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But I cleared my throat, making both of them pause and look over at me. "Shalsa and Irila are here. Since Maela's busy, Shalsa wanted to surprise Nari with a trip to get furniture."
"Shit," Wraythe grumbled. "Tell them to come back in an hour."
I chuckled at him. "I can do that, or you can take her, Wraythe. I mean, you trust him, right, Talin?"
"You can go," Talin said, and his arm started moving again.
Ela grabbed at his bicep. "Wait. No. I can't think when you do that."
Nari just sat up and rubbed at her eyes. "Either way, you guys have fifteen minutes before you need to worry."
"I have to help her dress," Talin whispered to Ela.
"I can do that," I assured him. "Believe it or not, I'm pretty good at it. I mean, I already hung out clothes for her. Well, and you, but I can get something for Wraythe and - "
"You go," Talin said, his blue eyes landing on me. "You're not doing anything with Tish today, are you?"
"No, but we had the sessions last week, and my suit..." Was still being cleaned, and I didn't want to dress down with the way Shalsa looked.
"Wear mine," Talin said. "You're close enough to my size."
"Or mine," Ela added just as a devious smile took over his lips. When Talin bit back a groan, I realized that those two were clearly not slowing down.
Wraythe just gestured for me to head to the dressing room. "You find clothes. I'll help her get ready. Together, we'll make it happen, and you can go with her while I protect these two."
"Ok," I agreed, trying my hardest to make that sound as casual as possible.
Because inside I felt like I was going to burst from my swelling pride. Talin was trusting me to watch Nari? Me? Her? I knew exactly how tight their bond was, and I was sure that Wraythe's wasn't much weaker with her. I also knew that all of us were a little overprotective of her, so this felt like the biggest compliment I'd ever gotten in my life.
I also wanted to look the part, so I claimed a pair of Talin's pants, one of Ela's shirts, a vest that matched the same blue as Nari's dress, and then Talin's coat and most plain cravat. The one thing of my own I used was the compass pin that Nari had gifted me on our first Darkest Night as initiates. What she didn't realize was that Zeal hadn't only delivered it. He had also made it so the thing really did point to her, always.
But with Wraythe and me working together, we managed to get Nari ready in record time. She painted her face while I styled her hair. Wraythe focused on securing all of the buttons on her dress. When he went for her shoes, I told him to get her fighting boots since she'd be on her feet a bit. Surprisingly, they looked amazing with the dress.
"Tea," Wraythe said, heading for the kitchen just as I put the last pin into Nari's hair.
"I just need my sword," I told her, "and we'll be ready."
She caught my hand. "Thank you." Then she tipped her head to the bedroom. "They deserve that, and I still think you're an excellent guardian."
I didn't stop to think. I just leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. Thankfully, she didn't pull away. Instead, her mouth parted and I felt the soft touch of her fingers against my cheek before she pushed them deep into my hair and kissed back. This wasn't a casual kiss. It was the passionate kind. The type that made my body respond, even if it didn't want to do more than that, and I had missed this feeling so much.
Desire.
Not the physical kind, but the mental. This was why Wraythe liked it when I curled against him. It was what I had longed for all my life, and it had always been right here, waiting. She didn't care where we stopped. She didn't care if we never started. Nari just made me feel like she wanted me to be beside her, a part of her life, and someone she could lean on. She made me feel like I was honestly wanted, and I needed that more than I knew.
But eventually I had to pull away. "I think I just ruined the color on your lips," I said, although my voice came out as a whisper.
She giggled once, then reached up to wipe at my lower lip. "So worth it, and you should kiss me like that more often, Anver."
I would. I swore it to myself right then. Once, Grath had explained to me that while he didn't really desire sex, he longed to please his desire, Valira. I was finally starting to see what he meant. The difference was that Nari didn't need me for that. She had more and better lovers. She wanted me for this, the silly things like picking fabrics and listening when she wanted to bare her soul. She needed me to be with her the same way I needed her, and it was ok. This worked. It was actually working.
While she repaired her lips, I found my sword and belted it on. Then Wraythe passed her a cup of tea, and she sucked back half of it. When he tried to offer me one, I waved him off. That kiss had been all I needed to get my brain going. Yet when I moved to offer her my arm so we could leave, Irila was the one who looked at me with surprise.
"You're the guardian of the day, huh?" she teased. "Didn't think Talin would let her out of his sight."
"He won't," Wraythe said. "Anver counts. The snake has five heads, not bodies."
"Works for me," Irila assured us.
