Page 104 of The Fighter
“She’s moving in with me today.” I squared my shoulders with pride.
“What? Without being married?” Khan shook his head. “You’re a good man, Leo, but you’re not too bright if you let her move in with you without being married.”
“Why not?”
“Solo and I have known Raven longer than you. She’s not like other women.”
“I know that. Raven is fucking strong and amazing.”
“Sure, but she carries the pressure of wanting to make a difference in the world. Sometimes, that pressure makes her appear tougher than she really is.”
“I understand that.”
“Do you?” Khan’s expression was serious. “Because Raven is special to all of us and we need to be certain that you can handle someone as complex as her. She’s sensitive and soft on the inside but most can’t see it because of the way she presents herself as a badass.”
I nodded. “I get that.”
“Good.” Khan patted my shoulder. “Be strategic! Make sure you get her to marry you fast.”
“Strategic, Lord?” I shook my head to signal I didn’t follow him.
“You don’t want her to think it’s a possibility to live with you without getting married. If you give her that option, she’ll never want to marry. Why would she if she’s getting everything that she needs without having to conform to our tradition of marriage?”
Solo crossed his arms. “Lord Khan has a good point. Motlanders think of marriage as archaic. I know Raven used to think of it that way but maybe her many years in the Northlands have made her more susceptible to the idea. Just tell her it can be a small ceremony at our place in the woods or here at the Gray Manor, with only the closest of friends and family if she prefers.”
Khan looked thoughtful. “Or it can be a large wedding.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but just because she hasn’t agreed to marry me yet doesn’t change that she’s still mine.”
“I hope she agrees.” Solo placed his large palm on my shoulder and shook it. “Did you claim her yet?”
“Yes, several times.”
Khan gave a satisfied smack of his tongue. “Good, then soon we can finally put this police nonsense behind us.”
“Why? Wouldn’t you support Pearl if it was her dream?”
Khan groaned. “Leo, if you knew how much Pearl and I discuss all the crazy things she wants to do. Women aren’t always realistic about what can and can’t be done.”
Solo raised an eyebrow. “True, but Pearl has changed a lot of things around here; you can’t deny that, Lord.”
Khan shifted his balance. “I don’t disagree. Much is better because of her ideas, but it’s a constant balance between supporting her and protecting her from her own naiveté.”
“I get that, Lord.” I gave Khan a small smile. “Still, I doubt Pearl could have done any of it without your support. I reckon it’ll be the same with Raven. She’ll need me in her corner.”
Solo shifted his balance. “That woman is the most stubborn daredevil I’ve met. Willow is a handful, but Raven, oh man, that’s a whole different level.”
I huffed out air. “I know. So far, I haven’t been successful in stopping her from doing anything she wants to. It wasn’t until the crash that she stopped inv… ehh…” I had said too much and made a bad attempt at changing the subject. “Anyway, robotic limbs sound cool.”
I should have known Khan wouldn’t miss a blunder like that. “She stopped what? Are you referring to her investigation?”
It was eerie how he was spot on. I swallowed hard.
“Yeah, I didn’t want her to investigate Dina’s death and now she finally stopped.” Knowing what we had just discovered, I was looking at his elbow.
“I see.” Khan frowned. “But tell me: did Raven find any clues to my sister’s death?”
“Nothing much.” Lying to my ruler could cost me my life; my ears were beginning to get hot.
