Betrayal - Book 3 of Guardians Saga - EDITED

Ch 1.1 Restart in New Orleans

The cobblestones of the New Orleans alley were normally iconic symbols of character and history, but on this pitch-black night they were indistinguishable. Dirty water pooled between them, drowned out by the smell of smoldering garbage from overflowing cans.

The four street gang members looked defiant and menacing in their hoodies and baggy pants, though there was a nervous tension in the air. The three tall figures were not quite human, while the woman in black leather made no effort to hide her fury. All around them, knives glinted dangerously in the dim light as they slashed at each other.

Gabe shouted, "Alex, watch out!" His voice reverberated with authority and urgency. A tall humanoid figure, his muscles bulging through a fitted shirt, Gabe was the leader of their Guardian team. He projected a human appearance, but his humanoid figure and blunt muzzle made the disguise easy.

His opponent seized the opportunity, and, with a bolt of energy, sprinted away. Two of his friends quickly followed in pursuit.

Alex spun around, but the thug was quicker. His fist flew in a wide arc and connected with her temple. She felt the bite of the large gold ring on the shaved side of her head as her vision blurred and she fell back against the wall. The prickling stubble covered the long scar from the craniotomy of her neuro-electric implant surgery. From beneath the short crop of hair, droplets of blood trickled down her neck and onto her shoulder.

Rile, Gabe's youngest brother, flew towards the attacker with a wooden staff in hand. He crouched low and jabbed the staff hard into the man's gut so he doubled over in pain. Alex stepped forward and kicked his knee out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground. She unleashed her neuro-electric powers and knocked him out cold.

"You bastard!" Alex yelled, crouching over the unconscious form. She yanked off his gold ring and held it in her shaking fist. "I'll melt this down and strip you naked and leave you here in the alley."

Gabe stepped forward and laid a hand on Alex's shoulder. "Alex, come on now. Let's go."

Alex glanced at him before looking back at the man beneath her. Reluctantly, she slipped the ring off and tossed it to Gabe. "It has my blood on it. Not leaving it, or any of them, behind. I'll donate the melted lumps to the women's shelter."

"Sounds good to me." Rile unsheathed his sword and drew the blade along its intended victim's body, ripping away fabric and sending tufts of hair flying in a flurry. "Ugh. Human males are disgusting. Look at all that hair. Chest, legs, everywhere. It's gross."

"You don't know the half of it," Alex replied, her own sword tearing through the man's clothing from neck to ankle with fluid precision. She flicked off the removed garments and sent them sailing into a puddle of murky water. "Where did you learn the term 'gross'?"

"Where else but television? You know I love learning American idioms." Rile sheathed his sword and kicked the discarded items further into the muck with his boot.

"Stop, both of you," Gabe said. "I don't know why you insist on leaving them naked."

"It's called poetic justice," Alex said. "Although they deserve worse. I'll spare you the horrific explanation of why."

Rile held the assortment of rings in his hand and flung them at his oldest brother, Gabe, who expertly grabbed each one out of the air.

Alex was nursing the cut on her head, smears of blood dotting her fingers. She raised an eyebrow at the brothers before reaching into her pocket for a few pieces of tissue to dab away the mess. "Are we done for the night? If so, I'm off to get this checked out at one of those doc-in-the-box places."

Gabe stepped forward and gently tried to turn her chin towards him, but she pulled away.

Alex sighed sharply, her gaze flicking between the siblings. "Nothing you can do," she said sternly. "Are we done or not?"