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"You in trouble again?" he finally asked.
"Not more than normal," I assured him.
"That was a pretty long talk with Ghale."
"Yep." I paused to let out a little grunt when he reached my limit. "Yeah, hold that for a second?"
"Holding," he promised. "But you need to start talking."
I just huffed out a laugh. "You are not my guardian, Grath. I had an issue that I needed advice about. He gave it. He also made it clear he's not going to stop riding my ass."
"It is a nice ass," he teased before letting go of my arm to swap to the other side. "You know the whole temple heard about your little winter vacation, right?"
This time, my groan had nothing to do with stretching. "So I've gathered."
"And we've all heard about your partner taking punishment lessons too."
"Isn't that supposed to be private?" I asked.
"Nope." Pushing a little more, he leaned toward my ear and dropped his voice. "Speculation is that you'll start showing up with bruises soon. Most likely, that will make you fail this class. Although, because you haven't already, they're wondering how long before the pair of you call it quits."
Turning my head, I looked up at him. "That's not how it works."
"It is for every other partnership I've heard of. If one's a punisher, the other's a clear submissive. The fact that you aren't? It never works, Nari. If he wants to hurt someone in bed, that means he wants to hurt you there as well."
I just chuckled and pulled my arm free to turn around. Sitting on the ground before him, I leaned back and offered Grath one of my legs, hoping he'd do the same pushing to get my back and ass just as limber as my shoulders now were. He shook his head at me, but complied.
"Here's the thing," I finally said. "Ela likes to cross lines. All the lines, not just pain and pleasure. This also isn't a sexual thing for him."
Grath's eyes narrowed. "Then what is it?" he asked.
"Revenge. My partner is the most beautiful man in the temple. He's also the most toxic - to everyone but me and Wraythe. Maybe Talin, but I wouldn't make any bets about that. I think Talin just knows how to deal with him."
"And the two of you?" Grath asked, meaning me and my partner. "Things are good?"
"Blind faith," I assured him, trading legs. "Eladehl is currently learning his own limits. That's why he's seeking outside lessons. It's so he can then become the master of mine, and you know what? There's a reason his guardian isn't in love with him. It's so he'll have someone willing to stop him when he goes too far."
Grath nodded, gently easing my foot back to the floor before offering me a hand up. "I'll make sure to say something about that unique pairing to a few friends. The gossip mill runs both ways."
"Yeah," I said as I found my feet. "I'm starting to figure that out."
"Time's up!" Ghale called out, proving he'd waited until I was good. "Pick a partner - Nariana, not Talin. You've all had a week off, so we're going to start slow today. Hand-to-hand, simple blocks and strikes. Pair up on the mats!"
I tilted my head at Grath. "Willing to work with me?"
"I have this long, haven't I?" He held out a hand toward the mats in a clear invitation. "And I'm hoping to figure out where you're getting the extra lessons."
"Priest Jamik," I said. "He's both my mentor and Wraythe's. My goal is to be able to hold my own by the end of the year."
"Then let's test that theory." And he dropped into a fighting stance and raised his voice. "Talin, I'm going to hit your desire."
"She might even like it," Talin called back, all but giving him permission.
Grath just smiled. "Andthat'sanother way to deal with the rumors. Add in a little public groping, and I bet they'll move on to something else."
The wheels in my mind were already spinning, because he was right. It also sounded like it could be fun.
Chapter 3
