Guardian

Chapter Thirty-One

Blake snapped her head up to look at Yang, almost hitting her in the chin. In her eyes was a mixture of hurt and confusion. "How could you ask me that?" She demanded.

Yang tilted her head back and sighed. "He's going to be gunning for you, Blake, I can't put you in that sort of danger again. I'm still your bodyguard."

"And you think I want you to be in that danger?" Blake grasped Yang by her wrist, the metal one. "I wasn't the one that almost died that night Yang. He still wants me alive but you? He'll kill you without a second thought! Hell, he will revel in it because he thinks you took me from him," tears started to fall from her eyes though she tried to fight them. "So don't tell me not to go because I'm not going to just sit here at home and wonder if the best thing that has ever happened to me is lying dead somewhere."

Yang held Blake tighter to her as her own eyes started to water. "I can't," her voice broke and she choked on her own words. "You don't understand."

"Then help me. Because all I can see is you walking out that door and not coming back."

Yang took a few steps back from her and took a calming breath. "And all I can see is him taking you right from under me again. I will fight him, alone, and I will come back home," she turned on her heel.

"Where are you going?" Blake called after her, her worry turning into frustration.

"I'm going to the basement!" She shouted back. "I need to blow off some of this steam!"

Blake watched her girlfriend disappear downstairs and stood in place for a moment while her brain comprehended what had happened. I can't believe we're fighting about this! She finally let out a shriek of anger and turned her attention to the kitchen, which was a mess after their breakfast buffet. She was finishing up the last of the dishes when she heard a low whistle behind her.

"Stress cleaning huh?"

She turned around and found Ilia standing in the doorway, leaning on the door frame, and shaking her head. Blake shot her a glare and continued scrubbing with added vigor. "Just trying to keep busy."

"I thought I heard yelling from outside. Care to tell me what happened?"

Blake scoffed. "She wants me to stay. She doesn't want me to go with her to confront Adam."

"Can you blame her?" Ilia asked then held her hands up in surrender when Blake gave her another death glare, pointing a kitchen knife at her for moment to add to the threat. "Look, Blake, that woman loves you. You can see it every time she looks at you. She wants to keep you safe, it's literally her job."

Blake growled in annoyance as she finished up and spun around to face her. "And who keeps her safe, huh? Who makes sure that she doesn't lose her other arm, or her life?"

"You don't think she can fight him?"

"No, no! I know she's strong and perfectly capable of fighting by herself but I also know Adam. He's a lot of things but I'm not dumb enough to say he's weak and he only gets stronger when he's mad."

"Yeah, but so does she."

"I can't let her just leave," Blake's voice cracked and she covered her mouth with a shaking hand. "Ilia she means too much me for her to lose her. She's scared of something but she won't tell me what it is. How do I make her listen to me?"

Ilia gave her a sad smile and walked over to give her a hug. "You can't make her listen to you. What you can do is let her blow off a little bit of steam and then go talk to her. She'll be more likely to talk and listen to you once she gives that punching bag a few good hits."