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With a groan, Wraythe flopped back onto the grass. "Hello, Peyron."
"Peyron?" Talin asked, lifting me off him so he could sit up. "From the green patterns on your hands, I'm assuming you're a Priest of Perception?"
"And now there's four," Peyron teased. "Yes, guardian, I am. Path of Protection with Perception. Don't try to say that quickly, though." His eyes jumped over to Ela, paused on Wraythe, then returned to me. "I see two guardians, one Body, and one Word." He smiled, looking just as seductive as he'd been the first time I saw him in my ninth year of primary training. "I'm going to make a wild guess that one of you has an indeterminate Path."
I gestured to the grass, inviting him to join us. "You'd be wrong, actually, but not for lack of trying."
"So you're honestly on the Path of the Word?" He tipped his head at my chest where the lace was visible over the neckline of my shirt.
"Temptation, actually." I was struggling not to smile.
"Which means I'm right," he teased.
It had been years since I'd seen this guy, and even then, it had only been for a few minutes. Oddly, he somehow had me smiling in the same way and feeling just a bit flustered, like I couldn't quite help myself. Beside me, Ela was definitely checking him out, and I had a feeling that Peyron was aware of it.
"You'd be right if you saidat leastone, but you didn't, Priest." This time, I was the one teasing. "But let me usemydivine talents. You've been listening to rumors to help make your guesses. You know there's a Priestess wearing all five Paths - there's been talk about Temptation falling apart, the gods walking among us again, and sometimes the rumors even list her name. Oddly, it's one you know."
"Busted," he admitted. "So, do I get a hint?"
It was Ela who answered. Shifting onto his knees, he pulled his shirt over his head. "Sure. How's this?"
Peyron's breath caught at the sight of my partner's exposed chest. I had a feeling that it wasn't all because of his beauty or the hard muscles covering every inch of him. Sure, Eladehl was gorgeous, but he also had lace across his chest now, down both arms, and across his back. Where his pants hung low, the lace across his hips was visible, drawing the eye right down to where the lace disappeared into his pants. The marks on his legs were still hidden from view, but they also existed.
Talin tensed, obviously noticing the guy's appreciation, but he didn't say anything. Unfortunately, I couldn't see his face without turning to look up - which would be obvious. Yet when he wrapped his arm around my waist possessively, I was pretty sure that my guardian was trying to stake his claim, and Ela's now-bare chest was too far away to shield without being obvious.
"Two of you with indeterminate Paths?" Peyron breathed.
"Five," Wraythe told him. "It was our gift for making it through a year of initiation." Then he simply asked, "Why are you here?"
"Andwhoare you?" Talin added.
"Sorry." I pressed my hand over Talin's on my stomach, lacing our fingers together. "Talin, we met Peyron in our training at the Temple of All Gods. We were actually trying to figure out how to talk to him when I met Maela. He's a friend."
A laugh burst from Wraythe's mouth, but he stopped himself before there was a second. "The pair of them went stupid over a cute boy, were too shy to talk to him - "
"Them?" Talin interrupted. "Shy?"
Wraythe nodded. "Them. So Peyron here decided to introduce himself. I heard all about his hands for the next week!"
Ela smacked Wraythe's arm. "Not helping."
"Definitely helping," Wraythe assured him, flicking a finger at Peyron. "He's blushing."
"I just..." Peyron tried before giving up. "Yeah, I am."
"Doesn't answer why you're here, though," Wraythe said.
Ignoring him, Peyron offered his hand to Talin. "I'm assuming you're not shy either?"
"I am not," Talin admitted, clasping the man's hand. "And youarepretty. I thought all the 'freaks' came to our temple, though."
The pink on Peyron's cheeks was quickly getting darker. "Right. Temptation." He breathed a laugh. "As for freaks, if you mean being interested in men as well as women, then no. Temptation does not have the corner on that market. It's what keeps your temple so busy. Since my temple focuses less on opinions and more on facts, our sexual preferences aren't seen as taboo."
"And I really don't care if I'm seen as taboo," Ela pointed out. "So it works. Just a shame Savi got him instead of Zeal."
"Then you never would've noticed me," I teased Ela.
"Or maybe you never would've noticed me," he countered. "I mean, he's looked at you a few more times than me already. I'm starting to feel neglected. Took my shirt off and everything, but he hasn't even tried to touch."
