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Chapter 63
Eladehl
Ididnotlike the attitude in this house. It made the worst come out in me. Little Haryth helped, though. Who could be angry with such a happy baby in his lap? Yet when we went to dinner, the boy didn't come with us. Maela said his nanny would feed him. That left me trying to smile politely over the meal.
The one saving grace was Thiemo. I ended up seated beside him, and the man was as attractive as Talin. They had the same dark hair, but where Talin's eyes were vividly blue, Thiemo's were a soft brown like his mother's. They were also filled with life. While Tath tried to make himself look impressive over dinner, Thiemo quietly explained to me the nuances of the family dynamic.
Pia, their mother, had been reverting to old habits over the last year. Ever since their father had died, it was like she didn't know what to do with herself. Currently, she kept herself "busy" trying to find the perfect match for Yamina. Sadly, Yamina had no interest in finding a husband, even though she was now old enough to be engaged. If she didn't get married before she was twenty, she likely never would. When I mentioned how stupid that was, Thiemo seemed shocked. Then he actually thought about it. I asked him if he was ready to be penetrated by a stranger at seventeen, and he nearly choked on his drink. He also admitted I had a point.
Aunt Jelica, it seemed, was the crotchety voice of reason. The woman didn't care if anyone liked her, because none of them could kick her out. Naturally, that meant she stood up for the rest. Thiemo admitted that when he'd been caught in bed with a man - and his lifted brow made it clear that was meant to be a hint - she'd kept Tath from forcing him to marry some horse-faced merchant's girl.
Then there was Kanten. As the youngest of the boys, he was just beginning to think about a life outside his family home. He would definitely not inherit anything, which meant business was his only option. He had many hair-brained ideas, but like all young men, he didn't want to put the effort into thinking them through when he could be drinking or gambling with his older brothers.
In other words, this family was a mess. When we finally headed up to our room that night, I had a million things on my mind. The climb up two flights of stairs to the third floor didn't help. The silence in the hall, however, did. With Nari on his arm, Talin led us to a door, then stepped through. I followed, finding myself in an elegant anteroom decorated in shades of blue.
On the far side was a pair of doors. Talin threw those open, and I began to understand why his brothers seemed so clueless. This was a child's room. One meant for an unmarried boy - and yet it was larger than our entire suite in the temple! There, set before a wall of windows was the biggest bed I had ever seen. No, two beds.
Nari laughed as she headed in. "Looks like Danis made it happen, huh?"
"That is a very big bed," Wraythe said. "What is this place?"
"My room," Talin admitted. "Our room while we're here. I moved out of the nursery at the age of six and into here. My brothers moved down to the second floor when they turned sixteen, but I was in the temple by then." He pointed at the wall with the fireplace. "Across the hall is where Haryth sleeps."
"The nursery," I realized. "So the top floor is for the children?"
"So they can't disturb the family or guests when they're loud," Talin agreed.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I headed to the bed and flopped onto my back. Wraythe was looking around the room at the books and art. Nari began working off her corset, so Talin headed over to add some more wood to the fire. None of us said anything for a long moment, but it felt like we were just trying to get our thoughts in order.
It was Wraythe who broke first. "Tath's going to push the issue with Nari, you know."
"I know," Talin admitted. "I'd also like to say that I don't have a problem with who she sleeps with. I do, however, have a problem with anyone who thinks he can force her."
"So," I asked, "you don't mind sitting there and watching your brother fuck your girl?" Lifting my head, I watched his reaction.
Talin poked at one of the logs, settling it into place while he honestly thought about that. "I don't think so," he admitted. "If I imagine it being Thiemo or Kanten, I'm not pissed. Not turned on at all, mind you, but not pissed about it."
"I'll stand in for you," Wraythe offered. "I have no problem breaking him if he tries anything."
"Won't help," Nari said. "Guys, Tath is trying to do this because he hates Talin so much, and he thinks this is revenge. He has it in his head that Talin's taking something from him. I'm not even sure what."
"Our father," Talin admitted. "Tarben Ranndor was hard on his heir. He spoiled me. He also made me something to brag about while forcing Tath to check first before speaking in public. It sounds harsh, but it makes sense. I was going away. I couldn't do anything too bad. If I did, my father could say it was our god's claim on me - temptation and all that. Tath, on the other hand, would have his youthful mistakes held over his head for the rest of his life."
"But Tath doesn't see that," I realized. "All he knows is that your father loved you, yelled at him, and is gone now so he can't make him proud."
"Shit," Talin grumbled. "Yeah, that does put a different spin on it."
Wraythe began peeling off his cravat. "So, Nari has to fuck him?"
"I do," Nari said. "The High Priest will use it against me if I don't. Most likely, he'll try to say that I'm clearlynotfollowing the Path of the Body."
Sitting up, I gestured for Wraythe to come closer, then began helping him get out of that vest. "The man is proud," I said, musing aloud. "I'm not saying Tath should be, but he is. His goal is to make sure Talin sees that he's more of a man."
"He also thinks our rings work," Talin pointed out.
Once Wraythe's vest was open, he shrugged that off, then started on his shirt. I decided he had a good idea. I was not going to lounge around for the rest of the night like a trussed-up doll. I started with my cravat too, thinking about this. Tath wanted Talin to see he was a man. He seemed to completely write off Nari as being a threat. She was just a woman, after all. He clearly didn't believe in our god, and he didn't care about his responsibilities to the temple.
"What's his deal with the temple?" I asked. "If he likes fucking around on his wife so much, then - " A rap at the door made me pause.
