Page 51 of Tamed By Air (The Nature Hunters Academy 4)

“Noted,” Kimba called back. “I will plan your demise accordingly.”

“She’s all sorts of funny,” Aston said, leaning close to his soul bonded’s ear.

“Don’t encourage her.”

* * *

Rory sawa large clearing in the forest ahead of her and realized that was their destination. Kimba circled it once. A crowd of dragons were already assembled. Rory swallowed hard and tried to order her thoughts. She wasn’t sure how to make her request to Sepheron, the dragon king.

Kimba brought them down slowly and landed with the grace of a much smaller creature. Rory scrambled off before Aston could use the wind to set them off the dragon’s back. She wasn’t sure why, but Rory thought it best to appear as humble as possible. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she heard the dragon king’s voice.

“Dragon rider.” Sepheron’s rumble easily carried through the large clearing. Now that Rory could see it from ground level, she noticed the massive circle of trees was big enough that twenty dragons could stand comfortably and move without bumping into one another. The trees grew tall and arched up over the clearing, creating a canopy that gave the entire space the feel of an enormous outdoor great hall with a hole in its roof. According to Kimba, the gathering spot was called the Knowing Place.

“Come here, dragon rider,” Sepheron continued. “Step in and make your request known.”

Guess that’s why it’s called the Knowing Place.Rory started forward. Aston put his hand in hers and entwined their fingers as they walked side by side. Rory saw Kimba out of the corner of her eye, following a step behind. She was just as graceful slithering along beside them as she was in the air. The dragon had promised Rory she’d stand by her side, no matter what. Rory hoped that promise extended to a journey into hell. She was pretty sure asking your BFF to go to hell with you tested the bonds of even the strongest friendship.

One foot in front of the other.Rory repeated to herself.Just don’t trip, whatever you do.Rory was only vaguely aware of the assembly of dragons watching them, but she knew every vertically slitted pupil watched her closely. Her eyes darted from the ground in front of her to Sepheron’s massive form, waiting for her on the other side of the clearing. “Why the hell couldn’t you have landed me a little closer?” Rory muttered to Kimba out of the side of her mouth. Surprisingly, Rory didn’t hear her dragon friend’s usual trademark chuckle in response. Rory’s hands began to sweat, and perspiration gathered at the nape of her neck.

“It’s going to be fine.”Aston’s voice came through loud and clear in her mind. They’d tested the mental bond between them before calling on Kimba and found they were able to speak to one another when touching. They were both surprised that the communication wasn’t terribly difficult. It was essentially as simple as Rory aiming her thoughts in Aston’s direction.

“Maybe don’t talk to me in my head while I’m trying to ask the dragons for a massive favor. I might make a weird face and offend them,”Rory said. Aston nodded and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Thank you.She let out a quick breath and looked up at Sepheron. “Sepheron, your kindness to one so undeserving is humbling. During my stay here, your people were more than welcoming. Your hospitality is admirable and fitting for so noble a species.”

The king inclined his head. “There is no need for such flattery, little one. I told you when you left that if you required our aid, you need only return and let me know. Kimba is your bonded dragon. That makes you one of us.”

“Bonded?” Aston suddenly blurted out. He looked at Kimba and then down at Rory.

“The bond between human and dragon is much different than the one you share with your soul bonded, air tamer,” Sepheron said, his large eyes fixed on Aston. “But it is precious and rare.”

Rory looked at Aston and started babbling. “Sorry. I planned to tell you, but things got a little crazy with Tucker, and then he got incinerated—that really threw me off—and then the burning house was completely fine and not burning anymore, and then we went to the witches, and all the demon talk, and then bam, you were all up in my business distracting me in the best way possible…” She shrugged. “See? No time to talk about the whole dragon-bonding stuff.”

“Did she smoke something while she was in the human realm?” Kimba asked from beside her.

“There’s only room enough for one smoke breather in this relationship, Kimba,” Rory said, her eyes still on Aston. She could tell from the softness in his eyes he wasn’t upset she hadn’t told him about the dragon bond. She also felt his comforting emotions coming to her through their bond. The main thing Rory felt from Aston was amusement. She rolled her eyes at him, and his lips turned up into a crooked smile.

Kimba cleared her throat. “Okay. Then you just got weirder while you were away for no apparent reason. Fabulous. You told me you needed to talk to the king—like yesterday. Your words. And now we are here. Quit stalling and be known.”

Rory turned back to Sepheron and blurted, “We need to get into hell so we can rescue a human girl who is the soul mate of a human guy named Ra who is a descendant of Ramses the Great, as in pyramids-walk-like-an-Egyptian-and-the-Nile-River-Ramses. Apparently, he’s the last pure blood of that lineage.” Aston gave her hand a tug, but Rory didn’t slow down. “But that’s not what’s important,” she added quickly. “What’s important is the girl we need to rescue. She was taken hostage by Osiris after the battle at Devil’s Heart because he’s decided he wants her to be the Cruella to his Deville, his baby mamma, his bride of Frankenstein, the boil and bubble to his toil and trouble—”

“Please tell me you found an off switch while you were doing all that bonding,” Kimba muttered. Still, Rory didn’t pause.

“Basically, he really, really wants her. So he took her. Buuuuut, that ain’t cool with her main man, Ra, nor is it cool with her friends. And she’s not dead, so she doesn’t belong in the underworld. The sad thing is this isn’t even her first trip. The poor girl has already been rescued from hell once. What are the chances?” Rory tapped her lip.

“Sweets, I think you should focus.” Aston nudged her arm.

She dropped her hand and shook her head. “Right, my bad. So, as I’m sure you know, Sepheron, fire elementals are the only ones who can enter the underworld without getting crispy-fried-crispy, and when Aston’s friends mentioned they needed help, the dragons are the first thing that popped into my head.” She blinked several times and rocked back and forth on her feet, staring up at the dragon king.

Sepheron said nothing; he simply stared at her. Sunlight trickled through the trees, causing his red scales to shimmer. His large, gold eyes held her gaze without blinking, and steam wafted from his nostrils. Rory tried not to fidget but realized it’s impossible to stand face-to-face with a dragon andnotfidget.

“The young female’s soul mate… Ra.” Sepheron finally spoke. “He is a fire elementalist?”

Rory glanced at Aston, and he gave a sharp nod. Though Rory knew the answer, she wanted Aston’s confirmation before she replied. She didn’t seem to be sure of anything at the moment. “Yes.”

The dragon gave a rumble, which Rory thought sounded a lot like a human hmmm. “I have heard of this fire elementalist,” the king said. The beast settled back on his haunches. “He is a pharaoh with no people to lead, born to a lineage that bears a dark curse … or so the story goes.”

Aston shifted beside her, and Rory glanced up at him. She saw him frown, and his brow drooped. Something about the king’s words bothered him.

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