Mated To An Enemy

755  Playing Nice With Others

Once Galen was sure that the group was safe, he and Ashleigh decided it would be best for them to find where their attackers were coming into the building. It was the only way to ensure the group wouldn’t be found or hurt.

It took a while, but they finally found an unlocked door.

Stepping outside, they knew immediately that they were in the right place. They found two of Galen’s men, soldiers who had been dispatched to the area, unconscious. They weren’t injured. They had just been knocked out.

After waking them, Galen sent them inside the building to protect the others. He and Ashleigh continued to patrol the area.

A long time had passed, and they had gone back and forth between the barriers without finding anyone else.

“Is it possible we already found them all?” Ashleigh asked.

“It’s possible,” Galen replied, scanning the area around them. “Maybe we should head back.”

Ashleigh nodded and turned in the direction they had originally come from. She didn’t notice when Galen stopped walking.

“Did you hear something?” Galen asked, standing several feet behind Ashleigh.

It sounded like something falling, hitting the ground, maybe being kicked.

Ashleigh turned around to ask what he meant, but as she faced him, her eyes widened, and everything around her froze.

A man was running with his hand raised high in the air toward Galen. He held something in that hand, something that glistened in the sunlight.

“Galen!” Ashleigh shouted as she sprinted forward.

Galen turned around, he saw the man, but there was no time to react. The knife was coming down, and it was coming fast.

Ashleigh threw herself against Galen, pushing him out of the way just as the knife came down. She screamed as the blade slashed through the flesh of her jaw before she and Galen hit the ground.

Ashleigh grabbed the wound and curled her body protectively with a painful cry.

“Ashleigh!” Galen shouted.

He reached out and turned her toward him. He saw the blood soaking her shirt and hands as she held the wound tightly.

Galen stood up. The man that had attacked them had stumbled and fallen. He scrambled on the ground toward the knife. Galen growled and charged forward, bringing his knee to the man’s chin and sending him falling back. He picked him up, punching him once, twice, and a third time before the man went limp.

Galen dropped him to the ground. He was still alive, but the healing would take time.

He took a deep breath and turned back to check on Ashleigh. He clenched his jaw when he saw two more had arrived.

The two men stared angrily back at Galen, growling, snarling. Ashleigh had pulled herself back up onto one knee. She took deep breaths and held her hand to her jaw, trying to keep pressure on the wound. Galen moved between her and the remaining men.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Galen said calmly as he positioned himself to defend Ashleigh. “But I will do what I must to end this madness.”

The men looked at each other. One seemed to second guess his decision and took a step back. But the other turned to Galen. His eyes were filled with desperation and rage.

“We will defend our Luna!” the man snarled. “Get out of the way!”

“I won’t,” Galen growled back at him.

Though Ashleigh could not see them, she knew Galen’s eyes were beginning to glow.

The second man suddenly seemed afraid. He moved away from his friend, looking around for an escape.

“No…” the man facing off with Galen growled, shaking his head. “No! She is the one! Not you! She is the only one… the only one that can make it right again!”

He suddenly charged forward, snarling and baring his teeth as he swung his arms wildly. Galen prepared himself. Once the man was close enough, he would take control of the situation.

Ashleigh was feeling weak. The wound may not have endangered her life, but the blood loss was taxing her.

The man pulled his arm back, preparing to swing at Galen. But before he got close enough, he suddenly stopped. The man fell to his knees with a soft grunt and a look of confusion. He heaved heavily, and his eyes rolled back as his body fell limp to the ground.

Ashleigh’s eyes widened. The second man looked on in horror and then ran.

Galen furrowed his brows and looked up from the man’s body. To his surprise, he found himself staring at a rifle barrel pointing toward him from several feet away.

The rifle lowered, and Galen gasped as he recognized the weapon holder.

“Bell?” he whispered.

Bell gave a quick smile and a wink before looking behind her.

“The other one ran,” she called back to someone. “Catch him quickly before he finds a hole to hide in!”

A woman, whom Galen recognized as one of the nurses Bell worked closely with, ran after the other man. She also carried a rifle in her hands, and following her were two of Galen’s men.

As Galen watched the three run off, Bell moved her rifle onto her back and moved to the man on the ground. She checked his pulse and then looked back over her shoulder.

“Restrain and move him back to the hospital with the others,” she instructed. “And toss me my kit!”

Two more of Galen’s men appeared with a stretcher and immediately got to work following Bell’s instructions. One of them tossed her a bag. Bell caught it and hurried over to Ashleigh.

“Hey, bestie,” Bell smiled as she knelt beside Ashleigh. She opened her bag and pulled out several items. “Playing nice with others just like usual, huh? Got yourself a pretty scratch this time.”

“Would you believe I didn’t start it this time?” Ashleigh replied weakly.

Bell laughed and put on her gloves.

“This time,” she said as she began to clean the wound, “I’ll believe you.”

Bell quickly cleaned and bandaged the wound.

“That’s all I can do here,” she said as she stood back up. “We need to get you to the hospital so I can stitch it up. You’re gonna have a nice scar, though.”

Ashleigh reached up and touched the bandage.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

Bell nodded and smiled at her friend.

“Bell,” Galen called, his arms crossed over his chest impatiently.

He had stood aside and said nothing in the few minutes it took Bell to treat Ashleigh, but she knew he was itching to talk to her.

Bell waved over the man who had gotten her bag for her.

“Can you escort Ashleigh back to the hospital?” she asked.

The man nodded and offered his hand to Ashleigh. She took it and got to her feet. She glanced between Galen and Bell but said nothing before being led away.

“Bell, what are you doing here?” Galen asked, turning her to look at him. The concern in his eyes was unmistakable. “It’s dangerous!”

Bell took a deep breath.

“There are reports of wounded all over Summer,” she said. “These guys didn’t start out violent, but they did a lot of damage to buildings, and it caused a lot of injuries. I had no choice but to send my team out.”

Galen sighed and nodded.

“And,” Bell continued, “I realized there was a much more efficient and less risky solution than sending soldiers in to fight their friends and family.”

She pulled the rifle from her back and handed it to Galen.

“Tranquilizers,” she said. “Point and shoot, knock them out for a few hours. Plenty of time to get them restrained and moved back to the hospital where they can be treated and kept comfortable for now.”

Galen smiled and nodded, handing the rifle back to her.

“Good plan,” he said softly. “I hadn’t even considered something like this.”

“Well, I did,” Bell smiled as she put the rifle on her back.

Galen hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head.

“Thank you,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I really didn’t want to have to hurt anyone else.”

Bell squeezed him in her arms and nuzzled against his throat.

“I know, Puppy,” she whispered.

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