“You mean these stretches make the aches go away? Like, more than regular yoga stuff? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“It is nothing quite like that,” he said with a chuckle. “But they do drive power to your limbs and force your blood and core energy to flow unobstructed.”
She gauged her body, feeling more in tune with it than normal. Or maybe this was going to be the new normal. Time would tell.
“I am feeling pretty good, yeah.”
“Good. Then you will be better braced for a wash in the stream ahead on our trek. Gather your things. We leave immediately.”
So much for a relaxed start to the day, she grumbled to herself, shoving the few items she had taken out back into her pack and slinging it over her shoulder.
The trek downhill moved quickly. This was a different bit of terrain from what they’d dealt with the prior day and the craggy rocks and steep drop-offs required a bit more care than before. Darla’s legs felt good, but her quads still burned from the effort. This time, however, it was in a good way.
Her footing felt more secure as well, and her ankles did not seem to be at any risk of twisting despite their speed. Whatever the runes were doing, the difference was becoming more noticeable.
The stream running at the base of the hill was relatively small, but the water flowed clear and smelled fresh to her enhanced senses. The vegetation was dense and lush, the burgundy leaves and deep green stems growing strong closest to the life-giving liquid. She crouched down and took a sip. Delicious.
“Hey, do you think—” she began to ask, turning toward her companion.
Heydar was already stripping off his clothes, his rippling muscles gleaming with a fine layer of sweat from the descent, every inch of him pumped from the effort. Darla felt her breath catch in her throat when he whipped off his trousers, tossing them on the dry shore, and strode into the water.
He was even more beautiful than her mind’s eye had remembered. And watching him vigorously rub all of his body in the crisp water, she couldn’t help but feel a fire blossom between her legs.
None of that. This is just a practical bath, here. Just scrub off the sweat, and grime, and whatever nastiness was on those pelts, she reminded herself, then quickly shed her clothing as well, stepping into the flowing current.
Heydar ceased his washing abruptly, staring at her with an unusual look. Darla felt her cheeks flush and turned from him, crouching down and submerging in the water.
“Your skin is healing well,” he finally said, a slight huskiness to his voice. “I have never witnessed anything like it. At this rate, the itching should be gone in no time, from what I have seen.”
Darla felt unusually hot even submerged in the cool water. And you’ve seen it all, haven’t you, buddy?
Heydar turned from her, quickly finishing his scrub then climbing onto the banks of the stream, water running off of his sculpted ass in rivulets. Darla marveled at the utter perfection of that ass. It was the sort of thing master sculptors would have memorialized in marble back in the day and it made her mouth water.
Then he turned toward her, locking eyes with her for a moment.
His cock was mostly flaccid as it swung between his legs, but there was clearly a stirring engorgement taking place as he stared at her. Shrinkage from the cold was most definitely not an issue.
The water flowing down from his chiseled abs was slowly dripping from the tip of his manhood, the ridges encircling his length becoming raised before her very eyes.
There was a sparkle in his gaze when he turned from her and began pulling his clothes back on. One that made her stomach flutter with a not entirely unpleasant sensation.
Darla finished her rinse and stepped out of the stream, her nipples hard in the cool air. A little steam was actually coming off her body as she shook off most of the water and began dressing. The runes may have helped increase her ambient temperature, but there was something more interesting at work here.
“You are ready?” he asked, circling around to her as she pulled her pack onto her shoulders.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“And refreshed, I hope.”
“Something like that.”
His lips creased in a little grin as he nodded his approval. Then, without another word, he turned and began trekking over the rocky terrain, his powerful legs handling the uneven ground like massive pistons.
Darla hurried after him, her strides shorter, but her balance no less sure than his. They made good time following the general direction of the stream. They had seen its course from up high the previous day, but eventually it curved from the way they needed to go. A short while later, they came to the base of their next obstacle.
It hadn’t seemed like much from afar, but the rocky cliffs blocking their progress were taller and steeper than either had expected. Heydar scanned the area for a quicker route, but it was apparent that attempting to circumvent the geological formation would add many hours to their trek, and that was time they simply did not have to spare.
Heydar slipped his pack off and secured it to a length of rope from his waist. It would ride a few meters below him as he climbed, not obstructing his movements. He crouched down low.
“Climb onto my back. I will carry you.”
Darla’s stubbornness flared up strong. “Like hell you will. I can climb, I’ll have you know. In fact, I flashed a five point nine—okay, that was indoors, but still, I’m saying I’m not helpless, here.”
He looked up at her quietly for a moment, disarming her with his calm gaze.
“I did not say you were. But if the others are to be found, we must not delay. My reach is far greater than yours, and your tattoos are not yet fully settled.”
“Yeah, but—”
“I would very much like to see your climbing skills one day,” he interrupted. “But this is not the time. I am sorry, little one, but we cannot afford your pride right now.”
She hated that he was right. Not that so much as admitting that he was right. In any case, she knew what had to be done. Others were out there, and they couldn’t wait for her to play on a rock wall.
Darla climbed up onto his back, wrapping her arms around his chest, her legs locking her in place. He felt like he was cut from granite beneath her touch. Warm granite that moved with cat-like prowess.
Heydar stood up, hefting her weight as easily as breathing. “Hold tight.”
He reached up and grabbed a handhold and started his ascent. Darla was quietly amazed at just how fast he was climbing. He would reach the summit in a fraction of the time it would have taken her on her own. She squeezed him in her arms, holding him close, her breath hot on his neck. She noticed the fine hairs standing on end every time she did, along with faint goose bumps that accompanied them.
Darla’s pack shifted slightly, causing her hips to slide. She adjusted quickly, her leg slipping from around his waist, moving lower and rubbing his cock as it did. She felt the beast twitch to life under the pressure and start to rise, elongating and thickening as it pressed back against her touch.
Heydar, the seemingly indestructible hunk of masculinity actually twitched, a slight shudder running through him as her leg flexed against his stiffening length. Securing his grip on the rock face, he reached back with one meaty hand and shifted her position higher on his back, locking her legs in place and cutting short whatever the hell had just happened.