Yanking his shirt back up, Adrian went next to the animal area they had covered with sheets of plastic, frowning at the sloppy job Danny and Zack had done. The dust was coming under the edges in small waves, and the animals were coughing, pacing.
"On a dark, desert highway, cool wind in my hair…" Adrian sang as he weighted down each side with the heavy cages, adjusting the edges until the dust began to settle and the animals began to relax.
"Last thing I remember, I was runnin' for the door…" The sand he'd already been blasted with gave him a rough rasp, and the blond grinned in the dimness of the vibrating plastic dome. Kenn wasn't the only one who felt alive when confronting danger.
Holding his breath, Adrian headed for his semi. The winds back here were so strong he had to punch his way through with low, powerful steps.
Doing what no one expected despite all he'd done for them in the beginning, Adrian watched over them, staying in his rig throughout the storm. He'd secured the lives he needed to, the camp now in Kenn's capable hands, and he rode out the fury in his truck, marveling at the unchecked power while he watched for trouble.
Adrian was one of three men to take the Drag position. Seth - who wasn't an Eagle, but wanted to be - and Kyle, were on either side him. The cop and the mobster guarded him, as he guarded his sheep, and neither mentioned, not even to each other, that they heard the warning he sent out.
Not over a radio, but rushing out in powerful mental waves designed to get ahead of the storm, it rang through the air and into their heads until the urge to go to the blond's truck had them both fighting tight grips on the door handles. There were times, later, when both men doubted themselves, but at night, while watching their leader do rounds after a twenty hour day, they'd think about it, and admit the truth to themselves - that he had tried to save survivors in the storm's path, cared enough about the loss of life to risk using his gifts and maybe be banished…to help people he didn't even know. He wasn't like the rest, he was...special.
The secret bonded the two men, and earned Adrian their complete loyalty. Both males were sure he'd known they were there, trusting them with his secrets. He was their Guardian, and either would give their life if called upon.
3
The storm raged around Safe Haven for hours, wind forming and then moving tiny cities of sand that vanished as quickly as they'd appeared. The Eagles handled themselves well, rushing to anchor tarps, secure trucks, and comfort their people during the nonstop bathroom breaks, as the storm grew stronger. When the winds finally began to die down, everyone was glad, even those who loved the excitement.