peopleofthedas | Bonds of Brotherhood

Title: Bonds of Brotherhood - Chapter 16 (An Easy Killing)
Characters: Zevran, Isabela
Rating: M
Word Count: 1,226
Summary: Zevran and Isabela's encounter ends

Zevran rolled over in the bed, and smiled as he looked at the sleeping woman beside him. Last night had been one of the most pleasant he'd ever had, certainly the most pleasant in recent memory. Isabela had proved to be a very apt student of the amatory arts. Not just apt; enthusiastic. His smile widened as he remembered how quickly she'd gone from nervous and cautious, to excited and questioning, wanting to experiment. How attentively she'd listened as he'd described various possible acts to her, in the times when they were recovering from actually trying one. She'd been near-insatiable, as he demonstrated the different things that could be done in different places fingers, with lips, with teeth and tongue and – whenever he recovered enough – with the more traditional implement. He had not been so thoroughly sated in years.

He peered beyond her, at the windows at the end of the room, bright sunlight shining through them, then frowned and gently shook the woman's shoulder. She was instantly awake and tense, until she recognized him and relaxed, giving him a wide happy smile. He gestured toward the window. "It is day. Will someone be coming in, to bring you food perhaps?"

She snorted and tossed her hair back from her face as she moved to sit up, little caring that the sheets slid free to expose her magnificent bosom to Zevran's gaze. Of course, he'd done more than just look at them the night before; far more. He smiled and reached out to trace around the edge of one aureola with his fingertip as she continued speaking. "He doesn't trust his crew around me. Nor what I might do to his crew if one intruded here," she added, glancing pointedly where her daggers rested on a shelf above the head of the bed.

Then she moved to lay down on her stomach and reach under the bed, before sitting back up with a closed tin in hand. She pried the lid off, revealing a supply of hard tack, jerky, and dried fruit. "My rations," she said, and took out a couple of biscuits and a strip of jerky before offering the tin to Zevran. "There is water in a barrel over there," she added, gesturing to one corner of the room.

He took a biscuit and a couple pieces of dried apple, nodding in thanks for the food. "So... I could stay here for the day without anyone noticing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Isabela.

She grinned. "Yes," she said, and raked her eyes up and down him. "I'm certainly in no hurry to see you leave," she added.

"Good," he said, and leaned forward to kiss the corner of her mouth. "Very good," he added, then settled back to eat a bit of food. He would need his energy for the day ahead of him, he was sure.

It was almost saddening to have to put an end to their games, Zevran thought, as he carefully withdrew the envenomed dart from the side of Isabela's neck, where he'd placed his hand during their love-making a short time ago. As distracted by pleasure as she was, she hadn't noticed the sharp metal sliver concealed between Zevran's fingers, nor even felt its bite.

He eased himself out of the bed, cleaned himself up and redressed, then neatened the bed, tucking Isabela in so it looked like she was sleeping naturally. He cracked open one of the windows at the back to let a little fresh air in, letting the telltale odours of sex escape, then resumed opening drawers in the tall cabinet. He might as well make profitable use of his time while waiting for her husband to put in an appearance, which he should definitely do this evening, having failed to appear the next before.

As the sky darkened he checked on Isabela, and dosed her a second time; it would not do to have her awaken before he departed. Then closed the window, and looked around for a suitable spot. He leaned against the wall in one corner of the room, the one that would be hidden from view by the door to anyone entering, and waited patiently. It was full dark out when he finally heard footsteps approaching the door, then the scrape of a key in the lock. He was ready and waiting with his weapon in hand when the merchant-captain strode in, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Isabela! Lazy cow..." the man growled, and took two steps toward the bed.

And then Zevran's hand covered his mouth, and his dagger found its way up into the heart of the man Isabela had so aptly described as a fat, greasy bastard. "Compliments of the Crows," he hissed in the man's ear as he held him tightly. "Dama Maresol was quite annoyed with your recent behaviour."

He hit the hilt of his dagger expertly against the man's temple, then dropped his limp body to the floor, and stood there for a long moment, taking deep gulps of air. For a moment he wished Taliesin was here, taking him in his arms even now, while the merchant bled out on the floor. He would be somewhere close by, Zevran was sure, watching the boat, ready to intercept Zevran when he emerged, now that the job was over.

Zevran glanced over at the bed, and suddenly smiled. He crouched down, sorting through the contents of the merchant's purse and belt pouches, pocketing a few small valuables before rising back to his feet, a tiny key in hand. He walked over to the bed, flipped back the sheets, and tried it on the locked cuff around Isabela's ankle, grinning as it turned smoothly, releasing the woman.

"A great fool indeed," he said, then bent down to press a kiss to her forehead. "You will be better off without him, I hope."

He relocked the door to make sure there would be no chance of someone walking in before Isabela roused and had a chance to evaluate her changed circumstances, then excited via the windows, dropping as silently as he could into the harbour. He swam off under the docks, head lifted high and mouth clamped tightly closed against the filthy waters. When he emerged onto the mucky shingle under their landward end, Taliesin was waiting there, with a blanket to wrap around him.

"Come," the man said, grinning approvingly at Zevran. "I've taken a room nearby; you can bathe and change there."

Zevran nodded jerkily, holding the blanket tightly around him. A bath would be good, but what would undoubtedly come after the bath was all he was really interested in right now, just the thought of what Taliesin would do bringing new life to his tired member.

Taliesin started to turn away, then stopped, and knotted his hand into the blanket at Zevran's throat, dragging him close and kissing him hungrily. When he turned away again, Zevran followed happily, knowing his partner had the same thought in mind, the same desire.

Bonds of Brotherhood - Chapter 16

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