Betrayal - Book 3 of Guardians Saga - EDITED

CH 2.2 Oh No!

A/N: Please listen to the YouTube video of "Oh No" to understand what Cale and Rile are talking about

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Rile and Alex walked in the New Orleans night, listening to the crickets and katydids humming their songs. The katydids' song would swell, peak, and then fall to a momentary silence before restarting. A soft breeze kept the mosquitoes away and cooled the humid night. Night jasmine scent played peek-a-boo with their noses, coming and going before it became too strong. Once out of the French Quarter, the giant live oak branches arched over the broken sidewalks.

Rile glanced at his phone after nearly thirty minutes had passed. "You ready to fly or you need to keep walking those martinis off?"

Alex shrugged.

"Can you speed burst all the way to the carriage house?" Rile asked.

She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. "Too far. I can only manage a block or two, at most."

"So we need to walk that close to the carriage house. Cale may be the best tracker on Olam, but I can evade my brothers when I want. So, they patrol two blocks north of Dr. Dewey's house to two blocks south of Tulane. Stay close to me and follow my lead."

They strolled a while longer. Without warning, Rile grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her down a secluded driveway until they were against the side wall of an old Victorian-style home. She let out an amused giggle at the suddenness of it all, but as soon as it escaped her lips he clamped his hand over her mouth in alarm. His dark eyes widened with concern. "What is wrong with you?" he hissed, and she giggled again despite herself. "You choose now to act silly?"

She nodded and sputtered a laugh through his hand. He rolled his eyes and she attempted to mumble something inaudibly. "What?" he hissed, releasing her chin. "Whisper."

"It's hide and seek," she giggled drunkenly with a mischievous whisper. "We're naughty kids and daddy Gabe will be so mad if he catches us."

Rile lifted his muzzle, and sniffed the air."No scent of them. We're upwind. Only one more block to go before we're in speed burst distance. Follow me." He grabbed her hand and strode confidently down the driveway to the sidewalk. The breeze changed direction, and Rile stopped in his tracks, nostrils flaring as he detected a faint odor of danger. Without a word, he pulled Alex down another driveway and dragged her into a crouch behind a sprawling gardenia bush. The powerful aroma filled the air around them like an invisible shield of protection, masking their own scents from those searching for them. They heard footsteps drawing closer, and Rile quickly covered Alex's mouth as a precaution.

Across the street, Gabe appeared in the twilight. His head tipped up and his nostrils flared as he searched for a scent of his brother and Alex. Rile and Alex held their breath, afraid to make a sound. Cale emerged from the shadows and stood at Gabe's side, speaking quietly. He nodded and they walked off together, not noticing Rile and Alex crouched in the bushes. When they were out of sight, Rile let out a sigh and signaled for them to move. They crept away until they were one block away from the carriage house. Then Alex speed-burst to the front stoop of her apartment. She pulled out her keychain, opened the door, and slipped inside. She placed one hand on Rile's chest before she closed the door.

"If I'm silly drunk, you need to go home. Good luck with Gabe." She smiled sweetly before she shut the door in his face.

***

The next day in the brothers' apartment, Cale watched his younger brother tap away on his smart phone. He could see the concentration on Rile's face and the slight furrowing of his brows as he scrolled through a list of songs.