Chapter 17: Quiet before the Storm

Cassidy watched as lightning streaked through the black sky, admiring how the clouds blazed with blue light as the bolt jagged through the water formed puffs.

Edward tilted his head to the side, watching Cassidy curiously. "It's been thundering for twenty minutes and you still haven't flinched once."

Cassidy shrugged absently, continuing to watch the storm. Rebecca jumped as another boom of thunder echoed out into the blackness. "I don't think I'll ever get her and storms," she said, covering her ears. "I personally hate storms. I just can't stand them!"

Edward smiled at her apologetically at her. "Sorry, then, Rebecca. I don't mind storms. They're noisy, and sometimes destructive, but I bear no fear toward them. "

Rebecca groaned, rolling her eyes. "You people are so weird."

Lightning jagged across the sky, arousing Jasper from his nap. Taranee sighed and picked up the newborn boy, cradling him in her arms and rocking him back and forth.

Peter paused, listening from downstairs as his younger sister tended to her child. Then he turned back to Kyle, arching his eyebrow curiously. "So, are you sure you wanna help out further with this?"

Kyle nodded firmly. "Yes, I'm very sure."

Peter looked at him doubtfully, continuing to say, "But if you try something funny—"

Kyle held up a hand, stopping Peter in mid-sentence. His dark face was stern and trusting, his dark eyes not flickering even once. "Trust me. I'm here on Taranee's and Jasper's account."

Peter snorted. "Like a guardian angel?" he asked.

Kyle smiled a bit, his eyes gleaming in amusement. "You could put it that way."

Peter tapped his fingers on the table. "Look, I like you, Kyle. Don't get me wrong. But you're just way too close to Taranee for my comfort."

Kyle nodded. "That means you're being a good big brother. Taranee was already hurt once. You don't want her hurt again."

Peter frowned, but nodded. "I don't. And I'm glad you're seeing things my way."

"We'll work something out," Kyle insisted, standing up. "For now, I'll keep my distance if you want. But it's like you said earlier. I'm Taranee's Guardian angel."

Rumble, rumble went the storm, shaking the ground a bit. But the shaking didn't help what was occurring in a hospital room with a certain brunette woman.

A baby had just been born, a boy.

Irma and Martin's son.

She had decided to name him Jesse, finding that a cute name. Thankfully, after labor was over, she could take a nap.

She was really tired. (Sorry, folks, but that's all I've got for Irma. My brain tuckered out, or as CS would put it, it farted.)

Darcius leaned against the wall, sunglasses covering his bright green eyes. He smirked, listening to the deep rumbling thunder while a bolt of electricity jagged across the sky.

Mert huddled down on the ground, hugging his green legs to his chest. The passling looked up at his master, waiting patiently for an order. Finally, Darcius pointed at a young couple walking by. "See those two, Mert?"

Mert looked at the couple for a moment before looking back at Darcius. "Yes. I see them."

Darcius smiled coyly, obviously mentally praising himself for some form of genius. "The man is not human. He's an Ethereal, isn't he?"

Mert nodded. "He smell like bird people."

Darcius chuckled darkly to himself. "Perfect. I never really got the chance to face up against an Ethereal. But, that's only one of the five problems."

Mert blinked in confusion. "You mean other men?"

Darcius nodded, his face grim. "Yes. The other four men. By tonight I would like to have a full understanding on who is going to be my next victim."

Mert gulped. He wasn't liking the tone his master was using.

Mert also wasn't liking the thought of attacking the Guardians and their male-companions all in one spot. He looked up at his master, who was smiling widely, a gleefully look in his green eyes. Both were now standing on top of a building where the guys were supposedly staying.

Darcius's long back hair wiped in the wind, and with a dark chuckle, he pulled something small and black from his deep midnight black cloak.

"Let the fun begin," Darcius cooed, tossing the item casually into the chimney.

Cole stared vacantly at the window, watching the rain pitter-patter down the glass. Will glanced around the room, having all her friends and their 'helpers'. In truth, Will was not thinking of Cole as a friend, but something much more.

Clunk!

Will snapped her head to attention as she heard clunking, perhaps coming from the chimney. Several more clunks sounded from the chimney, and now everyone was looking at it now, curious eyebrows arched and eyes fixed on the brick stature.

Suddenly the source of the noise appeared, a small, black ball that rolled into the middle of the room gently. Cole reacted suddenly to the sight of the object, throwing himself over Will as he shouted, "Take cover!"

There wasn't any time before the black object exploded, sending black smoke everywhere. The good thing was that the bomb wasn't a harmful explosive.

The bad thing was the bomb was most likely a distraction for the group.

Will's suspicions were proven correct when she heard a window crash and a pair of feet landed cat-like on the carpet.

David made a grunting noise, making Will think that the intruder and David had some form of scuffle. Cole hadn't moved from his position of defending her, blocking most of her vision, but then again, it wouldn't have helped since the smoke bomb was still steaming smoke.

The intruder laughed, taunting his victims. "What's this? Why don't you cowards use your full power? Are you afraid you'll hurt your little friends? Or perhaps the almighty Oracle forbid you from your powers?"

"Don't let him get to you, guys!" Tomo encouraged from somewhere in the smoke. "He's just trying to provoke you!"

"You think so?" David replied sarcastically before he cried out, and something crashed followed by Irma screaming, "David! Are you okay?"

Before Will knew what was going on, Cole was torn off her, grunting and struggling with some invisible. The intruder laughed again. "Not so tough without your powers, are you, Coly-boy?"

"Cole!" Will suddenly wished she had the Heart of Candracar. What's more is she wished she was in physical shape to do something that wouldn't put her or another life in danger.

Cole and the intruder grunted and struggled some, telling Will that now Cole was beginning to fight off the intruder, but he was still taking a beating at the same time.

Kyle charged from somewhere, tackling the intruder. Jose leaped squirrel-like on top, followed by a wounded David and a frustrated Tomo. Cole joined in on the football style wrestling, pinning the intruder down.

But the intruder wasn't through with them yet. He laughed, dropping something on the ground and said, "Let's make things interesting . . . with an explosion!"

A huge boom rocked the house to its foundations. Taranee screamed and grabbed hold of something solid. The others did as well, fearing for their lives.

And what the five Guardians saw would forever change their lives.

Cole, growling in frustration, shouted, "Forget orders! Protect the Guardians!" A flutter of wings sounded from behind Will, and she felt Cole's hand resting on her shoulder before a pair of things shielded her from the falling debris.

The intruder, now free from his capturers as they all ran to protect the Guardians, laughed and said, "Avevor (the French word for good-bye, I didn't take French so I don't know how it's spelled), Guardians and protectors. May we meet again." And then a fluttering of a cloak, and then nothing.

Once the shaking had finally stopped, and the smoke was clearing, the two things removed themselves from her line of vision and disappeared as quickly as they came. Will, unable to stop herself, whirled around to discover what those things were when she noticed a pair of wings sticking out of Cole's back.

His brown eyes widened in surprise, as he thought she wouldn't try to look, and then his glance swept along the room.

Will followed his gaze and saw each and everyone of the Guardians' male friends had changed into a creature or a non-human being.

David was covered head-to-foot in blue, smooth scales.

Kyle's dark skin was red now, along with his eyes and his hair was crimson.

Jose's hair was grassy and green, his skin even tinted green.

Tomo looked like a raccoonoid human, or humanoid raccoon. Whichever he was.

Will turned back to Cole, her arms crossed over her chest. "Mind explaining this?" she asked, tapping her foot patiently.

Cole glanced at the other guys; they all gave him the same worried look.

Oops.