Chapter 22

 

 

After several weeks back in the city, Alex felt as though she was truly hitting her stride. There was never a moment when she felt that her talents and many gifts were being wasted, and her work gave her so much hope and purpose. They physically healed a great number of souls, and sought to encourage and strengthen the hearts of many more. As in India, Alex fell into a routine of visiting shelters and centers on a rotational basis, so that her aura could reach as many as possible.

Gaius took her back to Nobu, so they could experience the New York restaurant together, and they began to take in shows and performances during many of their nights. At times they would go with their friends and on other occasions, they would go alone and enjoy an evening away with one another. Sal’s became a place that they all called home, and the group would eat together there one night a week. But Alex and Gaius set one evening aside each week to go and take a small table for two in the corner, holding hands and savoring the privacy.

Central Park called to them as well, and Alex, Gaius, and several others in their large group began to jog with Jack some mornings. With her new found stamina and physical strength, Alex found she did not hate the activity as much as she did before she transitioned. Jack was pleased to have them along, telling Alex that he was always glad to have company on a run.

And during their many communal gatherings, Alex and Gaius noted that Jack and Lauren usually took seats next to one another and talked quietly throughout the meal or outing. She had prayed each and every day since their conversation on Aeoferth Hall’s rooftop that Jack’s heart would heal, and that he might find the love that would best nurture and support his soul throughout his lifetime. And after their conversation on the beach in Santorini, Alex knew that Jack was open to another relationship, if his new partner was committed to the same path in life which he was now traversing.

She could see that Lauren’s knowledge of the Nephilim and her ready acceptance of the type of lifestyle they were called upon to lead, made her a perfect confidant for Jack. And her kind, gentle, and loving nature enabled her to be a potential partner for him as well. It made Alex hope that Lauren might just be the one to steal Jack’s heart forevermore.

It seemed as though life could not get any better for them. But Alex had already learned the hard way, that just when one thinks peace has been achieved, the darkness can rear its vile head. And, in a split second, everything can change. Especially for the Nephilim.

 

It was late one Thursday evening, when the immortals and Jack sat down for dinner. Everyone immediately noted that Alex had not yet returned from the women’s shelter, where she had worked that day. Gaius answered their unspoken question, and said that Alex had texted him earlier in the afternoon to say she needed more time at the facility. His answer seemed to assuage their fears, but when the dinner hour came and went, he and their brethren became more concerned.

Gaius and Rohan decided to drive across the city to make sure she was alright and hopefully bring her home. For the longer Gaius was away from her side, the greater his trepidation and alarm grew. Soon, his aura was heralding his unease, and he was glad that Rohan was helping him close the distance between Alex and himself.

When they pulled up to the curb in front of the shelter, Gaius could clearly feel Alex’s aura within. And he noted that there was no dark energy around, signaling the enemy. He relaxed slightly, and then sent her mental word that he and Rohan were waiting outside for her, whenever she was ready to go home.

They were not kept waiting long, and Gaius felt himself tense immediately after taking one look at Alex. She strode with determination out of the shelter’s front door, and both men knew right away that something was very wrong. Rohan glanced back at Gaius with an uneasy look, just as Alex opened the Escalade’s door.

“Do you both have your swords?” Alex asked curtly, as she climbed into the back with Gaius.

No greeting. No preamble. Just a call to arms was all they heard.

“Alex, slow down and tell us what has upset you so,” Gaius gently coaxed, as he reached over and took her hand in his.

Both he and Rohan registered the intense anger billowing off Alex’s aura in waves. Her jaw flexed several times and her nostrils flared slightly before she could get another word out. Finally, she blew out a heavy breath and answered him.

“Gaius, we need to go to a building down by the waterfront, without delay. Because,” she said gravely, “I’ve come to learn about a warehouse where girls are being brought in illegally from Eastern European countries and they need rescuing. Now!” she added in a quiet, but forceful whisper.

“We will most certainly go and help them, but Rohan and I need to know the whole story and possibly call in reinforcements. Can you give us the full accounting of what you’ve learned, love?” Gaius calmly asked, while he continued to hold her hand and sweep his thumb across her skin.

“Yes. Earlier this morning, two teenage girls came into the shelter begging to be hidden away. I was the only one there who spoke their language. I used my aura to soothe the girls and heal the physical injuries and dehydration I found within their bodies. Someone sorely mistreated them, Gaius,” she breathed heavily over the memory, and slowly shook her head.

“They had broken bones, infections, lacerations… Just despicable treatment at the hands of their captors. Completely debase…” she broke off and closed her eyes to what she had beheld when she had truly begun to heal the girls.

“Breathe for a moment, Alex,” Gaius whispered.

She looked up into his eyes and nodded as she tried to regain her composure. Her lower lip began to tremble, but Alex willed her voice to work.

“It took many hours, but finally one of the two girls confided in me. She said that they had snuck away from the place they were being held. Her name is Nicoleta, and she told me that they had been brought to America on the false promise that they were coming for modeling work. But sadly, they learned the journey was not about that at all and they were expected to give themselves to whomever their captors sold them to for the day.”

Alex said no more for a moment and looked from Gaius to Rohan, and then back to her husband. She saw the same hardened look come into their eyes that she knew was reflected in hers, and then Gaius nodded once and pulled his phone from his pocket. His eyes never left hers as he lifted the mobile to his ear and placed a call to Elrick. He related what Alex had just told them and asked her to give him the address.

When she told him the location, she saw Gaius’ eyebrows rise and she heard Rohan let an expletive pass through his lips. Alex glanced over at her dear friend then and he shook his head at her, looking thoroughly disgusted. She looked back to Gaius to see him disconnecting the call, and he took her hand back in his before he spoke.

“Alex, that address is one that Nathan and his team thought they had cleaned up when we were here in New York before. It formerly belonged to several dark immortals. And it would seem now, that others have moved into the empty space,” he sighed regretfully. “Are you ready for what is most likely coming?” Gaius asked, and gently cupped her face.

“Oh, I’m more than ready, Gaius,” Alex said, and nodded once firmly. “There is no way that I could sleep tonight, knowing what is happening or about to happen to the girls being held there. Not after what they did to Nicoleta and her friend.”

“I saw the girls’ memories, Gaius, and I knew dark immortals were involved. Knew we’d all have to go there tonight, and see this through. But this isn’t a repeat of what happened in India for me. I know now that I can’t touch their mortal accomplices, but I can certainly deal with those of our kind. And I will,” Alex vowed unwaveringly.

Gaius said nothing for a moment as he studied her face. He could see the determination in her eyes and felt it in her aura, so he knew Alex would not relent. Nor would he or Rohan back down, when it came to such vile abuse. He inhaled and nodded back at Alex.

“Rohan, take us there, brother,” Gaius said.

“I’m already rolling,” Rohan said in a low tone.

 

Unlike other journeys to potential battles or skirmishes, this drive could not move fast enough for Alex. She sat as close to Gaius as she could and held his hand, sending him the strength and fortitude she felt through her aura. He lifted his arm and placed it around her shoulders, and noticed the difference in her posture.

Gaius could see that Alex was more than ready for the upcoming rescue mission, as she had stated, and he was so very proud of her. The guardian he had always witnessed come to the surface in such moments, was rising with a power and steadiness that far eclipsed anything he had ever seen within her before. And Gaius knew it was the immense power within Alex, readying her to protect the Lord’s innocents.

 

They parked several blocks away and Alex hid them in her aura until their brethren arrived. As she felt them approach, she pulled each SUV and soul under the protective shield and allowed them to see where she, Gaius, and Rohan sat. Every immortal in their party had come, and Nathan was not far behind with a large transport, ready to carry any and all whom they rescued back to a shelter for sanctuary.

Gaius opened his door and Alex climbed out right behind him. He took her hand in his and led her to where everyone was gathering. Nikolaj, Benen, Iain, and Elrick came to stand directly in front of her and Alex saw that, like her, they were anxious to end such vile mistreatment. She waved the others forward and gave them all the full accounting of what had led them there.

She noted that swords were being unsheathed, as Gaius asked Nathan to give them a thorough description of the earlier raid on the warehouse and the area’s layout so they would know what to expect. After Nathan painted a detailed floor plan in everyone’s mind, Alex and Gaius led the others as they quickly set up an infiltration plan. And then they moved forward.

As they had during previous battles, Alex kept their entire force hidden within her aura and they lifted soundlessly around and atop the warehouse. She could see that it was the perfect location for such criminal activity, with a large dock extending from one end, allowing ships to arrive with whatever cargo they wanted to traffic into the city. Alex, Gaius, Rohan, and Nikolaj landed on the dock’s surface and began to make their way into the structure.

Immortals were entering from every doorway, all hidden, and all protected by the vast power entrusted to Alexandria. Others thickly coated in her Light took position on the rooftop with bows and arrows, or within the alleys and streets bordering the warehouse. They covered every possible means of escape for those responsible for the atrocity.

When Alex and her group moved further in, they saw what looked like rectangular canine kennels constructed from chain link fencing. Each cubicle was situated alongside the next, forming a long line of the compartments. They offered no protection and no privacy, and Alex’s heart lurched to see that each stall contained a sleeping pallet and a teenage girl or young woman in her early twenties within.

Alex began to sense the area and found four dark immortals with eight human men, all together in a large, makeshift office at the far end of the warehouse closest to where she stood. The sounds of a football game were coming from the room, and she knew they were most likely preoccupied with the broadcast at that moment. Alex counted that as a small blessing, because they were all clustered together and it made her mission easier to plan for. She looked over and saw Gaius’ nod that he felt what she did, and she narrowed her eyes, then nodded back.

Alex quickly connected to everyone’s mind and stepped into the future, then asked gravity to release her. She lifted and effortlessly touched down just outside the office and felt Gaius, Rohan, and Nikolaj on either side of her. Alex raised her left hand and asked the Light to come, and come it did. Before Gaius could caution her to wait, Alex sent her aura flowing through the office’s walls. It hit the dark immortals and then encircled them where they stood, preventing their escape.

She closed her eyes as the screams of the dark ones echoed off of the structure’s walls and metal roof, just before the door to the office flew open. Alex was looking several moments ahead in time and knew the human perpetrators were running for their lives, terrified to see the children of the Fallen writhing under the influence of some unseen force. But she asked her aura to subdue the mortals too, and one and all were flattened and held down by a force that they had not the strength to combat.

Alex mentally watched as Rohan, Gaius, and Nikolaj ran into the office. She willed her aura to take the dark ones away, so that they could hurt no one else and so her loved ones would not have to suffer through having to take their heads. She could feel her Light intensifying until it engulfed the entire end of the warehouse where she stood. Her columns of her aura holding the enemy collapsed inward, and her power burned its way completely through the dark immortals, incinerating them where they stood.

“No more!” she whispered, and felt the last of the dark ones’ presence leave the building.

Alex breathed deeply and searched the surrounding area. She sensed no other threat, so she began to call back the power she had used to vanquish the dark immortals. But she kept her aura thickly blanketing the human filth before her. Gaius, Rohan, and Nikolaj came back out of the office swiftly and encircled the humans, as Iain, Elrick, Benen, Ahadi, and Nassor moved forward to complete the ring of power.

She looked up at Gaius initially and then let her eyes drift across her fellow Nephilim. “May I deal with these men before us?” Alex asked, and she saw everyone’s immediate nod of agreement.

She stared at Gaius for another moment and saw his eyes tighten in approval. Then, she let her gaze fall to the men lying on the floor. Alex released the cloak which shielded their circle, and she heard the criminals’ startled gasps.

Alex slowly twirled her sword, and then stepped forward. She asked her aura to lift all eight men and place them on their knees before her. Within a few seconds they were lined up, and she flicked her fingers, pulling their hands behind their backs and securing them firmly in place. Very calmly, she walked down the line meeting each man’s gaze with her own. Alex shook her head at them as she made her journey, then she turned and began to walk back down the line.

Alex did not raise her voice, but pure power and strength radiated from her every word as she stopped at the center of the line and addressed them.

“Look into my eyes, all of you. And listen very carefully to my words, because your lives are about to change, forevermore,” she said gravely.

Alex could feel the pull as her mind connected with theirs, and she willed them to hear her.

“You will kneel in this position you’re currently in until the police arrive. And when the authorities come, you are going to give a full accounting as to how you brought the girls here and what you were allowing to happen to each and every one. You will explain that you allowed the women to leave once you realized the immense pain, torment, and injury you were causing to each innocent soul,” she vowed.

“And then, you are to sit quietly in your cell once you are taken into custody, and search your own souls to find out where you went so far astray of anything even remotely resembling goodness or decency,” she said, her voice growing stronger still as she looked down the line.

“During your reflection, you are to remember your mothers, sisters, and grandmothers. Think about how you would feel if someone had them in such deplorable conditions, as the girls currently behind me. And, if the weight of all the hurt and heartache you’ve caused is too much to bear, as I am sure you will find it to be, then you had better seek out the Lord and beg His forgiveness. Though you will find that He will forgive you, you are to never forget and never, ever hurt another soul again!”

Alex stepped forward slightly then and leaned in to conclude her thoughts.

“For if you choose to follow your current path, after you are someday released from prison, you can rest assured that I will find you. And I will not be so nice the second time around,” Alex said, with steel in her voice. “Do you understand?”

A few shaky nods met her final question. Alex took another step forward and got closer to the man in front of her. She slowly twirled her sword around and then placed the tip against the concrete floor next to one of his knees.

“I need to hear from all of you. Do. You. Understand?” she asked again.

This time all eight men voiced their understanding without hesitation. Alex gave them a curt nod, and then gave them over to the Lord. She moved back and turned in the direction of the cages.

Alex saw that all of the young ladies were watching the Nephilim ringed around their captors, and she began to walk in their direction. The smell of their deplorable environment assailed her senses, but it only strengthened her resolve to free them quickly and see them healed in every way possible.

A few whimpered when she drew closer, but Alex held up her hand and addressed them without delay. She spoke in the same language as the two who had escaped and run to the shelter for protection. She blanketed one and all with her aura to reassure and calm them as well.

“You are safe, and you’ve nothing to fear from us,” Alex said confidently, letting the captives hear and feel her assurance. “Your rescue has come, and you will not have to suffer this torment another moment. I swear it.”

Alex willed the locks to release and she heard each one snap open throughout the line of cells. She swept her left hand to the side and the pen doors opened as one. The metal creaking open filled the eerie silence, which had descended throughout the cavernous building.

It took a moment for it to register with each young woman that their nightmare was coming to an end, but as soon as the first stepped out of her imprisonment, the rest followed quickly. Alex continued to flow her aura thickly across the shocked and distraught group before her, and she addressed them again.

“Please, come with us to safety. We mean only to shelter you and put an end to this brutality. Nicoleta and Edyta are already there at our sanctuary. It is because of their escape that we learned of you and came to rescue you. Please, come,” Alex invited one and all, extending her hand in the hopes that one would take it.

Many clung to their neighbor, not yet sure whether Alex’s vow could be trusted or not. But a young lady, whom Alex guessed to be in her early twenties, finally took a few brave steps towards her. She raised a shaky hand over her mouth to stop the sobs Alex could hear coming forth, despite her desire to be strong.

“You are safe now, dear one. And no one else will touch you under our watch. I promise,” Alexandria nodded slowly.

Silent tears trailed down the young woman’s face and then she launched herself at Alex’s chest. Alex enveloped the lady in her strong arms, rocking her gently. Sabina, Ahadi, and Tomoko moved forward then and began to employ their auras, encouraging the large group to walk with them to the transport, so they could leave the place of their torment.

It took many minutes to calm the women enough to gain their cooperation, but soon all were settled in a seat. The immortal ladies prepared to drive each frightened young soul to a Nephilim shelter, ready see to their medical and physical needs. But before they left the warehouse and its depravity, Alex held Gaius’ hand for a moment while she whispered her thanks, then leaned up to lightly kiss him.

“I am so very proud of you, sweetheart. I’m going to stay with the others for now. We’ll remain hidden, and make sure the eight mortal men are apprehended and carried away by the police before we come to the shelter,” he said softly, squeezing her fingers.

“Okay,” she softly agreed.

“Go. We’ll talk later,” he said.

She kissed him one last time, then walked up the transport’s steps. Sabina shut the door and began to roll away.

 

Alex kept her aura lovingly circulating amongst the ladies and teens throughout the drive across the city, to let each one know they were no longer abandoned. Sabina pulled to the back of the shelter and one and all were invited inside in their native tongue. The immortals wanted the women to clearly understand that they had a choice as to whether or not they walked through the door. But no one turned away from the offer of sanctuary, and they all followed Ahadi and Alexandria inside.

Elizabeth had come to the facility to prepare for the large influx of battered souls who were inbound, and she brought Lauren along to help. Alex found they had fresh clothes and toiletries available, and they all helped the girls move to showers so they could begin the process of cleaning the external. It was a process that Alex knew all too well by then.

Once each woman was clean and dressed in new attire, the immortal ladies began to work on their physical injuries. They relieved each person’s intense reactions to the tangible stress they had been forced to live under. Dehydration, sores, and infections were wiped away, along with deep cuts, bruises, and broken bones.

Alex never once let her composure slip, and she felt her aura fortifying her in a way that she had not felt since the night she watched Rangor wither away at her feet after he had stabbed Kronis. The stillness was taking over, just as Ganymede had predicted it would, and she silently began to talk to him.

“Ganymede, I am so very grateful for the abilities and gifts you’ve given me that are necessary for this work. I’m ready to be the guardian at the gate, and I thank you for trusting in me to see this through,” Alex whispered in her heart and mind to her angelic father.

She felt the air gently move around her body for a moment and smiled at Sabina, who looked up when she felt the angel’s presence.

“I love you, Father,” Alex mentally told him, and then returned her focus to the seventeen year old in front of her.

 

It took the remainder of the night to address the needs of the thirty-two young women rescued that evening. Close to dawn, each one had been healed, fed, and was finally resting on an inflatable bed within one large room. The immortals and Elizabeth had decided it would be best to keep them all together, so no one among them would feel isolated or in jeopardy of being taken without witnesses around to cry out a warning.

Nicoleta and Edyta had also come to sleep near the other ladies. Both made it a point to circulate around the room, and speak of the care they had received throughout the day. And their presence seemed to be the final reassurance many needed, in order to know that they were protected and safe.

Alex sat in a chair by the door and continued to let her aura flow throughout the space, in the hopes of giving them all peaceful slumber without nightmares and fear. She felt sleep calling to her mind too, and she tried to ignore her incredible hunger. She leaned over to her right and rested her elbow on a table, then placed her chin in her palm. Alex did not fall asleep, but she let her mind relax, as well as her body.

Her eyes were at half-mast when she felt Gaius’ aura drawing nearer. He quietly entered the room behind her, and Alex looked up as he came to stand on her left. Gaius placed his palm on her back between her shoulder blades. His eyes roamed over the assembly, all resting under Alex’s watch, while he gently patted and stroked her. Finally, he lowered his gaze and smiled tenderly.

He moved a chair over to her side then, and Alex could feel his mind calling to hers. She swiftly rolled back her mental armor and listened while she stared into his eyes.

“Alex, I have something for you to eat. Sabina, Ahadi, and Tomoko have finished eating and resting, and they are going to take over the watch for the next five hours so you can have a meal and then sleep. I promise you, that we are not going to leave the shelter. We’ll only take a break, before you return to their sides,” he said softly into her mind.

“Thank you, Gaius. For taking care of me, and for your unwavering support in all of this,” she whispered.

“What else would I do?” he asked, as he had before when she most desperately needed his care.

Alex smiled, albeit a bit sadly. She leaned over and kissed him lightly. Then, she rested against his shoulder while they awaited the others.

When her immortal sisters came in a few minutes later, she let Gaius lead her to the shelter’s kitchen and she ate her fill. After skipping dinner and then wielding the full breadth of her power, she was famished and grateful for the respite from the intense emotions she had traveled through. And, though she had said nothing aloud, Alex was just beginning to deal with the fallout of her split second decision to end the dark immortals with her Light.

As it had been on the tarmac of Heathrow in January, when her aura burned through or touched a dark immortal, Alex absorbed the memories of all their past sins and crimes. Whatever flashed before their eyes, as the Light rendered judgment, also flashed before hers. And it was painful, to say the very least.

Alex had blocked all the scenes of their atrocities from her mind while she focused on the healing and restoration of the rescued women. But now that things had quieted, Alex found that she was barely hanging on to her composure. And she knew from past experience, whatever rest she might try to claim, would be filled with the scenes she had witnessed in the dark ones’ memories. It made her not want to sleep at all.

Gaius led her to the shelter’s bathrooms, and she showered and then dressed in one of the new outfits Elizabeth had placed out for whomever needed the clothes. He was waiting for her when she came out of the bathroom, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Gaius opened his eyes when he sensed Alex and gathered her hand in his.

He silently led her to Elizabeth’s office, closing the door behind them. There was a large cot in one corner, and Gaius brought Alex over to it. He sat on its side and pulled her down onto his lap, then turned and stretched out with her firmly against him. He reached behind him for a moment to pull a blanket over them, then he draped his arm around her and drew her back against his chest. She snuggled back as far as she could, while Gaius kissed her neck and whispered his love directly into her ear.

Alex sighed and nodded, trying to squelch the sudden rush of emotion that seemed to engulf her. But try as she might, she could not hold the torrent in and Alex began to sob. Gaius gently rolled her over to face him and she buried her head against his chest. He began to make slow, sweeping passes of his palms over her back as she soaked his shirt through with her tears.

She could hear him murmuring words of love and solace against her ear while her inner storm abated, but she could not form a coherent word for quite some time to answer him. Gaius never pressured her to respond, he only held her while the grief and hurt worked itself out.

When at last her hiccups began, Alex lay limply in his arms. He smoothed a palm over her cheek and used his fingertips to remove some of the moisture from her skin. Gaius stared into her eyes with such tender compassion, that Alex felt new tears forming, though she tried to will them to recede.

“Shhh, now,” he whispered and kissed her forehead. “I have you, and you are safe, Alex.”

She nodded, but remained silent. Gaius continued to sweep his thumb across her skin as he gazed at her. She saw his eyes narrow infinitesimally before he drew in a breath and spoke again.

“Do you want to talk about it? About anything?” he asked, leaving his request open-ended.

But Alex knew what he wanted to discuss with her. And if she were honest with herself, she knew she needed to talk about the decision she had made in the warehouse. So, she nodded and opened her heart to him.

“I ended them with my aura, because I didn’t want the rest of you to have to feel like I do after I take a head,” she began softly.

“And how does it make you feel, Alex?”

“Dirty,” she answered without hesitation. “Hurt. Angry. Very angry,” she confessed, “because I don’t want to kill anyone. And I get so angry when they force me into those situations.”

Gaius slowly nodded his head in understanding. “I know, for it is the same for us all. Not one of us wants to take a life. But what is different, my love, is the amount of Light you now have and how that Light interacts with the demons and their children. The aftermath for you, when you use your aura to end them as you did tonight, is completely new for your soul. Never have we seen the Lord place so much power in one of us, and so how you employ that Light must be weighed thoughtfully and with much consideration.”

“In other words, I shouldn’t have ended them with my power,” Alex said heavily.

“No, that is not what I said.” He smiled tenderly and kissed her cheek and then her lips before he drew away. “What I meant, was that we both know when your Light touches the dark ones, you see, feel, and hear it all now. And that, my love, comes at a great cost to you. So, when dealing with the enemy, you must ask yourself if taking on their troops alone is worth the cost to your mind and soul, or if it is better to work with your brethren and let us help shoulder the burden.”

Alex slowly ran her teeth across her lower lip as she considered his words. “I wanted to shelter you and our family, just as much as those women being held prisoner. I wanted to…” she broke off and swallowed hard, as she realized what she needed to say, and how difficult it was to admit the truth about herself.

“It is alright, Alex. Take your time,” Gaius said soothingly.

“I made a mistake,” she sighed, as she forced herself to look into his eyes and not hide from the truth. “I did exactly what my soul tried to do before – take them on alone. I knew better, but I let my emotions and my need to protect everyone cloud my judgment.” Alex paused as her tears returned in earnest.

“No, my love, do not chastise yourself. I know that the Light within you calls you to action. It compels your soul to be our guardian and our protector, as the Lord intends for you to be. And I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Light you now contain is not easy to rein in or keep at bay. It is a struggle, but it is one that you do not have to face alone. For I am here to help you, as are the angels, our brethren, and the Lord. You are not alone in the ageless war we face against the darkness, Alexandria.”

She sniffled and nodded. Gaius swept his hand up into her hair and he began to trail his fingers through the long, golden strands. His aura poured over her, and Alex felt it to the depths of her soul.

“You were right to hold them in the columns of your aura, Alex, for you prevented their escape, as well as the possibility that they could have grabbed one of their mortal accomplices and used them as a human shield. And if faced with future opponents, I would ask that before you let your Light burn its way through those columns, that you give us the chance to step forward and engage them.”

“No,” Gaius added sadly, “taking a life is never a good experience for any of us, but taking their head makes quick work of an otherwise detestable choice. And, it saves you from having to suffer through days of endless nightmares and flashbacks. All of which are sure to come now.”

“I know,” she breathed. “I’ve already had a few memories try to come to the forefront of my mind. When I was in the shower it really began.”

“And so we learn from this, and we move forward. I am not leaving your side, nor do you have to worry over the flashbacks that are coming. We’ll get through them together, and we’ll seal each and every one away within your mental Library, just as we did the vile scenes which Rangor sent into your mind. We can do this, my love,” he reassured her.

“What would I do without you?” Alex asked in wonder of his calm and steady support. He never wavered or tired in his care of her, just as Ganymede had once told her Gaius would not.

“Well,” he smiled and kissed her temple, “since you will never have to know a day without me, that is not a question you need to ask. Close your eyes for me now and try to sleep. I will be right here, Alex, for whatever comes our way.”

“Thank you, Gaius. For understanding and not judging me.”

“Sweetheart, I will never judge you. You are learning and finding your way, and this is all part of the journey. Go to sleep now, if you can,” he gently urged her again.

She nodded and snuggled a little closer. Alex closed her eyes and whispered her love. She heard him echo her words and she relaxed further. Her last coherent thought was the warmth that enveloped her as Gaius’ aura billowed out to cocoon them. She drifted off then, knowing she was safe, just as the ladies down the hall were.