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Bode turned to catch my hands, holding them in both of his. "You may be a mere mortal, Priestess, but I think he's right. My brother has found a partner worthy of him." Then he leaned in and kissed my brow. "You have my blessing."
I thanked him, then turned to leave, but Anver paused. "Um, Bode? Do you know about Makis?"
"No..." Bode admitted.
"He's a Priest of All Gods," Anver explained. "He saw both you and Savi. I don't know if, maybe, you can help him see Will and Charisma? Will that help at all?"
"I don't honestly know," Bode admitted. "The Priests of All Gods aren't really ours. They're neutral in a way, but he would have to be better than nothing. It's worth trying." He glanced to Arion and then back. "I also told my siblings that you'd be busy today, but the same time tomorrow."
"I'll be there," Anver assured him. "Congratulations on your High Priest, Bode. I have a feeling you have a lot of catching up to do."
When we walked out of the High Priest's office, no one bothered to escort us. Soira didn't walk us back. It was ok since we all knew the way, but it proved just how important this moment was to the temple - and it felt very, very good for me too.
Chapter 51
Nariana
We left through the front of the Temple of Intuition. Our own temple was right up the street, so it made more sense to use the sidewalk than to circle around the back. We barely made it off the temple steps before Wraythe wrapped his arms around me, hugging me from behind.
"You make that look so easy," he murmured in my ear.
I leaned back into his body. "I just try to think about how all of you reacted when I was seeing a god that wasn't there. All of you tried to believe me, but it was hard. You still wanted to, and one by one, you each figured it out. So, if I can use your experience to help someone else, then that's good, right?"
I glanced back just as Wraythe kissed the spot beneath my ear. "Sure. I just like how sexy you look when you're being the Chosen of Zeal. Even Arion deferred to you."
"Power," Ela said, moving to drape his arm over Anver's shoulders. "My partner can top from the bottom, you know."
"I do no such thing," Anver teased. "Oh! Right. Theotherpartner."
Ela just laughed. "You're so fucking cute when you're being a pain in my ass."
"Don't do that either." Then Anver looked over at Talin. "Are you out of lube or something?"
And now we were all laughing. "I think we broke him by putting him in the middle," Talin joked. "I also like this new broken version."
"Then I'll be in the middle more often," Anver said, but his cheeks were turning darker. "If I'm honest, I kinda like that. I mean, I know it's not the same for me as you, but I do like being with you. I like..."
"Feeling included," Wraythe finished for him. "No, I get it. It's not about if you fuck or don't. It's not about wanting to sleep with someone. It's wanting the connection and knowing that no one is going to laugh because you aren't into the same perverted shit these three like."
"Exactly!" Anver said.
But we were coming up on the Temple of Ambition, and this conversation was not fit for the public. In our temple, it would've been fine, but not out here. Seeing a woman on the front steps made me overly aware of that. Her long, dark hair spilled over her shoulder as she focused on the book she was reading, completely ignoring the cold.
"Guys," I hissed. "Let's not make Zeal look bad."
The guys fell silent and we all looked over to the woman, but the moment we stopped laughing and joking around, she looked up. Her eyes jumped from Wraythe to Talin, then over to Anver and Ela before finally landing on me. I smiled, hoping it looked not just polite, but actually friendly.
She smiled back.
Right there, on the side of the street, it felt like the world tilted and the sidewalk slid out from under my feet. She wasn't just a pretty priestess. This woman was amazing. Not beautiful, and I'd spent enough time in a temple filled with gorgeous people to be aware of that, but she was perfect. From her rich brown eyes to her coffee-colored hair and tawny skin, she took my breath away. My feet paused, my breath caught, and I felt my heart start to race.
I'd kissed women. I'd had sex with them. I'd assumed that I was open-minded, but I'd never really been sure because none of the girls I'd grown up with had been appealing to me. But her? This woman? She was. I simultaneously felt like nothing else mattered but her, while also being overly aware of the guys standing all around me. My lungs felt like they couldn't completely fill all the way, and my lips had curled into the dumbest smile.
"Morning," I said.
She laughed. "Afternoon, priestess."
Shit. Fuck. It was afternoon, and verging on evening. Dumb. She had to think I was a complete idiot, but thankfully Ela was here to save the day for me. Letting go of Anver, he swaggered his sexy ass right over to where this woman was sitting and offered his hand.
