AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But then where would Wraythe go?
Letting out a groan, I looked over at the candles. The first one was more than half gone. Almost two-thirds. I'd wait until I lit the second candle, and then I'd get in the pool. That would give me enough time to come to terms with whatever I got, and not so much that I wouldn't be able to handle it. And while I waited, I would pray.
"Zeal, I only want one thing today," I said, glancing over to the pool of water. "I want this to work out. I don't know how you'll make that happen, but I believe you can do it. Whatever way you decide the three of us fit together, we'll accept it so long as we staytogether.They are my entire world, and I know there's always a price to pay, but please do not make them mine?
"I think you and I both know that I never would've taken this priest thing seriously if it wasn't for her. I used to think it was an excuse to mess around, get off, and move on. I honestly thought I'd been picked because I was a cute kid, the kind who'd grow up to look right in your temple. Now, I'm not so sure.
"Um, because the truth is, I honestly feel this calling. Iwantto follow the Path of the Body. My best friend in the world is made for the Path of Protection. The woman we love? She's yours in ways I can't even understand, and that binds us to you just as tightly. I used to think that her amazing ass and gorgeous curves were just another passing temptation, but I think I had it wrong. She's a temptation, but not one I saw coming.
"Being around her makes me want to be a better priest. Not just a fuck toy, but an actualpriest!I want to lose myself in the assignment, give the patron what he or she truly needs, and work as your tool to dive into the darkest parts of being human. I want to guide those desires in a healthy way so that it's not turned on an innocent person.
"But most of all, I want my family. Ten years ago, I thought I'd lost everything. My mother all but threw me at the priest, so glad to be rid of me. I was somad, and I swore I'd never love someone again, and now I've done it twice. Bend us as much as you need, but just know that taking my family again will break me."
Get in the water, Eladehl.
The words weren't so much a voice as a decision. I turned to look at the pool one more time, aware that the surface seemed darker than before. The candle must have burned low enough to change the angle of light. Glancing back, I saw that I still had more than three hours until I'd need to light the next. It would make more sense to wait.
Get in the water.
If it was a little warmer in here, I wouldn't hesitate, but my dick was already suffering from some impressive shrinkage. Besides, fifteen hours seemed like a long time to know where I belonged and not be able to tell anyone. Granted, once I had my marks, I could always sleep for a while. If I did it now, then by the time I'd come to terms with getting - or not getting - my chosen Path, it would be time to light the next candle, and then I could just lie down and close my eyes for a bit.Thatwould definitely make the time pass faster.
Your temptation isn't about suffering. It's about believing.
A moment later, a warm draft began to waft off the pool. I angled around the edge so I could stand in it and let out a sigh of relief. I hated to be cold. When I opened my eyes, I realized I was standing before a set of stairs that would make it easy to walk into the pool.
The price is always less for my priests. I promise you can pay it. In return, all I ask is that you take care of my Chosen. Be what she truly needs. It won't always be easy, but stay the path, Eladehl, and she will always follow. I need you to lead her, but also to push her. You are not the shield to take the hits for her or the blade to fight for her. You have another place in her life. One that might be more important.
Most of all, I need you to love her without condition. My beautiful golden boy whose eyes hold darkness. You are the perfect temptation for the woman who will walk in shadows to see the light.
Now step into the water.
Almost in a daze, I took the first step, feeling the water swirl around my legs.
Chapter 36
Wraythe
Iwas terrified of the water. Not all water, butthatwater. While everyone else had reached into the pool in our sixth year to watch their marks grow, mine had only changed. Loose, thick, heavy swirls covered the backs of my hands, stopping just above my wrists. Marks of Obligation, Saval had said, but the thickness was more typical for one who followed the Path of Protection. I'd clung to that caveat, hoping it meant something.
I also didn't talk about it. Only Eladehl had heard what she said, and he was convinced there was no way Zeal would waste me with Obligation. Granted, that had happened before we met Nariana. In those days, I'd been struggling to pass my classes, and only Eladehl's help had kept me from being sent to remedial learning.
Then she'd become a part of our group, dragging Anver in with her. Studying became a pastime and not just a chore. The reward for being right changed from smiles to kisses, and then to so much more. Man, feeling that girl in my arms, having her fingers in my hair as she gave me complete control? It had convinced me to make an effort.
Mostly because I didn't want her to think I was stupid. She never had, but the truth was that I'd been worried about it. Girls didn't want the big, ugly, dumb guy. Not when they could have Eladehl instead. The strange thing was that she'd never even considered it. She'd kissed me first - a thing that still put a smile on my face - and had never made it feel like she was choosing.
I could still remember that day. I'd been so embarrassed, struggling not to cry because those assholes would've only laughed harder. Then, one of the best-looking girls in our class said we'd been making out in secret? I tried to tell her not to get involved, but instead, they'd dared her to prove it, and she had. My first kiss was supposed to have been with one of the boring girls. I'd resigned myself to it, and instead, it was her.
My only kiss, truth be told. My only love. I had no interest in touching another woman, and had never wanted a man, so it worked out. When I walked out of this room in the morning, I would never have to worry about it again. My dick would get slapped in a ring, and any chance of things going further would vanish. No more hand jobs. No more grinding against her until I blew my load. No more jacking off while her golden eyes drank in the sight of my hand on my dick.
What we'd had was all we were going to have, and I was oddly ok with that. It was the price I had to pay, right? For a guy like me to get a girl like her, even for a moment? Well, I wasn't surprised the cost would be high. But I'd be god-cursed before I stopped loving her. Eladehl might be my best friend, like the other piece of me, but so was she.
This was the problem with being locked alone for a day and a night. With nothing else to distract me, my mind kept spinning, always circling back to her. Well, them. I agreed with Eladehl that she'd make an amazing Priestess of the Body. Watching the pair of them perform? It would be the most beautiful thing the world had ever seen. Everywhere he was bright, she was dark, and everywhere she was bright, he was dark. They were so different in many ways, and yet so much the same.
Those days, back when he'd wanted nothing more than to tie her down? The way she'd surrendered would break most men. Nariana wasn't weak, not by any stretch of the imagination, but her heart-shaped face looked so innocent. With her big, beautiful eyes and all that long, dark hair? The older she got, the more black it had become, and paired with her fair skin, she looked like some fantasy.
More than anything, I wanted to see her like that again. Not necessarily tied, but on her knees, with Eladehl clutching her jaw, taking what he needed. My best friend had a cruel streak in him. One that usually lay dormant, but when it appeared, it was a thing to behold. He could walk into a room and take complete control, cut a person to their knees with little more than a word, and make even the most stubborn woman I knew submit.
The flickering of the light made me look over. My first candle was little more than a stub, only an hour left before I'd need to light the other. By now, Eladehl would've bathed in the water, getting out to admire his own marks. I kinda wondered if they'd go down his dick, because that would be sorta hot. Watching god-lace disappear inside Nari?
