He watched her retreat a few steps with mild interest. He'd seen some of what she'd endured and some of what she was capable of. Esmeralda. It seemed, however, the little wolf preferred his pet name. Curious and curiouser.
"I spoke not of that type of currency," Oded reminded her with a half smile, his gaze dropping to her pert lips. There had been one type of image missing in her thoughts. The most tantalizing of them all. She was innocent. "You know, but you remain uneasy without an answer?"
He smiled easily. Oded wasn't toying with the girl. That wasn't what excited him. To seduce her until she thought it was her own desire leading her to him, to subtly nudge her toward corruption, that's what excited him. "You can have the answer to your question, an answer to ease your troubled mind, for a very small price. A chaste kiss."