Betrayal - Book 3 of Guardians Saga - EDITED

Bonus Chapter

For the next few weeks, the days were filled with feasts of every variety of food and beverage, and nights were spent enjoying each other's company. Alex loved to hear stories of when he, Gabe, and Cale were younger; tales of mischief and daring that left him and Alex both roaring with laughter. Rile was surprised to remember how his older brother had been a source of care and knowledge about hunting and weapon maintenance for himself and Cale. Rile hadn't started clashing with him until they were older.

Rile recounted the tale of Gabe and Cale's first mountain goat hunt, his voice rising in pitch as he animatedly described the wild chase. Alex giggled uncontrollably, but as the laughter died down, a wave of melancholy crept over her.

"I'm sorry I don't have any funny stories to tell," she murmured.

Rile knew that Alex still preferred darkness to knowledge. Rile encircled her with his arms, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair. "I don't care. That was Gabe's problem to find out about your past. As far as I'm concerned, it's time for us to make memories now. We'll laugh about them later."

That earned him a hug and much better later that night. Alex's rejection of her past was equaled by her enthusiastic embrace of the present. Good was to be done now, evil was to be punished now. To his delight, she added to the list: Rile was to be loved now.

Rile carefully ran his fingers through Alex's hair, marveling at the softness. She leaned into him and he wanted to touch more of her but was hesitant—he'd seen the massive burn on her back from when Morgan had tortured her.

He could feel the tension in her body whenever he got close to her chest; whatever Morgan had done there must have been excruciatingly painful. Every time he brushed against it, a wild look would creep into her eyes, then she'd practically jump away or went stock still into a short circuit. He would wrap his arms around her before resuming his calming strokes through her hair to drag her back from the terrible place where the short circuit imprisoned her.

***

Rile grabbed Alex, his grip strong and sure as he tossed her onto the bed. His eyes widened in horror at the terror written in Alex's expression as she lay there motionless. He slowly slid down beside her, pressing his forehead to hers. "Alex... I'm sorry... Is that better?" His heart clenched with trepidation, wondering if he had caused a short circuit.

She sighed deeply before resting her head upon his chest. "No, it's my fault. You've never done anything to hurt me like this." Her voice was quiet and small, barely louder than a whisper.

Rile ran his claws gently up and down her back in an attempt to soothe her. "You didn't deserve it either."

"Cale said that too, but neither of you know that."

"You should listen to Priest Boy. When in creation did you talk about this?"

"That night he tossed the bomb on y'all and I chased after him." Alex ran a glowing hand over Rile's chest.

"He never talked about it again. What did he say?"

Alex shrugged lightly before responding. "He just said that neither of you could help him and that was it."

It was plain to see that she was not being entirely truthful, but Rile let it slide for now. "At least you helped him," Rile said.

Alex raised her head. "I did not. You're the liar."

He cupped her chin with one hand, using his thumb to tilt her face toward his own so they were eye to eye with each other. "You're a terrible liar, love, even though you probably helped Cale far more than you realize." A spark lit up in Rile's brown eyes as he continued speaking. "It's obvious that he saw what you went through and that knowledge gave him perspective; of course, it helped him! Sure I watch Dr Phil too...I know how these things work."

Alex blew out a breath. "I probably traumatized him more, making him relive it all."

"Cale's a lot tougher than you give him credit for," Rile said. His big, brown eyes softened as he remembered his brother fondly. He continued, "It's a common mistake. I enjoyed watching him trounce contenders all the time. I wish he were here to tell you himself."

"I miss him, too," Alex said.

"Do you miss my other brother?" Rile watched her with sharp police dog eyes.

"Nope." Alex smiled at him and stroked his muzzle. "He should be married, or what do you call it, united, or at least betrothed, by now. How good a matchmaker is Cale?"

"I don't know, but he doesn't have to be. Perfect Eldest Son is heir to the throne, so females will fall all over him. Don't worry about Gabe."

"I'm not," Alex said.

I wonder if that holds true for the Gabe raising Galen. Will Agama females care about his crippled hands? Wait, why do I care what other females think about him?

Alex's heart thudded against her rib cage sheclosed her eyes against the increasingly intrusive thoughts and again laid her head on his chest.

"What's wrong?" Rile stroked her cheek and searched her eyes with an intensity that made her swallow hard.

"I was worried about someone else," Alex said. "Another world."

"Razz is fine," Rile said with a kind smile. "He's a tough little guy. Smart. Resourceful."

"Always getting-into-trouble Razz and I'm not there to pound obnoxious Anolis females. Fire truck them all." She grabbed a fistful of Rile's shirt in rage.

Rile caressed her fist until it relaxed. "The Portal Guardian would take you there if you were needed. She loves Calling you there."

"I love going there. I'm a hero there. I need to sleep though, because my head is buzzing."

Rile brushed his claws through her hair as he spoke in a quiet voice. "You're a hero everywhere," he whispered apologetically. "Sorry I scared you. Rest."

And eventually, they did just that.

***

A/N

Hope you like this fluff chapter!!