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That made Peyron's eyes jump up. "You can see her?" he asked.
"Ever since the Fresh Start," Savi assured him. "All five of the devoted now have the ability to see us. Zeal paid dearly for that, and we're the one reaping the benefits." Then she turned, making room for Wraythe and me to join them.
"What do you mean that Zeal paid dearly?" I asked.
Savi's expression became a little smug. "Power, Ela. In order to allow a mere human the ability to see gods, it means pressing a lot of divinity into them. Because of our weakness, that means all of the divinity came from Zeal. In order to give the mother her sight, all six of us gave a portion to one woman. This time, Zeal gave a portion of himself to the four of you. Haven't you noticed the difference?"
"I have," Wraythe admitted. "I think we've all noticed a few changes, but we weren't sure if they were a cause or an effect."
"And now you know," Savi admitted. Then she turned to Peyron. "Enjoy your evening. This is something you deserve, and I approve of our temples becoming closer. No guilt, Peyron."
He opened his mouth to reply, but she was already gone. Letting out a sigh, he reached up to shove his hand through his hair, then cleared his throat. As if that was all it took to brace himself, Peyron pushed away from the wall, then gestured back the way we'd come.
"So, if you don't remember, my room is back this way. I would offer you a tour of the temple or something, but I have a funny feeling that you've basically seen it."
He was nervous. It was cute. There was something about seeing this man, a guy who could probably get just about any woman he wanted in bed with him, get nervous that it turned me on. He liked me, and wasn't ashamed to show it - which was the best part. Anyone who looked at me could tell I was a Priest of Temptation, and yet Peyron had absolutely no shame about that.
As we walked back towards where his room was, he asked Wraythe how things had been going. Peyron didn't try to ignore my best friend and guardian. A lot of people preferred to pretend like Wraythe was invisible, but Peyron just treated him like another friend. It was casual. In truth, it actually made all of this feel a little more natural.
That was the line between a session and a date. In a session, I was an object there for the patron to use. My job was to play a role, becoming everything they wanted for that one moment. A date, however, gave me the chance to be myself. It was about seeing if I liked this man as much as he liked me. This was when we let down our walls and allowed each other in just a little bit, learning who the other person really was, not just who they wanted us to see on the outside.
And I liked it.
I liked this man - and I was allowed to. Being around him made me want to smile, and there was this excitement building in my chest. It reminded me of how I felt when I first met Nari, or how stupidly happy I'd been after I'd kissed Anver that very first time. It was anticipation, but not the kind I got with sessions. That type was more focused on how far I could push them and how much they'd let me hurt them. This? It was the rush of a foolish and innocent crush.
Peyron's room was on the wing that I wanted to call the initiate hall. At least that was its name in our temple. I was pretty sure it served the same purpose here in the Temple of Perception, but for all I knew, each temple called them different things. When we reached his door, he paused to unlock it, and I noticed a few heads turn towards us.
"I think you're starting rumors," I teased.
Peyron laughed softly. "I have been all year. Between knowing the priestess with five Paths, having friends in other temples, and walking down the hall while talking to myself, I think the other initiates are getting used to me being a little weird."
Then he opened the door and gestured for us to enter first. Peyron's room was a slightly larger version of the one our guardians had been assigned. Unlike the guardian rooms, this one had the bed placed against the back wall with a shelf over it. Three large candles were on it, along with a couple of books. Then there was an entire bookshelf against the front wall. In the corner was the same small table, though.
Wraythe headed that way, pausing at the bookcase. "You mind if I read?" he asked.
"Uh..." Peyron looked at me. "No. Um, I'm not sure if I have anything you'd be interested in, but you're more than welcome to look at it all."
So Wraythe grabbed a thick book. "We don't spend a lot of time with history," he said, showing the cover.
Then he dropped down into a chair and opened the book. I moved to the bed and flopped back onto it. I hadn't exactly told Peyron why I wanted to come over. It wasn't the sort of thing I wanted to send in a letter. So, while staring at the ceiling, I quickly thought up and discarded three different ways of bringing this up.
Eventually, I just gave in. "I need help," I admitted. "The sexual kind."
"Uh huh," Peyron said, moving to stand before my bent knees. "What's going on, Ela?"
I pillowed my head on my arm and looked up to smile at this beautiful man. "I am a punisher, Pey. A destroyer, even. I want to throw you against that wall, kiss the shit out of you, leave bite marks on your skin, tie you up, and fuck you until you scream my name." My eyes dropped down his body, pausing on his dick before traveling back up. "The question is whether or not I'll be able to stop. The problem is that I need to know if I'll even want to."
Peyron simply turned, walking back to his door. "So I'm an experiment?" he asked.
"A very nice one," I admitted.
"One he trusts," Wraythe clarified without lifting his eyes from his book.
So Peyron flipped the latch, locking us in. "My safe word is green," he told me even as he pulled his shirt over his head.
Chapter 24
Eladehl
