Varyn smirked. “Well, your lives, to start. Anything past that is dependent on your…participation.”
Delaynie’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not sleeping with you, if that’s what you want.”
Quentin’s jaw dropped. Varyn barked a laugh.
“Gods, no,” the pirate lord said. He stroked the hair of the girl kneeling between his legs. “I have no need for that from you. Pleasure is the purpose of my soirees, not manipulation or coercion.”
“You just said you would judge us on our participation.” Delaynie crossed her arms. “How is that not coercion?”
Varyn’s grin only deepened. He glanced at Quentin. “She has fire, doesn’t she? I can see why you want her.”
Quentin nearly choked, heart exploding through his stomach and crawling up his chest. “I—she’s my friend. I don’t want?—”
Varyn waved him off. “Your denial is boring. Don’t bother hiding it. If it matters, she wants you, too.”
Quentin knew he shouldn’t look at her. Knew that whatever would be on her face would be something he had no business seeing.
He couldn’t help himself.
She wasn’t looking at him, but that cool, beautiful blush had bloomed over her cheeks. Her eyelashes fluttered, the swell of her chest rising and falling with her breaths.
This was dangerous. He could feel Varyn leading them down a path from which there would be no return, regardless of the reason why. Quentin should grab Delaynie’s hand and drag her out of there, take refuge in the wilderness of the island, and try to find some other way to get back to Onita. Their mission would be a failure, but despite the reminder from his bond with his queen, he didn’t think what she sought was here, anyway.
Even as his mind raced with what heshoulddo, he knew he wouldn’t.
He was in too deep, and if he was honest with himself, he had no desire to ever come up for air.
Delaynie finally looked at him, her blue eyes wide. The politician’s mask fell away, leaving her open and vulnerable and curious.
Quentin swallowed.
“Gods, all the staring. I tire of this.” Varyn snapped his fingers. A servant emerged from behind a curtain, carrying a tray laden with small silver glasses. They stopped before Quentin and Delaynie, offering them the contents.
Quentin lifted a brow. “What is this?”
“We call iteshwa.”
Quentin had never heard of it. “What does it do?”
Varyn grinned again. “Try it and find out.”
“It could be poison,” Delaynie said quietly.
“It could be. But you thinking that tells me how little you know of the Kizar people.” Varyn leaned forward, bracing a hand on his thigh. “We leave the drugs and poisons to the earth people in Idrix and Vatha. Our specialties lie elsewhere. Particularly”—his grin widened— “in the bedroom.”
Realization struck Quentin. “It’s an aphrodisiac.”
A hand laden with silver rings appeared, swiping a glass from the tray. Darius tossed the contents down his throat, his dark shirt rumpled and unbuttoned. “Finally, something smart from the little minnow that pretends to be an Armature.” Just as quickly as he’d appeared, he was gone, vanishing back into his alcove with three more glasses ofeshwa. A feminine laugh tinkled from behind the sheer curtain. Quentin turned back to the offered tray.
He was trying to figure out what to say. He wanted to take it; wanted to see what would happen if he took it. His baser instincts screamed at him to just do it, to make the first move like he always did. Like he’d never had any trouble doing before.
But was that whatshewanted? What would happen if he took it and she refused? He couldn’t leave her alone in this place. Andhe expected that Varyn wouldn’t let them leave freely if one of them said no.
His choice, though, was made for him.
Delaynie’s small, pale hand snatched up one of the small silver glasses. She raised it to her lips without a trace of hesitation, swallowing its contents in a single gulp.
Quentin couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. Delaynie blinked, then licked her lips. The set of her shoulders softened.
