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.

Aurore knew the man before her to be refined, cultivated, in complete control of himself, but there was something wild about way he looked at her, the way he smiled. Almost feral. It was at complete odds with each calculated touch, the drag of his hands over her body that nearly made her hum in delight, purring like a cat enjoying the blissful heat of the sun. That was what Nathaniel was to her, or at least what he had been. In the years apart, it was evident that his ability to so thoroughly undo her hadn't changed. If anything, his skills had grown all the more effective.

That was made almost painfully clear with the first kiss he pressed to the inside of her wrist. Her core had already turned molten, and she was certain the rest of her would follow given how she felt she might melt against him at any moment. Nathaniel's lips left a blazing trail over her skin, the feather-light touch at the inside of her elbow sending a shiver through her. As his mouth trailed higher, her breaths turned shallow, and by the time he reached her cheek and she felt his breath on her parted lips, her eyes drifted closed. But the finally kiss she so desperately ached for was denied to her. It was akin to a feeling he'd introduced to her long ago, a sweet torture that taught her just how exquisite delayed gratification could be. Aurore couldn't help the way she leaned into his touch, tempted to suck the pad of his thumb into her mouth just so she might be reminded what his skin tasted like. But Aurore remained utterly still in anticipation as he spoke, only her eyes opening so she could gaze up at him from under thick lashes.

Nathaniel didn't elaborate on what exactly it was that would please him, but he didn't need words to express what he desired. His hands as they moved over her were searching, the pressure of his fingertips seeking something in particular and when they hovered, Aurore realized what he'd been looking for. There was no hesitation as he reached for his blade, not just a part of his costume but perfectly functional as it sliced through the silvery thread that kept her sewn into the silk dress. While the air of the room was hardly cool, goosebumps raised over her heated skin as inch by inch of it was exposed.

If anyone else was looking, she didn't care. The only person that mattered was the one easing the fabric from her body, greeting each expanse of skin with a kiss, though knowing exactly which parts she craved his touch the most and avoiding them for that very reason. The singular moment of clarity she had was her acknowledgement of the token tucked into her bodice falling to the floor with the rest of her dress, swallowed up by the folds of silk. It was a blessing that he didn't notice, an even bigger one that he hadn't relieved her of her mask as well as her clothes.

Nathaniel's breath ghosted over her skin, and it was a rare moment that she looked down to meet his gaze. She was certain he could feel her trembling in his hands, against his lips, just as she felt his voice rumble through her as he spoke. Her first impulse was to say 'yes', to say 'please' like it was the only word she knew. But what would he do if she reached down and retrieved his Lover's Token from the pooled silk at her feet? The Token that had exempted her from every fee, every gift except for the ones she gave him when motivated by sheer love? Would he leave her, not like the woman before, but aching, and wanting, and utterly cold in his unfeeling wake? Looking down at him, it took no small amount of self control to stroke his cheek, comb her fingers through his hair.

As release was promised to her, heart-stopping, soul-shaking release, Aurore knew she was about to torment herself more than Nathaniel ever could. "I thought you Mandrakes delighted in such delicious torture," Aurore mused. "Would that not please you more, M'Lord?"