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My perfect, beautiful, and amazing chosen one had never looked better. I had a fondness for modern lingerie, so I'd used it as inspiration, but I left the swirls light enough to show off the miraculous body beneath. The one that could tempt even a god. And yet, another dip in my tears had brought her another step closer to divinity. She'd breathed me in, surrendering completely, and her beauty reflected that.
Her hair was more radiant, but just as dark. Her eyes were gold now, like a candle on a dark night. Her skin was like smooth marble, and her lips were flushed just right. This was not a woman anyone would forget. She was the thing temptations were made of - and she was mine.
"What is my Path?" Nariana demanded of the High Priest.
"Temptation," he breathed.
"And you will admit that I am god-touched, or I will tell them all about the lace on your arms and how it didn't vanish when you tripped and fell into the pool of anguish. From now on, you will stay thefuckout of our way. I do not want your job, but I promise, if you try to stop me again, you will not get off so lightly."
Then she paused to cough up a little more water. Unable to stop, she bent over until a trickle fell from her lips.
"The test is over," I decided. "I'm tired of this game."
And I grabbed her, lifting her up against this body's chest, loving how she twisted to grab at the man's neck instead of resisting. My Chosen. My shadowed woman whowillreveal the light. My... love. A woman wild enough to stand face to face with the God of Temptation, brave enough to give herself to me completely, and yet soft enough to need not only me, but the men she had collected over the years.
My perfect creation, and yet one I could not take the credit for. Her family had done this as much as I had, and I would make sure they were repaid for it.
With Nariana in my arms, I climbed the stairs, not caring about the priest below. Unfortunately, I could feel the man I was riding begin to falter. I forced his body on, pushing him to his limits, but carrying a god was a very heavy task. I'd used him harder than I had any human in centuries, yet he'd stayed the path. He'd given himself to me. Even now, as his soul begged for release, the blade never asked for control back.
At the top, I had to juggle her slightly to pull open the door, but she helped. I managed enough to get Talin's foot in it and pulled, the action one he was familiar with. Then I stepped out to find eyes looking at us. So many eyes.
"Where's the High Priest?" someone asked.
"He slipped," Nariana said. "Fell and hit the stones. He asked for you, Priestess Yana." Then she patted my arm. "Set me down, Zeal?"
"I will not give you to them," I warned her.
And the giant stepped before me. "Nor will we. Let us help you... Zeal?"
The golden one was quickly unbuttoning his robe. "And she's not only wet, but cold. Nari, where's your robe?"
"Down there," she said, casting me a warning look. "This time, I needyouto trustme, ok?"
I didn't want to. The last thing I desired was to let her go, but this body couldn't hold me for much longer. "She walks the Path of Temptation. She ismine,do you understand?" And I looked at the giant. "And yours." To the golden one. "And yours too." My eyes sought out the boy who'd looked at me as I trailed behind Talin on the way down. "And if you can prove yourself, she could be yours as well."
Eladehl simply reached up to take her from my arms. "You have the eyes of a god, and the voice to go with it, but the bodies of my friends. Please do not crush them, Zeal?"
I let him take Nariana, but he only eased her feet to the ground before shrugging off his robe to drape it over her body. One that every priest and priestess was looking at. One that proved she was the property of their god.
And for the first time, I could feel something. There wasn't enough, but the trickle of belief was like fresh air that I could finally breathe. So much of it was pouring off her men that I was convinced I could finally do this.
"She," I boomed at the crowd, "is my Chosen. Priestess Nariana is the first to walk the Path of Temptation. Her marks aremine,put there by my design, and I will not take them from her again. I will not let her go. I willnotallow her to be separated from those she desires. This is my will. Follow it, or brace for the consequences."
Then slowly, I looked at the giant, dropping my voice to something nearly human. "When I step away from the blade, he will fall. You should catch him." And I gave the owner back his body, sliding into my own existence instead of theirs.
Talin had enough time to reach out before he lost consciousness, but the giant was ready. Wraythe lifted him up the same way I'd carried Nariana. The lost one pushed forward, breaking the path for them, and the golden man steered his shadowed woman forward. The crimson priestess who believed stepped up to manage the onlookers. Her guardian hovered behind her, ready to keep her safe, and the woman who'd instructed my Chosen in honest faith pulled my book from inside her robes.
They had this. They would find a way to make this work. My priests had finally seen a miracle worthy of their god, and it would not be soon forgotten. Maybe the High Priest could explain his missing lace, or maybe he would simply try to hide it. I didn't even care. The man would not dare to challenge Nariana again, because I could once more taste my power. Not much, but this was only the beginning.
Now, it was time to test it.
Chapter 61
Nariana
Talin began to stir as we made it to our hall. He was groggy and disoriented, but awake. That was more than I could say when Zeal had borrowed my body for a moment, and he'd ridden Talin for much longer. Wraythe didn't seem to care, though. He aimed right for my door, paused for one of us to open it - Eladehl was fastest - and then the group of us hurried in. Anver didn't follow. He simply closed the door behind us.
I was going to go back and tell him he was welcome, but the sight of a man sitting in the middle of my couch stopped me - and notjustme. Wraythe gasped in shock. Eladehl simply stepped forward.
