Page 128 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
Clara nodded. Once we were alone, she reached out and wove our hands together. Some of the tension bled from my shoulders. Finally. It was back to how it used to be with us two against the world.
I hadn’t wanted to give Clara a tour right away, had wanted to interrogate her first, but I couldn’t say no to that face. Not after we’d been apart for so long. Throughout the tour, Clara was all awed glances, especially when we went to the rooftop. I hadn’t wantedto take her to it since there were a lot of stairs, but she insisted she could handle it.
My resolve wavered when she wheezed with every step, but when I suggested we head down, she snapped at me. My sweet little Clara snapped at me. I was so surprised I couldn’t even be annoyed by her tone. I gave her a once over. “If you’re sure.”
Clara straightened. “I know my limits, Selena.” But she panted heavily.
I wanted to say no, but I didn’t fight, so I merely nodded. When we reached the top, her breathing was even more ragged, and she rested against the stone railings to gather her breath. But her eyes were bright as she looked down at the village below.
“What do you think?” I asked. “How does it compare to where you were staying?”
She shot me a knowing look. “It wasn’t as fancy as the royal palace. I stayed at one of Wes’s family homes. It was a nice castle.”
Of course she’d be at a Caddel castle.Though I doubt she’s returning.If Luther went back on our deal, he’d take her somewhere else, somewhere I wouldn’t be able to find. My heart clenched.I can’t fail. I can’t uproot her again.“And how does the Caddel castle compare to the king’s?”
Clara smiled. “A lot better, actually. I, uh, I really like Wes’s sense of décor.”
Sense of décor, my ass. My smile strained, but I didn’t let it fall. “That’s great.”
Clara wrung her hands together. “Selena…”
Immediately, my hackles rose. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
She smoothed out her teal dress. “Promise me you won’t lie.” Just like that, I saw the child in Clara again. And immediately, my heart clutched with worry.
“Clara…”
She grabbed my hands and cradled them in hers. “Promise me.”
What did she do? Fuck, I was wrong. My baby sister had grown up in the past six months. “I… I promise.”
Her blue-green eyes searched mine. “Are you happy here?”
I released a breath. That wasmucheasier than what I thought she’d say. “I am.” I smiled. “It was hard at first, but I really am happy here. If I wasn’t, I would’ve taken you and ran.”
A frown tugged at her lips, but it quickly disappeared. “Kieran Caddel. Are you in danger?”
Oh.I looked at her set jaw, at the way she squeezed my hands. Clara was ready to fight for me. The realization sat like a stone in my belly. “No. I’m not,” I added when her frown deepened. “I know Wes has a grudge against him—”
“For good reason! He’s a backstabber.”
Fucking Wes.Of course he’d let his grudge influence my baby sister. “You don’t know him.”
She raised her chin. “I know Wes.”
You don’t know him either,I wanted to snap but doing that would just cause a whole other argument, andI wasn’t going to ruin our reunion. “Their fight isn’t ours, Clara. And I’m a good judge of character.” Clara frowned again, and it took a hell of a lot of self-control not to comment on it. “Look, I didn’t trust him at first. I fought him on literally everything. But he countered all my doubts. He was the reason I got to say goodbye to you.”
Clara’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yeah. He knew there was a chance I wouldn’t survive the first flight, and he wanted you to be able to see me one last time. To have a real goodbye.”
Clara’s eyes glistened, and her bottom lip quivered. “Just be careful, okay? I—I can’t lose you. I don’t want to—I can’t—I—”
I pulled her into a hug. Gods, I was such an asshole. Of course she was scared. And Wes wasn’t a total jackass. Even if he did make Kieran befriending Clara harder. In his own way, he was looking out for her.
Because of me, Clara’s entire world had been rocked, and she wasn’t able to do anything to stop it. Even with my hand twisted behind my back, I’d gained a dragon and trained to get stronger. But Clara only had her bodyguard, who doubled as her jailor. It was only natural she feared for me, since she knew personally how it felt to be helpless.
Tears stained my shirt, and I willed myself not to cry. Instead, I stroked her hair and kissed the crown of her head. “I’m not going anywhere, Clara. I’ll live forever.”
