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Talin made a noise like he wasn't sure of that. "Then who am I watching?"
"Ela," Wraythe told him. "I'm going to be Saval's guardian. She needs one, even if she's not on the Path of the Body. Besides, Zeal wants Anver with us."
"Is that your excuse for inviting him?" I asked as I headed to the door.
Wraythe chuckled. "Nope. I just wanted him to come along. If we can show him how a real guardian gets to work - well, one with a ward he cares about, at any rate - then why not, right?"
"Works for me," Anver said as he offered his arm. "Priestess?"
I looped my arm through his, then placed my other hand on his bicep, a muscle that was quite a bit larger than I remembered as a child. I knew that all the training we'd been doing in the Salle had made my guys get a little thicker, but I hadn't had an excuse to grope Anver in a long time. The boy had clearly grown into a very nice man.
"What?" he asked when we were in the hall, evidently seeing something on my face.
"Once, Jamik asked me when I'd grown up on him, and I didn't really understand what he meant. Now I do. It kinda feels like the last time I was on your arm we were kids."
"We were," Anver agreed.
"And now you have muscles. You aren't 'cute' anymore. You became beautiful somewhere in the last few years, and I didn't notice because I wasn't around to see it."
"Beautiful?" He scoffed at that.
"I agree with Nari," Ela said. "Anver, you turned into one hell of a man. I mean, those pants are doing some amazing things for my view right now."
"Don't make Talin jealous," Anver teased.
"Less jealous and more daydreaming," Talin joked. "In case you missed it, you're already one of us."
"Who doesn't fuck," Wraythe reminded them.
"Doesn't mean I can't look!" Ela huffed. "Zeal clearly made our guardians to be eye candy. I intend to enjoy the decadence."
I rolled my eyes, but only Anver could see. It was enough to make him grin, then he pressed his other hand over my fingers on his forearm. The contact was soft, almost sensual, and I liked it a little too much. In truth, I just liked having him back. It felt... right.
"So, you still watch?" I asked, dropping my voice to a whisper.
"It's kinda my job," he pointed out.
I gave him a look because we both knew that wasn't the same. "And I'm pretty sure you don't care at all about what Tishlie's doing. I meant if you still like to be involved, or if you honestly only want conversation now."
He shrugged. "No idea. It was always different with you three. I didn't feel awkward because you accepted me as I am, and when I said no, I didn't have to feel like I was letting you down."
Ela let go of Talin and moved up to Anver's other side. "What she really wants to know," he said, taking Anver's other arm, "is if you care when we start making out at home, or do we need to save that for when you're not around?"
"It's your home," Anver assured him, turning to lead us both down another hall.
"Don't make me get vulgar," Ela warned.
Anver chuckled. "I'm saying I don't know, Ela. It's been years. The last time I kissed someone I wanted to was before ninth year. So, three and a half years ago, if I had to guess. In other words, I honestly have no idea, so do what you want, and I'll let you know if it makes me feel weird."
"You never wanted to kiss Tishlie?" I asked.
"No," he admitted. "In fact, on the Darkest Night in tenth year, she wanted more, and I almost gave in just because it was easier. Everything about being with her was because it was easier to just give in, not because I liked her more. I never - "
Something hit my shoulder hard, jerking me back. My arm slipped off Anver's, jerking him to the side a bit. We were almost to the stairs that led down to the main entrance. They were usually busy, but I hadn't been paying attention to the group coming up.
"Sorry," I breathed, turning to see who I'd crashed into.
Of all the people in the world, it was Ciella staring back. One step put her right in my face. "You need to watch where you're going. The whole temple doesn't belong to you."
"IsaidI was sorry. I didn't see you there!"
But that only pissed her off more. "Don't act like I'm invisible." She stepped even closer, making me take a step back. Wraythe, Talin, and Anver all tensed, but Ciella ignored it. "People only care about you because you're a freak." Then she pushed my shoulder. "But we all know you're a self-absorbed little bitch, aren't you?" She lifted her hands to push again.
I stepped back; Talin, Anver, and Wraythe all moved to grab her, but she had just enough time to push again. I staggered another step, and saw Ela lunge toward me, but it was already too late. When my foot tried to land on the ground, there was nothing there. My body tilted, the ceiling came up, and I completely lost my bearings in the world.
The stairs. I'd backed right up to the fucking stairs, and now I was falling. Shit. The world spun, I felt my foot finally reach the ground, but it was too far down. My ankle twisted, my body turned, and I tumbled, waiting to hit the marble below.
