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“I’ll be responsible for my choices, but he needs to take ownership of his. I mean it. He doesn’t get to walk all over my boundaries.”

Mara lifted her palms like she was about to offer a wonderful alternative to millennia of avoiding her cousin’s demanding courtship. “We’ll put down some strict guidelines, right from the start.”

“Kahn won’t listen to guidelines.” Randa scoffed.

“He’ll listen to yours.” Mara reiterated firmly. “Judge him by his actions. Let him prove himself. And if he fails, I give you my word, he will not bother you, again. You can renounce him and the entire Council will back you up. He’ll leave you alone.”

Randa frowned. Mara was Queen of the Magnet House. She sat on the Council. When she gave her word, it carried weight. “You can get him to do that?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not agreeing to this Match tonight.” Randa wanted to be clear. “I might never agree. Matches aren’t always the fairy tales we want them to be.”

“Just keep an open mind. Talk to Kahn. For his sake, as well as your own. If you’re genuinely incompatible, he’ll come to see it too.”

Randa chewed her lower lip. That was a reasonable point. Kahn was smart. If they gave their Match a chance and it just wouldn’t work, he’d realize it.

“I know Kahn.” Mara said, like she understood she was making headway with Randa. “I used to style his hair into silly pigtails and make him read picture books to me. He scares people away with his size and his attitude, but the man is a giant teddy bear. He will never hurt you. I swear it on my soul.”

Randa knew Kahn wouldn’t hurt her. Not physically. Right around the time he’d told her his sisters’ names, the man had stopped frightening her.

Mara kept talking, pinpointing all of Randa’s weak spots. “Kahn needs you, more than you need him. Even he realizes that. He’s not going to do anything to hurt you or ruin his chances with you.”

Randa crossed her arms over her chest, fighting the urge to run off to Palermo or Prague or Poughkeepsie. Trying not to let panic dictate her choices.

“What do you need to make you feel secure?” Mara asked.

Randa considered everything for a beat. Weighed her options --her fears against her hopes-- and decided to stay put. For now. “If I even think about giving Kahn a chance, he can’t touch me until I say so.”

“Of course not.”

“And he can’t yell and shout when he doesn’t get his way.”

Mara hesitated. “We’ll work on that one.” She temporized.

“And if I tell him I need space, he’s going to have to back off.”

“He’s giving you space, right now.” Mara pointed out. “You came in here and shut the door, and he stayed away.”

That was true. Kahn could’ve ripped the door into splinters, if he chose. But instead he’d remained in the living room, respecting her boundaries. Just as she’d told Julius, Kahn was in no danger of losing control. It made her feel more confident in her decision.

She trusted him.

“Anything else?” Mara prompted.

“I want it all to be my choice.” She muttered, thinking back to her therapy appointments. “I want to make the decisions.”

“That’s fair, too. I think Kahn’s already made his decision.” Mara looked encouraged by the negotiations. She headed over to open the door, standing in the threshold. “Kahny?”

He was already looming there, looking strained. His eyes went over his cousin’s head, landing on Randa. He exhaled in relief when he saw her standing by the window. “You’re still here?” He asked, even though she was obviously still there, and if she’d left, he surely would have felt it.

She managed a jerky nod anyway, staying far back from the door.

His mouth curved, and the effect was devastating.

Randa quickly looked away from the staggering appeal of the man. “Mara says you can follow some guidelines.” She let the skepticism come through in her tone. “That you’ll listen to me.”

Kahn didn’t try to shove past the Magnet Queen to enter the bedroom. Instead, he grunted in agreement. “I’ll do whatever I have to do. …So what do I have to do?”