Page 45 of The Dragon's Gambit
“No, not that.”
“FINE! For the sake of me not starving to death ... you’re the best guardian ever. There, happy now?” Reiya mumbled out begrudgingly.
Brody lowered the bag and did a playful bow as he handed it to her. “Your food, princess.”
The other men chuckled as Reiya stormed off with the bag of goodies. She took a seat on the couch in the great room and sifted through the food. She found a yummy meat bun and excitedly pulled it out of the bag. “You guys can have the rest. I have all I need.” Brody waltzed over and snatched the bag, shooting her a cocky grin as he walked away.
Reiya took a bite of her food, her brows furrowed over having to eat humble pie in order to get it. She heard a gentle step near her and squealed as she felt herself being hoisted into the air.
Lee chuckled as he held her against him. “Let’s go out and sit on my balcony so we can talk.” He looked down at the ball of adorableness in his arms. Even her pouting was cute. Everything had happened so fast between them, but it really just seemedthat way. In reality, they’d been in love with each other for quite some time. Still, their relationship was new, even though he’d felt the mate pull for four years. At that moment, he wanted to spend some time with her alone, wanting to build the comfort level in their relationship.
He effortlessly carried her into his room and shut the door, heading to the ceiling-high windows on the far side. There was a sliding door that led out to a balcony with a stone bench and two small end tables. He sat down but kept Reiya on his lap, reveling in her closeness, and for once he didn’t feel guilty about it.
Chapter 31 Alone Time
Reiya leaned into the warmth behind her as she slowly ate her food. She stared out at the night sky, peppered with little diamonds. The moon was shining brightly, almost like it was shining on them.Maybe this is the Moon Goddess’ blessing?she thought wistfully. There was a slight breeze in the air that had a cold chill to it, but she wasn’t cold, not while she was being held by the electric heater behind her. She finished the last bite of her food and curled into him, soaking up more of his heat.
“Are you cold?” he asked in a gentle voice, sounding both quiet and strong.
Reiya shook her head. “Not in your arms, I’m not.”Ugh, Reiya! That was cheesy as hell. You sound like some lovesick kid! Step up your game, woman!She inwardly groaned at herself for her choice of words. A simple “no, I’m not cold” was all that was needed.
It didn’t feel weird being with him now. No, it actually felt more natural, almost as if being a couple was the real normal, and their former relationship was not. She was comfortable and felt completely at ease with him. As cliché as it was, it felt like they were meant to be. She kept that one to herself, though. She didn’t need to send him flying for the hills, escaping for dear life from the stage-five clinger that she was.
Her mother and father had always protected each other. They were the perfect complement to one another. She wanted to be able to offer that to Lee as well. He was a strong deity, and a dragon at that. Still, she was the fairy princess, a water elementalist, and she had a wolf somewhere deep within her. She would find the power to be able to protect him as well.
“Lee, I love you. I’m really happy.” She was happy, and she wanted him to know that being with him was what she wanted, too. She felt him pull her deeper into his embrace.
“I love you too. You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.”
“Yes, I do, actually, because I feel the same way hearing it from you.”
He smiled into her hair. “It’s a bit different for me, Reiya. I was hooked instantly because I knew you were my mate. I’ve waitedfor you for so long. You’ve always made me smile. The mate pull only takes you so far, though. It’s up to you to go the rest of the way. It wasn’t long after meeting you that I knew you’d captured my heart.”
He took in a deep breath of air, inhaling her scent. “When I first saw that it was you, I couldn’t believe it. My mate was half fairy and half werewolf. Not just that, though. She was the fairy princess, and daughter of the alpha and luna of a powerful pack. I wasn’t sure what to think. Dragons rarely take a mate that isn’t a dragon. But I also knew that, being a deity, I wasn’t supposed to ever take anyone but a deity as a mate. Not that a deity can’t play around with others, but to take one as your mate? That’s off limits. I struggled for a while with it. The more I was around you, though, the deeper I fell. Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with you. Nothing else mattered. I didn’t care about it being forbidden. I knew that it had to be you. You are the sun in my life, and I revolve around you. I don’t know how everything is going to pan out. I just know that I can’t not be with you. This wasn’t a choice for me. It was you or it was you.” Lee planted a sweet kiss on the back of Reiya’s head. His precious fairy was in his arms. It wasn’t a dream or a fantasy. She was here.
Reiya traced her finger over his arm that blanketed her. It was amazing that something she didn’t have until now suddenly made her feel like her life would be empty without it. “Lee, what if they find out and take you away from me? Is there anything that can be done?” There had to be something. She knew he wouldn’t tell her even if there was, but she felt protective over him, too. She was growing stronger every day, both mentally and physically. She would fight for him, no matter what happened.
“Baby, don’t worry about it. Everything is going to work out. Who knows? Maybe if that happens, you’ll find your destined mate and choose to be with him,” he chuckled, almost bitterly.
“Never. Never going to happen, so please, Lee, please don’t think like that. I know you’re afraid that I’m not always going to choose you. I promise. I know me, and I know my heart. I’ll always pick you. If you could only feel what I feel, you would know the truth. Mate pull or not, I’ll always be by your side.” If dragons could refuse their mates when they found them, then it wasn’t inescapable. Wolves had refused their mates before, too. So would she. She would not accept anyone other than Lee.
Lee tightened his arms around her. She didn’t understand what it felt like, finding your mate ... the instant pull. You’re filled with thoughts of only them. Some can drop their mates and not think twice about it. Not someone as kind as Reiya, though. She would always feel something for her mate, and her thoughts would always wander back to him. She was too kind of a person. He was worried about her. She would be a mental wreck as she struggled between him and her mate, constantly thinking about them and not herself. It would have been better to wait until she could recognize her mate so that she wouldn’t have to suffer in the future. He believed her words, though. She would stay with him, but he was afraid it would tear her up inside.
“I just want you to be happy, Reiya. Your happiness is what matters the most to me.”
“Which brings me back to what I was saying. I can’t be happy without you, Lee. If something happens to you ...”
“Then forget about me.” Lee’s voice was quick and sharp. “If the council ends up confining me, then there’s nothing that can be done. You’d have to let me go. There’s nothing you could do in that situation.”
Reiya wasn’t convinced. She knew she couldn’t fight off the deities, but surely something could be done. Maybe they could reach an agreement. After all, isn’t that what Lee was trying to do? Isn’t that why he was going to try speaking to the deity council? Who was the deity council anyway? Was Lee on it?
She looked into the distance. They were already at the top of a mountain, but now she was on top of a high balcony. Had it not been dark, she was sure she would be able to see far instead of just scanning the hazy void. The darkness, which had never been anything more than night, suddenly had an ominous feeling about it. Even though she should be relishing this new moment with her love, she felt her heart speed up. Her eyes flickered over the abyss, scanning for what she sensed. It was as if her heart was fleeing from it as its rhythm picked up.
This reminded her of reality. This was bigger than just her and Lee. She also had to protect her people and family from the demons that were gathering. For the first time, she could feel them. She could feel something searching for her. It was as if it was scanning frantically, but its menacing gaze was unable to locate her.
“Reiya?”
Lee’s voice pulled her from her sinking trance. She could feel the hair on her arms standing up, and her skin was covered in goosebumps. Her body tingled with a foreboding warning. The danger was growing, and she was finally more aware of it than ever. She felt almost connected to it. Almost as if, because of her gift of premonition, she was able to be more connected to the earth and to her surroundings.
