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"If I were a dominant," Ela agreed. "I'm not, though. I can fulfill the role of a dominant, but my style is called a punisher. Nari is my dominant. We work together, sometimes with submissives."
Thiemo's breath caught. "I didn't know that was a typical pairing."
"Typical?" Ela asked. "Not at all. How boring would it be to fuck like everyone else?"
"Wait," Kanten said. "So, you're saying you have sex with men and women? Or, she has sex with women?"
I was struggling not to laugh, but Ela had this. He just smiled at the boy as if that question was silly. "We're priests of Zeal. He is the God of Temptation. Our purpose is to assist people with giving in. Often, that's sex, so yes, I fuck anyone. I'm also very good at it. However, I'm not currently cleared for pain sessions without her in attendance. Bondage and shaming, I can still do."
"Do I want to know why you're not cleared for those?" Tath asked.
Ela's eyes seemed to grow a shade darker and the amusement slipped from his face. "Because my instructors aren't convinced I know how to stop, Lord Ranndor. I hurt people and make them like it. I make them beg for it. I can flay the skin from someone's body and cause them to reach orgasm. The one thing that makes me stop?" He tipped his head at me. "The love of my life. Now, think about that when you're so casually asking to fuck her."
"I'm the lord here," Tath reminded him.
Ela smiled back. "I know. I like that you assume I should care."
Tath tensed, looking like he was about to surge from his chair, but a gentle knock at the entrance made all of us look over. There, Maela was making her way into the room, smiling at all of us. Tath grumbled under his breath, but Ela and I both pushed to our feet.
"Maela," I greeted her, stepping in for a hug.
"I thought I heard people in the house," she said before turning to Ela. "Oh, you look nice today."
"Had to impress a certain lady," he said, and there was no question who he was talking about.
Maela's cheeks were darkening, but she turned to where Talin and Wraythe stood. "Pia's in the drawing room, waiting to see you, Talin. Wraythe, you look nice."
"Thank you, Lady Ranndor," he said.
I just looked over at her husband. "Excuse me, Tath. We need to greet the rest of the family. Get me that list and we can discuss my availability." Then I smiled at the brothers. "It's nice to see both of you again, Thiemo, Kanten."
"The pleasure's all mine," Thiemo assured me. "I think I'm starting to like these winter visits."
And I was starting to like Talin's second-eldest brother more and more.
Maela led us out of the study, pausing to show Ela and Wraythe enough landmarks so they wouldn't get lost. The stairs, the dining room, and then she guided us to the side of the house that was meant for the women of the family. The colors became softer over here. Pinks, yellows, and pastels were common. The prints were often floral or stripes instead of the bland solids in Tath's study. There was less wood and more wallpaper on the walls.
"Nice," Ela said, looking around. "I think I like this side of the house the most."
"Good," Maela said. "Technically, you're here as my guest, which means you'll be able to spend a lot of time with me. Now, this is the sitting room..." She waved us in.
Talin went first. I followed him, moving to a loveseat at the side. Wraythe and Ela followed Maela, but there was one more guest here than there'd been last year. With a squeal of delight, Haryth tottered over to see the new people.
"Well, hello, little man," Ela said, squatting down and holding his arms out in invitation. "I've heard a bit about you."
"Papa!" the boy mumbled.
Maela sucked in a breath, but Ela just laughed it off. "El-a," he said, over-pronouncing it to help the boy out. "Aren't you cute?"
A woman chuckled, but Yamina leaned forward. "You like babies?" She sounded like she couldn't believe it.
"Why wouldn't I?" Ela asked as he picked the boy up, resting him on his hip.
Then Wraythe leaned in to see him. "Oh, he's cute, Maela."
Sitting in the corner, Aunt Jelica just cackled. "Talin, I approve of your friends. Come in, sit down, boys."
"Men," Talin corrected, "and where are my sisters?"
