“You girls have them now. No takebacks.” Reiya giggled.
“Now wait just a minute, Reiya. You’re the troublemaker here. We should be the ones saying no takebacks to your mate.” Chasen snorted in indignance.
“Good thing her mate is a deity. No one else would be able to keep her safe.” Brody chuckled. “Sorry, Levi. You got the agitator of the family.”
“Speaking of that,” Hunter said, his stormy eyes piercing into the light blue ones. “We’ve managed to keep her safe all these years. We expect that she will remain safe in your hands.” It was a friendly warning that he had to give, as a brother.
Lee chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep MY fairy safe.”
“Umm … hello. I’m right here? Keep who safe? What now? Umm … I’m the one who killed Abaas, thank you very much. Go and raise your swords and shields for some defenseless girl.” Reiya clicked her tongue and folded her arms over her chest.
Chelsie walked over beside Reiya and directed her gaze at the guys. “She does have a point.”
“I agree. These men like to pretend we can’t possibly handle ourselves.” This time Freja jumped in.
“Oh! We can have a slushie war, boys versus girls!” Jin cheered in excitement.
“No!” Hunter and Chasen said, holding their hands up. “Been there, done that. That is a battle we can’t win. No one can beat Jin.” Hunter chuckled. His eyes met Freja’s. He felt so complete at this moment. He’d missed Brody and Reiya. He knew they would get along with everyone just fine. But it was even more than that—they all felt like one big family. Even Xander, who he’d just met. An odd connection rippled between them. Maybe it was because he was Reiya’s soul twin? He wasn’t sure what it was, but he could feel his energy swirling inside him.
“Oh my goodness!” Reiya said, as she watched some familiar figures walking up to them. She squealed and was wrapped in a big group hug.
“I missed you guys so much!” Reiya sniffled.
“Ray Ray, you look stunning,” Winston said as he stepped back.
“Reiya, I can’t tell you how much we’ve missed you,” Renee said as she wiped her eyes.
“And Adam and I are mates!” Susan declared, smiling up at Adam.
“That was quite an event that we’ll have to tell you all about.” Adam chuckled and shook his head, thinking about it.
“Can’t wait to hear all about it! Sam, have you been looking after my brother? Keeping him in line?” Reiya asked with a grin.
“There is only so much you can do with a spoiled Alpha King, you know? Such a heavy burden placed on me.” Sam looked at Hunter and winked.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Brody and Chelsie are mates. They’re ALSO expecting a little one of their own. And of course, you know Lee. He is also my mate …” she pointed in the direction of Xander and Lee. “And the other guy is the Dragon King of the West. He is also my soul twin and adopted brother, Xander.”
“Does he treat you well?” Sam furrowed his brows, Adam and Winston doing the same.
Reiya giggled. “What is with you boys all being so overprotective?”
“So, can we have like a double baby shower then?” Susan asked in excitement.
“Oh my goodness, yes! That sounds amazing! We have to!” Reiya turned and smiled back at Chelsie. It was so nice seeing everyone again. It made her realize just how much she missed them.
“Dual baby showers. Now that sounds like an amazing celebration … almost as nice as having a quadruple wedding.” Chasen smirked, putting Levi and Brody on the spot.
“Come again?” Brody tilted his head in confusion.
“Well, Hunter and I decided, after the demon war, we were going to have a combined wedding. But seeing that we all have mates …” Chasen grinned.
Hunter looked at Levi, curious to see what his reaction would be.
“So basically, another way to publicly claim your mate? Why not, Levi? I mean, you already publicly marked her,” Xander said casually, and a few low growls rippled through the men. Oops. He didn’t think about how saying Reiya was marked publicly would sound bad. Levi shot him an annoyed look.
“I did the same with Chelsie. It’s a dragon ritual. I’m all for claiming Chelsie publicly again. Though she might need a chair at that point, depending on how soon we have the wedding.” Brody tried to downplay the public marking. It sounded worse than it was. It wasn’t like the intimate marking that took place in private. It was enough that the others seemed to nod their heads. If Brody did it to his mate, then it must not have been bad. At least that was their logic.
Lee’s eyes were locked onto Reiya’s. He smiled at her and raised his eyebrows in a shrug. He would do whatever she wanted to do. But he was with Brody. He was all for claimingReiya in every way, shape, and form. There would be no excuse for touching his mate. He had claimed her in every way. He saw her nod her head with a smile. “Reiya and I accept as well.”
