LOVED it. Some of my favorite parts:
It was such a handsome ring. Such an extravagance, and only one of so many. The life of an Anorian prince really was - - wait. Hey! You distracted me with a shiny object! I fell for it! Great Grengar, am I really as simple as that?
Beside him, Desin nudged him. “Kudorin wants me to say yes to you, but he’s laughing, so he probably doesn’t mean it.”
While Orinakin burst into laughter, Bade sighed and handed the ring back.
“I’m sorry, vinga.” Orinakin hugged him, fingers feathering through his hair. “Kudorin didn’t mean it.”
Orinakin’s smile was always so filled with fondness, it made Bade smile back. “I don’t mind. I think that it’s kind of terrific, actually, that I’m here, in Orina Anoris, married to you, putting up with Anosukinom’s lousy sense of humor.”
Heehee! Though he did kind of end up paying for calling Kudorin's sense of humor "lousy." LOL
“You’re touching me.” Prince Remin’s voice was faint, as if he didn’t trust himself to speak, and his breath came so rapidly that Naritano could see the anxious rise and fall of his chest. “You can’t touch me.”
Naritano would let go, if Prince Remin wanted him to. But he knew that what Prince Remin said, and what Prince Remin felt, and what Prince Remin wanted, and what Prince Remin needed, were sometimes at odds. That was what kept Prince Remin so unhappy, so tormented, and Naritano hated it.
I love how Tano understands Remin more and more every time they're together.
“What kind of man do you want your husband to be?”
“Someone I can fuck. Someone I can fuck a lot.” With a soft, unhappy moan, a choked-off sound, Prince Remin turned his wrist, twisting within Naritano’s grasp.
Understanding what he wanted, Naritano caressed his skin, stroking him lightly, fascinated by the divine texture of his flesh. It was a true sensual delight to touch Prince Remin, and Naritano tried to provide the physical contact he yearned for without raising the heat between them. “I understand that, but what else do you look for?”
“I don’t know. Someone male. Anorian. My age. Worshipful of Anosukinom.” His breathing had softened and his eyes were glazing over as he relaxed into Naritano’s caress.
“It should be someone respectable. Someone who would never embarrass you or speak ill of the priesthood. Someone who represents you well and is devoted to the gods. Someone who listens to you and supports you and cares about your happiness. And of course it has to be someone who fits in well with your family..."
And neither of them notice that Tano fits all that to a T. I know we've been saying that Remin's going to feel like a total idiot once it actually hits him, but I'm starting to really empathize with Kudorin when he says that he wants to throw Remin in a ditch.
“It’s cruel to taunt Prince Anoremin with what he can’t have.” Naritano felt the wild urge to punch the guy in that smirking mouth. “It’s wrong to accuse him of having penetrative sex, it’s horrible, it’s disloyal, it’s treasonous! Don’t you understand?” he demanded furiously. “The royal high priest can’t have sex! Not outside of marriage, not without his husband! What’s wrong with you? Why can’t you respect that? The jokes and the gossip, everybody making these nasty little assumptions, you’re accusing our royal high priest of going against his ethics and breaking his promised vows! That’s not a joke! Why is this such an acceptable thing to everyone?”
....
“Young man.” She was addressing Naritano now. His anger fading, Naritano was acutely aware of the deliciously smooth press of Prince Remin’s hand, curled in the crook of his elbow. “You defended Prince Anoremin’s honor well. There are those who take the sometimes casual approach of the Seven Siblings to heart and adopt a casual approach in response. I’m glad to see that not all of the current generation takes the roles of the Seven Siblings so lightly.”
“I hope that we never became so accustomed to the Seven Siblings that we treat them casually or take them for granted,” Naritano told her. “They are one of the greatest gifts our generous gods have given to us. We must honor and treasure them.”
....
“She thinks that Anosukinom is too free and undisciplined.” Prince Remin was watching him closely. “What do you think?”
“I don’t think that Anosukinom can be too anything. It’s Anosukinom. Whatever he does must be just fine with the gods, so why should I second-guess it?”
“That’s awfully trusting of you.”
Naritano laughed. “Of course it is, and it should be. If I can’t trust the gods, then I don’t think that the word ‘trust’ has any meaning to it.” Too free and undisciplined? “We’re blessed to have the living god among us. We’re blessed with Anosukinom’s presence in our lives. What he chooses to do while he’s with us isn’t as important as the fact that he’s here. He could stand on his head and tell jokes all day and I don’t think that we’d have any reason to complain. Besides, he’s a god. I don’t think for one instant that the things we see him do are all that he’s doing.”
Prince Remin hugged him. Hugged him close against Prince Remin’s slender, hard, magnificently erotic body. Wrapped both lean, muscular arms around him.
Tano to the rescue again, defending Remin! I love that. He needs to learn to reign in the anger, but he CANNOT stop saying what he thinks when it comes to men approaching Remin like that. I love that someone came up and told him that. And I love that the incident ended with them embracing instead of Remin taking care of Tano after a fistfight. Progress!
“I shouldn’t say these things to you. I shouldn’t-”
“You shouldn’t be in so much pain, and you shouldn’t suffer alone,” Naritano whispered firmly, not letting him finish. “Let me massage you. If it makes you feel better, we’ll do it again. If you hate it, I’ll stop.”
Prince Remin didn’t reply.
The silence stretched on.
Naritano didn’t mind. He was content to stand in Prince Remin’s embrace for the rest of his life.
“What did he do?!” What was that ringing sound?! What was - - oh. Just someone ringing a bell. Bade groaned, rubbing his forehead. “What if I beg him for mercy?”
“Appeal to Xio Voe,” Selorin suggested.
“Anikira might take pity on you,” Orinakin said. “Xio Voe gives Kudorin too much free rein.”
That cracks me up because I think everyone would have predicted that Xio Voe would keep Kudorin in check and ANikira would be the one indulging him all the time. Speaking of Anikira, I really miss her. Is she coming home soon? Remin can't fall in love and get engaged without his sister.
