Page 157 of The Dragon's Gambit

Deep green eyes glowed at Reiya. “It does a couple of things. One, it gives the proof that you are willing to face incredible danger for the one you love.” Her voice dragged over the word love as she curled her lip at it in disgust. “Second. I need that demon’s heart.” She waved her hand to the side and pointed at a wall behind her. “It’s a piece I’m missing in my vast collection.”

Reiya felt Xander’s fingers sink into her arm as they looked at the mural of objects mounted on the wall. They were all hearts floating in glass jars, each having their own label and species.

She couldn’t just collect shells?Chelsie’s annoyed voice rang in Reiya’s head.

“What proof do I have that you will keep your word?”

Reiya, you can’t be serious?!Xander’s voice rang angrily in Reiya’s head. Going and finding the Merrow Queen was one thing, but seeking out demons and having to bring back a heart was something else entirely.

What are my choices? I won’t live without Lee,Reiya shot back furiously.

“I have no reason not to keep my word.” Olga’s voice was a bit agitated at the accusation. “In fact, you’ll receive the Ocean’s Tear first. When you complete your task, you’ll automatically acquire the tear. Then, just send your kelpie there to bring me what is mine.”

“There will be consequences if you don’t keep your word,” Reiya said in a threatening tone, to which Olga smiled. “How will the Ocean’s Tear get to me?”

“So many questions. You should worry about completing the task first, princess. I wonder if you will be able to complete it.” Olga sneered at Reiya as her voice dripped with venom.

“This is the only way for me to get the Ocean’s Tear?” Reiya asked confidently.

Olga nodded.

“And once I complete this task, I will immediately have the Tear?”

Olga smiled widely and nodded once again.

“Good luck, princess.” Olga smirked, knowing the dangerous mission the princess was about to embark on.

“Let’s go.” Reiya spun on her heels, and they quickly left the inner chambers of the coral palace.

Olga watched them leave, her twisted smile leaving her face. “You can have the Ocean’s Tear, princess, if you can complete your task and survive.” She smiled lightly and looked up at theceiling of her palace. The odds of success were stacked against the pursuers from the start. An impossible mission in order to claim the reward. A reward that no one had ever been able to claim.

“I have to play the bad guy this time, princess. Perhaps, next time we meet, it can be on better terms.” Olga looked back at the closed doors. She was sending the fairy princess on a dangerous mission, but one that was necessary. This was the mission that Kali had told her to send her on. It was the only way to activate the Ocean’s Tear.

Still, she wouldn’t just leave things at that. She did what she was told. She sent the princess on the dangerous mission, but she wouldn’t be a pawn in the gods’ game.

“Cetus!” Olga shouted in a resonating, commanding tone.

A light blue creature with green feet crept out from the shadows. The creature had the body of a dragon, the head of a shark, four legs, and a spiked tail. He was about half the size of a dragon.

“You know your orders.” She met with his yellow eyes and watched him snarl in acknowledgement.

Olga squeezed her hand into a fist and rested it on the arms of her throne. “Have faith in yourself, princess. You can do this,” her voice whispered out from her lips as she looked up at the ceiling.

Chelsie emerged from the pool and shifted back into her human self. The four sat on the cold floor of the wet cave quietly.

“I’m supposed to be protecting you from Abaas, not walking you into his clutches.” Brody’s voice was gentle and quiet. He feltconflicted. He wanted to help Reiya. He knew she needed Lee. But this? Fighting Abaas? This was crazy.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Reiya,” Chelsie spoke out quietly. She couldn’t imagine Reiya getting put in harm’s way. She was her guardian too, and her instincts were screaming at her that this was a bad idea.

“I don’t care. Don’t you understand? Without Lee, I’m dead anyway. I can’t live without him. There is no life for me without Lee. I have to try.” Reiya looked at her fingers with a small frown. She wasn’t afraid of Abaas. She wasn’t afraid of dying. What she was afraid of was the possibility of being captured by the half-demon and forced to live as his personal toy. Forced to have his child. That demon was dirty and didn’t fight alone. She felt confident that one-on-one she could take him, especially now that she had Lumi.

Xander sat there quietly, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands cupping his head. Levi would kill him if he let Reiya fight Abaas. There was no way Levi would be okay with the task that was just presented to her. On the other hand, there was no Levi without Reiya completing her task. They would never see him again. He wouldn’t be released until Reiya died. And then who would Levi be? A shell that a god dwelled in. He wanted to protect Reiya and bring back his brother. And Reiya was right … without Levi, what life could she have? There wasn’t another option.

“How do we go about this? The four of us are not enough. We can’t go demon hunting with just us four, can we?” Xander lifted his head, his amber eyes looking around at the people in front of him. He could see Brody’s hesitant gaze. “What choice do we have? I can’t bear to see Reiya live in pain for the rest of her life. Can you?”

Xander’s words rang true for Brody. He knew this, too. As much as he didn’t want to march into death’s hands, he alsocouldn’t bear to see Reiya fall apart. She was crumbling before when she was taken away from their old pack. She was finally acting like herself again because of Levi. If she lost him, he knew she would spiral downward. He might lose who Reiya was for good then.

“We need to come up with a plan. We can get rid of her cloak so that her scent is free again, but we need more than to just lure him to us. We need to think hard about this. We can’t go and launch the demon war prematurely either. This needs to be kept on a smaller scale, where it will just involve a small group against Abaas and his demons.” Brody sighed and felt his stomach turn slightly at what he was agreeing to. He was putting his sister, his princess, in danger.