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"Me," he realized, nodding his head to show he was ok with that. "I'm still willing. That's what it means to be a best friend."
For a moment, I could only stand there and look at him. I remembered when he had been a confused little boy, trying to figure out why he was different from the others. Nari had set the idea in his head that a fault in one place might be a strength in another, and he'd latched onto that.
Once, I had hoped it would be enough to make him into her protector. Now, I knew that he was so much more than one woman's guardian. This man was my best friend. He had been Ela's savior, finding the balance between his darkness and his desire. He stood beside Wraythe without hesitation, and had cheered on Talin when others would've been overcome with envy.
Over the years, he had changed. He had grown. He wasn't done yet, but he was finally becoming, and I could see the change in the way he stood before me. His head was up, there was pride in his eyes, and I could feel the love in his heart.
"They don't know you're tied to her yet," I explained. "You, Anver, are the lost one. You're bound to another ward. Your lessons are just different enough to not stand out. While you live with them, Kinen isn't foolish enough to watch Nari's door, so you're assumed to be a classmate and little else."
"I'm invisible to the High Priest," he said, nodding to show he was keeping up.
"And that means no one will watch where you go," I continued. "I need you to see them. I need you to listen and help however you can. I will cover when possible, but this? It is the one thing that those four cannot do. You are my Shadow. You are the silent and overlooked one who is stronger than they know. I can't promise this will be easy, and I know that the other temples won't listen to you, but - "
He clasped my arm, halting my words. "I ran away once and learned my lesson. I'm not running, Zeal. If you need me to talk to the gods, then I will be honored to. I'm not Nari. I'm just the guy - "
"Who is a god's best friend," I broke in, finishing that for him. "No god in the history of Calseth has had one before. You aren't a tool for me to throw away. You are..." I shook my head, unable to find the right words. "You're important to me."
"That's why I'll always do what you ask," he promised, "because you're important to me too, Zeal. Not as a god, but as a man."
Catching both sides of his face, I stepped in, crushing my mouth to his. Anver's fist caught my shirt, holding me against him, and then he thrust his tongue into my mouth, kissing me the way I'd planned to kiss him. He'd said as a man. Not as a god, but as this, the man he actually cared about, and I decided that I would fight for him just as hard as I would for Nari.
Gently, I pulled my mouth away. "Between class and dinner is the best time. Pick a temple, because I think they all need you."
"Tell them I'll be on the back stairs an hour after my last class," Anver decided. "If they need me, I'll help, but they have to decide who goes first."
I caressed the side of his face. "And if you ever need me, I will find a way to get there, even if it takes the last of my divinity to do it."
"No," he chided. "Zeal, this snake has five heads. All you have to do is send the other four." Then he smiled and turned, walking up the hall. "Go act like a god. I have class."
And that was the moment I realized I loved him too. Not like Nari. Not as an equal, but as something so very different. He was the man who'd just made me realize thatbecomingwasn't something only humans did - because I was going to become the god these people deserved.
Chapter 37
Anver
Ididn't understand why Zeal was so nervous about me going to the other temples, but I was sure he had his reasons. As a god, he understood things in a way that didn't always translate easily. Still, this meant that something was happening, and they'd given us this ability for a reason. It wasn't simply to watch the gods open windows at an annual holiday.
As the day wore on, I thought of other reasons why this could be dangerous. The most obvious was Kinen and his threats to remove Nari from the temple. He didn't care if that was kicking her out or killing her. And if our own High Priest felt like that, then how would the High Priest of another temple feel if I wandered in and started causing problems?
Plus, there was the fact that Inspiration's leader had already stormed into our temple once, which meant there was some kind of strife building between the six High Priests. I had a feeling that the Temple of All Gods was mostly exempt from that, but I also couldn't be sure. Still, that was a lot of potential issues to worry about, and trying to tackle them on my own was a little intimidating.
But the gods needed us, and Zeal said it had to be me.
So, when we all were back in the suite that evening, I decided that I needed to talk to my... friends? No, that wasn't a strong enough word. Lovers didn't feel like it fit. Partners was what Priests of the Body called the person they worked with, so friends was the best I had.
"Hey, guys?" I asked as I dropped onto the couch. "Have a minute?"
"What's up?" Ela asked, heading over to claim the seat beside me.
Yeah, I liked that, but I waited to answer until Nari and Wraythe were on the couch and Talin claimed the chair across from me. They all looked a little worried, or maybe it was just confused. I smiled, hoping to show this was nothing bad, but that didn't make the worried looks go away.
"Zeal talked to me this morning," I said, lifting a hand when Nari opened her mouth. "The other gods need help, and that means me. Kinen is watching all of you closely, but it seems he hasn't realized how involved I am yet."
"What do they need?" Nari asked.
"I don't know," I admitted. "It sounds like general help, maybe someone to encourage a priest to take that last step and believe. It could be to talk to the temple leadership? Zeal made it sound like his siblings would let me know. So, I said I'd step outside after class and before dinner, since they can't come in here."
"I'll go with you," Talin decided.
