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Chapter 34
Wraythe
The moment Talin stepped inside our suite, Nari grabbed my hand and towed me toward the dining hall. We'd agreed to meet Anver there so we'd be out of Ela's way. Not surprisingly, Anver had already claimed our table and picked up meals for both of us. When I saw what he'd chosen for me, I smiled.
It wasn't a big deal, but it proved that he knew me. Then again, he always had. How many years had we been together, talking about everything from what the kitchen couldn't get right to the Paths we hoped to walk? And now we were here, walking them. It felt nice to have him back with us.
While we ate, Nari pelted us both with questions about Talin and what was going on. She wasn't surprised to hear that he was jealous, though. Evidently, last year someone had said something about him not sharing well. That made his efforts to ignore all of this even more impressive.
We'd just finished eating and pushed our plates away when a Priest of Obligation made his way past. "Nari?" he asked.
She looked up and smiled. "Hi, Drandir."
"I thought..." He quickly looked at me because I'd arranged the romantic meal he'd probably delivered.
"It's for the guys," I explained. "Ela's with Talin."
Drandir's gaze jumped back to Nari, then over to Anver. "So, a date?"
"A date," Anver agreed. "And we're screwing around to stay out of their way."
Drandir didn't bother mincing words. His eyes narrowed on Anver. "Who's your desire, anyway?"
I snorted, trying to hold in my laugh, which made Anver roll his eyes before he answered, "Tishlie's my ward. Nari and Ela are my desires. It's complicated."
"Because Zeal's involved." Drandir nodded like that made perfect sense to him. "I've also been telling the other priests," he said to Nari. "There's been a lot of pressure on you, so if we can help, let me know?"
"Promise," she said. "Thanks, Drandir. Right now, I'm just looking for something to do for the next couple hours."
"Don't want to spend too much time around his ward," I said, gesturing to Anver to show who I meant. "Definitely do not want to break up the romantic evening for our guys."
"Second floor should be empty about now," Drandir said. "The side that faces the grassy area between the temples is barely used. Off the nave, there's even a staircase that heads up to the balcony around the dome on the third floor. Well, it's pretty much all there is of a third floor, but it's never used."
"You," Nari told him, "are amazing. Thank you."
"Just trying to be a good priest," Drandir said as he leaned in to pick up one of the plates. "All of you done?"
"Yeah," I said, sliding Anver's over to stack on mine. "Here, and thank you."
Drandir clasped my shoulder. "Just take care of our Priestess. For some of us, she's our hope for a second chance. Enjoy your evening, all of you." And with the empty plates, he headed off.
Anver had a bit of a devious expression on his face. "The dome, huh? There's a railing around the outside, but I thought it was just decorative."
"Sounds like it's just a hike," I said. "You up for a few flights of stairs, Nari?"
"Definitely," she agreed, pushing back her chair.
The easiest way to get to the second floor was to use the main stairs off the front entrance of the temple. Together, the three of us headed that way, and then up. I'd actually never been anywhere but the first floor. When I saw Nari looking around in awe, I realized I wasn't the only one.
The rooms up here were a bit more decorative. There were archways and columns off the hall, giving everything a very grand appearance. When I paused to look down a side hall, Nari caught my waist and stepped into me. Without even thinking, my arm went around her back.
"Did you know that Obligation was supposed to live up here?" she asked.
"Makes sense," I said, pretty sure she'd told me that before. Someone had, at least. "It would give them space away from the hustle and bustle, but not make them live in the basement."
"And it's prettier than our floor," she breathed, letting me get her moving after Anver.
He led, smiling at the pair of us as if we were cute. Strangely, that felt nice. I didn't usually get to be "cute" with Nari. I was either guarding her or hiding away with her. Being able to hold her and kiss her as we explored was something I'd dreamed of since we were kids. To let everyone see that I, the too-big guardian, had this woman beside me? It made me feel like a man in a way that nothing else had.
