“Have you finally come to see me after all these long years?” she asked, her voice low and seductive. A playful smile played at the corners of her lips. Although she was about ten years older than Raelyn, her skin was still tight and her body firm, and Raelyn felt heat rise up into his face.
“Um,” Raelyn replied with a bit of a stammer, “I came to see Callais, actually.” Fuck my eyes, he thought, she’s been playing games like this for years.
Genevar chuckled, and Raelyn blushed harder. “Of course, dear Raelyn. I am sure Ourette has already gone to get her.” Her manner relaxed, and Raelyn felt himself begin to do so as well. “Do feel free to remove your sword belt.”
He unbuckled the belt, walking over to hang it on an empty rack by the door. “I see you don’t have many swordsmen here this evening. Your clientele has become much more respectable over the years.”
“Yes, we certainly have risen in society, regardless of what the wives in the Nobles’ District may say about us. And the men Karduk provides us have been quite good about keeping us safe. We have not had an incident where any of our girls have had reason to fear for quite some time.”
Raelyn smiled, remembering what things had been like years ago. “I doubt those services come cheap.”
“They are worth every tare. Would you care for something to drink while we wait?” she asked in her thickly accented voice. She walked across the parlor to an oak cabinet, pulling out a pair of crystal glasses and a bottle of fine sherry. “This comes from Primrose Estate. I think you’ll find it very much to your liking.”
“I know their vineyards,” Raelyn responded as she poured. “They’re just east of Weddleton. I have a friend who imports their wine to the city.” He accepted the glass and took a sip. “The sherry is excellent.”
Genevar smiled, looking a bit self-satisfied. “It’s surprisingly hard to come across. They age it in oak for twelve years before they bottle it. It’s one of my little indulgences.” She glanced at him coyly, and Raelyn couldn’t help but smile back.
“Lady Genevar, you always have the most luxurious indulgences. You must have one of the finest cellars in the city.”
She took another sip and purred again, her eyes half lidded. “Mmm, yes. Of course, it has taken quite some time to acquire such a collection. I have a gentleman, a patron here, who is quite happy to supply me with such impossible to acquire luxuries. In my younger years I reveled in excess, but lately I have been more pleased by the sensual pleasures that life can provide.” She gave him a look that was both playful and suggestive, as if she was referring to him.
“I’m sure of that,” Raelyn said, taking another sip to hide his embarrassment. The services you provide here are not cheap. If I could provide something you wanted, you bet I’d be doing the same thing.
“Would you care to sit?” she asked him, walking across the room to her chaise. Raelyn nodded, waiting out of courtesy for her to recline first.
“Thank you, my Lady.” He took another swallow of sherry, letting it roll across his tongue as he sat in the plush chair next to her. “It is very kind of you to share such expensive pleasures.”
Genevar laughed warmly. “I have very discriminating clientele. What sort of a hostess would I be if I would not cater to their tastes?”
Raelyn smiled at this. “I have heard that your ladies entertain some of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the city. I’m sure that they appreciate being treated to the finest things that Galavan’s Port has to offer. But I’m a simple soldier. I’d be satisfied with a glass of whiskey or ale. Don’t you think such fine things are wasted on me?”
Genevar’s expression changed from flirtation to genuine affection. “Raelyn, my sweet, I have known you far too long to consider you as anything but a good and noble man. You have always treated me with the courtesy and respect one would expect from a gentleman of breeding, and so I treat you in kind.” She smiled, emanating an honest warmth, and Raelyn couldn’t help but smile back. “I am happy to think of you as more than simply a customer.”
Maybe I should be asking you my questions, Raelyn thought to himself. He was about to speak when he heard Callais enter the room. He turned and stood, catching her eyes with his.
She was exquisite, from the curls of red-gold hair that framed her face to the perfection of her body, barely concealed beneath a sheer silk robe. His heart leapt into his throat as it always did when he saw her, and he felt his chest constrict. She looked at him with her piercing blue-green eyes, and the bow of her lips curled up into a half formed smile. Sensual and playful, her body inviting without being obscene, she had been everything Raelyn had wanted for more years than he dared to count. Have I always been in love with you? he asked himself, drinking in the sight of her.
“Good evening, Raelyn,” she said, her voice like song to him. Every detail about her had captivated him from the day he first returned from campaign and discovered that the girl he had known as a youth had grown into a woman. Just the thought of you clouds my mind.
Raelyn bowed to her chastely as she dipped her head to him. “You look lovely this evening,” he replied, his voice wavering a bit. You look more and more lovely to me as the years go on. I didn’t think it was possible for a woman to be this perfect.
Callais smiled at this and looked down coyly. “I thank you, Raelyn. You are too kind.” She looked back up and met his eyes. “Would you care to accompany me to my private chamber?”
“I would,” Raelyn replied. He watched as she turned, the sheer silk of her robe falling like a veil across her breasts, her hip, her buttocks. He felt an old, familiar desire rise within him as he followed her up the stairs, hypnotized by the sway of her hips. They arrived at the door to her room and she led him inside.
Curtains and veils surrounded an enormous bed, and a score of candles burned in expensive cut crystal glasses, filling the room with a soft and twinkling luminescence. A pair of large glass doors were open to the balcony, a gentle breeze stirring the curtains at their entrance and bringing with it the cool air of the bay. A heavy incense hung in the air, its heady perfume bringing a pang of longing to Raelyn’s chest. God, I love the smell of frankincense, Raelyn thought to himself, recalling the first time he had lain with Callias so many years ago. I know that’s why you burn it for me.
She walked to a cabinet that stood against the wall to their left and poured out a long measure of the single malt whiskey that Raelyn preferred. He sat down in a large, leather chair, sinking into its deep padding as she served him the drink. Neither of them spoke; the ritual was familiar, her body weaving a spell over him, but his mind couldn’t quiet the way it usually did. The platinum coins in his pouch kept coming to mind, as if they were whispering their possibilities to him. He took a swallow of the whiskey, trying to will his nerves steady as it burned a path down his throat.
Callais smiled at him, her eyes narrowing seductively. He took another swallow. She untied the sash at her waist, slipping the robe off of her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. Raelyn caught his breath and stared, taking in what he saw before him. Her breasts were held high in black lace, her rouged nipples exposed. Garters were attached to sheer silk stockings, so fine they were transparent, and her painted toenails peeked out of the front of expensive Mitigoli shoes. The downy triangle of her sex was completely exposed.
Raelyn realized that he hadn’t been breathing and gasped. Callais purred, swaying like a cat over to the chair and drawing her knees up to kneel on its leather, straddling him. Her pink tongue slipped between his lips, her breasts on his chest, her nails clawing at his waist. He felt his entire body respond to her like a wave, his manhood painfully stiff against his own thigh, as a feeling like fever overtook him.
His arms wrapped around her waist as they kissed, as she bit his ear and neck and her hands came up to grasp his chest. She gasped as his hand slid low, grabbing her ass, exploring her sex, the other moving to her breast. She reached down to the member on his thigh, grabbing him through the fa
bric of his breeches.
Raelyn wrapped his arms around her and stood up from the chair, lifting her easily as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She bit at his lip as he carried her to the bed, laying himself down on top of her body. He kissed her long and hard as she writhed beneath him, grinding herself against his belly. He could feel the liquor getting to his head, lust and abandon welling up within him at the feel of her body against his. A part of his mind was screaming, tormented over years of lust and feelings of betrayal; but she was his drug, and Etos would not be denied.
His mouth moved lower, kissing her neck, nibbling her shoulder, biting at her collarbone. His hands cupped her breasts, fingers pinching her nipples, tugging gently. “Harder,” she whispered, gasping as he pinched hard. His mouth came down, sucking and biting at her breast, drawing gasps of pleasure from her. His hand slid down between her legs and his rough fingers entered her, pushing into the hot, wet softness of her most intimate flesh.
She moaned then, grinding her pelvis against his hand, making small whimpering sounds of pleasure as he pushed his hand against her. He began to pinch her tender flesh, his own body aching for release as she bucked against him. Her chest was rising rhythmically, undulating in waves of pleasure that seemed to consume her.
His hand moved down then, and he slid her further up the bed. His mouth descended on the inside of her thigh, and she cried out as he bit her, sucked her, burrowing his face into her like a starving animal. He buried his face into her sex, tearing into her with a wild passion, bringing her to climax.
She was still trembling when he moved back up to kiss her, her eyes stormy like the sea. She took charge then, rolling him onto his back and mounting him once again. Deft fingers untied the laces of his shirt and she clawed at his bare chest, drawing gasps of pain and pleasure from him. She bit down on the flesh of his chest, her teeth leaving immediate red welts, and she laughed wickedly when he moaned.
Her hands and mouth moved lower then, untying the laces of his breeches and sliding them down. She bit at his thighs, much more rough with him than he had been with her, her hair falling in a wave over his pelvis, tickling him even as he winced in pain. Then her lips were on him, covering him, and his back arched with pleasure as she used her hot, wet mouth on him. He felt the lust welling up within him, the demon Etos clawing at his mind, tearing his will and sense to ribbons as she clawed at his belly, his hips, his thighs, even as she gave him pleasure.
And then it was too much. Control collapsed in his mind and his world seemed to fall apart. Part of him was aware of what he was doing, but it was almost as if he were watching someone else—as if he were watching as his demon possessed his body, his actions not his own. He grabbed her then, flinging her toward the head of the bed, and entered her violently. She cried out, whether from pain or pleasure he did not know, but he was past the point of control. He thrust savagely, pounding into her, one hand buried in her hair and the other gripping her arm. She began to cry, begging him to stop, sobbing and shrieking, fighting to get away; but that only served to spur him on, making him more rough, more violent. Blood pounded in his temples, his head throbbing, and spit flecked his lips as he grunted with exertion, and she twisted and struggled beneath him. He felt his body build to a crescendo, the bloody clash of forces meeting on the battlefield, the smash of a wave breaking on the cliffs, before collapsing onto her, spent, his demon exorcised for a time.
He lay there, insensate, for a time. He gradually became aware of his own body, covered in sweat, and the body that he lay curled protectively around. She had nuzzled into him, pressing her body against his, tucking his arm around her. She was breathing slow and heavy, and he wasn’t certain if she was awake, or even how long they had been laying there.
Raelyn moved, and felt her stir in his grasp. She shifted to her back so that she could look at him, her eyes dreamy and half-focused. “You’re incredible,” she said languidly, her voice low. She nuzzled into his arm, kissing it gently as he ran his fingers down her cheek. The moment was magical, as it always was with her. He wished for a moment that he could always have that feeling—and then he thought of the platinum coins in his pouch.
“I have something for you,” he said, trying to slip his arm from beneath her head. She smiled an impish smile and bit at the tender flesh on the inside of his elbow.
“Is it shiny?” she asked, still not letting go of his arm. He gave up trying.
“Yes.” He wasn’t sure what to say. "Do you want me to get it for you?”
Callais rolled off of his arm, letting him get up. Her demeanor was coquettish, flirtatious and excited. She looked up at him, eagerness in her eyes. This is the girl I fell in love with, so many years ago, Raelyn thought to himself with a bitter-sweet pang. How I wish I could have rescued you then, spared you from this life. What would you be like if you had been the wife of a soldier? Would you be this vibrant and beautiful, or would the burden of being a soldier’s wife have crushed your spirit long ago?
“Well?” she asked expectantly, breaking his reverie. He returned her playful smile and crawled out of bed, retrieving his coin pouch. His fingers untied the leather thong that kept it closed and fished out a platinum sun. He gazed down on it for a moment, returning to his thoughts. What kind of a husband would I have made back then? An angry, whoring drunk? I wouldn’t have given her then what I want to give her now, and now it may be too late. He turned back to her, the coin in his fist, and crawled back into bed.
“Stop keeping me in suspense!” she said, backing away from him teasingly as he tried to kiss her. “I can tell it’s small, which is my favorite size for a gift. Do I get to guess what it is?” She batted her lashes at him, and the sight of her made him crazy.
“Don’t get too excited now,” he cautioned, suddenly uneasy. “It’s not really that much of a gift. It’s just something that I happened across, and I wanted to give it to you.” He reached his hand out towards her, then stopped for a moment. “I wanted to get something nice for you, but I haven’t had the time. Life’s gotten suddenly very busy for me.”
“Not so busy that you’re neglecting me,” she replied with a smile, leaning forward to kiss him. There was hope and promise in her eyes. Do you really feel this way about me? he wondered to himself. Or do you just say these things because it’s your job? Because men pay you to make them feel this way?
Raelyn opened his hand, letting the heavy platinum coin fall into her hand. For a moment she looked confused, as if she didn’t understand the fuss, but then she turned the coin over and saw the image of the radiant sun. He watched her eyes widen in surprise. She looked up at him.
“It’s for you,” he blurted out, then winced inwardly. I must sound like an idiot. “I’d like you to get yourself something nice,” he tried again.
“Thank you, Raelyn,” she said slowly, turning the coin over in her hand. “How did you come across so much money? This must be half a year’s pay for you.”
“It’s not that much,” he replied, still a bit uncomfortable. “Lord Elotarn gave it to me, and there’s more where that came from. I’ve been given a case, and I wanted to ask you about it.” The expression on her face changed subtly. I see your guard going up. Please don’t block me out. “The High Lords of the city have asked me to investigate the murder of Aertis Millson. Have you heard about it?”
“I think everyone has at this point.”
“I’m tasked with trying to figure out who is responsible for killing him, or for hiring whoever did it. I think the killer was a professional, so my best bet is to find out who might want him dead, who would profit from it. I’ve been told that if I succeed I’ll have a position on the Watch again. I might be able to have my old career back—my honor back.”
“That’s wonderful,” Callais said, but her voice was hollow. You still feel responsible for what happened to me, no matter how many times I tell you it wasn’t your fault.
“I want to ask you for a favor.” He paused for a moment, not sure how to say
it. “I know you hear a lot of things, from a lot of different people. If this is a plot, someone has to know—and people talk to you. If any of Genevar’s girls hear anything that you think will help, can you let me know?”
“Sure, Rae,” Callais replied. “I’m happy to help if I can, you know that. But I haven’t heard anything. I’ll let you know if I do—but you’ll have to come by to visit me more often.” She smiled at that, her familiar teasing smile. Raelyn looked at her and felt his lust returning. And suddenly he was gripped with the urge to say what he had wanted to say from the start.
“I’m in love with you, Callais,” he said, his chest tight. “I know I’ve told you before, but it hasn’t changed. And it’s not going to change. I want to be with you.”
Callais smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. “I know, Rae. And you can come to see me whenever you want. Even if you didn’t have the coin, you could come to me—I’ll always be here for you, no matter what happens.”
“But I don’t want you to be here for me. I want you to come away with me. Look,” he said, grabbing his coin pouch and spilling its contents into his hand. “I have platinum—honest to Tuva platinum suns—enough money that I wouldn’t have to work for a year. And I have the chance to get my old position back, and get in Lord Elotarn’s good grace! If I do that, I can get my honor back, good money, respect! I can take care of you!” He dropped the coins on the bed, reaching out with both hands to take hers. “Marry me, Callais. Let me make you an honest woman. You’re all I’ve wanted in life for years, and now I can finally give you the kind of life you deserve, to be the husband you should have.”
Callais pulled gently away, looking down at the bed. “You don’t know what you’re saying, Raelyn,” she said, pain evident in her voice. “It’s not that simple. There have been times when I would have jumped at the chance to have that kind of life, but it’s not what the gods have decided for me.”
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