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I just moved back to the kitchenette. "Coffee? Tea?"
"Won't refuse a tea," Anver said, walking right over to the cupboard to get his own cup. Then he pulled down a second. "Wraythe will need something, I'm betting."
"Probably." I made a fourth tea strainer, then began to fill the cups. "We should've checked on that last night. I just thought that if her lace was gone..."
"Same," Anver agreed. "I should've checked on Tish or something. Instead, I convinced myself that I didn't want to ruin a good day, so I just went to bed. Zeal didn't visit, though. Didn't think anything of it because he's been busier lately, but do you think he knows?"
"Bigger question," Wraythe mumbled as he walked out of the bedroom in his sleep pants, not caring at all about the tent he was sporting in the front, "how do you think Nari will take it? I don't think she's scared of the girl, but it's Nari."
"She never complains," Ela added as he gestured for all of us to sit, then went to get his and Wraythe's cups. "Look at how long it took for her to admit she didn't want to have both her arms and legs tied."
"She any better about that?" Anver asked.
Ela shifted his head from side to side and hummed an ambiguous noise. "She's better with me. I also make sure she has the strand that will release her knots, and I've taught her how I tie them. Knowledge helps her more than anything else. She's willing to take a risk if it's for someone she trusts - as if those two things negate each other. She still feels guilty about Talin getting hurt, though."
"Yeah, and we're not bringing that up with her," I told them. "I don't wait for her to call for help anymore. If I think it's gone too far, then it has. I know that guilt will make Nari agree I was right, and I'm willing to use that if it will protect her."
"Nice," Anver said. "Yeah, I really think you're a better guardian for her than I would've been."
I reached over to clasp his arm. "We're all her guardians. I'm just the one the temple recognizes. How about we don't start ranking each other, ok?"
"Deal," Anver agreed, "but that doesn't solve the problem with Ciella."
"What problem?"
The sound of Nari's voice made all of us look up. There, in the doorway to the bedroom, our girl leaned against the frame, watching us. She wore a rather revealing little nightgown, the fabric sheer enough to leave nothing to the imagination. I couldn't help myself. My eyes dropped to see the dark spots of her areolas, then back up, and she noticed. Her lips curled in a devious smile.
"That won't get you out of answering the question, Talin."
So Anver just told her. "Ciella didn't get kicked out. She still has no lace, and Tishlie was with her all night. Ciella doesn't seem upset at all, which means something's going on."
Nari shrugged. "Figures. Let me get dressed."
"Tea?" I asked her.
That earned me a smile, and the kind that made my heart melt. Fuck, but she was amazing. So beautiful, sweet, and alluring that I wanted to protect her from everything, and yet my favorite part was that she never needed me to. That woman was as strong as every man in this room, maybe stronger in her own way, and I couldn't get enough of it.
But the moment she was out of sight, Wraythe turned back to me. "Saval will know what's going on. Want me to send for her?"
"Or Amerlee," Ela suggested.
I glanced down at the stain on my shirt, then decided it didn't matter. "All of you get dressed. I know how to get the answer. Give Nari my tea."
Then I pushed to my feet and headed for the door. Anver followed, ignoring my orders. When I stepped into the hall, he moved to my side, not even caring where we were going.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Helping," he said. "If you need someone to run back and get them, I can. If you need someone to watch your back, I will. Nari's not the only one being targeted, Talin. Zeal gave us to her so we can work together. I'm working together."
I reached up and rubbed his back just as we made it to my mentor's door. Lifting my other hand, I knocked, but I didn't pull the first away from Anver's back. The guy didn't quite lean into the contact, but it felt like he wanted to, almost as if he'd been so starved for honest affection that he was desperate for it, yet too proud to beg.
The door opened to reveal Irila on the other side before I could say anything. Dark circles hung under her eyes, and her hair was a rumpled mess, but she still waved for us to come in. Inside their suite, Shalsa was digging through books almost frantically. Before she knew we were there, she clearly found what she was looking for.
"Got it!" she gasped, turning toward her guardian, only to pause when she saw us. "Shit, you're up early."
"And you look like you haven't slept," I told her.
Irila walked over to take the book Shalsa had. "We haven't. Amerlee and Saval need our help, so we're helping."
