AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And then we stepped out. The two rooms across the hall were dark and quiet, no light or sound leaking around the edges of the doors. That meant they were already under the dome, which was what we'd planned. Talin escorted me like always, and yet I could feel that he was just a bit more tense than normal.
"You know," I said, breaking the silence after a few halls had passed, "I've actually been waiting for this for a while."
"So do you honestly think he's sexy when he's on a rampage?" he asked.
I nodded. "I do. Just like I think you're sexy when you're sparring with someone. There's a beauty to knowing what you're good at. I just kinda feel like I don't have a thing like the rest of you. Wraythe's strong. You're an amazing guardian. Ela's a destroyer. What am I?"
He ducked his head and just laughed. He glanced up, those blue eyes of his meeting mine, but it didn't stop his amusement, so he cleared his throat. Then he used his other hand to scrub at his mouth, doing everything he could to stop the laughter.
"What?!" I insisted.
"I don't know how to break this to you, but your 'thing' is being seduction. The three of us are very well aware of it. Zeal can't even resist you!"
"But that's not a thing," I pointed out.
"Amerlee?" he countered. "What's her thing? She was the most beautiful priestess in the entire temple, until you."
"But - "
"No," Talin said, cutting me off. "Nari, you are beautiful. Stunningly beautiful, but it's more than that. You're sweet, and nice, and easy to talk to. You're as elegant or casual as the people you're around. You meet their eyes and smile. You touch them lightly, pause to look back, and every little thing that makes someone fall in love with you. You are seduction in the most honest form, and it's impossible to resist."
"Oh." Because I'd never considered that before.
But before I could ask anything else, we were there. This time, our room was one on the outer edge of the circle, the furthest from the center. Without hesitation, Talin reached up to knock at the door, just like what was expected - even if no one was in the halls watching. A moment later, Wraythe opened it, moving back to let us in.
I stepped in and realized there were a few differences from my last time in one of these rooms. Someone had placed a tray of sweets on the small table at the side. There was a display of flowers beside it, and a smaller one on the table next to the bed. The sheets were still black, but this time there was a plush blanket above them because this room had been decorated for a proper session.
"Nice," Talin said, turning to lock the door. Then he pulled off his weapons belt and passed that to me. "So, how do you set the mood in a situation like this?" he asked, glancing at Wraythe before turning his attention on Eladehl. "Because I've never been trained as a Priest of the Body."
Ela was leaning against the wall across from the door. Lifting a hand, he crooked a finger, summoning Talin closer. "Limits?" he asked.
"Well, since I have classes tomorrow, let's go with no blood, no death, and no broken bones, joints, or other long-term injuries. Bruises are fine." Talin slowly moved closer to him. "Passing out is fine. My only concern is any injuries that will make others ask the wrong questions, but if they assume I was pulling you off Nari, then no problem."
"I can work with that," Ela said.
Talin just smiled. "You sure about that, pretty boy?"
Ela's head snapped up, a devious glint in his eyes. "Oh, now you're playing with fire."
"Already told you I like it rough," Talin said, closing the last step between them to grab the side of Ela's neck and pull their mouths together.
Those men kissed hard. Eladehl reached up to clasp Talin's bicep, and I could see the muscles dent under the pressure in those fingers. Teeth flashed as Talin bit Ela's lower lip, and then I saw the edge of Ela's tongue when he took over. And that was just a kiss! Fuck me, they were dangerously beautiful.
The scuff of a chair made me flinch in surprise. Wraythe just chuckled as he nudged one a little closer to me. "We're not actually working, so relax." He pushed his own beside me and then dropped into it. "But if something does go wrong, you go for Ela. I'll get Talin."
"Deal," I agreed, because we both knew I could stop Ela easier than anyone else. I also wasn't strong enough to lift Talin, and I couldn't think of any other reason he'd need someone. "You know, I've never actually seen two men together."
"It's hot," Wraythe admitted. "Not as disgusting as you'd think, either. I mean, with all the shit involved."
From across the room, Talin laughed, breaking the kiss to look back. "Little less commentary from the audience. I'm not a professional here."
"Mm," Ela purred, "but you act like one."
He trailed a finger down Talin's neck until he reached the cravat at his throat. Hooking the first knuckle in that, Ela used it to pull Talin's attention back to him, and to move the man's body a little closer. There was something about the look in my partner's eye that was almost delirious. Passion, I realized.
Talin kept moving closer until he pressed Ela against the wall. "And you're a pretty shitty punisher." Pressing his hand over Ela's shoulder, he leaned in. "Thought I was supposed to be scared of you."
A smile curled one side of Ela's mouth before he tugged with that finger, turning Talin's cravat into a noose around his neck. From where I sat, I watched Talin tense in surprise, but Ela just leaned in. His voice became deeper, sensual, and carried that edge of warning with it.
