Page 80 of Infala: Bonded to the Enemy
A Nimenni warrior had entered the area, and he was with a human woman. And not just any Nimenni. This one bore the markings of rank. A general. More, even. This could be bad. He felt his body tense, ready for a fight should it come to that. Shalia, however, had quite a different reaction.
“Hey! Darla! Heydar! Over here!” she called out, waving the pair to come join them. Valin was shocked.
“You know these people? You know a Nimenni general?”
“Yeah, that’s Heydar. He’s a good guy. And Darla there? She’s another survivor from the Raxxian ship that went down here.”
Valin was still processing the information when the two new arrivals sat at their table.
“Darla, Heydar, this is Valin. Valin, this is Darla and Heydar,” Shalia said, positively glowing with happiness. “When did you guys get back?”
She didn’t notice Valin’s hesitation, nor Heydar’s momentary glimmer of tension as he sized up the formidable Dohrag commander.
“We rolled in a couple of nights ago. We heard you were back, but we didn’t want to interrupt you.”
“You could have stopped by and?—”
“Oh, hell no. We know how it is when you first bond. I mean, we’re still in the glow ourselves, right babe?”
“Indeed,” the golden-skinned man replied. Heydar shifted his gaze to the Dohrag. “So, I am to understand you have abandoned your command. Not something I would ever expect from a Dohrag.”
Shalia felt the tension in the air and rested her hand on Valin’s arm. But her lover remained calm. After all they’d been through, this was the least of their worries.
“Yes, you heard correctly. I finally broke free of that life.”
“Again, not something a Dohrag would normally do.”
Valin leaned forward slightly, moving slowly in a non-threatening way. “I sense you have faced my people in the past.”
“On multiple occasions, yes.”
“As a general, I would expect as much. But you and I have not crossed paths, of that I’m certain.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I had worked hard to climb the ranks—anyone with mydisadvantageswould have to. But when I was finally up for a promotion they could no longer deny, I was sent here. Instead of ascending to a warship I was made commander of a supply station.”
“Not exactly what you’d hoped for.”
“No, it wasn’t. But it turns out that was all for the best. I would never have met Shalia if that had not been the case. That, and had it been otherwise, our paths might very well have crossed before today.”
Heydar nodded, studying the man, sizing him up. He was a general, and he’d killed more men than he cared to admit. But more than a fighting machine, he was also a leader and good judge of a man’s character. And this Dohrag, though much to his surprise,feltlike a good man.
He reached out his open hand. “It is a new day, and a new world. And I am pleased to make a new friend.”
Shalia’s tension washed away when Valin took his hand and shook with a firm grip.
“Well said, Heydar. Well said, indeed.”
From that point forward the conversation was entirely relaxed. The women chatted about their Infala revelations, the men discussing somewhat more serious matters, such as the ongoing Raxxian threat. Heydar refrained from bringing up the Dohrag ship that had arrived in orbit a few days prior. That could come later. For the moment, they would stick with lighter fare.
Darla and Shalia had transitioned from casual chatter to outright giggling gossip as they discussed the ins and outs, quite literally, of Infala bonding.
“Just you wait. It gets even better,” Darla said, eyeing her man. “I mean,everythingfeels good once you dial it all in.”
“Oh, it already does, believe me.”
“Really? So quickly? You already feel each other’s sensations, then?”
