Page 70 of A Song of Air
She didn’t respond. Didn’t open her eyes. If he had something he wanted to say, he could do so. And then leave.
She wanted to be alone.
Ev sighed again. “Bryson, I’m sorry, alright?” He made a frustrated sound. “I’ve been an asshole to you.”
Bryson made a snorting noise of agreement.
“I have no excuse for my behavior. I was threatened by that Fae, and in my jealousy, I took it out on you. I can’t apologize enough for that. You didn’t deserve it, and I don’t deserve you.” There was silence, the rustle of his clothes. “Bryson, can you please look at me?”
Slowly, Bryson opened her eyes and found him staring down at her. This close, she could see the distress he wore like a second skin. It made his expression look severe. She wondered if his distress and regret should have made her happy.
It just made her feel hollow.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I’m insecure. I wanted to, I don’t know, prove that I was just as strong, just as worthy as your mate.”
“Stupid,” Bryson replied. “I don’t even know him. Who’s to say if he’s even worthy or not?”
“I know that now.” His hand came down on her cheek, soft as his thumb stroked her skin. “Being human while you’re Fae is not easy. I’m aware of the power imbalance between us. I feel like I have to work twice as hard to keep up with you. Then this Fae shows up and all those insecurities grew three times as big, and I felt like I had even more to prove.”
Bryson let out a breath. “Stupid.”
His eyes shone in the darkness; his hair fell over his cheeks. “Can you forgive me?”
Could she? Her answer came quickly. She could. Everette had so many faults, but this wasn’t something he’d ever done before. To be honest, it wasn’t something they’d ever had to navigate before. They’d both been way out of their element with this entire situation. Neither of them could’ve predicted any of it. They’d both been caught off guard.
She could forgive him for what he’d done. So long as he didn’t do it again.
“Okay,” she said softly.
Ev let out a breath of relief. He leaned down, hair tickling her skin as he pressed a slow, soft kiss to her mouth. “I hate fighting,” he whispered.
“Me too.”
“Why fight when we could spend our time doing much more enjoyable things?” His voice had dropped low, sultry, leaving no room to guess what it was he wanted.
That familiar dull ache spread behind her eyes.
“I miss us,” Ev went on. He rolled over her, settling his weight comfortably above, holding himself up by his hands. “Before everything turned chaotic.”
“Hmm.”
What he meant to say was that he missed how things were before the Resistance showed up at their camp. She wouldn’t agree because she wasn’t sure she felt the same thing. If they hadn’t, she wouldn’t have discovered how important she—and her magic—was for the world. She wouldn’t have met other Elementals. Malika never would have found her sister.
By the grace of Mana, this was meant to happen.
Ev just couldn’t see it yet.
His palm cupped her cheek, and he gazed down at her with open adoration. For a moment, he breathed her in, closing the distance between them. “I love you, Bryson,” he whispered.
Bryson closed her eyes against the onslaught of feelings his words caused. So many things warred inside of her at once. She couldn’t reply. She couldn’t say anything. Or maybe Ev just didn’t give her a chance to, because between one moment and the next, his lips were tight against hers and he was devouring with an almost desperation that made her skin spark with desire.
She opened her mouth against his, letting their tongues tangle together. He blanketed his body with hers, pressing his hardness against her core. For a moment, she let herself feel. Let herself forget.
If only for a moment.
Bryson leaned into him, her fingers grasping against the hem of his shirt and sliding it up his muscular body. Her hands toyed with his skin, fingers scraping over the flesh at his back. She held back the urge to dig her nails in. Held herself back from being too rough. Too aggressive.
They broke apart to draw breath. Her neck angled to the side and Ev’s teeth scraped against her skin. She gasped as his teeth nipped her. Her hips thrust up to meet his, and he grinded down hard.
