Page 35 of A Dance With Fire
“You slept all night and Valerio is eager to speak with you,” Clay explained as he pushed open the back door. “You don’t have to be afraid of him, though. He looks much more dangerous than he is, but don’t tell him I told you that or he’ll cut my head off.”
Shula didn’t question how he could not be dangerous and then threaten to chop his head off in the same moment. It wasn’t her business. Soon, she’d be away from them.
Clay led her outside, and Shula was surprised about the warm splash of sunlight that wafted over her face. She was so used to the fog and smog of the city that when she stepped onto clumpy bits of grass, dirt, and rocks, she nearly tripped. Inhaling deep, she relished in the fresh air, her eyes darting around the open expanse of space and the forest beyond. Thick leaves clustered together, so close that the trees formed an umbrella over their own trunks and the grass below.
Even more surprising still were the people wandering along the backyard like this was some type of… camp.
There weren’t that many people, about ten or eleven or so, and they were a mix of humans and Fae both, of all ages, working together to shove things into packs and wagons tethered to mules and horses.
“Where are we?” she asked, hoping to keep the bit of awe she felt from her voice.
Clay tugged her along the camp. Curious stares followed her, but no one said anything. The humans didn’t rush at her to kill her, but they seemed to all nod respectfully at Clay. It was something she never thought she’d see in her lifetime.
“We’re at one of our safe houses.” He cast her a side glance. “Don’t worry about the place being shabby. We won’t be staying here indefinitely. It’s not safe to keep to one place for too long.”
She knew that all too well. It was another reason why she’d joined the circus. Movement meant survival.
“Come. Valerio is just over here.” He pulled her near the edge of the forest and her booted feet skidded along the dirt.
She knew what going into the woods with someone like him meant…
He cast her a glance and sighed. He released his hold on her, and she watched cautiously as he pushed aside the hem of his tunic to reveal a weapon’s belt wrapped around his waist. He whipped out a dagger that had her flinching back.
“Geez! Put the fire out! I’m not going to hurt you! Shit…”
She hadn’t realized her palms had caught fire or that the fire had spread up her arms. She’d always been so controlled before, so careful to keep her powers repressed. She wondered if it had anything to do with those brothers and the liquid they’d shoved down her throat. If it had awakened something within her that she’d always kept tightly locked. Or maybe it hadn’t even been them at all. Maybe it was the scars on her back. After all, it had all started with Davina’s predictions and the flames carved into her flesh.
She blinked, but the flames were still there. It had been so long, she realized she didn’t even know how to control it in this quantity anymore. She tried picturing how to smother it, and it felt like it took forever before the flames disappeared back inside her, settling right next to her frantic heartbeat.
“Shit, little Fire Dancer. You could’ve fucking killed me. I guess you won’t even need this, huh?” He thrust the knife towards her, hilt first.
She eyed the weapon warily and he rolled his eyes, stepping forward to slam it down onto her palm.
“There, since you seem so inclined to be protected around us. I hope this makes you realize that we aren’t going to hurt you. You’re safe with us, little Fire Dancer.”
Shula’s palm closed over the hilt. The weapon did make her feel safer. Just holding the simple blade in her hand made her feel like she had her power back. Like she wasn’t helpless among these mysterious Fae who had taken her.
“Now can we go see Valerio? I really don’t want to piss him off again.”
“You have a lot of experience with pissing him off?” she asked as she shoved the blade into her pants pocket. She kept her hand plastered to it, feeling the weight of it bounce against her thigh and dig into her palm.
He walked into the copse of trees and she followed before answering. “I piss him off enough, which means I'm on thin ice. I don’t want to piss him off again.”
“Is he just a really angry person—Fae—uh—” She wasn’t exactly sure how to direct herself towards them. Fae weren’t people. Not exactly. They were living beings, but they were so vastly different from humans that they had their own category.
Clay chuckled. “You can call us people, Fire Dancer. It’s fine. We’re all alive and breathing, aren’t we? We all bleed, we all live, and we all die. Well, the Fae die slower than mortals, but you get what I mean.”
She supposed he made a fair argument.
“So what did you do?”
“Hm?” Clay sounded distracted as he pushed aside a thick branch and held it aside for her to pass through.
“What did you do to piss him off?”
“I don’t think you’re ready for that story yet.”
A million scenarios, each wilder than the last, played through her mind. What could this man have possibly done to piss off Valerio? And why was he so frightened of him? Obviously, he was a powerful Fae, so she made a mental note not to piss him off, either. But if he tried anything, she would try right back. Anything to save herself.
