I stood up abruptly, turning around to face her. “I do not have to explain myself to you, mother. She is unaccustomed with our people—with our world. Give her the time she needs to know us. Try to get to knowherbefore rejecting her because she is not what you would have hoped for me.”
Her eyes drifted to the hollop then the other flowers in my hair and she frowned. “She did not give you—”
“Iknow. And it is fine.” She was not there yet. She would, eventually. “She picked up on the custom on her own. She chose the flowers without being influenced. Give her the time she needs.”
The words seemed to hit their mark and her posture relaxed, eyes turning defeated. “I want you to have what is best for you.”
“She is what is best for me. Now, you need to accept it.”
I hoped she would. I hoped for a lot of things. The hollop felt heavy on my horn as I sat back with Thanato, Khaju joining us on my other side while our parents walked away.
“You did well, brother,” my oldest brother said.
“Did I?”
He gave me a smile. “They were not impressed by Eletie at first either, remember? You held your ground, like I did. I am sure your mate will do the same, when it comes to it,” Khaju said, nudging my right horn with his left.
“I feel bad for the male Zhari will choose,” Thanato said with a chuckle. “He will have to fight for it.”
“At least he will not be human,” Khaju countered with a small laugh of his own. “Zhari said they were all awful to the eye.”
If they were, why was my mate potentially about to return to one namedgranny? It did not make any sense…
16
If he does not want to breed you, I will
Melanie
Ihad barely seen Ghauro all day, but felt his eyes on me everywhere I was pulled to. A shiver along my spine, a flutter in my stomach, warmth spreading on my cheek…No matter where Zhari and Eletie took me, his gaze followed.
When I found him again and his hand caught my hips to make me straddle his thighs, my heart settled. The muscles in my cheeks hurt as my smile became the widest it’s ever been when I picked a piece of cooked meat from the thick leaf I held and brought it to his lips.
His eyes gleamed as he started to chew. “Are you having fun,assa perti?”
His brothers turned their curiosity-filled faces to us. “I was worried your people would hate me. They’re all so nice…”
He licked the spicy sauce at the tips of my fingers without breaking our gaze and I internally cursed that we weren’t alone.
“Watch out for a female named Jerakeh,” one of his brothers groaned. “She will not be as nice and welcoming. I am Khaju, by the way. It is nice to meet you.”
His head tilted in some sort of bow so I eagerly did the same. His smile told me it was the right response.
“Who is this…Jerakeh?” I asked, trying to keep my tone playful despite the knots forming in my stomach. “Ghauro’s old lover?” I joked.
“Yes,” Khaju said. For some reason, said stomach fell.Why?It wasn’t like I never had lovers before coming here…None of them would ever be an issue, though… “It happened, what…three years ago?” he asked Ghauro who just grunted, tightening his hold around my waist.
“No, it was two,” the other said. “I’m Thanato.” Like before, I bowed when he did, but the smile on my face was now forced.
“Three or two, she has been relentless ever since,” Khaju continued, brushing it away. “How many times did you have to reject her by now, brother?”
“It does not matter,” Ghauro said, his voice making his chest rumble. “She will not be an issue, she left for another clan in protest before Melanie got here.”
In protest? People had protested against our union?
“Do not fret, little human,” Thanato said with a conspiratorial look, leaning closer and ignoring Ghauro’s growl as he reached my ear. “Your mate does not care for other females.”
“I do not,” my husband grumbled.
