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

First Love 18.2

Rile awoke at Alex's first stirring. He watched from his spot on the floor as she opened her eyes. Fear and confusion clouded them as she scanned the room. Her gaze lit on Rile and, when all the fear drained out of her eyes at the sight of him, he felt something twist in his chest.

"You're safe with me," Rile said.

Alex nodded and pushed the hair out of her eyes. She still looked confused, trying to sort out her memories. Her expression deepened into sadness and Rile bet that he knew which memory it was.

"You once said you would get away from yourself if you could. I don't want to get away from you. I want to learn more of your heart, your soul." Rile sat up and leaned on the couch toward her.

Alex shook her head. "You know nothing about me. How could you? I barely know anything about myself."

"You willfully choose ignorance but not me," Rile said with a small grin. "You're the most entertaining being I've ever met." When she rolled her eyes, he stood and offered her a hand. "Let's eat."

Alex nodded again but got up without taking his hand. She headed for the kitchen. Rile touched her arm.

"I want a Jazz brunch. One with champagne," he said.

"They all have champagne in New Orleans," Alex corrected, but with a shy smile. "Where's Cale? He'll want to come."

"I'll get him," Rile offered quickly. He did not want Alex going downstairs to their apartment where Gabe was. "You get ready."

*****

At the brunch, Alex matched Rile champagne for champagne, which was quite a few because Alex tipped generously and often during the meal. Cale ate in silence, looking somber, while Rile asked Alex about all the different foods on the buffet.

"I need a nap," Alex declared happily when they returned to the carriage apartment.

"You just got up," Rile said.

"Your point being?" she asked, just as happily.

"You are such a lightweight," he complained. "All we drank was champagne."

Alex smiled woozily at him and staggered into the bedroom. When she closed the door, Cale turned on the TV. He didn't sit and watch it, but walked up to Rile.

"Don't do this to Alex. She's not another one of your females to seduce and leave," Cale said.

Shock flashed into Alex and ruined her warm champagne buzz. She could hear very well when drunk.

"I never seduced anyone. I took what was freely offered," Rile replied.

A whole new fear slithered into Alex's heart.

Rile. He's one of those guys. Love 'em and leave 'em. That means sex followed by desertion. I was a fool to let him close.

"Alex is not freely offering. She's been brutalized because we abandoned her and she's frightened. We're the only ones that she trusts. Don't betray her," Cale continued stoutly.

"Why aren't you telling Gabe this?"

"You know Alex is the first female that he's ever showed interest in," Cale said.

"That makes everything he does okay?"

"It makes it different," Cale waffled. "First love is like that. Makes you act crazy, think crazy, do crazy things."

Alex stopped listening after 'first love'. It rang in her head, deafening her to all talk, including her brain and conscience shouting 'stop'. It raced past her defenses and brain damage so she remembered a time when she didn't feel pain in either heart or body. She rolled over in bed and dreamed of a golden dragon rescuing her from a fish eyed monster called Morgan.