Page 65 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
The ‘rest pool’ was the small section of the pool that was intentionally built for people to be able to lounge in and sit in the water up to their waist. It was at the far end of the pool where it was just as easy to jump off into the deep pits of the water.
The edges of it were already padded, but now there were even more pillows to rest against. I sighed in relief as I slipped into the water and took a little over half the pillows so that I could recline comfortably. Nimue was right. This hit the spot. The hot water felt divine against my aching thighs and core. And the pillows… it’d be hard to go back to the practicality of the dragonsguard bathing chambers. Even when we came here as a group, I hadn’t let myself fully relax. But now that I had… gods, I wanted to stay here forever.
Nimue placed the tray beside us and climbed in next to me. She grabbed the mugs from the tray and handed me one. “It doesn’t work instantly, so just keep sipping and relaxing. And make sure to snack on thefood. That also helps.”
I snorted. “No need to tell me twice.”
Nimue wasn’t the least bit bothered being nude, and I had to admire her confidence. I was used to bathing in streams, so nudity didn’t bother me, but I thought it’d be different for nobles.
“You were right. Some pamperingwasneeded.” I hadn’t realized how on edge I’d been until now.
Nimue smiled as she sipped her tea. “We all need it sometimes.”
“I’m surprised Kieran didn’t pitch a fit when he learned about this.” I wasn’t under any illusion he didn’t know. The man was controlling as hell. In fact, he’d been in the living room with Gareth when I’d left with Nimue. When our eyes locked for the briefest of seconds, his expression had twitched. For a moment, I thought I saw concern, but then it vanished and was replaced with cold indifference.
I hated that that look made my stomach roll.
Nimue hummed. “If he did, I would’ve kicked him in the balls. And Aurelia would’ve found a way to make his life hell.”
I arched a brow. “I don’t buy Aurelia doing that.”
Nimue smiled. “Aurelia’s a bitch, don’t get me wrong. But there are some things where we can’t help but come together. This is one of those things. But at least, on this front, the guys are mature about it.”
“Are you saying they can be immature?” Obviously, Ben was, but the others? I couldn’t see it.
“All the time.” Nimue shook her head and took another sip of her tea. “They drive me crazy. You haven’t seen it, but they can be like children.”
“Even Gareth?”
“Especially Gareth. You haven’t seen him compete against Kieran. When it’s just the three of us, they get ridiculously competitive and whenever one of them loses—gods, it’s a nightmare. So much pouting. One time Gareth almost flipped a table.”
I snorted. Now that, I had to see. We relaxed for a couple minutes. I should’ve known Nimue was lulling me into a sense of false security. Because once I got comfortable, she asked, “What’s bothering you? Don’t lie to me. I’m not stupid. I know something's been bothering you. Is it because Kieran's back to being an asshole? Do you want me to find a way to kick him in the balls?”
I fought a laugh and slumped against the pillows. “I hate his attitude, and I hate myself for being stupid enough to fall for his act. I thought we were past hating each other.” If only I didn’t go to the tower with him. Then I wouldn’t be feeling like this.
Liar,a voice whispered in the back of my mind. Truth be told, Kieran consumed my thoughts far more than I liked to admit. I sighed and sunk even deeper into the water. I wasn’t the type of woman to chase after a man and beg for affection and it aggravated me to no end that that’s essentially what I was doing.No more.
A glint appeared in Nimue’s eyes. Like the coward I claimed Kieran to be, I looked away, so I didn’t haveto face it. “I don’t know what he’s going through, but obviously it’s something,” Nimue said. “I don’t want to make excuses for him, because he is being an ass, but normally he has a reason when he acts like this.”
I ran a hand through my hair and fought the urge to snap. It wasn’t her fault, and I wasn’t going to take it out on her. “Whatever his reasons are, he’s still being an ass and a coward.”
“Are you ever going to cut your hair?” Nimue asked suddenly. She smiled when I looked at her in surprise. “It’s past your butt right now. I have to admit, I’m curious. Ben thinks you’re going to keep it until it goes down to your ankles.”
I snorted. “I need to trim the ends, but”—I grabbed the ends of my locks and fiddled with them—“I can’t bring myself to cut it just yet.” Childishly, the length was a point of pride for me. “I know it’s impractical. It was back then too, but I don’t know. I like it.” It’d definitely made me more identifiable which was why I’d taken to wearing wigs or putting my hair in a bun to make the length appear shorter. I didn’t stress too much about my face framing bangs at the time, since they were still in style. They’d gotten a bit longer—now reaching the tips of my jaw, and I’d need to cut them soon. I had no intention of letting them grow out. I liked them too much to do that.
“It suits you.”
We shared a smile. “So does your hair. I could never pull off that look. I tried to when I was younger, and I looked like a boy.” Nimue’s snort brought warmth to my already warm body. “I’m sorry for being so snippythese past few days. I just… I thought Kieran and I were in a good place. When he said he’d let me see Clara, I believed him. And now… now I don’t know if he still means it.” I expelled a breath. “I don’t want to be rash, but it’s hard.”
Nimue sat upright. “Don’t do anything crazy. Whatever Kieran’s going through, he’ll get over it. And I promise you, Kieran won’t break his word. He might be a little cold to you right now, but he has your back. He’s our captain. Trust in that, okay? That means something for him.”
I hated that she was right. And I hated that a part of me still believed Kieran wouldn’t betray me despite his current actions speaking otherwise. Was I being stupidly naïve? “Enough about Kieran.”
“Says the one who keeps talking about him.”
I splashed her and laughed when she splashed me back. “Do you have any hobbies?” I couldn’t stop thinking about Kieran’s advice. If everything was alright with Clara, I’d make this place my home. But he was right. I needed something beyond just being a dragonsguard. And for the first time, I had the opportunity towantand make it a reality.
“I like chess and archery.” She cocked her head to the side. “Why?”
