Chapter 15:
Renall’s hands closed on nothing. He had hoped she would leave those things there, say that she wanted to be with him. But he could not blame her for not doing so.
He had been a fool. He had offered her nothing. No security, no safety, not even his protection. Just the promise he would get her father and brother from serio-max and get all of them into a property on his planet, not close to his home of course, but near enough for him to travel to see her.
“I’m an idiot.”
He was. He was an idiot about to wed a being he did not want to wed or mate with while the woman he wanted more than anything else, more than even the planet he had dreamed so long of owning, was leaving him in her dust.
And he had only himself to blame.
Talon entered the room. He asked, “You all right?”
“No.”
The terse word was the only answer he could give that would be truthful. Marik and Jeval entered next. They were all dressed and ready to depart. They looked at him. Talon sighed then said, “Listen, if you break the pact—we won’t disown you.”
Renall wanted to both laugh and cry at the same time. “I can’t.”
Jeval said, “Yes you can. Tell Morilan you will give him the rest of the credits to make his stupid temple and call it even. That he can keep both the temple and his daughter and remain your friend or he can fight that decision and become your enemy.”
Renall said, “I can’t. I made a promise and now, more than ever, I can’t break it. We’re wanted. Despite the Federation having no reach to our planet, we still have to worry about bounty fetchers and the like.” He gave Talon a long look. “If you survive this foolish decision to go after the Gorlites, that is. What is more, I cannot afford to make an enemy of him and his people, and you know it.”
“I do know it,” Talon said. “I also know I would rather have you happy, even if it means being without their support, than see you saddled with a being you do not want in your life or bed, and who perhaps is not even ever going to love you as much as your credits.”
“Me too,” Jeval said.
Marik said, “If need be, we can find a way to protect our planet. We had discussed many ways of doing so long before you struck that bargain.”
They had. And he had considered all of those things. His head dropped. “I appreciate it. I do. But the truth is, she won’t go with me. I really angered her and…”
Talon said, “Then you better use every bit of that logic of yours to try to convince her before she gets gone.”
Talon was right. It came down to a simple choice. If he wanted Clara or not, and he did.
