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But Wraythe appeared before us, his eyes on me and his hand out. "Can I have the next?"
Jamik guided my hand to Wraythe's. "I leave her in your care."
When Jamik stepped back again, he was smiling, but I couldn't look away from Wraythe. His dark green eyes held mine, and his hand cradled my fingers so gently. When the music for the next song started, he stepped in, embracing me as if he really had been practicing. Together, we moved into the song.
"Just tell me you enjoy dancing a little?" I begged.
He chuckled. "Somewhat. I feel huge with this many people around me, but I like how all these men keep looking at you," he admitted. "More than that, I like that they see you with me. Nari, it's not often I get to be with you in public, so that's why I like dancing."
"Mm, and yet you dance with Yamina more than me," I teased.
He rolled his eyes. "That girl!" But he said it with a laugh. "She doesn't really give me the chance to say no. She also said that she's been worried about you all day."
"I'm fine," I promised.
He just tilted his head. "Are you really? Look, I know that 'fine' is your default answer. But we're all worried about you, waiting for you to realize just how bad that was."
"He deserved everything you did," I countered.
"How bad it wasforyou," Wraythe corrected. "That man tried to rape you. That's not an easy thing to ignore."
"No," I soothed. "Wraythe, I never felt like he'd win. I knew I could hold him off. I'm angry. No, I'm flat-out pissed about it. However, I'm not traumatized because Zeal was there, offering to help. I knew you were coming. I'm fine. I never had to face the thought that it might actually happen, because I knew I had that."
"And when the fears creep in later?" he asked.
"Then I promise I will tell you," I assured him. "The truth is that while I'm hoping that this means Tath will never demand our presence over the winter again, I'm also worried about the rift it will make between Talin and his family. I'm terrified that Kinen is going to hear about it, and that will be one more thing we have to deal with - if our High Priest doesn't use it as an excuse to kick me out."
"Hard to do that with witnesses who'll make it clear that Ela did the abusing, not you," Wraythe pointed out.
"But I was a part of that too," I reminded him. "I also think that Kinen would gladly give up Ela's talents if it meant making me disappear. No, this isn't going to go away easily, so we need to be prepared for it."
Wraythe just tipped his head back to where multiple High Priests were talking together near the windows. "Perception has offered us sanctuary. The gods gave us this gift for a reason. It makes me think that no matter what, we will still have a place."
"The Temple of All Gods," I said. "We're all marked with five Paths. That means we're all eligible for it, and Ela would make an amazing High Priest of All Gods."
Surprise swept over Wraythe's face. "He would," the giant of a man realized. "All High Priests tend to have a council of advisors too."
"So we have two backup plans," I assured him. "I think Compassion would make space for us as well, which would make three."
"But we're Zeal's priests," Wraythe insisted. "No matter where we live, we belong to our god, not theirs."
"We do." I nodded to show I agreed. "I'm just saying that the other gods are helping. They won't make it easy for Kinen to make us go away, and so long as we're here, we can't be forgotten."
"And if that man tries to take us away from our god," Wraythe growled, bending closer to keep the words between us, "then we'll make it clear that the choice is Zeal or him. If he wants to make this a fight, wewillfight, Nari."
"We just have to pass our initiation training first," I reminded him.
"No, we don't," he insisted. "If we have to retake the second year of our education, then we will. If worrying about school means losing our god, then it won't matter if we pass. If Kinen is going to kick you out of the temple, then it won't matter. This, Nari, is what we need to focus on. Your classes will either work out or they won't."
For a long moment, I let Wraythe guide me around the dance floor while I thought about that. He wasn't a flashy dancer, and he didn't spin or twirl me as much as the other guys. That meant I could let my brain simply work on digesting that, because he was right. Zeal kept saying that he didn't care about my classes. Amerlee insisted that she was here to help me with my education. Which meant that while I couldn't ignore school, it really wasn't the most important thing. Zeal was. He always had been.
"But keeping you is as important to me as saving our god," I told Wraythe, making it clear where I stood. "I can give up everything else, but I will not lose my family."
Around the room, people started moving and the lights began to slowly dim. Wraythe didn't seem to care. He didn't look away. He simply nodded in agreement.
"And Zeal is part of that family," he said. "That was what he paid for your help. You wanted to keep your family, and he has been including everyone you add to it. Add him, and all of this will work out."
"That's not how it works," I groaned.
