Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Back in her climate-controlled suite, the domicile AI informed its human guest what exactly the purging process would entail when Olivia returned to her domicile unit after her outing with Rykker. After their full day, it actually sounded delightful, if a bit odd.

Of course, it had been an exciting day for her, visiting an alien city after the spa had finished its session of bodywork. She stepped out of the facility utterly refreshed, and her guide was more than happy to show her the sights. Rykker was not only a nice specimen to look at, once she got past the red skin and overall alienness, of course, but he was also a pleasure to chat with as he showed her around the city. And then there was that very subtle yet constant note of spicy-sweetness that she found most pleasing whenever she caught a whiff.

Rykker seemed thrilled to be putting his years of training to work, ever the attentive host as he guided his guest all over the alien landscape. Olivia had been rather enthralled, walking close and enjoying the pleasant warmth radiating from him, when a hint of a new smell tickled her nose. Different. Smokier, but with a caramelized honey undertone and a hint of vanilla and leather. And when the two scents blended, it was like someone had taken her favorite candles and merged them into one unexpectedly delightful combination.

“Arkness,” Rykker greeted his rival politely, though his spine stiffened at the man’s arrival.

“Rykker,” the man replied, though his eyes were quite locked on the human woman. “It is good to see you are well. I hope you are enjoying our city.”

Olivia blushed at the intensity of his gaze as her guide bristled. “It’s amazing,” she replied. “I’ve never been to an alien city before. I fear anything else would pale by comparison.”

Arkness flashed a sarcastic grin at his counterpart. “Yes, some things are found lacking when compared to the best.”

To his credit, Rykker did not take the bait and respond in anger, though the annoyance in his eyes was clear.

“And I was just showing our guest how the gaudiest of structures are often the least impressive, the stability and fine design of others actually proving both more useful while also being quite pleasing to the senses.”

Arkness snorted a little laugh. “Of course, you would put things in a light making the lesser seem the greater.”

“I assure you, I?—”

“Hey,” Olivia interrupted, stopping this dick measuring contest before it poked someone’s eye out. “I’m kind of worn out from all this walking around. Do you think you could point me to my place?”

“I will escort you there,” Rykker replied with a haughty smile tossed Arkness’s way.

“No, I will show you the way,” the taller man replied. “I am sure our guest would appreciate a more cultured discourse on our city’s?—”

Olivia wasn’t about to let this go on, no matter how good these two smelled.

“Just point the direction. I’m a big girl, I can find it myself.”

“But—” the two stammered, both equally confused by her seeming rejection.

“Which way?”

Rykker seemed poised to object but caught the look in her eye. He raised his arm and pointed. “Five streets that way, then turn left three.”

“Got it. Thanks!” she replied, taking her leave without another word, the pair of befuddled men left in her wake.

The walk went quickly. Not because she was in a particular rush, but more because Olivia instinctively moved faster under the scrutiny of such a preponderance of male gazes. They were doing their best not to stare, but given what Zoldana had said of the rarity of unbonded women, or women in general, in this city she was something of a novelty. It wasn’t that she felt unsafe—it had been made abundantly clear that males in this place held women in the highest regard and to bring any sort of harm to one would lead to the most unimaginable punishments, but despite that, it was, nevertheless, kind of overwhelming.

“ Welcome back, ” the bodiless voice greeted as she stepped into her quarters.

“Hey.”

“ I hope you enjoyed your outing. Was it productive? ”

“Actually, yeah,” she replied, absentmindedly rubbing her touched-up tattoo. The tingle had diminished, but it had also spread to her arm and into her torso. “Hey, do you have any sort of medical scanner built in?”

“ I do. Are you feeling unwell? ”

“Not exactly, but can you do a quick check and see if there’s anything, I don’t know, off with me?”

“ I will do what I can, given my limited records on your physiology. ”

“You have records?”

“ Forwarded to me by Skrizzit Nijello and Overseer Zoldana. You are to be purged tonight. ”

“Yeah, about that. What exactly does that mean?”

A cool sensation washed over her body, tingling slightly as it moved from head to toe.

“Hey, what’s that?”

“ The scan you requested. I will display results for you. ”

An image appeared in mid-air, the outline of her body, minus clothing, her tattoos standing out faintly against the uniform color of her skin displayed. Everything looked normal enough to her eyes, but the AI was far more thorough than human eyes could ever be.

“ You have received some extremely powerful pigment here, ” the machine said, highlighting where Nijello had touched up her ink. “ The pigment has spread a bit, though mostly not visible to the naked eye. However, I detect traces accumulating in other tattoos on your body. ”

“What does that mean?”

“ It appears to be benign. The pigment merely seems to preferentially bind to areas you have already had marked. I’ve never seen this before, but it does not appear to be a cause for concern. ”

It wasn’t exactly soothing news, but it wasn’t bad either. “Thanks. I was a little worried.”

“ It is my pleasure to help. Now, to answer your other query. The purge process is already underway, having begun the moment you stepped inside. The fragrance you smell is an ionizing mist designed to cleanse your sinuses and lungs entirely of any foreign matter, no matter how minute. In addition, a mild vibratory field has been applied to your body. It is subtle, and not noticeable, but by morning every last molecule of your skin will be clean as a newborn. Then there is the spectral sterilization. Nothing damaging, but rather a custom-tuned light wash that will stimulate your cellular regeneration systems and boost your mitochondrial energy processing for maximum efficiency. That is the purge. ”

“Gee, is that all?” Olivia joked.

“ Did you expect more? ”

“I was kidding. So, what do I do now?”

“ You do not have to do anything. Relax, enjoy the food provided you if you so desire. All of these systems are working regardless of what you are doing, and by morning the purge will be complete. ”

Olivia liked the sound of that. “Well, then, I guess I’ll relax, have a snack and try to get to sleep early.”

“ I can assist in that, if you wish. Sleep enhancement is one of my basic wellbeing protocols. ”

“Seriously? Great. Lemme grab a bite first and chill a bit, and then we’ll give it a go.”

Olivia did just that, and, to her delight, when she woke the following morning, she had not only slept through the night, but her body felt amazing, as if she had just hit a sauna, ice bath, steam room and hyperbaric oxygen chamber all at the same time. And her skin? It felt better than after any spa day she’d ever had.

She had just finished a delightful breakfast of native fruits and their version of a pancake-like bread, but this was both sweet yet also savory, with an unidentifiable hint of spices she had never tasted before.

Her domicile’s AI informed her that it was standard fare among the Maldonians, but after her purge everything would taste much more intense. Partly because her tastebuds were cleansed, but also because the restorative flush and rejuvenation of her sinuses made her much more sensitive to smells for a brief period. Something she became acutely aware of when Arkness appeared at her door.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, opening it but not inviting him inside. His scent suddenly seemed much stronger today. A little intoxicating, even.

“I have been tasked by Zoldana to bring you to her.”

“Where’s Yanna?”

“I do not know. But I can assure you, I am more than up for the task.”

The way he said it, she felt he was implying far more than the mere ability to guide her to the overseer’s building. Then there was the shifting of the bulge in his trousers, substantial enough she could see it with just her peripheral vision as she fought hard not to look down and stare directly at it. Just like the sun during an eclipse, some things one simply did not look at. At least, not like this.

“Give me a minute, I’ll be right out,” she said, shaking off the warm tingle in her belly. A sensation threatening to spread lower, and in a most pleasant way.

“I will be here,” he replied, an amused grin on his full lips.

Olivia was already dressed but made him wait several minutes anyway before stepping out to join him. “I’m ready.”

“So I see. Please, follow me.”

Arkness gently linked her arm through his and walked her from the building. The way he did it was so smooth, so natural, she almost didn’t realize he’d done it. But the jolt her body felt from the contact, combined with the subtle but very enticing smell of the man, made his proximity border on distracting.

The walk was a short one, the males parting to allow the ranking male clear passage with his charge, and in no time they arrived at Zoldana’s chamber.

“I will take my leave here,” Arkness said, gently pressing his lips to her hand, a very intense look in his eyes. “I do hope to show you more of our city.”

Olivia felt butterflies in her belly fluttering hard. “I—uh, thank you,” she said, then moved to the overseer’s entrance. The door materialized and opened before her, revealing Zoldana, as before, but this time she had a visitor. Arkness flashed a displeased look but said nothing, walking away with annoyed stiffness in his stride.

“Hello, Olivia,” Rykker said from beside the overseer, his low baritone rumbling pleasantly like the purr of a big cat.

His smell hit her again, light, but no longer a faint hint by any means, triggering something primal deep within her. Olivia’s cheeks flushed, and she was quite aware she was on the verge of getting wet.

What the hell is going on with me? Down, girl! she chided herself.

Zoldana watched with a curious look a moment before turning to the man at her side.

“I had intended to have a little chat with our guest before her visit to Nijello, but I think you had best escort her there immediately while the effects of her purge are intact. I worry she might be a bit more susceptible to certain stimuli than I had originally thought.”

“As you wish, Overseer,” the man replied. “Olivia, please follow me.”

She did as he asked, following him down a corridor and onto another lift disc. This one took them only partway down, stopping seemingly in mid-air.

“This way,” Rykker said, stepping forward into what looked like empty air.

A walkway illuminated under his feet as soon as he did, leading to a small pod suspended nearby. Olivia stepped out, forcing herself to ignore the height. As soon as she felt the firmness of the platform at her feet, along with the faintly visible walls on either side, her initial distress faded. Just another trick of alien tech, she realized.

It was a short walk, and in no time they reached a platform outside the Skrizzit’s workspace. Rykker gently placed his warm hand on her shoulder and leaned closer. Olivia breathed deep, his alien scent mingling with the traces of his rival’s in her nose in a most delightful way.

“Did you hear me?”

“What?” she asked, snapping out of her daze.

“You will go through that door on the left. The Skrizzit will be waiting for you. It will be a lengthy process and your body will need time to recover after. Know that if you require anything , I am at your service, day or night.”

She could feel the silent implication hanging in the air as thick as his pheromones, her nipples hardening in response entirely on their own.

“Uh, thank you,” she managed, forcing herself to regain her composure.

He watched as she strode to the door then took his leave. Olivia was on her own, and she was about to get inked by an alien artist. Given all that had happened since her abduction, this was almost tame by comparison.

“Well, here goes nothing,” she said, then stepped inside.