“Ffffffuuuuu,” she gasped as she came almost at once despite trying to hold back, Heydar lapping up the gush of juices he had coaxed out of her.

He let her body stop twitching before sliding up and giving her a kiss, their fluids mingling in their mouths with their intertwined tongues.

“Hot damn,” she said.

“Indeed.”

They rested comfortably in each other’s arms a few minutes, then straightened up and gathered their gear. They still had a long trek ahead of them, but if they could somehow keep their hands off one another long enough, they just might be able to make it all the way back to the Oraku village by nightfall.

With their chemistry, Darla gave it a fifty/fifty chance.

The hike, and satisfying orgasms preceding it, made the miles fly by, the sun’s invigorating rays adding additional stamina to their legs as they hurried across the varied terrain. Darla felt the sunlight in a different way now, settling into her entire body rather than irritating various runes in an unpredictable series of fits and starts.

If Heydar was correct, that meant she was just about fully cooked, to use her mother’s old expression for completing some form of personal growth.

“So, are you ever going to tell me about this whole military commander thing?” she asked as they walked, thinking back to Kuxx’s words. “I’ve seen what you can do. Why did you let the Raxxians hold you prisoner?”

Heydar seemed reluctant, but he respected her curiosity. More than that, he felt she was deserving of an answer.

“My men and I were engaged in a fierce battle with the Raxxians. The world and circumstance are not important. We were overwhelmed and captured.”

“And you didn’t try to break free?”

“Initially, yes. But our captors made it clear that my men would be the first killed if another attempt was to be made. We were separated then, spread to different holding areas on the ship.”

“So, your friends were still up there.”

“They were, though I do not know how many survived after we were moved apart. But I had an obligation to them. To do all I could to ensure they might live a little longer.”

Darla realized now why he had been so quiet. So brusque. “You were holding back to protect them even though you could have saved yourself.”

Heydar’s jaw flexed slightly as he nodded. Darla knew better than to push. But this explained his eagerness to help find other survivors. It wasn’t just humans he was looking for, but also his comrades, if they still lived.

They walked quietly after that, content in each other’s presence, not needing to fill the air with aimless talk. Dusk was falling when the Oraku village came into sight, and Darla felt a strange tug beneath her shirt as they drew near. They quickened their pace in unison, eager to end the trek with a good meal, good company, and eventually a good night in bed.

The villagers came out to greet them as they drew near, a buzz of excitement stirring the air as they walked into town. Rohanna, the elder, was there, along with everyone else they had met. Zepharos was there, chatting with a very interested group of males. It seemed their fate was something of a question mark among them, and a few wagers had been placed. All were eager to hear what came of the rescue attempts.

“You return empty-handed, I see,” Rohanna said.

“Not exactly,” Heydar replied. “We did not encounter Raxxians on our journey, but we did come across some Dohrags.”

Rohanna crinkled her nose in disgust. “Dohrags. We have done well to avoid them but have heard of their unspeakable antics. Clearly, you managed to avoid them as well, gods be praised.”

“Actually, we were captured,” Darla said.

Gasps fluttered through the crowd.

“It’s okay. Heydar busted us out of there.”

Rohanna turned to him with a curious look. “Oh?”

“It is true,” he said. “And we freed a great many enslaved prisoners in the process, including another from Darla’s world. She will be joining us here once she and the others have finished returning the freed captives to their homes.”

“That is marvelous!” Rohanna chirped. “And this may even smooth over relations among some of the rival factions always fighting one another.”

“It was our hope,” Heydar agreed.

Rohanna moved over to Darla and gestured for Tikanna to join them. The crowd parted and the old woman took her place beside her friend and leader. The elder nodded toward Darla. Tikanna got what she meant and moved closer to the human, poking her exposed skin, testing the lines and runes embedded in it.

“Incredible,” she said. “The pigment is fully merged with her body. The process is complete.”

Darla felt the tug inside her pulling harder now that she was aware of what it was. Tikanna saw the look in her eye and smiled. She looked at Heydar next, her smile faltering slightly.

“Let me see your Infala, child,” she said.

It dawned on Darla what was happening, and she was strangely okay with it. She would be bound to her man, and suddenly that wasn’t such a bad idea.

Darla pulled her top down from the collar, exposing the dark rune on her neck, the white highlights faintly glowing in the dimming light.

“Ah, as I thought. You are bonded.”

Darla’s cheeks flushed with excitement as she turned to Heydar, her eyes full of love and longing, showing him the mark now settled in its permanent form. But something was off. His eyes did not share her joy.

“Heydar, what is it?” she asked.

His jaw tensed and his eyes glistened as he lifted his shirt, exposing the Infala on his sternum. It was not the same as hers, and it remained as dark and motionless as ever.

Darla looked around, confused. “No. No, no, no. This can’t be right.”

“The Infala does not lie,” Tikanna said, turning to the crowd. “Who among you feels the pull of the Infala?” she asked in a loud, steady voice. “Step forward and join with your bonded mate!”

A murmur and rustling in a group of males made everyone turn and stare. One stepped forward. One Darla knew all too well.

“Zepharos, do not play,” Tikanna chided.

He lifted his shirt, exposing the Infala resting on his flank. The highlights were slight, but they were glowing. His rune matched. Darla spun around to face Heydar, panic and confusion in her tearing eyes.

“No, it’s supposed to be you!”

Heydar’s gaze shifted to the ground, unable to lock eyes with her, his shoulders, normally held back and his head high now exuding sadness and resignation.

“We cannot fight it, Malaika. It is the law. More than that, it is the way of the Infala.”

He lifted his eyes, meeting hers for one heart wrenching moment, then turned and walked away.

“What? No! This isn’t right!”

A jolt of strange power surged through her when a hand clasped her wrist. Zepharos had come to her side, his Infala drawing him to her as hers tried to draw her to him. It was overwhelming, the sensation. As if everything right in the world was telling her to go with this man. But her heart was breaking even as hormones, or magic, or whatever this rune was forced her to follow him as he led her from the public square.

“Come. We are going to my home,” he said, lust clear in his eyes. “Now.”

Her legs unsteady, Darla followed him in a daze, blindsided and utterly adrift.

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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Zepharos led Darla quickly to his abode, the newly bonded pair making a quick and perfectly expected exit from the group. All present knew where they were going and what they would be doing. It was the way of the Infala, after all, a part of their laws and traditions older than any could begin to remember.

Once a couple had found their life mate, drawn closer and closer until they finally saw each other’s matching Infala rune, the two would feel an irresistible need to consummate things as soon as possible, setting in stone their union once and for all.