“Whatever it is, me likey,” she said with a little chuckle. She ran her finger over one of the curving lines on her flank, tracing it lower toward her hips, feeling the pigment react to the pressure of her touch. Interestingly, the ink changed hues, shifting subtly before her eyes.

Heydar actually seemed a little flustered watching her hand dip into her waistband. It was not long ago at all they were very nearly fucking like wild animals, and with that memory still fresh, it would take a lot more trekking across difficult terrain to force that from both of their minds.

Heydar kneeled in front of her and leaned in close, his hot breath making her skin ripple with goosebumps of anticipation despite the warm air and physical exertion. But he didn’t touch her. There was no warm, wet mouth pressed to her belly. Instead, his eyes widened slightly, the gold rims flickering in the sunlight as what looked to be shock registered on his face.

“This cannot be,” he said quietly.

“What can’t? You’re the one who said I was amazing, right?”

“And you are. But this? It is unheard of. Here, turn so the sun is at your back.”

She did as he directed and looked at the line of ink he was pointing to. It was a sloping curve, leading up from her belly to her flank, curving around her breast until it came to an end at the nascent Infala rune on her clavicle.

The ink was dark, almost indigo blue-black, but he had added highlights of the luminescent white pigment. With her belly shadowed by the sun at her back, she could see what drew his attention. The white lines were faintly glowing, drawing power from the sun. What’s more, they seemed to be creeping along her darker markings, adding a bright accent to even more of her body.

Whatever plant they had extracted this rarest of pigments from, it clearly liked its new host body.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said, running his finger along the line, fascinated by the ink while also noticeably aroused by the woman bearing it. “The Oraku graciously provided me with some of the rarest of pigments with which to complete your first runes, but you have taken them in and increased their potency in a manner unheard of.” He stood up, his hand still resting on her exposed stomach, a hot gleam in his eye, as well as a look of utter fascination. “You defy logic, Darla of Earth. What amazing sort of creature are you?”

Darla felt her cheeks grow warm at his gaze while another part of her anatomy flared with an even greater heat. “I’m just a girl from Earth, is all.”

“You are far more than that.”

She placed her hand atop his, holding it firmly to her skin. “You say my body is developing the runes you started faster than normal, right?”

“That it most certainly is.”

She made eye contact, then glanced away, her cheeks even warmer. “What about the Infala?” she asked, wondering if it was the bonding rune that was making her feel this way about the strange alien she had disliked so recently.

He reached out with his other hand, grazing her breast through her shirt as he did. Darla’s nipples hardened at once and she felt her pulse rate spike. His fingers gently pulled open her collar and trailed down to her collarbone.

“The Infala is not yet fully developed,” he said, allowing her shirt to slip back into place. “With the way your body reacts to the pigments, I am quite certain you will be very aware of it when it does.”

She nodded, swallowing hard. Is it getting really hot out here, or is it just my raging hormones? she wondered as she pressed his hand against her belly harder, hoping he would slide it lower, even out here in the open, Raxxians be damned.

Raxxians. The green monsters that ate humans.

A flash of clarity hit her, and Darla forced herself to focus. There would be time for that later. For the moment, she wanted some answers.

“You say that these runes are what give me extra strength, but you also said they do other things.”

“Which vary from person to person, yes. It is a symbiotic relationship with the pigments. They react to your particular biology and needs, forming the power runes accordingly.”

“And you say it does this all on its own?”

“Yes. There is no conscious interaction with your pigments.”

“Huh, okay. So this Infala rune. It’s a strong one?”

“One of the most powerful. It forms with a bond to your heart, and when completed, it will draw you to your mate.”

“But what if I don’t want to do what it says? What if I don’t like my mate?”

Heydar’s expression grew serious. “There is no denying the Infala rune. None would even dream of it. Once the pigment is set, so too is your fate, and only death can break the bond.”

“Well, okay then,” she said. “Thanks for clarifying all of that for me. It’s not the sort of thing we’re familiar with back home.”

“I am aware of this, and it is one of the reasons I am impressed with you. To adapt so readily? To accept a foreign, an alien way of life after being so recently snatched from your own? It demonstrates remarkable character and strength.”

Darla’s cheeks were red, she just knew it, but at this moment she didn’t care. She pulled his hand from her stomach and laced her fingers with his.

“You’re not so bad yourself, you know,” she said, pulling his arm close and kissing his bulging bicep tenderly.

She would have had to be blind to not notice the stirring in his groin. It was such a small thing, just a gesture of affection and appreciation, yet it drew such a reaction. Darla couldn’t help but feel special. It was a heady feeling knowing she had that kind of effect on so powerful a man. It was damn near intoxicating.

“Okay, I suppose we should keep moving,” she said, shaking it off. “You said you thought we could reach the crash site later today, right?”

“That was my original assessment yesterday from our elevated vantage point,” he replied. “However, while the terrain has been much more forgiving today, the course we have been forced to follow has pushed us off from a direct approach. I fear we will not be able to reach it before nightfall.”

That meant a campout. Darla’s pussy reacted before she could even voice her thought, growing hot and wet with anticipation. She unconsciously licked her lips, wondering what his thick, ridged cock would feel like in her mouth.

“Uh, so you’re saying we’ll need to bed down somewhere tonight?” she asked, her body electrified at the thought of it.

He squeezed her hand and gazed into her eyes. “Yes, we will spend one more night before reaching our goal.” A little smile creased the corners of his full lips as he stared at her. “Come,” he finally said, gently pulling her much smaller hand in his. “We should be on our way. There is still much ground to cover before nightfall.”

She followed gladly, walking hand in hand with this enormous hunk of alien manliness. Her arousal dimmed slightly as they moved, but the lingering anticipation would in no way be entirely quenched. Only one thing would do that, and she was looking forward to it with every fiber of her being.

Who would have thought? she marveled. Me. And an alien.

It would have taken steel wool to scrub the smile from her face just then. She had no idea exactly how it had happened, but here she was, growing really fond of this guy. And for once the little voice of doubt in her head remained thankfully silent.

She just wondered when it would eventually rear its ugly head.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Darla and her enormous alien companion made good time on their trek once they put aside any thoughts of further shenanigans. There would be time for that later, and the promise of bedding down together was not far from either of their minds as they pushed ahead at a blistering pace.