Page 71 of The Dragon's Gambit
“I am Lumi. The Moon Goddess Selene chose me to be your wolf. Together we will defy the hands of destiny, rip apart its threads, and weave our own path. The timing may not be in our favor, but we will force the stars to align for us when the time comes. I’ll be ready to emerge soon, Reiya. I’m getting close. Because I’m special, it’s taken me longer to develop inside of you. I’m different from the others. Other werewolves appear when their owner comes of age, but I’ve been with you since the moment you were conceived. I’ve been molded by you, shaped into someone new. But now I feel like I’m bursting at the seams, ready to break free and stand on my own. I think I’m ready now, but the goddess has yet to remove the shield from me.”
“I’m guessing that’s important? The fact that you’re growing with me instead of just showing up?”
“Yes, we’re more bonded and connected. We’ll be stronger because of it. I’m sorry, Reiya. I can’t stay with you yet. I was only able to break through because you were also sealed in the moon bubble, but it’s time for you to wake up and break out.”
“But I have so much I want to ask you and talk to you about.” Reiya wanted more time with Lumi. She had just met her, and she finally felt whole. This was who she’d been waiting for all her life, and already she had to leave her. It wasn’t fair.
“I will be with you soon, Reiya. Our time together is coming. Continue to trust yourself and your gut. Now … wake up.”
The moment Lumi said “wake up”, Reiya felt jolted, almost constricted, and she started coughing wildly. The world around her was fading into focus. Back to reality. She opened her eyes groggily. She was laying on the ground, but her head was on someone’s lap. She peered up to see liquid streams pouring from Freja’s eyes.
“You’re alive! Thank goodness. How are you alive? You were dead! I mean, yeah, you were basically dead. I guess basically dead isn’t dead, but still ... how did you come back from that?!” Freja reached her hand up and rubbed it over Reiya’s forehead. “Thank you … thank you for risking your life for me, Reiya.”
Reiya smiled weakly and closed her eyes. The moment her eyes closed, the bubble disintegrated. There was no sound. It was just gone.
Lee watched the impenetrable shield disappear. They had all been banging on it, desperately trying to break it open. They didn’t know what was going on. Lee could sense this came from Selene, and he was livid with her.No one touched his mate.
He wondered if the peculiar goddess knew about their relationship. If so, she would be a good ally to have on their side. Still, the meddling goddess needed to keep her barriers away from his mate.
They watched as the girls came into view. Reiya was lying on the ground with her eyes closed, her head in Freja’s lap. The girl had wet streams running down her face. They rushed to Reiya, worried about what had happened. A bright silver flash stopped them in their tracks.
Freja did not know these people. All she knew was she was going to keep this girl safe. “Don’t touch her unless you have a death wish.” Her voice dropped to a deadly, icy level.
Lee scoffed and walked past everyone else. “Go ahead and try it, dhampir.” She was no match for him, and she was holding his mate.
Her eyes flickered at him and she froze. She could sense it. The power emanating from him. She knew this aura. It was that of a god … though she didn’t know which god. God, demon, wraith, sea beast … it didn’t matter. She would protect this girl in her arms. Freja felt a warm hand tap onto the arm that held up a dagger in front of them protectively. “They’re okay, Freja,” the fragile voice whispered out. Freja’s bottom lip quivered slightly. Reiya sounded so weak, and it was all because of her. She lowered her dagger and leaned her forehead down onto Reiya’s.
“My life is yours,” she whispered quietly. And she meant it. She saved her from her life being slowly drained away. From now on, she would live her life according to Reiya’s wishes.
Reiya wasn’t able to respond to her. Lee sat at her side and tried to pull her from the dhampir.
“Lee ... you can’t. You can’t be here. Someone might see.”
A pitted feeling formed in Freja’s stomach. They were forbidden lovers, just like her parents. Maybe this was why she felt connected to her. She herself was the product of forbidden love. She had to protect them.
She grabbed Reiya and looked into Lee’s eyes. “Where can she be taken that’s safe?” She lifted her completely away from Lee then.
Brody looked at Freja and then down at Reiya, who had closed her eyes again. “Please, let me take her. She’s my sister.”
She looked at him and then nodded slightly. She felt very protective over Reiya, but these were people she must have trusted.
“Let’s go back up. We can talk there.” Xander's voice was terse, and he stared at Freja with intense speculation. He didn’t know what had happened or why this huntress was suddenly protecting Reiya. One thing was for certain: he did not like being in the dark. He wanted to know what had happened to Reiya, and he wanted to know NOW.
It was a quiet, brisk walk up the stairs. Brody was carrying Reiya while Chelsie ran up ahead to get the door. Lee was directly behind Brody with Freja, and Xander was behind him.
Something had happened to his fairy again. She was weak. Too weak. He had caught whiffs of the scent of decay on her. He couldn’t control himself when he first saw her and almost didn’t care if he was caught. It was Reiya in her weakened state who reminded him to continue to be cautious. What the hell is caution when the person you love needs you? So, he held back, stopping himself from cradling her in his arms. He was thankful for Freja’s quick understanding of the situation, immediately taking Reiya from him before anyone could notice. He wasn’t picking up anything evil from the girl. Quite the opposite, actually. She seemed to be someone who could be trusted. He didn’t know much about her, only her deadly reputation.
After what felt like eternity, they were now approaching the top of the stairs. He could finally take his sweet girl back into his arms and figure out what the hell happened. He needed to see to her and make sure she was okay.
Lee walked up to Brody, who relinquished Reiya into his arms. He held her up to his chest and buried his head into her neck. “My sweet Reiya … baby, are you okay?”
Freja stood off to the side, watching the interaction between the god and Reiya. She could see how much he cared about the girl. Her parents had cared deeply for each other as well. She was rooting for them. Maybe rooting for them was like rooting for her parents, but she felt like she wanted to see them make it.
Xander let out an irritated breath as he tore his gaze away from Reiya. Seeing her so weak was painful. His amber eyes locked onto Freja.
She could feel his heated gaze. She turned slightly and met with his glare confidently. But before either of them could speak, a low, authoritative voice spoke out.
“Tell me what happened.”
