Page 44 of Of Nightmares & Fire (Elusive Umbra #1)

Chapter thirty-four

Kyros

My brows dip as I watch Astraea—the princess born from a man I loathe—break.

Not long ago I would have relished the sight.

But things have changed. She is not the half-witted princess on a tufted pillow I thought she would be.

Though the mission has not changed, my thoughts of her surely have.

She wants to get away from the king that I want to decimate more than any daughter should, and it makes me vibrate with anger as I think of the reasons that could be.

She won't tell me, and that’s fine. We both have our secrets, though I probably have more.

After Kellan disappeared into the dark night and minutes ticked by, the night sky beginning to brighten with stars, I slowly trail my hand down Astraea’s arm.

My touch makes her jolt in surprise before she stiffly turns to face me.

Her face is blotchy; if it were brighter, I have no doubt that it would be mottled with red.

“We need to get going now.” I say softly, and she nods.

Wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand, she walks past me, up to Eidola.

Reaching for her reins, she steels her spine and puffs her chest while the horse and I both eye her with amusement.

She looks from the stirrup to the seat of the saddle and back again, then to her feet.

More tension grows in her shoulders while I cross my arms and stand behind her waiting.

Curious to see just how tenacious the princess can be.

She kicks her slippered foot up to try to reach the stirrups and grips the reins too tightly, pulling on Eidola’s bit.

The horse whinnies, lifting a foot and stomping in place.

The motion startles Astraea, and she sucks in a breath, stepping backward and then falling on her ass.

I can't help but let another unbridled laugh rumble from my chest.

Her head whips in my direction, daggers slicing into me with the sharpness of her glare. The look of pure rage makes me laugh again as I shake my head, uncross my arms, and offer her a hand.

“Are you going to try again?” I ask, and she makes a hmmft sound before snubbing my outstretched hand and standing on her own.

I chuckle again, and she whirls around, sending sand spraying out in an arch from her disheveled skirt.

I place my hands up in a surrendering gesture, even as a smile is plastered on my face.

It feels foreign and light, and the thought fills me with warmth .

“You are just getting a kick out of this, aren’t you?

Watching me struggle? I’ve not seen you smile or heard you laugh this much since I have met you.

” She barks out, frustration leaking from her every pore.

What I don’t say is that no one has made me feel this way before.

While I do joke and play around with the family I have chosen as my own and the brother I didn’t…

It's not this sort of unrestrained amusement or endearment.

Instead, I just shrug with a half-cocked grin on my face.

That grin falls entirely as her eyes well with tears, and she looks away from me with a trembling lip.

For a moment I just stare at her. She walks up to Eidola, petting the side of her muscular neck with a gentle touch.

She whispers lower than I can hear, and Eidola looks at her with a tilted head.

Then the horse's heavy lashes lift toward me, as if to say, ‘Console her.’ Rolling my shoulders and cracking my neck, I come up behind Astraea and place my hand on her lower back. Gentle not to startle her.

“I—I’m sorry.” The apology takes longer to come out than I thought, but I don’t often apologize for my actions.

“These horses are not like the rest. They are much larger. Anyone of your stature would have a difficult, if not impossible, time getting into the saddle. Let me help you.” I say, and she swallows hard before turning to face me.

“It should be me who is sorry.” My brows furrow at her words, “I dragged you into my escape, and now you are a criminal. My father is likely announcing to the entire kingdom of your treason.” I huff out a breath .

“I am not worried about anything your father has to say against me. And you should not be sorry for anything. I didn’t do anything I didn’t want to do.

” The double meaning behind my words tastes bitter on my tongue, but they are the truth.

“Why don’t you ride with me? Just while we get further away from the palace.

Once we get with the others… I’ll teach you to ride on your own.

” Her eyes light up, bewilderment casting over her face as she looks at me in a way I have never been looked at before.

“You would do that?” She asks, and again, she pulls a long-forgotten feeling to my features as a warm smile spreads across my face.

“I will.” No sooner do the words leave my lips than her arms wrap around my neck as she launches herself at me.

I catch her with ease, another chuckle escaping.

Apparently she is making me a laughing fool.

Her feet hang from where I hold her up, and my arms wrap around her like it's the easiest thing I have ever done. When I set her down, I don’t automatically release her.

My arms linger at her waist, her arms achingly slow to slide away from my neck and down my chest until I’m certain she can feel my thundering heart.

“Thank you.” Her cheeks darken, and just like before, if there were more light to see by, I know that they would be flaring with a blush I relish in. She bites her lip, and the action draws my eyes to her mouth. I want nothing more than to bite it myself, but I restrain myself.

“Don’t thank me yet, Shula. You will most definitely fall on your ass more.

” I grin, and her shy smile she gives me before she playfully smacks my chest, pushing away from me, makes my cock want to strain against my breeches.

I let her go before this little tryst can turn into anything else. We do need to get going.

“How long until we reach, what did you call it? Creshian?” She asks, running her hand once again over Eidola’s neck.

“The Creshian Forest.” I confirm. “As long as we don’t run into any problems along the way, only a few days.”

“Is that how long it takes to replenish your magick?” She asks, looking away from me.

“No, not usually.” I answer, and she turns around at that, waiting for me to elaborate.

With a sigh, I continue. Though I have never revealed anything like this to anyone—only my brother knows the details of our shared magick.

“The power I expelled in your bed chambers the night of the nightmare you had… it drained me more than I am used to. A power expulsion of that magnitude without proper knowledge of what it was I was fighting took more than it should have. Usually, there is no time between my use of power and it being restored because the well is so deep. The magick I used at the ceremony only depleted what had just begun restoring, and then I used Mavros’ magick with my own.

The shared connection between us allowed me to siphon some power from him.

Now, with him so far away, that is not possible.

” She stands quietly, taking in that information, and slowly nods.

“And what if we are attacked on the journey?” She finally asks, and I merely smirk as I step into her and place my hands on her hips.

“As you have come to learn, Shula, I am a man of many talents.” I say as I lift her up with a jerk.

She squeals, just a small squeak, before throwing her leg over Khol’s wide back and into the saddle.

I follow, settling in behind her. She fits so perfectly in my lap.

I have to focus hard for a moment to make sure she isn’t keen on just how much I like the feel of her ass between my legs.

I nudge Khol’s flank, and he starts off into the desert.

I glance behind us; far in the distance, firelight dances as the city surrounding the palace is likely preparing to turn in for the night.

Either that or the king is already gathering his horde of fear-bound soldiers to search for the princess.

The latter would not be good for our travels.

We have wasted too much time as it is, but I also don’t want to shock Astraea, who has barely traveled outside of the palace, much less this far beyond its walls.

I let Khol take up a steady pace, nothing too slow to not give us the distance we need, but also slow enough that the woman riding in front of me can take in the beauty the desert has to offer.

It's not always as such, and before long she will likely see just how brutal and unforgiving the desert can be.

Hopefully it's not too long, though, and my magick is restored.

Then I can rend us a portal to the dunes.

“When I was a little girl, I used to sneak out of the castle. There is a lone tree at the highest point of the grounds. I would climb it as often as I could manage without getting caught. On nights like tonight, as summer is beginning to creep in, I felt like the tree reached for the stars like an outstretched hand. A little closer to the divine.” I can almost feel her smiling up at the stars as she speaks, and I follow her line of sight; only a smile isn’t what comes to my face.

My brows furrow as I think of the tree she speaks of.

“I would climb all the way to the top, and I would look out over the city and beyond to the sands of the desert that make up our kingdom, and I would wish for grand adventures, for a life that I could live . I would tell myself I would get away. I would survive.” That last sentence surprises me, but I wait, enjoying the sound of her voice as she opens her past up to me.

When she remains silent, I decide to offer her some truth of my own.

“That tree was planted with magick. It’s no wonder you were fond of its branches. I, too, would find solace and fond memories there.” My arms wrap around her a little more snugly, and she leans her head back into my chest.

“I feel like tonight, that little girl's dreams are finally coming true. Like I am not just surviving but living .” She swipes tears away from her eyes, and I feel her swallow hard at least a handful of times. I know she’s trying to be strong and not let the emotion flood her.

It’s always what someone does when they are taught that showing any emotion, especially something so raw as sorrow, is inadequate and weak. I know the feeling all too well.

“You are.” I say into the top of her head, looking up to the sky, and the fallen, I hope, are watching over us now. I hope you know what you are doing. I tell them through my silent prayers to the stars.

She continues to cry far longer than I anticipated. Silently, I hold her through it a little more securely than necessary. I want her to know she is not alone. As the night yawns and the expanse between the palace and us grows, so does my trepidation for what is inevitably going to come .

Eventually, I come to feel sorry for the sorrow she feels, and using my magick, I let a little bit of shadowy sand pool in my hand and sprinkle it over her as I lean down and whisper in her ear.

“Sleep, Shula. You deserve the peace it will bring.” If she finds out that I have used my magick on her more than once now, I’m sure there will be a fight, but I hope that through everything she will understand I only ever have used it for good with her.

I know it's not the wisest choice, but when I am trying to regain power, it is something I have to do.

For her, and for me. I needed time to think about everything, not having to worry that my thoughts might be too loud as well.