The red headed woman's hand flew to her mouth in shock.
"We're being watched!" she exclaimed, her voice sharp and causing the low hum and chanting to halt.
Kael froze, caught in the act of peeking at them. His initial instinct was to retreat, to deny what he had seen. But he was already caught so there was no point, or rather he didn't want to leave.
Who would? Front-row to a sacred spectacle of sweat, oil, and pleasure? Not Kael, the boy was no saint.
The undeniable heat pooling in his groin, the blatant evidence of his arousal pressing against his trousers, held him captive. He had been discovered. There was no turning back.
And truth be told, the explicit intimacy and the fervent atmosphere held a strange, compelling pull.
The seductive women inside the ritual hall came in all shapes and forms, some were in their forties, others were the same age or a little older than Kael himself.
Eighteen? Nineteen? It was hard to tell through the haze of incense and dim candlelight.
Their bodies glistened with sweat and sacred oils, celebrating curves in all their divine glory– from slender and ethereal to thick and voluptuous, breasts swinging freely or adorned with glinting piercings that caught the flame's flicker like stars.
One woman in particular stepped forward, her full breasts bare and proudly displayed. She seemed to be in her middle thirties or late thirties. She had long, dark hair that flowed freely down her back, wild and untamed like flames in shadow.
While she wore nothing on her upper body, her lower half was wrapped in a perfect, dark crimson cloth that clung to her hips and thighs.
The fabric scintillated faintly with gold thread, transparent enough to tease what lay beneath the clothing, yet layered just enough to keep it sacred, or ritualistic?
Thin golden chains rested around her waist, swaying gently as she moved, each one etched with tiny symbols that glowed faintly in the candlelight.
Kael's gaze locked on her—especially her chest, stripped and unashamed. Each nipple was pierced with golden rings that caught the light as she moved.
Her hips swayed like in trance, her breasts bouncing with each step in a hypnotic rhythm that seemed less accidental and more… divine.
She moved in a seductive way, her eyes locked on Kael's, daring him to cross the line into whatever secret world this was.
Kael swallowed hard. Shit. She was coming straight at him.
His mind scrambled for a plan, but all he could focus on was the relentless heat pressing against his trousers, his boner growing more outrageous by the second.
"You, man. What are you doing here?" She demanded, her tone a mixture of anger and suspicion, her nakedness somehow adding to her commanding presence.
Kael swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. But he didn't regret coming here.
In fact, now he was glad, whatever force had pulled him here, he was grateful for it because he got to witness this.
He leaned casually against the doorframe, trying to appear far more composed than he actually felt. "What do you mean… uh, priestess?" he stammered, but he still managed to sound confident and composed.
"What is your purpose here?" she asked, her gaze piercing into him, as if trying to peel back his thoughts and expose the truth beneath his skin.
Kael suddenly came up with a plan to pretend that he was one of them.
They must have male members, right?
He scanned the room quickly, looking for a male face, but all he saw was women. 'No, definitely no men here.'
But that didn't stop him from pushing the act. He gave a nod, and hoped to sound convincing as he spoke. "Apologies, priestess," he said smoothly, as if this were nothing new. "It seems I lost track of time. Forgive my tardiness."
The bare-breasted priestess, Zyra the second in leadership, rolled her eyes, lips curling into a venomous smile. She seemed intrigued by Kael's answer. Or rather, his audacity to remain composed and speak as if he wasn't in trouble caught her off guard.
"Liar," she scoffed. Even in anger, her presence was mesmerizing. "Nice try. But we have no men here. This is a sacred rite, reserved solely for Vaelyrion's potential concubines. No men allowed."
Kael blinked. "Wait, really? None? Not even… part-time?"
The red-headed woman, the one who had been receiving pleasure when Kael arrived, scowled. "This is a ceremony. A devotion paid in flesh, spirit, and fire."
She looked very angry. Kael could only guess that she was annoyed that she didn't get to be satisfied, due to him interrupting.
He would be angry too, so he didn't blame her.
Her eyes bored into his. "We gather here for the resurrection of Vaelyrion, our god, our flame, our rightful king, and how dare you interrupt?"
Kael swallowed the name. Whenever he heard it, it always struck a strange chord deep inside him. Familiar.
"Vaelyrion?" he echoed softly, a shiver running through his spine. He tried to think of where he read it? Or heard of it, but he could not recall anything.
Maybe he hadn't heard it before, and it was just his mind.
Zyra, now standing close to him, leaned in, her voice a whisper, heavy with meaning. "And you, intruder, were never meant to witness it."
Kael sighed, deciding to abandon his flimsy disguise. "I didn't mean to intrude, I was just… passing by," he managed, his voice a little rougher than earlier, his gaze darting back towards the red haired woman, and the other one who had been the center of the ritual, a silent testament to what had held his attention.
The red haired woman stepped away from the kneeling one, her naked form moving with fluid grace, her medium but round breasts bouncing. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "This is a sacred space. You have no right to intrude."
From the circle of women, a low, husky voice cut through the tension.
It was the High Priestess, Isolde. She stepped forward, a woman in her early forties, draped in a deep violet robe that hugged her mature curves. She raked her dark, knowing eyes over Kael, lingering for a moment on the obvious bulge in his pants.
A faint, knowing smile played on her lips. "Perhaps… he was drawn here. Vaelyrion works in mysterious ways."
Isolde was the highest in rank at this temple. Zyra was second in leadership, although deep down she would have liked it if she was the first, because she was the most devoted to their god, Vaelyrion.
Zyra said, "I agree with you, mistress. Vaelyrion indeed works in mysterious ways." She shot Kael a look and clenched her teeth, "But certainly not through him, he is just a boy."
It was clear she already hated Kael. Well, he did intrude on their sacred ritual, so he was lucky he hadn't been chased out.
"Leave. Now. And speak of what you have seen to no one." Zyra commanded.
Kael hesitated. Part of him screamed at him to obey, to flee this strange and erotic scene. But… but, he felt like he should stay.
And maybe it was his hormones speaking, but standing there, he felt like he was in the right place.
Plus, the curiosity that had led him here, was now amplified by the raw sensuality. Not to mention, the name, 'Vaelyrion,' the name of the deity these women were worshipping, strangely resonated within him. This was what held him rooted to the spot.
"Vaelyrion?" he finally asked, his voice a low murmur, his eyes flicking between the naked and robed women, a question hanging heavy in the air. "Who is Vaelyrion? And what kind of… return are you expecting?"
The priestesses answered,"That is none of your concern." She took a step towards him, her nakedness surprisingly intimidating.
"Leave, or you will wish you never intruded."
But, before Kael could even think of leaving, Isolde objected. "Or perhaps not… he didn't stumble here by accident. He was summoned." She claimed.