Page 161 of The Dragon's Gambit
Xander bellowed loudly as he fought against a couple of onis and an ogre. Another dragon joined him, aiding him in his fight, while a green dragon flew into the sky, checking the river where Brody had disappeared.
Chelsie was still locked in place by the witch doctor’s curse. She wouldn’t be released until it was dead. The witch doctors were battling for their lives against the kelpies, and Chelsie was frantically trying to get to Brody. Not only was she pinned down, but she had sustained severe injuries to her legs.
An earth-shaking roar rang through the air from one of the three dragons fighting against the hellhounds. They weren’t just fighting hellhounds, though. Behind them was another group of witch doctors using their magic against the dragons.
Reiya felt her vision begin to tunnel.I need more. I need to be stronger. We have to help them. I need to get to Brody. Goddess, what are we going to do?Her blood continued to trickle onto the ground. That was the least of Reiya’s worries, though. It was the poison that had overtaken her body that she was fighting the most. She was struggling to heal with it in her system.
Despite her pain, she really was only worried about Brody at that moment. He was the only thing she was thinking about. She kept having flashbacks of her childhood with him.
The first time she skinned her knee, he was the one to pick her up and take care of her. When she wanted a cookie from high up on a shelf, he was the one to climb up and get one for her. When she did something wrong, he was there trying to take the blame on her behalf. He was always there ... always there to comfort her, always by her side. She replayed the moment the hellhound sunk his teeth into him. The look of agony on his face and how his body began to sag lifelessly. How he was dragged underwater just moments ago.
A fire ignited inside her, her eyes flickering with rage and sorrow. She’d had enough. This was enough. Abaas was done messing with her family. She reached inside herself and called out to one of her fairy powers. She had the ability to disorient, and she would use this to give herself a chance. She needed a moment to distract Abaas so she could attack. She could feel the resolve building inside her as her magic came forth. She watched as the dark wolf in front of her began to shake his head. This was her chance.
A brilliant blue light shone from her necklace as she pushed off the ground, diving into him. A loud, rippling growl broke from her throat as she sank her teeth into his neck. His blood splattered over her face, and she clamped her jaw tighter with a crushing force. Red pooled on the ground. In a panic, Abaas latched his fangs into Lumi, trying to get her to release her hold. The rich smell of iron wafted in the air as the breeze swirled it in the wind. He didn’t want to kill her, but his own life was now in danger. With her last attack, his self-preservation had kicked in. The two wolves held each other in a deadly hold until one finally let go and sank to the ground, lifeless.
The white wolf staggered, covered in her blood and his blood. The toxins were flowing through her, making her struggle to stay conscious.
SNAP. She froze. She began shaking her head back and forth frantically while making high-pitched yelps. She could hear the loud shrills of a horse whinnying. They both felt it. Brody’s light had gone out.
Reiya shifted back into her human form as her necklace took over. The blue light surrounded her body as she screamed out in pain and grief. The ground began to tremble. The clouds swirled angrily as a strong wind picked up. The light grew brighter and brighter until the gem combusted, its dust swirling in the air and spinning above her.
Reiya laid down on the ground.Don’t move, Reiya. Let me work on trying to heal you,Lumi’s voice called to her. Not that Reiya could move anyway. Exhausted and in shock, her eyes were also beginning to close. Lumi was drawing from her fairy magic in order to heal her. With the wolfsbane, she couldn’t do it on her own.
No … Brody ... Brody! How can you leave me? Brody, please don’t leave me,Reiya cried out to his empty link. She had never felt such emptiness inside her. He was gone. He’d always been there, from the beginning, and now … he was gone. No more Brody bear. No more teasing him over his voracious appetite. No more strong, warm hugs. He’d told her to move forward. She wasn’t sure how, though. Her eyes shut briefly as she let the exhaustion and poison sweep over her. Maybe it would be better if she could join Brody. Then, she wouldn’t have to feel this pain. Then, she wouldn’t have to move forward without him.
At this same moment, the fragments of the blue gem began to swirl in a fast counter circle, creating a sapphire-colored whirlwind. Then Reiya felt something familiar. She fluttered her eyes open with her last bit of strength to see a large, familiarblue dragon emerging from the gem fragments. She felt his connection again in her mind. A blue flame surged from his mouth as a vicious roar left his throat. A bright, blinding light flashed through the sky. Reiya could no longer hear the sounds of the battle. Everything became foggy as she drifted off.
As Reiya fell unconscious, Leviathan rampaged over the demons.
Chapter 97 Time to Heal
“It was a good thing we sent Chelsie to let you guys know that we would be battling demons. I don’t know what we would have done if you all didn’t come. She was able to get a few kelpies to help, too.” Xander smiled as he wrapped his arm around Lila.
“I’m just glad we left when we did. I couldn’t imagine if I had los ...” Lila’s voice trailed off quietly as she noticed the slight movement in front of her. The person was finally stirring.
“Thank goodness, she’s finally coming to,” Lee said to Xander as a wave of relief washed over him.
Light began to shine in her eyes. It was flickering so brightly.How annoying.Sounds started to come through as she became aware of her surroundings again. With a gentle inhale, she smelled the sweet scent of her mate. She could hear his voice as he talked with Xander. How did she get Lee back? Did this mean they were now connected? What had happened? She began to recall the battle and its events.Brody.Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up. Immediately, she felt hands on her shoulders.
“Easy, Reiya,” Lee’s calm voice called to her.
“Brody ...” She turned her head frantically.Please please please please be here.
“Reiya, Lumi has been working tirelessly to heal you and remove the wolfsbane. With wolfsbane, your wolf can’t heal you. Thank goodness your healing fairy power kicked in. It was able to help you recover from the wolfsbane so Lumi could physically heal you as well. If it wasn’t for that ...” He paused, sighing. “You need to rest.” Lee’s voice was gentle and calming. But Reiya was not calm.
“Lumi can rest in my subconscious. I need to be up.” She looked over and saw Xander and Lila sitting on her other side. Over near the river, Chelsie sat all alone, staring into the water. Reiya’s heart broke. She knew. Life was never going to be the same.
“Why are we still here?” Reiya whispered. “And where is everyone else?”
“Lumi said we mustn’t move you.” Lee was watching her, his brows furrowed with deep concern.
“We’ve been here for two days. The others went back to keep an eye on things. We managed to fight off the demons. Levi here came in and basically unleashed his godlike fury on them.” Xander frowned slightly as he held onto Lila’s hand. Reiya was going to need time ... time to heal from this.
Reiya looked over at Lee. “I don’t understand. How did you get here?”
“It turns out that the living gem was the Ocean’s Tear. In order to work, your soul had to call out to it, something that would only happen in a moment of desperation. This is why a dangerous task is used to release the tear. We had it all along.” Lee smiled softly. “The moment it was released, it broke the seal, and I immediately came to you. Our life forces are now connected.”
Reiya wanted to be happy to see Lee. And she was. But she couldn’t focus on what should have been a happy moment. She was breaking inside. “I need to talk with Chelsie.” She began to pull herself to her feet, and Lee immediately lifted her up.
