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Once again, we all laughed. "No," I said. "While that's usually how it works, he and Ela are more like brothers. They're best friends. Ela is attracted to both men and women, but Wraythe?" My teeth landed on my lower lip. "I'm actually the only person he's ever kissed." I figured that was true, since a god didn't really count. "We grew up together. Usually with me pinned between him and Ela."
"And you got Talin instead of him?" Maela looked like this was the best gossip she'd ever heard. "How?"
"Wraythe was always going to be Ela's guardian," I explained. "And trust me, Ela needs a man who he can't seduce into letting him get away with everything. It's actually the perfect match."
"It really is," Faylie agreed. "And the only reason Quin hasn't prevented me from seeing Eladehl again. Her partner is..." She paused, looking for the right words. "He can be persuasive."
"Do I want to know?" Maela asked, clearly able to tell there was something we weren't saying.
"His sexual abilities are varied," I explained. "From causing erotic pain to gently reassuring his partner to try something they were previously nervous about. He's..." This time I was the one trying to find a polite phrase. "Yeah, persuasive works."
Maela just grabbed her cup, and then laughed once. "You know, I think you ladies have the right of it. You separate your heart from your bodies. You can find pleasure with someone you don't care about and love someone who spends their time pleasing others. It's..." She turned the cup between her hands, watching the fluid ripple. "I think it's wholesome. I was raised that my duty is to love my husband blindly, but that was a lie. Tath is a powerful man. That doesn't mean he's a good one. I don't see why it's considered normal for him to jump from bed to bed, but I'm supposed to be blindly devoted. Never mind that the option of spending my life with another woman, or with someone who is just a friend, would never be accepted."
"It should be," Amerlee muttered. "In the temple, it's common for most of us to enjoy both sexes, but some of us have a preference."
"I think most people do," Shalsa admitted. "Faylie likes men more than women, even if she's attracted to both. I prefer women to men, but it's not a strong preference. It's still there. You'll take male patrons, Amerlee, and I'm sure Nari's not completely opposed to women."
"I'm not," I admitted. "I just prefer men, and I seem to have more opportunities with them."
"Because of what she just said," Shalsa groaned. "That's why we get so few female patrons in the temple. They're told it's not done, but they're half the reason we're here."
"I can't even imagine what it would be like to kiss a woman," Maela admitted.
"Horrifying?" Faylie asked.
Maela just shook her head. "No, I don't think so. But how can I be sure if I'm not allowed to try?"
So Amerlee stood and moved closer. "Oh, that's easy to fix."
Then she leaned in until her lips just brushed across Maela's, and the baron's wife let her eyes close. For a moment that was all, until Amerlee pressed just a bit more. Maela's lips parted, Amerlee's tongue took the invitation, and my mentor's hand moved up to cup Maela's cheek gently.
The women kissed. It wasn't wild. It certainly wasn't frenzied, but it also wasn't timid. When Amerlee finally pulled away, Maela was breathing just a little harder, as if breathless. Then she lifted her hands to her lips.
"Definitely not horrifying," Maela breathed. "That feels..." She lifted her cup, but paused before she took a sip. "Right."
"Kinda what I thought," Amerlee said. "After all, you are the Lady of Temptation."
Maela's lips curled at the new title. "Yes, I think I am, and you are going to make sure I'm ready to take this on. If the baron won't do his job, then too bad. I'm actually enjoying it."
Chapter 28
Talin
The next week, the ladies went out with Maela again. This time, however, Eladehl kissed not only Nari, but also Maela. My sister-in-law was flustered at that, but she left the temple with a smile on her lips, proving she'd enjoyed it as much as she had the kiss with Amerlee. I couldn't help but be amused.
But Nari and Ela didn't talk about it. I knew they'd previously discussed the situation with the baron and his wife, so they didn't bother rehashing it. Instead, they discussed Faylie and how Ela shouldn't hate her. It wasn't that woman's fault that she had some of the same traits as Tishlie and Ciella. Oddly, Eladehl hadn't even realized it. He'd simply seen something in her that made him embrace his inner darkness, and she'd taken the brunt of it.
But between Nari's weekend lunches and wanting to spend time with us, my desire was still being stretched too thin. She stayed up late to finish her homework, so the next morning, she woke up later than she wanted. Because of that, the two of us were running late to class. Ten minutes late, and there was no way Ghale would miss that. Still, I had no interest in rushing to class if we were already going to get in trouble.
In all honesty, I was worried about her. It was the little things, like how her smile faded when she looked away, and the dark circles that were just visible under her eyes. Nari was pushing through, but it was clearly taking a toll. My fear was that eventually she'd break, and I had no fucking idea how to prevent that.
As her guardian, I was supposed to protect more than just her body. Zeal said we were the emotional comfort our desires would need, yet I couldn't figure out how to be there for her. I'd asked her if she needed to talk. Nari always said she was fine. I'd pushed, hoping to get some hint of what was weighing on her. It always came back to not doing well enough in her classes.
Granted, she had a lot coming at her. All of our courses were getting harder. This week, Wraythe had a bruise across his belly from our weapons class. He'd moved just a little too slow, and Ghale hadn't pulled the shot. I constantly ached all over from the physical exertion. Even Eladehl was feeling the strain, although his problems came after a session with Faylie. They'd used the room across the hall for the first time. Once he was done, Ela came home and locked himself in the bedroom, alone with Wraythe.
Were our instructors trying to break us? Probably. As primary students, the threat to drop us to Obligation had been an empty one. I'd never heard of it actually happening. Now, however, being demoted to Action was a real possibility. Four students in our year had already stepped down. I just didn't know if they'd volunteered or been forced.
"Shit," Nari breathed as we rounded the last corner and could see the open door to our class.
