Page 133 of The Dragon's Gambit
Reiya!Lumi yelled as she desperately worked on repairing the internal damage. The energy had compounded into her at such a force that it was absorbed into her body, lashing back at her own energy. The two colliding forces were overflowing from her, both inside and out. She had slashes all over her body, deep gashes that were trickling out crimson liquid, and a laceration on the side of her face that oozed blood.
The agony of being torn from the inside out almost made her lose consciousness. The pain swept over her in waves as the two energies finally began to settle and the foreign one dissipated from her body. It felt as if her skin was being shaved off with a hot iron. She felt her wounds screaming angrily, making themselves known to her. She shifted slightly into the fur behind her and violently coughed up more blood.
Lumi was trying desperately to tend to the life-threatening wounds quickly, to at least treat them just enough before moving on to the next wound. She just hoped she could work fast enough. It didn’t make sense to her. This man had almost killed her. Wasn’t he supposed to be bringing her back to the demons?
“Reiya, oh my gosh …” Chelsie stood in front of her, frantically looking over the multiple wounds on her body. Brody had her protectively against his chest, using his body to hold her up. His eyes flicked upward as the old man prepared to lash out again, obviously planning to get rid of him and Chelsie. Brody glared back at him. He didn’t want to do it, but he would if he had to. If it was the only way to protect the two women he loved, then he would sacrifice himself on their behalf. He would use his trump card. The skill guardians never wanted to talk about. The double-edged sword he carried. It used up his strength in a way that would guarantee victory but would claim his life.
The old man sneered at the non-dragons in front of him. He honestly didn’t care. He could care less if they all died. It was disgusting for them to even be allowed in the dragon kingdom, let alone to be there as honored guests. Some dragon had disgustingly marked one of them. Then, the pathetic excuse for a king took her as his mistress. It was repulsive. He was doing the dragons a favor. Yes … this was for the best. He internally smiled, knowing they would all be dead soon. Clovis didn’t need her for the demons. There were other ways to secure his future. The demons had lured his grandson with the promise of giving him the dragon throne, but this could be handled in other ways.
Brody looked up, determination in his eyes. He’d made his decision. There wasn’t any more time. He could see the man drawing in the next attack, and he had to act now while he still could.
Chelsie, take Reiya.Chelsie lowered Reiya onto her and held her on the ground as Brody took a protective stance in front of the two girls.
Brody turned his head to look at them.I love you both. Take care of each other for me.He noticed the confusion in Chelsie’s eyes. He saw Reiya peer out from underneath her clenched eyelids. If it meant saving them, he would have no regrets. He turned to face the two men. He would take both men out with him.
Brody began to dig for the weapon tucked deep within him, seeking to unlock the overwhelming energy. He closed his eyes and took in a breath. This was who he was. He was born to protect her … to protect them both.
Suddenly, the ground rippled below him, and with a force like no other, a gust of energy pushed his body backward. He opened his eyes as he heard a terrifying roar. A massive blue dragon materialized before him in a burst of fiery energy, itspiercing gaze fixed on the ancient dragon and the traitorous man standing beside it, ready to unleash its wrath upon them both.
This time, fear swept over the old man’s face. The gray dragon hunkered his head lowly, turning it to the side, showing submissiveness. He was unwilling to challenge the dragon in front of him.
The blue dragon glanced backward, his gaze landing on Reiya’s bloodied body, and his eyes went black. He turned back and bellowed loudly, making all the dragons stop in fear. Their deity was furious, and he demanded obedience from all his kind. No one was able to deny his absolute authority.
The dragons in the sky all lowered themselves onto the ground, their heads hunkered low out of respect for their deity. He demanded their submission, and everyone gave it, hoping they wouldn’t end up being on the receiving end of his anger.
“M-m-m-my L-l-lord, p-p-please, let me explain,” the old man stuttered fearfully. “This was to secure the dragon’s future. We needed the girl—”
The sapphire-colored dragon snarled, baring his teeth at the man. Nothing more needed to be said. Nothing. He heard they were after the fairy princess, and everything else went blank. A seething rage boiled inside him, threatening to consume him whole. A deadly fury simmered just below the surface, ready to be unleashed in a torrent of violence and destruction.
His dark orbs shone with fury, his anger out of control. There was no forgiveness to be given here. His gaze fell onto the old man. With an ear-piercing roar, he summoned this man’s death sentence. The other dragons roared, echoing his in agreement. His judgement was absolute. Levi’s lips curled upward as he bared his teeth. There was no forgiveness for harming his mate. A blue light shone from within his throat and in his mouth. A blast of energy hurled toward the old man. An intense heat swelled in the area and around him until the old man combustedinto thin air. That quickly, the powerful old dragon was no more, his strength nothing compared to Leviathan’s. He then turned his gaze to the gray dragon. His eyes twitched angrily, and a large red dragon landed at his side.
Lee commanded Xander to get information from him and then kill him. This was his judgment, and it would not be questioned. If Clovis cooperated, then he would be granted a painless death. Otherwise, he would be tortured until he begged for mercy, only it wouldn’t be granted. He kept his eyes locked onto the gray dragon until he shifted back to his human form in defeat. Xander shifted back also, as did Reese, who joined him to apprehend Clovis. Xander’s eyes flipped upward and behind the deity, looking for the girl lying on the ground behind him.
Lee’s gaze then shifted to the group behind him. Brody, back in his human form, was holding Reiya to his chest. Chelsie was kneeling beside them and was holding pressure on one of the deeper wounds. He shifted back into his human self. All the gathered dragons shifted back into their human forms as well, out of respect for their deity, showing they meant no ill will. They watched him, waiting to hear his commands. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of his wrath. They all stood there, frozen in place, not wanting to become the next suspect. Instead of addressing them, he turned and walked toward the fairy lying on the ground.
He knelt down and pulled the girl into him. Small gasps and murmurs could be heard among the dragons. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered his lips onto hers. He didn’t care. She was his mate. He didn’t give a damn who was watching. His poor, beautiful mate had been injured and he needed to take care of her. He needed to hold her.
She felt her lips being ignited by soothing embers. Her eyes fluttered open and met his light blue gaze. She felt his warmarms around her. He was looking at her so tenderly, and she could see the worry in his eyes.
“Were you spying on me again?” Reiya asked in a raspy whisper. She cleared her throat and leaned deeper into his embrace. A small trace of blood trickled from her mouth.
He took his thumb and brushed it away from her, his eyes watery. “Not this time. Lumi called out to me and said you were in danger.” Lee’s gentle, low tone was soothing, and she relaxed into him.
She smiled weakly. “I guess I made what you would call a rookie mistake.” Then the horrible realization swept over her. He was publicly holding her. He had publicly kissed her. “Lee! What are you doing?!”
A small smile rested on his face. “What I should have just done from the beginning. I should have made it known that you were mine. This hiding … this secrecy isn’t for me. We’ll figure things out. We will. I just … I can’t lose you, Reiya.” His voice slowly broke. “I can’t lose you. I almost did …” He buried his head into her hair.
She reached up and touched his face, raising it so she could see him. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I have my wolf. I have super-fast healing now.”
She heard Lumi scoff in annoyance in her head.I’ll fight and you heal.
Lee gently lowered his lips onto hers again, very tenderly sealing his love into his kiss. He knew he should have kept it secret, but when he saw her lying there, he couldn’t help it. His kitten was out of the bag now.
“Just look at the mess you’ve gotten yourself into.” Grandpa Sage clicked his tongue as he made his way to Reiya. “How about we give that wolf of yours a hand?” He gently dropped his magic liquid on the outer wounds on her body. “You need to rest for a bit.” He lifted his eyes to Lee, who nodded.
“Brody, please take her to my room to rest. I’m going to settle things here.”
“Lee, I want to stay with you,” Reiya quietly protested.
