“That’s the second time you’ve said that. Why do you keep calling me that?”

His jaw clenched, and for a moment he looked crushed, but he composed himself quickly.

“The Lavrika allows warriors a vision of their mate and it awakens the sacred mate bond between them. Many days ago, I was summoned here to see my mate. And I saw you in the pools.” His face softened. “And then, some days after that, I found you. And my life has been bathed in glory ever since.”

I flushed. Damn. Had he been saying stuff like this to me the whole time? I might not have fought his advances off so much if I’d known that I was bathing his life in glory. If a human guy had such a thing to me, I would have laughed my ass off. But when Buroudei said it, it didn’t sound over the top. It just sounded sincere and true. Plus, the fact he was gorgeous and hulking and brooding helped. My eyes trailed over his face, his neck, his shoulders -

“Oh my God, wait, your shoulder! That guy with the knife. He got you! Are you OK?”

I sat back up and crawled over to him, my hands brushing across his skin and finding no sign of the battle.

Buroudei caught my hands in his, drawing them to his chest.

“The Lavrika’s blood healed me as well as you.”

I glanced over at the shining body of liquid next to me. It looked like the same glowing milky stuff Rika used at the healers’ tent. I guess Buroudei and I both took a little bath. I didn’t seem wet, though. It definitely wasn’t a normal liquid.

Relief coursed through me as I turned my eyes back to Buroudei, and I couldn’t hold back the flood of emotions that came with it. My throat tightened, and tears burned in my eyes.

“When I was alone in there, in all that white, all I could think about was getting back to you.”

The admission made me feel raw and vulnerable, but I wanted to be vulnerable with Buroudei. Because I knew that he would keep me safe.

He groaned, capturing my face with his strong hands, then crashed his mouth against mine. I opened immediately against the onslaught, tears streaming more freely now. Buroudei pulled back when he felt the wetness on my cheeks and dabbed at them curiously.

“What does this mean, this wetness from your eyes?”

I laughed, rubbing the back of my hands across my eyes quickly.

“I guess it’s a human thing. It happens when we’re sad.”

Buroudei looked horrified, and I rushed to explain.

“Or happy! Or relieved. Or stressed. Or if there’s a physical injury. Basically when anything intense or overwhelming happens, someone might cry.”

Burouei looked as if he were thinking hard.

“To cry... This is a human thing. Human is the name of your tribe?”

“I guess you could say that.” Even with my newly acquired language skills, I still wasn’t sure how to explain how I’d gotten here. But Buroudei seemed satisfied for the moment.

“Human or not, you are now a woman of the Sea Sands. Once we are mated, you will be crowned the Gahnala of our tribe. And together we will rule our territory and have many cubs.”

Somehow I had more questions now that I could understand Buroudei than I had had before. Mated? What did that mean? Like, going all the way? What was a Gahnala? And many cubs? Like, kids? Little half-human, half-kangaroo gladiator babies?

I sighed, pressing my thumb and forefinger to the bridge of my nose and pinching.

“I feel like we have a lot to talk about,” I muttered.

Buroudei stood and held his hand out for me, the human gesture that now looked so natural on him. Without hesitation, I took it, warmth spreading through my whole body. He looked happier than I’d ever seen him. And despite all the weirdness of this moment, it was beautiful to see.

“Come, my mate. We have time. The journey home is long.”

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OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Buroudei

The Lavrika was a truly generous being. It had brought me the perfect mate, it had saved her life, and had now given us the gift of a shared tongue. I could not have imagined the joy I felt when Zeezee spoke and I understood her for the first time. Her beautiful voice was no longer a tremulous, nonsensical song in my ears. I could start to understand her precious thoughts. And I could have her understand mine.

I wrapped my arm tighter around her as we journeyed home over the sands on the irkdu. The night air was full of her questions, but I did not mind. I would spend every moment of the rest of my life answering her questions, if it pleased her. I had questions of my own, but they could wait until her curiosity was satisfied.

“So, explain this mate thing to me again?”

I bent and smiled against her hair. With pleasure.

“Mating is when a cock and a cunt join in great pleasure to create a cub.” I hardened at the thought, my flesh aching at her back.

“No, God, I know that. I mean, tell me more about how mates get chosen and what that means.”

I frowned, ignoring the fact I did not know the word God, and tried to explain.

“It is much as I have said. Warriors are called by the Lavrika to see their mate. This awakens the sacred mate bond between them, which means they now live their lives for each other. It is like awakening to the reason for your existence.” I smiled as I remembered the first time I saw Zeezee.  A glorious explosion of destiny.

“So only warriors get called to see their mate? And that automatically makes the woman in love with him?”

“I do not know what in love with means.”

She sighed, bringing her delicate fingers to her chin and rubbing.

“It means that you love them more deeply than anyone or anything else. That you want to spend your whole life with them. Maybe it’s more complicated than that, but that’s the gist of it. At least for me.”

This was familiar to me.

“Yes, the sacred mate bond is like being in love.” I fought disappointment as I realized what her question meant. That she did not feel the sacred mate bond awaken the way I had. “You ask when the mate bond awakens in the woman. It should awaken the moment the warrior sees her face in the pools.” I paused, trying to ignore the band of pain tightening around my chest. “Does this mean that it did not awaken in you? You are not in love with me?”

She grew still, her back stiffening. Her voice was quiet when she spoke next.

“I didn’t say that.”

I did not know what to make of that.

“Based on what you said, I am in love with you. I feel that I must be the most in love of any warrior who has ever lived. How does a human warrior make his woman be in love?” Whatever it was, I would do it.

Zeezee groaned.

“You really have a way with words, you know that? And you can’t make someone be in love. Humans don’t work that way. We fall in love. For some people it happens quickly, for some it takes more time.”

“But how does it happen?” I could not keep the growl of irritation out of my voice. All this talk of falling and time was making me impatient. I wished to understand immediately so that I could make Zeezee be in love with me right now.

“Nobody knows. It’s different for everyone.”

I tried not to be dismayed.

“But how is it for you?”

She laughed softly.

“I don’t really know, to be honest. I guess it kind of happens in stages. You meet someone, then you start to like them, then you like them a whole lot, then maybe if all goes well you fall in love with them. But then again there’s also love at first sight, so who knows...”

The mating rituals of the humans made no sense to me. But my perfect mate was human, and I would learn her ways.