Back Home (Edited) Book 4 of the Guardians Saga

CH 7.3 The Same Thing

After the session with the priest, Alex felt the need to exercise, to walk, to think, so she paced the perimeter of the camp. The panoramic view of rolling hills in the distance was interrupted by a sharp cry.

"Hey!" A voice cried from behind her.

She halted, her fists clenched at her sides. She turned around reluctantly and placed her hand on the hilt of her rapier. Alex had learned from experience that any conversation that started with 'hey' rather than 'Guardian' or 'Alex would not end well.

Alex tensed as three tall, well-dressed young adult males approached. Their polished shoes gleamed in the moonlight and their tailored suits could only show wealth. The apparent leader of the group stepped forward and smiled at Alex. "We heard about you," he said confidently.

Alex's grip tightened on her sword hilt and she glared at him, her stony brown eyes warning them against crossing her.

Undeterred, the second male spoke up, "Stories from the infirmary and anything that can keep Rile away from the females must be good."

Alex's lips thinned with anger, and an uncomfortable silence filled the air.

But it didn't stop the third male, who grinned suggestively and tugged at his pants. "So we want the same thing!"

Alex felt her body go rigid as rage rose inside of her. Her knuckles were white as she clenched the hilt of her sword. She withdrew her sword slowly, deliberately prolonging the sound of the blade scraping on the scabbard. She would re-sharpen it later. "Are you prepared to take it by force? Three to one are not the best odds, but I'll take them."

Alex's gaze darted towards the sound of running feet and she saw Cale barreling in, sword drawn. The males followed her gaze and stepped back.

"Alex!" Cale yelled out. "Are we killing them or hurting them?"

"Hurt them," Alex shouted back. "Unless you have a death penalty for attempted rape."

The usually mild-mannered Cale looked ready to unleash some serious vengeance. "I'll make one," he hissed. "And ask forgiveness later".

The apparent leader of the Agama males raised his hands in surrender, followed by the rest of his group. He fumbled in a pocket, producing an ample handful of gold and silver coins. "We weren't gonna rape anyone," he blurted out. "We brought plenty to pay!"

"Pay?" Alex's fierce look was drowned out by shock and pain.

Cale flushed a dark greenish-gold, and he readied himself in a fighting stance, sword at the ready. I'll make them pay for insulting you that way."

The three fled. Cale took a step forward, ready to pursue. But Alex grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

Alex sheathed her sword even as her hands shook. "Let them go. They're jerks, not rapists."

"It's okay." Cale stroked her upper arm. "I don't understand where they got the idea."

"They said they heard stories from the infirmary and," Alex's voice caught.

Cale ran circles on her back with his claws to soothe her, for she was forever begging Rile to scratch her back.

"They said anything that kept Rile from fooling around with other females must be good," Alex finished.

"Great," Cale snorted. "Rile's reputation comes back to bite you on the butt instead of him. Gabe will love that."

"Uhm...do you think we should tell them?" Alex asked, her stomach flipping at the thought of revealing the truth.