Chapter Ten
Bannack kept his eyes closed as he asked the question, part of him worried that Loralia wouldn’t be as willing to go back above ground, and that he might have to try to get used to living down in her world. When she didn't answer, he opened his eyes to look at her. He saw her eyes widen and he smiled.
"They change color after we've found our mate," he explained, knowing that the orange of his eyes had surprised her.
As much as it had worried him that he was going to have to learn about an entirely new species in order to be with her, he realized that it felt completely natural to explain the Denynso to her and let her explain her kind to him. He enjoyed discovering the new things about her and looked forward to each new detail that he would uncover in their lives together. She still hadn't answered his question and he looked directly into her eyes, trying to make the connection that the Denynso were able to make with their mates. He didn't hear anything.
Tilting his head quizzically at her, he tried harder to make the connection.
"What?" she asked.
"What are you thinking right now?"
"What do you mean?"
"What are you thinking right now?" he repeated.
"That that was incredible," she admitted, "and wondering how long it will be until we can do it again."
He laughed softly.
"Soon," he told her.
"Why did you want to know what I was thinking?"
"When my kind find our mates and bond, our minds connect. We're able to reach each other's thoughts and communicate just by thinking. I can't hear your thoughts."
"So I'm not your mate?"
Loralia sounded devastated and confused, and Bannack felt her start to pull away from him. He held her tighter and pulled her against him again.
"No, no. You are. If you weren't, my eyes wouldn't have changed. We just can't read each other's thoughts."
"Could it be because I'm not a Denynso?"
"The human women are able to communicate with their mates."
Bannack worried that she was going to be upset, but she smiled at him.
"I guess you are just going to have to settle for trusting and loving me."
"I do," he replied.
"Which one?"
The smile had faded from her lips and she was looking at him in a way that felt like she was looking into his soul.
"Both. I trust you," he leaned forward and touched a kiss to the middle of her chest, "and I love you."
"I love you, too."
Their mouths met again and he drew her as close to his body as he could. He was still buried deep within her and he felt himself hardening again. Loralia began to roll her hips slowly, and he carefully turned her, resting her on her back and coming down on top of her.
Two days later Bannack stood in the row of warriors in the meeting hall, his eyes fixed on Creia even though his thoughts were focused on the table behind him. He knew Loralia was sitting there among the human women, gazing at his back. Even though he still couldn't listen to her thoughts or communicate with her with his mind, he could feel her. He could sense her presence and it was at once empowering and soothing. With her near him he was calm and in control, but felt stronger and more powerful than he ever had.
"Many times we have come to this room to honor the courage and bravery of our warriors," Creia said from his platform, "but tonight it is for a different reason. Our men have walked into battle without fear and have come back victorious. They have always protected our home and our kind, and have offered up their lives to ensure we can live comfortably. Tonight they prepare for a challenge that none have faced. Tomorrow these warriors will leave the compound and be the first Denynso to venture out onto Uoria. We don't know what adversities they may encounter or what threats they will find. Tonight we feast for tomorrow we watch them walk toward something even more frightening than the risk of death: the unknown. I know that each of them is prepared and that they will show the same strength, determination, and mastery that they have in everything else that they have done."
Bannack's spine straightened even further at his king's words. He dreaded leaving Loralia after having just found her, but now more than ever he understood the need for their journey. He had promised her that he would keep her safe, and he intended to do everything in his power to ensure that he kept that promise.
(To be continued in Part III…)