This is my version on what could have happenned if Valek didn't resist Yelena the night she drunkenly tried to seduce him. To make this story less complicated, she has no magic!

"What would you do," I asked him, "if suddenly the world was perfect and you had no one to spy on?"

"I'd be bored," said Valek with amusement.

"Come on, seriously. A change in profession." I dug my thumbs into the muscle at the base of his neck. "A fire dancer?" A rush of warmth radiated as brandy pumped through my blood.

"No. An arms teacher?" Valek suggested.

"No. It's a perfect world. No weapons allowed." I moved my hands down his back. "How about a scholar? You've read all these books lying around, haven't you? Or are they just to make it difficult for someone to sneak in?"

"Books serve me in so many ways. But I doubt your perfect society would need a scholar on murder."

My hands paused for a second. "No. Definitely not."

"A sculptor? I could carve extravagant statues. We could redecorate the castle and liven things up. How about you?" he asked as I pressed my fingertips into the small of his back. "What would you do?"

"Acrobatics." The word flowed without conscious thought. I had thought I left acrobatics behind with my fire amulet, but it seemed my excursion through the trees had reawakened my desire.

"An acrobat! Well, that explains a lot."

Aroused by the contact with Valek's sculpted body, I slid my hands around to his stomach. Reyad be damned. The brandy had relaxed me past fear. I started to unfasten Valek's pants.

He grabbed my wrists, stopping me. "Yelena, you're drunk." His voice was hoarse.

-Poison Study (Maria V. Snyder) pg 290-291

I looked at him. With the alcohol magnifying all my feelings, I felt a wave of shame and a sense of being unwanted. "Don't you want to?" I asked, hating the fact that my voice had started to shake.

Valek was examining my face as if he was searching for a hidden motive. "You're drunk," he repeated slowly, as if to a petulant child. "It wouldn't be right for me to take advantage of you this way. You'll regret this in the morning."

Another irrational wave of grief passed through me. In my mind, he had purposely skirted around the question because he knew the answer would upset me."You don't want me," I whispered, tears starting to escape and roll down my cheeks. I hated the feeling of helplessness that came over me. Dilana's speculations had been wrong and Maren's jealousy misplaced after all. What had I been thinking?

He swore under his breath. "Yelena, don't cry." When I tried to twist away from him, he grabbed my wrists and forced me to look at him. "Deep inside, you don't want this," he said seriously, looking at me in concern.

But at that moment, I realized how close he was to me. He must have realized this at the same time because I saw something shift in his eyes, his expression turning hungry. Without thinking, I leaned up and brushed my lips against his.

He tried to pull away, but I persisted. The brandy made me feel heady with joy, joy that I was finally with him in this moment after circumstances had barred us from each other for so long.

I didn't notice when he stopped resisting. I didn't notice when he stood and began to carry me slowly upstairs to his room. All I cared about was the fact that he was finally mine, even if it was only for a few hours. All I noticed was the fact that I finally overcame my demons and made love to the man I loved that night.

Yes, I know there wasn't actually much writing there. But that will change in the next chapter! I just wanted to quote from the book to set the story. :)

Please review!:D