Page 115 of The Duke and the Disciple

“And again, you aren’t listening to me.” She shook her head in disappointment, dragging her gaze over him. “I can’t... I’m done. I came here to enjoy myself, not be lectured or be made to feel my judgment is impaired.”

Rahn crossed both of his hands over his racing heart. Every second pulled her further away from him, from the magic they’d made in the tower. What had taken over a year to build was disassembling right before his eyes. “Ipromiseyou, that was not my intention.”

“Then prove it,” she said, “and leave me to experience the evening my way.”

He drew upon all his self-control to watch her move away.

Walking awayfrom Rahn was unspeakably difficult, no matter how nonchalant she’d appeared in the final moments of their charged confrontation. Her heart had been his from the moment he’d walked into Fanghelm, but his had never been hers, and only more senseless pain lay ahead if she stayed the course she was on. Knowing when to leave and when to stay was a lesson Drazhan had taught her. He’d seen that guiding his people was impossible until he’d experienced his own journey of growth. He’d forsaken his comforts and his relationship with his sister for something bigger than himself.

She wasn’t just leaving Rahn; she was leaving a version of herself behind as well.

Her past slipped away with each confident step, like a moth molting into a butterfly. Thinking of herself in that way gave her courage and conviction, and she lifted her head higher, pinching her shoulders back.

The men she’d exchanged nods with were no longer in the corner, but she had a feeling she knew where to find them.

Aesylt felt Rahn watching her.

She passed under the archways without looking back.

Rahn acceptedthe drink from Pieter without even looking at it to see what it was, downed it, and shoved the cup back into the man’s hands. “From the very first, you have had your eyes on her. You planned this.”

“Why did you come, eh? You’re clearly miserable.” Pieter clapped him on the shoulder and sipped his own drink slowly. “You’re wrong anyway. I have no interest in her, at least not sexually.” He grinned into another sip. “I prefer my women more... mature.” He swallowed. “And sometimes I prefer them not to be women at all.”

“Thenwhatis your intention with her?” Rahn divided his frenzied attention between Pieter and the arch under which Aesylt had disappeared. She might not want him around, but he wasn’t leaving without her. “What do you get out of all this ‘helpfulness’?”

“The satisfaction of aiding a friend?”

“Horseshit.”

Pieter’s mouth arched in amusement. “You’re far more interesting when you’re less reserved... Gerald. Another drink?”

Rahn clenched his hands into fists at his sides when they lost feeling.I’m not losing it, not here.“Ifanythinghappens to her tonight, I won’t bother going to Drazhan. I’ll kill you myself. And then I’ll walk myself into the lawman’s office, confess what I’ve done and why, so the appropriate legacy is the one that follows you into the afterlife, not whatever fairytale your family wants to spin to cover who you really are.” He snorted in disgust. “Stay away from her, or you’ll see a side of me you would not have thought possible.”

“The night is hers to enjoy as she pleases. I have my own ahead of me.” Pieter raised his glass, unruffled by the threats.

“Fuck you, Pieter,” Rahn spat and charged toward the arch.

Aesylt had been visitinganother world her whole life, but the one beyond the wispy curtains was another universe altogether.

The carpeted passageway stretched on forever. Along the west side were a series of doorless rooms, within which people moaned and laughed in delight. The string musicians could scarcely be heard anymore, their song having lost the competition with the symphony of unabashed debauchery rippling down the long hall.

The hall was full of revelers, even more than the main room. Most had already disrobed, displaying a mix of yellow and red strings. She saw a man with another man’s cock in one hand, and with the other, he was gesturing wildly toward the woman he was conversing with. Nearby, two women were trading off giving oral pleasure to a satisfied-looking older gentleman.

A sensuous, feminine voice purred in her ear, “You should take that off, love,” but when Aesylt turned to see who had said it, no one was there. Another someone placed a drink in her hand with a broad grin and moved on. Aesylt eyed the cup in suspicion, but she was there for the full experience, so she tossed it back and handed the empty glass to the next server she saw.

Incense made the air hazy, but the scent was one she’d not experienced before, warm and oaky and disorienting.

Her gaze traveled to each open room as she passed. They were all accoutred with luxurious cushions, settees, and refreshment carts. But it wasn’t the furnishings that kept her eyes from wandering back to the safety of the hall. Twists of sweaty limbs, moving in perfect rhythm together. Women slithering against women, and men penetrating while being penetrated. Their moans wrapped in the sweetness of pure abandonment.

“I dare not assume your color, but how I would love to enjoy you in the darning room.”

Aesylt turned and saw a tall, robeless, masked man holding a drink as he grinned at her. His wrist was adorned with a red string. “The darning room?”

“First time, love?”

She felt her first shame of the evening when she nodded.

“Ah, and your host failed to explain things to you. Tsk, tsk.” The man draped an arm over her shoulder and gestured around with his drink. “Every one of these rooms has a theme. That one nearest us is the magi room, reserved for those who enjoy adding a little magic to their play. This one here is called the domestic staircase, because it’s where highborns and servants come to switch roles. The highborns are whipped and dominated by the servants, and the servants are lavished with pleasure beyond their imagining. Ah, and that one there is the accounting room. Men and women there charge for their services, and they are all too eager to part with their money. Andthisone...” He trailed off. “It’s more fun to explore on your own. The darning room, though, you asked. In there, I would dress you in a thick, ungainly woolen garment. To earn your body, I would need to unravel you thread by thread, until there was nothing left but my unslakable lust for you.”

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