Page 115 of The Dragon's Gambit

Weston frowned. “Thanks for souring the mood, Dex.”

“Anytime, champ.” Dex flashed a wide grin at him.

“Well, showtime,” Mason said as he helped Ruby to her feet.

“Weston, just so you know, Mason is helping himself to Ruby just as enthusiastically as Xander did with Lila.” Reiya smirked, knowing this would give him the mental image in his head.

“Reiya, you are evil. Just evil.” Weston closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

Reiya …

Reiya turned her head as she searched for the source of the voice. Her eyes landed on a figure in the distance, away from the tents.

Brody, what did you find?She could tell by his posture that he seemed anxious.Where’s Chelsie?

Chelsie’s fine. I sent her to deliver a message to our parents.

When Reiya heard this, she stood up from her seat. Whatever Brody found had warranted him sending Chelsie away. Dex stood up beside her. “I need to speak with my brother.”

“What a coincidence. So do I.” Dex grinned, winking at her.

“Yeah, me too,” Weston said as he stood up from the table as well.

Not willing to let her out of their sight, they walked with her out of the tented area. Lee was in the front with Xander and Mason, getting ready to publicly approve of the mates when he saw Reiya leave with Weston and Dex. He clenched his jaw and inhaled deeply, then turned to continue with the blessing.

“Brody, what is it?” Reiya walked up to her brother and took his hands.

“Reiya, I’m not sure what we should do. I don’t feel like you’re safe here.” His voice was hushed as he glanced up to Dex and Weston.

“Of course she’s safe. We would never let anything happen to her,” Weston snorted out, insulted.

Brody ignored him and looked into Reiya’s eyes. “Chelsie and I traveled outside of the borders. We went lower, toward the bottom of the mountain. The whole area is covered in the scent of anise oil, along with the stench of rotting wolves. However, we also smelled dragons. I could only pick up the general dragon scent but couldn’t pinpoint it to anyone in particular. The generic scent of wind and smoke was all I could make out. How many dragons here have switched to the demon side?”

Reiya listened to him and nodded her head. They had already suspected there were dragons aiding Abaas, especially since the idiot already implied it. She smiled and looked into Brody’s eyes.

“Do you think I’m the kind to run away, Brody?”

“Ugh, Reiya,” Brody growled and furrowed his brows at her.

“Brody, this is my home now. I’m not being driven from my home again. The demons already did that to me once. I’ll be damned if they do it again.” It was the demon’s fault that she had to leave the Black Ice Pack. She finally had a home again, and it was with the man she loved. She wasn’t going to lose what she’d just gained. “Besides, you haven’t gotten to stretch those muscles of yours in a while. I bet you’re just aching to crack some skulls.”

Brody sighed and leaned his head into Reiya’s. “The day is going to come when we will have to face them anyway, huh? Might as well start taking chunks of them down before the big showdown.” Brody smirked as Reiya’s eyes lit up happily. “But I mean it, Reiya. You stay close, and no wandering off on your own.”

“Deal!” Reiya jumped up and kissed Brody on the cheek. He’d agreed to stay and fight if they had to. She was sure Lee and Xander wouldn’t allow her to fight, but at least Brody wasn’t making her leave.

Dex and Weston stood by, smiling at the two. It was obvious that they were very close. What touched them was that theycould tell Reiya wanted her brother’s approval. She wanted him to tell her it was okay to stay. Even though she was independent, she still didn’t want to cause problems for him.

“Just so you guys know, we know we have a few dragons that have betrayed us. We’re working on figuring out who all is involved. We’re keeping a watchful eye out,” Weston said, looking at Brody.

“We’re all working to make sure your sister is safe.” Dex smiled and nodded to Brody. It was no longer just Xander and Leviathan watching out for his sister.

“Thank you. She is a bit of a troublemaker, but I’ve grown attached to her.” Brody squeezed Reiya’s shoulders and grinned down at her.

“Troublemaker … I prefer the term ‘spirited’.” Reiya smiled and looked up at Brody. He shook his head, giving her a crooked smile.

“Man, did I choose the short end of the stick. I should have chosen Hunter. I’d be living the cushy life, and Chasen would be chasing after you,” Brody teased, poking at Reiya’s side.

“Who are you kidding? You know you love that I’m keeping your life interesting.” Reiya stuck her tongue out at him, and he shook his head and chuckled.