Author's note: And now for something a little different. I hijacked this scene from someone else's fanfic! This lovely interlude takes place between chapters 4 and 5 of Mystwalker's fic "Erenne." I did receive permission to do this, and I thank Mystwalker greatly for granting it as well as for the wonderful fic she's created (and here's to hoping we see another update soon). So while this should be a standalone tidbit, I recommend reading "Erenne" first (and leaving the lovely Mystwalker a nice review begging for more chapters while at it…) to fully appreciate this bit of smutastic fun.

This is, of course, Nightlin and is rated M for a very good reason.

I've been messing with this forever, very sorry it took so long =/ But hot damn, it's almost September, who else is crazy excited for Cast in Peril?


Kaylin relaxed in the hot water, slumping even further down until the water hit her chin. The water had been on the side of too hot at first, but Kaylin's muscles quit complaining quickly after the initial shock. Her neck and back were the worst, probably from her exclusively desk-centric duties. But the hot water was a mercy on her feet as well, which she hadn't noticed were terribly sore until she had them soaking. She hoped it wasn't going to be a trend; she'd seen the women in the Midwives' guild whose feet swelled so bad they couldn't even wear shoes. With a barely suppressed shudder, Kaylin sent a wordless prayer to the new life within her, requesting that while he or she wreaked havoc on the rest of her body to kindly leave her feet out of this.

Stretching along the porcelain bottom, Kaylin sighed when her joints pleasantly popped. Even reclining almost fully, her toes were a generous distance from the other side of the tub. It wasn't as extravagant as the bathing facilities in the High Halls, but then again, what was? The tub itself was larger than the bathroom in her old apartment; there was more than enough room for one exhausted Hawk as well as the Barrani lord currently disrobing.

Even now, Kaylin couldn't stop her eyes from wandering all over him. She'd lived with the man for years, had seen all of him on plenty of occasions, and as a direct result was now expecting his child. But she was still surprised, not by him and his Barrani perfection, that was expected, but her reaction to him…The heat of the water had her warmed and relaxed, but Nightshade's presence was inducing a different sort of heat. Kaylin squeezed her knees together somewhat self-consciously and tried to ignore the blush she just knew was spreading across her face.

Undoubtedly knowing how she watched him, Nightshade slid out of his inner robe slowly, half-turned from her, leisurely revealing a long line of perfect skin, the muscled length of his thigh, the shape of his toned backside to her watching eyes. His hair was a long, dark shadow across his back. He turned to her, raising a brow at her watchfulness but offering no additional comment.

Nightshade settled in across from her, his movements so smooth the water barely rippled. His longer legs reached further than hers, resting alongside Kaylin, who rested her feet atop his knees. She knew from previous experience that a foot rub might be in her foreseeable future if she played her cards right. His sigh of pleasure, pure and simple relaxation, stirred the same peace in her, his mark on her cheek sending out pulses of warmth that chased away any of the tension that had remained in Kaylin's limbs. Kaylin leaned her head back against the edge of the tub, closing her eyes and feeling the steam brush against her face. Nightshade had added something to the bath water, flowery and spicy but not too strong. Kaylin breathed in deep, the steam tickling her nose pleasantly as she smelled the spice of sage. Breathing out just as slowly and deeply, she recognized the flower; it was jasmine.

Nightshade's hand fell to cup one of her feet, his fingers slowly stroking over the tender spots of her ankle before beginning to rub the pads of her foot in earnest. Kaylin sighed and smiled at him before leaning back and closing her eyes to savor his gentle ministrations. Admittedly, it wasn't what she'd first envisioned when he'd mentioned a bath. But she wasn't complaining now; a relaxing soak was a gods' send. There would be plenty of time later for…other activities.

His hands stilled their work on her feet. Opening her eyes, Kaylin saw Nightshade watching her, and the steam wasn't nearly thick enough to disguise the color of his eyes. Her previous assumption of a relaxing bath flew out the window. Despite her weariness, that all too familiar look in his eyes sparked a similar reaction in her. Nightshade's hand abandoned her foot altogether and worked much further up Kaylin's leg, kneading her thigh and making his Erenne moan softly. Forgetting entirely about the peace she'd embraced and her willingness to wait, Kaylin pushed herself away from the edge of the bath. Now worked for Kaylin too.

Nightshade adjusted his legs to let Kaylin get closer, and she waded through the water until practically kneeling between his thighs. Rising enough to alleviate their height differences, Kaylin rested her hands on Nightshade's shoulders, her thumbs making little circles in his perfect skin, echoing his earlier motions. Titling his face down placed them at a perfect height, and Nightshade brushed his lips against Kaylin's, still careful after so long, waiting for his Erenne to respond before deepening his kiss and wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her to him. Though his lips stayed on hers, the heat of his kiss traveled to her cheek, making Kaylin gasp and Nightshade smile.

Her hands moving lower, Kaylin relished the feel of his slick, flawless skin under her hands and pressed against her. Having him there, bared to her, touching her, and wanting to be touched in return was so utterly stimulating that Kaylin had a hard time remembering why she had resisted this for so long. Kaylin's building arousal was further heightened with her triumph from having made the first move this evening. In their time together, no matter how comfortable and attached she felt around him, it was still usually Nightshade who instigated their more intimate moments.

The heat just wasn't in his mark on her cheek now. Her skin felt so smooth, soft, and warmer than usual. She shifted against him when his lips traveled to her neck, and she felt the evidence of his growing arousal pressed hot and hard against her thigh. Kaylin knew she was probably already flushed from the bath and hoped her growing blush at least be partially disguised. Fingers splayed across his hips for balance, a wicked idea came to Kaylin. Parting her legs to straddle his lap, Kaylin pressed against him, bringing her groin to his. It was almost enough to see the surprise in his eyes, to know her actions broke that perfect Barrani mask. But it wasn't quite enough, yet. Pressing a soft kiss against his neck, she wiggled her hips to get the right angle and slowly rubbed her hot and wet core against his cock. Kaylin beamed in triumph when Nightshade moaned against her, but her victory was two-edged as her continued motions soon left her panting and twitching in his arms.

Nightshade's arms wrapped around her, offering Kaylin more support as he leaned back against the tub to achieve a more conductive alignment. Kaylin pushed against him impatiently, feeling wet and ready despite the difficulties the water might cause. But when Nightshade hesitated Kaylin felt a moment of worry. "What is it?" she asked, her voice soft as the steam enveloping them. Usually she was the one that needed coaxing, but a possibility occurred to Kaylin. She turned her face up to his and noted the edging of blue threatening the violet of his warm gaze.

"I can't get more pregnant, you know," she said jokingly, but Nightshade's demeanor stilled any further frivolous words.

"No, Erenne, that is not…what concerns me," Nightshade spoke seriously, and Kaylin felt the smile sliding off her face.

"What then?" she asked, but further questions were halted by his lips on hers. His hands cupped her face and held her to him while he moved his hips, pressing against her with an urgency echoed in his kiss. Kaylin gasped against his lips when he finally entered her, and the things that had once frightened her so terribly, the passion, his possessive desire displayed in his enveloping arms, his hips jerking against hers, and the heat in his lavender eyes were now the things that made Kaylin's reservations melt and her body burn for him. He started slow, his thrusts into her gentle, lingering like the motions of his hands on her hips, her sides, her breasts, and her neck. But there was the hint of urgency in his movements against her, and even as she reveled in his tenderness, she had demands of her own. If her hands suddenly gripping his shoulders surprised him, he didn't show it. Kaylin used his body to pull herself up, stopping when just the head of his cock remained inside her. Nearly level with him, Kaylin could see none of that treacherous blue remaining in his eyes now. Smiling, she leaned in and placed a small kiss at the corner of his mouth. Before he could catch her lips with his own, she pushed back down on him, impaling herself on his length. She threw her head back, unable to stop the moan that escaped her lips when she enveloped him so completely. She pulled herself up again, continuing her fast and desperate thrusts against him, and his hands wrapped around her waist, supporting her movements but not yet making any demands of his own. Nightshade tilted his head back, a smile playing on his lips, content for now to let his Erenne move against him.

Kaylin rode him, letting her body move how it wanted, demand what it wanted, without fear or regret. And Nightshade was more than willing to let her set the pace. With her body more flushed than the hot bath water could account for, Kaylin felt the heat in her loins cresting, the tightness low in her belly clenching as she writhed on Nightshade's lap. His lips seized hers when she began to whimper in pleasure, and as her own motions slowed and stilled, Nightshade began to drive against her, drawing out her release and building up his own. Kaylin grasped his shoulders, not so much for balance now as for something solid to hold onto against the desperate pleasure of his forceful thrusts.

Then suddenly, she was lifted up from the water, her slick limbs wrapping around him to keep from falling. The sudden motion pulled his cock from her despite how she clenched at him, but before Kaylin had a chance to complain, she was on her back, staring up at him from atop a hastily spread towel on the side of the tub. She had thought the Barrani perfect, flawless, and all the same. And while only two of those assumptions still held to be true, Kaylin still found herself speechless from his beauty. She couldn't help but gasp, and Nightshade smiled slightly, lowering his face until their cheeks touched and Kaylin could see how deep a lavender his eyes had become. She wrapped her legs around him and shivered in excitement when he used his fingers to spread her, his long fingers against her entrance, sliding over her lips, circling her clitoris, rubbing and teasing to ensure the bath water hadn't stolen her wetness. But before she could beg, he positioned himself between her legs and entered her, his entire length filling her with each smooth and quick thrust. Her nails dug into his chest, marking the perfect, pale flesh there, but Nightshade didn't complain, only moved against her, inside her, with more force. Kaylin felt her end coming again, but tried to hold back, to let the pleasure build even further before it burst. But holding back wasn't easy, no matter how much practice she'd had with him. Maybe it had something to do with being immortal, but even when he wanted her as badly as she wanted him, even when she teased and played with him, when they were finally joined, he took his time.

"Nightshade," Kaylin cried out, clenching down hard on him but not succeeding in interrupting the steady pace of his hips. She could feel his passion, nearly as urgent as her own, but she also felt his amusement through the link they shared. He knew the game she played just as assuredly she knew that he intended to win.

Carlarnenne, she called, and his hips slammed against hers, tearing a similar moan from both their lips. The heat of his mark spread, blooming all over her body, and Kaylin let it, reveling in the heady mix of pleasure, heat, and desire that held her like a second skin. And when it was too much, when she felt her body begin to spiral out of control and her core shudder around him, then she lifted a hand from his shoulder and touched the mark on her face, opening it, accepting it, and also sharing herself with him as she climaxed under him. His reaction was instantaneous, and he shuddered against her, his hips pumping rapidly a handful of times more before resting his head against her shoulder. Kaylin tried to bring her breathing back under control, and though Nightshade's chest rose and fell as steadily as ever, she imagined she could feel his heat beating frantically against her chest. As much as she enjoyed the sex, afterwards was nearly as good too. Being held by him, and holding him back, without need and passion driving her body, brought a certain kind of peace she hadn't found elsewhere. She ran her hands through his silky hair carefully because it was still as unforgiveable to tear any Barrani hair loose in post-coital bliss as it was in orgasmic frenzy. Nightshade caught her hand and pressed it to his lips before she could inadvertently tangle his hair.

They unwrapped themselves from one another slowly. Kaylin stood unsteadily, ignoring the crumpled uniform discarded in the corner. She hadn't had enough foresight to bring a change of clothes with her, but it wouldn't be the first time she'd traversed Nightshade's castle in only a towel, or less. But Nightshade held out a robe for her, helping her into it, and Kaylin was grateful it was cut to a smaller size. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd had to hastily borrow one of his too-long robes either. The silk was dark like shadow, and the smooth coolness felt like bliss incarnate against her flushed skin. Kaylin couldn't begin to think of words to protest when he lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. Forgetting why she had wanted to walk on her own in the first place, she rested her head against his shoulder and let him carry her from the bathroom.


Happy bath time fun note: Yeah, I've done this once before, so why not a second time? The bath scent is real; it's Lush's sex bomb bath bomb in case you want one of your own. It can have fun effects…However, I omitted the pink water in this instance; I simply can't see Nightshade or Kaylin getting it on in pink bathwater.