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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Maria lay comfortably in the soft grass, her head nestled in Zepharos’s lap as they lazily watched clouds drift by on a particularly lovely afternoon.

“It’s a donkey,” she said, pointing to a fluffy shape wafting high above.

“I keep telling you, love, I do not know what all these things are. Translation runes only work for things they can actually translate,” her mate replied with a chuckle.

“Well, you do the same to me.”

“Yes, but unlike you, I am aware I’m doing it.”

She reached up and smacked him playfully. “You’re such an ass.”

“Yes, and you love it.”

“I love you .”

“A feeling that is very much reciprocated and then some. What do you say we take the kids for a swim and then make some lunch? Would that please m’lady?”

“Oh, yes, sir. Very much, sir,” she said with a cheery laugh. “And where are they, anyway?”

“Call them. You know they’ll come. ”

“Popcorn! Zippy! Where are you?”

The Llamalians came charging across the far side of the lagoon, racing down the hill, crashing through the brush in their excitement before jumping wildly into the water, swimming straight to their people. A routine they were clearly fond of.

It was a good thing, being able to set roots and actually have a routine.

And that is just what happened when they stumbled upon this magical oasis hidden among the mountains.

The lovers had decided to give it a try.

After finding there was ample food and fresh water as well as a comfortable climate, they’d chosen to remain and had been nesting in this place for months now.

It was comfortable, and safe, and they were loving the unlikely new life that they were building with each other.

Crazy as it would have sounded not so long ago, this was home.

Naturally, Maria had to give the pack animals proper names as soon as their working life was swapped for one of relaxation, grazing, and play.

And now that they were not on the job, the two had become far more gregarious than before.

Sure, they’d liked people, but this was attention overload, and they were loving it.

Given their particularly bouncy and energetic nature, she had opted for descriptive names rather than name-names. It felt right, plus it would be easier if they had names that made sense to her mate as well.

Her mate.

Now that really was crazy. They’d been close before, and their Infalas were slowly growing nearer to full bonding, but more than that, they were simply truly enjoying one another’s company.

Crazy as it sounded, she’d had to be abducted across the galaxy and put through hell on this alien world to find him, but with what they’d built together, she thought it was more than worth it and then some .

As for Zepharos, he was of the same mind, in his own way.

Amazed that after his missteps and misbehavior, along with the terrible consequences thereof, he had turned his life around and found a woman so perfect for him he felt he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming it all.

And unlike many romances, this one went both ways, and it had blossomed organically.

Watching her learn all the myriad skills he had been taught since he was a boy was a joy, and runes or not, she was an incredibly sharp woman.

The way she picked up on all the little nuances, the subtle tricks that came to most only with years of practice, drew him to her even more.

More than that, he was proud of her. Impressed and utterly infatuated.

And, incredibly, his Infala was healing faster and faster, growing closer to match his love’s. And that was what she was. His love. There was no one else he could even think of wanting, and she felt the same.

“Come on, you two. Playtime!” Maria chirped, running and jumping into the crystal-clear lagoon.

Popcorn and Zippy splashed in right behind her, their strong legs and webbed appendages allowing them to practically fly through the water.

While most Llamalians spent some, but not a ton of time in the water, and usually while working as pack animals, these two had adapted to this joy-filled way of life with gusto.

“You too,” Maria called to the shore. “Don’t think you’re getting out of this, mister.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied, shedding his clothes, his gorgeous physique nearly taking her breath away, his muscles so defined and powerful, not to mention the wonderful beast hanging between his legs.

That was another thing that had just kept getting better and better.

Partly because of the sheer frequency and delight they took with one another, learning each other’s preferences and kinks, their rhythms and triggers.

But also because their Infalas were edging nearer to a completed union.

And back at the Oraku village Darla had told her if and when that finally happened, watch out.

“Whoo, boy, that’s something else. Like, seriously, it’s almost too hard to describe.”

“Try.”

“It’s like you’re sharing each other’s body,” she had said, a dazed look in her eye as she recalled her own adventures before snapping back to teaching the new arrival.

“You’ll feel everything. Just be ready. When your Infalas finally do bond, you’ll need to consummate, and quickly.

Believe me, the urge is pure, raw instinct, and you’ll want each other more than anything.

Fortunately, this is a well-known occurrence in the Dotharian realms, and people are very understanding about the needs of new mates. ”

“What do you mean?” Maria asked.

“Let’s just say they’d rather provide you with a nice soundproof room to seal the deal than have you go nuts in the streets. And believe me, the draw is so strong, I wouldn’t be surprised if people have done just that in some cases.”

“Hence getting rooms if you don’t have one.”

“Exactly,” Darla said with a laugh. “You and Zepharos, how crazy is that?”

“He said he had a bit of a reputation.”

“I’m not one to speak ill of people. At least, not usually. Well, okay, sometimes. But you and Zepharos? I really hope it works for you. We’re stuck here on this planet, and us Earth girls deserve a fucking win for once, right?”

“Damn straight.”

“Yeah. So you and Zeph get your freak on and don’t worry about it. Just have fun. ”

And have fun was exactly what Maria and Zepharos had been doing multiple times a day for months, always enjoying one another, sometimes in the most imaginative ways and locations in their lush little hideaway.

Yeah, it’s pretty much perfect, she mused as she swam with the animals, watching the fucking stunningly hot man she called her own slide into the water and swim over to her, greeting her with a very passionate kiss.

Yep. It’d be hard to be any better. This is our life now, and I really don’t want anything more.