Page 40 of Infala: The Priest's Temptation
A tug in her chest made her glance to the right. There he was. Draikis. In a sea of similarly clothed men, she saw him like a brilliant diamond amidst a sea of plain rocks, his silver eyes already locked on her, watching with a look she couldn’t quite read.
He gave a little nod, patting the empty seat beside him. Whatever had made him so uneasy the prior day, he seemed back to his normal self, at least so far as she could tell at a distance. Ella crossed to him and sat, her leg pressing against his, a jolt of electric tingles suddenly afire in her chest, the strange new Infala rune reacting to his vicinity. Apparently, Draikis felt it too, though his face remained neutral.
Nevertheless, though she was watching his eyes, she saw his erection spring to life with her peripheral vision. It was distracting to say the least, but somehow, she had the willpower to keep her eyes up. What she saw at the edge of her field of vision, however, had been impressive as hell even after what she’d seen in the hot springs. The beast between his legs could get even bigger, it seemed. This man was both a showeranda grower.
Draikis, to his credit, maintained his composure, though he turned from her as he shifted in his seat, angling his cock to the other side so it wouldn’t be quite so noticeable. Mission accomplished, or so he thought.
“Brother Draikis,” Elder Soparo’s voice called out from his place at the dais, hushing the entire chamber in an instant. “Please rise and lead the group prayer.”
Ella noted the darkening of his cheeks, but Draikis wasn’t about to deny the elder.
“Of course. It is an honor,” he replied, moving to stand.
He rose strangely, his body angled and stiff, as though he’d tweaked his back. In actuality, Ella saw his hand subtly pull his erection to swing upward, adjusting it to swing around and lay up flat against his belly, restrained by the waistband of his trousers.
Good thing his shirt is loose-fitting, she thought with amusement as she watched him look out across the collective, a tiny glimmer of relief on his face as he realized no one had noticed what he was hiding.
Almost no one.
Ella’s nipples were hard against the material of her top, the little jolts of pleasure shooting much lower distracting her in the most delightful way. She crossed her legs, squeezing as she did. It took every ounce of self-control to not let out a little groan as the ball of heat in her belly flared up hot. Her cheeks flusheda bit, that much she could tell, but everyone was looking at the man standing beside her, and that was a good thing.
Of course, knowing he was hard just beneath that layer of fabric so close to her face was a massive distraction, though one she was kind of enjoying given the exhibitionist bent to the whole situation. Draikis, however, was nothing if not focused and professional, and as he gave the opening prayer to the group, she couldn’t help but appreciate the man’s presence and poise speaking to so many people. Even in his state of discomfiture, he was a powerful presence once he got going, and watching him command the attention of every man present with such ease was incredibly hot.
He spoke at length, reciting what sounded like memorized call and answer sections, the brothers replying in the right spots. But he also appeared to diverge from the letter of the prayers, adding a few bits here and there, glancing briefly at Ella when he reached the part about the powers of belief and the duties of their order, expanding on the temptations they might face and the fortitude of will required to overcome them.
She looked across the chamber. Elder Soparo was watching, and his eyes werenoton Draikis.
Ella nodded to him then turned her focus back to Draikis’s recitation, not looking away until his last word. Only then did she look back across the room. The ceremonial bread was being passed around, but Elder Soparo was no longer at his place.
Where did he?—
“An unusual addition to the recitation, Brother Draikis,” the old man’s voice said from right behind them.
Draikis and Ella turned. Soparo reached out, offering them each a piece of bread rather than waiting for it to be passed to them like the others were doing.
Draikis nodded a little bow. “I hope you approve.”
“There is no right or wrong way to recite the bread prayer, Draikis. You know this is one of the more flexible ceremonies.”
“Yes, of course. And thank you for having the faith in me to lead the prayer this cycle. It is an honor.”
“It is. And you did a fine job.”
“I am relieved to hear that. I just worried that?—”
“Butyou did seem to emphasize some sections with a rather unusual focus,” the older man interrupted. “And there was more emotion in your words than one would expect.”
“I’m sorry if I disappointed you. I did not intend for the appearance of emotion. I just?—”
“No, Draikis, do not apologize. There is nothing wrong with that. It is just unexpected. I am actually glad to see you putting thought and emotion behind the words. So many of the brothers recite by rote and lose the meaning and gravity of the words they are speaking,” Soparo said with an approving grin. “Yours was a reminder that, perhaps, they should think more of the meaning of the words rather than simply repeating them.”
The old man shifted his attention, locking eyes with the human in their midst. “I hope you found the ceremony interesting. It has been quite a long time since we have had a guest present for the lunar prayer.”
“It was. And the imagery invoked was beautiful. I especially liked the aspect comparing the cycle of the moon to the core belief system. It’s a really artistic way to draw a literary parallel to the way the earliest instances of Dotharian power ebbed and flowed in the first conflicts among the factions before settling into an organic rhythm.”
Elder Soparo’s expression shifted from one of tolerance, if not slight disdain, to one of curious interest.
“An astute observation, especially from one not of the brotherhood.” He glanced over to her companion. “It wouldseem Draikis here has taught you more of our internal workings than he has let on.”
