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"How bad do you think this is going to be?" I asked.
She shrugged. "Probably not bad. This is Eroticism, not Battery."
Thankfully, we weren't the only ones talking about it. The entire class had become a hum of excitement, along with a few groans and grumbles of complaint. No, not everyone would be expected to perform this way when we graduated, but it was a very common request. Never mind the assignments with patrons that were nothing but abuse. We had to learn about it. And yet, I was dreading this more than I expected. Me, the guy who was expected to love it.
"This week," Oryll announced, "you will be expected to find a partner and experiment with the basic stages of erotic control. Master and servant play is one option. Gentle tying is another, and I'm well aware of how many bed frames have required maintenance in the last few months. Spanking, verbal shaming, and edging are other options."
"What's edging?" someone in the front half of the class asked.
Oryll's lips curled even as he fought it. "I'm glad you asked. Edging is a control technique where your sexual partner decides when you are allowed to achieve orgasm. For men, this method can be used to train your body to last longer before ejaculation. For women, it can help you achieve orgasm easier. It is also a method of increasing the intensity of your orgasm."
He turned to his desk and dropped a hand on the textbook that had lived there since the first day of class. "You will all read up on this tonight. Chapter twenty-seven. Tomorrow, we will discuss each aspect of erotic control. No, your experiments with each other will not be graded, but you will be expected to work with the same person for the next few sessions." The man paused, turning to find me in the crowd of students. "Eladehl, should I assume you'll be seeking someone else to help you with this portion of the course?"
Behind me, people began to chuckle. Ahead of me, students turned to stare. Deep inside my chest, that feeling was coming back. The dark one that I turned on my enemies. Rage, my punishment tutor Faylie, called it, but it was darker than that, much more deadly, because his question all but confirmed my suspicions.
This was a test. Not for our education, but of my relationship with Nari. I didn't know what this man had against us and why he couldn't simply let us just be happy together! I had no idea what good it would do anyone to push Nari into a single Path. I couldn't even understand why anyone else cared what Path she walked. It was between her and Zeal, and none of their fucking business!
So I answered before I thought it through. "Are you saying that I'm actually allowed to fuck my own partner for once?"
Oryll's eyes narrowed. "I've heard you aren't doing a lot of it."
"Oh, then you've heard wrong, Priest Oryll. I assure you that I can handle lessons with a private instructor and the homework she gives me. Like you said, pain play isn't something to take lightly, is it?"
"So, you're saying that you want to pair with Nariana for this session, then?" he asked, but something in his tone made that sound like a warning.
"Yes," she said. "I've already got the order in for ropes, and we just bought a new rug so my knees won't be raw."
I couldn't help the laugh that broke out, but the darkness screaming inside me also vanished. "You said you liked the color," I gasped.
Nari just smiled slyly. "I do! It's just notwhyI wanted a new rug." Then she looked at Oryll. "We'll be fine, but thank you for caring so much."
The man's jaw clenched, proving this was not the reaction he'd expected, but he moved on. While he droned on about limits for this first session, and the necessity of safe words and gestures, I watched him, hoping for some hint of what was really going on. Why did everyone care so much about the two of us?
When Nari had been chosen for the Path of Temptation, the entire temple had been shocked. In the last few months, quite a few had come around. Some were thrilled to see a sign of Zeal's involvement with his priests. Then there was the High Priest. He'd been too nice for too long. He'd allowed Talin to purchase and use pistols. He'd sent an order to have a shooting range built, which Jamik said was going to be across the hall from the Salle.
The High Priest also hadn't talked to her. He hadn't complained, hadn't tried to warn her off, and he'd done nothing to support her as a Priestess on the Path of Temptation. It was almost like he'd thrown her out to the wolves to fend for herself. Or...
I looked at Oryll in a whole new light. My thoughts turned to how Ghale had wanted to test her against some man twice her size. The way Talin and Wraythe told it, the grappling instructor intended to scare her out of the course. She didn't have a problem with her Obligation class or her Assignments course, both of which were taught by someone else.
Could it really be that easy? Had High Priest Kinen only backed off because he was hoping to push her out during her secondary education? Or was he hoping that if it was hard enough, she'd ask to step down to a lower Path, thus declaring one for herself? That would make the most sense.
It would also be a very elegant solution to all of his problems. Let Nari fail on her own. No one would be able to blame him. There would be no push back at all, and if Amerlee tried to make a scene about it, she'd only end up looking crazy. If I was the High Priest, it was the sort of thing I'd do, knowing that either way, I'd come out the winner.
So I leaned over and dropped my voice to a whisper. "I think I've finally figured it out."
"Figured what out?" she asked.
"Why Kinen hasn't been a problem. I think he has been, but Ghale and Oryll are doing all of his hard work for him."
"No," she breathed. "Ela, Ghale actually seemed concerned when I told him about Tishlie and Anver."
"Doesn't disprove anything," I pointed out.
Her eyes dropped to the floor. "They both told me they have to push me harder. They both said they don't want others to think they can do the same thing I am." And she finally looked up, her eyes landing on our teacher. "But why? What do they hope to gain?"
"That," I said, "is what we need to find out. I have a feeling it's not going to be easy, and I'm not convinced that Zeal will tell us."
"Or can't," she breathed. "Ela, if they don't believe, he has no power. He might not even know what they're doing!"
