Page 36 of Bound By the Vori

“Finally,” he growled, raising his eyes to them. “Fool, you could not just relax his guard long enough for me to administer the sedative before the shoyla caught the females’ scent. It would have solved a lot of problems. It would have made things easier on everyone involved, but it seems that I am going to have to do this myself.”

Kim gaped as she backpedaled, shoving Reggie further behind her as they walked backward across the room. “Inkol, I don’t understand. Why?

The male’s eyes lit up as if with some terrible fire behind them, and a dreadful smile pulled on his face.

“Why not?” he barked a bitter laugh. “Because it is not fair that you have come for him and other guards in the palace, that long-held traditions and rules were abolished out of mercy when I was forced to be mated to the Matriarch—a female who enjoyed me as a male in her nest and as an intimidating guard and plaything, but who never elevated me as high as her other mates. A female who bound me to her, gave me every reason to believe that she felt the bond as deeply as I, and then cast me aside when it was convenient for her. Unsuitable genetics, she said. Then she should have left me so that I could now have a mate of my own. There was no mercy for me, so there shall be none for anyone else either. Your death shall put a halt to the humans coming to Vora. It is not safe on Vora for humans,” he hissed menacingly as he whipped his tail, undulating forward.

Kim’s hands grabbed at open air, wishing for some sort of weapon to make itself magically known—even if an impromptu weapon. Nothing. Damn it. Not even a measly pillow. Everything seemed to slow down as the male whipped toward her, the deadly barb of his tail driving right for her. But it never made its mark. The tail lurched uselessly in the air before crumpling to the ground with its owner. The long barb skewering him slowly pulled free with a wet sucking sound, and the tail slithered over the remains as Shaagra weakly straightened.

A relieved cry burst from Reggie, and she dodged around Kim to hurry to her mate’s side. Blood was seeping across the floor, mingling with the fowl innards of the shoyla. She had no doubt that some of that blood also belonged to Shaagra. The male looked a little worse for wear as he attempted not to lean against his mate.

Kim startled, whirling around at a sudden crash, followed by a low scrape and squeak. Her breath choked her as she tried to mentally prepare herself for yet another attack when suddenly the doors flew open and Rykaal rushed in, his tail whipping across the ground with his speed, Sijhord and Vadal right behind him. Vadal pushed forward as he dashed for Reggie and Shaagra with a distraught look on his face. Their eyes fell on her with a look of relief even as loud wail ripped through the room as the Matriarch rushed in, her eyes fastened on her mate. Dropping down into his gore, she gathered him close to her breast, her keening cries raising through the room. Kim’s eyes fell upon them.

She couldn’t be sorry that Inkol was dead, but her heart ached for Leiora. Despite what the male erroneously believed, his mate had loved him. He just had not known or realized how much in the blindness of his own anger. And the Matriarch never told him. And for that she had lost the male.

Kim wasn’t going to make that mistake. Drawing a shuddering breath, she curled into her mates, allowing their scents to sink into her. “I love you. I love you both so much,” she whispered.

They leaned into her, their words of love filling her ears and heart. Reggie was right. They had always loved her. They were mated. They were bound. And that forever kind of love that she had always dreamed of? She had it all. She had found it being Vori bound.

Epilogue

Five months later

Kim rubbed her belly, her smile growing as she watched Rykaal soberly prepare for the hunt. That wouldn’t be until tomorrow, but she enjoyed watching him inspect his hunting spear and patiently oil it, his big muscles flexing with every move. It was peaceful to watch, especially since the male himself seemed to be at peace.

That peace was hard won. After everything that happened in the palace, returning to any sort of normalcy was difficult. No one blamed them for Inkol’s death, not even the Matriarch, though she was still heavily into her grieving. Careful questioning regarding Inkol’s activity had traced all the incidents back to him, but the damage had been done. A lot of the joy her big mate had for his job had quickly dried up leaving only tension and dread to leave her, as if he expected that someone who would try to kill her again the moment he had his back turned.

Sijhord hadn’t fared any better. Her poor mate had become reclusive, determined to keep her within the nest at all times and souring, growling at anyone who came near them, whenever they left. After several weeks of it, Kim, after many fervent promises to Zana that they would continue their lessons over comm, met with the Matriarch and tendered her resignation. Rykaal’s resignation coming quickly on the heels of that hadn’t surprised anyone.

Now they were home. Kim tipped her head back, enjoying the filtered light of the sun through the thick canopy. The sounds of wildlife filled the air with song. There were dangers of course to living in the jungle but she too had found her peace there. She had the best of both worlds, if she were honest. She still met with Leiora regularly in conference through their comm systems.

Although her mate’s death hit her hard, facing the realization of how and why it had happened had prompted the queen to act as a passionate advocate for mental health and counseling reforms across Vora. On their last conference, Kim had been delighted to hear that Leiora had officially instituted and funded education programs and counseling for both females struggling with the changes on Vora and for males and families seeking help so that the despair Inkol suffered that drove him to such extremes wouldn’t happen again.

Kim also had nearly daily communications from Zana. Despite the distance separating them, the princess hadn’t hesitated to comm her at whim, eager to discuss some pertinent piece of human history or art that she had come across or regale her with her newest novel she was reading. The comm came randomly and at odd times of the day, sometimes even embarrassingly inconvenient times but watching Zana grow was entirely worth it. And the princess gracefully accepted Kim’s tactful refusal to answer some comm when she was otherwise engaged with good humor. It wasn’t like she never saw Leiora or Zana again, either. She made monthly trips with her mates into Evath for supplies for the clan during which she made a point to visit with Leiora and Zana for their promised girls’ nights.

The retreats to Evath were nice but the Rygol clan territory within the Eshani Jungle was home. Her spacious nest was three times larger than their home in the palace’s family dorms, if a little more rustic in appearance. It was still fitted with every conceivable technology, however, so that they lived in comfort even as they embraced a simpler life among Rykaal’s family. She was happy to see her mates finding their spot among the family, most of whom they towered over. To everyone’s surprise, Sijhord took to living in the jungle as if he were born to it. Rykaal’s father Ommi had shocked everyone by laughingly exclaiming that Sijhord could scale a tree and set traps from the large tasty avians and tree climbers quicker than even he could. And with her nestlings due soon, their family would soon be growing even larger.

Sijhord’s large hand rubbed across her belly, easing some of the tension as he cupped the weight of it, giving her some relief.

“Are you well my mate?” he whispered, his flickering tongue teasing her neck. There was heat to his voice and she grinned lazily, knowing exactly what he wanted.

There were the silk cords that Rykaal’s mother, Raaja gave her just that morning—bless the female, she was a devious one who had laughed gleefully when Kim had described exactly what she wanted and why. Despite being heavily pregnant, Kim felt a tingle of anticipation as lust curled deep into her belly as she contemplated tying up her sweet mate to restrain him in ways that had intrigued him every time she threatened it.

Catching a hint of her lust, Rykaal’s tongue flickered and his head lifted, his red eyes darkening with desire as arousal slickened her thighs.

It was a good life.