Althea took a deep drag out of the cigar that she was holding between her fingers. It was a good night. The city bustling around her, the cars honking in the traffic.

Her city...

She took the cigar away from her lips and slowly blew out the smoke between her full lips. There was something magical about enjoying the bittersweet taste of the Cuban cigar after a job.

The night sky was dark, the alleyway shadowing her men and herself, Althea felt something deep and dark twist inside of her.

She could stand there and enjoy the sounds that her city made all night long, calling for her, begging for her to play with it, but she had things to do and places to be.

Not one of her men moved a muscle as she walked over to her right hand man. Valdos was a heavily built man but still very smart. He was loyal and vicious, just the way she liked her people.

Thats why she had picked him as her right hand. He was almost as dark as she was. Almost.

Althea extended her arm in front of Valdos and said, "Hold my cigar while I finish this up Val."

"My pleasure." Val said, a small smile on his lips, as he took the cigar from between Althea's fingers.

Althea then took a few slow, daunting steps towards the young police officer that knelt between two of her men.

'They don't need for you to personally tell them', Althea remembered Val telling her earlier. 'They already know not to get involved where they don't belong. They know not to cross you.'

'Yes but I like breaking in the new recruits.' Althea had answered while giving a wicked smile. 'It's nice to see the look in their eyes when they realise how they won't be able to protect the city and it's people like they promised.'

Althea returned her gaze to the scared young man and took in his uniform. He looked dashingly pure and heroic for her to sink her claws in. Not tonight, she chided the monster in her. She had a public event to attend and didn't want any blood stains on her.

Althea reached her index finger to the side of the officer's face. "Congratulations on your graduation from the academy officer." Althea said with a smile on her face.

The young officer looked up at her from his kneeling position with scared eyes. "T-thank you." He stuttered in return.

Althea's finger drifted down and down on his face until she reached his jaw and with vicious speed, she gripped the officer's chin in her claws.

Officer's whole body stiffened at her violent gesture and he didn't even dare to flinch.

Althea spoke with a low, menacing tone that she knew was sure to send the message to the right places. "Who does this city belong to?"

"Y-you." The officer said. His eyes were almost to the point of bulging out of their sockets from fear.

Althea's words dropped another octave but her voice never lost the commanding tone in it. "That's right. This city is mine and it would be in your best interest to remember that while you are working in the force."

Then Althea let the young officer's chin go from her grip and the officer seemed to have taken his first breath in after two minutes.

Althea looked at the hat every man and woman were forced to wear in the joined force. The blue police cap, the symbol of protection and salvation. She would have laughed if any of that was really true.

Althea took the hat from the officer's head and put it on her head. There was no protection where she roamed and there was no salvation from her when she was on a prowl.

She walked over to Val as she signalled her two men standing beside the officer to take him away with a flick of her hand.

She heard them drag the young officer away as she took her still burning cigar from between Val's fingers. She put the cigar between her lips and took a deep breath in.

Her hand was itching to be painted in blood but tonight, tonight her hands and the monster inside her would have to wait. Instead, she lifted her fingers to the front of the police cap and arranged it correctly on her head, where it least belonged.

Because Althea was the last person anyone would expect protection and salvation to come from.

**********

This was an intro to a new book idea I have i hope you guys liked it.

And the picture attached is what gave me an idea to start writing the story.

It doesn't look like the Althea in my mind and she smokes cigars not cigarettes but anyways.

Vote, comment and send me kisses if you liked the beginning to the new story.

Love you dearies 💙