Page 35 of The Dragon's Gambit
“Ican see you’re upset, but I was able to purify his curse. Mason won’t have to suffer anymore.” Reiya scooched herself up into a sitting position and listened as Lee let out adeep breath. He got up from the bed and headed toward the window. It was obvious from his posture that he was upset.
Her eyes swept across the room, taking in its exquisite beauty. At every turn, there were statues of dragons sculpted from pure, white stone perched on shelves and windowsills. Each one was intricately detailed, with scales that seemed to shimmer and wings that looked ready to take flight. But the centerpiece of the room was a stunning mural of a water dragon, painted on the wall beside the bed. Its mighty jaws were open in a roar, its body coiled in a graceful arch as if frozen in time. Delicate crystal lights hung from above, adding a touch of enchantment to the already impressive room. It was incredible. “Is this your room?” Reiya eyed the room one more time before looking back at Lee.
“Yes.” Lee’s voice was terse and direct.
“Why am I in your room and not my own?”
“No one will bother us in my room.” His voice was still curt and unfeeling.
Reiya sighed. He wouldn’t even look at her. She swung her feet over the side of the bed and slowly put pressure on them, testing her leg strength to make sure they would bear her weight. Without having her wolf, something that drained her like this would take her longer to recover from than her mother. Once she managed to stand up, she took a few quiet steps around the bed and stood beside Lee so she could also look out the window. Not only did he have an awesome room, but the view was amazing. He had a stone balcony just off his room that gave him a spectacular view of the valley below the mountainside. She thought wryly to herself,I guess being a deity gets you top-of-the-line perks.“It’s an amazing view.” Still, there was nothing but silence between them. That and the sound of their light breathing.
How did even his breath give her an intimate feeling? She tilted her head slightly so that she could side-eye him better. Hisjaw was set, and his eyes were fixed on some point off in the distance. A small, timid smile rested on her face as she reached forward and touched the window in front of her. “How long was I asleep?”
“You mean how long were you passed out for? Two hours. You’ve been unconscious for two hours.” His voice had a bit of a bite to it as he spoke.
“Oh. I guess I missed the rest of the party.” She chuckled quietly. Lee snapped an irritated look her way and she sighed loudly for him to hear. “I’m not sure why you’re angry with me.”
“You aren’t? You have no clue why I would be angry with you?” Lee almost growled as he turned to face her, his light blue eyes shooting daggers at her.
Reiya bit her cheek and met him with a glare of her own. “I was trying to help, and I did. For ONCE, I was able to actually help someone else and not be the one needing help.”
“I’m glad you were able to fill some self-satisfying, mortal need to feel useful.” Lee’s voice sliced through the air like a knife, laced with agitation and dripping with an icy tone.
Reiya bit her bottom lip. That one stung. It stung twice as much coming from Lee. “I’m sure these petty, mortal feelings are hard for a god like yourself to understand.” Reiya folded her arms as she snipped back at him.
“I don’t want you getting hurt, Reiya. Is that too hard for you to understand?” Lee raised his voice in irritation.
“I’m fine! I was able to save him from a miserable life, and I ended up fine. I was able to use a power that I didn’t even know I was capable of using. I learned about myself today, Lee. I won’t regret my actions. I can’t.” Reiya furrowed her brows at him. This was a big deal to her. It showed her that she was capable of more than she ever knew. It also gave her the confidence that she would be able to tackle the future head-on.
Lee looked up at the ceiling with a small frown. “Mason is a good guy. I’m glad he’s freed from the curse. I just wish it hadn’t been at your expense. I don’t want you to try something else like that again, Reiya. Curses are dangerous. All it takes is losing one ounce of concentration, and it could have backfired viciously.”
“How else do you learn except to experience things hands-on? You act like I messed up. I didn’t. He’s fine and I’m fine. You’re worrying now about the what ifs—”
“THAT’S BECAUSE YOU DON’T EVEN REALIZE THE WHAT IFS THAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED!” Lee shouted angrily, glaring at her.
Reiya jumped back, a bit startled. No one had ever yelled at her like that before. How could he? This was her life. These were her choices. He didn’t own her. Why did he think he could control what she did?
“I know you see me as the naïve child who doesn’t think danger exists, but I knew it was dangerous, Lee. I knew it could have turned out badly. But I couldn’t leave him like that, not when I could help. You act like no one should light a fire because they could get burned. But without that fire’s heat, we could freeze. Sometimes you have to take risks for a greater reward.”
“What’s the reward here, Reiya? You were able to use a power, and now you feel good about yourself?” Lee shot back sarcastically.
“NO! I just saved the Dragon King of the East. If I’m trying to win allies, I think I just earned major points with a big one!” Reiya whipped her hand to the side.
“So, you’ll try to gain allies, no matter what it could cost you?” Lee’s tone was low and quiet. It reminded her of a tiger getting ready to pounce.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to save my people … to save my family and friends.” Reiya’s voice trailed quietly. “You didn’t see what I saw, Lee.” She didn’t mean for it to happen,but her bottom lip quivered slightly. “It was awful. We were outnumbered … we didn’t stand a chance. I have to change that.” Reiya then looked up at him with her piercing blue eyes. “You weren’t there, Lee. I called for you and you never came. What could have happened? Did you get hurt or killed because of me?” Reiya shook her head and closed her eyes shut as she felt the liquid begin to creep out. “I don’t know what’s shaken me more, the battle, or the fact that you weren’t there, and I don’t know why. What if it’s my fault that you’re not there?”
Lee’s eyes softened and he reached out for her, wrapping one arm around her as he pulled her close. “That future isn’t for certain. I’m fine, Reiya. Nothing’s going to happen to me. Nothing could ever stop me from coming to you.”
“That’s what scares me, Lee. If you didn’t come to me, then what does that …” Reiya couldn’t finish her sentence as small crystals leaked from her eyes.
“No one is going to kill me, Reiya.” Lee chuckled at the absurdity of it. “I don’t know what you saw or what it meant, but I promise you that no one is killing me.” Lee reached his hand up and patted her head gently.
This very gesture sent Reiya over the edge. She pushed away from him and shook her head angrily. “Stop, Lee! Stop treating me like your little sister.” She angrily met his shocked gaze.
“I didn’t mean anything by it, Reiya—”
“Just stop. You’ve always seen me as a little sister.” Her voice softened and her blue orbs were now almost pleading with him to understand what she was saying.
