and slightly flushed. Mr. Quill had found his place as well and was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Aurvandil’s hands were on the table, and his desire-glazed expression pleaded with me.
“I didn’t know how much I could ache for a touch. Please,” he begged.
“Such sweet words. I will allow you to touch yourself, but you may only give yourself the same pleasure you give Adira.”
His pupils dilated, and the rich scent of his lust coated the air at the same time Adira’s breath hitched again.
“Eliana, what are you doing?” she asked. I could hear the strain in her words. Strain she was so desperately trying to hide from me.
“I’m playing with my food. The boy is curious about what pleasures an older woman can offer him. I can smell his desire for you, and yours—” I inhaled deeply, “—isn’t nearly as potent as it could be. Don’t worry. We’ll fix that.”
Aurvandil’s hand left the table. Adira jumped and reached her own hand under the table. I knew she was blocking the boy’s touch and preventing her desire from growing. The dark thing inside of me writhed angrily at her attempt to deny it what it wanted.
“I brought them here for you to feed, Eliana. Take them to your room and finish what you’ve started.”
My smile turned lascivious.
“I’ll finish what I started when I please. And, at the moment, it pleases me to continue as I am. I can feel your resistance. Let go.”
Aurvandil’s whispered appeals for her to release his hand and allow him to pleasure them both brought a flush to Adira’s cheeks. I could feel her resolve weakening and leaned back in my chair.
Caldre made a sound of need beside me. Taking pity on him, I ran my fingers through his hair. He groaned, his eyes rolling back in his head.
“Just a bit more patience, my darling.”
I looked at the table’s two other occupants. Mr. Quill was staring at Mrs. Quill with enough heat to light a fire, which, based on the way Mrs. Quill was fanning herself, he was doing.
She met my gaze.
“Eliana,” Mrs. Quill said. “This isn’t you.”
“No, but you didn’t want me to be me, did you? This is what you all wanted. For me to be like my mother. Public feedings, remember? Mother did so favor her orgies.”
“Perhaps you’d like to join her at her club, then?” Adira asked. While she appeared to be ignoring Aurvandil’s pleas, I was very aware of the struggle going on under the table. Aurvandil was gaining ground.
“Is that what you want for me, Adira? To feed on my mother’s scraps instead of learning how to fend for myself?”
“Enough, Eliana. You’ve proven your point.”
“I don’t think so. But I’ll give you a chance, as the person in charge, to tell me what you think I’m trying to prove here. Enlighten me, and I’ll release you, Adira. Disappoint me, and we’ll all discover just how like my mother I can be.”
“You want us to understand what it’s like to be pressured into doing something we don’t want to do,” she said, surprising and disappointing me with the correct answer.
“And how does it feel, Adira?”
Her hard gaze locked with mine.
“Continue to press this, and you will not enjoy the consequences.”
I tilted my head back and laughed as the dark thing inside of me stretched, luxuriating in its freedom. It was far from ready to lay dormant again.
My fingers tightened in Caldre’s hair as I stood. He whimpered, but not in pain. He leaned into me, clasping his arms around my legs.
“I haven’t even begun to press and am very much enjoying the consequences of your meddling. Remember, you brought this on yourself, Adira.”
The thing inside of me undulated, a provocative call for those around me to release their inhibitions and embrace their secret desires. The scents of everyone at the table spiked, and I could tell the moment Aurvandil won in his under-table struggle with Adira because she disappeared. The lust left in her wake was a heady mix of frustration and desire.
I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. The sweet, tangy taste of blueberries coated my tongue along with the savory notes of oregano and sage. It shouldn’t have been a good flavor combination, but it was. It slid down my throat and settled into my stomach, not nearly enough to satisfy that thing inside of me.
Caldre groaned beside me.
“I need more, Eliana. Do what she said, and finish what you started.”
His words rang like an alarm in my head,