Page 50 of The Dragon's Gambit

Ugh, that’s right.She was supposed to be Xander's mate. She saw Chelsie shudder in disgust, and she had to hide a smile. She was often surprised at how well Chelsie had taken to her, since she seemed to hardly like anyone or anything. The two of them had been steadfast friends since the beginning.

“Where is Xander?” Reiya was really asking where Lee was, since she knew the two of them would more than likely be together.

“My lord is speaking with the other nobles and lords. It’ll probably be a while.”

Reiya nodded her head in understanding. Undoubtedly, he was working on damage control right now. They had just heard he was taking a non-dragon as his mate. These were seeds he was planting for Lee, of course, but he had to first break the soil so that it was primed. She wondered how the talks were going. No one could force Xander into taking a dragon mate anyway, but this would still be a difficult task.

“Might as well take a walk outside. Last I checked, the sun was shining, and it would be a shame to waste such a nice day indoors.” Reiya looked at Brody and Chelsie, who seemed to like that idea as well.

The moment they walked outdoors, the sun greeted her skin warmly. The warm air swirled around her, playing with her strands as it passed by. Everything seemed so peaceful, like there were no problems in the world at all.

“Want to go for a ride?” Chelsie asked in excitement.

“In this?” Reiya motioned over her short skirt.

“Why not? No one will be able to see anything with you sitting on my back.”

“A run does sound good.” Brody wanted to shift into his bear. It had been a while, and he wanted to stretch his muscles out.

“Will that be an inconvenience to you?” Reiya looked at Reese, who shook his head.

“Not at all. I’ll take to the skies and keep an eye on you.”

It seemed there wasn’t a problem, and everyone was on board. “Okay, a ride sounds perfect.” Reiya grinned. It felt great riding at full speed with the wind flowing through her hair.

Chelsie shifted into her ebony horse. Her dark, silky mane danced in the wind as she turned and looked at Reiya. Brody also shifted into his huge bear. His rich, dark chocolate brown fur looked so soft. Reiya couldn’t help herself. She walked over and ran her hands through his fur, which was indeed soft and warm. She listened to him snort at her and she giggled. Chelsie took a knee to make it easier for Reiya to climb up.

“Okay, let’s go for a ride.” Reiya hopped onto Chelsie, and in an instant, they were racing across the ground.

Chapter 35 Burned

Brody ran alongside them. He was definitely making a point to Chelsie that he also had some speed at his disposal, though there was no way he could keep up with her at full speed. A large shadow passed overhead. Reiya glanced up to see a largegreen dragon flying above them. It was Reese, who was keeping a watchful eye on her as he effortlessly kept up with their pace.

It was such a freeing sensation to feel the wind whip against your skin. This gave her an idea. She wondered if Lee would take her for a ride. It must feel amazing to fly. To be so free. Lately, she had felt anything but freedom. She felt like she was always being caged or leashed. Maybe that was why she had this new obsession with feeling free.

The view was splendid. The mountainous area had so many wonderful, scenic areas that she greedily took in. It was beautiful up here. No wonder the dragons claimed it for themselves.

They heard a slight commotion coming from under a canopy of trees in the distance, and Reiya could make out some shouting.

“Chelsie, let’s go check it out.” She watched the horse nod her head as she raced forward in a sprint. Once under the canopy of trees, she heard a small screech from Reese as he lost sight of them.

Chelsie made her way through the thick forest. It was a struggle at times, but she managed to fight her way through. Brody was having a bit more trouble keeping up with them in the dense woods. They heard a loud, airy grunt and a couple of children shouting. The forest had become so thick that Chelsie had slowed down considerably. Reiya slid off Chelsie and ducked under the trees, heading toward the noise. She heard her friend whinny in protest. Reiya had started running toward the sounds when she heard Chelsie’s voice yelling at her to wait. She knew she should, but she was afraid that the children were in trouble.

Reiya was beginning to see a bit more light. She came to a small clearing in the middle of the forest, and as she drew near, she saw two children. One of them she recognized as Todd, the boy she had rescued from the river, and he was guarding theother child from something large. Reiya hopped into the clearing to see the creature snorting and stomping at the children.

Reiya’s eyes widened as she looked at the large minotaur that was starting to charge at the children. Reiya jumped in front of the kids and held her hand up to stop the creature that was advancing quickly. What she didn’t realize was that the moment she did, Todd had launched a spiraling flame toward the minotaur. The flame met with Reiya’s arm, and she winced from the pain. She held her stance steadfast as the minotaur approached. Her arm was throbbing, the burn almost nauseating. She pushed the pain back, though, keeping her focus on the beast as it slowed before her.

Reiya smiled at him and held out her hand. He snorted at her and gently stomped at the ground. “Why are you so angry?” she cooed to the animal, her voice gentle. She then turned an accusing eye to the two children behind her.

Chelsie and Brody crashed into the clearing. They looked over the situation and both of their gazes landed on the angry red mark on Reiya’s arm.

“Who did it?!” Chelsie hissed as she directed a dark gaze at the two children. Being a child meant nothing to the overprotective kelpie.

“It was an accident. I didn’t mean to burn her,” Todd whimpered out.

Chelsie felt a firm hand land on her shoulder. She looked up at Brody. He looked angry as well, but he was telling her to calm down, since they were just children.

“What happened here?” Brody growled as he tugged Chelsie with him up to Reiya and the minotaur.