Chapter 91 The Departure
Just before the sun began to rise, Reiya opened her eyes to her dark room, surprised to see that she wasn’t alone.
Dex had remained with her all night and was gently snoring in the chair he had fallen asleep in.
She sat up and smiled at him. It had to be incredibly uncomfortable, but he stayed to take care of her.
She scooted to the edge of the bed and dangled her feet over the side.
She slowly reached a finger out and pushed it into his arm.
His eyes immediately shot open and settled on her.
“Thank you for staying with me.”
“Is everything okay? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s morning.” Reiya glanced over at the still-dull sky outside.
Dex frowned and sighed. “I still wish I could come with you guys. I want to be there to help.”
“Thank you, Dex. Honestly, I wish I could bring you all with me too, but Xander is right. All the royal families can’t disappear.
And Xander will feel better knowing you’re here to watch over Lila.
Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be okay.
I’ll be back.” Dex’s hazel eyes looked at her with worry.
“Thank you for befriending a non-dragon like me.”
Dex laughed. “I’m not at all like you’d pictured, am I?”
“Not at all like I’d pictured. They had you painted like you were this mean grump who didn’t like anyone. But that isn’t true about you at all.”
“It actually isn’t far off the mark. I usually don’t get along with others.
There are too many fake people who just want to be friends with the royals so they can use them.
Your honesty was touching. From the moment I met you, you were so genuine.
I wanted that. I wanted to be close to that.
” Dex looked down at his hands. The truth was, after his mate rejected him, he was thrown for a loop.
He didn’t know what to think of others. His mate was not after his power or position, perfectly content to give it all up for the man she wanted.
He could only imagine how freeing it was.
He was always pushing everyone away. Then he met this girl who immediately chastised him on behalf of a stranger.
She also wasn’t interested in his position.
He thought then that maybe, if he got to know her and understand her, he could understand the mate who rejected him.
And he did. He’d learned a lot from Reiya.
He felt like he was in a better place because of her.
“Reiya, thank you. Thank you for befriending me. Your friendship is more important to me than you know. What I’m trying to say is, good luck, and be careful.
Go do what you need to do, and bring Leviathan back.
” Dex looked up at the ceiling. “Don’t go getting hurt or anything, because I can’t imagine a world without you in it. ”
Reiya felt the mist in her eyes as she smiled at Dex.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back and I’ll be bringing Lee back with me.
We’ll have a lifetime to enjoy our friendship.
Besides, I still need to hook you up with a werewolf, right?
” Reiya giggled as Dex chuckled at her last remark. She stood up and gave him a hug.
“Take good care of Xander for me.” Dex patted Reiya’s head and backed away from her.
“Don’t worry. I’ll bring him back safe, too.”
“And if something happens and you need our help, send your pony back here to fetch us. I’ll send an army down to help.” Dex walked with her to the door and opened it.
Xander was just about to open the door at the same time.
He looked at Dex, a bit shocked at first, but then he smiled.
“Thanks for watching over her last night.” Xander didn’t suspect foul play for even a moment.
He knew how much Reiya was in love with Lee and how trustworthy Dex was.
It was nice to have people he trusted unconditionally in his life.
Dex yawned and rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, because I’d be worrying about her. So just make sure your deity knows it was all innocent, so he doesn’t kill me for staying in his room while he was away.” Dex grinned as Xander chuckled.
“Go get some sleep, Dex. Take care of things here for me.” Xander looked at him with an intense gaze. He was talking about more than his kingdom, and Dex immediately understood him.
“Don’t worry. I have years and years of practice watching over her. Everything will be fine here.”
Reiya popped out of the room, having changed her clothes and packed a backpack. She looked over at Chelsie and Brody in the kitchen as they were finishing packing supplies. “I guess it’s time to go and find the Merrow Queen.”
“We’ll slip out through the back, so that no one will notice us leaving.” Xander reached out and patted Dex’s shoulder. “We’ll be back soon.”
“Be safe. All of you.” Dex looked at Reiya one last time before he slowly left and went down the stairs.
“Brody, you guys ready?” Reiya asked as the two walked over to them.
“Ready. Let’s go catch a fish.” Brody grinned, and Chelsie patted his back with a sympathetic smile.
“Brody bear, that was really lame. I love you, but that was lame.” Chelsie frowned as Xander snickered quietly with Reiya.
“Come on. I’ll lead the way,” Xander said as he walked over to the stairs.
They ended up exiting through the old, abandoned part of the castle where Reese had led her when Xander first found out Lila was his mate.
Surprisingly, they went completely unnoticed, and before long, they were descending the mountain, away from the dragon territory.
They were all wearing the cloaks that Grandpa Sage had given them and hoped they would pass through the lower forest undetected by the demons.
Xander pushed a path through the dense brush and held onto Reiya as he guided her along. The thick bushes were still damp with morning dew, and the hillside was a bit slick. He wanted to help Reiya, to make sure she didn’t slip and fall.
Reiya’s mind was racing as she mindlessly let Xander escort her through the brush down the mountainside. It was almost unbelievable that she was about to find the Ocean’s Tear. She had to succeed; there was no room for failure.
She brushed her fingers against her necklace. She couldn’t explain why she felt the need to have it with her, but she just did. Perhaps it was because it made her feel connected to Lee.
Pain pulsed through her chest as she thought of Lee, alone and trapped in an unknown and potentially dangerous situation. Her sweet, loving Lee. He was probably extremely worried right now. She had to succeed, not just for herself, but for him. He couldn’t remain sealed away.
She squeezed Xander’s hand and bit her bottom lip.
If she failed at getting the Ocean’s Tear, she would set out against the deities.
She didn’t care what that meant for her.
She would get Lee back, one way or another.
If the Moon Goddess was on her side, then she would hopefully join her in her attempt to rescue Lee.
“Reiya, where are we headed once we get off this mountain?” Xander asked, noticing the tension in her hand.
He was here for her, and he would help her however he could.
They had powers together, and some were still undiscovered.
The fact that they were the Gemini twins had to mean something.
It had to give them the power to succeed here.
“We’ll head further south, where the river meets the ocean. There’s a cave along the shoreline. That’s where we’re heading.”
“It’s a good thing we have a water horse with us then, right?” Xander winked back at Chelsie and Brody as he tried to continue to lighten the mood.
“Actually, it’s a very good thing we have Chelsie, because we’re going to need her.
” Reiya looked back at Chelsie and smiled.
“We’ll have to dive down into the ocean in order to reach the area where the Merrow Queen resides.
There’s a magic barrier deep down where, once we reach it, we’ll be able to breathe.
The problem is reaching it. Without Chelsie’s speed, we wouldn’t be able to make it there without drowning.
” Reiya chuckled nervously and Xander’s eyes grew wide.
“So, you’re saying we have to hold our breath and hope Chelsie gets us there before we drown?” Xander looked back at Chelsie. “I hope you don’t harbor any hard feelings for me.”
“Chels Chels will be able to get us there easily before we run out of air. Right, Chels?” Reiya looked back confidently at her friend.
“Yep, you’ll barely have to hold your breath.” Chelsie leaned into Brody and smiled. “Don’t worry, Brody. I’ll protect you.”
Brody chuckled and wrapped his arm around her. “Will we make it there today?”
“Tomorrow. We’re going to have to find a good spot to camp. I mean, I guess if we ran in our animal forms, we would make it today, but that would draw too much attention to ourselves.” Reiya had thought about it yesterday but decided against it.
By the time they reached the bottom of the mountain, the sun had peeked its head over the horizon.
The birds were singing happily and bouncing around in the trees as they greeted one another.
Aside from their quiet voices as they chatted among themselves, the soft sounds of twigs snapping and leaves brushing were the only other sounds they heard.
“Man, I haven’t walked this far in … actually, I’ve never hiked this far before.
Levi owes me big time. I’m going to have a big wish list for my birthday this year, and he better deliver. ” Xander chuckled, shaking his head.
“Aww, it’ll be good for your tender-footed royal butt to put some miles on those feet.” Reiya bumped her shoulder into Xander playfully.
Xander swung his arm around Reiya. “I know you’re trying to put on a brave face and not think about it, but I want you to know everything’s going to be fine.
I refuse to believe that, after everything that’s happened, you were meant to lose him anyway.
You are going to get him back.” Xander side-eyed her and watched a soft smile reach her lips.
“Thank you, Xander. I think so too. I mean, it is hard. It’s hard knowing that I can’t get to him right now, but I think I was always meant to get the Ocean’s Tear. I think this was the plan for me from the beginning.”
“I think so too,” Brody chimed in from behind them. “It makes the most sense. Levi doesn’t want to live for an eternity without his mate. You were always supposed to link your lives together. I’m sure of it.”
“I was wondering ... when you two have kids, do I get to be Uncle Xander?” Xander looked back at Chelsie and Brody and watched their faces heat in embarrassment.
“And are we thinking you’ll start a family sometime soon?
What do you think they’ll be? A bear or a kelpie?
Or will they have the ability to shift into either?
Or what if they’re a werebear but can breathe underwater, taking attributes from both of you guys. ”
Reiya giggled and grinned back at Brody and Chelsie. “Yeah, any idea when I’ll be an aunt?”
“Let’s just concentrate on one task at a time. For now, it’s getting the Ocean’s Tear. We can talk about kids another time.” Brody winked at Chelsie and tugged her against him gently.
“Guess you aren’t much of a multitasker, huh?” Xander grinned with a shrug.
Reiya was glad to have Xander with them on this trip.
He had a way of keeping her mind busy and thinking of other things.
He also always found a way to bring laughter into any situation.
She didn’t originally plan on bringing him along, but she was incredibly thankful to have him around.
She smiled up at Xander and then glanced back at her two guardians.
She was incredibly lucky to have them all in her life.
She took in a deep breath through her nose and glanced upward to the sun streaming through the canopy of trees.
She couldn’t wait until she could feel Lee’s arms wrapped around her again.
To be able to breathe in his intoxicating scent.
It had only been a day, but it already felt like an eternity.
There was no way she would be able to live this life without him.
With every step they took, she envisioned herself one step closer to getting her Lee back.
I miss you, Lee.