Guardians: Away Mission Book 2 of the Guardians Saga COMPLETED except for edits

Urgent Ch. 9.1

Back at the InterSpec Consulate, a group of Anolis females sat and chatted in the main lobby. They fell silent when Alex strode in, trailed by Razz.

Alex jumped onto a low table and stomped her foot. "I have reclaimed my mate Razz from some moron who challenged me to the death. Razz foolishly traded his freedom to protect me from Reek's plot to kill me."

Alex announced at the highest decibel that she could manage without shouting, "Despite his idiocy, I will still emancipate him but I will kill any female who claims any of my emancipated males. It makes no difference to me if he gives up his emancipation willingly or not. Death to that female. A slow, painful death by an angry mammal. You do not want to see how I kill your kind. It's ugly. My kind truly wears reptile hides for boots and purses."

Alex jumped off the table and stalked to their quarters, Razz dogging her steps, as the angry murmurs began. Alex slammed open the door, let Razz in, slammed it shut, and barred it.

"What has your back up?" Rile swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

Dex cowered on the chair and curled up tighter.

"This idiot." Alex waved at Razz. "Traded his emancipation to some female in exchange for 'protecting' me. As if I would want it. As if I was enough of a coward to trade his life for my protection."

Razz, truly frightened, trembled and wrung his hands. "I am sorry."

"I don't want to hear it. That you think that I would tolerate such a deal not only angers me, it hurts. You hurt me, Razz, more than any sword or dagger ever could." Alex pushed open the door to the bath. "I'm taking a bath now. Alone."

Rile looked at the trembling male with a mixture of anger and pity.

"I never meant to hurt Alex," Razz said.

"Well, you did. Pretty good job of it, too," Rile answered.

"But I do not understand."

"Let me explain something." Rile looked at the bath door to make sure that it was closed. He waited until he heard the waterfall start and drew nearer to Razz. "On her world, it is the males who dominate and they do the raping."

"Oh. Oh! You do not mean—"

"I do. Several times by the same male. It's why she freaks out over the whole thing and would challenge every Anolis female on this planet if she could. When you traded your freedom for her protection, you made her feel like she was a rapist herself, trading sex with you for something for herself. That's why she's so hurt and angry."

"Oh no." Razz looked even more miserable and his head drooped. "Poor Alex, it explains much." He thought a moment. "I would not like to meet the male that could do that to Alex."

"I did and I executed him for his crimes," Rile said.

Razz fastened the gold and opal collar back on. "Excellent."

"Razz, you're a bit bloodthirsty."

"I would die for her," Razz said.

"No, don't. That would only make her more insane. You have to live for her. Take care of yourself and stop doing stupid things that endanger yourself."

"I must apologize."

"No, don't. She won't appreciate that I told you—" Rile was too late to prevent the small, nimble Razz from entering the bathing chamber.

"Told him what?" Alex looked up from her seat in the water.

"He explained how much I had hurt you by what I did." Razz shed his clothes in a flash and stepped into the water.