowly in agreement.
Zahra faced Vera and placed her hand to her chest in greeting.
Vera’s eyes slid back to Khaazai. "I never thought to see my brother married."
"Oh?" Zahra asked with a smile, appearing to enjoy this meeting. “Was he a bit of a playboy?”
“Play… boy?” Vera shook her head as she looked to Khaazai for a translation.
He had nothing. His translator hadn’t been able to translate as well.
“It means a man who is attractive and uses his good looks to attract as many women as he wants.” Zahra laughed.
Khaazai wasn’t fond of the term, but he did preen with pleasure that she found him attractive. Physically they’d been agood match, they both appeared to enjoy how the other looked, and he hoped they would bond in other important areas as well.
"Not that I know of. Khaazai has never seemed to meet his match among our people. He’s definitely never brought a female back to our home, which means I'm excited to get to know you." Vera's eyes moved to Holly. "And another human?"
"Holly is the cultural anthropologist and is here to assist Zahra as she navigates our world." Khaazai explained.
"Brother, if you don't mind, I can show them to their rooms and then meet you for dinner?" Vera inquired, always the helpful one.
Khaazai inclined his head. Then watched as his sister led the women through their home. His sister had been right. Bringing Zahra here would give him the advantage he needed in capturing her heart. He felt certain of this.
A pinging on his comm drew his attention.
"General." A male’s voice came through.
"What is it?” Khaazai growled as he headed through the home he'd missed for so many years. He hadn't been back much since his parents died in a shuttle accident. So many memories within these walls. Some of them hurt to remember and some of them he looked back on fondly. But Vera insisted on living here, which meant if he wanted to stay connected to his sister, he would need to face the many emotions this home stirred inside his chest.
"You wanted updates on the Sri’thaens."
"What do you have?" Khaazai asked as he walked into his father's study, the door closing behind him once he’d entered.
"This alliance with the humans has sparked their interest." The other male informed him. “There’s been a lot more chatter.”
"Any threats to us?" If the Sri’thaens felt threatened by this alliance there was always the chance they might attack. It was a factor he and his cousin had already discussed.
"Not as of yet, but there's a fair bit of chatter on their side regarding this alliance. They are uncomfortable with it, and there seems to be quite a bit of worry on their end."
Khaazai sat down in a chair and pulled a tablet up in front of him. "I'll inform the emperor, but in the meantime, I want more patrols around the home world. Also, I want our warships scattered throughout our system. Any movement on the Sri’thean's part, report back to me immediately."
"Yes, sir." And the line went dead.
Khaazai pulled up Draagmax’s name and initiated a video hail.
The emperor's face greeted him in a matter of seconds. "Cousin, shouldn't you be enjoying your time with your wife?"
"I'm allowing my sister to settle her into her rooms. Besides, I knew you'd want to hear the latest report on the Sri’thaens."
