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Chapter 18
Nariana
The rest of the week was just as good as the first day of my initiate courses. The only downside was seeing both Ciella and Tishlie in our Sensuality class. Thankfully, they didn't sit anywhere near Ela and me, so we could basically ignore their existence. The best part, however, was that having Saval teaching the Path of the Body meant that the required sessions were divided differently.
Last year, we'd taken Eroticism and had been told that Sensuality would be taught in a similar manner, complete with student sexual sessions. No longer was that the case. Now, sessions would only be held in the classes specific to our specialty and select classes for the first-year initiates - classes we'd already taken.
In other words, there were fewer sessions this year than I'd expected. That meant more time to spend with my friends - including Talin's sister-in-law. Last year, our weekend lunch outings had become a regular thing. This year, Maela was even more excited about them. No longer was Lady Ranndor scared of the Temple of Temptation. Now, she looked forward to coming here.
We just needed to push her a little more, and she'd take over for her husband. Tath, Talin's oldest brother, wanted to enjoy all of the privileges of being the Baron of Temptation without handling any of the responsibilities. He didn't believe that he'd be replaced. Then again, he didn't believe in Zeal, either. His wife was a very different story.
Maela was the daughter of the Baron of Compassion, and she'd been raised to follow Merci above all others. Both her father and her husband had painted our temple to be something scandalous and intimidating. She believed in the gods. She'd heard Zeal speak through my body. So when she was told she needed to step up, she'd been willing to try.
That was how the lunch dates had started, but over the summer they'd turned into so much more. She'd taken a group of us to every ball, fete, luncheon, and gala she could. We'd mingled with the highest in society, surrounding Maela with friends she knew she could trust. In that time, she and I had become even closer friends. Maela never needed to worry about what she said to me. Scandalous wasn't a thing I'd been raised to understand. For the first time, she had a friend who liked her for who she was, not her title or what she could do for them.
So, that weekend, as a way to celebrate my first week of school being over, we were once again headed across the street to a local restaurant that served priests and their companions without question. Amerlee, Shalsa, Saval, and even Faylie would be meeting us at the front. Probably a few others too. I'd also made it clear that Eladehl would be spending time with the rest of us "girls" because he was the one male Priest of the Body that Maela didn't feel guilty about talking to. Our guardians made up another full group of their own.
I was putting my finishing touches on my eyes when someone knocked at the door to our suite. I almost yelled for the guys to tell Amerlee I was on my way, but that wasn't a woman's voice talking to them. Probably Jamik, but it didn't sound quite like him either. I didn't think much of it, aware I was running a few minutes late, and then a reflection appeared behind me in my mirror.
"Anver?" I asked.
He was wearing his best black suit, standing in the doorway to my bedroom with his hands clasped before him. "I was told that I should come to this. I hope that's not a problem?"
I turned to see the real him, not his reflection. "Zeal's orders, huh?"
"Um, Wraythe's, actually."
That made me smile. "Sounds to me like that's definitely something you shouldn't refuse. You look nice, by the way."
He flicked a finger at my head. "Can I..."
I turned back to the mirror, giving him silent permission, and Anver made his way over to adjust a bit of my hair. Pulling out one of the pins, he made a fix, then put it back like he'd done it a dozen times before. When he was finished, his hands moved to my shoulders, resting lightly beside my neck, and the look in his eyes was soft.
"You look amazing," he said, his voice soft. "Divine."
"I am not divine," I assured him, reaching up to place one of my hands over his. "Thanks for the help. Let me get my lashes and I'm ready to go."
"Shoes?" he asked.
"On," I promised.
He pressed his lips together. "Handbag? I'm trying to think of what Tish leaves for last."
"I don't carry a bag," I admitted. "Talin has pockets for what little makeup I might need later. Ela carries our money so he can feel like a gentleman. I'm fine, but it's sweet that you care."
Then I caught his fingers and turned his arm just enough so I could kiss the inside of his wrist. The stain on my lips left a mark behind, and Anver's lips curled into the sweetest smile. Our eyes met in the mirror for a moment, and then he had to look away. That didn't mean I missed how much that little kiss had meant to him.
"I'll let the guys know that you're almost ready," he breathed, stepping back toward the living room.
So I hurried through the rest of my face. I wanted to look good - even more now that Anver was here - but I didn't want to be late. Thankfully, we'd all planned to meet Maela at the statue, and it took a while for her to get here from Sandrest. Once I looked good enough, I pushed the chair back, smoothed down my skirts, and headed into the other room.
All four of the guys looked up and then looked me over. Yeah, that was something I loved. They each checked me out in a different way. Wraythe looked at me like I could do no wrong. Talin looked at me as if judging how hard he'd have to work to keep men's hands off me. Ela looked at me as if he was trying to decide which piece of my clothing to take off first. Then there was Anver, who looked at me as if he was trying to get used to what he saw.
Four very different men, but I loved them all in their own way. Every day that Anver was back with us, I realized that I'd never really stopped caring about him. I'd been mad, and yes, I'd been hurt, but that wasn't the same as no longer caring. In truth, if I hadn't cared, he couldn't have hurt me. But we'd been healing that, and while I didn't know where things stood between us exactly, I could honestly say he was once again one of my closest friends.
"Are we ready?" I asked.
"Anver watches Nari today," Wraythe said.
