Page 56 of A Kingdom of Fire and Fury (House of Embers #1)

The next two days were even more of a disaster.

Umara refused to come when I called her.

Not just for the dance. Even when I tried to go on a flight.

My cheeks burned each time the others watched me fail.

Even when Luther threatened me, even when Aurelia sneered, nothing changed. Umara refused to come.

Was she rejecting me?

After another night of her ignoring my calls and having to skip out on the dragon dance practice, I slipped out of bed and headed out to the courtyard.

The cool air kissed my skin, and the wind moved my dress in all directions.

It was a good thing I chose to wear shorts underneath it.

My hair was still in two double yesenian braids.

“Umara!” I screamed up at the sky. “Umara!” The bond snapped to attention. She heard me. I knew she did. But she didn’t come.

“Umara has a temper. Like someone else I know,” Kieran said from behind me.

I swirled around. “Yeah, thanks, I got that.” At this rate, the dragon dance would be cancelled. As much as I didn’t want to do the stupid thing, things would be worse for me if I didn’t.

Kieran stepped beside me and looked up at the sky. I followed his gaze and spotted Hesperos flying toward us.

“Asshole,” I muttered. “Are you trying to rub it in?”

Kieran patted his dragon when Hesperos landed beside us.

It was obvious how in sync the two were.

They both looked like they belonged in the shadows.

Not to mention how blatantly they cared for each other.

Hesperos leaned into his touch like a fucking oversized cat.

If my bond wasn’t so frayed with Umara, I would’ve found it cute.

Instead, I resisted the urge to smack Kieran.

Kieran shot me a considering look. “You’ve changed.”

“What are you getting at?”

“When Umara claimed you, you were a pissed off thief who wanted to burn Lusadia to the ground. That’s the woman Umara bonded to.”

My heart squeezed in my chest. “So she’s rejecting me?” Aurelia would be so fucking smug. It’d be unbearable. I felt like I stood on a wobbly wooden bridge, and it’d break underneath me at any moment. ‘ I thought our bond was eternal,’ I thought at Umara only to get silence in return.

Kieran shook his head. “No. You’re hers for life. She loves you.”

“She threatened to bite my face off.”

He shrugged. “We all have bad days. ”

“Kieran—”

“I’m serious. Umara admired your rebellious streak, something she also shares. It’s probably what first drew her in. But now you’re one of us and following your captain like a good soldier. Umara hasn’t played politics for five hundred years. It’s an adjustment.”

I sighed. I hadn’t thought of it like that. “So how can I get her to start listening to me again?”

He glanced skyward. “You need to have a talk with her.”

Useless. “I have been.”

“No, you’ve been talking to her, not with her. Dragons are extremely prideful. You can’t fully give them orders.”

I folded my arms. “Isn’t the entire dragon dance that? You guys give your dragons orders all the time.”

“Because we have an agreement with them. They know that the bullshit human routines are for our safety. Umara knows the dragon dance is bullshit. That’s why she’s acting out.

She doesn’t want to fall in line, because the dance doesn’t actively save your life.

She’s probably wondering what happened to her rebellious little thief.

Where did she go, Selena? What is the little thief’s goal? ” He flicked my braid.

I hadn’t realized he’d gotten so close, close enough I could count his eyelashes. My heart stuttered. “Shut up. I’m right here.”

He clicked his tongue. “See, that's the problem right there. You think she isn't listening to you, but I know she is. You don’t want to do the dragon dance, that’s obvious, but especially to Umara. She’s listening to what you want, even if you can’t say it aloud.

But the problem is, she’s given you an out you don’t want.

You need to communicate that to her.” He grabbed my chin, gentle but firm, and tilted it up to him.

“What do you want, Selena? Do you want to run away with Clara, or do you want to be a dragonsguard?”

We both knew the answer. I frowned. My whole body tingled from his touch, and I couldn’t bring myself to move. Didn’t want to. Instead, I stayed trapped and searched his stormy eyes.

But then Kieran pulled away, and I had to fight the urge to scowl.

Instead, I closed my eyes. ‘ Umara. Come here. We need to talk.’ The connection between us lit up, warmth traveling down the bond despite all the earlier frustration.

I breathed a sigh of relief when she landed before me. She still cared.

I was all too aware of Kieran standing to the side. “A little privacy?”

Kieran grinned. “Umara wants me to stay.”

I folded my arms and looked at Umara. Her golden scales shone under the moonlight, and she chuffed smoke in my face. “Seriously?” She blew even more smoke in my face. ‘ You’re such a brat,’ I thought to her, but it was fond. She sent waves of amusement down the bond, and I found myself smiling.

“Things have changed,” I said after a beat.

Umara growled, but I pressed on. “I don’t like Luther.

He’s a total asshole, and I don’t want to listen to him or do the stupid dance, but I have to for my sister.

By playing along, she stays safe where she’s at.

She’s happy there, so I’m going to play nice because that’s what’s better for her.

And… I don’t want this country to go to war.

Because it threatens Clara’s safety. The better we look together, the safer she’ll be, and the safer I’ll be. ”

Umara lowered her neck, so that our faces were inches from each other.

I scratched under her jaw, smiling when she leaned into it and purred.

“As soon as he crosses a line, I’m done.

I don’t expect you to listen to everything he says, but there are some things that are unavoidable.

Sometimes I have to put up with his shit, and that means you do too. ”

We locked gazes. “I haven’t disappeared.

I’m still the woman you claimed, but I can’t burn the world to the ground like I want to.

We have to play their game.” I leaned forward and pressed our foreheads together.

“If you want to be a little shit when it doesn’t matter, go ahead.

But sometimes, even when it’s stupid, I need you to fall in line.

We don’t have to like it, but it’s what we need to do.

” Umara purred, and the wall that’d been between us faded crumbled to the ground.

I almost cried in relief. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“Good job,” Kieran said. The sincerity of his tone surprised me. “Why don’t we test it out? Do part of the dance with me.”

“We just talked it out. I don’t want to push it.” But just as I looked away, Umara nudged me with her head, making me stumble forward into Kieran. “Really? Weren’t you just bitching about how stupid the dance was?”

Kieran laughed. “She doesn’t like to be underestimated. Come on. Let’s do it. ”

“We can’t do the dance properly without the other dragons here.”

“Then call them.”

“What?” I blinked. “They’re not… you’re fucking with me. No way would they come and do the dance.”

“Try it. Call them.”

I shook my head but closed my eyes and did as he asked, asking through Umara for them to come to the courtyard.

Deep in the corner of my mind I felt it.

A tug on the bond with Umara, but it went further than just her.

My eyes snapped open, and I looked at the entrance of the dragon caves.

One by one the other dragons left the caves and flew toward us.

Even Aurelia’s dragon came. “Why are they listening?” I breathed. “I’m not their rider.”

“Because we’re in the dragonsguard. We’re a unit.

And you have a bond with Umara, who has a bond with Thaleia.

They can communicate in ways we don’t understand.

” Kieran stood beside me, his eyes shining.

“This stupid little dance is important. They’re smart creatures.

Don’t expect them to take orders from you, but they can be reasoned with.

” His lips curved into a smile. “You performed so terribly earlier, they know you need the practice.”

Umara growled, and Hesperos blew smoke at her. Thankfully, it didn’t escalate any further.

My heart was in my throat as we climbed on our dragons.

I ran my hand along Umara's scales. “For the record, I’m fully aware that this is stupid.” Her fondness swelled through the bond.

“But the better we are at this dumb political dance, the more people will see me as a threat. Less assassination attempts. I could get my sister too. And… we can prevent a war. So, let’s make this the best performance of our life, okay? ”

“Are you ready?” Kieran asked.

I jerked a nod. Umara launched herself into the sky. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The feeling of belonging, of rightness, I loved it. This was where I was meant to be. “Let’s give them hell, Umara.”

The other dragons got into position, and I still couldn’t believe it. This is what it means when we’re a team. I looked at Kieran, at the way his gray eyes shone in the dark and the shadows seemed to curl around him. I smiled.

Umara shot flames up and charged through them.

I laughed as the heat kissed my skin. After a nod from Kieran, we started the dance.

All six of our dragons came together in a circle.

They danced around each other, diving down in twirls.

Not once did Umara snap at the other dragons when they got too close.

I knew Umara could sense my overwhelming pride through the bond.

Was this how a parent felt? Umara made a chuffing sound, tilting a bit so that I was forced to go sideways.

The blood rushed to my head, and I laughed.

So spiteful. We were a perfect match. I couldn’t stop grinning, even once we descended.

I pattered her scales. “You crushed it.”

Umara blew flames up at the sky with the other dragons.

Amazing. I could see why they ended the dance this way, this show of unity.

All of us up against the world. If we could stand like this, together, maybe we could stop the gryphons and Andova from further causing harm.

Maybe Raven will slip up, and we can get the eggs sooner.

“Beautiful,” Kieran said, and when I looked down to meet his gaze, I realized he wasn’t looking at the flames but instead staring intently at my face.