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"So I guess we're not as blacklisted as I thought," I joked, but I was also honestly curious about it.
No one had made any passes at either Eladehl or Nari since they'd become initiates. From what I'd heard, swapping partners was more common than not. I wasn'tworriedabout it, but I was slightly curious.
"Not blacklisted," he assured me. "It's just that Amerlee and Shalsa asked the priests to give the pair some time to make their own bond before straining it with outside relationships. That means 'no,' is not an offensive answer because it's not common for students to pair up right after Choosing. The priests in this wing all agreed to be patient, but since Nariana's not here for the week..." He grinned. "Which is why it's acasualoffer, Wraythe."
I wasn't quite keeping up. "Because Nari's gone?"
"No, because Cayden knows Eladehl's in love with her. He's not trying to secure a new partner. He's just looking for someone else who might want company tonight. His own partner is on assignment, and no one wants to spend tonight alone." Then the guy groaned, dropping his head before he offered his hand. "I'm making a mess of this. My name's Shiran, by the way. I probably should've started with that. Sorry, I tend to get flustered when he asks me to talk to other guys."
I reached out and clasped his palm. "All good. You know I'm only interested in women, right?"
"I also know we're both ringed," Shiran pointed out. "But yeah, hence the nerves. Look, just give Eladehl the bottle, tell him Cayden will be looking for him, and if you aren't sure which one he is, I'll be standing on the south side of the performance area, so I'll point him out. Hopefully subtly, because I'd hate to break Cayden's heart if Eladehl doesn't know who he is."
"I honestly don't know if he does, but Nari told Ela to have fun tonight, so I'll see if I can add a little pressure for ya. Good luck," I said, gesturing to the insanity around us. "If getting across the hall is almost impossible, I can't imagine the joy of swimming upstream."
"They're just excited," he explained. "The audience will be filled with dozens of the most important patrons tonight. Catching someone's eye can make or break a priest's reputation in the Path of the Body. It's their time to finally shine, and it's rather intimidating at the same time."
"I honestly don't know how they do it," I admitted.
"Me either," Shiran said, "but Priests of the Body have strong needs to satiate." He offered a kind smile. "Hope I'll see you there." And then he pushed into the sea of bodies, vanishing quickly.
I shuffled the handful of feet to Ela's door and slipped inside. "It's chaos out there," I called out.
"Not surprised," Eladehl replied from his bedroom. "Please tell me you've actually put some effort into your clothes tonight?"
Heading into the bedroom, I dropped the bottle of alcohol on the dresser and held out my arms for his inspection. Like every other priest in the temple, I wore nothing but black. It just happened to be my best black. My pants had a false front that emphasized my flat waist. Above that was a black-on-black patterned vest, atop a black linen shirt, with a simple black ascot around my throat.
By comparison, Eladehl was glorious. His pants were cut to fit his body closely and tucked into boots that stopped just below his knees. His vest was fitted and pinstriped, but also black on black. Over that, he had on a waistcoat with tails and a cravat that was slightly flamboyant but which he managed to pull off perfectly. The only hint of color on him was the purple jewel on his tie pin.
Beside him, I would look like a bull, but I was used to that. Eladehl had the sort of figure to pull off such pompous clothing, and he loved to dabble in all of the latest styles. From laborer to the very top of society, he could always blend in, yet tonight, his gilded beauty would definitely stand out.
"You look amazing," Eladehl told me. "One day, I'll get you to wear a pair of fitted pants."
"Not today," I assured him. "Going to take a lot more courage before I'll show off my ass like that, and I'm not wearing a full coat in the middle of all those people." I leaned my hip against the dresser. "I also don't need to show off my erection all night. Pretty sure you'd be able to see the outline of my ring."
"Nari happens to like your ring," he pointed out.
"And she's not here, is she?" Then I bumped the bottle. "But a man named Cayden sent his guardian with a bribe for your attention."
Surprisingly, Eladehl groaned. "I dunno."
"She wants you to enjoy the night for her. Even if that means with someone else." This time, I actually pushed the bottle, moving it to his end of the dresser. "Besides, she'll be in bed with Talin tonight."
"Doesn't bother you at all?" he asked.
All I could do was shrug. "Did at first. Don't get me wrong, it's also a turn-on, but I hated the idea of her actually caring about someone besides us. Now?" I lifted my hands, empty, offering nothing. "I actually like the guy. You clearly like him. She is in love with him. We both know that she'll have plenty of men use her body, so what choice do I have?"
"You could tell her," he said, nothing but sympathy in his voice.
I shook my head. "Nope. See, my problem with her touching someone else is with me, not her. I worry she'll replace me, or decide I'm not good enough. That she'll fuck me to make things easier, but it will all be an act. The thoughts are always there, especially since you and Talin are the kind of men she should be with. Then I see the way she looks at me, and I know that'smyfears, notherthoughts. I'm not going to make her feel bad because my size and face make me insecure."
"She likes that you're a giant," Eladehl assured me. "I'm not just saying that, either. She loves that you make her feel so dainty and beautiful. She's not, you know. Nari's tall for a woman."
"And nothing but legs," I reminded him.
"Well, true," he said, a devious little smile forming on his lips, "but my point is that women are told they're pretty when they're little, and she's not little. She's not even frail. Our girl is muscled from her weapons training. Personally, I love the way her strength makes her look so curvaceous, but look at what she's being compared to. Amerlee? She's soft, fragile, and seductive. Nari's powerful and sensual. But when she's with you, she feels like a pretty little thing with a big strong man to take care of her."
Fuck him, but I was smiling stupidly now. "Yeah, well, I'm also a big strong man to take care of you, and you have a promise to keep. Sounds like there's a young priest out there who wants you in his bed by the end of the night. I suggest you make some good memories, because we both know she's going to ask to hear all about it." And I offered my arm. "Shall we?"
