Kiera's Home

"She needs a warrior to care for her, not a miner."

"Mining is a respectable profession!"

"Respectable, yes. Able to protect Talal, no," he said firmly.

"You haven't even met him."

"I don't need to. I've seen him at the mines." A'Ran moved away from her. They'd fought once already today. He didn't like it one bit when Kiera was upset and hoped to avoid a confrontation.

"He's strong and loves her. So what if he's not a warrior or from a noble family?" nishani argued. "I'm not a typical Anshan woman, and you mated with me!"

"That's different. I can protect you. He can't protect Talal." A'Ran went to one of the benches in front of the whirling planet projection. He sat down and began tapping the symbols on the control panel in front of him.

The man who had gotten his youngest sister pregnant was barely older than her and far too … different. He wasn't a warrior or from a warrior bloodline. He was tall and thin, his frame just filling out as he transitioned from youth to manhood. He'd been afraid to look at A'Ran the one time they'd met. As the man who'd helped raise his little sister after their parents were killed, A'Ran wasn't ready to see his youngest sister fully grown yet. He also wanted more for his sister than a mere miner.

His hands paused as he considered the idea he was behaving more like their father than her brother.

"You can teach him to fight," Kiera suggested and sat beside him, her thigh pressed to his.

"He's too old to become a warrior."

"I can teach him."

He gave her a look.

"I already invited him to the midday meal," she said. "You can tell him not to come. It'll only crush Talal not to have a father for her child."

A'Ran stared at her. Nishani didn't back down. She'd gotten brave enough to counter him when she felt something was important. She'd changed him in the short time they'd been together. The man he was several weeks ago would've banished the boy who impregnated Talal and forbidden his nishani from going to a toxic planet, even if it was theirs.

"I like him," Kiera added. "You should give him a chance."

"No one tells a dhjan what he should do."

"His nishani does."

A'Ran returned his attention to the control panel. Kiera wrapped her arms around him as she was wont to do and kissed his temple. The tender act always reminded him he'd almost lost this. She knew it, too, and had done this a couple of times before, usually when she wanted him to agree.