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"Never mind," I said, turning for Maela. "You need to take Haryth to Talin's room. You'll be safe there."
"They're going to kill each other!" Maela whimpered.
So I looked back and fuck if she wasn't right. Tath had both hands locked around Talin's throat, and my guardian was fighting back, but he wasn't enough. I needed to help, but first I had to get these two to fucking leave! We were priests. This was our responsibility, and I knew that all Talin cared about was protecting those he loved - including these women.
"Go!" I snapped, turning Yamina toward the door.
She tried, but a yelp of fear from Maela made me look back again. Both men were bloody and definitely bruised. Talin was sprawled the wrong way across the banister, and Tath's entire weight was on him. His wild, delusion-fueled, insane weight.
"Zeal, help us?" I begged, heading that way.
I made it one step, then a surge of warmth washed over me. It was like being embraced before a sultry fire on a soft rug, and then my awareness slipped back. My aching body straightened. My muscles felt like they were made of steel, and my eyes burned with the power looking through them.
Beside me, Yamina sucked in a breath and stepped back. Maela sank into the corner, huddling around her crying child in a weak effort to protect him. My head, however, simply turned back to see my guardian again, and rage boiled in my veins. It wasn't mine.
"I gave you one chance. Now I will extract my price."
The voice rushed from my throat, but it didn't belong to me. No, this was Zeal, and I was no longer in charge of my own body. He turned me, storming onto the balcony, and then I grabbed Tath's shoulder. One pull was enough to wrench him back, and Talin shoved away from the wall, sucking in deep breaths as he looked up at me.
"Zeal," he managed.
"The Blade is a gift," I told Tath, feeling as surprised as Talin's brother looked. Then I shoved him back into the room without even trying, with my hand still grasping him. "You were meant to be my representative. You were given a chance. I even agreed to give you more time because the Blade asked. You repaid him with this? Your temptation was the wrong one, Baron. Do not break my toys, because Iama very jealous god."
Tath was shoving at me, hammering at my arm, desperately trying to get free, but it was no longer a human girl holding him. This was my body, but the control belonged to Zeal, and he was pissed.
"Let go of me, you stupid little cunt," Tath demanded.
So Zeal lifted. I could sense the muscles straining, burning, and fraying as they were pushed so far beyond their limit. A moment of fear hit me, but then that warmth was back. I somehow knew my god wouldn't break me. Not when he was this mad about someone trying to break Talin!
"This is my Chosen.My vessel." I tapped my own chest, right where the symbol was visible at my neckline. "This is my claim, and you are no longer talking to a priestess, you fool."
"Zeal," Yamina breathed, finally understanding.
Zeal never turned my eyes away from Tath. "Harm any of my priests again, and I will break you. I will cast you out, remove your name from my book, and leave you and all Ranndors destitute."
"Which means Talin," Tath sneered.
"He is not a Ranndor," Zeal pointed out. "He gave up his name to become mine, and I took him. I allowed my brother to stake a claim as well. The Blade is no longer your family, Tath. He'smine, and I promise that gods protect their own. Do not play with me, because I'm tired of these foolish games."
And then my other hand palmed his head.Don't watch, Nari,Zeal thought at me, and I tried. The trouble was that my eyes were open and the best I could do was focus on the sounds. It didn't help, because when Zeal delved into the Baron's mind, I could see the flickers and hints of so much.
Hate was at the front. Vanity was a close second. Still, in all of that, there were visions of Maela that were laced with love. I struggled not to pay attention, to let my concentration wander to anything else - or everything - but I could almost feel Zeal bending, twisting, and manipulating the man's thoughts.
And then he simply dropped Tath's unconscious body to the ground. Maela screamed, the fear coming out in her voice, but Zeal turned my body toward her.
"He will live. He will suffer, but he will fear harming you ever again. That is his price."
Maela jiggled her head to prove she'd heard. "And Haryth."
"The child will be safe," Zeal promised her. "But for that, you will have to pay a price of your own."
"Anything," she swore.
"Do not turn away from Nariana because she has the strength to carry a god."
"What about me?" Yamina asked. "Can you make me your priestess?"
Zeal's laugh burst from my lips and I stepped over to cup her face. "No. I cannot because I need you elsewhere. Your faith is my power, Yamina. Be true to yourself and I will always hold you close. Give in to your temptations."
