Page 26 of The Dragon's Gambit
She shook her head. She wasn’t ready to talk about it yet, not until she spoke with her mother. Still, she couldn’t help the words that whimpered out. “You didn’t come for me.” It was barely audible because she had spoken so quietly.
Somehow, he managed to make out what she said. He nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck and gently cooed to her. “Shhh, I’m here. I’ll always come for you. Shhh.”
But he hadn’t. He didn’t come for her then. She shook her head. She could feel the burn in her nose as tears threatened to escape again.
“You didn’t—” Reiya whispered out, unable to finish it. The fact was that he didn’t come to her in the future she had seen. She could see herself. She saw her desperation as she scanned the sky, but he didn’t come.
“I don’t care what you saw. I will always come to you. Reiya, do you trust me?” Lee pulled away and tilted her chin up to him so he could stare into her sapphire eyes. “Please tell me you trust me.”
She was a fool. She did trust him, even though she saw it for herself. Even though she saw in her premonition that he didn’t come for her. His eyes searched hers, looking at her desperately. It almost felt like if she told him she didn’t trust him, it would devastate him. She felt a rogue tear slide down her cheek as she stared at him in silence. If she didn’t trust Lee, then she didn’t trust herself. In her core, her deepest center, she trusted him. She nodded her head and saw the instant relief in his eyes.
Another stomach-stabbing pain hit her as another realization crept into her mind. What if Lee had been killed, and that was why he didn’t come? Was she going to be the reason that he was destroyed?
“What if … what if something happens to you because of me?” she whispered out. She felt him pull her close, and she rested her head against his chest.
“Nothing is going to happen to me, Reiya.” Lee’s voice was calm and soothing. He stroked her back in gentle circles and rested his chin on her head. “Tell me what happened. What did you see?”
She buried herself deeper into his hold and slightly shook her head. “I’m not ready to talk about it.”
Lee’s eyes flashed up toward Xander and Brody. The three men were all worried. What had she seen? It had affected her so much that she was visibly trembling.
“Let’s get her inside. How about a cup of tea, Reiya?” Brody knew that Reiya needed to relax so she could sort through her emotions. Their mother would be there soon, and she would be able to help … he hoped.
Chapter 17 Her Mother
Reiya sat on a small balcony that overlooked a tiny flower garden. It was nice. It reminded her of Elysia. She sipped her hot tea and inhaled deeply. She knew that the men wereanxiously waiting to hear what she had seen, but she thought it would be best to talk about it with her mother first.
She looked up at the sky and smiled softly to herself. There was time to change it. She would change the future that she had seen. She would find the Ocean’s Tear. She would win the dragons over so they would be there to help. She had to have faith in herself. The premonition was a gift so that she could prepare for the upcoming future. She had no idea what the Ocean’s Tear was actually for, but it had to mean something. For some reason, she was told to find it, by someone.
She thought about her mother. Her mother must have been so strong when she first left her home. She was often told stories of how her mother faced every challenge head-on, and that she had always wanted to be front and center in the action. She even faced the demon Abaas, confronting her childhood fear. She didn’t just confront it … she overcame it. She could be strong like her, too. It was in her blood, so she would rise and meet her destiny as well. She might not be as brave as her mother, but she had something her mother didn’t. Her mother may have had Grayson, but he wasn’t Brody. Brody was her rock and had been a constant in her life. Plus, she had Lee. Unlike Seraphina, Lee made an effort to be part of Reiya’s life. Was it for a sinister motive? No, she wouldn’t … couldn’t believe that. He had always doted on her and treated her like an older brother would, even though what Reiya really wanted was for him to look at her as a woman. She couldn’t help but wonder if she could ever be with him, if he would ever look at her differently. With feelings like this inside her, no wonder it was easy for her to believe in him. She trusted him so much that, if she ever discovered he was betraying her, it would shatter her.
“How was your meeting with Mason?” Reiya decided to focus on something else. It looked like they were enjoying themselves,from what she had seen earlier. Though secretly, she was a bit annoyed over the attention from the ladies.
Xander raised his brow a little, and then a genuine smile spread across his face. He found her so interesting. In fact, she fascinated him. She was so different from what he was used to. She managed to always keep him guessing, and that was intriguing.
“Well, Mason was … well, Mason. He has some issues, and that makes him uninterested in everything and everyone. Which is sad, since he is the King of the East Dragon Kingdom. His issue is sad in itself. Anyway, the meeting went as anticipated.” Xander eyed Reiya thoughtfully. “I wonder if someone like you could actually help him with his problem—”
“Xander!” Lee growled angrily. “No,” he said very coldly, to which Xander put his hands up in defeat.
“It was just a thought. Sheesh.” Xander was only thinking out loud. He wasn’t trying to force anything.
Reiya let her eyes wander over the two dragons sitting across from her. She thought about her premonition. Would neither of them come to her aid? How could they act like they were so close to her but leave her when she needed them the most? There was still the thought that her premonition didn’t take into account that she would make the dragons her allies. Lee should have been there, though. He said he would always come to her, and she felt like he was answering truthfully when he said it. If that was true, then what happened? Did something happen to him? Did something happen to him because of her? Could he have been killed? The nauseating pit in her stomach returned at that thought.
She wondered what the Ocean’s Tear was. How could it change the course of events? How could she get it? She had so many questions.
“Reiya?” Brody nudged her.
Reiya was shaken from her thoughts and noticed the three men looking at her. She must have been in her own world for some time. “Yeah?”
“Reiya …” Lee said soothingly. She popped her blue eyes onto him and noticed that he was studying her. He wanted answers, but so did she. She trusted her mother and wanted to talk to her first. She also wanted to hear what her mother thought about everything, including the map of Elysia.
“Here she comes.” Xander pointed up to the sky.
Reiya could see a gryphon flying their way with her mother on its back. She found this interesting, since they always took the hippogryphs. Plus, she didn’t like that her mother had come alone. She immediately hopped up and took off from the balcony, heading for her mother. Brody was right at her side, and she could hear the other two men following after them.
Reiya watched her mother hop off the giant animal. “Mom!” she yelled and dove into her arms.
Lita giggled. “Did you miss me this much already?” She rubbed her daughter’s hair gently and extended a hand over to Brody, who leaned in to hug his mother in return.
