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"It usually does," I admitted. "If Wraythe knows the limits, then I can feel his concern when I get too close. That's what holds me back. Not the rules. Not a fear of killing them. It's the paranoia that I might go too far and lose him."
"Then I will get Wraythe a list," she decided. "I would also like to encourage you - and Nari if you'd like - to experiment more outside of class. Yes, I mean with other people. We need to know how far you can be pushed."
"Does it matter with who?" I asked.
"Not at all," she promised. "Your personal sex life is still yours to enjoy as you wish. Why?"
"Even outside the temple?" My mind immediately jumped to Peyron.
"As long as it's not a session, then there's no problem with it." But her brow creased. "However, you might want to come ask me permission before sneaking off for a side fling. It's just one more layer to protect you and Nari right now. If you ask first, and I approve it, then the blame falls on me, and it's harder to call it a 'session.'"
"I can work with that," I said. "Savi's Chosen is a priest named Peyron. Nari and I have been... fond of him since our primary training. He seems to feel the same."
"I'll make a note of that," she promised. "Now get to your next class, and don't forget to talk to your scheduler this evening, because if we have to reassign either of you, we'll need time to do that."
"Thanks, Saval," I said, meaning it more than she knew.
This woman always took care of us. She never tried to stop us. She simply made sure that the stupid and foolish things we wanted to try were always done safely - even avoiding the High Priest of this temple.
Chapter 18
Nariana
When Ela joined us in the hall, I asked him if Thiemo had requested him. That would explain why Saval had wanted to talk to him, but Ela said it had more to do with his restrictions, and that we could discuss it after we got our assignments. I pressed him about it in our next class, but he promised it was nothing. Saval had merely reminded him that he wasn't cleared for pain sessions without me there. Nothing more. Nothing nefarious.
Then, just before lunch, I headed for my third class of the day: Words of Zeal. I had just rounded the corner and was walking up the hall when I noticed someone at the other end. It took me a minute to recognize him, though. That was the High Priest, Kinen, and he wasn't wearing his formal robe.
I rarely saw the man in anything but official attire or a fancy suit. The change was enough to make me look twice. Of course, that was when he turned his head. Our eyes met. Across the length of the hall, I watched as his narrowed, but my classroom was right here, close enough to duck into.
I stepped into my Words of Zeal course to find our god sitting casually on the edge of Priestess Vernie's desk. Oddly, that made seeing Kinen feel a lot less intimidating. Zeal hadn't been around much last week, and his timing couldn't have been better. This was one of the classes where I didn't have one of my guys with me - although I was pretty sure my god counted.
Zeal's eyes ran over me, and then he smiled in a way that held promises. That look was enough to make me forget all about the way Kinen had glared at me and start thinking of other, much more pleasurable things. The best part was that I wasn't the only one who saw Zeal's desire, either.
Delran patted my shoulder as he walked in behind me. "That's the kind of look that means you're going to have a good night," he teased as he headed to his chair.
"Sadly, not tonight," Zeal admitted. "It seems that being a visible god takes up my free time." And yet there was a hunger in his eyes that made it clear he wished it was different.
Zeal never tried to hide that I was more to him than simply a mouthpiece. He didn't try to play it down or explain away his interest. And while my class for the Path of the Word might be a small one, these were also the priests who were supposed to respect our god the most. They were the ones he'd chosen to help take his temple back. All the new priests on the Path of the Word, since my own Choosing, had been selected because they believed in him enough to see him, which would hopefully mean enough to help him.
Although none of that explained the stupid, giddy feeling the moment gave me. Even after the panic of seeing Kinen, one seductive look from Zeal was enough to carry me through lunch and the rest of my afternoon classes. Then, after we got out of our Working with Multiples course, I had a half hour break to change into something for my First Aid practical, and I'd been looking forward to this all year long.
I pulled on a pair of Ela's old pants and a shirt I used in training, along with a pair of comfortable shoes. The clothing was the kind that would clean easily if I got something on it, and designed so I would be able to bend, lift, or do anything that might be required in the infirmary. And when I was finally ready, Talin, Wraythe, and Anver were back from their last class.
Talin insisted on escorting me down to where the Path of Action treated those with serious injuries. In all honesty, I'd never been in that part of the temple. Naturally, it was in the basement, but on the opposite side from the kitchens and the living quarters for the Path of Obligation. The stairway to get there was directly across from the one I'd used to reach the kitchens, but that was where the similarities ended.
The stairs to the kitchen had been dark and rough cut. The path to the infirmary was lit with gas lamps and the stairs were smooth. There was a contraption along the banister that Talin said was to help with keeping a stretcher level. And when we reached the bottom, no one in the infirmary even noticed that we'd arrived. The entire area was filled with a comfortable sort of activity that fit with the Priests of Action.
"Nari," a girl said, waving me over. "I'm so glad I'm not the only one who's early."
Her name was Wen, which was short for something that I couldn't remember, and she sat beside me in the lecture portion of this class. She was also really smart. I was pretty sure she had the highest score in the class, and we'd become friendly when she admitted that she'd declared medicine as her specialization. She was hoping to become a physician, if possible, and a medic if it wasn't.
"Wen, this is Talin, my guardian," I introduced. "Talin, this is the smartest girl in our class."
He chuckled. "Careful, Wen. Nari loves this class and if you're not careful, she'll try to suck out all the knowledge you have that she doesn't."
"Pretty sure she doesn't need to," Wen assured him, then offered her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, guardian."
Talin dipped his head at the respect she put into his title, and clasped her hand. "Here's hoping that I don't see a lot of you in the coming years. I'd prefer to keep both myself and my desire out of the infirmary."
