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Anver just leaned back on his hands, making no attempt to stop the smirk on his face. "You're pretty."
"Ela says he's sexy," Wraythe told us. "Big dick, too. He likes the ring."
I just looked at him and shook my head. "That's just not right, Wraythe. It loses something when you talk about my dick."
"I'm just saying that I've heard all about it," he assured me. "I know how you kiss, all about your blue eyes and messy hair. I get it from both of them. Peyron? He was their first crush together." He looked over at Anver. "You don't count because they liked you on their own, not as a team."
"I'm ok with that," Anver assured him.
"Talin," Wraythe went on, "Ela loves you. Not a little, but a lot. He doesn't love many people. Shit, if he had to leave you to get the chance to be with me? I'm pretty sure I'd still be just a friend."
Which said a lot. We all knew that Ela was in love with Wraythe - even Wraythe. Those two had found some miraculous balance in their lives that just worked. We called it friendship because there wasn't a better word, yet that barely scratched the surface. It also made me wonder whatImeant to the infamous Eladehl.
"The problem is that he can get bored of me," I reminded them. "We're bound to our desires - " I looked at Wraythe, " - or wards," then back to Anver, "and it gives us security. I know I'm bound to Ela, but it's not like what I have with Nari."
"Then fix that," Anver said. "Stop holding back. Stop being Nari's first and his second. Stop drawing lines. Look at that symbol on your arm again and how it's set up. Five equal heads. Five that merge into one. Not two pairs and an extra. Not four men and Nari. Zeal made all five of us equal parts of a whole, and I think that's supposed to be some kind of hint."
"Yeah, but none of that means it's a prediction. It's not even an order," I reminded them. "Zeal said all of this is a hope, and hopes don't stop a guy from falling for someone else, losing interest, or growing tired of someone."
"Which means Ela isn't the real problem," Wraythe told me. "See, when I felt that about Nari, it wasn't because she'd done anything wrong. It was because I was so sure I wasn't good enough."
"I'm not!" I snapped. "Don't you two get it? I'm here because of who I'm related to!"
"No," Anver said, "you're not. You were chosen because you're a fucking good guardian, Talin. You have the training in weapons that put Ghale to shame last year. I'm waiting to see how you compare to Roek. You are a fighter. You're also loyal. Look at what you did for Nari without hesitation. You nearly died!"
"And they don't care about your brother," Wraythe said. "I promise they aren't looking for special treatment from your family. Those two have a god. A Baron can't compare."
I chuckled at that. "Ok, good point, Wraythe."
"A very good one," he assured me. "You're sexy. You're smart. You're gentle with them when they need it, but not too gentle. You respect them both. You push Nari to be more, and you hold Ela back when he's getting out of control. You fit with us."
"More than I ever did," Anver added. "I was their friend. Sure, I was also their lover of sorts, but not like you. We played around. We had fun. We were stupid and lonely kids trying to figure life out. You? How many secrets do you hold for both of them? How far in have they let you?"
"Yeah," I countered, "but that's as much a bane as a benefit. When Ela was so sure that his obsession with pain play would drive him and Nari apart, I had to throw one of those secrets in his face. What if he resents me for it?"
"The perfect thing?" Wraythe asked.
I nodded. "I said it a lot. Enough times that he told me to stop, actually."
"Because it hurts when someone else is right," Wraythe explained. "Talin, he's not interested in replacing you."
I just blew out a breath. "Yeah. I know that. Doesn't make my brain stop, though."
"Just tell Ela you're a little nervous about how this is going to play out," Wraythe suggested. "It's your first session with someone who doesn't know all the rules. He'll assume your anxiety is about that, not the other guy."
I reached over to clasp his shoulder. "Thanks. I'll talk to him about it tonight. It's not completely a lie, either."
"Shit," Wraythe grumbled. "I'm honestly nervous about that part. I mean, how far do we let them go with this guy? I don't think Peyron's going to hurt them, but I'm not so sure Ela won't get a little rough."
"But Ela always reads the room right," I reminded him. "That's his real skill."
"And I'm supposed to be there for an extra set of eyes," Anver reminded us. "This will be fine. Ela and Nari are professionals. They're some of the best priests the Path of the Body has ever seen. Plus, a Priest of Perception isn't going to be looking for anything too extreme. Not the first time."
"That's a good point," Wraythe agreed, looking over at me. "Peyron's never been with a guy, it sounds like."
"Which means he probably hasn't done any threesomes," I realized.
"The chance is a dream come true for him," Anver said. "I've listened to Tish and Ciella go on and on about how most men would do anything for two women together. That's why they paired up, actually. Their big idea was to use the typical male fantasy to make a name for themselves. This guy? If he's into men and women? What better way to get his limited experience with it than those two?"
