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

Moving Day Ch.4.3

The brothers and Alex trooped up the stairs. Alex couldn't blame them for paranoia when they sheathed their staffs and swords before leaving their apartment. She was starting to wish she carried a sword. The door creaked as Cale opened it.

"Looks like Dr. Dewey stored his old things here," Cale said as they surveyed the second story apartment.

"He said I could use whatever I wanted and move whatever I didn't into the garage." Alex strode inside and opened a box.

"If he said you're moving stuff, then you don't need us, Princess," Rile said.

"You're helping," Gabe ordered. "Alex, point out what is to stay and what is to be moved into this 'garage'."

"Can I look at it first?" Alex poked around the piles of stuff. "Let's start in the bedroom. I'll be tired after this and will want a place to sleep."

Lie on the bed, cry into the pillow, eventually sleep, wake up with nightmares, repeat...

They followed her into the single bedroom. The center was filled with a tarnished metal bed frame, boxes tumbling on and over it.

"A brass bed frame, excellent," Alex said. "I'll have to buy a new mattress anyway because used mattresses are high on the ick factor."

"Why?" Rile asked.

"You don't want to know."

"Don't presume to know what I don't want to know," Rile retorted.

"Shut up," Gabe said. "Move all the boxes that obstruct this 'bed frame'."

Rile hissed at him but complied while Cale disappeared behind a door.

"Alex, come here please and look in the bathroom," Cale called out.

Intrigued, Alex entered. The ancient claw footed tub delighted Alex. The brass feet were tarnished and the aged cream interior had spider web cracks, but none seemed deep as Alex brushed her fingers along them.

"All it needs is a shower addition," Alex said. "The parts are available at a hardware store. I'll buy the parts and look on the library's internet how to rig it up."

Cale leaned close to her, enough she could scent his leathery hide. A faint, clean scent of eucalyptus differentiated him from Gabe's more woodsy leather scent. He whispered, "I'll help you. Rile doesn't have the patience and Gabe only orders us around."

Alex grinned at him. "Deal. We'll share a crawfish lunch as a reward then."

"Hey Princess! Get out here," Rile yelled.

"Don't order the Warrior Princess around," she yelled back. "I can blast the leather off you."

"You're awfully mouthy for someone I woke up with this morning."

Rile hit the wall from Alex's white fire blast on his chest.

"Grab a sword or staff, Dragon Boy," Alex said, murder in her eyes. "Your brother was cold and y'all weren't enough to keep him warm. I didn't want him to die. We were sleeping and nothing else. Let's do this." A slight Southern lilt colored her accent when she was agitated and both of her hands flared white with power.

"Please don't kill or permanently maim him," Gabe said. "Otherwise, have at him."

"Yes, have at him." Cale stood behind her. "Within those restrictions, of course."

"Traitors." Rile drew his staff.

He dodged the next blast of power and Alex dodged his swing of the staff as she charged him. The sizzle of power arced between them and Rile's staff connected with Alex's back. They turned to face each other. Rile was a blur of swings and jabs while Alex backed up, ducking his swings and firing blasts. Her heel contacted the wall and Rile moved in for the kill. Both of them disappeared in a blinding flare of white light.