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"Promise. Try to talk to your guardian for me?"
"Just for you," I said, easing myself off the bed. "And I like the marks. I'll show you mine when you're ready, ok?"
"Thank you, baby," he breathed. "Thank you for letting me love you."
I gave him one last smile and then slipped out of the room. Tears started to fill my eyes. Letting out a heavy breath, I made it three steps before I saw Talin in the hall by his room. He looked like he was just about to go inside.
"You ok?" he asked.
"It's not fucking fair," I groaned. "Protecting someone shouldn't require that much pain! So no, I'm not ok."
Talin crossed the space between us and wrapped his arms around me. "He'll be ok, Nari. It'll take a few days, but it gets easier."
"Why are you doing so much better?"
He chuckled against my hair. "Smaller dick? I heard this guy's like seven feet tall and almost as wide. I also know that he has this woman to think about, and in a quiet room, that's where a man's thoughts tend to go." He pulled back to wipe the space beneath my eyes. "And I'm not ok. I just fake it better than he does."
"I'm sorry."
He just shook his head. "Never feel bad for thinking of the people you care about. And go talk to that sexy man of yours. My dinner's getting cold."
I did, but I'd also noticed how easily Talin accepted his place in my life. Right beneath Wraythe and Eladehl. The strange thing was that it made me like him a little more. Maybe I would do what Wraythe said and spend some time just talking to him. It wasn't like I had anything else to do for the next few days.
Chapter 44
Nariana
Iwas supposed to get a week off to accept my Path. Evidently, the High Priest didn't agree, because on the fourth day, I received a summons to appear before him. Amerlee suggested I dress in my best robe, with something respectable underneath. She would also be going with me. As my mentor, she said, it was her responsibility to make sure that I was "respectful."
I treated the appointment like an assignment, put on my best clothes, painted my face to make me look sultry yet mature, and donned my first velvet robe. When I stepped into the hall to meet Amerlee, she wasn't alone. Jamik was there, of course - but also Talin. He wore a well-fitting black shirt, pants that matched, and boots so clean they shined.
"What are you doing?" I asked him. "You're supposed to be resting for a few more days."
"A Priestess of the Body is always accompanied by her guardian for her duties." He clasped his arms behind his back and lifted his chin. "The High Priest sent a formal summons. That makes this a duty." Then his facade slipped, and a smile lifted one side of his mouth. "And it's a lot harder to say you aren't a Priestess of the Body if your guardian is right there."
I stepped into him and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Thank you, Talin."
As his arms moved around my back, he sighed, but not in pain. It sounded more like relief. "Thank you for letting me do this. The man will try to intimidate you, hoping your youth and inexperience will make you bend to his will. Stay your Path, Nari. I will stand with you the whole way."
"Yeah..." I said, looking over to Amerlee. "But can we walk a little slowly? My new shoes aren't broken in."
She dipped her head to agree, but her eyes were filled with pride. We both knew my shoes were fine, but theywerenew, and my guardian wouldn't need to feel embarrassed about his own limitations. When Jamik moved to offer Amerlee his arm, he smiled at me in approval, then looked at Talin. That made the expression do double duty, because my guardian stepped up to do the same, but for me.
Together, we strolled toward the back side of the temple. Where the students were kept in a wing on one side, most priests lived on the other, in its mirror image. The High Priest, however, had an apartment and office at the very back. The Temple of Temptation was massive, spanning the area of two city blocks, so it was a bit of a walk.
We passed the assignment area, the display rooms, and the nave where priests could seek out advice of their own from our god. Past that was a small foyer, with a life-sized statue of Zeal made to mimic the one in the Temple of All Gods. Flanking it were a pair of doors. Amerlee headed to the one on the left and knocked.
The door opened almost immediately, and I could see multiple people inside. All of them were in black, the color of our god. The woman who'd opened the door waved us in, and Amerlee went first. Jamik released her to fall in her shadow, so Talin mimicked him. Once we were inside, the door was closed again.
"Priest Kinen," Amerlee said, looking toward the back of the room where an older man sat behind a very large and ornate desk, "may I introduce Priestess Nariana, of the Path of Temptation."
"Step forward," Kinen said, standing to wave me closer.
His robes were not like the others. They were trimmed in gold, with pearlescent buttons, and the black shimmered as if iridescent. Clearly, this was the High Priest. So, as elegantly as I could, I moved to the empty area before him. There was no chair across from his desk, and the space left for me was no bigger than one of our dining tables. Two bodies deep, priests lined the walls of the room, but none of them said a thing.
Talin followed me, staying behind and beside me like my shadow. The High Priest glanced at him, narrowed his eyes, and then looked back at me. It was subtle, but I got the impression that I'd just annoyed him.
"We are here to determine how you managed to fool your instructor. Priestess Saval claims that she locked you into the Choosing Room just after dawn, is that correct?" he asked.
