Page 16 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

Pain. That was the first thing I was aware of when I opened my eyes.

It radiated through every inch of my body, deep in my bones, my blood, and in every breath I took.

But it centered around my heart, pulsing with every beat of my chest. Umara’s whimpers echoed through the bond, rattling around my skull.

I groaned, too drained to move from my fetal position on my bed. I couldn’t even lift my head when someone pounded at the door. A fog had entered my mind, muddying my thoughts.

“… Selena… without you,” Nimue’s voice called from the other side of the door. “… knock one…before… in.”

I must’ve dozed off, because the next thing I knew, Nimue stood in the entryway of my room. Even through my haze, I knew the exact moment she saw me because she went deathly pale. “Fuck. We were wondering when this would happen. Can you get up at all?”

“No,” I croaked, my voice barely above a whisper. Even that effort sent another shockwave of pain through my nerves. Had I been poisoned? Had more assassins come to finish me off ?

Time passed by in another blink. Suddenly, Gareth hovered over me, his hands emitting golden light. Nimue chewed her bottom lip behind him. “Do you feel any better?” he asked.

“Nope.” I fought back a cry when pain blossomed at my temples. It was like someone had taken a battering ram to it. My eyes burned with unshed tears.

“It’s been too long,” Nimue hissed. “She needs to see Umara and complete the bond.”

“The king won’t allow it. He hasn’t seen her since the accident.”

Nimue swore. “At the rate she’s going, she won’t last another day. Umara’s been patient, but if this continues, she’s going to ram herself into the castle. Can you cover for me? I can easily fix this.”

Gareth exhaled. “Promise you won’t let her bond with Umara.”

“You know I can’t control a dragon.”

“Nimue.”

Nimue huffed. “I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything on Umara’s end. She’s gonna be pissed when she sees the state Selena’s in.”

“Just don’t let it happen or we’re both in trouble. Get her back here before lunch. I’ll say you two went for a walk.”

It took everything I had to focus, but the fog in my mind was too damn thick to fully process what they said. I jumped when hands jostled me upright. “What? ”

Nimue shushed me and hauled me to my feet. When I dipped forward, she swore under her breath and pressed my weight against her while throwing an arm around my shoulders. “I know it’s hard, but I need you to walk,” she hissed in my ear. “At least until we’re out of sight, then I’ll pick you up.”

Umara purred through the bond, the sound giving me a burst of strength. I stumbled my way through hallways with my eyes set on the ground. Dizziness consumed my every step, and it took everything I had to stumble my way through it.

“Okay,” Nimue murmured. “I’ll handle the rest.”

I groaned when she picked me up, and I went weightless.

“That’s hot,” I mumbled, nearly delirious.

Every nerve in my body burned. I could barely keep my eyes open as Nimue led us through what must have been a secret passageway.

At first I couldn’t focus on anything, but the longer we walked, the clearer my mind became.

The burning ache in my chest throbbed less and less.

I took a moment to study the hallways lit up by the various torches on the wall.

Definitely a secret passage.

Finally, we left the winding passage and arrived to a familiar sight—the dragon caves underneath the castle. Umara stood right at the entrance. Her golden eyes locked onto me.

“Umara,” I breathed. She looked so beautiful. Even underground with no sunlight, her golden scales seemed to glisten and shine.

Her tail snapped back and forth, and she dipped her head toward me. This time, I felt no fear. Not when I could sense the sheer joy she sent down the bond. Umara gently pressed her head against mine, chuffing hot air that blew my hair backward.

My entire body buzzed with warmth. My head felt clearer for the first time since…

since I got here. I trembled as I reached up to pat her head.

Umara leaned into the touch, and I smiled.

“Thank you.” I’d never understand why she chose me, but it was humbling, nonetheless.

A dragon had looked at me, a thief and a street rat, and decided I was worthy.

“We can’t stay long,” Nimue said. Thaleia jumped down from her cave and circled around Nimue. Nimue laughed and patted her side. “Missed you too, girl.”

Before the bond, I would’ve called her ridiculous since we just saw the dragons yesterday, but now… now I understood. Being around Umara had automatically lifted my mood, and our bond wasn’t even completed.

Thaleia glanced at me. I’d never get used to a dragon’s stare—the way they looked at you as if they knew everything about you. She leaned forward and chuffed smoke in my face. My pulse skyrocketed. “Uh, Nimue—”

“She likes you! You’re her mate’s rider.”

Umara growled, and Thaleia nipped at her mouth. I let out a surprised sound when Nimue grabbed my arm and pulled me back. Which was just in time because Thaleia pounced on Umara, ignoring all of Umara’s growls.

“Should we—? ”

Nimue laughed. “It’s fine. Look at them. Thaleia loves to tease her.”

For a moment, I was sure Nimue was crazy. Who could laugh at a potential dragon fight? But when I studied them, I realized she was right. Thaleia was much smaller than Umara, who could easily buck the dragon off if she wanted to. Instead, she let Thaleia tease her.

Watching them, I could see it. That these two were mates. There was no animosity between them, only affection. When they finished wrestling, Thaleia slid over to us and growled at Umara. “What are they doing?”

Nimue tensed briefly. “I think… well, we’ll see, won’t we?”

Umara narrowed her eyes at Nimue before taking a step forward.

She hovered over us, but her gaze remained on Nimue.

Thaleia growled again, and Umara dipped down, her faces inches from Nimue.

It was one of the few times I’d seen Nimue actually tense.

Then Umara blew smoke in her face and pulled back instantly.

Nimue let out a ragged breath and clutched her heart. “Thank the Mother. I have her approval now.”

“She didn’t approve of you before?” I asked. Behind us, Thaleia growled again and nipped at Umara’s neck. The two of them shuffled further away from us and curled around each other.

“She doesn’t like anyone beside her mate and you. The last person who tried to bond with her was my great-grandmother. Umara burnt her to a crisp right in front of my grandma.”

My eyes widened. “That’s… awful.” How could she stand to be here?

Nimue shrugged. “It sounds cruel, but I didn’t know my great-grandmother personally, so it didn’t overly affect me.

Though after that incident, my grandma refused to let any of her direct descendants bond with a dragon.

It was only distant cousins allowed until me.

” She rubbed her mark. “It’s human arrogance to think we’re the ones who chose the bond.

Our dragons look at us, and they know. I don’t blame Umara for being a little trigger happy.

A bunch of humans kept ignoring her wishes and trying to bond with her. ”

“What made you want to be a rider?”

Nimue walked over to where our dragons lay and sat next to Thaleia, who moved her head from Umara to lay it on Nimue’s lap.

“I’m the firstborn in my family. By rights, the title of ‘Lady of House Kalimera’ was mine.

But then my father had a son when I was seven and then another when I was ten.

And suddenly, I went from his heir to third in line.

By the time I was fourteen, he already had engagement plans for me.

So I decided that instead of getting married off to some woman my father picked, I’d take the risk.

He was furious when he found out I took my cousin’s place, but there was nothing to be done.

Thaleia looked at me and she saw me. There was no going back. ”

I wasn’t surprised by her story. A woman could inherit the title, but more often than not, the Noble Houses chose a man. Really, it was only House Caddel and House Andros that always picked their firstborn, regardless of gender. “You’re still working under another asshole man though.”

Nimue rolled her eyes. “And you’re looking at things all wrong.

I was never going to have total freedom.

We all have to answer to someone. This was the only path I wanted to follow, because when I’m with Thaleia up in the sky, it’s…

indescribable. I’d suffer a thousand lifetimes so I could have those moments.

And, because of Thaleia, I get to experience that.

” She pointed at her ears. “We’ll have a long time together. ”

I frowned. “But how long?” Gareth had hinted at an increased lifespan, but he hadn’t gone into detail for how long.

Nimue hesitated. “Has Gareth not told you? Of course he hasn’t. He doesn’t want to scare you, Round Ears.” She laughed when I bristled. “Can you keep your mouth shut? We keep this quiet from the public for a reason.”

My skin tingled. I looked at Umara, who had opened an eye to watch me. “Tell me.”

“Our aging significantly slows down. By the time we reach twenty-five, it practically stops, it’s so slow.”

“Then how come the public doesn’t know? Wouldn’t it be obvious?”

Nimue grimaced. “Because between patrolling the southern border and dealing with gryphons, we have a high mortality rate. But one of the past riders has calculated it. If we survive the job, then we’d live to be anywhere from five hundred to seven hundred. And that’s just an estimate! ”

My ears rang. Seven hundred years. The Father, that was a long time. Clara will die before me. “W-why does that happen?”