cared - except the one named Treb. Once again he'd taken up his place on the far wall, amused at the entire ordeal. When her eyes drifted over him, the Jackal noticed.
"Is he beautiful or repulsive?"
"He's a man, sir. I mean, my lord."
He guided her braids across the back of her neck. "True. Treb? What do you think of my orchid?"
The man - for she didn't know his purpose yet, only that he obviously served the mage - lifted his chin as if agreeing. "I think these idiots couldn't look past her differences to see the beauty. She has a mouth that could make a man beg and tits heavy enough to clench a cock. She's a banquet that any man would be lucky to feast on."
The Jackal looked back to Jaeda. "Now, let's try this again. What do you think of him? Is he beautiful?"
"He's built like a warrior."
The mage shook his head. "Warmer, but still not honest. Look at him, girl. Does he make your body warm and your heart beat faster? Could you imagine having him?"
Treb spread his arms, allowing her to look. "You're killing me over here, my lord."
"You did the same to her." He turned to Jaeda and trailed a finger from her shoulder to her breast, his pad tripping over her nipple pointedly. "Still tight. So he must not be displeasing."
"No, my lord." She took a breath and looked into his eyes. It had to be the magic that made them seem so bright. "He's a very handsome man."
"Should I be asking you about the women?"
Jaeda licked her lips, letting out her breath slowly. "I've performed that way as well."
He sucked in a tiny breath. "Oh, the men like that. Shame they won't get to enjoy it. Now, this one?" They'd reached the end of the line of captured citizens. "Has he had the pleasure of your body?"
She shook her head, her hair swishing across her back.
"Good. His lack of interest is appalling. This one?"
She didn't even need to look. The next man was a regular client. Before Jaeda could speak, the Jackal gestured, moving her to the next. By the fourth, he'd stopped asking, watching the expression on her face instead. No matter how she tried to hide it, he knew, almost like he was reading her mind.
Near the end of the line was the man she dreaded most. Adar was massive and handsome, but cruel in ways she wished she could forget. She'd hoped to never see him again, doing her best to be busy whenever he came to the brothel. So long as she stayed out of sight, she often stayed out of his mind, but often didn't mean always.
The Jackal stopped. "Really?" he asked, releasing her to step toward Adar. "But you despise her. Why would you even bother?"
The mage's spell captivated the men as much as it had the women. Like a drug, they waited for their fate, seduced by his mere presence, yet Adar was different. When the Jackal moved toward him, the man's lips parted and he leaned in like a dying man begging for his last drink of water. Jaeda realized what he'd been hiding with his cruelty. He spent time with the whores to be seen, not because he wanted them.
When the Jackal stepped toward him, she was shocked. Adar responded, his hands moving to the beautiful mage's shoulders, reaching, and the Jackal let him. Muscle to muscle, they entwined, the Jackal shorter by an inch. When the mage kissed the man's jaw, Jaeda couldn't help but gasp in surprise, but Adar melted, clinging to him like a lover.
"Have you ever been with a man?" the Jackal asked.
Adar turned to him, completely seduced. "No."
A perfect finger teased the poor man's lips. "Should I treat you the way you treated my orchid? Would you like that?"
"Sir..."
"Lord."
"Yes, my lord," Adar almost begged.
The Jackal nodded and moved away. "Treb?"
The rich man groaned. "Really? You taunt me with your new toy, then give me this?"
"Rough life. Deal with him. I don't have that much left."
The tone between the two of them was oddly comfortable, as if they were more than master and servant. Only then did she realize that Treb was also immune to the Jackal's spell. Even the guards were seduced by the man's mere presence, and Jaeda couldn't say she was completely unaffected. Then again, Treb appeared to care about the Jackal - as if they were very old friends who had an unspoken understanding.
"Redemption, Lord?" Treb