Challenges (30 page)

“You seem to be sure I didn’t touch him because you’re sure of
me
, and I thank you for that,” she said with a dimple-filled smile. “Touching him with my ability wouldn’t have been fair, but I was almost ready to do it anyway if that trick hadn’t worked. And to tell the truth, it wasn’t completely a trick. I’m just about desperate enough to do exactly as I said I would. Because of my big mouth.”

“You couldn’t help it any more than Lorand can help feelin’ as he does,” Vallant said, moving closer to put a hand under her chin. “Neither one of you is to blame, so stop thinkin’ about what was and start thinkin’ about what will be. But not everythin’ that will be.”

The last of his words was something of a mutter, and he turned away to keep his expression from betraying him. With anyone else the effort would have worked, but Jovvi tended to look at people with more than her eyes.

“It’s bothering you that Tamma stayed behind with Lorand,” she stated, just as though he’d said the words first himself. “You aren’t jealous, just … bothered. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You can move the day along faster so that it’s bedtime tonight,” he replied with a faint snort of self-ridicule. “I need it to be that time so I’ll know if she really will be sleepin’ beside me. Right now I keep expectin’ somethin’ to come along and make it impossible.”

“When I say I know exactly how you feel, please believe I mean it in every sense of the words,” she agreed with a sigh. “I won’t believe that Lorand is back beside me until it actually happens, and waiting for it to happen is killing me. You … don’t really mind that we’ll be lying together, do you? I know you agreed to go along with the necessity, but I also know you still have certain reservations.”

“None of which has anythin’ to do with you,” he assured her at once, turning back to touch her cheek gently. “I keep flinchin’ at the thought of Tamrissa turnin’ her back on me because of this, even though she was the one who forced me into it. A man would be crazy not to want to lie with you, Jovvi, and my craziness runs in another direction entirely. Would you like to begin?”

“No, I think I’d rather continue to stand here torturing myself with doubts,” she said, then laughed aloud at what whatever his expression must have looked like. “No, Vallant, I’m just joking. I would very much like to begin now.”

She came into his arms with a smile then, and began to raise his interest with a kind of coaxing-teasing combination that he’d never experienced before. It felt perfectly natural and real, as though his mere presence excited her passions, and his response grew faster and more intense. He felt tempted to think that it was just her expertise as a courtesan at work, but something told him it was much more than that. His feelings for Jovvi were surpassed only by his feelings for Tamrissa, and he suspected she felt the same about him in relation to Lorand.

Their kissing quickly progressed to caressing, and then they began to rid themselves of their clothes. Jovvi was an extremely beautiful woman, and Vallant hadn’t been lying about how desirable he considered her. She aroused him completely in a very short time, and once they were entirely unclothed he did the same for her. When she was fully ready for him he entered her, and the pleasure was long-lasting and very intense.

Afterward she lay with her cheek on his chest, her saity a full match to his own satisfaction. They spent a few moments simply breathing, and then she chuckled.

“I hadn’t realized sooner just how odd this is,” she replied when he made a sound of inquiry. “I’ve spent years as a very popular courtesan, but not once in all that time did I come across a man as … all-around satisfying as you and Rion and Lorand. Nothing for years, and then three at once. I’d like to know what I did to attract such marvelous luck. If I can figure it out, I’ll certainly continue doing it.”

“Odd may not be a strong enough word,” Vallant said slowly as he digested the idea with brows raised. “Tamrissa started out as a woman who cringed even if her
hand
was touched by a man, but she’s already lain with Rion, is in the process of lyin’ with Lorand, and apparently intends to lie with me at
some
time. Lorand and I are so deeply into this thing that I doubt he can think about other women any more than I can. And Rion… Goin’ from bein’ a virgin to bein’ the first among us to lie with both of you … and the fact that Lorand and I were more concerned about his well-bein’ than jealous of him… No, odd is definitely not a strong enough word.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Jovvi said with a frown, having straightened to sitting so that she might look at him. “My first thought was that the Blending had caused it, but that can’t be true because much of that happened before we Blended. So what did cause it?”

“You’re askin’ if somethin’ brought us together and is now keepin’ us together,” he responded, having no doubt that that was what her question actually meant. “All I can say is that I wish I knew, at least as much as I want to know the answers to the rest of our questions. Maybe we’ll find out before this is all over.”

“Somehow I have the feeling that we need to know
this
answer as soon as possible,” Jovvi replied as she ran both hands through her hair. “Not that our needing it will bring the answer on magical wings. I think I’m getting very tired of discovering mysteries we can’t yet solve, and I’m no longer in the mood to just lie here oozing satisfaction. What I need is a bath, and maybe even a bit of a swim. Please feel free to stay as long as you like, even if it means still being here when I get back. I won’t mind.”

The smile she sent him before rising to begin dressing was a mischievous one, a teasing between friends rather than between lovers. Vallant chuckled as he lay there watching her, knowing that under other circumstances she would have taken his complete attention.

But under the current circumstances, his mind slipped past her to center on Tamrissa again. It wasn’t that Tamrissa was more beautiful than Jovvi, because both women were equally beautiful each in her own way. It was just that there was … more to Tamrissa in some way, something inside her that called out to him in some way. It wasn’t possible to define the attraction in any other sense, at least not in words.

Thoughts, however, were another matter. Vallant put his hands behind his head and thought about Tamrissa, how she would look lying beside him, how she would feel in his arms, how soft her lips had been during that too-brief kiss. Being with her would be ecstasy beyond description—if nothing happened to stop it…

* * *

Jovvi had grabbed up a wrap before leaving her bedchamber, and was so intent on getting to the bathhouse that she almost collided with Tamma in the front hall. The other woman had just hurried out of the library with a book and a wrap cradled in her left arm, apparently at least as distracted as Jovvi felt. They both nearly greeted one another with smiles, remembering only at the last minute that they were supposed to be in the middle of feuding.

“You’d better learn to watch where you’re going,” Jovvi said as quickly as possible, now aware that two people, both out of sight, were watching and listening. “If you don’t, you might actually end up bruised.”

“If I end up bruised, I won’t be the only one,” Tamma returned defiantly—but with a quiver in her voice. “And I
was
watching where I was going, which happens to be in the direction of the bath house. If you’re heading in the same direction, you’ll just have to wait.”

“I’m not in the mood to wait,” Jovvi drawled, looking Tamma up and down in the most insulting way possible. “It’s rather easy to tell that you need a bath more than I do, but you’re still the one who will have to wait.”

“I refuse to wait,” Tamma spat, the trembling in her voice showing that she now forced herself to respond like that. “This is still my house, and I’m tired of everyone trying to push me around. I’m going to the bath house to soak and read, and don’t intend to let anyone stop me!”

“And I’m going to wash and swim, and don’t intend to let anyone stop
me
,” Jovvi returned just as defiantly. “Just stay out of my way, and we may both end up surviving.”

Jovvi ignored Tamma’s gasp of outrage and marched off toward the back of the house, pretending to be unaware of the way Tamma followed immediately with shaky determination. The two unseen watchers were amused, one of them only faintly with a good bit of impatience behind the ridiculing laughter. Both, however, had decided against following, small nodes of cautious fear causing the decisions.

It took Jovvi only a couple of minutes to reach the bath house, with Tamma hurrying along only a few small steps behind. She walked inside with senses extended in all directions, but their privacy was actually complete—at least for the moment. For that reason she waited until the door was closed again, then she turned to Tamma with a grin.

“If we manage to survive this mess, I may one day audition for a part in a play,” she said softly. “We’re no longer under observation, so we can forget about clawing and pulling hair. How did your … relaxation go?”

“Definitely not in the direction of relaxation,” Tamma replied with a laugh despite her immediate blush. “Lorand is a love, but I know you already know that. How did …
your
time go?”

“Vallant and I spent a ridiculous amount of time bewailing the fact that you and Lorand were together,” Jovvi answered frankly with a wry smile. “After that we enjoyed lying together, but once the enjoyment was over our thoughts returned to you two. If you think he’s any less anxious now to spend the night with you, you’re in for something of a very big surprise.”

“What I think is that he may end up disappointed,” Tamma admitted ruefully, studying the wrap and book that she held. “I won’t let that stop me from lying with him, though, because I have to know for certain. Jovvi … do you think it’s possible that I … ‘set a man’s blood on fire?’ Lorand said I did, and I’m not sure whether or not he was joking.”

“Well, of course, why didn’t I think of that before?” Jovvi said, definitely annoyed with herself as she led the way toward the benches. “It isn’t only your beauty and air of innocence that attracts all those men, it’s also the fact that your aspect is Fire. Allestine’s aspect is Fire, and it served her so well that she was able to open her own residence.”

“Jovvi, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tamma protested as she followed. “Are you saying that Lorand
wasn’t
joking?”

“Of course he wasn’t joking,” Jovvi replied, turning after setting down her wrap and beginning to undress. “I tend to forget that those who are unfamiliar with courtesans are usually just as unfamiliar with certain truths. The two most desirable aspects for courtesans are Spirit and Fire, with Spirit being slightly better because of our ability to adjust emotions. Fire can’t do any adjusting, but you don’t really need to. That sense of ‘setting the blood aflame’ makes a courtesan with Fire magic more than simply popular.”

Tamma now stood with her mouth open, the wrap and book held by her left arm apparently forgotten. Her mind felt stunned, which convinced Jovvi not to show her vast amusement.

“If I’m not mistaken, Vallant knows as little about that as you do,” Jovvi said in place of chuckling. “That means he isn’t very likely to know what’s in store for him, which in turn means he ought to be more than a little impressed. Are you still worried that he might be disappointed instead?”

“Yes, but not as much as I was,” Tamma said with a short, breathless laugh. “Oh, Jovvi, I wish I knew how to make it happen on purpose! Did Allestine learn to control the ability?”

“I don’t think she ever knew that control is possible,” Jovvi replied, tossing her underthings on top of the pile of her clothes. “Most courtesans simply
let
it happen, but I met one once just before I joined Allestine’s residence, who had learned to
make
it happen. She was really sweet and told me all about the life, except for being part of a residence. She wasn’t, and was all but rolling in gold and influence. Most of her patrons were from the nobility, and none of them dared to hurt her because of what the others would do if deprived of her services. Controlling the ability was her way of staying safe.”

“I wonder how strong she was,” Tamma mused as she rid herself of the wrap and book and began to remove her clothing. “Maybe you have to have a certain strength before you
can
establish control, but what about touching the power? Will a full grip on it help you with control, or simply add to the strength of the ability?”

“A full grip on the power could well leave you with a pile of ash instead of a living man,” Jovvi warned as she slowly entered the beautifully warm water. “I don’t know enough about it to give you advice, but using caution is always a good idea when trying something new. You want Vallant impressed, not carbonized.”

Tamma didn’t answer in words, but Jovvi couldn’t have missed her shudder from a mile away. That picture, at least, should make the girl cautious, which was all anyone could ask. Jovvi submerged herself briefly but completely, pushed back her sopping wet hair, then began to swim back and forth a bit. She had her own anxieties to work off, at least for the time being.

Tamma had already finished washing when Jovvi decided she’d had enough of swimming, so Jovvi did her own washing quickly and then took the headrest next to Tamma’s. She’d been watching with her ability to make sure they remained unobserved, and since they still had their privacy she decided to mention an important point that hadn’t yet been discussed with Tamma.

“I know you’re busy thinking about Vallant, but there’s something we need to talk about,” she said, drawing Tamma from what was more than half daydream. “What makes the subject easier to discuss is the fact that you’re a different person when you fully touch the power.”

“I know
I
see me differently, but I hadn’t realized that the rest of you would find seeing the same so easy,” Tamma replied. “What was it that you wanted to discuss?”

“It has to do with your … purpose in the Blending,” Jovvi responded carefully, trying to find the best way to put it. “I’m sure you know how much more … aggressive your power-enhanced personality is, and I think there’s a very good reason for it. You’re most likely the one who will … lead and direct our Blending in attack during the competitions.”