Page 7 of The Price We Pay (The Path of Temptation 1)

"Why?" I asked.

Her eyes slipped closed for a little too long. "So we can wash your hair. Works better when it's wet."

I obeyed, tilting my head back so far that even my forehead was under water. Amerlee watched while she rolled up her sleeves, and then she reached over the edge to wiggle her fingers through my hair. It felt kinda good.

"And up," she ordered.

My hair was barely out of the water before she poured something into it and began rubbing at it again. This time, it made lather. Her hands were careful around the knots, although she didn't ignore them. Eventually, she said it was good and made me rinse, only to repeat the entire process three more times. When she finally called it good, she put something else in my hair, worked it in, and then moved around to the side.

When I saw her pick up a round brush with a strap across the back, I was sure I knew what came next, but I was wrong. She didn't just start rubbing off my skin. Amerlee pressed it against a square of something first, and then she began on my arm. This brush was soft, and bubbles built up that made it slide really nicely against my skin. They were brown, yet when she dipped my arm into the water, all the dirt faded away, tinting the bath.

Taking her time, she worked her way up both of my arms, and then down my legs, rinsing each time. When those were considered clean enough, she gave me the brush and told me to do the rest of my body. I tried to hurry through it, but she made sure I didn't miss a spot. Finally, she had me turn, and she washed every inch of my back.

Only when that was done did she finally let me rinse my hair. The knots in it had relaxed but weren't quite ready to give up, yet I was considered clean enough. Carefully, I crawled out of the tall tub to be met with a soft and fluffy towel. While I dried myself off, she found a robe made of the same material and wrapped me up in it, helping me tie the cord around my waist to hold it in place.

Then, she led me back to the first room. A fire was roaring in the hearth at the side, and we both sat on the plush rug before it. Amerlee claimed the spot behind me, pulled out a comb, and began working on my hair. Her hands were gentle, never pulling too hard, and yet I could feel the knots moving further away from my scalp.

"Do you think my papa will be mad at me for coming here with you?" I asked.

Her hands kept moving, but a little slower than they had been before. "He wants you to stay with us, sweetie."

"How long?"

She slid the comb through one more time, the teeth finally slipping through my hair without snagging. "Do you know what the Day of Surrender is for?"

"No..."

"Nari, not every family can afford their children. The gods grew tired of seeing young and innocent lives thrown out to struggle on their own, so the Temple of All Gods opens its doors one day a year. Anyone between the ages of ten and fourteen can be dropped off and promised a good life. A life as a priest or priestess."

It took a moment before I figured out what she was saying. "You mean me?"

She nodded. "Yes, and those brothers you said went away and didn't come back? They're priests now, and you're going to become a priestess. The gods can afford to feed you, clothe you, and teach you things you would never learn otherwise. Your father would've been given a gold coin when your marks showed up, and that means your brothers and sisters can eat all winter long."

My eyes filled with tears and I shook my head. "But I wanna go home!"

"This is going to be your home now," she explained. "The priesthood will become your family. Don't you want to be my little sister?"

"I want my papa," I wailed, the tears spilling over to run down my cheeks. "I wanna go home, Amerlee."

"Oh, sweetie," she breathed, pulling me into her lap just to hug me as hard as she could. "I know, child. Trust me, I do know. I remember when my own mother surrendered me and I thought it meant she didn't love me, but that's not it at all. It meant she loved me enough to give me up." Her words were soft, and she gently rocked me. "And your papa loves you so much that he wanted to give you a life where you will never be hungry again. Where you will always have shoes and your own clothes. He loves you, Nariana. He loves you so much."

"He didn't like what was on my hands," I blubbered. "He saw them and he left."

"No," she soothed, glancing back at the sound of the door. I heard it too, but she kept going before I could worry. "He was just shocked. No one expects their child to be claimed by Temptation. They think it's going to be a hard life, but it's not. This is the best life of them all, ok? And I'm going to take very good care of you."

"Me too," Jamik said, kneeling down beside us. "Come here, sweetie."

Amerlee let me go so Jamik could claim me, pulling me up against his chest in an even tighter hug. "Amerlee and I are going to teach you how to be the best priestess Zeal has ever seen. I know it hurts, but we love you too."

I didn't care. I couldn't stop crying and he smelled like what I knew. Like everything I was losing. Pressing my face against his shoulder, I breathed in the leather, oils, and crisp scent of his clothes. This was how Papa had smelled when we'd left for the temple. Jamik's arms felt like Papa's when he put me to bed. He felt safe and stable, the exact thing I needed, and he didn't even care that I was crying all over his fancy shirt.

Jamik just rubbed his hand up and down the length of my back, letting me cry it all out. When the sobs turned to hiccups, he shifted me a little so I could hug his neck, but the rubbing didn't stop. Neither did the deep, soft words promising that I'd be ok. When my tears turned to little more than sniffles, he passed me something. It was nothing like I'd ever felt before. The toy was very soft and had some stuffing inside.

"See this?" he asked, pressing it into my hands. "That's Bunny, and it reminded me of you. Nothing but big honey-brown eyes. I got it for you so you won't ever have to be alone, ok? Your first present as a priestess, from your new big brother."

Amerlee laughed softly. "You're a kind man, Jamik. Too nice for me."

"Just nice enough," he countered, slowly rocking me. "And it's a good life, Nariana. Amerlee and I will make sure you're happy here, ok?"

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