Page 42 of A Song of Air
“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, butIknow 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.
