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"Mhm," Wraythe said. "And more human than I ever imagined. Makes me think that it's possible he gets just as flustered by you as the rest of us."
"You three don't get flustered," I countered.
Wraythe just dropped his head and looked at me with astonishment in his eyes. "Really? Already forgotten about my first time with you? I think flustered is a pretty good way to describe that."
"But that's cute," I told him. "I kinda like it when you're all shy and adorable."
"Hear that, Zeal?" Wraythe asked, looking up. "She likes shy and adorable. Sounds like she's also into you, so you're good."
I just rolled my eyes. "Funny." Then I had a sudden idea. "Hey, is Anver coming tonight?"
"Should he?" Ela asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. Definitely. I think I miss him, and seeing him again would be a really good present."
"Then I'll invite him," Talin said.
I nodded again, feeling better about this the more I thought about it. "Then I can make my announcement tonight."
"What announcement?" Ela asked.
"That I've found my Path," I told them. "Well, I'm laying it. Maybe I'll be the only Priestess of Temptation. Maybe I'm just the first. Either way..." My eyes jumped over to where Anver was eating his meal with Tishlie. "...Someone has to protect the faith, right? We're priests, not gods. We can't do it all on our own, and I'm the one person who will never have to worry about being abandoned again."
"So it's no longer a fear?" Wraythe asked.
I just shook my head. "It's still my fear, but I also know that a god made me a promise. I surrendered, so he won't tempt you away from me. He'll simply tempt you back to me."
"I can live with that," Talin said softly.
Beside us, Ela and Wraythe were nodding in agreement.
Chapter 63
Nariana
That night, my family gathered to trade our own presents for the Darkest Night. No, it wasn't on the actual holiday, but not everyone could have a god slip their presents where they needed to be. Just before dinner, I made sure that Amerlee, Jamik, Shalsa, Irila, Saval, and Anver knew they were still invited over. Then I called Zeal. They showed up in groups, with Zeal escorting Anver into my room, and I didn't have nearly enough places to sit, but no one seemed to care.
As one massive and very happy family, we all enjoyed a dinner delivered by the Priests of Obligation. When that was done, the guys dragged the dining chairs into the living area to make a circle around the fireplace. A few of us still had to sit on the floor, and surprisingly, Zeal was the first to claim it. I joined him, using the couch as my backrest. Anver took a space on the edge of the hearth.
"So," Jamik said, standing to pass packages out. "I'm assuming we're not in trouble for doing this late?"
"Nope," Zeal said. "I claimed the longest night of the year as mine, but the whole point is to find temptation for others. Any day of the year works for me." Then he snapped his fingers, making a collection of packages appear before him. "I may have found a few gifts of my own."
"You go last," I told him.
He chuckled. "What, don't want to be outdone?"
"Not really, no," Shalsa said. "Some of us have to do a little guessing when it comes to finding gifts." And she leaned over to pass a package to Eladehl. "For my student."
"For mine," Saval said, handing me a rather thin and wide package, almost like an excessively large book.
"Open that first," Talin ordered, pointing at it. "Because I'm curious."
When everyone nodded, I gave in, carefully separating the immaculately-folded edges instead of tearing apart like a child. Inside, all I could see was wood, but it wasn't that heavy. Another piece came loose, and I finally got to see what Saval had given me, but I still couldn't quite make it out. Even when I had the paper completely off, all I knew was that this was a box. A beautiful one, made out of polished wood and engraved with the symbol of Zeal on the outside. Then I found the clasp. Inside was a complete writing set. Not just a nice quality pen, but also a jar of ink, multiple nibs, and a thick stack of quality paper.
"The ink is a dark purple," Saval told me. "I chose grey paper, because it's the closest to black I could find, and most ladies prefer the pastel colors. You aren't most ladies, so I hope it will do."
"It's beautiful," I told her, thinking immediately of writing Maela. "Thank you!"
