Page 141 of The Dragon's Gambit

“This is the most precious thing you’ve ever given me. Well, except for one other thing that was more precious.” Lee winked at her as he referred to the gift of her virginity. “This mark is a symbol of you claiming me, and I can’t tell you how much it touches me, Reiya.”

“I guess I have a bit more of a possessive side to me now, with Lumi finally out. I’m going to have a hard time learning to control my anger. Hopefully, now that you’re marked, I won’t have to worry about others as much.” Reiya smiled and she brushed his skin with her thumb.

“We don’t have to hide anymore.” Reiya sighed and tilted her head to look at Lee’s smiling face. She had a sense of relief in that aspect.

“Thank goodness for that. I couldn’t hide anymore. Hopefully, us being mated and accepted is enough for the deities. I mean, I am the fairy prince now.” He winked down at Reiya. “I can feel a new power inside me. Not sure what it is yet, but it will be interesting to see.”

“Well, one of the new powers will be the gift of fairy sight.” Reiya took a step back to fully face him. She lifted up her necklace. “It looks like it belongs on my neck, doesn’t it?”

Lee chuckled. “It was meant for your neck. Hey, what is that?” He leaned in closer and studied the gem, noticing something strange inside it, something he’d never seen before.

“You heard that this was called a living gem, right?” She looked at Lee and watched him nod his head. “Well, this is what gave this gem life. A sprite binding its life to the gem.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. I could always feel an energy from it, but I couldn’t see anything else.” There was a childlike excitement in his tone as he looked at the necklace.

“I wonder what sort of power the gem has.” Reiya looked down at the sparkling stone on her neck.

“You think it has a power?” Lee asked, looking into Reiya’s eyes.

“My great grandmother became one with the barrier in Elysia, strengthening it. This sprite bound its life force to this gem for a reason.” Reiya lowered the necklace back down and glanced up into his baby blue eyes.

He was smiling down at her. “What are the odds that a fairy is linked with my gem and my mate ends up being a fairy?”

“I’d say pretty incredulous.” Reiya smiled, holding his gaze.

“I knew you were always meant to be mine.” He leaned in and gently took her lips into his own, tasting them. Yes, those sweet lips belonged to him. He then pulled away and looked at her curiously. “This … this would mean that we were long planned. Even this gem was planned for you.” He flashed his eyes to hers. “It would have taken a goddess with great premonition skills to …”

“Like the Moon Goddess?” Reiya asked with a small smile.

“How much does that meddling woman know?” Lee chuckled and rested his head against Reiya’s. “I needed you before I even knew you. Before you even existed, I searched for you. Finally, I am at rest now, having you by my side. Thank you, Reiya. Thank you for being born for me.”

“No, Lee, thank you for being mine.” Reiya needed him just as much as he needed her. She leaned up on her tiptoes and gently kissed his lips.

“So, what about these other powers?” Lee asked as he pumped his chest out, making Reiya giggle.

“Fairy powers are different. You have to discover them for yourself. The powers and gifts can be so different. It can take some time before you discover what you’ve been blessed with. Look at me. I’ve been a fairy all my life and I haven’t even touched the tip of my fairy powers.” Reiya shrugged with a smile. It was just the way their magic worked. Sometimes the power came to you when you needed it the most. “I felt a strong power there, too. Maybe it was our mate bond getting stronger because I marked you? Whatever it was, it wasn’t clear. Just something new inside me.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been marked before.” He winked at Reiya, who giggled.

“You better not have ever been marked before,” she said with fake sternness. She traced her mark on his neck with her fingertips, watching him close his eyes with her touch. Her mate was breathtaking. It was hard to believe he belonged to her. He leaned into her hand and then tenderly kissed her fingers.

“Well, are you ready?” Lee asked with a large grin on his face.

“Ready for what?” Reiya giggled.

“I promised, once everything was out in the open, I would take you for a ride, didn’t I?” Lee watched as her eyes widened in excitement.

“Seriously?! Now? I’m so excited!” Reiya squealed. “But I’m in a dress.”

“Well, you rode a horse in barely a skirt, so I think we can manage.” He smirked and watched her grin happily.

Lee leaned in and kissed her forehead. He then took a few steps away from her and pushed his dragon form forward. His skin turned blue as his body grew to a monstrous size.

Reiya looked at the beautiful dragon in front of her. She walked up and reached out to touch him, and he leaned hishead into her hands. She held onto his face and leaned her head against him. Her amazing mate. He was hers.

She pecked his face quickly and then excitedly climbed on his back, taking a position around his neck and above his wings. “Giddy up.” Reiya clicked her heels into him and giggled. She heard his light snort in reply, and she couldn’t wipe the grin off of her face, so thrilled to be on the back of a dragon.

His enormous wings flapped, creating intense gusts of wind around them. Soon, they lifted into the air. He took her high into the sky and flew smoothly with her on his back.