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“Naked.” I responded honestly, and Rhyalla laughed as she appeared in the door frame with a small pot of paint.
“That is more or less the point.” She said, dipping her finger in and getting to work painting Kasha’s body.
“The first night of Yal'duun-kala is a large feast, where we all come together to eat. It represents the importance of family and community. The second night of Yal'duun-kala is all about sex appeal. It is about mating and pleasure and fertility. The final night is about commitment, promise and loyalty.”
“That’s beautiful.” Kasha said as Rhyalla traced the paint over her skin.
I agreed, though I wasn't sure I was ready for what a night that was supposed to be all about sex appeal might entail. Rhyalla finished with Kasha and moved on to me.
As she went to mark my body with the paint, she paused when she saw the scars. She ran her finger over the thin white lines that traced up my arms. She pursed her lips and went to work adding the paint. I felt that she strategically traced the paint in such a way, that they almost accented the scars, instead of covering them up.
“Our people believe that marks on the body tell the stories of our lives. Some even practice scarification, and intentionally mark their bodies to honor events that they consider to be significant. This reminds me of that.” She finished her work and looked up at me, smiling.
“There,” she stood back and smiled proudly at her work. “Now you are both ready to truly participate in the Yal'duun-kala. In the time it had taken us to get ready, it had gotten significantly darker outside. We followed Rhyalla out of the treehouse and down to the heart of the settlement, where I could already see the hot glow of the lit pyre.
The music was louder now, and the beat was deep and primal. Shifters had already begun to gather, wooden cups in their hands. At first glance, it looked like any other gathering. As I looked closer, I realized that there was a great deal of touching going on.
We were almost immediately approached by two males, dressed in a similar manner, but without the bandeau. Paint covered their chests and the linen of their loin cloths left little to the imagination.
“Who have you brought tonight, Rhyalla?” One of them purred, eyeing Kasha and I closely.
“They smell, delicious,” the other one crept closer to Kasha, and she smiled at him coyly. “Would you like to dance?” He asked her. She glanced over at me and winked.
“Not right now, I’m here with my friend.” She replied politely. The shifter circled us, he crept in close to me and inhaled. What was with shifters and smelling people?
“Your friend can come too,” his voice was a low growl. “She smells of power.” He came to stand in front of me, a sensual smile curling on his lips. “I wonder if you taste as good as you smell.”
“Um…” I stammered. I had never had a male be so forward with me, or frankly, come onto me at all. I had no idea how to respond. My heart was pounding, and my face was flushed, but I felt excited. This was a very new experience for me.
“Maybe later,” I said, smiling sheepishly at the male. His eyes darkened as he watched us go.
“I’ll hold you to it,” he called after us. Kasha pulled me away, shaking her head.
“Maybe later?” She laughed. “You going to meet up with that guy and make out?” I blushed laughing with her.
“I don’t know! I didn’t know what to say.”
“I told you, you will all be in very high demand tonight,” Rhyalla smiled.
43
We approached the pyre, and the music intensified. Shifters were already beginning to dance around the fire as the sun disappeared for the night. Their bodies moved languidly and as they rubbed up against each other.
Many of them were participating in very public displays of affection. I realized suddenly that the lack of clothes in many cases, was to make the physical act of pairing up as accessible as possible.
“This is wild,” I breathed to Kasha. I had never seen anything so erotic in my life. My whole body felt like it was buzzing and on fire. Kasha laughed.
“It’s fun for sure, but it’s mild compared to some of the things that go on in the Court of Lust.” I glanced at her. Knowing what I did about her past, I wasn’t sure I wanted to dig further and ask what she meant.
“I see K’yen,” Rhyalla said. “Are you both ok on your own from here?” We nodded at her, and she left to find her mate.
I noticed Kasha scanning the crowd.
“Do you see Amon and Dossidian anywhere?” I asked.
“Hmm?” She seemed distracted. “Oh, no. I wasn’t looking for them.”
“Who were you looking for, then?” I asked, and she looked at me with a strange expression on her face.
