Senth was half human half feline Kin, the only signs of his feline father his cat eyes and carnivorous teeth. His only relative in the world was Khyffen, a fully human young man. The brothers lived in a world of legal servitude. Senth was owned by a black market boss Lucas Saint-Cyr, known as The Harbinger, who had plucked him from an orphanage for his talent at thieving. Lucas regularly fed Senth a drug that kept his libido down and enabled his master to hypnotize him; and Khyffen's master beat him and forced him into sexual slavery. The two young men were helpless in their servitude, and manipulated by ruthless people who exploited their talents if not their humanity.

In this world, there were Betters, enhanced humans with pheromones that made them addictive sexual partners. One of these betters, NarrAy, contracted The Harbinger for Senth to do a job. Senth, a virgin, was forced into close quarters with this sexually addicting woman, but under the influence of a heavy dosage of the drug, Shackle, he was able to resist her. He was hired to break into a warehouse and recover a locket of hers that held the key to a government secret; but that warehouse was under surveillance. They were caught, but then freed by agents of the rebellion.

Then NarrAy's world widened as the bigger rebellion stepped into the picture. The recovered locket turned out to be still only a step in what was needed. Something else had to be recovered from the warehouse. The Harbinger kept a promise to Senth and used his influence to free Khyffen from sexual slavery, then Saint-Cyr sent Khyffen to monitor his brother with the Better. He was to dose his brother with the hated drug, suppressing his libido, and then ordered to stay with him until the job was done. Senth wanted more of the Better, and more of his life, and no more Shackle. He wanted NarrAy, even though he owed two years of obeisance to The Harbinger. He swore he would take the consequences of his actions and sent Khyffen back with the message.

Will Khyffen stay free? Will Senth and NarrAy ever be together? Will the resistance win? And who really is the Harbinger, beneath his all black contact lenses? Kayelle Allen has built a complex world of rebellion against the machine of a menacing and cruel caste system based on species and rank. There is a whole sense of a developed street language, and not just one dark culture of the street, but also an elite culture, and a military protocol developed by the androgynous leader of the resistance. AT THE MERCY OF HER PLEASURE is an ambitious rendering of a world in turmoil with colorful characters struggling to achieve lives of autonomy. What a surprise to find such a multifaceted plot so intricately developed. A must read for fans of Romantic Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction .

Maîtresse (c)2004