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

The [other] Dragon Awakens Ch. 13.2

Cale sat on her couch, hands clasped, head down, and uncharacteristically somber. "Alex, I have a favor to ask you. It's personal but the worst thing is I need you to never tell my brothers. You are quite free to say 'no' now or after my request."

Alex sat next to him and leaned against him. "You're so kind and gentle, I'm pretty sure I'd say 'yes' to anything you wanted. And keeping secrets from your brothers is something I excel at." Her mouth twisted down as bile rose in her throat.

He placed his arm around her shoulders, looked into her face with concern, and said, "Pay it no mind. You have enough burdens without me adding another."

"Oh no you don't." Alex cupped his muzzle in her hands. "You cannot and I mean, not, say something like that and say forget about it. It will haunt me and I will hound you until you tell me. Look in my eyes and you'll know it's true."

With a gentle smile and small chuckle, he clasped her hands in his. "Yes, I believe you. I just don't want my brothers knowing because it would hurt them. Not only anger them, but hurt them. But I don't think it will bother you as much."

"Okay but what?

"It's about my wings." Cale dropped her hands and stared down at the ground.

Alex's mind dredged up a memory from when she had first met the brothers. Rile had teased Gabe about her touching his wings. When she had found out that touching and enjoying them was a personal intrusion, she felt that had made her the same as Morgan. Her mind and gut twisted together and the roaring of a short circuit started in the back of her brain.

"Since you don't have wings, I don't think it will upset you to see why they're hurting. I suspect Hermann or his men did something to them in the lab."

White-hot fury erased the growing short circuit and Alex's hands sparked welder fire, sparks hissing and spitting. "I'll kill them slowly." She swore rare curse words. "I'll make them beg for death."

"I was wrong to ask you. Please, please don't do anything. I'm sure they'll heal."

Cale's soft tone was ice water to her raging brain and she stopped the power to her hands.

"Cale, I don't deserve your trust, but if I could do something, anything to help you, it would mean a lot to me. A lot."

"You must promise to not take vengeance for this."
"Fire truck! You're so, so...insightful at times!"

"Promise. Swear by everything you hold dear."

Alex chewed her lip but when Cale started to stand up, she said quickly, "I promise by all I hold dear!"

He nodded and unlaced his tunic.

"Should I lock the door?" Alex asked, suddenly intimidated.

"No, that's too suspicious. We're not doing anything inappropriate. My wings were hurt and you're helping me." Cale pulled the tunic over his head and quickly shed his shirt.

With a deep breath, he turned away from Alex. She watched, mesmerized, as the shimmering illusion on his back faded and two golden-green wings slowly stretched out. Her eyes were drawn to the flapping suture on one wing, the membrane gaping where a piece had been removed with surgical precision. She followed the defect and saw that a piece of the support bone had been removed as well. Tears flowed down her cheeks and she held in her sobs, hand over her mouth.

"Well?" Cale twisted his head around to look at her. "That bad?"

Alex nodded, speechless.

"Is it dripping blood or ichor? Does it look infected?"