Page 14 of A Song of Air (Fae Elementals #4)

T he night was restless and the forest too silent. The scent of death lingered in the air, and it put everybody on edge. Clay was sure nobody slept last night, waiting with bated breaths as the darkness made way to morning. Something was out there; far away, but out there.

Whether or not that thing was a threat remained to be seen.

He wondered if it was the Elemental. Corvina, Iona, and Shula said they’d sensed them somewhere in the trees. Far away, but still close enough to have their magic fritzing beneath their skin. He’d caught Corvina scraping her nails across her skin throughout the night. Even though he’d placed his hands over her anxious fingers, he didn’t think he’d helped to ease her turmoil.

There were dark shadows beneath her lids that morning, and a wariness that the three Elementals shared. They were primed for... something.

“Mommy, I have to relieve myself.”

Basil’s soft voice cut through Clay’s thoughts. Basil was pressing his thighs together, holding himself as he hopped from foot to foot.

Corvina sighed, though smiled at her son. “We can go over by the cart—”

“No!” he protested immediately. “Everyone will see.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “ Shula will see.”

Clay smothered his laugh with a cough. Basil had fallen in love with Shula. He wouldn’t be the only one. Between Ryker and Valerio staring at her like no one else noticed... The Fire Dancer had magic in her veins that wasn’t just the element she wielded.

“Basil, there’s nowhere else to go.”

Basil’s eyes widened and filled with an influx of tears. Before he could start wailing, Clay stood from where he perched. “I’ll take him.”

Corvina stared at him gratefully, but it was followed by the worried biting of her bottom lip. He itched to smooth it out with his thumb and press a kiss to her mouth. He understood she would be worried, filled with apprehension. They were in the middle of nowhere, a place she didn’t recognize, and the wounds of her past would be too hard to heal overnight.

His heart ached for his mate and all she’d endured. Always living in fear of those around her, her friends, her son, and her own life. He wanted to reassure her that things would be different now, but he held back. He knew he couldn’t promise complete safety. Not with the lives they led. Not when they were in the middle of a war.

But he would protect Basil. He would never threaten to harm him, and she had to know that.

“I’ll protect him with my life,” Clay promised, bending so he pressed a gentle kiss over her forehead.

She sighed, melting into the touch before pulling away. “You’ll be careful?”

He flashed her a smile. “Always.”

She relaxed in her seat while Basil took Clay’s hand. Sometimes he marveled at the ease with which Basil had taken to him. It would be a lie to say that Clay felt like a father-figure to him. He didn’t feel that yet, but he cared for the boy as much as he cared for Corvina because he was a part of her. He didn’t think Basil would ever forget his real father, though the child hadn’t shed any tears over his passing. Clay wondered if he just hadn’t been given time to mourn. And if he did, when would it be?

Before he took Basil into the privacy of the trees, he nodded in Valerio’s direction, letting him know with a glance that he would be back in a few moments.

“Come on!” Basil urged. He pulled Clay deeper into the trees, and Clay kept a firm grasp on him, eyes alert to everything around him.

He found it odd how quiet it was, like the forest lacked all breath, and he briefly wondered if it was cursed. The thought flew away when Basil ripped his hand from his grip and ran.

Clay let out a curse. “Basil,” he hissed. But the kid was jetting into the woods, laughter echoing behind him. “Fuck.” Clay went in pursuit. He was fast for his age, but he caught up just as he stopped at the edge of a rushing stream. Almost immediately, he yanked his pants down and began to relieve himself in the water.

Clay approached when he finished, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t run off like that on your own, Basil,” he chided softly. Corvina would have had his neck if she’d witnessed it.

Basil turned his face up to him. Bright round eyes stared at him, a tousle of dark curls ruffling in the wind. There was no trace of his father in him. He looked like Corvina, with his petite, upturned nose and overall innocence.

“Sorry,” he apologized.

Clay smiled. “That’s alright. Now, wash your hands and let’s get back.” They didn’t need to stay in the forest longer than necessary.

Once Basil was done, he gripped Clay’s hand tightly and they started back to the camp. Unfortunately, they’d only made it a few feet before the forest came alive with noise again. He’d been listening, and yet it still came as a surprise when a net fell over both of them, making them trip and fall to the ground.

Basil cried out, his body automatically racking in sobs and pain. Clay coughed, struggling to breathe. Because the net? It was covered in ashwood and iron.

He wanted to cry out, but he bit his tongue and tasted the coppery tang of blood. A moment later, booted feet crept into his vision. He glared, following the length up legs clad in tattered, dirty pants, and to the face of a human man. Bearded and ugly, he spat on the ground in front of Clay.

“My, my, my,” he said in a gravelly voice. “What have we here?”

And all Clay could think in that moment was, Oh shit.