Chapter 95 Abaas
Chelsie walked up to them from the river. They were back at the top of the falls. “Everything go okay?” Reiya asked, and Chelsie nodded her head.
“I’m not going to lie. I’m nervous about all this.
We have no idea what type of army Abaas will have.
” Brody frowned and pulled Chelsie into his arms. He had a lot to lose here.
He had to protect both Reiya and Chelsie.
He would always protect Reiya first, but if something happened to Chelsie, he wasn’t sure if he could go on.
Having two important people to protect wasn’t a flaw, though.
He had started looking at things in a new light.
His parents had four children. That was four important people to protect.
It wasn’t a flaw. It just meant you were blessed to have close people in your life.
He knew his duty. That didn’t mean that Chelsie wasn’t just as important, though.
Reiya discarded her cloak. “I know, Brody. I’m sorry for dragging you all into this.” She wished she didn’t have to lead them into danger. She needed them, though, now more than ever. “On a bright note, I can’t wait to be rid of Abaas. I feel like we should have a party to celebrate.”
“A movie night with all the best snacks. Wings are a must, of course.” Xander bumped Reiya’s shoulder, a small smile on his face.
“Dragon wings?” Chelsie smirked with a glint in her eyes. Xander gave her a crooked grin and arched an eyebrow at her.
“CHICKEN wings are definitely a must.” Reiya giggled as they continued to walk upriver.
Since she had discarded her cloak, her scent would be well-distributed in the air.
There was so much that could go wrong and right at the same time.
There was one constant that kept her pushing forward, though, and that was Lee.
He was still sealed, and she needed him.
No matter what she had to do, she would get him back.
She felt her chest tighten as she thought about him.
It had been a couple days now, and she was really missing him.
His sweet, intoxicating scent. His breathtaking smile.
His deep-sounding laughs. The way his arms curled around her …
his strong embrace that made her feel like they could conquer the world.
It hurt. She felt a burning sensation in her nose as she fought the tears away.
If she didn’t succeed in bringing Lee back, how could she spend a lifetime without him?
Then there was the thought of Lee being caged away.
She had no idea what he was trapped in. And he would be forced to live that way until she died.
Was he being treated okay? Taken care of?
Was he all alone? These questions would plague her for the rest of her life. They were bothering her now.
They followed the river back until dusk. Soon, they were making their preparations for the night. Reiya’s thoughts continued to drift to Lee. Her mind was consumed by him, and those around her could tell she wasn’t completely there.
Her chest hurt. She couldn’t feel him anymore.
She was disconnected from her mate. The man who had brought new joy into her life.
Who had given her a new purpose. The one who washed away all the hurt and pain.
She couldn’t feel his energy anymore. It was like he was fading from her.
The constricting feeling in her lungs came back as she tried to feel for his energy.
Why can’t we feel him, Lumi?
They made the seal stronger. They must want us to feel disconnected from him. They want us to move on from our mate.
Reiya squeezed her fists. How dare they make that decision? He was hers, HERS. We’re getting our mate back.
We are getting our mate back. No matter what, we will get him back. Lumi agreed and nuzzled her head in Reiya’s subconscious. Reiya, they’ve cut off the other link you have with Lee. You can’t feel him as your summon anymore. There’s no longer a summon link to reach him.
Reiya lifted her hand in front of her. Her face fell and she bit her bottom lip. She couldn’t summon water anymore. This was another blow. She was going to have to fight against Abaas without her summon skills, just when she needed them the most.
I guess we’re doing this on our own strength. Reiya took in a deep breath of air as she tried to settle her thoughts.
We still have Xander here. We are still the Gemini twins and have a deep power at our disposal, Lumi reminded her. You feel his energy? His energy is still inside us.
Lumi was right. She could feel the dark red light of energy that encircled her own.
Xander was a part of her, just like she was with him.
Part of her light also flowed inside him.
Being soul twins was such a unique connection.
She closed her eyes and touched his light that encircled her body.
She could feel Xander. Feel his strength and …
his feelings. She felt sadness. His light was emanating sadness.
Reiya’s eyes popped open. To her surprise, he was sitting beside her. She didn’t even realize it, having been that lost in her thoughts.
“Are you okay, Xander?” Reiya asked. She saw his lips curl up, and a quiet chuckle escaped him.
“Am I okay?” Xander grinned at her and draped his arm over her shoulder. “Are you okay? You’re the one who went stone quiet on us. I’m worried about you, Reiya.”
She leaned her head into his shoulder and smiled.
Of course he was sad. He’d been thinking about her.
“I’m okay. I just realized something sad was all.
” She straightened up and turned fully to look at him.
Brody and Chelsie also popped their heads up to listen to what Reiya was saying.
“I’ve been disconnected from Lee. I can’t use my water elemental skills anymore.
They must have realized I contacted Lee and strengthened the barrier so I can’t contact him anymore. ”
“I’m sorry, Ray Ray.” Brody scooted up behind Reiya and wrapped his arms around her.
“It’s only temporary, though. We’ll get him back.
” It was this moment that pushed all doubt from Brody’s mind.
His sister couldn’t live without Levi. After just a couple of days, her light was already beginning to dim.
Levi was the one who made Reiya shine so brightly.
She wasn’t complete without him. There was no other choice.
They would do whatever they had to do to bring Levi back.
“I know. It isn’t forever. I just felt … I guess I felt a bit empty for a moment,” Reiya admitted quietly. “But I’m not empty. I have you guys with me. And I also have Xander’s light inside me.”
“Whoa, make sure you don’t tell Levi that there is any part of me inside you.” Xander chuckled as he held his hands up, showing he was keeping them to himself.
Reiya laughed. A full laugh. One she hadn’t had in days. “Can you feel my light in you?”
“I can,” Chelsie began. “From the moment I became a guardian, I could feel your gentle, warm light. It smells like you, too. I’ll never let this light go out.” Brody nodded in agreement.
“I’ve always felt connected to you, Reiya.
I just never knew what it was. It wasn’t until I found out about us that everything finally made sense.
I knew you weren’t my mate, but I felt incredibly protective over you.
Like you were a part of me. I guess that’s because you are.
It’s weird. You never know something is missing until suddenly you’re given the missing piece.
Now I couldn’t go back to being just a piece of myself.
I know that seems weird coming from me. Someone who isn’t your mate—”
“It’s the same for me, Xander. Even weirder for me to say because she’s my sister. But as her guardian, I can feel Reiya. I can sense her feelings. She is part of me and who I am. It isn’t weird at all. I completely get it.” Brody and Xander nodded at each other.
“Thank you, all of you, for risking your lives to help me and Lee. I just hope it doesn’t backfire.
I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose any of you.
You’re all important to me. How could I move forward if something happens?
” Reiya said quietly. She had this nagging, uneasy feeling inside her, like she was about to lose someone precious.
“Reiya, no matter what happens, I have no regrets. You’re not forcing me to do anything.
I’m here fighting because I want to. I love you, Reiya.
No matter what happens, I want you to know that I love you.
You’ll hold onto our memories and keep them precious.
Don’t look back with regret. To do right by me, by us, you have to look ahead. ” Brody watched Reiya’s eyes tear up.
“Don’t talk like I’m going to lose you. That would be too sad.” Reiya turned and leaned her head into Brody.
“Brody is right. No matter what happens, you must promise to move forward. Don’t get stuck in the past,” Xander said. He didn’t want Reiya to live with regret either.
“We’re all here because we’ve chosen to be here.” Chelsie leaned her head into Reiya and smiled.
“Well, the same goes for all of you. If something happens to me, you have to move forward and protect Elysia for me,” Reiya said with a determined look on her face.
“Deal,” Brody said with a smile. Nothing would happen to Reiya, not while he was around. He would protect her no matter what. If something happened to her, it would be because something had already happened to him.
“Okay, enough with the farewell speeches. Let’s get some rest. I have a feeling we’re going to have an eventful day tomorrow,” Xander said with a sarcastic chuckle.
The four companions nestled onto the ground, forming a circle around the crackling fire.
The stars scattered across the night sky like gleaming jewels, while the full moon cast its pale light upon them, creating an otherworldly aura.
Their faces were softly lit by the flickering flames, giving them an almost mystical appearance in the darkness.
Tomorrow would be an eventful day, one that would challenge Reiya’s strength and determination to push forward.
Reiya woke to a clawing pain in her head. Lumi was digging at her subconscious, screaming to be let out. Reiya sat up and saw Xander, Brody, and Chelsie were already standing, peering out into the pale morning light.
SNAP. They heard a twig break in the distant tree line. They were trapped. The river raged angrily on one side of them, and they could hear movement just beyond the tree line on the other side. Reiya stood up and walked next to the others.
The scent hit her nose first. The strong smell of anise oil wafted in the air as loud sounds came closer.
Princessssss.
Reiya clenched her fists and peered out to the trees.
Thank you for making this easy for me, princessssss. I was having a hard time waiting for you, and now you’ve served yourself up to me.
Who says this is going to be easy? Reiya snapped back at the intruding voice.
There are only four of you. A wolfless princess, a water mule, a dragon, and ah yessss ... the little bear cub, all grown up.
Reiya smiled. He didn’t know she’d gotten her wolf. He didn’t know that she and Xander were the Gemini twins. He also didn’t know that both Brody and Chelsie were guardians. This would not be as easy as he thought.
A black, shaggy wolf stepped into view. His eyes were wide and menacing as they locked onto Reiya.
“Don’t think that everything is going to go as you’ve planned,” Reiya snorted angrily at the half demon.
No, this time it will. This time I made certain I wouldn’t fail.
As Abaas said this, a few demon wolves came into view.
They weren’t anything major. He must have lost a lot of wolves fighting against the Black Ice Pack.
But then two giant monsters came into view.
They had red skin, gray horns and tusks.
They were the servants of hell ... onis.
Onis were wicked creatures that were used to enact violent punishment and would devour anything living.
They were some of the foulest creatures in the demon realm.
If that wasn’t enough, two goblins with white tusks wearing skull necklaces also exited the trees.
They were demon witch doctors, demons that were able to summon a wide range of curses and traps.
The sound of their staffs striking the earth echoed in the air, sending vibrations through the ground.
“Oh no.” Reiya gasped as the last creature crept up behind Abaas.
Raising its large body with blood red skin over the demon wolf, it set its commanding gaze on Brody and bared its fangs in defiance.
It was a hellhound, just like the one that had almost claimed her uncle Grayson’s life.
The monstrous hound let out a ghastly snarl.
He had been brought here to take on the guardian.
Abaas brought one, thinking there was only one guardian to fight.
Reiya looked at the others in her party.
There was no fear in their eyes, only determination.
They were outnumbered, but they were strong.
A dragon king, two guardians, and a fairy princess.
Plus, she and Xander were immune to magic, and Brody and Chelsie were strong against it.
This was the last step ... the last barrier keeping her away from Lee.
With that thought, she set her gaze back on Abaas, glaring at him.
Let’s kill him, Lumi growled angrily in Reiya’s head.