"But it must stop as soon as we see a way out."
"What if you decide you don't want it to stop?"
"I won't do that."
He turned his back to her. "Tell me that after a week in the tower room."
The smell was sweet, musky, vaguely familiar, and coming from the tower room. Selene paused before she reached the top step. "What is that scent?"
"Hashish. Do you know what it is?"
"It smells . . . familiar."
"It should. Nicholas offered me hashish when I was at the House of Silk. He smoked it on occasion. It's said to relax and heighten sensation."
"Did you take it?"
"No, I was there to buy you. I had to keep my wits, and I knew what hashish could do to a man." He stopped before the heavy oak door. "Nasim keeps it burning in a copper brazier here. You cannot help but breathe it in. It's not as potent as smoking it from a pipe, but it will affect you."
"How?"
"It relaxes, increases sensuality, makes everything more vivid." He looked down at her. "Are you ready to go in?"
"No." Her hand was shaking as she reached past him and opened the door. "But I won't be any better later." She walked into the chamber. "If it must be done, let's do it and get it over."
The chamber was round and surprisingly luxurious compared to the austerity of the rest of the castle. Only two candles lit the dimness of the room, but she could see richly patterned rugs warming the coldness of the stone floor; a tapestry portraying a lion hunt in the desert occupied the wall across from the door, and two divans heaped with silk pillows were set facing each other in the center of the room. "It doesn't look like a room that belongs in this castle." Her gaze was drawn to the far corner and the large copper brazier Kadar had mentioned. "I think I'm getting used to it. I don't smell it anymore."
"I do." He reached out and unfastened her cloak. It slipped from her shoulders to the floor. "Undress."
She stood unmoving. "Is he watching us?"
He was swiftly disrobing. "Probably."
"From where?"
"The tapestry. The lion's eyes."
She wheeled to face the tapestry. In the dimness she couldn't discern anything but an outline of the lion. "Are you sure he's there?"
"No, but I'm sure he'll be there sometime tonight."
Nasim was there, watching. Now she could see a moist glittering where the lion's eye should be. The helplessness she felt suddenly changed to fury. She would not let him win this victory. "I don't care. Do you hear me, Nasim? I'm not doing this because you force me. This is by my will." She pulled her gown over her head and kicked off her sandals. "I feel no shame. The shame is yours. Watch all you please, you foul old man."
"Selene." Kadar was behind her. His hands fell on her naked shoulders. Warm, hard hands that sent a shock through her.
She whirled and buried her head in his chest. The dark triangle of hair felt springy against her cheek. "I hate this," she whispered. "He makes me so angry I want to punch a stick through that tapestry right into his eye."
"Ignore him." He lifted her head and looked into her eyes. "Or show him that he truly has no power over this."
"Of course he does. I was lying."
"Then make it truth." His head lowered slowly until he was only an inch away. His tongue touched her lower lip. "Help me and I promise you'll forget he's watching."
Her lip felt strange under the warm moistness of his tongue; heavy, swollen. Her breasts, pressed against him, were beginning to feel the same heaviness. "What do you want me to do?"
"Be at ease. Relax." He pulled her closer, his hands sliding around to knead her back. "It will be easier if you--"
"You're not relaxed." She could feel his arousal pressing against her, hard, demanding.
