“So, you said something about being pliable? What exactly did you mean? I had a decent wash in my limited soak.”

“It is more than that, child. Your skin must be scrubbed of any impurities, your muscles absolutely relaxed. It is imperative you are in the proper physical, mental, and spiritual state.”

“I need to be relaxed. Okay, I get it.”

“No, you do not. The process can be uncomfortable. More for some than for others, and always for the unprepared. But more than discomfort is at stake. For the pigments to hold, for the power runes to properly bond with your flesh, you must be ready. Once that part of the process is complete, it will take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for the pigment to fully set in and become one with your body.”

“Great, a long healing process. Sounds like fun.”

“Everyone reacts differently, and your abilities may take some time to present. But once the pigment is fully bonded your Infala will form and, if you are lucky, you will find your mate.”

Darla’s mind did a needle across a record screech to a full stop. “Hang on. What’s that about a mate, now? I thought it just attracted compatible people.”

“No. The Infala connects you to your destined mate. It is how we bond. Did you not know this?”

“Uh, no, that part I didn’t. And on my world, we don’t use tattoos to find a partner.”

“We do not find a partner. We are bonded to them,” the woman clarified. “Your Infala begins as a basic rune, the power of your pigment slowly engaging with your body’s needs until it becomes your true Infala. Once that happens, you will feel a draw to your mate. A visceral pull.”

“You’re saying I’ll just suddenly know who my supposed mate is? This is seriously messed up.”

“It will not be so simple,” the woman corrected. “You will feel a draw when close to your mate, yes, but it will be vague. And they will feel the same. But no one ever knows who their mate is until they actually see the Infala.”

Darla shook her head. “Right, I get that part. But I still don’t like the whole idea of your entire dating process being basically a tattoo Easter egg hunt.”

“I do not know what is an Easter egg.”

“I know, I’ve heard. But that doesn’t matter. What I’m saying is, I’m stuck looking for some guy’s tat or I’m forever alone? That’s no way to be with someone.”

The large man chuckled, his eyes full of amusement.

“Oh? You have something to add?” Darla snarked.

“Just that you misunderstand our ways.”

“Then enlighten me.”

An uncomfortably seductive heaviness settled into his eyelids as he locked his gaze with hers. “You see, the Infala is all about mating. As in life partner bonding. But that does not preclude one from engaging in other amusements in the meantime.”

“Sex. You’re saying you can still get with other people before this rune locks you down?”

“Yes, if you wish to put it that way. Sex is a zesty, joyful option. And in abundance, with the right partner. Why, if you would allow—”

“Enough of that,” the old woman interrupted. “I do not require your assistance any further. Thank you.”

He took the hint and gave her a slight bow. “As you wish, Tikanna,” he said, then flashed Darla a little wink, turned, and left.

The woman watched him leave then shifted her attention back to the odd human female.

“What he says is accurate, though in his case, being unbonded as long as he has been, he has fallen into the mindset of many of our young males. The pursuit of pleasure for its own sake, ignoring the Infala. Giving up on that dream.”

“It does seem there’s a pretty serious male to female ratio problem here,” Darla noted.

“It was not always this way, but yes, things are difficult for our males. And they have all seen the Infala of the few unmated females in our village and have not bonded. You see, when bonding occurs, they will be drawn to the matching piece to their own rune. Only those two individuals will possess that particular design. And when the pair have united, their Infalas will shift once more into their couple’s new mark, bonding them forever.”

This is the most ridiculous dating game I’ve ever heard of, and I’ve been on quite a few shitty apps over the years. This? It’s nuts, Darla thought. Then again, that hunky guy seems kind of interesting and up for fun.

“Hey, I was wondering. What’s that guy’s deal, anyway?”

“That was Zepharos. One of the future leaders of the Oraku, if he has his way.”

“And does he usually get his way?”

“More often than not,” the woman admitted. “You would be well served to mind yourself around him.”

“Uh huh,” Darla said, her mind already in other places.

She was abruptly snapped from her reverie when a different, familiar form strode into the yurt, his broad shoulders blocking the light from the opening.

“I am here,” Heydar declared. “My equipment is cleaned and ready.”

Tikanna looked him up and down, judging him and finding him adequate. She gave a small nod and gestured to the table and a large box of drawers nearby. “You will find everything you require.”

“Excellent.”

“But this one is not yet ready,” she added.

A look of concern flashed across his face. “Oh?”

“She requires further preparation. And as her Skrizzit for this process, the duty falls to you.”

Darla saw the muscle in Heydar’s jaw flex, but he maintained his composure, his face a blank canvas. He looked down on her, then back to Tikanna.

“Very well. I shall begin at once.”

Tikanna nodded and called for the other workers to gather their things and leave. A minute later Heydar and Darla were alone.

“Remove your clothing,” the alien commanded.

Darla felt her breath catch at his words but did as he said, stripping in front of his appraising gaze. He gave her a brief once over and nodded, then pointed to the table.

“On the table, face down,” he directed.

Now she knew what the notch was for. Someone had placed a towel there to support her neck and face and another on the table itself, providing a little cushioning on the firm surface.

Darla lay down and took a deep breath, fully exposed to this frustrating man. She could feel his heat as he moved close to her, his radiant warmth giving her skin goosebumps without even touching her. Then a massive, warm hand gently touched the middle of her back, the heat spreading through her like an ember blown to a flame as it pressed down harder.

He shifted his hand, touching her along her shoulders and sides, moving down to her ass, then legs, feeling her body, assessing her.

Exposed and vulnerable with a towering alien hovering over her, Darla felt a strange thrill as she wondered what would come next.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A gush of warmth unexpectedly sprayed across Darla’s back. Her body reacted of its own accord, her own heat rising in response. A musky, somewhat sweet scent reached her nose as a pair of massive hands began spreading the fluid across her skin.

Oh. Massage oil, she realized as the long strokes rubbed the substance over her body. Between the oil’s scent and the heat coming off from her impromptu masseuse’s hands, Darla felt just about ready to melt into the table. That, or something else.

“You are too tense,” Heydar said, spreading the oil from her back to the lengths of her arms all the way to her fingertips. “For the pigment to properly bind, your body must be completely at ease and as welcoming as your skin.”

“It’s been a tough couple of days,” she said, groaning as he rubbed a sore spot between her shoulders.

Another gush of warmth, this time on her ass. The heated oil flowed down the curves of her cheeks, trickling to her thighs and, quite pleasantly, down her crack, lubricating the folds of her labia with the tingly, refreshing substance.