Betrayal - Book 3 of Guardians Saga - EDITED

CH 17.1 Part A and B

The morning found a pile of happy reptiles and one warm mammal in the middle. Alex was the last to awaken, as usual. Also, as usual, no reptile would move away from the luxurious warmth that was Alex. Razz had wisely kept oil on the bedside so they passed the time oiling each others' hides, except for Gaia, who didn't need it. Zilik's tail wound around one of Alex's legs and Lok's the other.

Once Alex stirred and stretched, Razz motioned the other four in their group bed to stay still. Eyes still closed, Alex's hand patted down each of them with a gentle yet calculating touch. She started with Razz's back, then Dex's bony shoulder blades, then Zilik's scaly skin, and finally Lok's slender but muscular form. When she felt Gaia's smoother, moister hide beneath her fingertips, her hand lingered for a moment. Then Alex sat up straight in shock, dislodging them, and her hand flared with power.

"It is all right," Razz murmured in a low, reassuring voice as he carefully nestled into Alex's lap. His black eyes gazed up at her with an endless amount of love and adoration, making Alex feel a little calmer. "Gaia is Dex's potential sleep-mate. He asked for your permission to join with her as a permanent sleep-mate."

Alex let out an exasperated breath through clenched teeth. "Permission? He doesn't need my permission! I emancipated him!" Her voice was intense, yet controlled. Zilik and Lok's tails curled tighter around her legs, but Razz remained unfazed, as Alex's anger cleared her morning fog.

"Wait, why is everyone here?" The light from her hand died, and she ran it through her hair.

"You were inappropriately ashamed of your nightly power," Razz said. "We created a group bed in order to report to you in the morning as to the sensations it provoked."

"Still a calming sensation," Dex mumbled from the pile of bodies.

"I felt joined to Dex in a marvelous way," Gaia said with wonder. "No one mentioned that."

"I did not know either," Dex said. "The power felt different, magnified this time, when I joined with you, Gaia."

Alex tugged at one of her unruly locks with surprise. "Joined? That sounds... kind of intense. Is that safe? Is that okay?"

Gaia smiled warmly at both of them. "It was wondrous – to truly join with someone you love? Such a gift."

Alex nervously moved her hands through her messy hair, trying to detangle it. She hesitated before finally muttering, "I don't think I'm comfortable with the ethics of that."

"Your power felt like when my family was one," Razz said. Me, Dex, Father and Mother in our first den before Anolis warriors found us and forced us to flee."

"You ran?" Alex gave up on her hair.

"Neither fast enough nor far enough," Razz said. "Nonetheless, you have given us the chance to plan for future safety. We must do what we can to protect ourselves now."

Razz gracefully jumped off the bed and tiptoed to the door. He opened it just a crack, his voice barely more than a whisper as he exchanged words with someone outside. When Razz returned, his hands were full of papers. "I asked the cook to prepare you something special – fruit juice with both wine and fruit chunks. It's not quite mimosas, but I think you'll enjoy it," he said, waggling the papers. "And now for work."

Alex let out an exasperated groan. "Can't breakfast come first?"

Zilik chuckled softly, and Alex turned her attention to him. His tail was wound around her leg like a living scarf, and she found herself tapping it absentmindedly.

"Heeeyyyy, you didn't say anything about how my power affected you." She peered at Zilik with suspicion and tapped on his tail for emphasis.

He grinned and reached forward to stroke her hand. His touch was gentle but firm, and he met her gaze with an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Don't worry; I enjoyed all the familial love."