Page 13 of The Fighter
I was pacing the rug in front of them. “Maybe the sex was painful to her or maybe he wanted to have it ten times a day and she just needed a break.”
“No man wants to have sex ten times a day,” Jonah pointed out.
“Jonah, we are talking about an Nman here. Compared to you Motlander men they are…” I hesitated.
“Freaks of nature?”
Mila pushed at his shoulder. “Heeeyyy, you make them sound like mutants.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t mean to offend them, but they are insanely large men and if they love sex as much as sports and fighting, then I can see why a young teenage girl like Dina would be overwhelmed.”
“That reminds me… about your tournament, Mila.” I paused. “Leo wants me to put in a good word for him, but I told him I wouldn’t.”
“Why not? I like Leo.”
Jonah got up. “Sorry, ladies, as much as I would love to stick around and help solve the mystery, I have a meeting with Pearl and Khan soon.”
“Okay, then Raven and I will just see you at dinner.”
“Uh-huh.”
I picked up a funky energy from Jonah that made me study him for a second. It didn’t seem like a coincidence that he left just as we were discussing Mila’s upcoming tournament.Is there something going on between Jonah and Mila?I quickly dismissed the idea since I’d never picked up on anything but friendship between them, and it was normal for Motlanders to dislike tournaments. “I don’t want you to marry Leo. He wouldn’t be a good match for you.”
“How can you say that? I’ve heard you say that he’s a strong warrior, and my parents praise him a lot. You know how rare it is for my father to approve of anyone fighting in my tournament?”
“Honestly, Mila, you should have never made that stupid bet to begin with.
She sighed. “I know, sometimes I wonder…” Her eyes wandered to the door.
“If you could just run away from it all?”
Mila pulled her legs up underneath her. “You know how I feel about violence. The idea that some men might die because of me makes me sick. When I made that bet with my father I never in a million years thought he would do it.”
“Wearing a bead in his beard for a full year is a small price for him to pay. You know how badly he wants you to marry the strongest man in the country.”
“Well, at the time, no Nman with respect for himself would put beads in his beard. That was a fashion only seen among the men in the Motherland. You know how Magni resents the femininity of the Motlander men. I was so sure he wouldn’t do it.”
“Well, he did. And now every other man in this country is wearing a black bead in his beard to look as fierce as your father.”
Mila threw up her hands. “He’s trying to protect me by making sure that I marry someone who is strong enough to secure my safety.”
“I know. I would just never have a tournament myself and I would’ve sworn you were the last woman to have one.”
“Why? My parents married in a tournament and they are very happy together.”
Taking three steps I walked to the sofa and sat down next to Mila. “If you marry someone like Leo, things are going to be a lot different in your life. There’s no way he would be okay with you having male friends like Jonah. Leo is just as overprotective and annoying as every other Nman. If you ask me, they are all one colossal pain in the butt.”
“So, what do you suggest I do?”
“For now, I suggest you take me to talk to Erika. I’ll bet she can tell us who the two men in the photo are.”
“All right. But you have to be gentle with my grandmother. She lost a daughter and I won’t have you interrogating her with hard questions.”
My smile was innocent. “I promise to be mild as a lamb.”
“Good. Then let’s do it.”
CHAPTER 5
