Page 79 of A Song of Air
He was kinder.
More real.
She hated how it warmed her from the inside out.
“The child of an Elemental wielding magic.”
It wasn’t unheard of. Magical gifts from Mana were rare; only a small hint of the population had magic. Sometimes it ran through familial blood. More often than not, the magic-bearers were those that came from families without any at all.
But Basil’s mother was an Elemental. And if he was manifesting his magic at such a young age, it was for a reason. Mana probably had bigger plans for the boy and set this specific gift into his veins for a reason.
Invisibility. And the price of it was that no one could sense him nearby. The invisibility dulled his scent, deafened others to his cries of help. Yet Weylyn’s mind magic counteracted Basil’s, and he was able to find his consciousness. And Bryson? Well, her senses were already sharper than others’ due to her poor sight.
“You know you could have found him quicker than me from the very beginning,” Bryson whispered accusingly, though there was no heat behind it.
Weylyn picked Basil into his arms and turned with long-legged strides. He threw that familiar malicious smile in her direction. “Oh, but you were having a very good time finding him on your own, little mate.”
Bryson chuckled, and she found that even though he’d said those words, this time she didn’t feel bothered by them at all.
“Basil, love, where were you?” Corvina cried out and pulled her son into her arms the moment they made it back to camp. She held him close, her tears soaking his hair, and he gripped her equally tight.
“My lady,” Weylyn drew her attention his way.
Corvina looked at Weylyn with shining eyes.
Bryson could only be a spectator to the event. From what she’d gathered, everyone always gave Weylyn a wide berth, but she’d never seen the water Elemental stare at him like he was a pariah. In fact, she seemed to be one of the only ones who ever welcomed him. Even now she was looking at him with her eyes shining, admiration obviously glowing in them.
Something hot seared in Bryson’s chest, and she rubbed it away with the palm of her hand, taking a deep breath to settle her nerves.
Even Weylyn looked at Corvina with equal admiration.
“His gifts from Mana have manifested,” he said.
Corvina rocked back on her heels and Clay crowded behind her, staring wide eyed at Weylyn. “What do you mean?” he asked.
“Invisibility,” was all Weylyn had to say. “The price is silence, the lack of essence.”
Corvina closed her eyes. “As if being a mother isn’t already hard enough.”
Weylyn reached out to the woman, and Bryson held her breath, almost expecting Corvina’s mate, Clay, to stop the trajectory of Weylyn’s hand. To slam into him. To go feral. But he let it happen. Weylyn set a hand on Basil’s head before he slid it down Corvina’s arm.
The gesture was strangely intimate, though not in a sexual way. Not in the same way Weylyn crowded Bryson. This was... different.
“My lord will learn to control it. With the right teachings.” Then Weylyn pulled away and Corvina smiled warmly at him.
“Thank you, Weylyn.”
“Anything for you, my lady.”
Corvina gave another sheepish smile before Clay led her back to where their group awaited them. They crowded around the couple, fussing over Basil in hushed, low voices.
Finally, Weylyn turned back to Bryson, but all tenderness had erased from his expression, and he was looking at her again with that mask of seduction. His lids lowered, eyes heating as they roved over Bryson’s every inch.
She wouldn’t be fazed this time. While her body did warm a fraction, she shoved it all down, giving way to curiosity instead. The way he’d been with Corvina and Basil... It made something in her chest burn, like the bond was igniting inside her.
Not jealousy, she told herself. It couldn’t be that.
“Why do you call them ‘my lord’ and ‘my lady’?”
