“With their child, yes. And it was only by a stroke of luck that he got so drunk that he couldn’t follow through on his plans to kill them all.”
“That’s horrible!”
“It is. But to his credit, he realized as much with horror when he sobered up. Rather than become that sort of beast, he came straight to the order and swore his loyalty without a moment’s hesitation, and his devout dedication since then has seen him rise quickly in the ranks.”
“The poor guy. I almost feel sorry for him.Almost. He’s still a dick. We all have baggage, but that’s no excuse to take it out on the world.”
“Valid point. Regardless, his consternation is based in rules to which some choose to adhere to the letter.”
“But you said something about the old text versus current rules.”
“The ancient texts are the basis of our entire order. There have been modernizations over the centuries, of course. Adaptations as times change. But the core tenets are still the heart of it all. Some things are the immutable core, while others are additions. And now, speaking of core laws, we must address one of those.”
“Right. The runes,” she said, not exactly thrilled about getting tattooed, but more or less resolved to the idea.
It was what they did, after all, and every single person here had them. More importantly, if she didn’t, she’d be in the worst sort of trouble with the Dotharian Conglomerate. Runes or death. There was no other way, and the law was strictly enforced. Only her burns had prevented her from being found out as an unmarked interloper, and she wasn’t about to let on to that oversight. And compared to being eaten by Raxxians? Tattoos were a walk in the park by comparison.
Draikis stepped to the side of the corridor and stopped, gently grasping her by the arms then shoulders, his hands moving to her neck, squeezing the muscles supporting her weary head.
“Hmm. You are tense. Healed, yes, but not quite prepared for the process. It’s my fault. I should have taken us at least part of the way there with a conveyance, but I thought the walk would do you good.”
“It did.”
“You are quite resilient, that’s for sure. But this isn’t about your muscles handling the load. This is about your body being ready for the application of the runes. It’s a very particular process, and you must be fully relaxed for it.”
“So, I guess I should go take a nap or something? I’m not tired, though.”
He grinned. “Nothing like that. You simply need your muscles loosened to ensure proper blood flow when the Skrizzit does his work on you. He is very talented, you know. One of our best. You’re lucky to have him be the one to apply your replacement runes. And as our guest, and having survived Raxxian captivity, the elders have approved the finest pigments be used.”
“I-I’m honored. I just hope I deserve it.”
“You most certainly do. Now, let’s get you to your room to prepare.”
She wondered what exactly that would entail but found out soon enough when they arrived at her room. He closed the door and directed her to a new addition to the space. It was a long table, but with a roughly person-shaped form indented in its form. The hole at one end was clearly for a face. It was a massage table of sorts.
“Undress and lay there,” he said, opening a vial of faint-pink oil and placing it in the handy little receptacle jutting from the edge of the table.
Ella did as she was told, shedding her clothes, the ache in her belly flaring up hard again now that she was nude in front of him. She lay down on the table, happy to find it was actually warm to the touch and far softer than it appeared. Even so, her erect nipples sent a jolt through her when they pressed down into the material. The walk had helped ease her sexual frustration, but now, lying naked in front of him, she felt it all surging back to life.
His warm hands sliding oil over her back only increased the sensation.
“Relax,” he said softly. “Let your thoughts flow and your limbs loosen. Give your body to me, Ella, and I will set you right.”
Yes, sir, she nearly said, feeling the heat between her legs growing as his long fingers stroked her body in a sweeping motion, applying gentle but firm pressure from her neck to her ass then sliding outward to her hips, his fingertips digging in harder, forcing the muscles tight from their trek to release their tension.
“Ohhhh,” she gasped as he worked, her body abuzz with myriad delightful sensations, her newly healed skin far more sensitive than it had ever been.
“Good?” he asked with a husky chuckle.
“Yessss. Oh my God, that’s amazing.”
“The oil has a pleasure enhancing quality for some races. Yours appears to be one of them.”
“It’s marvelousssss,” she said with a happy sigh.
“Good. Then relax to my touch and let go.”
Ella moaned as he firmly grabbed her leg and slid his hands from her hip downward, his fingers sliding between her legs just below her hot wetness as he pulled her muscles, stretching and relaxing her thighs, hamstrings, and calves, his thumbs kneading in steady motion as he did until he reached her foot.
