“No. I can’t concentrate on fighting with you there. I think that much is obvious.”
The moment Brody said that, she immediately looked at the ground. That was true. They had lost him for a moment because he was worried about protecting her.
“Same goes for you, Jin.” Chasen gazed into Jin’s green eyes. “I’m not letting you and my unborn child anywhere near this war.”
“I’m Hunter’s partner. I came here to fight.” Jin looked at Chelsie in camaraderie. They were both being put in the same situation.
“Jin.” A quiet voice sounded from the kitchen.
Ciana walked toward her and gave her a small smile. “I’ll fight hard enough for the two of us. Chasen is right. You can’t risk it. You’re pregnant, and you need to take care of yourself. What if something happens to the baby? You would never get over that.” Ciana then looked over to Chelsie. “You wouldn’t either.”
Jin lowered her head in defeat. She was thrilled to be pregnant, but the timing was horrible. She wanted to be there to protect her mate … wanted to be there to protect her new family. But she was going to have to stay back.
“Chelsie and Jin can stay in my kingdom. There’s a barrier there to keep demons out. We can make an exception for her, though,” Xander said, looking at Chasen.
“I appreciate that. But I think I will leave Jin in Elysia. My grandparents aren’t fighting in the war. Instead, they’re going to be the last stronghold, in case things go bad. I think I want to leave her in their care. Either there or here in Black Ice Pack territory.” Chasen could see Brody nodding in agreement.
“I think that’s where Chelsie will probably stay as well. It is her homeland, after all. Actually, I think it would be best if she waits with Jin.” Brody rubbed Chelsie’s side tenderly.
“I guess that’s it then.” Chelsie frowned.
“Your job is to keep yourself and our child safe.” Brody reached his hand over Chelsie’s stomach and rested it there with a smile. Reiya had to be there to fight. There was nothing he could do about that. But he could at least limit his distractions. There was no way he could concentrate on fighting if she were on the battlefield. He needed to know that they were safe. And hefelt even better knowing that she would be with Jin. The two of them could keep each other company.
Chelsie laid her hand over his and leaned into him. She knew she had to keep their child safe. She just wished she could stay by Brody’s side as well.
“Reiya. I also want you to stay behind …” Lee started, but Reiya swatted at his chest.
“Nice try. I’m not pregnant, so you can keep that talk to yourself.” Reiya giggled as she felt his lips press against her forehead.
Chasen looked over at his brother holding Chelsie close and then over the room. It was nice having the four siblings together again. And he was happy they’d all found their mates. “I hope we can do this more,” he said quietly. “It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other. I don’t want it to go that long again.”
“It won’t, and after this war is over, we’ll see each other at least once a month. I am mated to a dragon, after all. I might as well put that to good use.” Reiya bit her lip and smiled up at Lee.
“And maybe next time, we can have your parents here too, so you all can be together,” Lee said, smiling back at her.
“That’ll be nice. To have the whole family together. We’ve grown a lot since then and are still growing.” Brody grinned as he rubbed Chelsie’s stomach slowly.
Hunter looked over and caught his sister’s gaze. He wished they knew more about this Slayer presence. If they knew more about it, maybe they could try to combat it. The dragons might have some ancient knowledge on this creature, maybe his grandmother as well. He didn’t know how much time they had, but maybe they could uncover something about this creature. It was better than going in blind. What could this creature do? Did it have any weaknesses? Why didn’t the goddess elaborate on it more? Did she not know a lot about it either?
He looked over at Xander, who was also deep in thought. It appeared he was not the only one thinking about their upcoming challenge. Levi would probably know something about this Slayer creature. But that would be up to Reiya to discuss it with him.
“I’m going to step out for a bit of fresh air,” Xander said, abruptly walking out of the pack house.
Hunter and Reiya exchanged a quick look. They both knew why Xander needed the fresh air. He knew what was supposed to happen and yet he had to be a bystander. He was just supposed to be their lighthouse so they could find their way back.
“I wonder what’s bothering him,” Lee said as his face fell. His eyes flicked at the closed door as he rubbed Reiya’s arm. Xander was obviously upset about something, and he had a feeling it had to do with whatever happened while they were unconscious. They wouldn’t be keeping secrets from him. Maybe they didn’t want to say what happened in front of everyone. That was fine. But he would know. Reiya had never been a good liar anyway.
Hunter slid Freja to the side and gave her a small smile as he stood up. “I’m going to step out for a moment, too. See if Xander wants some company. Besides, I need to get to know my new brother better.”
Hunter walked out of the house and began to look for Xander. He thought he would just be standing on the porch, but that wasn’t the case. He followed his scent away from the pack house and up into the woods. Finally, he saw him walking in the distance.
“Hey Xander, wait up,” Hunter said, jogging up to him. “You okay?”
Xander looked at Hunter, frustration evident in his eyes. “I’m supposed to keep her safe. I can’t do that. I have to just wait here. And this whole thing sounds shady and dangerous. We haven’tbeen given all the information. I don’t like this. And there isn’t a choice to refuse, which makes it even worse.”
Hunter nodded in agreement as the two continued to walk together slowly. “I don’t like it either. But I’ll be there. I’m not going to let anything happen to her. She’s my precious sister, and I’ll protect her with my life.”
“I know you will. I just wish I could, too.” Xander let out a heavy sigh and kicked at the ground a bit as he walked forward.
