Page 31 of Guardians

“And making that happen has just gotten a whole hell of a lot harder thanks to Caleb,” Elias sneered, glaring at the doctor.“Two things need to happen, and they need to happen fast and simultaneously.”

“That Shadow needs to pay for stealing what belongs to us,” Paul snarled. He was a hothead who loved the sound of his own voice.

Elias didn’t reprimand him tonight. If the other alphas were as passionate as Paul, this might not have happened. “Yes. The cats must pay for raiding our camp and the easiest way to hurt them is to hurt the humans.” The alphas looked confused now. Even Paul just stared back at him blankly. “A few minutes before all hell broke loose, I’d just learned that Diego Ortiz and his coalition were the first to claim a human. Apparently, a lot of the human females look up to her and consider her a leader. If we attack the humans, maybe carry off a few of them, the others will insist that we did so to punish Diego and his Shadows for invading our village and stealing what was ours.”

Paul grinned, cruelty flashing in his dark eyes. “Conflict is hard on a new marriage. Especially if the blushing bride agrees with her friends.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Elias agreed. “We will terrify the females, but they must not be harmed. The human males on the other hand, will beslaughtered.” Elias let the word ring in the room meaningfully. He needed the alphas to understand his expectations. “Those humans held us captive for years. They changed us on a molecular level. They deserved a savage reckoning. And soon they will have it.”

“Why now?” Ethan, the quietest of all the alphas asked. “If you meant to punish them for what they did back on Earth, why wait so long to exact justice?”

“Their lives ended the day they set foot on Rydaria, but enacting that sentence didn’t suit my purposes until now. I need Dr. Babcock, but I need the cats to believe he’s dead. The best way to accomplish that is to make it very hard to identify the bodies.”

“Can’t we make it look like he fell in a ravine or?—”

“No,” Elias cut in. “The cats will see through any simple ploy. The Shadow gave us a reason to lash out. We will do so with such violence that the cats will not think twice about Babcock’s disappearance.”

“It seems like a lot of killing to cover up the disappearance of one man,” Paul persisted.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Elias snarled. “They are worthlesshumans. That is reason enough. Now, I’m village alpha and this is my plan. Get in line or get the fuck out!”

Paul lowered his head as he said, “Yes, alpha.”

“Anyone else want to bitch about the killing?” Elias demanded. When no one dared to speak, he took a deep breath and continued, “Then let’s work out the details of the attack.”

Many hours later, Lexie woke up alone. For one panicked moment, she couldn’t remember where she was and then it all came back in a rush. She was in Kane’s bed in the cabin she would share with her mates. Herthreemates. She had agreed to a permanent relationship with three aggressive men in exchange for food, shelter, antibiotics, and protection from the myriad dangers on this strange planet. Her pussy felt bruised, and her muscles ached from being stretched into unfamiliar positions.The insides of her thighs were sticky and her nipples were tender from being tugged on and pinched. She desperately wanted another shower, but no one had given her permission to clean up, so she decided not to risk it.

She sat up and looked around as other sensations registered. She was warm and her belly was full. She was comfortable and safe. Would that alone have been a fair exchange for what she just went through? It didn’t matter. She had accomplished more than her own comfort by bartering with her body. Zion sent two of his guards to go get Bianca. Her infection would be treated, minimizing the chances that the illness would spread through the entire camp. Lexie only hoped that it wasn’t too late.

Dragging the sheet with her, she crossed to the door and eased it open. Kane sat at the desk across the room working on some sort of report. Diego and Malik were nowhere in sight. It was the middle of the night. Where would they have gone?

“Sir?” She tentatively drew his attention.

Kane turned around and smiled at her. “You can call me Kane unless we’re having sex.”

She blew out a shaky breath, glad that the rules only applied to the bedroom. “Where did the others go?”

“Malik is examining Bianca and?—”

“Bianca is here?” She stepped out into the living room, keeping the sheet snugly wrapped around her body. “How is she?”

“Flynn just stopped by to give me that and to let Malik know that Bianca was here.” He motioned to the backpack on the table. Lexie was about to ask him what was in it when he added, “They put her in the cabin next door so Malik has easy access to her.”

Joy unfurled within her, bringing happy tears to her eyes. “Can I go see her?”

“Like that?” He indicated her toga.

“After I shower and dress.” She looked longingly at the backpack. “I’m hoping Tara sent me some clothes.”

“Smart girl. And take your time in the bathroom. We can’t visit until Malik gives the go-ahead and I haven’t heard from him yet.”

She grabbed the backpack and returned to Kane’s bedroom. Tucking the sheet down between her breasts, she unzipped the backpack. It wasn’t just stuffed full of clothes. It was stuffed full ofherclothes. “Oh, bless you, Tara.” She pulled out the first outfit and gave it a sniff. It wasn’t filthy, but it had definitely seen better days. Unfortunately, the second outfit was just as neglected. Laundry had been tricky at best in the human camp. They had a tent designated for the purpose, but even with a fire blazing, jeans and sweaters took so long to dry that most made do with clean underwear and T-shirts. She located her cleanest outfit and reminded herself to ask Kane about laundry facilities so she could rectify the problem as soon as possible.

Indulging in her second shower that day made Lexie feel guilty. But then a lot of things she’d been given tonight had affected her that way. It was hard to enjoy all these comforts while her friends were still miserable. She’d been afraid of taking too long during her first shower, so she hadn’t washed her hair. No power in the universe was going to keep her from washing it this time. It felt wonderful and once the lather was thoroughly rinsed, she stood beneath the warm spray and just reveled in the simple luxury.

“Feel good?”

She gasped and opened her eyes. The shower door had steamed up so Kane couldn’t see more than the outline of her body, but his presence invaded her privacy. He might not insist on being called Sir, but this was a subtle show of dominance.

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