Alex carefully shortened her stride to match Razz's smaller frame, and they made their way out of the throne room. Sunlight glinted off the metal armor of a Chameleon guard who waved them over to a waiting carriage. She nodded reassuringly to the guard as he helped Razz into the carriage.

Razz huddled close to her in the plush interior, trembling, and Alex tried not to think about what horrors he had been through. Gently, she ran her fingertips along his neck and felt the links of a metallic collar embedded with scabs and pus. At the touch, Razz whimpered, but Alex sent soothing energy through her fingertips until he was comforted. 

Once at the Institute, two Chameleon guards escorted Alex into the lobby, their scaled tails dragging behind them. She saw Hilto across the room and waved. The Chameleon brightened to a surprised orange hue and hurried over to them.

"My friend here needs a healer," Alex said, gesturing towards Razz's small, battered body. "And the collar needs to be cut off."

Hilto scratched two notes onto a worn piece of parchment with a quill pen. He paused, looking thoughtful, before adding "A healer and a metal-worker. Do you wish the metal-worker to bring a different type of metal for a new collar?"

Alex threw her arms up, her eyes blazing. "What? No! No more collars!"

Razz jerked at the sudden movement and whimpered in fear.

"Aw, Razz, I'm so sorry to scare you." Alex's expression softened, and her eyes grew warm with compassion.

She held out his hands palm up, and after a moment of hesitation, Razz placed his hands in hers. Alex's touch was gentle, but firm as she enveloped his hands in her warmth. His gaze searched her face before Alex spoke to in a soft voice: "Please send food appropriate for an injured Anolis male."

Hilto's color flowed into a warm green. "Excellent, Guardian. I will send the notes to both with utmost urgency and bring the food myself."

He scribbled a third note as Alex walked Razz to her rooms. It read: Zilik, the Guardian has freed an Anolis male and will not re-collar him.

Alex and Razz followed the Chameleon guards down the silent corridors. The soft echoes of their footsteps bounced off the polished marble statues that lined either side of the hallway. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived at the tall, ornately carved doors of Alex's quarters. One guard stepped forward and opened it slowly, peering inside before motioning for them to enter.

Razz raised an eye-ridge as the two uniformed guards took their places outside the door when he entered with Alex. "You must be important to have guards," he said. "Or dangerous. Or both."

Alex shrugged, her manner casual, even though her gaze darted across the room. "Not important. I wish I were more dangerous."

She looked up at Razz and smiled, but there was a hint of desperation in the curve of her lips. "Razz, what do I do with you now?"

The door flew open and the trio of Gabe, Rile, and Cale tumbled in, their fast-paced conversation abruptly silenced when they saw Razz.

Rile's eye-ridge arched as he asked, "Who's this?"

Razz stepped forward with a beaming smile. "I am Alex's new mate," he said with pride, making Alex flinch inwardly with embarrassment.

I want to sink into the ground. 

Gabe's nostrils flared as he clenched his jaw. "Explain at once," he barked.

Rile leaned back against the wall, amusement etched into every inch of his face. "This should be good," he said with a smirk.

Cale's eye-ridges furrowed in concern as he stepped forward. "Oh, Alex, what have you done?" he asked.

Alex threw up her hands in frustration. "It's not like that," she protested.

Razz dropped to his knees in front of Alex and pressed fervent kisses into her open palm, pleading, "Mistress, please! Do not send me back!" His voice echoed around the room.

Gabe's mouth gaped open in shock.

Alex's face shone with a combination of panic and embarrassment as she tried to pull her hand away from Razz while simultaneously being gentle with him. "Razz, I'm not your mistress. Please stop doing that," Alex half-ordered, half-begged.

Razz dropped to his knees, fingers tightening around Alex's. His voice was a plea: "Please don't send me back. Not to Cla. I would rather die than be subjected to that monster again."

Alex tore her gaze away from Gabe and knelt beside Razz, wrapping him in an embrace. She spoke softly into his tympanum, her words clear and unwavering. "I will fight until my last breath before I let Cla touch you again." With those words, he began to calm and Alex sighed heavily. She stepped back, holding one of Razz's hands in hers as she spoke once more. "But don't think too highly of that. I've never won a battle with Cla, physical or otherwise."

Especially the otherwise.

Rile's eyes widened in admiration as he said, "Cla? You stole Cla's boyfriend? Way to go, Alex!" but his words were abruptly cut off when Zilik burst through the doorway.

Zilik's face registered shock and surprise at the scene before him. His color intensified into a bright green with each passing moment. Alex, seeing him there, groaned softly and hunched her shoulders against a sudden pain that had built between her eyes.

With a heavy sigh, she rose from her seat and rubbed her forehead wearily. "Long story," she muttered.

"We have plenty of time." Gabe's voice was as cold as steel, and he marched over to the couch and plopped down on one end. His eyes were fierce and his muscles tense.

Rile leaned against the wall with folded arms and Zilik sat at the table, spinning a cactus fruit around in his hands. Cale perched on the far end of the couch, his gaze darting between everyone. Alex slowly lowered herself onto the couch near Cale. Razz stayed kneeling on the floor, seemingly unaware of Alex's subtle gestures for him to sit next to them.

"I don't know where to start." Alex's throat tightened and her stomach churned as she stared at the floor.

"At the beginning," Gabe said in the same icy tone.

Alex could feel the frost in the air coming off of Gabe as he spoke and saw his stiff posture from the corner of her eye. She shuddered involuntarily. Razz reached over and lightly ran his hand along Alex's leg, offering some comfort in the chilled atmosphere.

You ran off with this female Anolis and left me stuck in the Institute...

Razz, still on his knees, turned slowly to face Gabe. His voice was a whisper as he said, "Please, if I may. Are you Gabe?"

Gabe clenched his jaw and his brows knitted together in a deep scowl. He gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Please, if you are Alex's first mate, then all privileges are yours. I am no threat to you," Razz said.

Gabe color flushed darker gold and he clenched and unclenched his hands.

"Razz, you're not helping me," Alex murmured.

Razz looked up at her and seemed to draw courage from that. "Cla wished to humiliate Alex in front of the Kuni. She also wishes you, Gabe. This was her plan to obtain both." 

Gabe's body tensed as he glared at Alex, disbelief etched across his face. "Are you saying that you traded me for him?" his question seethed with anger.

Alex shook her head vigorously, her brown eyes pleading with Gabe's.

Not exactly, since you already threw me over for Cla...

Razz's voice had a hint of awe as he continued his story. "Cla chose me, the least of all her mates, for her plan. She brought Alex in front of the Kuni and demanded that Alex prove that she could be your mate."

The group was silent, a sense of foreboding filling the air.

Cale's face softened, and he gently reached out to touch Alex's arm. "Oh, Alex," he said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"What did you do?" Rile asked with a wink.

Gabe remained statuesque, his features still and unreadable. His eyes flashed as though he were struggling to keep back turbulent emotions.

Razz spoke hurriedly, his voice shaking with fear. "If Alex refused, Cla would have killed me. Cla suspected that Alex would have too soft a belly to allow that."

"Soooo, what did you do?" Rile leaned forward, eager for more information.

Cale put a hand on Rile's shoulder and shoved him back into his seat. Rile retaliated by shoving Cale in the chest. Gabe watched them both, impassive, not moving a muscle.

"Alex was forced to admit that she was unable to mate with our kind. That invalidates any claim she has to Gabe, which is what Cla wanted," Razz said.

Razz's words hung in the air, and Alex felt her heart sink.

"How did she end up with you?"  Rile asked.

Trust Rile to ask the question that I hoped no one would ask.

"Cla had to offer me to force the issue," Razz replied.

"You said that Alex couldn't have a legitimate claim since she couldn't—"

"Rile!" She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, embarrassment rising and coloring her cheeks. Her gaze skittered around the room, never settling on one spot for too long.

Razz looked up with absolute confidence, his eyes glinting. "It was not mating. It was much better." He paused to let his words sink in before continuing. "The Kuni said that Alex could keep me since I was the initial offering."

Gabe leaned back with a look of disgust on his face. "Alex!"

Rile sat up a bit straighter, expression showing his fascination by Razz's story. "Really?" he asked, eye-ridges raised in anticipation.

"She even marked me." Razz lifted his shirt to reveal a deep gash along his side from which dried blood had caked up and stained the fabric.

Alex groaned in exasperation, and Gabe looked horrified, but Rile guffawed at the sight.

"Razz, not helping again." Alex's voice rose in desperation.

"An 'A'?" Gabe asked, outraged, but Rile laughed.

Rile's eyes sparkled with admiration as he looked at Alex. "Alex, you are positively bloodthirsty. What a great Guardian you are. I mean it."

Razz frowned and leaned in closer to examine the wound. He prodded it carefully with his finger before shaking his head and looking up at Alex. "This is not deep. If it does not scar, you must re-open it."

Alex felt her face flush hot with embarrassment as she looked away. "Razz, really, really not helping."

"Alex, where will your new mate sleep?" Rile's question pierced the tense atmosphere in the room like an arrow, and Alex's heart plummeted. She glanced around at the others, hoping someone would come to her rescue.

"It's a valid question," Gabe said, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Gabe, not you, too!" Alex pleaded, desperation thickening her voice. "I didn't ask for this."

"I understand," Razz said. "Alex is a remarkable mate, strong yet kind, and with utterly wonderful powers. You do not wish to share. I promise that I will be most unobtrusive. I will stay out of your way. I will demand nothing. I will be content with whatever time Alex can spare."

"I have lots of that," Alex said with justified acid and Gabe averted his gaze.

Zilik, who had blended into the background until now, spoke up from his forgotten corner of the room. His voice was deep and comforting, like notes of a cello, but there was an edge to it that made Alex sit up a little straighter. "You can emancipate Razz," he said as he tossed a cactus fruit from hand to hand.

"Emancipate?" Alex asked.

"Yes," Zilik replied, his voice cutting through the air with authority. "He'll be free. No female—including Cla—will be able to claim him."

Razz clung to Alex's leg, his tiny body trembling with fear. "Free, but not safe," he said in a quivering voice. "Cla is vindictive. She will find me, torture me, and kill me."

Alex sighed and bent down to meet Razz's gaze, her powerful presence a stark contrast to the small male in front of her. She squeezed his shoulder gently and offered what little reassurance she could. "Razz, I'm not the safest person to be around. Cla is coming after me, too."

His bright black eyes widened as he searched Alex's face for any sign of hope.

"No, she won't." Gabe stood up with a determined expression on his face. "We're going to her. Rile, Cale."

Cale followed suit without hesitation, but Rile was slower to react. After a moment of studying Gabe, he pushed away from the wall and joined them, his shoulders shrugged as if to say "what else can I do?"

Alex tried to take a step forward, but Razz still held her leg in a vice-like grip. "Gabe," she said softly.

He glanced over his shoulder, his face an unreadable mask. "Alex, you don't understand," he said.

Razz's gaze moved from one of them to the other, and his mouth tightened into a thin line. "I do." He released Alex and stood up, his posture straining with tension. "It is not worth it," he said firmly.

Gabe whipped around, eyes blazing. "What's not worth it?" he spat out.

Razz still looked terrified, and he trembled slightly, but he held his ground. "Children, of course. Why else would you choose Cla over Alex? She was forced to admit in front of the Kuni that she is not physically compatible with us. But I tell you again, it is not worth it. Especially with Alex's abilities. I have only produced males so far and Cla has cleansed them all. Our last clutch is only two eggs. Even if they are females, she will not let me keep them for long. Once they can walk, they will begin military training."

"This isn't about children. We're leaving."   Gabe slowly turned away, his expression unyielding. "Cale, Rile, with me."

Cale stood up, his head tilted slightly downward as he slowly reached out to Alex. He pulled her into an embrace and whispered, his breath warm against her ear. "My brother is losing his way. Please be careful." He let go of her and looked over his shoulder at Alex before turning toward the door. His voice softened with a plea, "Pray for us."

Riley pulled Alex into an embrace, squeezing her tight and burying his face in her neck. He whispered softly, "Promise me you'll be here for me when I get back." He pushed her away and looked deep into her eyes with a warning in his voice, "Don't do anything stupid."

Razz stared incredulously at Gabe and shook his head slowly. "You are making a grave mistake if you think Cla is to be trifled with," he warned.

Gabe's nostrils flared in indignation as he took a step back. He pointed a finger accusingly at Razz. "You're the one underestimating me here. It's a common trait," he spat out before spinning on his heel and storming out of the room.

Rile watched silently from the corner, his expression unreadable, before trailing after his brother

"Zilik, what am I going to do?" Alex came close to wailing.

"I don't know. But I'm curious to find out," Zilik came over to them. "Razz, why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Razz shuffled backwards.

Alex tucked Razz behind her, taking a protective stance. She looked Zilik up and down with an assertive gaze before releasing Razz's hand. She prepared herself for a possible fight, balling her hands into fists and bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Quite the opposite," Zilik said. "Please don't attack me, Alex. Razz had nothing to gain and much to lose with that speech. Don't you see that? I'm curious why he did it." He titled his head slightly, like a puppy begging for food, and his eyes sparkled in the soft light of the room. Despite herself, Alex found the gesture endearing.

She turned to Razz and her voice was full of authority. "He's right. Why did you help me at risk to yourself? Don't do it again. Ever. That's an order. I take care of the saving around here."

Razz bowed his head submissively and slowly sank to his knees, making Alex groan in disbelief. She knelt down beside him and tenderly touched his shoulder.

"You rescued me from a living pit of hell. I wished to help you keep something that you wanted. I do not think that I did anything remarkable," Razz said.

Alex ran her hands over the tense muscles of his back. "It was, and I appreciated it. I need your help, Zilik. I can't keep Razz here and I can't set him adrift either. Cla would track him down."

Zilik placed a hand on Alex's shoulder with a comforting squeeze. "I can arrange a safe place for him, but it will take some time. He'll have to stay here until then."

Alex and Razz both nodded.

"I need to get to work. Don't get your hopes up, Razz," Zilik said on his way out. "Alex comes from a monogamous species."

Alex hurled a couch pillow across the room in Zilik's direction, and he deftly dodged it. He opened the door to leave when Hilto arrived with a tray laden with a bottle of wine, chunks of cheese, and dense slices of bread. "Enjoy!" Zilik shouted before he slipped away and Hilto began setting out the food on the table.

Alex squared her shoulders and raised an eyebrow at Razz. "So, you and I are going to have a nice, long chat while you eat and drink."

***

Dedicated to IanReeve216

Whose swords and wizards fantasy series has lush world building! Give them a try!