Short chapter. Going on vacation so may be a bit longer on my next update. Enjoy!

Chapter 14

Interrogation

Zevran was brought back to consciousness by a rough slap on his still tender cheek. Groaning, he opened his eyes to find the visage of the Gray Warden leader staring back at him. As his eyes unblurred, her features snapped into focus causing him to slightly recoil. His first thought was that she was homely, with her strong -almost manly- jaw line and a nose slightly too big for her face. But her eyes; her eyes were gorgeous. Green with flecks of gold and blue that shimmered like the Antivan Sea in the morning, they drew him in as she glared at him with a disapproving frown.

"So you're finally awake. Good." She stated standing to her full height and stepping back. The others were watching him warily as he evaluated them with a quick once over. Hmmm.. It would appear that I am not dead. They must want information from me. I just have to convince them I more valuable alive. This may work out to my advantage. If I can persuade her to allow me to join them, then I can finally be free of the Crows and have a very powerful ally to stand behind. The plain one probably hasn't had a lot of male attention in her life. I mean, look at her. Too manly for a woman and too womanly for a man. Though one could argue she possesses the best of both worlds. Now there's a distracting thought. Just lay on the charm and she'll be eating out of the palm of your hand in no time. Still...if I cannot convince her, then I will not die tied on the ground like an animal. I may perish, but at least one Warden will join me. Zevran tested the rope that bound his hands behind his back and did a mental check of all his conceal weapons hoping they had missed one as he gave her a fetching smile. He felt around the small of his back until his fingers closed around a flat throwing dagger they had missed hidden in the seam of his armor. He deftly extracted the blade and began sawing through his bonds as he spoke, hoping to distract her while the rope frayed.

"Ah, it would seem I am at your mercy." He said smoothly. "How can I be of service to such a beautiful lady?"

The Warden blinked in shock, casting an odd look his way like she didn't understand what he was saying. He saw the telltale color of a blush slinking along her checks as she cleared her throat and spoke to him.

"Who are you and who hired you?"

"To the point, huh? I do so love direct women. My name is Zevran Arainai – Zev to my friends- a member of the Antivan Crows. And I'm willing to bet you already know who hired me."

"Loghain." She said the word as if it was a curse. She half-turned towards her other companions, never letting him out of her sight. He continued to work the blade back and forth along the rope, feeling the satisfying snap of another strand. "Wonderful. I guess we get to add the Crows to the list of people trying to kill us."

"Great. Darkspawn, Loghain, and now assassins swooping down upon us. This is what I love about being a Warden. How it unites everyone." Drawled one her of companions. Zervan's eyes freely roamed over the young man's body. Hmmmm... had I known that the Wardens attracted such strapping young men, I might have tried to leave the Crows sooner.

"Pity it seems to unite them against us." Their leader supplied.

"Well, fortunately for you, you have an advantage." Zevran supplied. He waited until he had her full attention before he continued, knowing he had to word this careful if he was to live. "Me."

"You?" She asked skeptically.

"Yes. I know all about the Crows since I was trained by them as a boy. Their tactics and methods as well as the resources they have available at their disposal. So, here is my proposal. Let me join you, and I will share with you everything I know. I can shine your armor, clean your boots… warm your bed?"

The Warden busted out in a jovial laugh. She laughed so hard, tears formed at the corners of her eyes and she had to clutch her sides to keep from doubling over. Zevran found it just a bit offensive, but he kept his grin from slipping and continued to try and free his hands. Finally, once she could breathe again, she spoke to him.

"You must think I'm utterly stupid to take up an assassin's offer to watch my back!"

"I think you are dangerous and an utterly gorgeous sex goddess. One of my favorite combinations." Ehhh.. .little white lie and maybe overkill, but my charisma has never failed me so far.

A variety of emotions flickered over her features: confusion, irritation, and shock followed by more confusion. Finally, she turned towards her fellow red head with the ample assets and shrugged.

"He must be referring to you because he CAN"T he talking about me."

"Errr…. No, Mallory." She replied. "I think he was talking about you."

"Your friend is right, Mallory." He said, purposefully rolling the "R" in a seductive way.

Her response was not quite what he anticipated. Frowning, she leaned in and waived her hand in front of his eyes. Zevran followed the movement unsure of what she was doing and halted his sawing. After a few seconds she pulled her hand back and huffed in dismay. "Ah. I see why I was able to defeat you so easily now. You're blind! Damn it! I actually thought I was getting better at this."

It took Zevran a few moments to realize what she referring to. That comment she made about her being new to fighting was true! Ah… I was defeated by an amateur! If I wasn't already dead to the Crows, I could never show my face there again. They would never let me live it down. Changing his strategy, he dropped the seduction attempt and tried a new approach as he resumed cutting through his bonds. Several of the rope threads had already split under his feverous assault.

"I cannot return to the Crows. Since I have failed to kill you my life is forfeit. I wish to live. Let me serve you and I promise you will be pleased. I have many skills to aide you in your quest."

"Like?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"Pickpocket, lock picking, poison crafting, and trap making. I am also, with this one exception," He gave her an acknowledging nod, "a very skilled assassin. If you have any enemies you need eliminated, quickly and quietly, than I am your man."

"And how do I know you won't just kill me later?"

"To what end? My life is already lost to the Crows. Killing you would gain me nothing but a swifter end at the hands of my former colleagues. At least this way, we can band together and have a better chance of survival, no? Besides, there are worst fates than serving the whims of a deadly sex goddess."

"OK. First of all ... sex goddess? Does that crap really work on most women? And second of all, they would kill you just for failing? Even if you murder me later?" Mallory seemed skeptical. She shifted the weight off one leg to rest her mass fully on the other. Zevran's keen eyes didn't miss the way she favored her one leg. An old injury perhaps? How did I not notice that before? If I had, I could have disabled her and killed her in an instant. Ah, well. Perhaps fate had something else in mind.

"Failure is failure in the eyes of the Crows. One of the downsides of working for them. They will supply you with wine, women, and men, which ever you fancy… but try to leave and the severance package is garbage."

"So… you know too much to live?"

"And I'm far too pretty to die." He said wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Matter of opinion." She replied curtly, though Zevran saw a corner of her mouth upturn in a smirk. She brought her hand near her lips as if to chew on a fingernail and then returned it to her side with a grumble when she realized it was gauntleted. He could see her mulling it over in her mind as idly scratched her side. Too kill him or not too kill him. Think fast Warden. It would be a pity to have to slay you. He gently stretched his bindings, confirming that a solid jerk would free him. He rubbed his thumb over the flat of his blade, readying it in his hand as she contemplated his fate. The blade was tiny, only about the size of his forefinger, but he knew he was skilled enough to lodge it in her throat as long as she was close enough.

With a sigh, she withdrew a dagger from her side and approached him, a hard and determined look in her eyes. Zevran frowned when he saw it was his own dagger she held in her hand as she knelt in front of him. She's going to kill me with my own weapon! That's just uncivilized.. even for a barbarian! Zevran tensed his muscles as she got down on one knee before him. A fleeting look of pain passed across her features as she struggled with her injury. She pointed the tip of the dagger in his face and stared directly into his eyes. His finger twitched on his concealed blade as she leaned in uncomfortably close. Zevran knew hesitation could cost him his life. It was the first lesson the Crows had beat into him as a young child. Yet, though she was invading his space and brandishing a weapon in his face in a threatening manner, he found he could not strike. Her eyes captivated him, almost pleading as she spoke.

"I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret this decision." She held his gaze a bit longer, and then shuffled around behind him to severe his bonds.

"Wait. What?" Exclaimed the young man with the spiky hair. "We are taking the assassin with us?"

"The odds aren't exactly in our favor, Alistair. We need all the help we can get."

Zevran palmed his blade as he felt her tug at his bindings. He snickered at her squeak of surprise when he snapped the frayed rope in two with a quick movement and casually threw her a smile over his shoulder. He laughed outright as she went from appearing perplexed to downright ornery as he stood with ease and turning to face her, offered her a hand up. She stared at his hand with a knitted brow as if his fingers had transformed into venomous serpents, refusing his aid. Unperturbed, Zevran reached down and took her hand anyways, hauling the Warden to her feet as gently as he could. She stood a full head taller than him, and peered down at him, as he gave her a dashing grin. Still holding her hand, he swore his allegiance to her.

"I hearby declare myself your man through and through. I shall serve and protect you until my death or you no longer have need of me. Or.. until you can find a better use for me." He offered suggestively. She violently took her hand back as if his skin was coated in the remains of an acid flask and thrust his dagger into his hands. She gestured for Alistair to give him back his sword and walked away, shaking her head. As Zevran began rearming himself, his sharp ears picked up her muttering even at a distance. He grinned at her comment.

"I regret this already."

"Shine your armor while you sleep, Warden? I'll be careful with it. I've been told I have a delicate touch."

Zevran languidly leaned against a tree on the outskirts of camp, with one foot propped against the trunk. He tossed a green apple from hand to hand as he watched the Warden drag herself back to the campsite. Mallory gave the elf a deadpan look, not in the mood for his inappropriate jokes. She had just finished another training session with Sten and he had managed- once again- to strike her in the knee. This was the third night in a row that had happened since she had allowed that distracting elf to join them. Granted, during the few scraps they had with straggling bandits and darkspawn, he had proven to be a valuable asset; Single-handedly taking down an Alpha Hurlock before the others could get to it. Still, he never shut up. Every word out of his mouth was a double entendre or allusion to something sexual. And he hit on anything that breathed! Even poor Alistair, who had been so flustered he just kept repeating the same thing over and over again in disbelief when the elf had offered to give him a very intimate tattoo. Mallory didn't consider herself prudish, but some of the things he said made her ears burn hotter than the afternoon sun.

She didn't know why, but the assassin's constant repartee aggravated her. She couldn't help but get the feeling she was being mocked, even if he was genuinely trying to be kind. It's all the goddess comments. Who is he kidding, trying to suck up to me like that? There's no way on this world or the next that I'm considered gorgeous by anyone's standards. What a load of shit! He thinks empty flattery will make me lower my guard and secure his position in the party. Well, I'm not stupid. I've got my eye on you, pretty boy. You're not going to get under my skin that easily. Just give me a reason, and I will cast you out of here so fast you won't know what hit you!

"No, thank you." She replied smiling sweetly. "Sten wants me to be in my armor as much as possible, so that means I have to sleep in it."

"Oooh? I fail to see where that would be an issue."

Mallory stopped dead in her tracks and glared at the assassin. Smiling, he took a bite of the apple and quirked an eyebrow in her direction. He chewed it slowly, licking his lips with a sweeping motion as a bit of clear juice beaded on his bottom lip. Is he…seductively eating an apple? Really? Oh my god. She felt a rush of blood to her face as she blushed at his antics. Even in the dark of twilight, she was certain it was visible. I hate being a red head. Can't freaking hide anything. He's trying to embarrass me, I know it. Nope, not falling for this. Two can play at this game.

"You know, on second thought, you CAN shine my armor for me. I'm about to go bathe down by the river, and I certainly won't be wearing it then. I don't want to get it all wet." She emphasized the word "wet", leaving it hanging for a moment as she continued. "After all, it's only steel. It could rust and fall apart in the heat of battle. I wouldn't want to be standing naked in the middle of a battlefield. Imagine that. Let me go to my tent and change. I'll leave my armor in your capable hands. Oh, and I'll make sure Leliana is with you the entire time, that way you can show off your solo hand polishing skills. Not that I don't trust you to do a good job, what with all the practice you've probably had. I'm sure she'll be impressed at the way you can handle such a minute task, all by YOURSELF."

She smiled, thinking she had the upper hand. Zevran took another bite of his apple, a twinkle in his eye as he swallowed and replied.

"Why, Warden! I had no idea you desired an audience for such feats. You continue to surprise me. If you hurry back, perhaps you can join us. No doubt the task will be far more pleasurable with the three of us going at it together."

He took another bite and then gazed at the apple still resting in his hand. His neat teeth marks dimpled the surface as some of the sweet juice ran down his fingers. With a smirk, he tossed it towards Mallory, who caught it reflexively in her right hand.

"Best I not handle that any further." He stated as he earnestly sucked the juice from his fingers. He maintained eye contact the entire time his soft tongue glided over his digits. "I wouldn't want to get your armor all sticky."

Mallory wasn't quite sure what expression she wore, but it must have been amusing. Chuckling softly to himself, Zevran faded into the shadows. His voice echoed off the trees as he headed back to camp.

"I'll await you at your tent, Warden. And I would suggest being quick about your bath. It's a bit nippy out. You wouldn't want to get frostbite. Though, I 'd be more than willing to warm your extremities should you need it."

Oh, that son of a bitch. Turning even redder, Mallory crushed the apple between her fingers and threw the ruin away in disgust. Ohhh ho ho. He's good, but this isn't over yet. It is SO on! She stomped back to camp unaware just how similarly her thoughts mirrored the assassin's.