She looked at him as if he were insane. What was the man talking about?

"It's about this long-" he measured a space of about nine inches between his index fingers, "-and hollow, like an intestine. About that texture, and slimy as well."

Jasmine shuddered. What nasty little creatures they had on this world!

He looked at the mud and then around at the manicured lawns. "Not that we've had any here in nearly a month," he murmured, almost too softly to catch.

Jasmine gulped. He was pulling her leg, wasn't he? He made to leave.

"Wait!" He looked at her inquiringly and she bit her lip, reluctant to play the fool, but... "So what does this mud borer do? Suck blood?" she said, attempting to joke.

Keilor frowned. "I thought no one had mentioned it." He glanced at the smooth surface of the mud. "It is hatching season, but still..." He shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it." He turned away.

He didn't get three steps before she called urgently, "Wait!" There were little swirls in the viscous pool now and then, and sometimes she almost though she felt a brushing...like...a soft little body....

"Yiieee!" she yelped, and leapt out of the mud, splashing brown gunk everywhere. Hastily she backed away from the pool, actually forgetting for about five seconds that she was stark naked.

He didn't.

For all of five precious seconds Keilor could neither think nor move as his entire attention riveted to her gloriously mud slicked body.

She crossed her arms over her breasts and spun around, giving him her back.

It was every bit as enticing as her front had been. This was a body he would have wanted even without her charmer spice. With it... "Beautiful," he murmured.

Her shoulders hunched. "Go away!"

Instead he moved beside her and offered his hand. She turned her back on him again, and he sighed. "This could get dull."

With an exasperated breath, she spun around and marched towards the pool. It felt like the longest walk of her life. The water was waist deep, and she immediately sank down to her neck. The foaming water made a nice screen. "You're a real jerk, you know that?"

He made himself comfortable on a small boulder beside the pool. "It seems you've said that to me before...near a tree, as I recall."

She gaped at him, shocked he would bring that up. "I've probably called you that on more than one occasion. Difficult to remember them all."

He gave her a slow, heated smile. "I remember everything about you." His voice dropped an octave. "I remember the fire in your eyes as you first fought me. I've never been so challenged by a woman. You excited me."

She looked down, unable to meet his eyes, but he could see the telltale rise and fall of her chest. "I can almost see the curves of your sweet body, and the way it twisted as you fought to deny my touch and your own passion." She shuddered, and a ghost of a smile touched his lips. "I'll never forget the fury in your eyes when I dressed you, denying us our release. I dream of it."

She didn't interrupt.

"I was cruel that night," he admitted. "To both of us." He waited until she chanced a look at him out of the corner of her eye. "I knew you'd claim yourself forced, that you'd fight us both until release and after. It was tempting to do it anyway."

He reached out and released her hair from her twist. She stiffened as the mass tumbled softly down her back. His eyes were glowing golden with proof of his desire. His hand traced the curve of her ear. "Even now I know you feel it. Your trembling speaks for itself."

She pulled away. "I'm not a dog, Keilor. I don't do tricks, and I won't lie down on command." Her jaw clenched. "Nor will I be petted by whoever takes it into their head to play with me."

He let his hand fall. "You think I play with you?"

"I've seen you with Urseya. Tell me you haven't played this game before." She gave him a hard look.

He was silent too long.

She'd expected as much. "What is it excites men like you, huh? The thrill of the chase? Some stupid male need to stalk and conquer?"

His eyes narrowed, but she didn't care. "Save it for someone who appreciates it." Her gaze swept past him and focused on Rihlia, who stood at the end of the path. "I'll be right there," she called. Without sparing him a glance, she exited the pool. She passed very close, and unwittingly teased him with the scent of charmer desire.

His hand shot out to grip her upper thigh, uncaring of who watched. She jerked to a halt with a gasp.

His gaze traveled slowly to hers. "Tell Rihlia to leave, Dragonfly. Give me one minute to prove to you this is one hunter you wish to be caught by." She trembled, and he knew she was tempted.

Then her eyes shifted to Rihlia, who stared at the ground with a fierce blush. She moved away, escaping. As she did, his fingers slid up and brushed the edge of her curls. Jasmine gasped and jumped sideways, staring at him in shock.

He winked at her.

"So you love Jayems, huh?"

Rihlia nearly dropped her cup. Jasmine had been so quiet since they got back from their spa adventure that the sudden question caught her off guard. Her eyes darted around the room to make certain her husband was out of earshot. "I...don't know what I feel for him."

Jasmine gave her a knowing look. "I've seen the way you look at him, Ri."

Rihlia set her cup down carefully. "It's not what you think."

Jasmine waved that away. "I know the difference. You're in love. Any day now I expect to see little Jaymeses running around in nappies."

Rihlia stiffened and Jasmine's eyes widened. "What? You're not-" she asked suspiciously.

Her friend quickly shook her head. "No, no...I don't think so, anyway."

"You don't think so?" Jasmine demanded. "Haven't you been...ah, there's ways of..." she stumbled to a stop, aware that she was entering deep waters. She didn't really want to know the details of Rihlia's sex life, not when the partner was her husband.

"I know that," Rihlia ground out. "But it's not always...sometimes there's just no time to..." She waved her hand in embarrassment. "He's a good-looking man. I'm no saint. Sometimes I just don't remember." Jasmine grinned, and Rihlia said a little testily, "You should talk. What about you and Keilor?"

The grin disappeared. "What about us? I mean, there is no us. No Keilor and me. I can hardly stand him."

"That's not what it looked like earlier. He might have been the instigator this time, but I'm not the only one who's noticed you checking out his assets." She dipped a slice of apple in caramel sauce and popped it in her mouth. "Urseya gets greener by the day."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Can I help it if the man has a fine rear end?" Her friend snickered, and Jasmine smiled. It faded fast. "But it doesn't mean I plan on pursuing him." She lifted her face to the afternoon sunlight, enjoying the warmth. "I'll leave that to his fan club."

"Jealous."

"Smart," she retorted. "A guy like that doesn't need another woman to inflate his ego." She lifted her glass and gestured with it. "What I need is a nice, steady guy who'll respect me. Someone who wants to get serious. Someone who doesn't have half the palace population drooling at his feet." She scowled.

"Be fair," Rihlia chided her. "The only ones you've actually seen chasing him are Urseya and maybe yourself."

"I do not chase him! And you have to admit, the man got that ego somewhere."

Rihlia considered her friend thoughtfully. "What's it like? Being a celebrity." She smiled when Jasmine made a face. "I'm serious! If half the female population is chasing Keilor then the male half is chasing you. What's it like?"

"A nuisance. It's fun at first to get all the gifts and flowers and things, but after a while it starts to feel like you're the only one at Christmas who forgot to buy gifts. It's not like I can bake cookies for that many guys, and I don't have a dollar to my name."

Rihlia smiled. "That's easy. What's the one thing all these men have in common?" When Jasmine just gave her a blank look, she prompted impatiently, "You. They all want you."

Jasmine shrugged. "So?"

"So I propose we give them what they want. Not that!" she insisted when Jasmine opened her mouth to object. "A contest, with the winner receiving a date with you."

Jasmine bit her lip. "I don't know..."

"It's perfect! We'll just go to Jayems and ask him to help us set it up."

Jasmine wavered.

"Ah, come on, Jas, it'll be fun! Just like being the prom queen." Rihlia jumped up to get a paper and a pen. "Let's see...we're going to need..."

CHAPTER 13.

Lady Liselle had six daughters, and all of them appeared to be in heat.

Jasmine shook her head as Fallon sauntered past on his way to the buffet table, dripping women. Keilor was nearly as bad. True, he seemed to be subtly holding the women at bay, but his aloofness only made them more determined.

They were outside on a lawn, so it would have been difficult to escape with the excuse that she needed some air. She pondered what would get her out of this affair. She eyed the torches. Could she set herself on fire?

"A fruit jelly, Lady Jasmine?"

Jasmine sighed and turned her attention back to Lady Liselle's son, the ever-annoying Joffre. With a forced smile, she answered, "Why not?" When she tried to take it from the lanky young man, he smiled teasingly and placed the treat at her lips. Awkward. She bit it in half with one quick, efficient bite.

He popped the remaining half into his mouth, savoring the treat. "Mm. Delicious," he purred in imitation of a deep, sexy voice. "How do you like it?" he asked, as if he'd really been talking about candy.

The jelly was delicious, but she answered the real question. "It's very nice, but a little too sweet. I think a little would go a long way."

Joffre was either a trifle stupid or foolishly overconfident, for his smile deepened. "The more you taste, the better you'll like it."

Jasmine clamped her teeth and looked away before she succumbed to the urge to find another jelly and stuff it up his nose.

A delicate dessert glass was thrust into her hand and she looked up with surprise at Urseya's voice saying, "Be gone, Joffre. You're annoying the girl." He opened his mouth to protest, but a single raised brow from Urseya silenced him. With a resentful nod to her and a deeper one to Jasmine, he left.

"Pestilence," Urseya murmured with distaste. She sipped her wine as she watched him go. "He never did understand when he was unwanted." Her eyes shifted to Keilor, and she grimaced. "Disgusting, isn't it?"

Jasmine followed her gaze. One of the daughters placed a manicured hand on Keilor's shoulder. "Very."

Urseya eyed her with undisguised curiosity. "Did you know Keilor is very wealthy?" At Jasmine's surprise, she nodded. "His wealth rivals even Jayems', and Jayems is not a poor man."

"I hadn't realized," Jasmine looked down, uneasy. She didn't want to know about this part of him. "I never thought about it."

Urseya swirled the wine in her glass. "Mmm. He is also widely famed as the best warrior in the realm. His prowess and absolute fearlessness on the battlefield are legend. All of that, combined with his handsome face and prominence among the lords make him irresistible to women."

"Hence his large head," Jasmine returned tartly, and Urseya smirked. If Urseya was trying to make her feel bad, she was succeeding. What would a handsome, famous, wealthy warrior possibly want with someone like her, long term? Not that she was chasing him, of course. "Why are you telling me this? I thought..."

"That I was jealous? Of course I was. Until this afternoon." She smiled with self-deprecation. "Keilor made it abundantly clear I was not his choice and never would be. Even my mother, bless her ambitious soul, got the message." She looked at Jasmine appraisingly. "But I think you wish to know why I would bother with you now. Clan pride, of course." When Jasmine just stared at her, she said dryly, "You're making us look bad, my dear."

"And how is that?" she asked, skeptical. She couldn't remember doing anything embarrassing today, but maybe that was the trouble. It was possible her ignorance might have tripped her up.

Urseya sent a scathing look Joffre's way. "Men," she informed Jasmine. "Galling as it is, the mindless fools can't seem to stay away from you. It's plain you don't care for their attentions, yet here I see you, time and again, biting your tongue to keep from offending them."

"I was being polite!"

Urseya grinned. "Here is the first thing you must learn; speak your mind. You are part of the most powerful clan in the Dark Lands. Cultivate some arrogance and pride. You'll need it." Urseya moved away to speak with one of the daughters not currently attached to either Fallon or Keilor, leaving Jasmine to consider her wisdom.

She didn't know about pride and arrogance, but perhaps Urseya had a point. She had been biting her tongue, and it was beginning to gall. Considering her unique position, perhaps it would be smart of her to be a little harder on would-be suitors. After all, a walking aphrodisiac would have to use strong measures to kill the attraction, wouldn't she?

Noticing Joffre heading her way, she quickly put her new strategy into motion and moved off in Keilor's direction. He couldn't miss the fact that she was avoiding him.

If nothing else, watching the spectacle over there ought to provide some entertainment. She chose a spot on the fringes of Keilor and his harem, and eavesdropped with shameless interest.

Keilor hardly spared her a glance. He was still annoyed with her over her dismissal that afternoon. He'd been particularly enjoying watching Joffre torment her, though if Urseya hadn't intervened when she had, he might have had to step in and drive the whelp off. Whatever her motive, Urseya had allowed him to continue pretending to ignore Jasmine. Let the girl learn that she would rather be the one receiving his attentions, not watching as others took her place.

Unfortunately for his plan, Liselle's eldest daughter, Cara, noticed the charmer right away, and she was not known to tolerate rivals. "Don't stand in the corner, Lady Jasmine. Do come join us."

Jasmine took one look at Cara and decided they were unlikely to ever be friends. "Actually, I'm quite comfortable here," she answered. She took a bite of her dessert. "Besides, I wouldn't like to interrupt your...conversation." She glanced at Cara's hand on Keilor's arm, and something came over her. Power flooded her veins, power and possession. It happened so quickly, she didn't have time to analyze it.

She lifted a careless shoulder, the power giving her matchless confidence. "If Keilor wishes for fresh conversation, he can come to me." Jasmine didn't know what made her use that particular tone of voice, or that precise look, but suddenly she felt like Lady Dracula, because Keilor came to her, and she knew he hadn't planned to.

She could see it in his eyes, the realization she had compelled him, and fury that she would dare. But the foremost, most frightening thing of all was the golden flame of desire in his eyes, the promise of absolute, unrestrained passion.

It terrified her.

Keilor planted one hand on the tree behind her, barely leaving her room to breath. "What would you have, my lady?" he breathed against her lips.

"B-back off!" she squeaked, but he didn't move an inch, and the fire in his burning gaze didn't cool one degree. "J-Jayems!"

Jayems was beside them in an instant. He took one look at Keilor and seemed to know. He placed a calm hand on his shoulder. "Keilor, my friend, I need some advice on a certain matter. Do you think you could spare a moment to confer with me?"

Keilor moved his head slightly.

"It really is quite urgent. Would you mind?"

Jasmine held her breath as Keilor slowly peeled away, allowing Jayems to lead him off. Only when the door closed behind them did she dare to breath.

"That bitch!" Keilor raged. "She actually enspelled me!"

Jayems took a deep breath. "She is as shaken as you are angry-"