Chapter 100 Love
It had been a couple of weeks since she got Lee and Brody back.
The dragon party had ended, and everyone had to return to their respective kingdoms. Lila officially moved in with Xander, Ruby moved in with Mason, and Weston officially became King of the Southern Kingdom.
They had all agreed to get together again next month.
Because of that, parting ways was not nearly as hard for everyone.
Lee, Xander, and Lila stood back, smiling at Reiya as they watched her jump around excitedly, a beaming Brody and Chelsie standing nearby. Reiya and Brody waved to the sky as a few hippogryphs began to make their descent.
“Mom, Dad!” Reiya jumped into the outstretched arms of her parents.
“My baby girl,” Asher said as he hugged her tightly against him.
“I’m so jealous! You got to kill Abaas. I’d been waiting to sink my teeth into him. I hope he suffered.” Lita squeezed Reiya in a hug and giggled.
“Mom, Dad.” Brody walked up and hugged both of his parents.
“So, you took a mate? Good for you.” Grayson walked up and patted Brody on the back.
Brody beamed proudly and motioned for Chelsie to come and stand beside him. “So, mom, did you plan ahead in case we decided to take mates, since Chelsie is now also Reiya’s guardian?”
Lita smiled sweetly. “I just added a little something extra in there in case you chose to take a mate. Something that would allow your mate to understand your connection as a guardian. What better way than to make them a guardian, too? I hope you didn’t mind.
” Lita looked at Chelsie, who shook her head and smiled.
Lee walked up toward the group, and Reiya turned and smiled widely at him. She reached her hand out and he walked up to her. She scooted into his side and looked back to her parents. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me he was my mate.” Reiya shook her head, grinning as she looked at her parents.
“Sometimes it’s best to find things out on your own.” Lita smiled softly as she looked over her kids. They both seemed very happy.
“You better be taking good care of my baby girl. I don’t care if you are a deity—” Asher felt the gentle nudge of Lita’s shoulder. He looked down at her and gave her a cheesy smile. They’d already discussed on the way there that he wouldn’t give Reiya’s mate a hard time.
Lee chuckled and held his hand out to Asher. “I promise your daughter will always be well taken care of and loved unconditionally. She’s my world.” He watched as Asher nodded, and the two men exchanged a firm handshake and an understanding smile.
Asher chuckled. “She’s my baby. I can be a bit overprotective, but if I’m being honest, I know you’ll take good care of her.”
Lee looked down at Reiya and held her lovingly by his side. “My life is connected to hers. We share the same fate. Gods help me, I never knew I could love someone as much as I do her. It terrifies me. It consumes me. It's like she's become the very air I need to survive.”
“Lee.” Reiya’s eyes watered as she hugged him tighter. “I love you the same way.”
“Well? What’s the news? You asked us to come visit because you had something to tell us?” Grayson grinned, looking at Brody and Reiya.
Brody beamed proudly. “Chelsie and I are expecting.”
Lita squealed and reached for Chelsie. “Come on, let’s see how far along you are. Brody, grab my medical bag. It has my portable ultrasound machine.” Lita grabbed Chelsie. “Show me to a room, Reiya.”
Asher chuckled as he watched Lita’s excitement. She was still childlike at times.
“Does mom always carry around an ultrasound machine?” Brody asked as he grabbed the bag off the ground.
“Nope, but she guessed that someone was going to have a baby. She figured that was the news you wanted to share with us in person.” Asher chuckled.
“I’ll have to knock you around a bit later. You shouldn’t have let that hellhound get the best of you. You’re slacking.” Grayson jabbed at Brody playfully.
“Alright, Uncle Grayson.” Brody grinned. “I can’t wait to tell Hunter and Chasen. We’re planning to go and visit them in person.”
Asher smiled. “They have some news for you, too.”
“You aren’t going to tell us?” Brody lifted a brow at his dad.
“Nope. Not my stuff to tell. Now, let’s go hear your baby’s heartbeat.
Or heartbeats? No surprises for you. Not like what I had.
I was expecting just a little princess, but I got a prince, too.
” Asher tugged on Brody as they followed the women.
Asher stopped and looked over at Lee and Xander. “Are you guys coming?”
“I knew you liked me.” Xander grinned as Asher chuckled.
“You’re my daughter’s soul twin, so I guess that kind of makes you my kid, too.” Asher shrugged with a smile.
“Uh oh. Sorry guys. Dad’s rough on the boys. The only one he goes easy on is Reiya, so brace yourselves.” Brody chuckled.
“He was rougher on you boys because you were always getting into trouble,” Grayson snorted, coming to Asher’s defense.
“Oh? And my adventurous sister didn’t? How many times did you guys have to track her down?” Brody crossed his arms and looked at Grayson.
“As I recall, you were always right there with her.” Grayson smirked in triumph.
“You know better than anyone the amount of trouble you have to get into because you’re a guardian. Reiya is way tougher to handle than mom, though.”
“Are you guys coming?” Lila called out from the castle doors.
They were soon all huddled around in a room while Brody held onto Chelsie’s hand.
Lita hooked her machine up to a large monitor that was already in the room and all eyes were on it.
She moved her wand over Chelsie’s stomach, and then they heard it.
The gentle *thump thump thump thump*. Chelsie teared up, smiling with happiness.
Brody leaned down and kissed her forehead as he continued to watch the screen.
A little blob appeared, and Lita looked up, smiling excitedly.
“There’s your baby. And it looks like there’s just one in there,” Lita announced to the room.
“Wouldn’t it be great if this child ended up being Reiya’s child’s guardian?” Chelsie asked with excited eyes.
“You want to tell us something, Reiya?” Xander smirked and looked over at her.
Reiya leaned into Lee’s arms and giggled. “No baby in here.”
“Yet,” Lee answered immediately, and their eyes met.
“Right, not yet,” Reiya answered him softly.
Everyone in the room stared at the screen and quietly listened to the unborn infant’s heartbeat. The sound of the next generation echoed gently in the room.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound of water trickling into a little pool was heard as a candle flickered in the darkness. Approaching footsteps echoed in the cavernous room.
Glossy, dark, beaded eyes glanced up as a familiar figure walked in. “So, you did know about this possibility after all, and you interfered.” Kali scowled as she glared at Selene.
“Hmph. You knew what was going to happen. You saw it. You already knew I had talked to the Merrow Queen after you. Don’t worry, this isn’t interfering.
I just gave her a suggestion, but I made her promise not to utter my name.
I just mentioned that she could save her princess from a lot of heartache if she was able to succeed.
The rest was her choice.” Technically, she had just given the Merrow Queen a gentle nudge, which wasn’t really interfering.
“Reiya will need Brody in the future. Reiya has to make it. Xander has to make it. We need the two of them if we’re going to get Endymion back. ”
“Say what you want. You just didn’t want to see your precious little child hurting.
” Kali rolled her eyes and looked back at her pot.
“It is almost time. The demons are on the move. Leoric is leading the demons to war. Soon ... soon we will have Endymion back. In order to prevent the black hole from raging again, this war must come to an end.” Kali dipped her finger into the liquid and stirred it around gently.
“The young alpha is on the move. The wind favors him heavily.” Kali smirked and looked at Selene.
“Now, talk about balance, with him being united with her. A werewolf paired with a demon … now isn’t that interesting. ”
“We are on the right path there with restoring balance.” Selene smiled warmly and breathed in deeply through her nose.
All this time, they’d been working in the background, trying to correct the balance.
They were almost there. Once balance was restored, they could then work on bringing Endymion back.
She squeezed her hand into a fist. So close. The time was so close. They had to succeed. She couldn’t continue living without him anymore.
“Thanks for coming, mom. We’re going to visit Hunter and Chasen next. I can’t wait to see them and everyone.” Reiya hugged her mother close.
“I know they will all be excited to see you.” Lita patted her daughter’s back. “Reiya, I am so proud of you. You’ve shown so much strength.”
“Thanks, mom.” Reiya pulled back enough to gaze at her mother.
“Because of you, the dragons are now our allies. You being the dragon deity’s mate was destined. You are the connection between dragons, fairies and werewolves.” Lita leaned her head into her daughter’s.
“Just like how you were the first connection between werewolves and fairies.” Reiya smiled as she stared at her mother. It was sad to see them go, but it was not like before. Now, this was her home. She had family here, too.
“I love you, baby girl. We’ll be seeing you again soon,” Asher said, hugging her, and then reaching out to hug Brody. “You take care of yourself. No more almost dying.”
Brody chuckled. “It isn’t on my list of things to do.”
“Keep training. We still have a demon war coming up. Spar with the dragons since I’m not around.” Grayson slapped Brody on the back, and he nodded with a smile.
Brody walked away and back to the castle with Chelsie. They stood by the doors with Xander and Lila. “Well, I guess you’re officially my adopted brother now.” Brody laughed. His parents were insistent that, because Xander was Reiya’s soul twin, he was also family now.
“Your parents are great people.” A warm smile rested on Xander’s face as he watched them ascend on the hippogryphs. Who would have thought that the young woman he met when he was a child would be so involved in his life as an adult?
Reiya leaned into Lee’s side as she watched part of her family leave again.
“Sorry I took you away from your parents,” Lee said quietly. Now that Abaas was gone, she would be free to travel back to Elysia or live in the Black Ice Pack. But Lee had to stay with the dragons, and she was his mate.
Reiya shook her head and looked up at Lee. “This is okay. I can visit them whenever I want. I’m happy with this arrangement. This is my home. You are my home. My place is with you.”
Lee encircled his arms around her back. “Baby, I’ll give you the world if you want it,” he said, resting his forehead on hers.
“I don’t need the world, Lee.” Reiya felt his hot breath fan against her face, and she smiled up at her dragon. “I wouldn’t mind having some littles of our own, though.”
Lee’s eyes darkened and his lips curved up in a smile. “We can arrange that, my sweet fairy.”
Reiya grinned up at him. “After the demon war?”
Lee nodded. “For now, how about we practice?” His dark eyes stared down at his fairy lustfully.
Reiya giggled. “I love you, Lee.”
He moved his lips downward and whispered into hers.
“I love you too, my fairy.” His lips then met with hers and they shared a warm, sweet kiss, one that was filled with love and affection.
He held her tightly against him, and then inched back, separating his lips from hers.
“Time for some practice.” He reached down, lifted her up, and took off with her toward the castle.
Reiya squealed with laughter as she hung onto him.
The future was not certain. There was still a dangerous battle ahead.
But they had now. They had this moment, and she was going to soak up every minute she had with her mate.
She threw her head back and laughed as he raced past the others and into the castle.
She knew one thing for certain. She was happy .
.. the happiest she’d ever been. She was no longer the caged canary.
With Lee, she had gotten her wings. Not just her wings, though.
She had gotten the man she loved, her mate.
With him by her side, she could face whatever the future had in store.
She had chosen to be with Lee by falling in love with him.
Her heart chose him first. It just so happened that he was also her mate.
Which was more important? To her, there was only one answer.
Love. Love was more important. She would never have left his side, no matter what.
She couldn’t deny the fact that she was destined to be with Lee, though.
Even from the beginning, the Ocean’s Tear was created for their union.
The Ocean’s Tear and the mate bond may have connected their lives, but love connected their hearts.