Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ella was positively glowing when Draikis came to collect her for the day’s outing.
A bit tired, but in a good way, energized rather than drained.
She had simply become so lost in her studies of the ancient texts that it had been a far later hour than she’d planned by the time she finally made her way back to her quarters to sleep, her mind full of myriad ideas and ancient traditions that were actually starting to make sense.
While the ancient texts appeared convoluted at first glance, the more she read, the more they seemed to have a pattern, especially the oldest of them.
It was still quite a lot to take in, and even more to connect the dots and really dig into the finer points of her hosts’ origins and ways, but her ability to read even the oldest of the documents was giving her insight into things she suspected even some of the brotherhood didn’t understand fully.
“Just a quirk of biology,” she mused, noting how her human genetics reacted differently than most others to the translation runes powered by her pigment, a fluke that allowed her to read what even the most educated among them often had trouble with.
And this wasn’t just conjecture on her part.
Nilkis, the archivist, had said as much upon finding her reading materials that should have been far beyond her abilities.
He was a serious man. Focused. Quiet. Perfect for his duties overseeing the library’s full works.
But he also appreciated a studious mind, and, despite her gender, Ella was clearly growing on him.
And her interest in understanding the ways of the order despite her outsider status only served to add to the thawing of his initial chill toward her.
“If only the brothers dedicated themselves as fully as you have,” he mused in passing one evening, a hint of an approving smile creasing the corners of his lips. “A shame you were born a woman.”
It was as close to an actual compliment as she would ever hope to get from him, but it was a lot, given its source.
Ella had already spent several hours mulling over the wealth of knowledge she’d ingested by the time Draikis arrived to collect her for the day’s outing, her spirits high, and her body excited down to what felt like a cellular level by the calmly stoic man’s very presence.
Whatever it was between them, its intensity was only increasing as time passed, and the strange pigment in her skin was positively buzzing with energy every time he was near.
His cheeks flushed slightly at the sight of her when she opened her door. “Ready?”
“I am. The plan for the day?”
“Outside, I think. Some fresh air. I have packed us food.”
“How delightful. Thank you, Draikis.”
“It is my pleasure.”
Ella stepped out into the corridor, her body feeling his heat as she stood near. She looked up at his handsome face, her pulse beating a little stronger in his presence.
“You look different today,” she noted, feeling quite light on her feet as they began their walk down the corridor.
“Oh? How so?” he replied with a hint of a grin.
“I don’t know. It’s just something about you feels shifted.”
“I’m quite the same as always, I can assure you.”
She turned slightly as they walked, studying his face, her hand brushing against his as she did. The flush coloring his cheeks was quick to show and nearly as quick to depart, but she saw it.
“The same, eh? Okay. I’ll take your word for it.”
The two walked a moment in silence, Ella nodding politely to the brothers they passed as Draikis bade them each a fraternal greeting.
She watched the way his muscular body moved within his soft clothing, the lines of his physique clear through the material.
It was all she could do to keep herself from reaching out and squeezing his strong arms. In fact, she felt the odd desire to bite one of them, taking his meaty limb between her teeth.
Where did that come from? she wondered, a bit surprised by her visceral, animal urge. No biting, El. At least, not without consent.
Draikis couldn’t read her mind, but she did feel his body heat flare, his masculine scent subtly filling her sinuses, both drawing her to him even more than previously. She moved closer, her body pressing against his for a delightful moment before he jumped back.
He’s so warm, Ella marveled.
A bulge sprung to life in Draikis’s trousers, his meaty manhood pressing against the fabric in a most impressive way.
He quickly turned his body from her, deftly adjusting himself with a quick tug of his hand, his semi erection hidden from prying eyes, laying flat against his belly, held in place by his waistband.
She felt herself grow wet at the sight of him manhandling his length, even through his clothing.
It was the briefest of things, but she was positively buzzing today, and not with only the joy of knowledge, but also something far more primal.
The pulse thundering in his neck was clear to see, as was the flush to his skin. He felt it too; he was just better at hiding it was all.
A pair of priests walking toward them shifted Ella’s attention. She slowed her pace slightly, creating a more respectable space between them. Draikis’s shoulders seemed to relax just slightly as she did.
The approaching duo, however, seemed to sense something off with their friend.
“Draikis, are you well, Brother?” one asked as they drew near. “You look ill.”
“I’m fine, but thank you for your concern.”
“You are certain you are all right?” the man persisted.
“I am. What you noted is likely because my earlier meal is simply not sitting well at the moment. I’m sure a little fresh air and sun on my skin will do me good. In fact, that is where I am taking our guest at this very moment.”
The men did an admirable job of hiding their distaste, not so much as looking in Ella’s direction.
“Very well. In that case we will leave you to it. Be well.”
“And you.”
The men departed without another word or even acknowledgement of the human in their midst, but just this once Ella was mostly glad for being ignored.
“Kinda rude,” she muttered.
“It is not unexpected. I’m afraid you arouse some misgivings amongst the brotherhood.”
“Arouse, huh?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Uh-huh. And you? Have I aroused any misgivings?”
“I trust you, Ella. But I have also spent far more time getting to know you. I am confident that the others would feel similar if they but let their biases go.”
“Most find that pretty hard.”
“Indeed. But you have won me over, so that is a start. And I hear even Nilkis has taken a liking to you. At least, as much as he does to anyone.”
“He’s been a real help. Showed me the really old stuff in the archives. The man’s a wealth of knowledge, you know.”
“He is, no doubt.”
Ella leaned against him just for a moment before they stepped out into the courtyard they would cross to reach the exit point to the outside world. “Thank you, Draikis. Seriously, it means a lot, all that you’ve done for me.”
She saw the considerable erection hidden flat up against his belly shift at her touch.
Her Infala felt hot in her skin, and she wanted nothing more than to reach into his waistband and free the beast within, but she respected him and his restraint.
Not many could hold a container like that, but this beautiful man, this priest, somehow managed no matter how much energy buzzed between them.
Ella stepped back, tugging his hand for the briefest moment before letting go and hurrying ahead. “Come on. Show me the way.”
Draikis watched her with a curious expression, a little smile on his lips, his pupils a wee bit wider than usual. “It will be my pleasure.
The pair exited the grounds, walking a respectable distance from one another, well aware of the curious eyes watching their departure.
Only once they were past the nearest hill and truly out of view did the unmistakable draw of their Infalas pull them closer.
Even then, it was not overt. Just brushing against one another periodically.
Standing near. Feeling the energy buzzing between them, the attraction escalating with every touch and glance.
It was a decent walk, and it was getting fairly warm out by the time they finally stopped beneath a squat tree with dense leaves and a wide canopy providing plenty of shade as well as ample privacy.
“This is a good spot,” Draikis said, dropping his pack and setting out a spread for their picnic lunch.
His ass looked magnificent pressing against the fabric of his trousers, and his broad shoulders moved with sensual grace beneath the sheer fabric covering them. Ella couldn’t take her eyes off him.
Fuck, I’m wet just watching, she realized.
“You ready?”
“What?” she blurted, her cheeks hot.
Draikis looked at her with a confused expression. “Lunch. Are you ready for lunch?”
“Oh, right. Yes, please. That’d be great.”
“Good. I brought a small assortment for you to sample, as well as a couple of bottles of the wine a few of the brothers produce. I think you’ll enjoy them.”
“You make wine here?”
“As a hobby. And not all of us. But Brother Neerus and Brother Kovax took up the practice many years ago, and it has become something of a tradition now. They do not produce much, so we each receive but a small portion of the harvest.”
“If it’s only a limited amount I don’t want to—”
“Nonsense. You are our guest. My friend. I cannot think of anyone I would rather relax, eat, drink wine, and read poetry with.”
“Poetry?”
“Yes. While you may have been studying our origins in depth, you’ve missed out on the more artistic of texts. I thought you would particularly enjoy the works of the great poet Xyloxx,” he said, pulling an actual book from his pack.
“Not a digital copy?”
He grinned. “For some texts, I feel there is more, shall we call it weight when reading from parchment.”
He set the book down and unsealed the bottle.
There was no cork—they were insanely advanced aliens, after all, but at first glance, the sealing mechanism seemed to be only slightly more advanced than shoving round bits of tree into the bottle’s neck.
Draikis pressed down on the top, almost like one would for a child-proof lid.
But rather than twist, he then squeezed two points on the bottle’s neck.
Inside, something sensed his touch and gently released its grasp on the inner wall, allowing the seal to open and be withdrawn.
Two glasses appeared from his pack, each quickly filled.
“Enjoy,” he said, moving to drink.
“Wait!”
“What? Is something wrong?”
“No. I just think a toast is in order.”
“Toast?”
“Maybe that didn’t translate right. What I mean is we should say something nice then clink glasses.”
“Ah, yes. Foolish of me. Would you like to do the honors?”
“I’d be delighted,” she replied, glass held high. “To good wine, good times, and a very good man.”
“And woman,” he added, clinking his glass with hers. “And now, please, help yourself.”
“What about you?”
“Oh, I’ll eat, believe me. But I want to read you a few passages first.”
“Poetry and wine? Are you trying to get lucky?”
“Lucky? I fail to see what luck has to do with—”
“Ugh, forget it. Just read to me, Mister.”
A warm smile warmed Draikis’s cheeks. “With pleasure.”