Page 4 of Veiled By Smoke (The Nature Hunters Academy #5)

Rory snorted, then caught herself. “I’m just saying, some of us would have liked a heads-up about the whole ‘my dragon is a queen who shifts and has a hell-king for a mate’ thing.

I don’t think that’s too much to ask in a relationship.

Aston,” she looked at her mate, “do you think it’s too much to ask? ”

“Not fair,” Elias spoke up for the first time in a while. “He’s always going to side with you because you can kick him out of the bed. Or get your dragon queen to eat him. You need to ask an impartial party.”

“We can always go back to the BFF code,” Gabby offered. “Witches before dick heads. But in this case, it would be dragon bond before literally any other being on earth or in any other realm.”

“That,” Rory pointed at her. “That’s what the code between us should be.”

“Okay, now that we have that settled,” Gabby continued, “this lovely couple is Crey and Tinley. Both fire elementalists.”

The couple looked sheepish as Crey said, “We were as shocked as you. She literally just walked up to us, went all glowy and regal, and told us to get here.”

Tinley grinned. “I thought Riggs was gonna faint.”

Riggs rolled his eyes. “I do not faint. I was . . . stunned. There’s a difference.”

A hush fell, until Gabby broke it with a sigh. “Honestly, at this point, nothing surprises me. I’m not even sure reality is real anymore.”

Aston, ever the scholar, chimed in, “This raises so many questions about soul memory and elemental lineage. I’d love to do more research?—”

“Aston, Babe, I love you and your nerdiness most of the time, but it’s not the point!” Rory interrupted, rolling her eyes. “The point is my dragon bonded sits on a throne of lies.”

“For like five seconds, I forgot how dramatic you can be,” Kimba said dryly.

Liam grinned. “And you shouldn’t steal lines from epic movies like Elf , even if they’re fitting. Classic, but let’s not get sued.”

Lawson clapped his hands. “Well, I for one am here for the drama. Dragon queens, lost memories, apocalypse—this is better than cable.”

Cara nudged him. “You do remember that Rory is a witch, right? Try not to get turned into a toad. I don’t find toads attractive.”

“Every girl has to have standards,” Shelly offered. “I think drawing the line at toad mate is completely reasonable. But what’s not reasonable is secrets from your scaly bff.”

“See!” Rory practically jumped up and down. “Hell girl gets it. Probably because hell fried her brain cells with the heat, and being around Osiris probably has given her some sort of weird-ass PTSD, but she gets it.”

“I’ve got your back, Roar.” Shelly gave her a thumbs up. “Can I call you Roar? Don’t answer that. I’m going to call you that anyways, whether you like it or not.”

The banter flowed bright and fast as the new pairs found places around the fire, exchanging awkward greetings and old in-jokes. But Rory’s attention kept drifting back to Kimba, a thousand questions burning in her chest.

As the group settled, Kimba caught her gaze and tilted her head. “Walk with me, soul bonded.”

Rory glanced at the others, then followed Kimba to the far edge of the cave, away from the firelight and the swirl of voices. The cold air bit at her skin, but Kimba’s presence was a steady warmth at her side.

Kimba turned, her human eyes impossibly blue. “I know this is a lot. But our bond—what we are—hasn’t changed. If anything, it’s stronger. I am still your Kimba, and you are still my soul bonded. Queen or not, mate to Osiris or not, nothing will ever change that.”

Rory fought the urge to tear up, instead folding her arms and tilting her chin.

She could feel Aston’s worry and need to comfort her, but he gave her the space she needed.

“You better not start getting all regal on me. No ‘your majesty’ nonsense, or I’ll start calling you ‘scaly butt’ in front of the others. ”

Kimba’s lips twitched. “I would expect nothing less. But you have my promise—nothing changes between us. Not now, not ever.”

Rory tried to glare, but couldn’t keep the smile from breaking through. “Maybe I’ll forgive you for the whole ‘secret queen’ thing . . . in, oh, a century or so. If you’re really good.”

Kimba laughed, the sound echoing like music in the cave. “I can be very patient.”

Rory bumped her shoulder against Kimba’s. “Good. Because you’re stuck with me, dragon. And all the dramatics that come with me.”

Kimba nodded, solemn as ever, but her eyes sparkled with affection. “As it should be, soul bonded. As it should be.”

They were quiet for a few moments, watching the snow fall in the night sky. Then Rory asked, “What are you going to do about Osiris?” She felt Kimba tense beside her and the sharp pain radiate through their bond.

“He’s got to make his own decisions. Just like I’ve got to make mine.

We may be soul bonded, but we are still individuals,” she said, her words sounding much more sure than she felt.

“But between you and me, I’m reminding myself that I shouldn’t eat him because he’d no doubt give me indigestion after being in hell for so long. ”

Rory laughed. “At least you’re keeping your sense of humor. But, you know I’m here, if you need to talk. Or just go on a flight and leave this crap behind for a while.”

Kimba nodded as she took several steps away from Rory and then, in a whirl of magic, returned to her dragon form.

“I know I can always depend on you, Rory. But there’s no time for a break.

” She stomped one of her huge feet, scratching the ground, getting everyone’s attention.

“We begin tomorrow, after a good night's sleep,” she told them.

“The world cannot wait. Your need to process changes cannot keep us from moving forward. This is the life of a warrior. You adjust at a moment's notice. You learn quickly. You fight without apology. When the dust settles, then we can deal with all the other stuff that had to be put on hold.” She let out a snuff of smoke from her nostrils and then added, “My mate will either sit on the sidelines and prove he’s useless, or step up and be the ruler he once was.”

Liam whistled low. “That’s a burn with a capital ‘b.’ If anyone can bring him around, you seem more than capable.”

“I will leave you in Kimba’s capable care,” Sepheron said. “I will return as quickly as I can. But, I feel there is something I must address.”

Kimba nodded at the king. “We will be here when you return.”

“I will be quick,” he said and then used his powerful legs to push himself out of the cave, his great wings expanding, catching him on the wind. They all watched until he was out of sight.

Rory felt Aston step up beside her. She took a deep breath, reaching for his hand as the rest of the group stood and gathered in a loose circle. She tried to find the right words, some kind of rallying cry, but all that came out was, “Let’s not die today, okay?”

Gabby grinned. “Speak for yourself. Almost dying is what makes it fun.”

Liam whooped. “That’s the spirit! Wait, what?” he looked at his mate. “There will be no ‘almost dying.’ If you want fun, I’ll show you fun. If you want dying, I can give you the little death.”

“Somebody stop him now,” Elias said, as he shoved at Liam.

The other couples laughed at the water elementalist’s antics, and Rory appreciated the lighter atmosphere.

They talked for a while. Rory was fascinated by what the other soul-bonded couples had to share with them–their adventures and battles with dark elementals and acolytes.

Her heart ached for them anytime they mentioned friends that had not made it out of battles, and she wondered if that would be her one day.

She looked around at the people in the cave and hoped with everything inside of her that they would all make it through this so that in the future they would all one day be telling the younger generations about their triumphs without the pain of the losses.

She leaned her head on Aston’s shoulder, soaking up his warmth as Crey regaled them with how he won Tinley’s heart after she’d rebuffed him for over a year. She closed her eyes and let the sound of their voices wrap her in what she knew would be a short-lived peace.

“There can be no peace without war, Sweets,” Aston said through their bond. “Just as there is no light without darkness.”

“I think you should stick to your books, Babe,” she told him. “Your pep talks sort of suck.”