The door slid open and a breath of warm, perfumed air drifted out, rich with clove, crushed berries, and the soft tang of wine-soaked fruit. Candlelight swung low across velvet drapes, golden and slow, like the whole room inhaled when they stepped inside. Silks hung from the ceiling in long, whispering ribbons. Cushions layered the floor in decadent piles. Rugs so soft Nyxia nearly lost her footing as she walked deeper, her pulse caught somewhere in her throat while her eyes adjusted to the warm haze of gold.
This wasn't a stronghold. No barracks, no war banners, no iron scent of violence. This was a den built for pleasure and danger, every corner softened just enough to hide the teeth beneath. A place made to tempt, to disarm, to invite surrender before the thought even formed. And at the heart of it all, lounging across a velvet chaise like a queen of ruined stars, waited Boo. It felt like stepping into a story whispered behind locked doors, one meant only for those brave enough to handle it.
Her robe floated around her hips and shoulders like a sigh made tangible, black and violet tulle shimmering against her luminous skin. Nyxia felt her breath flutter once, soft and traitorous. Perseus stiffened beside her, chest rising sharper than usual, eyes refusing to linger yet flicking back anyway. Boo's horns shone with warm metal rings. Her lips curved into a slow, delighted smile as she twirled a dagger with effortless confidence. At her feet, an elf rested in a haze of satisfaction, marked with her lipstick, eyes half-closed against her thigh as if prayer had undone him.
Everything in the room belonged to her without effort. Including, for a moment, the air in their lungs. The smirk she gave Nyxia felt like fingers caressing the inside of her ribs. Boo snapped her fingers and three attendants drifted from the curtains. All silk and soft veils. Their trays shimmered with chilled wine, sugared meats, spiced fruits glistening with honey, and a bowl of grapes that sparkled like they'd been kissed with frost and wine. They moved without hurry. Without noise. Their presence softened the whole chamber until it felt like warmth pressed directly against skin.
One knelt by Nyxia, gestured her to sit, and set a fur-lined cushion beneath her legs. Another brushed Perseus's hand as she handed him a goblet, her eyes drifting over him with slow appreciation. The third lifted a single grape toward Nyxia's lips. Chilled. Glossed with wine. Nyxia hesitated just a heartbeat before her mouth parted in a tiny, shaky breath. The grape met her tongue and melted almost instantly into cool sweetness. Her pulse fluttered. She swallowed slowly. Boo's gaze followed the movement with half-lidded pleasure.
Perseus shifted, a muscle in his jaw ticking. The draenei attendant poured wine near his mouth in a long, sweet arc. He tried to compose himself. He did not fully succeed. Boo's smile deepened. "Relaxation is a language," she said softly. "And I speak it well." Nyxia felt the warmth settle behind her eyes. The grapes were soaked in something gentle, something floral, something that loosened the world around her without taking it away. A faint buzz curled through her limbs. Her body felt warmer. Softer. More aware of every little thing.
Boo approached her slowly, settling beside her on the cushion like a secret taking shape. Her fingers traced the line of Nyxia's shoulder, a feather-light touch that sent a shiver lifting through her spine. Nyxia leaned into it before she realized she had moved at all. Perseus inhaled as if he had been struck again. "You carry old hunger and older pain," Boo whispered. "No wonder Ves wanted to keep you."
Nyxia's breath trembled. Perseus stepped forward, protective and uncertain, but Boo looked up at him through heavy lashes and he froze in place. That alone almost sent Nyxia's heart out of rhythm. "Not asking for secrets yet," Boo murmured. "Just testing which parts of you still wake when touched."
Nyxia opened her mouth to answer but the words scattered when Boo reached out and tipped her chin up gently with her fingers. The wine in Nyxia's blood felt warmer now. The room dipped into soft gold around them. Boo leaned closer, her lips brushing Nyxia's cheek first, then her jaw, then—so slowly Nyxia nearly stopped breathing—her mouth.
The kiss was soft. Gentle. Warm wine and crushed berries. Nyxia's breath caught in a small, helpless sound. Her fingers curled into the rug. She kissed back before she even decided to. Boo deepened it just a little, savoring, then watching her reaction as she stole a second kiss, slow and coaxing. Perseus stepped in sharply, his hand landing on Boo's wrist. "That's enough." His voice broke a little. The restraint cost him something.
Nyxia blinked, dazed and breathing unevenly. Boo pulled back with a quiet laugh that curled across Nyxia's skin like smoke and silk. "Oh, paladin," she murmured, smiling up at him. "Look at you. Trembling with righteousness and something sweeter." Perseus's jaw tightened but he did not let go until Boo allowed it. She rose gracefully, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from her robe. "That will do for tonight," she said. "I like my guests in one piece and only lightly undone."
Nyxia swallowed, still flushed, lips tingling. Perseus was already at her side, steadying her with a hand at her back. Boo watched the touch with warm amusement. "Your room is prepared," she added. "Second hall, left side, the one with the lantern shaped like a serpent. Rest. Drink water. Sleep if you can." She leaned in close to Nyxia one last time, her voice velvet and wicked.
"Tomorrow we discuss the business. Tonight you learn how it feels to be wanted rather than taken." Boo stepped back toward her throne with a laugh soft as silk. "Go, my dears," she said. "Before I change my mind and keep you both here instead." Nyxia's breath hitched again. Perseus gently guided her out. Loque followed silently, his eyes gleaming with something between vigilance and judgment. Behind them, Boo watched with a smile that promised complications. And maybe something sweeter.