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She nodded. "And you aren't moving. Gotcha. Look, I just want to apologize for Cal."
"Cal's not your fault," I assured her.
"Calvor?" Anver asked, his eyes bouncing between us. "Cute guy, second-year, looks like he's hunting for a partner?"
"Yeah," I said, dragging the word out. "My ex. And the guy who just had a session with Nari. Lurel, it's not your fault," I assured her.
She dropped onto the bench beside me. "I didn't even think about your desire when he said he was going to be with a first-year. I should've put that together, but I didn't, and I'm sorry."
"I'm not. Worked out well for me in the end." I looked over at Anver. "See, weallhave shit in our past."
"And your shit," Lurel said, "wants me to fail her. I'm giving her an excellent. I'm guessing you'll fail him?"
I shook my head. "Nari and I decided to give him a fair. Decided that would piss him off more."
"Bad session?" Anver asked.
Lurel groaned. "My idiot desire figured out that Nari matched with Talin, his ex. So he came up with a plan to fuck her in front of him. In his mind, she'd fall into his arms, he'd make her come over and over, and Talin would see what he missed out on. Talin would end up listening to Calvor this and Calvor that, until he couldn't take it anymore. And then Cal planned to position himself as a side piece for her, maybe even getting between her and that hot guy she's with."
Anver laughed. "Eladehl? Yeah, that wouldn't go well."
"He's into guys, isn't he?" she asked.
Anver just nodded. "I know, it seems like a win. They're both gorgeous. Nari's probably the most beautiful woman in the temple, and Eladehl's pushing for being the hottest guy. Getting between them should be everyone's dream, right? Except no one gets between them." He looked over at me. "Except Wraythe. Maybe you." Then back to Lurel. "Anyone else who tries? They'd get turned into a sex toy, torn apart, and put back together knowing there's something out there they'll never reach again - and that's if they're lucky. If they aren't, those two would simply break them, and Nari isn't the scary one."
"Sounds like you've been there," she teased.
Anver nodded. "Yeah. All I'm saying is that Eladehl has a cruel streak, and Nari can almost match him. Oh, I know, she looks so sweet and delicate. She's so deceptively beautiful that most guys assume she'd fall against them and surrender. She won't. She might drop to her knees and pretend, but never think that she's not the one who isalwaysin charge. Her wish is their command. I'm not shitting you."
I leaned over my knees, realizing he was right. "What happens if she's pushed?" I asked.
"Nariana is scared of nothing," Anver assured me. "She's already lost the only things she can. See, in her Choosing, Zeal made her an offer. He'd make sure she never lost the one thing that could destroy her - her family - but in exchange, she had to surrender herself to him completely."
"How do you know that?" I asked.
He smiled. "Nari didn't tell me.Hedid. He said I needed to understand that he's making her into a weapon."
"What?!"
Anver nodded. "Piece by piece, he's forging her. Didn't you notice that after her immersion test, she looked just a bit more radiant? Her hair just a little darker, her skin a bit smoother, and her eyes shine with a light you can only call gold?"
"Fuck," I breathed.
"I'm so lost," Lurel admitted. "So she really is god-touched?"
"No," Anver said. "It's more than that. Talin's god-touched. Wraythe and Eladehl too. Her? Zeal hasn't just touched her. He'sclaimedher - and she gave herself to him. He's obsessed with her. So much that he'll give her anything she wants: her family. He's making an effort to know us because it makes her happy. Guys, I'm saying that Nariana is the woman Zealloves. Don't you get it? And what do we do when we love someone? We protect them. We spoil them. We lift them up and make them powerful."
"Oh shit." I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it before. "He's right."
"And you," Anver said, looking at me, "were one of those presents. Yes, he wanted a way to tie your family back into his plan, but that's not why you're matched to her. It's because she didn't want me. See, I was the plan. I fucked it up, so you're the replacement. A better fit for her, if I'm honest."
"So what's your role?" I asked him.
Anver leaned forward. "My penance is to be the spy." Then he rocked onto his feet and stood. "All I'm saying is that you can't break her. You know how our lace matches our ward?"
I nodded. "Zeal told me it's a piece of their soul, which is why we're bound so tightly. They literally live inside us."
"Yeah." He tipped his head at me. "Now look at her lace again. Every piece on her body is made from smaller ones. The larger shapes? Imagine if they were solid and then look again. You'll see they match something on you, Eladehl, or Wraythe. She doesn't have one guardian. She has three, and there's not a single thing any of you can do about it."
