Alex obediently followed Gabe and Cale to all of Rile's usual 'sulking spots' as they called them. When the last one was empty, Alex said, "I want to check one place out."

Gabe inclined his head toward her. "Lead on."

"Uhm, without y'all."

Gabe's back straightened, his shoulders squared, and he used, what Alex called behind his back, his 'best leader voice.' "Absolutely not."

"It'll be fine. I'll fly straight there and back. Humans don't go there."

"Why would he be there?"

Alex chewed her lip and Cale started anxiously clacking his claws.

"Sometimes we patrolled together." Alex held her hands palm up. "Please, let's not fight. Or if we must, after we find Rile."

Gabe looked between his anxious brother and Alex trying so hard to be reasonable. "Very well. Fly right there and back."

"Please go back to the carriage house. Please?" Alex clasped her hands together, fighting the urge to whack him one.

Cale hesitantly touched Gabe's arm. "That does make sense. That way if she has to follow him, it will be easy to find us and we won't be out in the open."

Gabe shrugged. "Very well." He watched as Alex took off and then started walking home with his brother.

**

Alex flew to the rooftop where she and Rile had seen the bar party what seemed like eons ago. She was relieved to find him there, practicing his sword forms.

"I'm sorry we teased you," she said as soon as she landed.

Good thing my pride is plastic. I'm sure stretching it a lot lately.

Rile sheathed his sword. "You didn't tease me."

"I laughed when I shouldn't have and I'm sorry."

Rile approached her and came close, too close, but Alex refused to back up. She craned her head up to look at him.

Rile gazed down at her, eyes dark with emotion. "I could say I'm sorry for pushing you about love but I'm not."

"I can't love you," Alex said quickly. "Or anyone. I'm too broken for that and no one can fix me, not even you. Please, let's call a truce. Please?"

Pleading with these dragon brothers is becoming my habit now. Well, I guess there are worse things.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't love Gabe and he doesn't love me and I know full well that he intends to return home to restart the clan. He's an alien dragon guy and I'm a short-lived crazy human. I don't see a relationship growing there, so you shouldn't either."

Mix the lie with the truth and that makes it easier to swallow.

Rile gently placed his hands on both her shoulders. "Temporary truce only."

"I'm a temporary type of gal." Alex took one of his hands and speed burst off the roof with him.

**
Cale and Gabe were sitting on the couch when Rile and Alex entered. A seven foot tall white column of bluish-white light flashed into existence in front of Alex. Cale, Gabe, and even Rile, snapped to attention.

"My Guardian, tell me what has happened." Light and a crashing glass voice assailed Alex's carriage house apartment.

Alex stepped aside and looked at the brothers. "I believe she is talking to one of you."

"No, my Guardian. Although, we must finalize our agreement first."

A sword appeared in a slice of light and touched, tip down, on the floor. The light disappeared and the sword remained. It was perfectly upright, although nothing held it, and was smaller than the brothers'. The blade appeared shining steel without a single mark. The cross guard was similarly of unmarked steel. The handle was gleaming, flawless, white ivory fitted with finger grooves, while the pommel was a large white opal, the cracks revealing orange, blue, and green fire.

Alex's eyes went wide for a moment, and then she couldn't resist saying, "What? No arm clad in shimmering white, holding aloft a sword from the lake? Not even a stone to pull it from?"

A sound of glass bells tinkled and Alex figured that it was laughter.

"That has captured the imagination of your people. I was younger then and more dramatic. The method is different, but the choice is similar. Will you serve? Will you obey?"

Alex slid a look at Gabe. "I'm not the problem here."

"We are not discussing problems. We are discussing your decision. Guardian, bound to the ways of the Creator of All, bound to the decisions of your leader, or lone vigilante?"

Alex chewed the inside of her lip. "What if my leader decides that I can't fight?"

"That is not his decision to make. You are bound to follow the Creator of All first, to fight His fight, over and above that of yours. Your team leader must allow you to fight that fight as part of my team. Do you accept?"

The sword quivered slightly and Alex caught it up, afraid that it would vanish if she waited much longer. Her hand fit perfectly in the grooves on the hilt.

"I accept." Alex swore that she could hear Gabe's teeth grinding together.

"I can forbid vigilante activity," Gabe stated, but there was deference in his voice for the Portal Guardian.

"Of course. Alex will obey you, as a proper team member would."

Alex kept from grinding her teeth as Rile studied her.

"Cale will instruct you in the way of the Creator of All and Rile in the way of the warrior," the glass voice brought Alex back to attention. "Cale, your studies have lapsed. Read this. Pray that it infuses your heart and mind both."

A leather bound tome appeared from a sliver of light and hung in the air, just as the sword had. Cale took it with deference.

"Forge your team, leader. You have lapsed in your duties as well." The light flared and vanished.

Cale set the book aside with care and hugged Alex. "Welcome to the team. You belong with us."

Those words stung Alex's eyes and her throat closed. She had no past to anchor her and saw only a grave in her future. Belonging, the same as love, had never been part of the picture. Alex laid her head on Cale's shoulder until she could swallow her tears.

"I've prayed and prayed you would become part of our team," Cale said.

"Me too." Rile hugged Alex from the back.

A thin slice of light appeared, but only Gabe saw it.

"Brothers." Gabe waved his hand at the light.

"Shut up," Rile said.

"Not now," Cale said.

"Brothers, a portal," Gabe insisted.

"Our first mission together." Cale patted Alex's shoulder.

Rile turned to look at the portal. "Let's go. Hurry up," Rile said.

"I give the orders," Gabe said. "Everyone gear up."

"This should be interesting. I hope it isn't in the Chinese curse way of 'may your life be interesting.'" Alex smiled and hefted her new sword.

*****

A/N:

It's finished! Book 1 of my baby! Thanks to everyone who stuck it out until the bitter end.

Who's ready for Book 2?

Book Two: First Mission

Excerpt:

Alex and the three humanoid draconic brothers, Gabe, Cale, and Rile, stood in her New Orleans carriage house apartment, looking at the portal to another world. It led to their next mission as a team of Guardians.

"Cale, Rile, gear up," Gabe said.

Rile tossed Alex a staff, which she caught. "You just received your Guardian sword, but you don't have a dagger or how to use one. No gear either."

"Too late now," Cale, the middle brother, said. "I'll retrieve our packs." He dashed out the front door.

"You're too poorly trained," Gabe said to Alex.

"You can't leave me off the team," Alex said. "You heard the Portal Guardian when she assigned me to your team. You can only forbid vigilante activity."

"I heard the Portal Guardian, too, and Alex is right," Rile said. "I'll grab spare staff and sword sheaths for her. Don't start your epic fight without me." He strolled out the door.

Alex looked at the sword and staff in her hands. "No fighting where Rile can't eavesdrop."

"You listen to me, Alex," Gabe said. "Follow orders. No running off on your own."

"Yes sir." Alex saluted with the hand that held the staff. "Follow orders, sir."

Gabe hiss-growled deep in his chest.

"That's so cool," Alex teased. "How come your brothers never do that?"

"We're not a Clan Head or Heir," Cale said as he lugged in the packs.

"It's a perfect eldest son thing," Rile said as he followed his brother in. "Here's your sword and staff sheath, princess."

"Warrior princess," Alex said.

"Some warrior princess. You don't know how to use a sword, staff, or dagger," Rile said.

"I know knife basics, I can fly, and I can blast the leather off your hide," Alex replied sweetly. "Neuro-electric powers, remember? Or shall I remind you?"

"Enough. Into the portal," Gabe said.

*****

Once through, they looked over a southwest type semi-desert terrain. Towering red rock formations dotted the landscape full of sand and scrub bushes. Tall columnar cacti stood watch over the valley below. The cliffs showed grey and red bands along their faces. The sky above was a panorama of brilliant blue. The heat wasn't as unbearable as the Painted Desert and the sun was mid way down the horizon. Alex was reminded of Cathedral Rock from Red Rock Crossing. She frowned at the thought that she had been in Arizona.

No thinking about the past. Ever. Who knew what horrors might have happened in Arizona?

They looked down into the valley, that was greener than the semi-desert, at the town in the shimmering heat. A city with squat, red rock buildings no more than two stories tall. There were dirt roads and the vehicles were carriages drawn by horses.

"We'll learn ever so much standing out here." Rile started down the gentle slope for the town.

"I lead this team," Gabe said but had to scramble to catch up with Rile.

Cale motioned politely to Alex and she started after Gabe.

Gabe was back in the lead when they reached the edge of the city. As they skirted a building, they heard voices. They looked around the corner, saw who was talking, and stared at the three humanoid draconic figures.

"They look like you," Alex said. "We must be back on your home world."

The creatures turned around. They sported impressive tails.

"Or not." Alex ducked back around the corner.

I'm the alien here.

"How can we understand them?" Alex whispered to Cale, her best shot at an answer without anger or scorn.

"Part of the Calling. We're given the language of wherever we're Called."

"Did you think we were hatched speaking English with an American accent?" Rile mocked.

Alex realized that Rile never missed anything. Whispering only alerted him to eavesdrop.

Jerk. I'll show him who's a Guardian.

"Alex, step back further into the alley and flatten against the wall," Gabe ordered.

She did, but not happily. At least, not until she heard voices from even farther down the alley. Now she could listen to a different conversation.

"Are they in place?" one voice said.

"Yes, all four with crossbows. At least one will find its mark," another voice answered.

Alex looked down the street and saw a procession coming. A crowd of humanoid reptiles of various species waved and cheered. Rile was closest, so Alex slid forward and tugged on his arm.

When he turned, she whispered to him, "I think there's an assassination planned. I heard mention of four crossbows and one hitting its mark." When he looked down at her with skepticism, she added, "You're not the only one with good enough hearing to eavesdrop."

Rile scanned the area and pointed at an upper window. "There's one crossbow. Three more to go."

"I told you to step back," Gabe whispered fiercely as he pushed Alex against the wall, his body shielding her from the crowd's view.

"I overheard an assassination plot," she protested.

"Four crossbows to assassinate someone, probably a figurehead since we were Called here as Guardians." Rile yanked his brother forward. "I've found one. Now help me find the other three."

Gabe told Cale and they intensified their search. The procession drew closer. Alex saw Gabe point, and the three brothers vanished into the crowd.

"Three of them and four crossbows. Why didn't Gabe tell me to find one?" Alex muttered to the uncaring wall.

Although annoyed, Alex decided to stay put and keep an eye on the procession. She saw a figure in the center of the parade waving. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the crossbow that Rile had pointed out disappear.

"One down, three to go." Alex didn't know where the other three were, so she watched the waving figure closely.

Alex never questioned how she could see an arrow flying toward its target, she reacted. She speed burst through the crowd, invisible, her slipstream pushing them away, then touched ground on the road. She was now visible and used her regular flying ability to look as if she jumped into the carriage. She grabbed the waving figure, pushed him to the carriage floor, and covered him with her body. Instinct told her to hide her flying ability. She said, "Stay still, I'm protecting you. Arrows are flying. Let me take the hits."

The screaming started. A large, muscular reptile grabbed Alex and the reptile that she saved was taken from her. She was reluctant to blast such a large crowd, and the hands weren't hurting her, only restraining her. Another large, muscular reptile jogged up to her and yelled orders. Alex's rescue was surrounded by many large reptiles.

"Council President, are you all right?"

"Did this creature hurt you?"

"Of course I didn't hurt him. I rescued him from a crossbow arrow," Alex said.

"We saw no arrow or crossbow."

"You were trying to abduct the Council President."

"If I was trying to abduct him, why did I put him on the floor of the carriage and cover him?" Alex asked in a reasonable tone.

"Leave her be," the Council President said. "She was protecting me."

"Wait." Gabe, Cale, and Rile ran up, each dragging an unconscious creature. "She's with us. We captured three of the assassins but she saved him from the fourth. Look." Gabe dropped a crossbow at the guard's feet and Rile and Cale followed suit.

"Sir." A guard joined them. "I found this." He held an arrow. "I think it would have hit the Council President."

"I agree." The Council President clapped his hands and the guards straightened into formation. The President addressed Alex and the brothers. "You all have my thanks. But what manner of creature are you?" he asked Alex specifically. "How do you know our language?"

"I'm not from around here," Alex said. "I'm a quick study when it comes to language."

"Obviously. We must hurry to the Institute for your protection. Guards, transport for us all immediately. To the Institute."

They were hustled into a larger, covered carriage, along with the Council President and several disapproving guards who crammed around Alex and glared at her.

"I do thank you," the President began. "But your strange appearance will cause much fear. What manner of creature are you?" He repeated the question politely to Alex.

"Mammal," Rile said when no one answered.

The President looked grave. "I was right to bring you along. There are those who think that mammals, no matter what the size, are good for nothing but being hunted and killed."

Gabe hissed but Rile and Alex studiously ignored him.

"You'll be safe at the Institute. Dr. Glick is the foremost authority on mammals."

"I hope not the sort that likes dissecting them," Alex said.

The President chuckled. "Have no fear. Dr. Glick is a most gentle and honorable genius. Now you three." He turned to face Gabe, Rile, and Cale. "What species are you? You look like the Anolis lizards but you have no tails and are much larger. Their males are never seen outside their borders without their females."

"We're not from around here, either," Rile said.

Gabe elbowed Rile. "We are Guardians. We are Called to help in times of trouble."

"I see." the President looked thoughtful. "I am grateful for the rescue. Is that why you are here?"

"It's part of it, but not all, or we would have been recalled home," Gabe said.

"There is much trouble brewing in the Anolis nation. I wonder." The Council President lapsed into thought.

The carriage jolted to a stop and guards surrounded it.

"This is your stop, Guardians. You'll be safe here. I'm sorry I cannot accompany you. This assassination attempt will cause much trouble politically and I must work. I will meet with you in the next few days and speak more of this Calling." The President waved goodbye as they exited the carriage. "Keep them safe," he told his guards. "All of them."

***

A/N

Dedicated to all the readers who traveled this journey with me! I love y'all!

And dedicated to my newest and wonderfully commenting readers:

Oneofakindbelike

DerangedBlueCat

I pray that piqued your interest for more!