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Zeal looked at me for what felt like an eternity before answering. "The other barons are trying to find ways to withhold their tithes. Inspiration is horrified at the break in tradition. That sniveling little artist is worried that he might have to stop sculpting for a moment and worry about his own paperwork. If Maela sets a trend, then all the temples will be required to actually keep track of what they are doing. They will be held accountable, and the powerful do not like that."
"Tell her the other part," Jamik pressed. "Zeal, she needs to know."
Those beautifully divine eyes of his landed on mine. "Maela is a woman. You are a woman. In this world, men do not like women who dare to tell them what to do. Maela is supposed to make heirs. You are supposed to fulfil their fantasies. They are supposed to be the new gods, ruling this world that we let happen in our absence. The strong took control, but these men have yet to realize that they are only strong in one small way."
"But the laws support them," I pointed out. "They're made to - "
"They are not!" Zeal roared so loud that the sound hammered my chest. "The laws say citizens. Not men -citizens!The baroness is assumed to be the equal of the baron. The priestess is the equal of the priest. Why would that make anyone think that the husband is worth more than the wife?"
"Then why are girls like Yamina married off so young, and often before they're ready?" I asked. "Why is marriage her only option? Why can't she own her own business, or home, or anything else?"
Zeal marched toward me, closing the distance between us. "That is not the law!"
I just lifted my chin. "Then why does it happen, Zeal?"
"Because no one has been willing to make it stop," he said. "Because I am a god, yet that does not give me the right to force someone - man or woman - to take risks they aren't ready for. Because not every person is as strong as Maela Ranndor." Then he lifted his hand to cup my cheek. "Or you, my Chosen. Strength of the body pales in comparison to strength of the soul. That is why you like being around her. You two share that trait. You understand overcoming and becoming more. You both drag others along with you."
"So what do you need from me?" I asked.
He leaned in, pausing with his lips an inch from mine. "I need you to never stop being you. Learn more, become great at all the things you desire, but never stop being the woman who makes a god willing to fight again."
"I swear." The words came out as a whisper.
And then his mouth found mine, kissing softly. "Now will you learn how to save yourself? If you will not let me help, will you please do this for me?"
I leaned in for one more quick kiss. "Do that more often. It works much better than the yelling."
This time, when his eyes found mine, I felt like he was the one getting lost. I also liked that look on him a little too much.
Chapter 34
Anver
For the rest of the week, we all made a point of going to the Salle with Nari. Ursula worked her hard, too. Slowly, Nari was learning this new style, unlearning the old, and she was surprisingly good at it. The downside was that her muscles didn't agree. The better she did, the harder Ursula pushed, and the more aggressive Harlin's attacks became.
Every night, one of us ran her a hot bath. I'd gotten some soaking salts from Drandir that smelled like roses. Talin had taken to helping her stretch in the mornings before class, or so I was told. Wraythe thought this was an excuse to give her massages, preferably when she was naked. Ela simply doted on her, going so far as to carry her books when he could.
But when Maela had to postpone our weekend lunch date to focus on Yamina's birthday, Shalsa pulled me aside and told me not to let them make any other plans. She wanted to surprise Nari with a trip to finish the last room in our suite. That was why I was awake now, setting out a black suit for Talin and my favorite of Nari's dresses. It was the most amazing blue I'd ever seen, being both dark and shimmery at the same time. While it wasn't the color of Compassion, I knew it made her think of her siblings, which usually resulted in one of those smiles I liked to see.
When I was done with that, I peeked into the bedroom to find Ela and Talin cuddling with each other as they started to wake up. Talin was kissing the back of Ela's neck. Ela was leaning back into it. On the other side, Wraythe was lying on his back with Nari's head pillowed on his chest. I was pretty sure the big guy was more awake than he was pretending, but I understood how nice it was to just hold that woman like that.
So I headed to the kitchen to start heating the water for a cup of tea. In the cabinet, we had a selection of various teas that we'd been gathering. I liked the fruit and spice one, but Nari would want the plain version first. So would Wraythe. Ela and Talin changed their minds daily, so I refused to guess for them.
The water had just started bubbling when I heard a tap at the door. Taking the kettle off the heat, I hurried that way to answer it. Shalsa and Irila were there, dressed like they were ready to go out on the town. Shalsa had on a beautiful pastel green gown that looked amazing on her, and Irila's cravat matched.
"Good morning, ladies. Come in," I said. "They're not actually awake yet."
"Good morning, Anver. Training is kicking her ass, hm?" Irila asked.
"More than you know, but I think she likes it." I glanced at the kitchen, then over to the door that led to the dressing room. "Um, let me..."
"We just need Nari," Shalsa assured me. "Let the boys sleep."
"And while we're not in a hurry," Irila added, "I know exactly how Shalsa shops, so we will be at it for hours. Comfortable shoes for her."
"Got it," I promised as I hurried back to the bedroom.
The moment I stepped in, I realized that things between Ela and Talin had definitely steamed up a little. Both of their hands were now under the blankets and their mouths were locked together. Slowly, they were starting to grind. The pair looked amazing like that. They were nearly the same size and build, but where Talin was dark in his coloration, Ela was all gold. I also knew that Ela was truly the darker of the two, at least on the inside.
