We sat by the table. Me and the new wolf. River was doing the dishes; Abel was out walking Dave.

"You live here with the vampire?" Frank asked, as he eyed a painting I had made of Abel and Gary, hanging in the kitchen.

"Yes."

Frank nodded a little. "Where I come from, we don't mix like that. I'm surprised to see it, especially from someone as prominent within your community as you."

"The thing is, we're all in the same community. Everyone here is part of the community as soon as they leave the human world behind. We're all living in a world that is inherently not made for us. Vampires, banshees, witches, griffins... Wolves."

"Sure, but this world is friendlier to some more than others."

"You're telling me?" I asked, arching a brow. "I'm a gay werewolf, living with my gay vampire boyfriend who isn't white. My friends are queer and trans and not white and supernatural too. Even without one part of us, the other would make this society, this world, unfriendly. To put it lightly."

"Relax, boy. You can put the banners down. My husband and I have been on the outskirts of this society for longer than you've been alive."

I snapped my mouth closed, feeling heat rise in my face.

"I'm not about to bring around homophobes," River muttered from the sink. "Can't believe you thought Frank wasn't an old queen though."

"Oi, I thought you were doing the dishes, boy. Quit running your mouth more than the water." Frank looked back at me. "You better train that one and keep him in a short leash."

"I try," I said and glanced back up at River, but he was staring down at the dishes.

"The way you run your community here. It's not seen in many places. So yes, I was surprised by your vampire."

"His name is Abel," I said a little too harshly.

"Abel," Frank said, way softer than I had. "You trust him?"

"I bring the new wolves here, when they're ready to talk. He makes them coffee or tea. Usually, he has some baked goods to offer too. He likes baking, you see. He's the more domestic of the two of us. He'll probably also make the most money, once he graduates. So he'll be the home maker and the bread maker. Don't know what that makes me."

"A stereotype?" River offered with a swing of the dish brush.

"So much talking from someone who's still learning how to shut up," I said pointedly.

River rolled his eyes and grabbed another mug. "So yes, I trust him. With my life. With all of the wolves' lives."

Frank nodded and took another sip of coffee.

I closed the door behind Frank and turned to River.

"What is the vampire doing to you?" River asked, the words bursting out of him as if he had been holding it in for hours. He probably had.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said awkwardly dodging his gaze.

"You're so loud too. Doesn't he get a headache?"

"If you've never made anyone loud, maybe you're shit in bed," I said before I could stop myself.

"Wooh, you bitch," he laughed and shoved me towards the sofa. I sat down and he sat down next to me. "You sound ridiculous, by the way."

"I sound hot. Fuck you." I shoved him back.

In all honesty, I liked River and maybe I hated how I liked him. He was like an annoying older brother. He didn't take things so seriously and it didn't seem like much of anything bothered him. He had a real 'fuck it' attitude I wished I had more of, rather than just angst piled onto anxiety.

"I mean, if he genuinely makes you sound like that, I can understand your relationship to the vamp a lot better."

"As if you couldn't before. He looks like a model, and you hate that," I said and smirked up at him.

"You're so vain."

"Yeah. Who isn't?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He mulled that over for a bit, chewing on it, it looked like, his jaw working a bit. "I don't think Creek is."

I frowned. "How would you know?"

Before he could reply, Abel came through the door and so did Dave. Dave immediately ran in and jumped up on my lap, licking my face.

"Hello sweet puppy," I laughed, giving him a good scratch.

"He didn't wanna walk very far. Had to carry him some of the way too," Abel said, coming into the living room after having kicked off his sneakers.

"He knows he can get out of exercising with you. With me we'll just wait until he decides to walk again. He's a lazy little bastard," I said with the puppy voice, riling up the old dog. He always turned into a puppy when he had been away from me, even if it had only been for twenty minutes. It was as if he thought every time he saw me, would be the last. No one would ever have that reaction. Only my sweet Dave.

"How old is Dave?" River asked, giving Dave a scratch on the back.

Dave plumped down on sofa, rolling onto his back so we could scratch his tummy.

"He turns fifteen soon. So, he's a little grandpa."

"How old do dogs even get?" Abel asked, leaning over the backrest of the sofa, joining in on scratching Dave's belly.

"Dogs like Dave can become older than fifteen. He's a mutt so he's not as prone to some of the illnesses the purebreds can get. We gotta watch out for his hips and knees though. He does have a little arthritis already, but nothing to be scared of. He's just getting older." I smiled down at the dog, and he rolled over and jumped up, licking my face. I wrapped my arms around him and held him close.

Dave had come into my life in a weird way. I had been begging my dad for a dog for ages. Ever since I was little. But he didn't want the responsibility of having to watch both me and a dog, he said. He could just walk me, feed me, bathe me, and give me a scratch behind the ear. What did he need a dog for? And I had countered with I had no one to do all those things with so it was really unfair.

Then at my next birthday, Dave was in the living room. Just out of nowhere. A scrawny little puppy with one ear that stood upright, another flapping around and paws that looked like they belonged to a whole other, much larger dog. The ear eventually came into its own right, and he grew into his paws, somewhat.

My dad named him Dave. I never found out why, but I loved the name. It was hilarious when we were at the park, yelling for 'Dave' and people saw a dog come running instead of a human being.

Dave was the last bit I had after my dad besides his reading glasses I hadn't managed to throw away. Dave and reading glasses.

"You also have a cat, right?" River asked.

"Gary," Abel said and grabbed the three-legged cat from the cat tree by the stairs. She loved laying at the top and watch over us.

"What is it with the names?" River asked, chuckling.

"She doesn't react to anything but Gary. We tried different names," Abel said, putting the cat on his shoulder. Most of the time, she loved being perched there, licking Abel's hair. She was a proper shoulder cat. She was purring loudly, slamming her cheeks against the side of his head.

"She? A girl named Gary?" River arched a brow at me as Abel made his way to the kitchen to feed the kids.

I shrugged and turned Dave around, so he was in my arms like a baby. I ran my hand over the white fur on his belly and he opened his mouth, big pink tongue rolling out between his teeth.

"What're we supposed to do with the wolves?" I asked quietly. "Someone's targeting us. Again."

"I don't know. I am not the leader."

"No, but you're my advisor. Or something along those lines."

"You watch too much court drama, Gael," River said and snorted, rising to his feet. "I'm not your advisor. I'm barely your friend."

"You are. My friend," I said and rose too. "You're the closest to family... Like a blood relation... That I have. So, I'm asking you for your opinion."

"Honestly, Gael, I don't know. I think you should talk to Frank and get in touch with the other wolves in the area. They're a lot smarter than me." He shrugged, made a two-finger salute, and just left. Didn't even say a proper goodbye or anything. Straight up just left.

I shook my head and put Dave on the sofa, patting his head and went to the kitchen.

Abel was squatting next to Gary who was in the middle of her breakfast. He was running his fingers over her back, complimenting her on her eating skills. Calling her a 'good hungry kitty'.
"She likes it when I stay around when she eats. She doesn't like eating alone," he said then without looking up at me.

"I'd probably like eating even more if you complimented me too," I said and snorted.

I found a mug in the cupboard and some blood and heated it all in the microwave. I handed it to him when the small oven started beeping.

He smiled at me and gratefully took the mug, carefully taking a sip. "You've really nailed the whole microwaving blood for me. But uh, it's not my feeding time? I've already had a mug?"

"But I need you to beready." I zipped the hoodie down and smirked. "We're not gonna get interruptedagain."