Page 67 of The Dragon's Gambit
The floor door opened, and Chelsie walked into the room, followed by a very nervous Reese. Reese was carrying two large bags and was almost shaking as he shut the door.
“Chelsie, you’re back! Reese, is everything okay?” Reiya noticed his eyes flicking around the room, and he was shuffling his feet.
“Xander asked me to bring up dinner for you guys and to see that your friend made her way up here. I’ve never been up here. It’s off limits.”
Reiya giggled as Brody walked over and took the two bags from Reese. “Nothing to be nervous about, if Xander gave you permission.”
He gave Reiya a weak smile but was still considerably anxious. “Well, ummm, yell if you need anything. I’ll be at the bottom of the stairs guarding the entrance.” The door slammed shut as he practically sprinted back down the stairs.
Reiya turned to see Chelsie and Brody staring at each other. They were so awkwardly cute together. Right now wasn’t the time to gush over them, though. She wanted to know what everyone said.
“How was everyone? What did they say? How did Hunter and Chasen look?” Reiya felt like she needed all the information instantly.
Chelsie turned from Brody and smiled at Reiya. “Everyone is good. They’re all fine. In fact, they all acted the same way, asking about you. They’re all worried about you and were afraid you’d be upset. I told them they know you better than that, though. Your parents said that you are to stick close to Levi and Xander, stay near Brody and in the dragon kingdom, and not to worry about anything else. Your parents said they would make sure the Black Ice Pack was fine.” Chelsie then laughed a bit. “Hunterand Chasen, though, were practically frothing at the mouth, both seeing red and vowing to kill Abaas for coming near their precious sister.”
Reiya smiled. Here she was, worrying about everyone else, and they were all worried about her.
“Hunter said he’ll kick Abaas’ ass and be coming to get you soon, so just hang tight. Chasen said to tell Brody that he trusts him and knows he will do what is necessary to take care of their sister.”
Chelsie gazed up at Brody. She seemed … sweeter. Softer, even. It was almost night and day. She was a gentler person, and Reiya knew it was because of Brody. Figuring she would give the two of them some time to talk, she walked over to the bag of food and snagged a few hot dumplings. “I’m going to try to relax and take a bath. Brody, why don’t you go over everything we talked about earlier?”
Chelsie looked at Reiya with interest. Then her green orbs turned black, and she angrily stomped toward Reiya. She reached her hand up and very tenderly lifted Reiya’s chin. “That damn dragon. I’ll kill him.”
“Wait, what happened?” Brody was now inspecting Reiya’s face as well.
Reiya felt a heated crimson seize her cheeks as she realized what they were looking at.
Brody clenched his fists together, and Chelsie snorted out angrily, “Look at her! She’s all bruised up. Look at those poor lips.”
“Chelsie, I’m fine. Honestly.” Reiya smiled and thought,Hypocrites.Though she would hold her tongue for now.
“He was too rough with you. My poor, innocent, sweet friend.”
“I agree. He needs to control himself better.”
“Hmmm. Yeah. Look, I don’t have my healing ability like you two do. So unfortunately, my evidence lasts longer than yoursdoes. However, if I were you two, I wouldn’t be saying anything about someone else being too rough.” Reiya smirked at the two in front of her. Chelsie immediately began to flush pink while Brody looked at the ground. Reiya giggled, leaving them to deal with their embarrassment. She figured Brody had already mentioned to her that she’d caught them. If not, it was out in the open now.
Reiya took her time in the relaxing hot water, the steam soothing her muscles. She leaned her head back and played with the water with her fingers, creating a calming, trickling sound. Her thoughts drifted. Abaas had been after her grandmother, her mother, and was now pursuing her. He was always pursuing an heir to the fairy kingdom, and as such, wanted the fairy princess. However, it felt like something was a bit different with her. They were gathering an army, one that was big enough to engulf the fairy kingdom. So why was he still pursuing her? Was it out of spite? Or was he still wanting an heir that was part fairy? Maybe it was so he could gain entry into Elysia and have an heir to rule the dark fairies. Or had the demon become so obsessed with having a fairy princess as a mate that no one else would work?
Then she shifted her thoughts to the Merrow Queen. The epitome of cruel. She honestly didn’t know what to expect from her. The marine fairy had little interaction with them and almost relished her seclusion. Since they’d made their own royal hierarchy, they weren’t fans of the fairy royalty. She wasn’t sure how things would turn out when she met her. She wasn’t afraid to fight her, but she was afraid the Merrow Queen wouldn’t give her what she needed. She had to have it. She slid down into the water a bit more and let out a breath, creating bubbles that popped at the surface.
Tilting her head back again, she stared up at the high ceiling, sighing. She just wanted everything to work out for everyone. She wanted them all to have a happily ever after.
She hoisted herself out of the tub and wrapped herself up in a huge, fluffy towel.Fluffy towels are the best.Then she headed out of the bathroom so she could pick something out of Lee’s closet to wear. At the very least, she could have his scent on her. She picked out a long shirt and a pair of sweats that she could tie to put on.
Hearing a funny little noise coming from the balcony, she immediately walked over and opened the doors. The cool night air nipped at her skin and swirled through her hair. She took another step out and saw a couple of little fae dragons sitting on the railing.
“Well, what are you cuties doing all the way up here?” Reiya smiled and reached out to pet them.Fae Dragons … the perfect example of how two worlds could exist in harmony. They were just as much fairies as they were dragons. Honestly, they were a bridge between the two worlds. They existed in both places. Accepted.
Her eyes widened as she looked out into the dusk. Since she’d been here, she hadn’t seen any dragon kin, which shocked her. Now though, she could see them swarming the outer edges of the kingdom. Was it the demons that were drawing them into the kingdom’s safety? She heard a screech from one of the wyverns as another got too close to it. They usually didn’t stick together, being solitary creatures by nature. The fact that they were all creeping into the dragon kingdom meant they were seeking refuge.
Suddenly, the little fae dragons took to the sky and flew away from the balcony. It didn’t take her long to figure out why. Warm hands snaked around her waist. She leaned back into his heat and continued to stare at the new arrivals.
“Are they scared?” Reiya asked quietly.
“No. Their territory has been invaded, so they’ve come here temporarily. They will leave in a day or so and seek out an unoccupied territory.” Lee leaned his head down onto her damp hair.
“Is it the demons?”
