Page 58 of The Dragon's Gambit
Reiya’s eyes flew up to see a seething Xander marching directly toward them. Lee was following behind him, looking very dangerous. His eyes were dark and emotionless, fixated on the man holding onto her. Great ... she was going to be the cause of a dragon fight now. No, no she wasn’t. She bit down on his hand, spun her foot to the side and kicked him in the shin. The moment he let go of her, she spun around and belted him in the nose again. Reiya smirked as she saw the small blood dots appear under his nose.
“I guess I was able to do it again.” Reiya smiled sweetly and Weston chuckled as he grabbed his handkerchief out again.
“You’re too good for Xander.” Weston grinned as Xander walked up to them.
Xander immediately grabbed onto Reiya and pulled her to his side as he glared at Weston. He then turned and looked her over. “Nice swing, my dear.” He gave her a soft smile and looked at her more seriously. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Xander. Everything’s okay. He was trying to make you mad on purpose. He got what was coming to him, though.” Reiya grinned up at Weston, who shrugged sheepishly.
“That’s the second time you made me bleed. I’m pretty impressed.” Weston tucked his handkerchief away and straightened himself up.
“Second?” Xander asked with a deadly undertone.
“I figured your henchman here would have told you,” Weston said with a smirk, excited to see Xander's reaction. “I tried to kiss your mate.”
Reiya instantly grabbed onto Xander's arm as he clenched it in anger. She was sure the swing was coming, had she not held on. She also heard a very low, almost silent snarl coming from behind her. She could feel the icy chill emanating from Lee.
“Keyword is tried.” Reiya tugged on Xander's arm to pull his attention back to her. She could feel the rage building up in him, his arm trembling with anger. He was supposed to just act as her mate, but the rage he felt was real. This issue needed to be addressed. She couldn’t leave this to the hot-headed dragon males. Diplomacy would never be reached. Weston was curling his lips, antagonizing Xander to continue. Xander was barely hanging on to his temper. Children. Dragons were like children who didn’t know how to control their emotions.
A waiter walked around them cautiously as he carried a tray of drinks. Reiya grabbed two off his tray and quickly spun around, pouring the contents on each of the two men. The water dripped off their faces onto the floor. They turned and blinked at her, both completely shocked at what she had done.
“Well, now that you’ve been cooled off, perhaps we can try this whole talking thing again.” Reiya folded her arms and tapped her foot at the two men.
“You should probably warn someone when you take such a dangerous person as a mate.” Weston used his forearms and wiped the contents off his face. He looked up at the irritation still evident on Xander's face. “Oh, would you relax already? Iwas just testing her out. She passed. I’ve decided to support you. Well, support her, more specifically. I think she’s pretty special.”
Xander let out a loud sigh and reached out to Reiya, pulling her into his chest. Reiya knew she had to play the mate part. Still, she felt awkward being in Xander's arms with Lee right behind them. She wished she could be in his embrace. She forced herself to lean her back into Xander and looked up at Weston, who had a peculiar smile on his face.
“So, who are you exactly?”
Weston smiled widely. “I am the First Prince of the Southern Kingdom.”
“Ruby’s brother?!” Reiya looked at him more closely. She could now see the resemblance.Oh shit... this was one of the guys she was supposed to convince to side with her against the demons. Talk about an interesting first impression. So that was why the crowd got quiet, and why the kiss on her hand was a big deal.
“I hear you’re the one that took away her mate’s curse. Like I said, you’re too good for Xander.”
Xander snarled at Weston, but Reiya tapped his chest to behave. “Oh hush. You know I’m too good for you.” Reiya winked, causing him to smirk down at her. In reality, there was a hidden meaning in what she said. She was Lee’s mate, not his.
“That’s not what you said last night.” Xander's voice was low and sensual. The implication made Reiya’s cheeks heat up. Here, she hadn’t even officially mated with Lee, and he was implying she’d gone all the way with him. She had to keep telling herself to play her part. What seemed natural for Xander was chokingly hard for her. She wanted to dive into Lee’s arms, to take in his scent. It felt wrong being in another man’s intimate embrace. She had to protect Lee, though. She didn’t want him to get sealed away.Deep breaths, Reiya. Keep up the ruse.
“I think you’re confusing things. You’re confusing being good with being better. I said you were good, but I’m still too good for you.” Reiya smiled up at him while Weston stifled a laugh. Reiya wanted to vomit on her words. She never realized how torturous it would be for her to pretend to be another’s mate. It was different before, with the playful flirting. But now that she had been marked by Lee, it changed things for her.
Lee ... The moment she thought about him, she felt sick. How hard it must be for him to watch this. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel if he had to pretend he was mated to another. She wouldn’t be able to stomach it. She wouldn’t be able to stand being in the same room. Yet, here he was, standing behind them, quietly observing everything. If he was able to play his role, which was harder than hers, then she should be able to, too. She had to remind herself to just think of Lee, to just pretend Xander was Lee. Well, to a certain extent, at least.
“I can’t wait to see better tonight, then.” Xander smiled and then looked back up to Weston. “Thank you for your support. However, if you touch my mate again ...” Xander's friendly demeanor changed, and his eyes narrowed in anger. “I will kill you.”
Reiya’s eyes widened. This was the opposite of diplomatic, but Weston didn’t even bat an eye. She guessed that must be a normal reaction for a dragon. When she thought about it, she realized it would be a normal reaction for a werewolf, too. She could only imagine how her father would react if someone touched her mother. Yep. They would be dead in two seconds flat.
“The test is over. I won’t touch your mate again. She’ll have my respect. I’ll look out for her as your queen and as a friend.” Weston reached out and clasped hands with Xander in a firm handshake. The dragon kings had reached an agreement. The intense aggression was suddenly gone, extinguished as quicklyas flipping off a light switch. It was exhausting keeping up with their attitudes.
Chapter 40 Unseen
The way their attitudes flipped was amazing. One minute they were almost certainly going to fight, and the next, they were laughing and joking with one another. She gathered that they played together often as children and had a tendency toget into trouble. Developing a relationship with these dragons felt a bit odd, mainly because it was immediately based on the lie that she was Xander's mate. She was instantly moved to the status of future Queen of the West and held in high regard. She wondered what status she would have as Lee’s mate. As a deity, Lee outranked all of them. His position was held with the utmost reverence.
“I insist the two of you join me at my table next week for the mating ceremony. Mason and Ruby will also be there, since it is a dedication to the new royal mates. And I’m hoping Dex will join me as well. I want to have a unity table with all the future leaders of the four kingdoms. I would be honored if you would also grace our table with your presence as well, Lord Leviathan.” Weston looked back at Lee, who was quietly standing a few feet behind Reiya.
Reiya was secretly hoping that she would be able to sit by Lee. It would be nice to be at dinner with him. She looked at him. His eyes were unfeeling, his face emotionless. He looked more like a statue version of himself.
“I’ll keep it in mind. No promises,” he replied, flatly and uninterested. He then walked away toward another group of people, where Grandpa Sage had also joined. She could see a couple of women over there were now giving him their full attention. They were very beautiful women, and it made her feel a bit insignificant. Why would Lee want her? It was obvious why anyone would want Lee, but why her? Sure, she knew she wasn’t ugly, but she had never thought of herself as gorgeous. These women were not only nicely put together, but they were completely doctored up, from head to toe. Next to them, she felt very plain Jane. She was the only fairy princess in the whole world, though. Was that a draw, a reason to be attracted to her? She hoped it wasn’t. She hoped she wasn’t viewed as a prize.
