Page 76 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury
“I didn’t realize until I was playing for you. I don’t know what it is about you, but you make me want to break down all my walls, Selena. You have a power over me.” He shook his head. “I have so many plans, and you delight in destroying them. It’s incredibly frustrating.”
My eyes widened. A ribbon wrapped around my heart, squeezing it so tight, I could barely breathe.So it’s not just me.But I didn’t want to think about that or the fact that I sang in front of Kieran when I hadn’t done so for anyone else. Or the fact that I hadn’t wanted him to ignore me. Just as he claimed I had power over him, he had too much over me. “You still want to work together, right?” That was a safer conversation.
He looked down, his stormy eyes leaving me breathless. “I already said I do.”
I lifted my chin and refused to back down. “Then stop ignoring me. This arrangement won’t work otherwise.”
Kieran’s jaw flexed. For a moment, I was certain he’d change his mind. “This is what I’m talking about.”
Holy shit. Did I actually just win against Kieran Motherfucking Caddel? “So you’ll stop ignoring me?”
He exhaled a breath. “Do you want to be my friend that badly?”
I could lie. I should lie. I’d be giving him more ammunition to use against me. “Maybe. Yes,” I admitted when he narrowed his eyes. My heart pounded so loud, I was sure he could hear it.Fuck.Why was I telling him this? “I want to work together. You help me, and I help you, right?” I was heavily aware of his arm wrapped around me, carrying me like I was the most precious being in existence.
He arched a brow. “And we need to be friends to do that?”
“Why the hell are you pushing this so hard? It’s not that complicated.”
“Why can’t you answer it?”
I exhaled. “Fine. Yes. So, are you going to be my friend or not? Because I can’t really trust an ally, but I can a friend.” And that was the crux of it. I didn’t trust Randall with my life, but I trusted Nimue. If we really were to work together, I needed to trust him.
For a moment, we stared at each other. Me, glaring, and him looking coolly at me. But then he smiled and shook his head fondly. “Fine. Consider us friends from now on.”
We didn’t find any gryphons, a fact I was grateful for. When Kieran shadowed us back to camp after anhour passed, my blush returned full force. The others were finishing set up pitching their tents in a circle around a budding fire.
All eyes went to us, and I squirmed in Kieran’s grip. Though Kieran, that prick, only tightened his grip and didn’t allow me to escape. Gareth jumped up from his log by the fire and rushed over to me. “What happened?” he demanded. “How did she get injured?Whendid she get injured? Set her down in her tent. We placed it in the center next to yours.”
I fought the urge to close my eyes. This was all so unnecessary. All this attention, this worry, I wasn’t used to it. Usually, it was the other way around.
“She tripped on a rock and twisted her ankle. It happened about an hour ago, but we decided to complete the mission first.”
The words made my heart twist, even though his reason wasn’t a surprise. I couldn’t let myself forget, even with us being ‘friends’ Kieran wouldn’t hesitate to use me.
“Next time, I decide that,” Gareth snapped. “Lay her inside. Be gentle.”
Kieran didn’t argue with Gareth’s frayed orders and placed me on top of the sleeping mat inside the relatively spacious tent.Rich people.A tent this big wasn’t needed.
“You’re a trouble magnet,” Nimue murmured, opening the flap in my tent and standing at the entrance.
“Don’t crowd her,” Gareth barked and hoveredhis hands over my ankle. He knit his brows in concentration, and golden light emitted from his palms. I gasped at the spark of energy striking my ankle. Pressure centered on the swollen flesh, and I bit back a sharp groan. But the pain faded as fast as it came. And when I opened my eyes, my ankle looked normal.
“Of course she’s a troublemaker,” Aurelia drawled from outside. “She’s a commoner. That’s in their blood. That and savagery.”
“She completed the mission despite a hurt ankle. Unlikeyouwho begged Luther not to come on the mission,” Nimue retorted.
“I won’t allow petty arguments to derail this mission.” Kieran’s voice was like ice. “We need to understand Selena’s Gift in order to fight the gryphons. With her power, we can end this war. That’s more important than your ego. Even Luther knows that. I would’ve thought yournobletraining allowed you to see that.”
Aurelia shoved Nimue aside and bared her teeth in a snarl. “You better keep your mouth shut, and that’s an order from your future queen. Don’t forget your place, bastard.” She stalked off, leaving a heavy silence in her wake.
Ben tentatively entered the tent and sat by my bedside, joined by Nimue. Kieran didn’t look the least bit bothered by Aurelia’s words. If anything, he looked amused, like her very being was beneath him. Gods, he’d never looked hotter.
“So what’s the plan, Captain?” Ben asked, his toneintentionally light.
Kieran studied me before saying, “We’ll stay the week as planned, but three times a day, including today, we’ll scout the area to see if any gryphons are nearby. Then we’ll be able to tell if gryphons are drawn to her presence from a short distance or if they feel compelled to seek her out. If it’s the latter—we better hope it’s not.”
I shuddered when everyone looked at me. Gods, I hoped so too.
