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.
"Maybe. What's going on with you and Gabe?"
"Huh?"
Does he mean our fight or something more?
"Not so full of answers after all?" The staff pressed harder.
"What's the right answer, Rile? What answer will get you off me?" Alex wasn't frightened this time. "I'm not sure what you're asking."
He glared at her. "You and Gabe. Tell me."
"What do you want to hear, Rile? Do you want to hear that it's you I love? I love your attitude. I love that you don't take any crap from anyone. I love that you're streetwise and sarcastic. Is that the right answer?" she asked.
Now he looked uncertain and the anger faded from his eyes.
"I do. Does that make you feel better? Does that change anything? It doesn't for me. I love Gabe and I love you, but I will never play you two off each other," Alex said with finality. "I've made my choice, now live with it."
"You made the wrong choice." Rile laid the staff down.
"What wrong choice would that be?" Gabe asked from the doorway.
Alex felt a coldness clamp her and Rile into absolute stillness at the sudden appearance of Gabe at the doorway.
How long has Gabe been there? How much did he hear? Fire truck, he can't hear the four letter 'L' word. He'll run screaming into the night.
She wondered if the panic that she felt was showing on her face. Rile's expression was unreadable as he waited for her answer.
"Wrong move, that's all," she said with a false lightness.
"I see." Gabe didn't sound convinced, but he didn't sound angry either.
Then he stumbled as Cale pushed past him with a tremendous cry.
Cale barreled into Rile, still screaming. Cale knocked Rile off Alex and the two rolled on the floor wrestling.
"Don't pin Alex!" Cale shouted. "It frightens her!"
"I'm training her!" Rile shouted back as he coiled around his smaller, middle brother, reaching around for a headlock. "I'm not the one hurting Alex. Gabe is."
Cale's foot claws scrabbled as he tried to slither out.
"Rile! Let him go," Alex said. "Cale, neither Gabe or Rile is hurting me. I appreciate the gesture, but really. I'm all grown up and can take care of myself."
Cale dug his claws into Rile's arm around his throat. "My brothers have gone insane," he choked out. "I apologize for them."
"Give it up, Cale," Rile warned and smacked Cale's hand hard so his claws released. "You've only pinned me once since my thirteenth dry season and that was a lucky shot. You'll never repeat it."
"Gabe, do something," Alex ordered.
He shook his head. "This is between them. I want to see if Cale can overcome Rile with the proper motivation."
"I'm motivated too," Rile said. "Stop being Gabe's claw polisher, Cale. You know what he's doing with Alex is wrong."
"I'm not doing anything with Gabe!" Alex screeched, slightly hysterical.
What does Rile know? Or is he assuming? He remembers how Gabe acted after that one burst and he's smart enough to connect the dots.
"She's right," Cale gurgled and once again dug claws into the arm around his neck. "All clothing was on and in place. Sleeping next to, not with."
Thank goodness Cale is too sweet to think anything but the best.
"Think about it, Rile," Cale continued, "Gabe's honor, Alex's fears. Nothing is happening."
Rile hesitated. He would have to confess what he knew, what he had done.
In that instant, Cale slithered out, flipped over and pinned his younger, more muscular brother. "Yield and never pin Alex again."
"If I promise, can you promise Morgan will never pin Alex again?"
Alex threw up her hands. "That's it! I'm done! First accusations about Gabe, now the M word. I planned a prolonged shopping trip and y'all aren't invited. I need some things, including private girl stuff. See you later."
*****
A/N
How far will Rile go to interfere with Alex and Gabe?
Did Cale do the right thing?
Dedicated to: AngelEditor
The penguin lyric video is for you, too. It's so randomly funny and I know you love penguins.