The Vigilante & The Dragon - Book 1 of the Guardians Saga [COMPLETED]

Dragon brothers vs. Alex Ch. 3.1

"Here you go, Princess." Rile dumped Alex onto the ratty plaid couch in their carriage house apartment.

Alex winced and tried unsuccessfully to sit up. Instead she propped up on her elbow, her head against the arm of the sofa. "What's your name, O Carrier of Princesses?" She offered a weak hand.

"I'm Rile, the one who hit you." There was apology in his sullenness as he took her hand.

"Hit and carry princesses?" She squeezed his hand. "Multi-talented."

"He's my youngest brother," Gabe said.

Alex wouldn't have guessed that. Rile was a hair shorter than Gabe, but made up for it with increased bulk. His hard eyes and the lines around them told her that his sullenness was not a temporary condition.

"You are?" Alex turned her head to the last brother.

"Cale.  I'm as much to blame as anyone." He took her hand from Rile and patted it in a reassuring way.

"Let the Princess-Hitter-And-Carrier bear the blame." Alex grinned to take the sting from her words.

She had thought Cale was the youngest, for he was the smallest. He was not only shorter, but finer boned, and with more delicate features. While she had thought Gabe had the kind eyes of a Golden Retriever, Cale's eyes were rounder, like the sweet, expressive eyes of a lap dog.

"You aren't angry?" Rile said in a tone of disbelief. "Everyone is always mad at me."

"For what? Attacking someone doing strange things with your missing and unconscious brother? Seems reasonable to me."  Alex winked at Gabe.

"She saved you a good dressing down," Cale whispered to Rile.

Alex again tried to sit up, but only succeeded in losing her precarious balance on her elbow, flopping flat on the couch. To save face, Alex rested her head against the couch arm and covered her eyes with her arm. "Think I'll have a little nap. Goodnight."

She was asleep in three breaths. The darkness that claimed her so swiftly was both her blessing and her curse.

***

Hours later, three sets of eyes stared down at Alex.

"I don't think she should be shivering," Cale said.

"Perhaps humans shiver when they sleep," Gabe said.

"They don't when we watch them on Dr. Dewey's television. Let's wake her up." Rile reached down.

Gabe blocked Rile's hand. "Don't touch her."

"What do you suggest, Perfect Eldest Son?" Rile squared off against him.

"Fighting won't help," Cale said. "I'll retrieve Dr. Dewey. He'll know what to do."

***

It wasn't long before Cale returned with Dr. Dewey, who was carrying a small zippered case. The good doctor blinked in surprise at the sight of a human female sleeping on the couch of his draconic male renters.

"She's shivering and sleeping." Rile pointed. "Fix her."

"Who is she? Where did she come from? What happened?"

"We found her in an alley with our brother," Rile said.

Dr. Dewey's eyebrows shot up.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Rile tapped his sword hilt impatiently. "Well? What's wrong with her? Do something!"

"Don't order Dr. Dewey around," Gabe ordered, earning a flick of the tongue from his youngest brother. "Her name is Alex. We rescued each other from Dr. Hermann's men. We were shot with sedatives and they placed what she called 'power dampening cuffs' on her. She broke them with a burst of energy, but I think it broke her as well."