-Jaonah-

With his fingers laced loosely through mine, Oleander led me up a curving set of stairs on our right. Upstairs was a long hall lined with doors. As we walked, I found myself on the terrace I had seen earlier, and I chance a look down out of vague curiosity. My cousin, unsurprisingly, was seated in a plush armchair with a young woman on his lap and two others at his sides, entertaining all of them at once. It took a moment more of searching to find Lorant, and I was surprised to see him in a secluded corner of the room, with none other than Satella curled up in his arms. How very like him to seek out the only elvin lass available.

“Ahem.” Oleander called my attention, pushing open one of the ivory-painted doors, which stood starkly against the black walls. “Shall we?”

“Of course.”

The room he led me into was larger than I might have imagined, its main feature being a large, silk-covered bed on the far wall. I observed the space as Oleander locked the door behind us, finding a counter to my left, which held chilled bottles of wine, glasses, and a few select food items. To my right was what appeared to be a closet, closed off by a thick velvet curtain.

“Is it…impolite to ask what I’ll be paying for your time?” I ventured, glancing toward Oleander. “Whatever the cost, I’ll be happy to pay it, of course! I thought you might ask for your payment before we go any further, and I don’t want to give you the impression that I won’t respect it.”

From what I could see, the smile on his lips looked like one of amusement. “I appreciate your candor, my lord, but as I mentioned before, I am a very special Flower. You see, this”—he touched the edge of his shining gold mask—“means I have the freedom to set my own price. On that note, would you prefer that I leave it on?”

“Not at all,” I answered quickly, eager to see him without it. “If you’re comfortable with removing it, please do.” With a slight nod, he did as I asked, setting the gleaming accessory aside on the counter and revealing the loveliest man I’d ever seen underneath. Humans often praised my people for our ‘beauty,’ but I’d never met an elf who compared with Oleander. His features were so soft, his eyes gentle but fully engaged, and there was something quietly enigmatic behind that smile. More fascinating all the time.

“We can discuss payment later.” He sauntered toward me and reached for the ties of my mask as well, pausing for my consent. I nodded, so he easily slipped my mask off to discard it. “That’s possibly the least interesting part of the night’s proceedings, as I see it.” His arms draped over my shoulders to draw me into an embrace, and I swallowed hard as my hands came shakily to rest on his waist.

“I suppose,” I conceded, undeniably distracted as he pushed my hair back behind my ear and leaned down to run his tongue slowly up the length of it. Spirits… When he raised his head to meet my eyes, I was struck again by his beauty and asked without meaning to, “May I kiss you?”

“There’s no need to be so formal, Jaonah,” he told me. “Do with me what you will. For the night, I’m yours.” The phrasing of his offer was too tempting not to accept. With only a moment’s hesitation, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his, raising my head slightly to compensate for the difference in our heights. Oleander took in a deep breath and tilted his head to meet me, letting his lips part so that my tongue could slip past them. He still tasted faintly of wine, and the soft moan that passed from his mouth to mine sent a delicious chill of intrigue through me.

When he drew away for a breath, fingers sliding up the back of my neck and into my hair, he purred, “And I would be lying if I said this was purely for your benefit.”

“Oh?” Warmth of a different sort spread through my chest as I held him closer still, trying to memorize the feeling of his body—surprisingly solid despite his willowy frame—against mine. “What do you mean?”

“I suppose you wouldn’t know it, having been in Vallerie for only a short time now, but sincerity like yours is in short supply,” he explained, his tone fading from seduction to reflection as he trailed brief kisses along my neck. “It’s refreshing, to say the least. Rilleaud has too many secrets, too much to hide.”

“Might the same be said of you?” I mused, and he chuckled against my skin.

“You have no idea. It’s safe to say no one in our fair country knows its many secrets better than I do.” That seemed quite a claim for any one person to make, and I began to get the impression that Oleander was much more than a simple courtesan. That likely should have made me wary of him, and maybe it did to a point, but I had already professed my interest in him despite any danger it might come with; that interest had yet to fade.

“I imagine that must get exhausting.”

“Oh, never fear, my lord. It takes much more than that to exhaust me. We’ll see whether you’re up to the task yourself.” As he spoke, he was unclasping my cloak to let it fall from my shoulders, distracting me significantly from the unexpectedly pensive side of our conversation. Taking my hands from his waist, he led me to the bed to sit at its edge with him. “Now, if I’m not much mistaken, I was promised a demonstration of your magic. Will you give it to me now?” The sly smirk on his lips said he was choosing his words carefully and intentionally.

“Yes, of course.” I now worried I might have talked up my skills too much. If I failed to impress him, I wasn’t sure I could recover from the embarrassment. With an absent gesture, I conjured a handful of tiny, multicolored light motes, then tossed them into the air to let them float thoughtlessly through the room. Another flick of my hand put out the candles and sconces along the walls, leaving the space dimmer but arguably more romantic.

Oleander’s eyes sparkled with fascination as he hesitantly reached for one of the lights and caught it between his hands to inspect it. The blue glow it cast on his face made him, if possible, even more charming—or perhaps I was just flattered to see him admiring my spellcraft. When he glanced at me, however, his smile quickly faded.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, suddenly afraid I’d upset him somehow.

“No, no. It’s likely a misunderstanding on my part. I just thought…” He tilted his head to one side, and I realized he wasn’t meeting my eyes but was scrutinizing my skin instead.

“Ah. You were expecting to see my straits,” I reasoned, and he smiled almost bashfully.

“Is that what you call them? Satella would never tell me. She’s always a bit reserved on the subject of magic. Is it something you prefer not to share with humans?”

“No, it’s often quite the opposite,” I laughed. Most elves I knew would take any opportunity to ‘share’ their magic with humans if it meant a chance to flaunt their power. “But simple spells don’t require us to channel magic from another source. If that’s what you want, I’ll need to do something more…involved.”

“That’s quite an intriguing offer, my lord. I would love to see more, if you’re willing to show me,” he agreed. Steeling myself for courage, I took his hand to lead him closer, drawing him into my lap to straddle my legs. Oleander’s eyes widened, but he seemed pleased with my boldness. “Is this what you meant by ‘involved’? Now I’m even more curious.”

“No, this is pure selfishness on my part,” I confessed, and he rewarded my honesty with a laugh. Sliding my hands lightly up his thighs, I went on, “You told me you’ve rarely seen elvin magic. Have you ever felt it?”

His eyebrows jumped upward at the suggestion. “I can’t say that I have.”

“Would you like to?”