AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Nari?" he said, pulling me back, right against his chest. "Are you honestly ok with this? I always thought you didn'twantthe Path of the Body, but you picked it so fast earlier."
"I was scared of the Path," I admitted. "Now, I'm not. I've seen the worst sides of this. I know that we will both get beaten, shoved around, and probably end up with a lover who wants it to hurt. I'm ok with that bit so long as I have you and Wraythe around to make the healing better. It was whether or not I'd even like the good parts, you know?"
"No, not at all."
"Well, if I don't like the good parts, then what reason do I have to tolerate the bad ones?"
He palmed both sides of my face. "And it was ok? When your lover took your body, did you enjoy it?"
His words were nothing but concern. There was no jealousy in them, and a subtle acceptance that I might want to keep it private, but he was worried that it hadn't been ok. Not for himself, but because he wanted me to be nothing but happy.
"It was amazing, Eladehl. Powerful, even. Everything you tried to tell me, and so much more. I..." I glanced away. "I would've been happy with just this as my Path."
"He talked to me, you know," he said. "Zeal. In my Choosing. At first, I thought it was just wishful thinking, but he called you the woman who will walk in shadows to see the light. He said you are his chosen."
I nodded. "He says it like it's a title."
"So, he talked to you too?"
I pushed out a breath. "My first candle went out. I'd fallen asleep since I'd been out for most of the night, and I woke up to it sputtering. A second later, it went out, and that place is dark! But then the second one lit, and there was a priest standing over it. The same priest who told me I was allowed to leave. And, um, he said a lot of things, but mostly that I'd been whining because no one was asking me, so he was. Then he got pissed because I still couldn't answer. Um, and he took off his robe - "
"You fucked a priest on your Choosing Day?" he gasped.
"No!" I rolled my eyes. "His skin was covered in lace, Eladehl. From his throat to his toes, with nothing spared. No gaps between the pattern. It was all one shape, filled with swirls even smaller and more intricate than mine. It went all the way down his dick!"
"Zeal," he breathed. "You saw our god? Did he look like the statue?"
I had to pause to think about that. "Technically, but that's like asking if a shadow looks like the person casting it. His skin is dark, but golden. Not as dark as Shalsa. More like, um... Like everyone's skin tone was mixed together and his shade is the result. Oh, and his eyes are nothing but flecks of every color possible. A quick glance makes him look like an ordinary man. A handsome one, but no different than any priest here. But it's the details that make all the difference. The fury in his manners. The perfection of every single thing about him. Does that make sense?"
"Kinda." Then he guided my head to his shoulder and wrapped me in his arms. "He told me to love you. He said I'm supposed to lead where you will follow, and push you, but my job is to love you."
"Mine is to surrender."
Eladehl nodded, then let out a heavy sigh. "Pretty sure Wraythe talked to him too. You think everyone does?"
"No. I can't tell you why, but I don't. I think he's preparing for something, but I have no clue what. I also think we're going to be pulled into it."
"Then promise me something?" He leaned back to meet my eyes. "From now on, every second we can, let us live it to the fullest. We have just sworn ourselves to become a god's tools. Every story I've ever read where that happens, it never ends well."
I leaned forward to kiss him. "Which means we need to get rid of this pink. So, tough guy, wanna carry those big, heavy clothes for me?"
He caught my hip and pulled me closer. "You realize we're as close as priests ever get to being married, right? Partnerships are more than simply accepting assignments together. From now on, we will be treated like we are one. Two halves of the same whole. Allowed to love each other however we want. Whenever we want. You are mine now, Nari, and I am yours."
"Forever," I told him. "And I was kinda worried that you'd be pissed about the guy at the inn."
He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "Not at all. It's no different than when you're alone with Wraythe. Now, if he'd hurt you, I'd be livid, but if you're ok with it, then so am I. How about we make that just a blanket rule between us, ok?"
"Which goes both ways," I said. "You wanna get naked with some priest or priestess, and it's fine. There will be some things you'll want that I can't give. I still want you to have them. I want you to be able to talk to me about them, and for you to know there's no reason to be worried about how I'll react."
"Which is why we're perfect together." He leaned his forehead to mine. "I love you, Nariana."
Before I could respond, he kissed me. It started gently, his lips pressed against mine, but grew. His hand slid to the back of my neck, but he didn't pull. Slowly, his lips worshiped mine, his tongue teasing in between. It was the kind of kiss I could lean into, letting the rest of the world slip away.
Because I finally had him. I'd offered everything for my two guys, and Zeal had given them to me. What we had was more than lovers. The passion was still there in every touch, but there was something stronger containing it. Something that couldn't be broken. An easy word for it was love, but this was even bigger than that. It was trust. The kind most people called faith.
Eventually, he pulled back. "You still sore?"
"Huh?"
