A Gathering Storm

*Standing at the window, I listened to the wind pelt the side of the gate house, relentless gusts launching loose branches from the surrounding trees into the paned glass, rattling it in its frame. I flinched and staggered back, reminding myself that the glass was a half inch thick and bulletproof, something that I'd once thought was excessive and was now grateful for. Around here, overkill was an understatement. I soothed a hand down Sahvage's back, a loud crack of thunder having startled him awake with a keening cry that still had the hair on my nape standing up as I peered outside, my eyes straining in the dark to barely make out the heavy gates that sealed the compound off from the outside world. I followed the line of the horizon to the west, searching for the gauzy glow that marked the neon jungle of Caldwell's night scene. Vishous was on patrol tonight, as he had been the night before, and the night before that. The little time spent together wasn't nearly enough, my heart aching, starved for my male during the hours he left us to scour the rat-infested streets, picking off lessers like the vermin that ran the gutters of those dank alleys. I sighed heavily, grabbing Sahv's hand as he fisted a lock of my hair and tugged, brushing my lips over the dimpled knuckles. The thunderheads rolling in consumed the faint light that I'd always sought on his nights away, the eerie glow comforting in a way, reassuring me that Vishous wasn't so very far from us. But the familiar aura of countless streetlights and marquees was gone, replaced by an ominous blanket of black that seemed to press at the windows...seeking a way in. An uneasiness settled into the pit of my stomach and I swallowed hard. Something just didn't feel right...of course it didn't, he's a soldier and there is a war going on, what's to feel right about? But, that wasn't it. The war with the Lessening Society was always at the forefront and it was impossible not to see the anxious looks that all the shellans fought to hide as we sent our males out, praying that they'd return. We were all determined to stay strong against fears that would strangle us given half a chance. I supposed that made us warriors in our own right. Still, I couldn't help but feel something was waiting on the fringes, a hidden assailant yet to be named, biding its time until it could breach the fortifications of the compound. A shiver rippled through me as I crossed the room to my cell phone, picking it up and firing off a quick text to Vishous. [Be careful and come home to us. Love you.] Watching the clouds build and swallow the few stars that had so valiantly fought to hold on to their place in the velvet black sky, I cuddled our son, arms tightening until he gave a whimper of protest, making me loosen my hold. A bolt of lightning lit the sky for a split second, dividing the storm front in a slice of brilliant white, followed by a deafening crash of thunder that sent Sahv on a fresh round of terrified tears. My hellren was out there... and there was a storm coming.*