Page 45 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
“I don’t think so.” He levelled me with a look. “But I’ll be looking into it as will Gareth. I won’t let anyone harm you. Not while you’re useful to me.”
Prick.“You’re awful at making this job sound beneficial.”
“You mean besides safety for your family?” When my nostrils flared, he added, “We do a lot of good.”
I snorted. “Like what?” The dragonsguard were like nobles. They probably sat on their asses most of the day and the ‘patrols’ were more for show than anything.
“We kill gryphons, for one. Transport goods for another. You’d be surprised how often we’re reduced to transport.”
“Sounds glamorous.”
He grinned wickedly. “In times of peace, we have a lot of free time. Because of that, I’ve seen much of the kingdom. That amount of travel wouldn’t have been possible without Hesperos.” Now that caught my attention. Kieran noticed, because of course he did. And he jumped on it. “I know you’ve never left the capital.”
“Stalker.” But there was no heat to my words.
“Thief.” He matched my tone, saying the word with a teasing lightness that reflected in his grin. “Go on an adventure with me.”
I sure as hell wasn’t about to say no. When we took off, I was surprised that Umara flew next to Hesperos. Normally, she did her own thing and stayed away from any dragon that wasn’t her mate. Though her being so close made it easier to talk to Kieran.
I reached out and ran my hand through a cloud. “Amazing,” I breathed. Umara purred, and her delight was so strong, I couldn’t help but laugh. I grinned and looked at Kieran, who watched me with an unreadable expression. “Where are we going?”
“What do you want to see?” Kieran asked. “Where have you always wanted to go?”
Talk about a loaded question. Before, the thought of traveling was just too fantastical. Even my wildest dreams merely involved going two towns over at most since Clara’s health wasn’t good enough to just up and travel. But now that I thought about it, something did come to mind. And yet, I still said, “I’m not sure.”
Kieran arched a brow. “Liar.”
My hackles rose. “I know my mind better than you, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He smirked. “Come on, little thief. We can go anywhere.”
“But we can’t!” I snapped. The fury in my tone surprised me, but I didn’t regret it. “We can’t go anywhere because the king doesn’t trust me, and neither do you. And regardless, we’re on a time limit.” Sure, this was a nice gesture, but it was another manipulation in itself. One I wouldn’t fall for.
Kieran pushed. “I don’t know you yet. Not enough totrust you, but I’m your captain, and you’re under my command. In battle, we hold each other’s lives in our hands. I trust you to look out for me in the field, and I hope you trust me to look out for you as I do with everyone else. Tell me where you want to go, Selena, and I’ll take you there.”
An unbearable pressure built in my chest. “It doesn’t matter because it’s too far away, and even if we go there, we’ll have to rush. I want to enjoy it when I go. I don’t want the trip to be tainted.”
There was no judgment in his eyes, only understanding. “Where is it?” His tone was so soft. It made it hard to maintain my anger.
My lips felt impossibly dry. “The ocean. I don’t care which. That’s what I want to see.”
He inclined his head, and very obviously counted the flight times in his head. Even with our dragons, it’d take a whole day to reach the ocean. Kieran confirmed what I’d already calculated. “You’re right. Even if we got permission, Luther would only give us enough time to go there and immediately return. The flight alone would be hell.” His eyes met mine. “Let me take you somewhere else, somewhere I think you’d really enjoy. And someday, I’ll take you on the trip you deserve.”
My heart squeezed. “Is that a promise?”
“It’s a vow.”
I searched his face for any sign of a lie. “Okay. Don’t let me down.” It felt strange to put this sort of trust in Kieran. Even if the vow didn’t hold much weight, it meant something to me. My stomach fluttered. If hekept his promise and remembered… it’d go a long way.
“I won’t.”
I smiled. “What happens if I don’t like the place you’re bringing me to?”
“Then tomorrow you’ll only have to do a half day of training.”
I shot him an incredulous look. “Not even a full day off?”
“I value your life too much to let you slack off.”
