***
"How is he?" Marcus demanded as Rhiannon walked into the kitchen, where Martha had gathered everyone waiting for news on him.
"He's got a lot of scrapes and bruises, a couple of cracked ribs, and a possible concussion, but he's going to be annoying all of us like as usual in a couple of days." Rhiannon promised.
"Thank gods," Kevan whispered, aware of relief washing through the warriors. Marcus closed his eyes, trying to hide emotion; Brody might be a pain in the ass, but he was their pain in the ass.
"Whoever did this is going to pay," Caleb growled. He recalled the day Marcus had dragged Brody home. Brody was one of those rare humans born with ability to see the races for who they really were. They had taken him under their wing, and Brody had come to be a great asset for them; with his intelligence, street smarts and computer skills, he had repeatedly proven himself a valued team member. Not that they would ever admit that to him; he already had a big enough ego.
"Caleb?" He looked down to Kevan who had finally gotten his attention.
"He's going to be okay."
"I know," he told her. "I'm just use to him being cocky and mouthy, not quiet and in pain."
"How long have you known him?"
"Gods, Marcus dragged this skinny kid home one day about thirteen years ago, I guess." Caleb gave a snort of laughter. "Marcus had just moved here, and was staying with me. He had been out doing gods knows what, but he had run across a demon attacking a woman, and there was this gawky kid trying to beat it off with a piece of wood. Marcus waded in, killed the demon, saved the woman, and then tried to erase their memories. He was able to with the woman, but not Brody. He wasn't sure what to do, so he dragged him back here. Brody was screaming at the top of his lungs, threatening to report Marcus to the cops for kidnapping and murder. I wanted to know why Marcus hadn't just erased his memory, and that was when we discovered that Brody was a latent."
"I know what the word means. Brody has unknown, or unseen abilities, basically."
"Right. I'd say ninety-nine percent of the human race will look at a demon, or any member of the other races, and see what they believe to be normal. However, there is a very small percentage that are either born with the ability, or something happens to them, and they develop it somehow, we aren't exactly sure how. We try and pay attention for latent’s, and help them as need be."
"So Brody is like us?" Kevan probed.
"Yes and no. You have abilities because of your parents, but Brody was just born that way. As I said, we are on the lookout for those few that are out there, and befriend them."
"Why?" Kevan wanted to know. "What difference does it make, it's not like anyone would believe them."
"Brody was a big mouth," Marcus stated, composed; he even had a hint of a smile. "He never shut up, threatened to report us to the cops and the media. To have one person spouting off about seeing demons or vampires, or any one of the other races on the earth, and you're right, nobody would take one person seriously, but you start to get more, thousands all around the world saying the same thing, and then you know what could happen. Media sensation not required."
"Okay, I see your point. I can see it now, news items no longer focused on terrorism; we'd never have another moment of peace." She shuddered at the thought of what could happen. "What about Brody's parents?" Kevan inquired. "Can they see the other races, too?"
"That's just it, we don't know. When Marcus found Brody, he was living on the streets, and couldn't remember anything about either his family or where he was from. We tried to find out anything we could, but it is like he just suddenly appeared at the age of ten. He was smart, and we couldn't send him back to the street. We already had guardianship of Rhiannon, so we figured what was one more, they were about the same age, and so we took him in."
"What about a birth certificate?"
"Kevan, that's nothing. On paper Rhiannon and Brody are brother and sister; they came to live with us after the death of their parents."
"But ..." Kevan stopped, "Forget it, I really don't want to know," she told them. "So who do you think Brody pissed off?"
"I have no idea. I assure you, we are going to have a talk with them," Marcus growled. Kevan watched the looks that past between the men in the room, and she almost felt sorry for the ones responsible, because they have no idea what they had just unleashed on themselves.