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I chuckled at that, but Ela was right. The idea of seducing someone I had never even seen before was why my guts were a little tight. Not because I'd have problems sexually. It was because of last year and all those sessions that had gone wrong.
"It'll be fine," Talin promised. "I'll have a sword. I will not fail you again."
"You never have," I assured him. "I just usually find myself in no-win situations."
"And this time, I'll be ready for that too," he swore. "If I have to beg for Zeal's help, I will - and you know he'll give it. That god loves you."
Just like that, my anxiety vanished. Talin was right. Zeal wouldn't let some stranger kill me. More than that, he wouldn't take my family from me. That was our deal, and I'd felt it. When we'd all made love, his devotion had been as clear as everyone else's.
* * *
Two days later, just like Saval had promised, we got our assignments. Migard had sent ours to our rooms. I wasn't sure how everyone else got theirs, but that evening, Ela and I had a pair of envelopes waiting for us, slipped under the door at some point during the day.
I didn't even wait until I'd sat down to open mine. The information was basic, but it said enough. Male, mid-forties, looking for conversation and attention. He'd selected no for any of the usual kinks, but had checked the box for affection. I looked over the page again, surprised that there was a standard form for patrons to fill out, but I shouldn't have been. After all, the temple did like to make things consistent.
"Who did you get?" I asked Ela.
"Widow," he said. "Looks like she's wanting to be spoiled a bit. She's got checks for massage, embracing, low lighting, and pretty much all the typical romance stuff."
He offered me his page, so I traded him for mine. Sure enough, Ela was right. His patron sounded like a woman who wanted to remember what it felt like to be loved. I wished we got more information about the people, such as how long ago her husband had died, but the whole point was to keep it somewhat anonymous.
But Ela's brow was creasing as he read over my form. "He asked for you by name, Nari."
"What?" I leaned over to see.
Sure enough, Ela pointed to a spot at the bottom. "Preferred Priest or Priestess: Nariana."
"My reputation precedes me?" I tried to joke, but it came out a little flat.
Ela shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me. If the other temples know about all your lace, then it would make sense that other people do too. Maybe he worked in one of the Baron's houses? Someone who saw you dancing with the nobility and wanted to get his hands on that?"
I groaned. "Well, they wouldn't have approved it if he didn't meet the rest of my criteria, right?"
"Yeah..." Ela said, looking at the page again. "I'm not completely sure this guy wants sex." He handed me back the page. "Maybe he's hoping you can pass his prayers to Zeal? Not sure, but look. He's clearly marked everything casual and nothing at all sexual."
"Affection," I countered. "I mean, that's sexual, isn't it?"
"Doesn't have to be," Wraythe said, heading over with a pair of cups. "He could just be lonely and wants someone to talk to him like a real person."
"Could have problems getting it up," Talin added from the kitchen where he was making two more cups of tea. "Believe it or not, we men like to be spoiled a bit too."
"Oh, I know that," I assured him, sticking my tongue out to make it clear I was teasing. "Just look at how often we have to remind Ela he's pretty."
"Fuck off," Ela laughed. "But I'm with the guys on this." He paused as the door to our suite opened, leaning to see who'd just come in. "Hey, Anver, who did Tishlie get?"
Anver let out a heavy sigh. "Late fifties, wants anal sex."
I couldn't help but snort. "Zeal? Did you do that?"
"Maybe." The answer filled the room before the god stepped into sight. Zeal subtly pointed to Talin in a silent request for one of those teas, and then claimed the spot beside me. "I like Migard. You two should keep him. He wants to give you both the best assignments, and his mind is so easy to nudge."
"So, you're helping with their assignments now?" Talin asked.
"Of course," Zeal said. "I don't want to share with just anyone." Then he looked at me. "Ela's widow is a cute, shy woman who wants to be sure that she knows what she's doing in bed, because she may have a man interested in her. I do not want to punish either of you for being loyal."
"And mine?" I asked.
Zeal smiled. "He's a sad man who just needs someone to tell him that things will be ok. I'm not a frail god anymore, Nari. I have enough power to protect what's mine, and you? You are definitely mine."
"And theirs," I reminded him, meaning the other guys.
Zeal's smile just grew a little devious. "Like I said, I don't want to share with just anyone. I'll gladly share with these four."
