Page 8 of Tamed By Air (The Nature Hunters Academy 4)

“But he’s had you, Liam, and Aston,” Tara pointed out.

Elias shook his head. “And we’ve been a stabilizing force for a time. But a man needs more than friends.” He reached up and ran a finger across her cheek, his eyes softening as he looked at her. “A man needs the support of a woman. He needs her gentleness, her ability to love, her hand to hold when he feels like everything’s falling apart. That’s not something a friend or brother can do. It’s a different kind of bond. And that’s what Ra needs. He needs his mate.”

Tara understood what Elias was saying. Shelly was precious to her, and Gabby had taken a special place in her heart as well. But Elias was more than that. He was essential. He filled a hole in her she hadn’t even realized had been there. Granted, she hadn’t known about the soul bonded, and that her soul needed his to be complete, but it was more than that. Elias complimented her strengths and weaknesses, and she did the same for him.

“So, what are we going to do?” she asked. “We’ve tried talking to Headmaster Terrick, and he won’t give us any information. Iterra placates us with soft words and reassurances that the elementals are dealing with the situation. How much longer are we going to wait to take action?”

“What kind of action are we talking about?” Liam plopped down in the chair across from them, setting down two trays of food. Gabby took the seat beside him and nudged him with her shoulder. Tara found it hilarious that Liam always crowded his soul bonded, and Gabby constantly tried to make him give her space. Liam didn’t budge. Instead, he turned to look at Gabby and gave her a wink as he tossed a french fry into his mouth.

“Are we finally going to kick some ass and get Aston and Shelly back?” Gabby shifted her altered uniform back onto her shoulder. She still had a thing for cutting holes into her clothes. Tara raised a brow at her. Gabby shrugged. “They keep giving me new uniforms, and I keep cutting them. You’d think they know the definition of insanity, but apparently, madness is their thing.”

Tara chuckled. “If it really bothered them, they’d reprimand you.”

“True.” Gabby nodded. “But I’m one of their best students. I don’t cause problems, I get outstanding marks in all my classes, and I have the patience to put up with this one”—she motioned to Liam—“which basically qualifies me for sainthood.”

“It really does,” Tara said.

“You’re also humble, babe,” Liam offered. “Let’s not forget that one.”

Gabby stabbed a fork in one of his chicken strips and gave him a bland look.

“Awe, babe,” he whined. “Don’t punish my food for being honest. You know I like it so much more when you punishme.”

“Nope.” Elias held up his hand. “You can keep that shite to yourself. Tara and I have no desire to hear about your kinky bedroom sports.”

Tara tilted her head to look at him and raised her brow. “Bedroom sports? What exactly are bedroom sports?”

Liam clucked his tongue. “Elias, have you been holding out on your woman? You should know one of the most important parts of a relationship is intimacy, keeping things spicy.”

“I’m going to burn your ass if you keep talking,” Gabby muttered before taking a bite of the stolen chicken strip.

“What?” Liam’s voice rose, and his eyes widened innocently. “I’m just giving some friendly advice. I care about them, and I want their relationship to blossom.”

“He talks like he’s up late at night reading the Kama Sutra, trying to figure out new ways to bring me to heights of ecstasy,” Gabby said dryly and rolled her eyes. “But the dude is just laying over there snoring away.”

Tara nearly spit out her water.

Liam growled and cut his eyes at his soul bonded. “You forgot to add the part where I was snoring awaybecauseI had spent hours bringing you to those heights of ecstasy, woman.”

Tara choked down another drink, making a mental note not to take in liquid while in the presence of Gabby and Liam. She swallowed and then blinked several times to clear the water that had pooled in her eyes from coughing. “Wow, I feel like we missed something somewhere. There was dancing between the sheets, snoring, and then the two of you showing up late for lunch.”

“I fall asleep one time,one time, after a bout of rather intense—” The rest of his words came out garbled as Gabby picked up a roll and crammed it into his mouth.

“Do not attempt to finish that sentence or, so help me, I willnotgo easy on you in the sparring ring. And you won’t have to worry about pleasing anyone because you won’t be able to walk.” Gabby went back to her food without looking up at Tara and Elias.

“Sooooo…” Elias picked up his burger. “I can see the stress of all of this isn’t getting to you two at all.”

Tara dropped the fry she’d been holding, the levity of moments ago forgotten as another thought of Shelly imprisoned in the underworld came unbidden to her mind. Tara’s appetite had long since disappeared. She simply couldn’t force herself to keep eating, not when she was so worried about whether Shelly and Aston were alive and well. Tara had lost seven pounds over the course of the past two weeks.

Elias nudged her. “You need to eat. You’re just going to make yourself weak if you keep training without taking in any nutrients.”

It’s the same thing he’s been saying since things had gone from bad to WTF. She picked up the fry she’d dropped and put it in her mouth. It tasted like cardboard, but she chewed and then forced herself to swallow. Elias watched her until she picked up another, then, appearing content that she would do as he said, he turned back to the couple across from them.

“So are we, or aren’t we, going to do something about Shelly and Aston?” Gabby asked again.

“We are,” Tara said at the same time Elias said, “We’re thinking.”

“We’ve had two weeks to think,” Gabby said before taking a sip of her water and then slamming the cup back down on the table. “The headmasters and headmistresses won’t tell us shit. The elementals aren’t doing shit. Everyone is just going to class and waving their hands around, playing with their magic while Aston is probably being molested by some dragon chick, and Shelly is probably trying to dig her way out of hell with a spoon.”

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