Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Jacqueline Caery's Kushiel Legacy series and in no way am profiting from it. I highly recommend the series, first book, Kushiel's Dart

Character List

Nathaniel de Wintre nó Mandrake - Courtesan of the Night Court of Blooming Flowers, raised in House Heliotrope (Thou, and no other), claimed by House Mandrake (Yield all), Dowayne of House Mandrake

Aurore de Morhban de Talmanes - Marchioness de Friese, Baroness de Brianne, second born child to the former Duc and Duchesse de Morhban, Augustus and Océane de Morhban. Former Ambassador to Aragonia and the only acknowledged lover of Nathaniel nó Mandrake

Helena de Trevalion - Second born to houe Trevalion, former patron of Nathaniel nó Mandrake. Sworn rival of Aurore de Morhban.

Nathaniel watched her like a raptor bird watches its next meal. In the one eyes she could see, there was a light, a raging fire as it slowly looked down upon her, taking in everything about her. He was tall, the top of her head came to his eyes, but not so much it would be an issue for them. There was a popular rumor which ran through the court about the Queen and her husband. It was said during one of their intimate moments with one another, she said she could climb him like a tree. The same would be true at this moment with the Mandrake who was before her at this moment. While he was muscled and broad shouldered, his waist was streamlined, and she could very easily lock her legs about him and dig her heels into him if she wanted too. At her response to words about getting her to yield to him, his lips once more turned up into the playful yet wicked smirk. The smirk combined, his hands raking over her skin in ways to make her sex ache, the way hiss gaze lingered over every enticing curve on display, it held the promise of acting upon and fulfilling every dark thought and fantasy about sex she ever had. More so than she ever thought or could dream.

With one of his hands in hers, he made it rise to a level a tad above her head, even with the top of his ears. He next lowered his head to kiss at the inside of her wrist, right at her pulse point, then trail up the length of her arm, again knowing how and were to touch her with his lips, how to kiss her. He let his mouth lick and suck at the where her forearm met her upper arm, another often neglected erogenous zone upon a woman. After pausing there for a few heartbeats, he moved on, kissing the length of her upper arm before he stopped before her ripe lips, freshly swollen from biting down upon her lower lip to keep herself from crying out.

He did not kiss her right away. Instead he let go of her hand and lightly caressed where his mouth had been only moments before, to stop at her cheek. There he cupped his hand in a very intimate gesture, letting his thumb rub lightly over her lips before he spoke. His voice was like heated silk wrapped about a steel core, a near physical entity in itself which touched her in places. "It is good you have said so because there will be much this night which will please me. For the rest of this night as you are with me, you should do all you can to please me. Such as this..."

Nathaniel moved his hands over her dress. It was form fitting which meant a servant had sewed her into it. He looked for the stitching. He took the dagger part of his costume and cut through the thread, till the costume began to hang off of her rather hung her form like a second skin. His mouth went to work then, pushing the fabric away and baring her smooth, sun kissed skin. He kissed each part of newly exposed skin. He took his time, only skimming about breasts and hips and highs, never once coming close to places he was sure were on fire. He did not stop till she was nude, gloriously nude before him.

He was kneeling down before her now, back at the "ship" serving as his "throne" this evening. Hands moved back up over thighs, over hips, his mouth following and leaving a trail of fire in its wake. He lapped at the small hollow caused by her hip bone before stopping at her navel. He looked up at her them, between the valley of her breasts capped with nipples as hard as stones and purred at her. "I could relieve you of this burning ache, this torment which has your thighs already slick with your sweet nectar. All you have to do is beg, beg and say you will be mine till I am done with you. A one time offer from a Dowayne. No assignation fee, no patron gift, just you putting yourself at my mercy. Or, you could say no, which I will respect, but know I will keep you here by my side till the sun is ready to kiss the horizon, but not once will you climax, no matter how you beg then. The choice is yours my lovely angel. Which shall it be?"