Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The burly alien strode with a steady pace, but his mind was anything but calm.

“This woman makes my stomach knot up as if I were just a boy. Why does she possess this power over me?”

Rykker had been muttering to himself in a somewhat confused state his entire walk home, the powerful feelings churning in his engorged loins powered by that unusual human woman’s presence. It was so bad that he had to step out of sight to pull his rock-hard erection up and lay it flat against his belly, hiding the otherwise very obvious and rigid length as best he could while also reducing the distracting friction of his clothes sliding across his manhood.

He rubbed his nose absentmindedly, her scent still lingering strong and alluring. It wasn’t perfume—at least, not any he’d ever smelled before. This was different. Intoxicating. Magnetic. It was somewhat akin to his own kind’s pheromones, but unlike any he had ever experienced before. And this woman’s race supposedly did not rely on such things for mating back on her world.

“Maybe her kind are just not sensitive enough to notice it?” he mused, his hand absent-mindedly rubbing his Infala rune on his chest.

It was tingling in an odd way, the living pigment acting up in a manner that was very unusual. For a split-second he actually harbored the hope that it might be reacting to discovering his bonded mate, but he quickly pushed that thought aside. He had been around those of mating age in this city a long time, and none had triggered his Infala.

“The human?” he briefly wondered but discarded that thought just as quickly.

She was not of the Dotharian Conglomerate and had only just been marked, so there was no way it could be that. It took months, if not years, for an Infala rune to even settle into place once an individual was marked, and finding its match was sometimes a lifelong search that never bore fruit. But maybe there was something different about her.

A familiar form came into sight in the distance. Nijello, the Skrizzit, was heading off on some errand, it seemed, the man taking a different pathway leading toward the city center. Rykker shifted his course immediately, a new idea blossoming in his mind.

I must talk with him , he decided, shifting course, ignoring the rippling of his aroused member pressing flat against his belly. Nijello may have answers .

He picked up his pace, taking care not to draw attention to himself by moving too fast. He also didn’t know how his shockingly sensitive cock might react to the increased friction and pressure slipping into a jog might create, and he had no intention of letting loose in his trousers like some pubescent boy. He was Rykker, after all. A man come of age and fully trained, a leader selected to be one of the escorts for the next female to venture from their city.

He took a deep breath, focusing on forcing the blood to slowly drain from his erection, his years of practice in the art of control paying off, at least a little. While his cock was still quite firm, at least the distracting pulsing was lessening. It would have to be enough for now.

“Nijello!” he called out in greeting as he approached the Skrizzit.

“Rykker, pleasant to see you. Are you well? You appear a bit flushed.”

“I am fine. Simply the effect of a vigorous walk. And I see you are out taking in the air as well. Do you mind if I walk with you a spell?”

“I would enjoy the company. Where are you heading?”

“Home, actually.”

“But this is not the way?—”

“I felt like taking in some air first. It is a lovely day, and I would make the most of it.”

Nijello nodded his agreement. “A wise choice. So, how go things with you? I believe it is just a few short years before you will be departing on your escort duties.”

“Yes, the time is finally approaching. I have been looking forward to seeking a mate.”

“You are one of the lucky ones. Though, with the amount of preparation your sort put in, I suppose we should not call it luck, but rather hard work.”

Rykker laughed. “At times you could call it that. But in the end, Gods willing, it will all pay off. Until then, we carry on as always, eh?”

“Indeed.”

“Though I must admit, the other day was a most unusual surprise.”

The corners of Nijello’s eyes crinkled slightly with an amused look as he realized what the man was getting at. “Ah, yes. The newcomer.”

“A full-grown woman who is not marked with the runes? It is unfathomable.”

“And yet here we are with just such a person in our midst. Or, at least, formerly.”

“Yes, you applied the runes the other day,” Rykker replied, his true intentions hard to hide. “So, how did it go? Did she accept the pigment easily, or were there any complications?”

“Her kind is quite compatible with the pigment, though her existing markings did prove a bit of a challenge to work around.”

Rykker’s eyes widened. “She has existing runes?”

“Not runes, exactly, but rather a series of quite ornate and most beautiful designs placed on various locations on her body. The artist was most skilled.”

“I thought her kind did not use runes. What sort of powers do they imbue her with?”

“Oh, my dear boy, they do not do anything of the sort. Hers are merely decorative, though now that I have incorporated the Dotharian runes into several of them, I do wonder if she might develop some variants of the usual abilities.”

“Interesting. But tell me, did you notice any unusual scent to her when you were doing your work?” the man asked as casually as he could.

Nijello grinned. “Funny.”

“What?”

“You are not the first to ask me that question. But the answer is the same. No, I did not notice any fragrance from our guest. Why? Did you detect something?”

“It’s nothing. Just a curiosity,” Rykker lied, his confusion now blending with jealousy.

Someone else had been inquiring about this woman, and he had a very good guess who it was. Arkness . The name flashed through his mind like the bitter aftertaste of a foul medicine. So, he is attempting to make this woman his. It figures. Always cocky. Always overconfident. He believes he is the best of us, but I know the truth. We are of the same age and rank, and we came upon her at the same time. He has no claim. Where confusion and curiosity had formerly been brewing in his mind, a fire now ignited in Rykker’s heart. This had just become more than casual interest. It was a competition. A competition for the first possibly compatible woman he’d ever come across.

“I turn here,” he said, patting the Skrizzit on the back as he shifted course. “Thank you for a lovely walk. I’ll see you around.”

“Of course. A pleasant rest of the day to you, friend,” Nijello replied, continuing on his way.

Rykker’s mind was racing as he walked home. He had dinner scheduled with Olivia that very night, but rather than a casual meal, he now felt there were tangible stakes, and high ones at that.

No matter what it takes, I will make her mine. Nothing, and no one, can stop me. Not even Arkness.

The rest of his walk passed in something of a daze, his erection still present but not nearly as distracting as the thoughts racing through his mind. He had never felt this way before. Possessive. Aroused. Jealous. It was almost overwhelming, the need he felt growing within himself, and by the time he got home he found himself thoroughly discombobulated.

“I must meditate. I need to be at my fullest potential tonight,” he said as he stepped inside, quickly shedding his clothing and activating his bathing unit.

He ran his hands over his body as he washed, as he always did, but when he reached his Infala he paused. “What is that?” he wondered. “Mirror,” he commanded, a projection appearing directly in front of him. “Is it actually shifting? How is that possible?” he marveled, the fateful rune slowly, subtly changing its design far too slow to observe, but he knew his runes well, and this one had most definitely begun to change.

It was impossible, of course. The only new variable was Olivia, but she’d only just received her runes. Far too soon for them to be healed and active, and there was no way they could affect his Infala so quickly even if they were.

“Could it be her smell?” he wondered. “Our kind’s secondary bonding system somehow reacting in a new way?”

There was simply no way to tell for sure. He would need to carefully document his own bodily reactions when he saw her later that evening, not just for the sake of curiosity, but to possibly cement some new form of bond and make her his once and for all. It seemed an impossibility, and his heart pounded at the thought.

“Is it possible?” he wondered.

Time would tell. For now, all he could do was bathe and focus. He had to bring his A-game tonight, and that was all that mattered. What would come of it was anyone’s guess.