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

The Four Letter "L" Word Ch. 16.2

Leaning over her rust-stained bathroom sink with its hairline cracks in the discolored ivory finish, Alex was splashing water on her face when she heard Rile's voice right over her shoulder.

"Morning. Time for practice."

Alex jumped at his cold voice. She hated it when Rile sneaked up on her.

One, it's annoying and two, I should have heard him.

She turned to look and her heart, already jumping from his surprise entrance, saw no reason to slow down. Rile was in one of his ugly moods, and she didn't want to be on the receiving end. She was still hurting from her argument with Gabe and her weird nocturnal encounter with Rile.

"I'm free this afternoon." She dried off her face with the faded Salvation Army towel.

"You're free now."

Alex sighed.

There's no escaping a fight now.

Rile would lie in wait for her, and pester her to death if she said no. She could either argue with him and still end up sparring, or go downstairs and get it over.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in." She made her tone sour. "I'll change."

Walking down the stairs, she tried talking to Rile. Silence or grunts were her answers. No one was in the practice room, making her unease grow. She plucked a staff off the staves lining one wall and twirled it. She thought that it was a good nervous habit since it looked menacing.

"Staffs?" she asked.

"Whatever." He grabbed one, twirled it much better than she could ever hope to, and flung it at her, javelin style."You need training in everything. Literally everything."

Unprepared, she managed a clumsy deflection. He grabbed a second staff from the staves and almost knocked hers out of her grasp. She held onto it, but it left her open for a blow to the side.

"Will you tell me what's wrong?" she gasped, really, really wanting to hold her side, but not daring.

Are all the brothers going insane at once? Is it a draconic thing? A family thing? An alien, draconic, family thing?

Rile's staff came at her, swipe after swipe, breaking her morose train of thought.

"I'll take that as a no," she said, backing up, barely keeping the blows at bay, her ripostes never getting through.

Why is Rile in this state? Was it that stupid party? My fight with Gabe? I'll regret both of those for a long time.

Her foot contacted something.

The wall. No more room to back up.

She ducked past Rile and got a good smack across her back for her trouble. It was worth it, for she was in the clear again.

Clear to be forced back to the wall again.

Alex wanted to give up, but that never worked with Rile. Given the hopelessness of her situation, Alex went on the offense. It gave Rile an opening to jab her and sweep her feet.

Landing on my back is far too familiar a feeling.

It was a feeling of weightlessness, followed by the hard jolt of the ground that knocked the law of gravity into her bones. There was a second jolt as Rile landed on top of her. Her eyes widened, but she suppressed a gasp as he held the staff against her throat.

"I want answers," he said.

"Okay." She glanced down at the staff. "Is that necessary?"

He really is insane. But I'm not full of answers, so maybe the staff is necessary.