Back Home (Edited) Book 4 of the Guardians Saga

CH 8.1 Old Girlfriends and More

Rile and Cale walked on either side of Alex in the bustling market, scanning the crowds for any signs of danger. Everywhere she looked, wares were displayed in vibrant colors beneath bright, billowing cloth that gave the marketplace a festive atmosphere. Stalls of sugared dates lined up alongside merchants peddling bottles of fragrant oils and perfumes. Rile eagerly bought a bag of dates, while Cale chose a few items to make a special moisturizer for Alex, her skin parched from the sun of the semi-arid area.

"Uh-oh, Alex, old girlfriend alert." Cale murmured, giving her a nudge.

Rile groaned and tried to step out of sight, but the group of females blocked his escape.

Alex surveyed them with remarkable equanimity as she asked, "All of them?"

"No!" Rile quickly corrected her. "Just the one in the middle...and the one to the immediate left...and maybe the one to the farthest right." He tilted his head, obviously trying to remember.

"Let Rile handle this alone." Cale took Alex's elbow, but it was too late.

"Rile." A female in the middle of the group stepped forward and pulled aside her robe, revealing an Agama juvenile standing beside her. "Meet your son."

**

After pushing through the crowd and leaving Rile to face the females, Alex and Cale sat in their tent. Alex kept her gaze downward.

"I hate to tell you this, but it gets worse," Cale said.

Alex looked up with anguish in her eyes and started to fiddle with the edge of the threadbare carpet they were sitting on. "Please tell me all at once. I prefer it that way."

"As Clan Head, Gabe could order Rile to unite to Taba," Cale said reluctantly.

Alex's fingers stopped moving as she stared at him with a mix of horror and disbelief. "Would he really do that?"

"He might. You know how responsible Gabe is. Rile's affairs have been a source of contention between them for years. It doesn't help that Rile has taunted him about it, either. Now there's a child—"

"Possibly," Alex interrupted.

"Possibly." Cale conceded to make Alex a little happier. "Gabe will want to make sure the child is taken care of. Uniting would certainly fill all of Gabe's requirements. Not to mention..." Cale fell quiet.

"Go on, please."

Cale squared his shoulders. "Not to mention a certain personal history between you two."

"Gabe doesn't strike me as the petty type." Alex shook her head.

"He's not. It wouldn't be pettiness." Cale was unhappy thinking about what it would be. He knew Gabe wanted Alex back, although she didn't, and he couldn't bear to see her sadness when she realized what it would mean. Instead, he said, "Remember, this could be the beginning of his clan. Think of it, Rile united and having children to contribute to the clan."

He watched as Alex's heart dissolved when she realized that Rile uniting to another could truly happen.

Alex said mournfully, "Everything is to be sacrificed to the clan, even me, especially me."

Cale took Alex's hands in his own and squeezed them gently. His heart ached for his friend as he said, "I am so very, very sorry."

Rile and Gabe entered the tent together, arguing.

Gabe's eyes burned with anger as he seethed. "Rile, you idiot. I thought you said you were careful!"

Rile shifted uneasily under Gabe's wrath and stammered out a reply, "I was! I always am! I mean, always was! I mean, it doesn't matter anymore!"

Gabe's lips curled into a sneer as he spat out the last words, "So, the hugely successful lover Rile is now to be tied down with a wife and child." Despite his attempt to mock, Gabe's voice remained intense with fury and determination.

Rile shot him a defiant look before replying. "Oh c'mon Gabe, this isn't the first female to try this."

"Yes, except Father isn't here to cover up for his baby boy."

Rile opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off by Gabe's mocking laughter. "As the humans say, keep telling yourself that. I'm sure it makes you feel better."

"So speaks the Perfect Eldest Son," Rile retorted.

At this point Alex interjected softly, her voice full of pain: "Gabe."

He stopped mid-rant and turned towards her. He saw Alex's face, stricken with pain. Before Gabe could apologize, Rile lashed out.

"I will not be tied down with a united one and bogus son."

Gabe shouted, "You'll unite to Taba if I say so!"

Rile shouted back. "I'm not uniting to anyone but Alex!"

Alex broke the shocked silence. "Did you officially propose to me by yelling at your brother?"

***

A/N

Not the most romantic proposal!