Page 147 of Taming the Kraken

Xander looked away. He had to fight against his natural instinct to heed his mate’s cries. It was agony hearing every small whimper or sound Lila made. What if they couldn’t fix her? What if the nembrant glass bound itself to her permanently? His lips pursed as his chest heaved with ragged breaths. He felt like he was stuck. He wanted to stay by his mate’s side, but he also had a job to do. His hands trembled as a soft hand came to rest on his arm.

“Xander, come take a walk with me.” Reiya squeezed his arm and pulled slightly, coaxing him along.

“XANDER!” Lila screamed as Levi grabbed both of her shoulders.

“You would disobey your deity?” Levi growled lowly as he gripped her tighter. She thrashed against him, and that was enough evidence that she wasn’t in control. A dragon’s instincts made them naturally submit to him. The fact that she was fighting against him meant the nembrant glass was controlling her.

“Go with Reiya, Dad. I’ll stay with Levi and … Mom.” Brian watched as his father looked down, nodding his head without sparing him a glance. He couldn’t imagine how his father was feeling. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to ignore his mate’s cries like that.

“Xander.” Reiya pulled him gently and guided him out of the room. She’d always had a connection to Xander. He was her soul twin. It wasn’t much, but she could provide him some comfort. As they stepped out, everyone else was standing there in the main room, their gazes focused on the room they had just exited as Lila’s screams echoed through the castle.

“Lila,” Dex breathed out, looking through the doorway.

Reiya swiftly shut the door to contain Lila’s cries. She kept her other hand on Xander and looked up at Dex with a small frown. “Lila has nembrant glass in her eye.”

“Damn it!” Dex growled, turning his head in frustration. Ciana walked up to him and he wrapped his arms around her, leaning down to her neck and breathing in her scent, seeking her comfort. His precious sister was being controlled. “We can remove it, right?”

“We should be able to. We will need to bring Grandpa Sage here.” Lita’s voice was clear and authoritative. “I will have him show me the technique, and I will work on a quick solution for the future. The nembrant glass is going to be a foe of ours for years to come. We’re going to need both defensive and offensive plans to deal with it.” She looked over at Xander, who looked like he was ready to crumble.

“Who was close enough to Lila?” Weston looked up at Xander, puzzled.

“If it wasn’t done through a dream, then it was physically done, right?” Mason gripped Ruby’s hand as he looked over at his son, Troy. Nia was his son’s mate, and her father, Reese, was Xander’s right-hand man. Someone who would have been close to Lila.

“Reese.” Levi’s voice rang clear as he stepped into the room, Brian and Bella entering with him. “Reese needs to be checked at once.” He looked at Xander and gave him a small smile. “She’s fine. She’s in the lower level holding chambers. There is a somnus fairy that will keep her asleep.”

“Dad, Mom’s fine. She’s resting peacefully right now. Hopefully when she wakes up, it will all be like a bad dream,” Brian said, trying to offer his dad some reassurance.

“With the high risk of there being others with nembrant glass in the West Dragon Kingdom, Levi will need to go there. At the very least, Reese and his mate need to be checked out. You’ll need the strength of a deity so there isn’t a ruckus. Maybe take Dex and Weston with you just for an extra set of hands? And Xander can take Reiya to go see Olga. Brody, Chelsie, go with them. I want a guardian on Reiya the whole way there and back, and then the both of you return here and stay close.” Lita could see the scowl on Levi’s face as she spoke those words. He nodded his head slowly, like he’d already realized this was the course of action they would have to take. This was a sensitive situation, and they needed to be strategic. It was best if the enemy wasn’t aware that they knew of their plans yet. At least until they were better prepared.

“Lila mentioned something that I found concerning. She wanted to see the young bears that were potentials to be future guardians. I’m not sure what the plans are, but I’m glad there are no cubs in the center right now.” Reiya could see the distress in her mother’s eyes hearing that news. She understood it because she felt the same way.

“I’m going to get to work immediately on something that will replicate the mirror. There is too much at risk.” Lita looked up at Asher and Grayson, who were standing at the far edge of the room. She glanced over all of her family, who were listening quietly. She noticed Destiny sitting next to Lucie, but her mate was missing. “Destiny, where’s Harley?”

“He went to check on a few things. He’ll be back tonight.” Destiny rubbed her baby bump lightly as she watched her grandmother nod her head.

“Grayson, I want the guards on full alert. I want to know about any movement in and out of Elysia. Chasen, keep the family close at all times. Stay inside the castle, and Brody joins you the moment he’s back.” Lita nodded her head to Asher. “We’re heading downstairs, and I am going to work on another way to detect nembrant glass. Let me know when the Great Sage gets here.” She then walked to the end of the room toward Asher.

Reiya watched as her mother and father swiftly walked down the hall, disappearing from sight. She walked into Lee’s arms, and he pulled her against him tightly.

“I have to part from you again,” Lee groaned in irritation. If it was just notifying the Great Sage, he could do that instantly and still go with Reiya to see Olga. But he needed to check the people who could have gotten close to Lila. And if any of them had the glass in their eye, they would have to be dealt with.

“After you meet with Olga, come straight back here. My communication will be open at all times …” Lee sighed into Reiya’s hair. “Why haven’t I mastered the ability to be in two places at once?”

Reiya smiled and tilted her head up at him. His lips found hers, and he kissed them gently. “At least we’re busy instead of just being stuck here worrying about our daughter.”

“I still need to find Gaia after I’m done in the dragon kingdom. There’s so much going on at once. I have no choice but to trust Alexa to Mikah and Ken.” Lee squeezed Reiya in one more strong embrace. His heart was being pulled in so many different directions. The last thing he wanted to do was his duty.

“I love you, Lee. This battle will be over soon.” Reiya listened as Lee chuckled.

“This battle will end just in time for another war to start.”

“And I plan on winning them both,” Reiya said confidently, gazing into Lee’s eyes. No matter what obstacles they would face, they would win. They had to.

Alexa sat on the balcony watching the setting sun. The breeze played with her long hair as she listened to the waves crashing against rocks. The sun was painting everything in gold and red as it slowly vanished in the distance. She inhaled the cool, salty breeze and glanced over at Erebus, who was standing at the far end of the balcony.

They hadn’t talked much that day. It was as if he was battling a storm of his own on the inside, and she could just tell that it wasn’t the right time to bring up anything from the past … or future. Instead, she just quietly observed him, trying to learn more about him. His hands rested on the stone railing as he stared out at the horizon. His white hair was neatly pulled back, revealing a face set in deep concentration.

Eventually, she got up from her seat and stood beside him. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. She glanced down at the water below. It was a deep dark blue, reminding her of the darkening night sky. It was mesmerizing, the way the dark blue water rolled against the shoreline. She closed her eyes and inhaled the salty air. It was strangely peaceful, even given her current situation.