The Lawgivers: Gabriel Part 6

aRarely. Not to say they donat argue, but no one wants to end up fined or imprisoned, so they usually settle disagreements in a more civilized manner.a Lexa digested that. aYou have laws for your people, too?a Gah-re-al glanced down at her. aWe have the same laws for our own people that I enforce among yours.a aSeriously?a Lexa asked, surprised.

aSeriously,a he responded, amused again, although somewhat piqued, as well, that she was apparently under the impression that his job was merely to punish her people.

Lexa frowned. aBut you said your people didnat fight.

She had a point. aThe laws and the enforcers insure that everyone is treated fairlya"or as fairly as possiblea"and the strong donat prey upon the weak. Itas a failsafe to make certain that everyone behaves in a civilized manner.a aSoooo a. Youare saying they might not be as nice if they didnat have to be?a Good point! aThey might not,a he responded grudgingly but honestly. aIad like to think they would.a Lexa fell silent for a while, thinking. aWhere are you taking us?a Gah-re-al sent her another look of surprise. aSpecifically?a Lexa nodded.

aTo rendezvous with the social workers. Theyall take all of you to a better place to live a teach you how to live better.a Surprise warred with doubt, disbelief with a near painful desire to believe. aReally?a aTruly.a aThis isnat punishment, then?a aNo.a Lexa frowned, afraid to believe. aWhy?a Because it would benefit the udai colonists if the humans werenat such a problem!

It occurred to him abruptly and forcefully that head been looking at the entire situation wrong. He and the others of like mind might be right. It was possible that nothing they could do would change things significantly for the humans. It was possible that they were beyond redemption or too primitive in their thinking to learn the lessons they needed to make a better life for themselves. In a very real sense, though, the project wasnat even about the humans. It was about the udai. Were they truly as high minded and superior as they believed they were? Maybe, and maybe not, but if they even aspired to be those things, they were obliged to try to do their best for the less fortunate. aBecause itas the right thing to do,a he responded, realizing for the first time that it truly was.

Chapter Eight.

Lexa studied Gabriel speculatively. There was no getting around the fact that he still scared the pee out of her. He unnerved her in an indescribable and completely incomprehensible way considering head never hurt her and hadnat even offered toa"not really.

She supposed that was because she still didnat completely trust him.

But she wanted to.

Shead wanted to before head dragged the two men off of her and beat them within an inch of their lives. Since that incident head been so a kind to her that she could feel her guard crumbling.

She was afraid to let go of it. She thought she was better off being afraid of him and distrusting him, but the decision didnat seem to be a matter of will. Slowly but surely her defenses were falling to dust around her, her distrust was giving way to trust, and she found herself less and less afraid of him, enough so that she noticed him in a way she hadnat before.

In the beginning, shead looked at him as a beautiful, scary thing, a creature man-like but not human that seemed to fit better in the realm of nightmares than dream regardless of his physical beauty. Even when the seed had been planted in her mind of being his woman she had merely fantasized about it in a dream-like way. Shead been able to see him quite well as a lover but hadnat really been able to see herself in the role of his lover.

It seemed now, though, that some veil had been torn away and instead of seeing him as merely a man-like creature, shead begun to look at him through eyes that saw him simply as another person, a man like any other that shead ever seen or known.

Except he wasnat like any other man shead ever known. The differences went far deeper than his physical appearance, but she thought it was those differences in the way he behaved that made it possible to really notice and appreciate the differences on the outside.

Then again, maybe it was the fact that she could actually see his face that made that landscape so appealing? Maybe there were a lot of human men that were just as handsome or maybe even more handsome and she just couldnat tell because they had so much hair on their faces? She didnat know if hair simply didnat grow there as it did with human men or if he did something to remove it, but there was no getting around the fact that his face was the most beautiful male face she could recall ever seeing.

She liked his face best when it lightened and she could tell he was amused even though he never quite smileda"at least not with his lipsa"but theread been a few times when head looked at her in a way that made her feel warm all over, that made her belly clench low, that made her feel breathless, and hopeful, and scared all at the same time.

He was strong, so powerful that it was almost as terrifying as it was fascinating. Shead guessed that he was even before she saw just how strong he was, because his entire body looked hard and muscular beneath the form fitting clothes he wore. His long, lean arms and legs, broad chesta"even his flat bellya"rippled with every movement in the way of something solid and powerful rather than jiggling like soft fat and it certainly wasnat because he was stringy and bony. There was plenty of flesh on his bones.

She hadnat believed him that night head captured her when head told her that he had no need to rape women if he wanted to f.u.c.k, that there were plenty who were willing. Shead thought it must be the same arrogance that Ralph had from the moment she realized the futility of struggling and had stopped screaming and fighting him. Somehow the arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d had convinced himself that that meant she was enjoying it, that she wanted him to f.u.c.k her.

Now shead begun to believe it wasnat arrogance, wasnat simply the truth as he saw it, but really was true, and yet a.

How, she asked herself, could it be different? What could he do that would make a woman like that? Or were the angel women just different from human women?

Because she didnat think she was alone in the way she felt about it. Shead avoided other people as much as possible since shead escaped Ralph, but shead seen plenty of copulation regardless. Men didnat seem to worry too much about where they were when the mood struck.

Actually, shead seen quite a few who, like Ralph, seemed to get a special sort of thrill out of f.u.c.king publiclya"as if he wanted to make sure everyone knew he took what he wanted when he wanted to.

Or maybe, since he was always demanding that she tell him how good he was, he figured f.u.c.king in front of other people gave them the chance to see just how good he was?

She could almost believe that women would want Gabriel to do that to them, though, because when she thought about it she felt all funny inside in a way she never had before and it definitely wasnat because the idea made her sick to her stomach with revulsion and fear.

She might never have gotten up the nerve to try to a.s.suage her curiosity except for that fact because it occurred to her that just asking might result in her discovering just what it was like. It could give him the idea that she wanted him to show her.

And maybe she did?

But it still took an effort to get up the nerve even to approach him.

Theyad stopped to eat. Gabriel was never far from her since the attack, but he still distanced himself.

Getting up decisively, she wiped her clammy hands on her pants and moved a little closer to where he sat at a distance from the rest of the group.

Actually, she supposed to be more accurate, everyone sat as far from him as they could, eyeing him uneasily while they wolfed down the food theyad stopped to eat.

He sent her a cold look when she settled again little more than an armas length from him, but she couldnat decide if it just seemed that he was looking at her coldly because of those creepy eyes of his or if he didnat like her coming closer.

Or maybe he was p.i.s.sed off because head figured out that shead been trying to run away when she was attacked?

He lifted his brows in that haughty way he had about hima"as if she was a nasty bug that had wandered too close and he was thinking about squas.h.i.+ng hera"but it seemed a questioning look so she decided to take the plunge.

aWhat did you mean that night when you caught me? What you said about only f.u.c.king women that wanted you to?a His skin darkened, and he looked even more cold and haughty if possible. aIt isnat rape when the woman is willing,a he finally said coolly.

Lexa frowned. aYeah. I got that. But why would they be?a His lips tightened.

aWilling to let you, I mean?a He gave her a look she found difficult to interpret. aMaybe because they find me attractive?a he said sardonically. aMaybe because they want something?a Enlightenment! aOh! Like they trade for something, you mean?a He rolled his eyes, but he merely grunted.

Lexa thought it over, realizing she was a little disappointeda"not surprised. Shead thought about it a lot and she hadnat been able to think of anything he could do that would make coupling different enough a woman would actually want it.

And shead still thought there must be something he was doing that made a woman want him to, gotten the impression that they enjoyed it like the men did. She supposed that was different, though, f.u.c.king to get something you wanted. She could see why that would make it acceptable. aSo thatas all thatas really different? They get the choice? And then they get something they want for letting you f.u.c.k them?a Gah-re-al stared at her coldly, struggling with the outrage that conclusion provoked. Head certainly suspected that that might be the case with one or two of the women head bedded, but it d.a.m.ned well wasnat the rule! It was the exception! Maya certainly had nothing to gain by taking him as a lovera"far from it! She could lose status if it became common knowledge when he was from a lower cla.s.s. aI donat know how to put this tactfully so Iall dispense with subtlety. This is a subject you need to save and discuss with the women at the rehab facility.a Lexa considered that. aBut I donat see why a. Oh! You donat know?a Gah-re-al rolled his eyes skyward, grinding his teeth. aBeing a malea"no.a aYes, but you talked like it was different where you come from? Are they different a down there, I mean?a He looked at her strangely.

aThe womanas place?a she clarified, although how he could be confused about what shead meant she was d.a.m.ned if she knew.

He rose abruptly to his feet and stretched his wings, shaking them.

It always gave her the creeps when he did that. There was something that just seemed a threatening about it.

aYou might want to step back,a he said coolly.

Lexa shot to her feet but he stretched his wings wide and flapped them several times before she could actually retreat, filling her eyes, nose, and mouth with dirt. When she managed to stop coughing and blinked the grit from her eyes, she discovered he was already airborne. aa.s.shole,a she muttered, stalking back to the rock shead been sitting on before.

By the time her eyes stopped watering and she could see well enough to search the sky for him, she saw that he was dropping toward the ground far into the distance. Despite the fact that he scared the h.e.l.l out of her, she couldnat help but think it was just amazing to watch him soaring in the sky.

Not that she would care to! High places scared the h.e.l.l out of her, mostly because shead fallen a few times and the abrupt stop when she got to the ground was always painful.

Still, she liked the way he looked when he did it. It made her chest feel all tight and her heart beat a little faster.

Vaguely disappointed when he disappeared from view, she sat watching and waiting for him to reappear, wondering why head seemed a angry about her questions, wondering if that was why head decided to fly off or if there was another reason.

It was when she finally looked away that she discovered there were a number of villagers staring at her. It wasnat hard to figure out from their expressions what was going through their minds. It scared her, but it also roused a healthy dose of anger.

She hadnat done anythinga"not to any of the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.

She met their gazes one by one and glared back at them, daring them, and they finally looked away.

She felt weak with relief when they did, but she didnat believe that shead managed to do more than make them back down for the moment and she couldnat be sure it was even the challenge in her gaze that had done it.

She doubted any of them were particularly anxious to find out if Gabriel would retaliate as he had before when the two men had jumped her.

She wasnat so sure of that herself. In any case, regardless of what they thought now, she wasnat his woman and she was sure he meant to leave them once they reached the place he was taking them. He wasnat going to be around much longer to protect her if they decided to get even again.

That left her with only one option as far as she could see. Either she convinced them in the meantime not to f.u.c.k with her or she was going to be in deep s.h.i.+t when Gabriel left.

She could always hope that theyad forget about it before they reached their destination, but she didnat think the odds were good that that was going to happen, not when Gabriel was going to be around to remind them. Regardless, she was relieved when he returned shortly afterward.

aThere is a waterhole about half a daysa walk from here. Weall camp there tonight.a Head made the announcement to the group as a whole, not to her in particular and something about the way head ignored her told her that he didnat especially want to talk to her at the moment but the announcement made her uneasy. Shead seen some pretty big animal tracks near the last watering hole. aNot right beside it, though, right? aCause animals come to the waterholes to drink at night and some of them eat people. Well, try. Mostly they arenat big enough and you can beat them off or kill them, but I saw some really big tracks at the last water hole. Thereas something big around here.a She was absolutely sure he was annoyed that time.

aWe will have fire. The animals wonat approach the campfires.a Lexa sucked in a breath to point out that a really hungry animal wasnat deterred by much, but he forestalled her.

aAnd I have my weapons if any should wander up.a * * * *

n.o.body was thrilled when they discovered the fresh water supply Gabriel had found was a hot spring. But then again good water wasnat exactly easy to find and there wasnat too much the villagers liked about being the achosena Gabriel was leading through the badlands to a destination none of them were ecstatic about reaching. For a few moments tempers were perilously close to boiling over.

The first to arrive and charge in got the biggest shocka"yelling, cursing, and leaping out againa"but then theyad shoved everybody else out of the way to be first and the rest of the villagers were more than half inclined to find that amusing until it dawned on them that, as hot, tired, and thirsty as they were, they werenat going to get cool water to a.s.suage that thirst either. They werenat any happier when Gabriel pointed out that all they had to do was to scoop up the water and give it a little time to cool.

They were thirsty now! The ahalf daya Gabriel had claimed had taken several hours more than that, moving as quickly as they could with no rest period. They grumbled long and loud that it wouldave been better to spend the night at the watering hole where theyad stopped to eat at mid-day.

Except, Gabriel pointed out, that had been no more than a trickle of water, not enough for such a large group to satisfy their needs of the moment let alone to replenish their supply.

That wouldave been inarguable if anyone had felt reasonable. They didnat. As afraid of the lawgiver as they were, theyad moved well past reason.

They hadnat wanted to come at all. Theyad just been too afraid of Gabriel to put up more than a token objection, but the days on the trail had either made them less fearful of Gabriel or just too miserable to be as cautious.

The children among them had been far more vocal about their unhappiness than anyone else and a good third of the group was made up of children. At any given time one half to one third of the childrena"who ranged in age from infant to p.u.b.escenta"were either whining and complaining or wailing loudly. That was enough in and of itself to fray everyoneas nerves. Added to that misery was the heat during the day and the bone chilling cold of night, the endless trudging, the lack of sufficient water and fooda"and their fear both of Gabriel and whatever it was that awaited them at the end of the journey.

Gabrielas nerves clearly werenat in much better shape. He lost patience and actually bellowed at them to shut their mouths, make camp, and feed the children and themselves.

The loss of temper, not unnaturally, s.h.i.+fted everyoneas focus instantly from their misery and anger over their discomfort to a healthy sense of self-preservation. Many of them had actually witnessed the showdown between Gabriel and the gang members and those who hadnat seen it had heard every gory detail and been present when the remains were tossed into a ma.s.s grave in the cemetery most of the recently departed had helped to fill.

They stopped grumbling and did as they were told, but the tension didnat dissipate appreciably until they settled for the night on their pallets and succ.u.mbed to exhaustion.

As exhausted as Lexa was herself, the waterhole called to her. Ordinarily, water was too precious and too hard to find to use for anything as frivolous as bathing. Shead learned that the hard way since shead taken to the road.

Her mother had always insisted on cleanliness as protection against illness, though. Theyad had their own water source on their farm and it was a good, steady supply. They squandered it shamelessly, taking apota baths nightly with the jug of water they routinely brought in in the evening, and full baths at least once a week.

As a child, shead complained often about being sent to bathe. It wasnat so bad in the summer. In fact, she was often warm enough to enjoy the water. The rest of the time, though, it was cold enough to be sheer torture.

Regardless, those early years were ingrained. Shead suffered endlessly since Ralph had taken her because she wasnat allowed to bathe when before shead been forced to. As soon as shead gained her freedom from Ralph and had access to water, therefore, shead indulged as regularly as she was able to.

For all her determination, though, shead discovered soon enough that the safe water was scarce and not to be taken for granted. Even so, when the opportunity arose and the water supply seemed plentiful enough that it seemed unlikely bathing would contaminate it, she bathed.

She hadnat been able to indulge in a full bath in a long while. Shead made use of the last waterhole before shead arrived at the village, but that had been nearly two weeks earlier. She hadnat been able to do more than dab at the worst of the grime since, not even after the men had attacked her, and shead desperately wanted to scrub herself completely and thoroughly after that incident.

The waterhole Gabriel had found was supplied by a spring, though. Even better, it was a hot spring. Nothing was more wonderful for bathing and it was all she could do, despite her weariness, to wait until the camp grew quiet to sneak off to the spring.

Gabriel had given two of the village men the task of standing watch while everyone else slept but they nodded off and began snoring not long after Gabriel settled on his pallet.

Lexa waited. When Gabriel remained where he was instead of getting up and knocking the two aguardsa heads together for sleeping on the job, she got up quietly and slipped away from the camp. She wouldave liked the opportunity to wash her filthy clothes while she was at it, but a very little thought nixed that idea. She didnat have anything else to put on and neither sleeping in wet clothes nor sleeping naked appealed to her. If it had been day and she could count on the clothes drying while she walked, she wouldave taken the chance that the old fabric could withstand another was.h.i.+ng. As it was, she discarded the idea fairly quickly, removed her boots and the cloth around her feet, then shucked her s.h.i.+rt, pants, and the binding she used to restrain her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Leaving them in a pile, she waded into the water.

It was too hot for real comfort, she discovered. Disappointed that it was so hot she couldnat just soak until her skin shriveled, she stepped out of the small pool again. Crouching beside the water, she began scooping up handfuls and splas.h.i.+ng it on her face and neck and then worked her way downward until shead scrubbed her entire body with her hands and the hot water.

The chilly night air against her wet skin wasnat at all pleasant. Her skin p.r.i.c.kled all over each time the water cooled on her flesh from the chill wind. She ignored the discomfort. Being clean for a little while would make up for the discomfort of getting there, she told herself.

She debated whether to scrub her hair and scalp when shead worked her way down to her toes and finally decided she couldnat stand the itch when she had a chance to get rid of it. Coming up on her knees, she leaned over the pool and dunked the top of her head in, scrubbing vigorously. Her fingers were stinging from the heat of the water by the time she was satisfied, her toes frigid, and everything in between tingling and chilled. s.h.i.+vering, she slung her hands to get rid of as much water as possible and then grabbed her clothing and dressed herself as quickly as she could.

When she turned around she discovered Gabriel was leaning against a large rock behind her, his arms folded across his chest. She jerked all over and then gaped at him, trying to get her mind in gear. All she could think, though, was that he looked like head been standing there for a while.

aI thought you were worried about being attacked by a wild beast?a Lexa blinked at him in confusion, mostly because, as soon as she got past her initial surprise, she was caught between hope and dreada"both for the same reason. It had occurred to her almost as soon as shead questioned Gabriel that he might consider her curiosity an invitation to show her the difference between the way he f.u.c.ked and the rutting shead experienced before. He hadnat convinced her that there was any difference, though, and while she still hoped, and thought, there might be, mostly what played in her mind was a repeat of the awful experiences shead had previously. aWhat?a aIf Iad been a beast, you would be dinner by now,a he said dryly.

It took Lexa several moments to reorient herself and grasp that he was talking about something entirely different than the direction her thoughts had taken. And even so she couldnat completely shake her initial direction. Did that mean head been there a while or not, she wondered? More importantly, had it run through his mind even briefly to take advantage of the situation shead created? aI didnat hear anything,a she said lamely, dragging her gaze from him with an effort and flicking a look around for any sign that there might be a threat.

She hadnat been so focused on bathing, though, that she wouldave failed to notice signs if theread be any, she a.s.sured herself. Shead lived too long at the edge of survival not to afeela a threat when there was one. It was second nature to her now, as instinctive as breathing.

There hadnat been any sign of a large animal near the edge of the water nor any between the camp and the spring.

Of course, shead been preoccupied once shead settled to bathing, she reminded herself, too preoccupied to notice when Gabriel had arrived, and she should have sensed his presence behind her.

That was a dangerous, stupid lapse and one she had trouble reconciling in her mind.

Why, she wondered, hadnat she heard him or at least sensed his presence?

Because her mind had been on him to start with, she realized abruptly. She hadnat been focused completely on bathing and she certainly hadnat been focused on either the pleasure or the miserable conditions. Shead allowed her mind to wander to him as it did more and more often.

And maybe that was why she hadnat heard him come up? Because head already been with her?

He tilted his head slightly, studying her. aI guess that means that wasnat for my benefit then.a Lexa whipped her attention back to him at that comment, gaping at him open mouthed.

He shook his head. aGet back to camp. Donat leave it again without letting me know.a Nodding jerkily, Lexa scurried past him.

She meant to at any rate. Shead just come even with him when she heard a rustle of sound. Directly behind it, she heard an inhuman scream that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

Gabriel planted both hands on her shoulder and gave her a shove that sent her flying forward several yards before she hit the rocky dirt and slid another three or four feet.

She caught a glimpse of the cat, though, as Gabriel caught it full in the chest.