Page 19 of A Song of Air (Fae Elementals #4)

A throat cleared, breaking Bryson from the fog she found herself in. She realized what she was doing, touching a complete stranger, violating his personal space, all because her instincts told her to.

Mana, what the fuck was she doing?

She gasped, yanking her hand away from his smooth chest. From the man she’d envisioned within her mind: a tall, lithe Fae man with golden-brown skin, long black hair, and a smile that reminded her of malicious intent.

She jerked backwards, nearly tripping on her feet. The impact of the words whispering in her mind were a shock of ice-cold water dripping down her back. The voice had been real. Like when her familiar spoke to her, though with a slight echo.

“What’s going on?” Ev demanded, yanking her by the hood of her cloak, forcing her back to reality. Though she still didn’t feel grounded, even as Ev threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. She could hear his heavy breathing, and the gesture itself was... odd.

Her mind was still reeling at all the information that had been dropped like the bomb that exploded against her eyes so many years ago.

And in her mind, she heard a malicious chuckle. “Possessive, isn’t he?” the voice asked.

And she knew, knew , it was the man in front of her.

Ev’s palm pressed to her shoulder, sliding down her arm. He huffed a breath of annoyance as he pulled her closer, like he meant to draw her within his body.

That chuckle resounded in her mind once again. “He can touch you all he wants,” it whispered in a low timbre. Seductive. Dangerous. “While it lasts...” There was a pause as a shiver slid down her spine. It felt like he was speaking directly into her ear, whispering and caressing hands down her body. Yet he stood immobile in front of her. There was something intimate about the interaction, about having someone in her head. “In the end, it’ll be my arms around you and my lips pressed between your thighs.”

It sounded like a promise.

A promise that made her knees shake and her voice tremble. “Who are you?” she demanded, unaware that she’d said the words aloud.

But the voice that answered echoed through her mind. “The man you practically fondled in front of everyone.”

Her head whipped back at the audacious words. What the fuck? She forced her attention away from him, turning her head to the others instead. They’d witnessed the entire interaction, and she could feel their discomfort in the air.

Someone coughed. “Forgive us,” the deep voice said. The one belonging to the man with the pale skin, dark black hair, and what she could only assume were severe features based on the thick pull of his brows. “We have gotten off on the wrong foot. I am Prince Valerio Ashera of Seelie, and this is my court.”

“I’m Bryson Varik, and this—”

“ Prince ?” Ev mocked, interrupting and pulling her tighter against his body. “Yes, we’ve heard of you.”

“Have you?” the prince said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

“That’s not a good thing.”

Silence ensued Ev’s words. She held her breath, wondering how this would play out. Anxiety thrummed beneath her skin. Ev was being rude to the Seelie Prince and all she wanted to do was bow. But bowing before someone that Ev and Arlo perceived as an enemy would put her on the wrong side of their ire.

Ev made a noise of annoyance. “Kill them all,” he ordered.

Bryson jolted in his hold. Swords and arrows were drawn, and Bryson yanked herself away from Ev’s body, standing in between the two groups once again. “You can’t!” she shouted.

“And why not?” Ev was speaking to her as a leader and not as her boyfriend. She hated when he did that. When he treated her like the rest. She knew he did it so no one would accuse him of playing favorites, but he never showed her any ease, and sometimes treated her like he would punish her, only to hours later seek solace between her thighs.

A chuckle sounded in her mind, sending a shiver down her back. She shook off the feeling.

“Because Clay Valentino saved my life,” she lied.

He hadn’t. She’d saved his, but Everette didn’t need to know that. No one needed to know the truth.

“Oh, but I know the truth...”

“Get out of my fucking head,” she growled in her mind.

She felt the phantom touch of fingers slide over her neck like a vow and a threat at once.

“Bryson—”

“I owe him a life debt,” she pushed on, not giving Everett a chance to speak. It was the only way he would let them live; she was sure of it. He may have hated the Resistance, but she knew he and Arlo venerated life debts. And even if they were a part of something the community didn’t believe in, he had to give them a chance to prove themselves to them.

And if there were Elementals in their midst, then Arlo would want to exploit their magic even more, and that assured they would live.

Perhaps it was selfish, lying to bring them into their fold, but it was the only way Bryson could think to protect them all.

She could sense Everett lost in thought. Finally, he begrudged, “ Fine .” His voice was tight. “But we take them straight to Arlo. Let him decide.”

Bryson felt her whole body relax, though it tensed all over again when Ev grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards him. The press of his lips against the shell of her ear made her tense, and the words he promised made a cold sweat break out over her body.

“Arlo will make you pay for this insolence, Bryson.” He pulled away, though she could make out every harsh breath press against her chest. “And I won’t be able to fucking protect you from it.”

She frowned. “I didn’t ask for your protection.”

Ev made a scoffing sound of disgust. “Remember that when you ask me to confide in you next time.”

Her face heated with a blush as he turned away from her. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to our camp.”

“What was that all about?” Ev hissed under his breath.

They led the group towards their camp. They were close, but their steps had slowed. The Resistance kept pace behind them, giving them a bit of distance, or at least the illusion of privacy.

Throughout the whole trek, Ev had steamed quietly, giving Bryson the silent treatment. He’d only just spoken, cutting through the silence with blade-like words. They made Bryson turn her face in his direction, though he didn’t stop. He didn’t even look in her direction.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Don’t play coy,” he snapped.

She flinched at his harsh tone, guilt a painful twinge against her chest. He had every right to be irritated with her. She knew what he meant. She’d forgotten herself, had touched another man in front of him. It hadn’t been in any way except instinct and curiosity, but she imagined what it had looked like from an outside perspective.

From her boyfriend’s perspective.

“What was—whatever that was—with that guy .” He sneered the word like it was some type of venereal disease. His jealousy bled through his words, so obvious, so open.

It made her heart skip a beat suddenly as the man’s words blew through her mind. She’d tried to ignore them, but they pressed against her from every angle, penetrating her defenses like an all-consuming magic she couldn’t shake.

As it was, his presence felt close. His scent choked her nostrils, something spicy and sweet clashing against her. She couldn’t even see the man and she could picture him smiling at her backside. For a brief second, his image flashed against her mind again, like he’d placed it there himself.

And she knew somehow that he had. Probably with whatever magic he possessed that allowed him to speak within her mind.

She shook him off, or as much as she could, and took a steady breath.

“Ev...” Her throat tightened. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say or how, but she knew she couldn’t lie to him. “He’s...”

My mate.

But those words sounded wrong. He wasn’t her anything. He was just a man who Mana happened to place in front of her and bound them with magic. She didn’t know him, and he didn’t know her.

But his voice, his words, he’d been so sure of their conviction as he purred within her mind.

Enjoy it while it lasts. In the end, it’ll be my arms around you and my lips pressed between your thighs.

A shiver slid down her spine at the dark pledge.

“He’s...”

Ev scoffed. “Spit it out , Bryce.”

“A mating bond snapped between us,” she growled out.

Ev stopped then, his feet skidding against the dirt. She stopped beside him, but a moment later, he was gripping her arm, pulling her to the side. He pressed close to her, his breath fanning across her face and tasting like wine. His dark eyes flared in anger, his chest heaving.

“What?” he hissed. “A mating bond?”

His tone was accusatory, and it made her own defenses rise. “Ev, it’s not my fault.” She hadn’t gone out actively looking for the man. It wasn’t like she could control who Mana decided to place in front of her.

There was a beat of silence and Ev sucked in a breath. “You’re right,” he whispered, and for a second, she heard uncertainty in his tone. “I—I just—fuck!” He let her go and took a step back. He ran a hand through his dark tresses of hair. She could feel him retreating and it made her heart hurt. She had the urge to reach for him but held herself back. “How can I compete with a fucking mating bond?”

Her body relaxed and she reached for him then, her hands extending. She gripped him by the shirt front, fingers brushing along the coarse, dark hair exposed at the collar.

The others were approaching behind him, and she knew she had to prove where her loyalty in their relationship was, so she hurried and yanked him to her chest.

“Ev,” she began. “I’ll confess, if I touched him, it was because the bond caught me off guard. But I promise that I don’t care about him. I don’t even know him, and I don’t want to know him.” She smoothed her palms over his chest and stood on the tips of her toes so their eyes met. She saw the uncertainty in his gaze and didn’t like it. After everything they’d been through, after everything he made her feel, it wasn’t fair that this doubt had been planted between them. “The bond is optional, so I can reject it.” His hair tickled her cheeks as it fell forward, curtaining them both. “I’m with you , Ev. And that’s exactly where I want to be.”

Her words eased his mood. His body relaxed against hers. Then his hold on her tightened, his hand going to her waist where he gripped her hip, nails digging in. He pulled her close and his lips brushed down to take hers in a furious kiss.

It was everything it had never been before.

Possessive.

Angry.

Devout.

His tongue tangled with hers, devouring, consuming, and she moaned as desire stirred low in her belly.

But as quickly as it began, it ended, and it wasn’t until he pulled away that the scent of sweet and spicy filled her nose and she knew, even without seeing, that the man had witnessed the kiss.

And she wondered if Everett had done so on purpose.

She leaned away from him, taking a shaking step back, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “We should keep going,” she suggested, glad her voice didn’t shake or match the trembling happening beneath her skin. Bryson avoided looking anywhere else, lest her gaze stray to the enticing, mysterious man.

“Yeah.” Ev took her hand, clasping their fingers together in a strong hold that he refused to let go. He tugged her forward and she almost tripped to keep up with his strides.

She didn’t turn around, but she could feel the hot pulse of a smirk boring against her back. Her muscles tensed with every step, waiting for that voice to invade her senses again.

But she was met with complete silence.

And for the life of her, Bryson wasn’t sure if she was grateful...

...or disappointed.