The Blackwater Chronicles: Lex & Lawe

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Lex felt the cool water on her skin and opened her eyes. She wasn't surprised to see Lawe staring down at her with worry; she was surprised to see that his arms were wrapped tightly around her in the bathtub. Both of them were naked, she wanted to protest, but was too tired to move away.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse and scratchy. He brushed his hand across her forehead.

"We are trying to get your fever to go down. I guess it worked because you are conscious enough to be mad at me," he said with a slight smile.

"Why am I always waking up with you naked?" she asked.

"And making jokes," he said. "I think you're cured."

"They are about a half mile away you need to get a move on," Karik said coming into the bathroom. He held out a towel and Lawe stood up holding Lex. He passed Lex to Karik as though she was a child and he wrapped the towel around her. She should have been crept out that Karik was seeing her naked, but she was too weak to care. Plus, she noticed that his eyes held only a brotherly concern and no lust.

"You don't have to treat me like a child," she said again too tired to really protest. Karik didn't even address that statement. He could tell she wasn't well yet, she was pale and gaunt. Whatever was wrong was serious, and if the lab they raided had the information to cure her he would be the one to bring it back. He wouldn't allow Lawe to go through what he had.

"We are well aware that you are not a child," Lawe said pulling her back into his arms. Karik discreetly left the room knowing he wasn't needed anymore. Besides he had important things to do, they needed to be prepared in case Ryker betrayed them. "But I need to get you to bed and you need to rest. You'll feel better after you wake up," he said hoping it was true. She snuggled closer to him.

"I don't think I will Lawe," she said in a small voice.

"We'll fix it Dove. I promise I'll fix it." He carried her over to the bed. "I have to change you're bandages."

"You know, I'm starting to really like you," she admitted as she closed her eyes. "Now if you would just stop calling me Dove." He watched her breathing slow down and even out and knew that she was sleeping. It worried him a little that she was so tired, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He had to wait until Blythe told him something. He gathered the things to clean her wound and new bandages, and then opened the towel that was wrapped around her just enough to get to change the bandages.

As he peeled back the waterproof bandage Blythe had placed there he froze. The wound was gone. He ran his hand over the smooth scar and looked at her face to see if she felt any pain. Nothing happened. He stared at the spot until he heard the door open behind him. He didn't recognize the scent as his family so he growled as he turned to look at the door. A little girl he didn't recognize stood at the door, her hair long down her back and black as his. She smiled.

"Ryker says I'll be safe here, is that true?" Sydney had run up the stairs during the confusion downstairs. Karik had no intentions of letting Ryker into the room with Lex and Lawe, but Ryker insisted that he wouldn't cooperate until he saw Lex. She was the key.

"It depends on who you are?" Lawe answered. He didn't feel threatened, but he knew better then to completely let his guard down with a Feral child. They were just as dangerous as the adults.

"I'm Ryker's daughter, but he told me not to tell anyone. I mean the doctors in the lab already know, but he..."

"Sydney!" Ryker called as he burst through the door. He froze seeing how close she was to Lawe. "She's harmless, Lawe."

"I've seen some harmless children do gruesome things," Lawe answered not taking his eyes off of Sydney.

"Is she okay?" Sydney asked looking past Lawe at Lex.

"Is she hurt?" Ryker asked taking a step closer. He hadn't seen the woman lying in the bed, his attention had been fixed on the potential danger his daughter was in. Now it was even more important to get Sydney back, Lawe was in "protect mode" and Sydney was a threat in his mind. "Sydney, come here."

"I just want to get a closer look," she said inching past Lawe. He growled in warning, but she kept on moving and climbed into the bed. She looked down at Lex. "She's pretty." She leaned in closer and sniffed. "She's sick, but I think she's going to be alright."

"What's wrong with her," Ryker asked.

"Why is that any of your concern?" Lawe asked. He wasn't concentrated on Sydney anymore because he knew that Ryker had been telling the truth. She wasn't a threat, but Ryker himself was.

"Because she's the one I came here to deal with. She's the one I trust..."

"You'd trust a human over a Feral?"

"I'd trust her over a Feral yes," Ryker said.

"Why?" Lawe asked.

"'Cause she's got just as much to lose if they catch her as I do," Ryker explained.

"Lawe we've got company coming," Karik yelled up the stairs. "They are coming from the west. Duane says it's a large group." Lawe looked over to the bed and noticed that Sydney now lay curled up against Lex sleeping peacefully.

"Get Duane here to guard them..."

"You're leaving that Pup to guard them?" Ryker asked remembering how easily he'd overpowered Duane.

"We need all the man power we can get to fight them off of the town. I have no choice but to trust that you had nothing to do with this, but if I find out that you betrayed us, Rat, I'll tear you apart." Lawe didn't wait around to see how Ryker would respond; instead he turned and started down the steps. They had to get everyone ready for a fight and it didn't seem like they would have a lot of time.

He was surprised to get downstairs and find that a command center had already been set up. Karik gave directions to everyone and they all seemed ready for a battle. He caught Karik's eye in question.

"I work fast," he said as though that explained everything.

"Okay, this is the fallback point and also the place we need to protect..." Lawe started only to be cut off, by Karik.

"I'm sorry, but this place wasn't big enough to house the little ones. We had to put them in the garage on the other side of town. That is our focal point, we can move Lex..."

"No you are right, but we can't move her. She's too susceptible to infection. Her immune system may not be able to fight off any other attacks. Can you..."

"I know this is a hard decision and I wouldn't ask if it wasn't this important, but we need you on the front holding them back from the garage. We need everyone, I could spare Duane. He's not the best fighter and he's inexperienced, but you..." Lawe clinched his fist. He couldn't let Blackwater fall under the first attack they'd ever had, but he didn't want to leave Lex alone sick. "The Pup would give his life for her, she's safe..." Karik's words were cut off as an explosion from the other end of town rocked the whole town's foundation.

"Let's get this over with," Lawe said heading for the front door of his shop. He prayed that his instincts were right. That leaving Lex here was for the best no matter the outcome of the fight.