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"There's lace across that," I said. "Zeal marked me in ways he hasn't any other priest. I wear his symbol, and the black swirls on my body were designed to entice. I am the temptation a god designed for his Chosen, Lord Ranndor, but there's one thing you need to know about that."
"What?" he asked.
Another step, and we were face to face. "I do bite. I'm poison. If you treat me gently, there's a chance you won't get hurt, but if you ever try to order me around, I will make sure you regret it. You will beg me to do it." A bit more, and we were close enough to kiss, but I refused to lean in. "That includes Nari. Hurt her, and I will destroy you. Please her, and I will reward you. Talin may protect her with a sword, and Wraythe does it with his fists, but I do it with lust, and you have plenty of that."
"I don't sleep with men," he growled at me.
I dropped my gaze to his lips. "Just because you've never done a thing doesn't mean you've never wanted to. I don't give a shit about your society, manners, or morals, Tath. I answer to two things: Nari and my god."
But Tath began to smile. "But you're still a priest. I'm still the Baron your temple answers to."
He wouldn't back away, but his pupils were dilated. His nostrils flared when I let my gaze roam. I had a feeling he was so hard that his erection was straining his pants, but he simply didn't know how to give in.
"Titles don't do much in the temple," I assured him. "I may have to call you Lord Ranndor or risk a tongue-lashing..." I paused, canting my head slightly. "Which doesn't sound like much of a punishment, in my opinion. But you can't take away my consent. I will not let you remove my partner's. If you want to pick a fight, I'm more than happy to make this a very uncomfortable two weeks. You see, Lord Ranndor, your wife invited me. That means she's the only one who can un-invite me. So long as you're fucking another woman right in front of her, I don't think that's going to happen."
"This is my house," Tath warned.
"It's the home of the Primary Patron of Temptation," I countered. "Currently, that is your wife, not you."
The man pulled in a breath. Everything about him looked like he was trying to decide if he wanted to hit me or kiss me. Talin had never said that his oldest brother was attracted to men, but I was starting to see a pattern here. Thiemo didn't hide it. Talin had never needed to. Yamina was drawn to women even more than men. I was willing to bet that the rest of the family would have similar "non-traditional" attractions. They were, after all, Zeal's chosen family for a reason.
The thought made me smile, which only made my last words seem even more snide. Tath turned away with a grunt in the back of his throat, then paced two steps before turning back.
"I will not have you in my wife's bed."
"She can come to mine," I assured him.
"I don't want to raise someone else's bastard!" he snapped.
"Just your own?" I shot back. "Don't worry. I'm sterile."
The man clenched his jaw, clearly running out of good reasons to chase me off, and we both knew it. "Just stay away from her, Eladehl. I am the man of this house, and she is mywife. I will do whatever I have to in order to protect her."
"Are you sure?" I asked, my words just a bit too casual.
"I have so far!"
"I meant about being the man of the house," I explained. "Are you sure you still wear the pants here, Tath?"
"Fuck you, priest!" he snapped, storming closer just to shove me once.
His hand barely touched my shoulder before Wraythe was on him. My best friend was like a guard dog, and maybe it was wrong of me to put him in this position, but I couldn't feel any resistance. In truth, that link between us was humming with excitement even as Wraythe flung Tath's hand out of the way, spun him around, and pulled Tath's back up against Wraythe's chest. A flick of his wrist - slow enough to be noticed - dropped a dagger into his hand. Wraythe lifted it, point to the ceiling, between them.
"By the laws of Calseth, anyone who harms my ward gives up his inherent right to safety. I can protect any priest I'm responsible for guarding with restraint, pain, injury, and even death without repercussions. Third chapter of the code of priests, seventh page, ninth paragraph."
"What?" Tath asked.
I was honestly impressed that Wraythe had not only remembered that, but he'd just delivered it so well. Fuck, I wanted to pound him on the back in congratulations. Instead, I answered Tath's question.
"He's saying that if you push me again, he'll kill you. Legally, of course. You see, that's the thing you civilians can't understand." I moved to stand before Tath while Wraythe held him in place. The moment I had his attention, I began to unbutton my shirt. "This? It's called god-lace. It's not a tattoo. It's not paint. It's not henna or dyes. This is a mark we get when we submerge ourselves in our god's tears. It's a piece of our soul brought to the surface. The pattern of our lives, you might say."
"Let me go..." Tath warned.
"Shh," I told him. "Listen to me, Tath. This is important. I wear my soul on my skin. The part you don't understand is that the very large man holding you, ready to kill to keep me happy? He also wears a bit of my soul. It has merged with his, making my safety just as important in his mind as his own." Closing my shirt, I leaned right into Tath's face. "And he has Nari's soul, and Talin's. This is me trying to help you. Pull your head out of your ass, Baron, because we're not commoners you can push around. We're priests, and none of us answer to you anymore."
"You answer to the High Priest," he reminded me.
"No," I corrected. "We answer to Zeal. I promise you that gods outrank men." Then I turned and headed back to finish my cold breakfast. "Wraythe? Let him go. Try not to rumple his nice clothes, would you?"
"I know better than that," Wraythe joked. "Makes you grumpy when I damage the pretty boys. Good morning, Baron. Sorry about the grabbing."
"Asshole," Tath grumbled behind us - but he didn't follow.
