Page 55 of The Dragon's Gambit
“Reiya, what’s bothering you now?” Brody’s voice was soft as he took a small step back from her. He could sense her thready emotions, and they were all over the place and almost gut-wrenching at times.
Reiya’s eyes flicked at Lee, who was now walking up to them. Then she looked back at Brody.Later, when we can talk alone.Reiya shifted from side to side while she squeezed her hands together. She felt a bit anxious, and her eyes had a hint of vulnerability in them looking up at Brody. Could she really put him and Chelsie at risk too? She undoubtedly needed them, but she was basically dragging them into a gauntlet of danger.
Relax. We’ll talk later.Brody’s gentle voice resonated in her mind. He reached out and placed a tender hand on the top of her head, leaned his forehead against hers, and smiled. He pulled away and took a step back when Lee walked up to them.
Reiya could see the concern in his eyes. She noticed his thumb was playing with his fingers and a gentle smile spread over herface. He was nervous. “Everything’s okay, Lee. I just didn’t like you guys fighting. Then there’s the same old stuff that has been bothering me. I’m okay now.”
“Reiya, I would never hurt those that are precious to you. I—”
“I know already. The fact that you guys can argue just means you’re actually close. I get it. It still felt a bit divided. Like sides were split, and everyone was arguing on my account without even talking to me. We don’t need to talk about it anymore. It’s fine. The only thing we still need to discuss is me being kept under lock and key. But I will give you until this evening to make a wise decision about that.” Reiya smirked and leaned back on her heels.
Lee’s lips curled up into a smile. He knew keeping her locked up was not an option. There was no way his little troublemaker would simply stay put and obey. He would have to think of another way to keep her safe when he couldn’t keep an eye on her. He took a step closer to her, wanting to hold his girl in his arms, to comfort her and himself. He needed her touch.
“My Lords.”
Lee immediately stopped his approach and let out an irritated breath. He gave Reiya a look of promise before he took a retreating step to the side, forced to watch Xander wrap his arm around HIS mate. And in that outfit that she was wearing, too ...Damn that water horse for that outfit. I will pay her back.
Chapter 38 Diplomat
Xander rested his hand on Reiya’s waist as Reese walked up to them. “Wow! Your arm looks better already, that’s amazing.”
“Reese, I’m sure you aren’t here just to chat,” Xander said tersely.
“Sorry, my lord. The children have been taken care of, and their parents have been informed so that they can see to their punishment. Also ...” Reese cleared his throat and then his eyes glazed over.
My lord, Clovis is really against your mate. I think you need to handle this situation firmly.
Xander’s eyes flickered over toward Lee as he nodded slowly. “Reese, will you keep a BETTER eye on my mate for me this time while I handle things?”
“My apologies, my lord. I will do better this time.”
“Aww now, it isn’t Reese’s fault. You can’t blame him for an accident.” Reiya defended the man, whose eyes lit with a smile.
Xander grumbled near Reiya’s ear. “You aren’t taking up for another man now, are you?” He spun her around aggressively, making her short skirt reveal her bottom cheeks for a moment. He tugged her flush against his chest. “Do I need to teach you to only look at me?”
Wow ... what an asshole. If this is how he intends to treat his mate, I’m glad it isn’t me. However, you want to pretend we’re mates, then I’m going to teach you how I would treat my mate in this instance as well.
She smiled up at him sweetly, gazing into his amber eyes. She swung her hand up and flicked him hard, right between the eyes. He reached up and held his hand over his head. “Ouwie.”
“The lady dragons may swoon at your feet and love it when you treat them like an asshole, but not me. You see, I have this thing called self-esteem. And you’ve got another thing coming if you think I’m going to allow you to act like that toward me. What, I can’t stick up for someone else because your ego can’t take the hit? Well, get over yourself. I‘m going to do what’s right, whether it pisses you off or not.” Reiya could see Chelsie and Brodyleaning against the wall, smiling in approval. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the laughter in Lee’s eyes as well. There was laughter there and something else, something dark that she couldn’t place.
Xander smirked down at her, taking his thumb and gently tilting her chin up to him. “See, right there. That’s hot as hell.” He leaned in and pecked her forehead, a dangerous move in front of Lee, but he had to play his part. Plus, he really thought she was too damn adorable there. “This is how you should always be, Reiya. Always do what’s right, no matter who you make angry. This is proof that you were born to be a leader.” As he stared into her deep blue eyes, he felt a weird connection between them. It felt like he knew her or he should know her. Something deep within her pulled him to her like a moth to a flame. He didn’t want to analyze it too much. Especially since this was the girl who Levi had taken as his mate. Whatever the connection was, he would ignore it. He dropped his hand from her. “Try to stay safe and out of trouble.”
Reiya watched Xander wink at her, and then he walked swiftly down the hall. She looked up at Lee as he followed after him. His eyes were dark and unreadable, but his facial expression suggested he was upset. She wondered if he had noticed it ... the weird feeling that had just sparked between her and Xander. She wondered what it was. She had this nostalgic feeling deep within her, but she wasn’t sure if it was mutual. There was definitely some sort of interesting connection between her and Xander. Whatever it was, it wasn’t like her connection with Lee. That was a whole other animal.
“Thank you ... for sticking up for me.” Reese smiled sheepishly as he nodded his head to her in respect.
“Don’t think anything of it. I was just doing what was right.” Reiya turned and looked at Brody and Chelsie.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I could go for some food.” Brody grinned widely, making Chelsie scoff loudly.
“Of course you could. When aren’t you hungry? You’ve been low on the picnic basket theft lately.” Chelsie snorted but let a soft smile form over her lips.
“I’m hungry too, so food it is!” Reiya smiled and then looked over at Reese. “That shouldn’t get us in too much trouble.”
Reese chuckled and nodded his head. “Follow me. I’ll lead you to the private kitchen. It’s for Xander's personal use.”
“Nice job there with Xander, but next time I think a sucker punch to the stomach would be more fitting.” Chelsie grinned, and a quiet snarl was heard from Reese.
