Page 33 of The Dragon's Gambit
Reiya glanced back to see a man that was wrinkled with time. How old he actually was … well, that could only be guessed. Shifters didn’t age like humans did. Even her parents still looked very young. This man was probably hundreds of years old. He was a man of stature, and she noticed that he had the respect of those around him.
Xander smiled at the man and nodded. “I didn’t realize you’d arrived today.”
“I did. I traveled with my two granddaughters. I promised them that I would get them dances with the King of the West.” The old man’s eyes glinted with humor.
Reiya could feel minor agitation rising in Xander, but he just continued to smile at the older man. “Of course, just let me tend to my date for one moment and I’ll meet you over at your table.” The old man nodded in appreciation and slowly walked away.
Xander growled lowly as the man left. “That crafty devil knew I couldn’t refuse him.”
“Who is he?” Reiya asked quietly.
“He was the King of the Southern Kingdom. Two, no, three kings ago. The kings step down automatically when they have an heir reach the proper age to take over.”
“What happened to your father?” Reiya bit her bottom lip as the words vomited out of her mouth before she had time to think. She watched a tight smile rest on Xander’s face. Xander was young, and his parents were nowhere to be found. They weren’t even talked about.
“My mother died when I was born. No one really talks about the event, but my birth ended up burning her alive. I read the official reports.” Xander never got to know his mother, but he heard she was very sweet and loving. She wasn’t an upper-tiered dragon. It was very painful being pregnant with him, but ultimately, giving birth was what killed her. “Then, my father … well, he could barely look at the son who’d killed the love of his life. The day I turned eighteen, he vanished, leaving me the kingdom. It’s written that he vanished, but that’s not what happened. The pain from losing his mate was too much. He wanted to forget everything. I don’t know all the details, but according to Grandpa Sage, he just doesn’t remember anything anymore. He’s living his life in one of the utopias created for all magical beings. I’m sure you’ve heard of those villages before.” He watched Reiya nod her head. “I plan to check in on him. Not that he would know it was me, but just to see him happy.”
Reiya’s eyes watered up. Poor Xander. Her mother mentioned to her before that she felt like Xander was lonely. She was right. He didn’t have anyone. Thank goodness he at least had Grandpa Sage and Lee. “Xander, you know I’ll always be here for you, and I will help you in any way that I can. I might not look it, but I’m pretty tough, too, if you ever need an extra hand in battle.” Reiya watched his lips curl up in a smile.
“I’m counting on always having you around. Though, you must be nuts if you think I would ever allow you to fight. Who would allow someone so precious to enter a battle?”
“Hate to break it to you, but you’re looking at someone who will be entering the battlefield against demons. I know this is going to happen, and that I will be at the front lines. I’ve seen it.” Reiya’s voice quieted over the last few words.
Xander looked at her with sincerity in his eyes. “I know you saw something, but I want you to know that, no matter what, I WILL be there. Side by side, Reiya. Well, more like me in front and you behind me.” He grinned at her and continued. “I don’t care if I have the backing of my people or not. I will be there to fight by your side. I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re important to me.”
Reiya smiled at him. She was relieved to hear him say that. She wasn’t just gaining allies for the upcoming battle. She was gaining precious friends. Xander was important to her. She also vowed that she would always answer the call if Xander was in need. Whether he wanted her to fight or not was irrelevant. Sometimes the key players are the ones you least expect.
She reached out and placed her hand on his. “Thank you, Xander. It means a lot to hear you say that. You’re important to me, too. I know it’s weird, but I feel like we’ve always known each other.”
“It isn’t weird, especially since I feel the same way. Yours is a soul that my own recognizes. We must have been close in another life.” Xander squeezed her hand. He glanced up and toward the table in the distance, where the old man was seated. “I’ll be back soon, Reiya. Try to stay out of trouble.”
“You realize who you’re talking to, right?” Reiya chuckled.
Xander beamed at her. “That’s why I’m telling you now to stay out of trouble. I shouldn’t be long, provided I don’t get pulledinto some long-winded conversation that I can’t escape,” he all but groaned out quietly.
Reiya watched him walk away, leaving her at their table alone. At first, she sat there obediently, really trying to be good and stay out of trouble. However, after about twenty minutes, she saw that Xander was getting pulled by another man to dance with his daughter. She smiled to herself, almost hearing his annoyance. She was tired of just sitting, though, so she stood up and wandered to the drinks table in the back.
A few children had snuck into the festivities and were kicking a ball back and forth. One of the children missed stopping the ball, and it rolled to the side, past the group of empty tables and right under the table of the man sitting in solitude. She saw the children looking in that direction, frowning.
“Can’t you just go grab your ball really quickly?” Reiya’s soft voice called from behind them.
“We can’t go over there.” The young boy pouted.
“I’ll get it for you.” Reiya watched the children’s eyes light up and she smiled. She didn’t know why this man was sitting in solitude, but surely it wouldn’t be a problem for her to walk over and retrieve the children’s ball for them, right? She would only be but a moment.
Chapter 22 Curse
Reiya took bold strides toward the lone gentleman. He was staring off into the distance, watching the other dragons as they danced. He didn’t even notice her as she approached the table.
“Excuse me for just one moment.” Reiya watched the man jump, startled to see her standing beside him. She bent down and saw the ball tucked behind his leg. She tapped on his leg with her hand. “Could you move this leg just a bit?” The moment he did, she grabbed the ball and stood back up, smiling at him. She turned to the kids, who cheered happily when she rolled it over to them. The moment they got the ball, they took off running with it.
“Sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to return the ball to the children.” Reiya watched the man stare at her like he had seen a ghost. His eyes looked her over, his mouth slightly open. The man seemed almost dumbstruck as he looked at her. Maybe he was someone of utter importance who wasn’t supposed to have contact with anyone else. Maybe she had just made some sort of colossal mistake!
“Wait …” She heard his voice just as she’d turned and taken a small step away from him. She turned back around and met with his deep, green eyes. “Can … I …” The man reached his hand out and, with just a finger, touched Reiya, studying her face the entire time. She watched a small tear roll down his cheek. Suddenly, he stood up and pulled her into his arms. Reiya stood there stiffly for a moment. It wasn’t until she felt his body almost sag against hers that she was able to recover from the shock.
She didn’t feel violated by this man. She felt … sorry for him. He was clearly upset. Reiya patted his back softly. “Are you okay? Do you need help? Why are you all alone?” she asked in a soothing tone.
“I’m sorry.” The man pulled away and wiped his eyes, keeping his hand on her shoulder the whole time, almost relishing touching her. “It’s just been so long.”
