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Eladehl
Imade it to our Eroticism class early, saving the seat beside me for Nari. I hadn't managed to go back to sleep after the others had left, but that was ok. I'd spent the last two hours making a few changes in our place, because I hadn't missed the shuffling around this morning. Three guys sharing a bathroom was one thing, but it was different for Nari.
She deserved a place to be a girl. To put on her makeup, fix her hair, and make herself look the way she wanted. Sure, maybe we'd all shared the bathing and toilet facilities in our primary years, but she was a woman now. That was why I'd made her a space of her own. It wasn't much, but a corner of the bedroom was now set up for her to get dressed. I'd moved the bed over - which wasn't as hard as I'd expected - shifted around a few things, and now Nari would have a private section of the room, right next to her closet.
That would only help so much, though. Thankfully, in an effort to keep all the plumbing as close as possible, our bathroom was built in an L shape. Just inside the door was an alcove to the side with the toilet. Putting a dressing screen in front of that basically made it a room of its own, and I had a feeling we could convince someone to build in an actual door. It would take a little money, but those pouches Zeal had given all of us over the weekend would help.
I was considering a few more changes when Nari pushed past my legs and claimed the chair beside me. Once again, she was wearing a thick shirt over skin-tight pants, but she always made it look amazingly casual and very sexy. Her long legs were all but painted with that soft leather, the heels on her boots making them look even longer - if that was possible. Then there was the way the shirt clung to the swell of her breasts.
By Zeal, this woman was my weakness. Even from the very first moment I'd ever seen her, which I was pretty sure she didn't remember, I'd had an urge to take care of her. As I grew up, it had turned into something quite different. I wanted to make hermine,and the strangest thing was that she always let me.
Unaware of my thoughts, Nari flashed me a smile that made my heart beat a little faster. I couldn't even explain how she did this to me. I'd been with her for years now, and I still couldn't get enough of her.
"How was grappling?" I asked.
She leaned closer and dropped her voice. "I talked to Ghale about Tish hitting Anver before breakfast yesterday. And my workout partner, a guy named Grath, told me that we seem to be the talk of the temple."
"Again?" I asked.
Nari giggled. "Well, this time it's mostly you. I mean, they're also talking about my trip to visit the baron, but it seems that everyone knows you're studying punishment and pain."
"Shit." My blood felt like it stopped in my veins as I looked over her face, trying to get some idea of what she thought about that. Unfortunately, there was nothing but her usual smile. "And?" I pressed.
"And some people think you're going to dump me because I'm not into it." She shrugged. "Evidently, men like you are supposed to want delicate little partners who like to be pushed around, and I guess that's not me?"
"It's not," I assured her. "I also don't want you to be like that."
She caught my arm. "Then whatdoyou want?"
Which meant she was having doubts, so I glanced around, checking to make sure no one was paying too much attention. "I want to hurt the ones who use us. I want to love the ones who love us. It really is that simple."
The way she nodded proved that she understood. "You're the Temptation. Talin is the Blade. He cuts one way, you cut another, and Wraythe is meant to shield us both."
I leaned over and kissed the side of her head, so thankful that she understood. Maybe even better than myself. The best part was how she leaned into my touch, letting me pull her closer without any resistance or submission. There was something so sensual about her confidence - so perfectly Nari that I couldn't explain it to anyone else if I tried.
"I won't hurt you," I swore.
She just lifted those golden eyes up to mine. "I still like to be manhandled."
"I still know the difference between that and real pain." And I tipped my brow to press it against hers. "We're flip sides of the same coin, Nari. You break hearts and minds. I'll just break their bodies. We'll both make them beg for it as we do it. That's why I love you, because you aren't the weak one."
She reached up to trail her fingers over my cheek. "I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever told me."
"Mm, just wait until you see what I did while you were in grappling. I've been spoiling my partner, and you have to wait until later to see it."
She snuggled closer, so I lifted my arm over her shoulders just as Oryll cleared his throat to start class. His eyes scanned the seats, taking note of who was here and who hadn't made it yet. Naturally, that made the rest of us look. I could see a few gaps, but it actually wasn't too bad.
"So," Oryll said, but then he paused. "Nice of you to join us today, Priestess Tishlie."
"Sorry," she mumbled, hurrying her way around the seats to get to where she usually sat. "My guardian didn't wake me."
"Believe it or not," Oryll told her, "that is not one of his duties. Getting to and from your assignments is your responsibility. He is only supposed to make sure you're in one piece while you do it." Then Oryll looked at the entire class. "Your guardians are your protectors, not your slaves, and certainly not your babysitters. Their only responsibility to you is to protect Zeal's assets so that you are whole to perform again."
Tishlie huffed at him. "You make it sound like the moment we're outside of the temple, someone's going to jump us or something. It's not that bad."
"I'm talking about your assignments," Oryll told her. "But you've made a good point, Priestess. We've made it through the first half of the year discussing the most basic and gentle aspects of sexual interaction. From now until your final, we will be dealing with much darker aspects. Bondage, dominance, submission, and pain play."
I tried to choke back a groan, because I had a feeling Tishlie's comments weren't the reason he'd chosen this course of study. Nari had just mentioned that my private lessons were public knowledge. I knew that Ghale and Oryll were trying to find a way to make her quit. If what she'd hinted at was true and most thought that my obsession with abusing my patrons was something she couldn't tolerate, then this should push us over the edge. It was just like him grading her down on sucking that dildo because he didn't like her way of doing it.
