Chapter Seven

I stared unseeing at the cup in my hands. All around me, the village women chatted as they cooked. I felt their stares, but I could not summon the energy to answer the unspoken questions. Had it been only two days? It felt like I had lived months in the time I was with Muram.

I felt different. Changed. Even if no one else knew, I felt like a woman who had known love. How was I going to return home and act like nothing had changed? Was I really going to marry someone else?

My thoughts ground to a halt. Someone else? Had I planned to marry Muram? I huffed a humorless laugh and several women glanced at me. I ignored the looks they exchanged. How would that work?

We were not the same. And what about my job? I had proof of the Crimson Sun Lily's existence in the park. I had the means to stop the deforestation. Was I going to throw that away to run off into the jungle?

"What troubles you?" a voice suddenly asked.

I turned my head to see Emak standing at my side. She gave me a long look and jerked her head toward the door. I glanced around. All of the stares were directed elsewhere. I rose to my feet and followed Emak from the building.

"You saw him, didn't you?" she asked the moment we were out of earshot.

"Who?" I hedged.

Emak squinted at me. "The Ahool. Muram."

I raised my eyebrows. Despite what Muram had said about the village giving him his name, part of me shied away from revealing him. But if Emak already knew…

"Does everyone here know about him?" I asked.

Emak huffed. "Of course. So, as I said, what troubles you?"

"I found the flower I was looking for," I said.

"And this upsets you?" Emak asked.

"No. Yes." I sighed. "Maybe a little."

"Hmm." Emak gestured for me to walk with her.

We strolled down the main street in silence until we reached the edge of town where the jungle began to encroach. I turned to face her, but she was still looking out at the trees.

"There were once many Ahool in this jungle," she said. "But as the jungle shrank, so did their numbers. And now, there is only one." She sighed heavily. "I admit, our village was not always kind to the Ahool. Our ancestors feared them. Time has a way of changing hearts and minds."

"What are you saying?" I whispered. My eyes shifted toward the trees before moving back to Emak.

"Muram is special to us," she said. "I must know what happened between you."

I shifted under her heavy gaze. "He helped me find the Crimson Sun Lily."

"That mark on your forehead," Emak said, giving it a pointed look. "It was not there when you left, and it would not be healed as much as it is without the right care. Muram treated your wounds."

"Yes," I said hesitantly.

"Did you spend the night with him?" Emak asked bluntly.

I stared at her. "No! Nothing like that. I was alone in his nest and he stayed outside."

Emak eyed me shrewdly. "He showed you his wings, didn't he?"

I inhaled so sharply that I almost choked. "What?"

Emak nodded like my reaction was answer enough. "It's called displaying." She dropped her head. "It's done then."

"What's done? I don't understand."

As I looked between her and the jungle a coldness began to settle in my stomach. Why did she sound sad? She could not know how I felt about Muram. How hard it was going to be to take the truck to the airport tomorrow.

"It is said, an Ahool will only display once and then never again," Emak said. "The Ahool mate for life, and the display is for their chosen."

I took a step back. "I have to get my proof back to the university. I can't stay here."

Emak gave me a curious look. "Would you want to?"

"What?"

"Would you want to stay if you did not have to return to the city?" Emak repeated. "There are other ways to transport information, Anissa."

I opened my mouth to disagree and paused. "Why are you saying this?"

Emak's dark eyes searched my face. "Because you are different now. There is a longing in you that was not there before."

I swallowed hard. I could not stay here. I had responsibilities. A job. My parents and brothers.

"Muram is not human," I pointed out.

Emak nodded. "That is true, but do you think that makes a difference in the eyes of Allah?"

Emak"s question hung heavy in the air, and I found myself at a loss for words.

Her gaze softened as she looked at me. "Love knows no boundaries, Anissa. It is not confined to the shape of our bodies or the color of our skin. It is a force that transcends all physical limitations and connects us at the deepest level of our being."

I felt a lump form in my throat as I tried to process her words. She made it seem so easy. But I would not live in sin with anyone. Not even Muram.

"My grandparent"s Nikah was done in the local way," Emak said gently. "Just the two of them. My grandfather gave my grandmother a portion of his land as his Mahr so that everything grown on it belonged to her. They lived many years together blessed by Allah."

I tried to imagine it. Standing in that clearing full of flowers again, my hands held in Muram's as we accepted each other as husband and wife in the eyes of Allah. And all that would follow such a contract. So many things that were no longer forbidden once we were married. I felt my cheeks heat.

Emak"s words lingered in the air between us, and I could not help but feel a sense of longing in my heart. I had never considered the possibility of staying in the village, of building a life with Muram. But now, the idea seemed to take hold of me, refusing to let go.

"If I want to save this jungle, I have to go back," I said finally.

Emak tilted her head. "Not necessarily."

∞∞∞

I made it to my nest and after staring up at it, I eased back against a tree and slid to the ground. I thought my nest was painful before it held Anissa, but now it was a reminder of how close I had been to what I truly desired. She slept in my nest, allowed me to care for her, hold her. And our kiss. I would hold that memory close until my life faded.

Already, I could hear her voice calling me from a distance. Beckoning me into the next life. I sighed, my head falling back against the tree trunk with a thump. The jungle was alive around me, but all I could hear was the sound of my Kekasih's voice slowly approaching. The pain faded as her voice grew louder, and I closed my eyes.

If this was death, it was surprisingly nice. The birds in the branches above me called out a warning. My eyes flew open to see a familiar form pushing through the undergrowth toward me. I frowned. It could not truly be her.

She wore pure white pants and tunic and a crimson scarf over her head and neck. She looked up as my eyes landed on her face and our eyes met. Anissa? But how? I slowly rose to my feet, the pain fading by the minute.

"Why?" I asked when she reached me.

"I couldn't leave," she said. She gave me that same soft look I loved so much. "I want to be with you."

Maybe I had died after all. There was no other explanation.

"You want to stay?" I whispered. Please do not let this be a dream, I begged anyone who would listen. Do not let it be a last beautiful hallucination before the end. I could not take it.

Anissa approached me slowly as if I were a frightened animal. How bad must I look for her to be so careful with me? My throat was too tight to speak.

"I think you care for me," Anissa said. She only hesitated for a moment before she reached up to cup my face. "I care for you, too."

My eyes burned. "You do?"

She smiled faintly. "I do."

I was helpless to resist the gentle pull of her hands. I lowered my head until she touched her cheek to mine. "Marry me, Muram," she whispered.

I gasped and clutched her body close to mine. "Truly?"

Anissa pulled back to look up at me with teary eyes. "The Holy Quran says, ‘And one of His signs is that He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest in them, and He put between you love and compassion.'" She smiled softly. "I think we were created of each other."

"Yes," I said. "I will marry you in the way of your kind. I will bond with you any way you are willing."

"Then it is done," Anissa said, nuzzling her face into my chest.

As easy as that? I closed my eyes, feeling for that sharp broken piece inside me. The bond that never was. But there was nothing. Only the glowing warmth of completion.

"Take me to our nest, husband?" Anissa looked up at me shyly.

I carefully scooped her into my arms. With a flap of my wings, I launched us upward. Carrying her inside the nest the second time was surreal. After her injury, panic and concern had dulled the effect of seeing her inside my nest. But with her awake and smiling in my arms, it hit me all at once.

We were bonded. Married. I gently set her on her feet to open the chest at the back of the nest. It was an heirloom, passed down from my father and his father before him. I lightly stroked the bride names carved into the wood, representing over a dozen bonded pairs.

I did not think I would ever open it. When I made the nest and wove the bonding cloth, I had no hope of using it. But I made it as beautiful as I could anyway. As I turned to present it to my beloved, her expression made all of the effort worth it.

She silently watched me arrange the cloth, pallet, and pillows into a comfortable sleeping surface. When I finished, I knelt and held out my hand to her. She took it without hesitation.

We knelt together in the center of the bedding, both of us looking down at her hands in mine. I had never let myself imagine this moment. Anissa lifted her hands to unwind her scarf. As she released her hair, it fell around her shoulders like dark silk. Long and glossy and even more beautiful now that I was permitted to see it.

I longed to reach for her, but I waited patiently as my wife slowly removed her clothes. When she was bare above the waist, she moved closer. I lightly ran my knuckles up the side of her neck and sank my fingers into the warm weight of her hair. She sighed and closed her eyes. She was so lovely, I could not decide where to touch her first.

I stroked the back of her neck, as I trailed my other hand down the center of her body. Grazing the small swells of her breasts and the vulnerable softness of her belly. She giggled when I circled her navel with a fingertip. I smiled at her and caressed up her ribs to cup one breast. Her laugh ended in a soft moan.

I had never seen a human woman unclothed, but I knew all others would pale in comparison to my love. I carefully rubbed over her small brown nipple, watching her lips part in pleasure.

"How does it feel?" I asked, lightly tugging on the hardening flesh.

"Good!" she gasped.

I slid my other hand down to mimic my actions on her other breast. Anissa arched into it, beginning to pant as she moaned my name. I felt heavy pressure between my thighs for a brief moment before my shaft began to emerge.

I tried to ignore the sensation, focusing instead on Anissa and her pleasure. I continued to tease her nipples, rolling them gently between my fingers as she moaned and writhed in my grasp.

"Muram," she breathed, her eyes squeezed closed in pleasure. "Please, more."

"You are so very lovely," I murmured, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her shoulder. She shivered at the contact, her breathing becoming ragged. I couldn"t resist any longer - I had to taste her. I moved my mouth to her breast, swirling my tongue around her nipple and sucking gently.

Anissa cried out, her fingers tangling in the fur on my arms. I licked and sucked at her tender flesh, reveling in her sounds of pleasure. The evidence of how well I was pleasing my Kekasih.

I continued to worship her body with my mouth, moving from one breast to the other. Anissa"s reactions were intoxicating, fueling my desire for her. I could feel my shaft fully emerge, throbbing with need.

But I would not rush this moment. I wanted to cherish every second of our first union. I had waited so long, never thinking this moment would come. Nothing would keep me from basking in every moment of her pleasure.

I wrapped my hands around Anissa's ribcage to lift her closer to my mouth. She cried out, her thighs spreading on either side of my hips as she clung to me.

"Please, Muram!" she gasped.

Her hips rolled against my belly and I could feel the feverish heat just beneath her clothes. With a final lick, I pulled away and looked up at her face. She was flushed with pleasure, her eyes heavy-lidded and glazed with desire.

"How are you feeling, my love?" I asked softly.

Anissa took a shuddering breath. "I want more of you," she said.

"Yes," I agreed.

I kissed her in the valley between her breasts and lay her down in the center of our soft bedding. I stroked my fingertips down her belly to the waist of her pants. I looked at her face to see her staring between my legs in clear fascination. I glanced down at myself.

My ridges were already raised, precome drooling from my pointed tip. Anissa reached down to touch me. I hissed at the light drag of her fingertips over each sensitive ridge and the valley of slick flesh in between. She slowly raised her hand to her lips and hesitantly licked.