Away Mission - Book 2 of the Guardians Series - EDITED version

CH 11.3 The End

Alex made her way through Audubon Park, the moonlight making eerie shadows that twisted and lingered. She could see Cale's silhouette on a park bench, his head down and his arms crossed.

Alex sank down beside him, their shoulders brushing. Her fingertips grazed her forehead as she wiped away the blood that had been meant for Gabe, not him.

She peered into his face, which was illuminated by the faint light of the crescent moon in the night sky. Her voice quivered as she said, "You dropped a nuclear bomb on your brothers."

Cale sat motionless, his eyes fixed towards the abyssal void ahead. He responded hoarsely, "Sorry to leave you with that."

Alex shifted closer and propped her chin on Cale's shoulder, trying to take strength from his solid presence. Her breath caught in her chest as she felt his arm curl around her, comforting. "Do you want me to cry all over you? Weeping, hugging, emotional catharsis?"

He was still for a beat before he responded, his face unreadable in profile. Cale turned his head slowly in her direction. He hesitated before asking, "Uhm... do you want that?

Alex shook her head and leaned into his shoulder, her fingers tangling into the fabric of his shirt. Through a few sniffles, she whispered, "No, just thought I would offer. But, how do you cope?"

Cale dropped his gaze and fiddled with the frayed end of his worn tunic. He cleared his throat before speaking. "I buried it deep—so deep, I asked to be apprenticed to both a healer and a priest. Learned how to help others, and some of what I learned helped me too. But the other parts, I stuffed them down and moved on with life. Until now. Seeing you..." His voice trailed off as he looked away from Alex in guilt.

Alex exhaled slowly, shoulders sagging. "Of course. I'm the nuclear bomb, bringing back everyone's trauma and opening up old wounds without thinking twice. Perfect."

Cale drew her close and looked deep into her eyes. His gaze was full of tenderness, admiration, and love - a stark contrast to the self-loathing she held for herself. "No, I'm not just saying that," he murmured. "It's been an education for me to watch you living out all the lies I believed about myself: the self-blame, the self-hatred, the self-destructive anger. It's been more helpful than anything else."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," she replied, but there was hope in her voice.

"I'm not known for being a liar. How do you cope, Alex?"

She stopped leaning on him and sat straight up, dislodging his arm. "You've seen it. I trawl the streets of New Orleans and take it out on the scum I find."

Her words hung heavily between them until Cale spoke again. "Rile told me that you were worried you would kill one of them."

"He told you? That jerk. That was in confidence," she grumbled as she scooted even farther away from Cale.

"I could say that it's best if you don't tell Rile anything in confidence, but to be honest, he wanted help. Help for you. Please give him credit for that. It's hard for him to ask for help."

"Okay, for you I'll give him credit." Alex slumped back on the bench. "Enough about me. What about you now? Will you tell me what's with the green hide thing? I've wondered about it since you were so shocked when I told you I liked it."

Cale looked down at his claws and tapped them together softly. He let out a long breath of resignation as Alex scooted closer to him.

"Is it a sign of being illegitimate?" Alex asked cautiously, her voice barely audible.

"So they say," Cale said. He paused for a moment, and then continued on in a softer voice. "A son of a Clan Head shouldn't have green in his hide. It's the color of the so-called commoners. We're all Agama, all loved by the Creator of All, so this whole commoner and Clan Heir division is artificial. And no, I'm not illegitimate."