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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Infala bonding.

Mating.

With an alien. It was weird, sure, but surprisingly less than she had expected.

Maria had become accustomed to the differing looks and morphologies of the wide array of races she’d encountered while in captivity, and after a while she stopped really seeing them as all that different.

There were obviously drastic variations, such as sporting thick scales, or a tail, or in one man’s case, a set of stubby horns.

But for the most part she just took them as people at this point.

It was the translation rune that really helped, in her opinion.

It wasn’t like it was something the others really thought about, but as a total newcomer to this world, and having absolutely no exposure to aliens until just recently, the ability to openly communicate with ease really made it easier to get to know people.

Especially during her confinement in the transport container with the other captured slaves-to-be.

They had nothing to do but sit and talk, and before she even realized it, she just thought of them as people, not aliens .

Of course, technically, she was the alien here.

A visitor from a distant planet, and not even part of the Dotharian Conglomerate.

But now she’d been marked with the obligatory runes, and more than that, she was actually bonding with the most wonderful, considerate man she could have imagined.

That he was the one who had saved her was just icing on the cake, and the fact he’d not done so with any intentions of getting in her pants, but rather because he felt it was the right thing to do, only made him the more desirable.

And sure, he had pale-green skin, but he was humanoid in form, and despite any fun alien attributes to his special bits, the two of them functioned just fine in that department. Better than fine, in fact. And as their Infala bond strengthened, it was only getting better.

Where the idea of being told who you were to mate with by some living pigment etched into your skin had been an utterly foreign concept to her when she first learned of it, now that she was experiencing it firsthand Maria couldn’t imagine a more perfect union.

She was his, and he was hers, and that as all there was to it.

And best of all, it wasn’t just their Infalas talking.

They’d already become quite fond of one another well before their runes got in on the action.

And as for that interesting wrinkle in their budding romance.

Zepharos had a theory. One he was refining as they spent their time trekking, camping out, and having a far more enjoyable and romantic time than one would ever expect of an escaped prisoner and her rescuer as they fled unknown retribution.

Days turned into weeks, and as they covered more and more distance, the worrying ship sightings became less frequent.

There were still craft up there, naturally, but they appeared to be of the standard transport variety, lazily making their way from city to city at higher altitudes rather than the lower trajectory normally followed by a tracker’s ship as it scanned the surface.

Just as reassuring were the few interactions they had with fellow travelers.

It was bound to happen eventually, no matter how cautious and hidden they remained.

At some point they would bump into someone else.

But the people they’d met had been friendly and open, happy to chat with some new faces and perhaps share a bite or a drink before parting and heading their separate ways.

And as relaxed and in love as the couple clearly were, the vibes they were giving off were anything but tense.

They looked as much like fleeing fugitives as a watermelon looked like a pony. It was simply inconceivable.

They’d worked out a cover story on the way, naturally, as there was no way they could entirely avoid chance encounters. So, they prepared themselves thoroughly, creating characters and easily slipping into their false personas on those few occasions when they were required.

Surprisingly at first, they both found that playing other people entirely was kind of fun in its own way, and each time they left those encounters high on the thrill of their role-playing.

Something they continued with well into the dark hours, their adopted personas having quite a fun time of it in all manner imaginable.

More than just fun times, they were also getting to know each other.

To truly know each other, being completely open about everything.

Hopes, dreams, fears, and regrets. It was something that might have required a lot more time together to achieve under any other circumstances, but with their Infala bond strengthening slowly but surely as Zepharos’s damaged Infala healed, so too did their intimate connection.

In less than a month they had already developed that crazy shorthand you find with people who have been together for years, even though these two had essentially just met.

But with the Infala binding them closer and closer, it quickly became clear that they were blowing past the usual preliminaries almost entirely and jumping straight into the good stuff.

But it was more than just physical and emotional. Maria was reveling in the seemingly endless new skills required for living in the wild, and Zepharos was truly shining in his new role as not just a romantic partner, but also a teacher.

He’ll make a great dad one day , Maria caught herself thinking one afternoon as she listened to him explain the different ways to tie the trigger line for a deadfall trap. Did I just think that? I-I guess I did .

The revelation that she was looking at him as more than just a partner and friend, but potential co-parent shook her to the core.

She’d never really wanted children before, but now?

With this marvelous mate at her side, it suddenly didn’t sound so daunting at all.

In fact, growing a family with him sounded downright delightful.

“You’re a quick study, you know. You never fail to impress me.”

“I’ve got the best teacher.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far. But I’m proud of you, Maria. You’ve come so far from when we first met. And now with your runes complete and connected, it’s been an absolute joy to see you grow into your new strength and abilities.”

She’d always been in shape, but he was quite right about the pretty drastic improvements.

He’d said everyone reacted differently, and, it seemed, she was one of the lucky ones whose runes powered her up more than most. She was strong , and she was fast. Agile and resilient.

And best of all, her boundless energy allowed them to put on far more distance in the day, as well as make ridiculously passionate love at night.

And sometimes in the day.

And morning .

And everywhere in between, when the mood hit, which it did quite often.

But what had caused the shift? What had triggered what he had assumed to be impossibly out of reach? That theory finally refined into a near certainty.

“It had to be the waters we drank,” he mused as his hands did their handiwork, knotting and securing the lines slowly so his love could better observe.

“You’ve said that before. And yeah, we both really, really reacted to them. But there’s just no way to be sure.”

“I realize that. It’s just something that pops into my head on occasion.

A mystery that, while unsolved, I am nevertheless quite grateful for.

It’s so unusual to bond once in your life.

And twice? Even after the damage my Infala received?

It’s unheard of. Finding your Infala mate is not an everyday occurrence, you know. ”

“I do. But if you’re right, then the fact we both drank the water and had its effects in our systems when Heydar finalized my Infala would mean that it was that shared surge in connectivity that sparked it.

And, logical as that may be, I kind of like not knowing for sure.

It’s kind of romantic, the thought that your body simply couldn’t live without me, forcing itself to heal so we could unite. ”

He nodded his agreement, stopping that line of thought. Of course, it would still be in the back of his mind from time to time, but she was right. This was a blessing, and one he would be wise not to question.

“Whatever it is, I’m just grateful to be with you.”

“And I with you,” she replied, her smile broad and full of joy. “But the sacrifices you’ve made for me?—”

“Are nothing compared to what we have, and I would make the same decision a hundred times more if given the opportunity. ”

“But don’t you miss home?”

He shrugged. “No, not really.”

Maria knew him far better than that, even without their Infalas binding their hearts and souls. “I know you do. And I do feel bad you had to leave on my account.”

Zepharos sighed. “Of course, I do miss it a little , but that is only natural. But I hope that one day we will be able to return, free of the threat of the chancellor’s goon squad.”

“I’d really like that. Your village, it’s full of the most wonderful, kind people. And there are two human residents as well. It would be nice to get to know them better.”

“I’m sorry, my love.”

“It’s okay. One day we will go back.”

“You have my word on it. But sadly, it may not be for a long time. Not so long as you are at risk.”

Maria surprised him with a laugh, her mirth in the face of adversity just one more thing to add to the already long list of reasons he was head-over-heels for her. “Will I ever not be? With my luck, who knows?”

“I wish I could say. But as long as we have each other, we will be okay. And you, my dear, are all I need in my world. So long as we’re together, life will be just fine.”